Dr. Michael Goldsby speaking to students

Built on a foundation of leadership and innovation, we connect with local communities to offer a variety of programs designed to help aspiring and established professionals learn about themselves, their teams, & the world around them to develop creative ideas and work together for a lasting impact.

To transform the greater Ball State University ecosystem into a proactive community of problem solvers and opportunity seekers.

To provide dynamic thought leadership, resources, training, and educational programs that develop entrepreneurial talents, skills, and knowledge, as well as appreciation for the vibrancy of free markets.

Our common purpose is to educate and empower entrepreneurial behavior through an understanding of economic principles, economic policy awareness, and entrepreneurship and leadership best practices.

Our distilled purpose is to empower entrepreneurial behavior.

Our values are defined by the acronym IDEATION:

  • I – Inclusiveness: Everyone’s unique perspective and voice deserves to be heard, and each person is valuable to society and has value to offer.
  • D – Discovery: Continuous innovation keeps organizations nimble and responsive to the marketplace.
  • E – Ethics: Void of values and ethics, success is meaningless.
  • A – Accountability: Individual, team, and organizational success is driven by open and mutual accountability, personal commitment to positive productivity and contributions, and clearly-defined expectations and results.
  • T – Thoughtful Personal and Organizational Purpose: Everyone has a personal “why” that drives them. When that personal purpose is aligned with organizational mission, everyone is rowing in the same direction and organizational success and personal fulfillment is achievable.
  • I – Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Diversity: Great things happen with different cognitive styles, talents, and backgrounds work together toward a set of common goals.
  • O – Opportunity Seeking Mindset: By engaging in a continuous search for opportunities, problems, and innovations, individuals and organizations can positively contribute to society and maintain relevancy in the marketplace.
  • N – Networking: Successful organizations are made up of individuals and teams who expand their internal and external professional networks on an ongoing basis.
  • Simplexity Innovation and Complex Problem-Solving Process and Profile
  • FourSight Innovation Profile and Process
  • Gallup Tools (CliftonStrengths, Employee Engagement, Builder Profile-10, & Hiring)
  • Disney Best Practices (Common Purpose, Service, Employee and Customer Engagement, Corporate Innovation, and Leadership and Business Excellence)
  • LEGO© Serious Play©
  • Leadership Best Practices (Jim Collins, John Maxwell, Leadership Challenge, Simon Sinek, Seth Godin, Daniel Goleman, etc.)
  • Inside-Out Assessment Tools (MBTI, DiSC, Basadur Innovation Profile, Entrepreneurial Mindset Profile, Leadership Performance Index, etc.)
  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation Tools (Business Model Canvas, Blue Ocean, Flow, Business Planning, Strategic Planning, etc.)
  • Institute-Created Tools (Entrepreneurial Leadership Instrument, multiple practitioner and educational books, scholarly research articles, practitioner articles, videos, training sessions, certifications, etc.)
  1. Professionalism – our programs are well-organized, carefully communicated, and provide great care for participants and partners, earning the trust of our participants and their teams to be effective and taken seriously.
  2. Innovation – our programs provide best-in-class entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, and leadership development and training opportunities (a differentiator for the Institute).
  3. Expertise – our faculty, staff, partners, and trainers have relevant expertise to deliver first-class programming and participant growth (the primary differentiator for the Institute).
  4. Efficiency – with a smaller team and limited resources, our faculty, staff, and partners are guided by efficient processes, decision-making paradigms, and sound stewardship of time, talent, and resources.

Questions?

Contact us or view our staff directory to find someone specific.