I Think I Found an Oasis

I think I visited an oasis last week. I attended a conference at Babson College – the Babson Entrepreneurial Energy Expo – where I sat on a panel discussion about marketing for new energy companies. A friend/colleague of mine thought my participation would be productive. So I accepted the invitation as a business development opportunity. But when it was all said and done, I think I found an oasis.

Why? Because this conference, with its professionalism, insight, attendance and high-profile speakers, was organized entirely by Babson students studying to be entrepreneurs in the cleantech space! From concept to execution, the whole event was student driven. I remember my college days – and organizing a conference was the furthest thing I was interested in doing.

Since this conference was put on by students – and attended by many, as well – it possessed this sense of innocence and purity that we frankly don’t see much of in today’s business world. For a brief time, I was removed from the negativity of our current economic problems. I was no longer reminded at every turn of all the strife and greed and finger-pointing our world is enduring today.

I sat with several MBA students during our VIP dinner, and talked with them about the business environment, and their aspirations. I joked with one young man about taking a job with our firm – “We’ll pay you $20,000 a year!” I jarred – my first salary out of college, by the way.

“That’s OK,” he said. “It’s not the money that I’m interested in. It’s the cause. If I focus on the cause, the money will come.” Maybe he didn’t get my humor, but boy was I floored by his response!

These kids (20-somethings are kids to me, now) are so passionate about just making a difference, that they have put all their trust in success behind it. One woman got up during the dinner and announced that she was not studying to be in the cleantech field. “I want to be a preschool teacher, but I want to learn about how to promote a clean environment so I can pass that knowledge and practice onto the children I hope to teach.” I sure hope my kids get her as a teacher one day.

I’ve done a lot of research and reading on generational differences throughout my career – Baby boomers flipping society on its head; Gen X being molded by divorce and two working parents. Generation Y has been coined the “next great generation” because of their ability to look past people’s differences to find what makes us all similar. This generation has such a sense of optimism and compassion for humanity.

And for a brief period, I got to visit their little oasis outside Boston. It gave me a glimpse of how the ideals of our next generation of leaders will lead. I think all will be good.

Jon Milenthal is vice president of The Milenthal Group – a strategic marketing firm focused on helping "game changers" transition from ideation to commercialization, or from public unawareness to mass movement by helping develop their missions, create brands, establish persuasive selling propositions and find a powerful voice in today's new ideology and new economy.