What drives the work of the world’s leading management thinkers?
That was the question posed at Thinkers50@BUQuestrom: Passion & Purpose, a live virtual event held at Boston University Questrom School of Business on 20th April 2023. Co-sponsored by Thinkers50, Passion & Purpose sought to uncover the motivation behind top management thinkers: what directs their research? What keeps them awake at night and gets them out of bed in the morning? In a fast-paced ideas jam, 14 thinkers each had 15 minutes to present their passion and purpose.
As well as top-ranked thinkers, Passion & Purpose showcased rising stars from the Thinkers50 Radar list and second to the stand was Ruth Gotian. The recipient of the Thinkers50 2021 Radar Award, Gotian offered the flipside to failure with her work on success – in particular, extreme success. She outlined four mindsets associated with high achievers: 1) living for the challenge (not for medals or prizes); 2) work ethic (fearing not trying more than fearing failing); 3) strong foundation (using what made you so good early in your career); and 4) a passion for lifelong learning.