Bloch Executive MBA Alumni Feature: Wai Lee
Bloch Executive MBA alumnus Wai Lee (Class of 2016) is passionate about innovation. He holds a master’s degree in computer science and has more than 20 patents issued to his name. Currently, Wai is the A51 Director and Chief Product Architect at Garmin where his recent work has focused on Garmin’s wellness and smart wearables technology.
Wai isn’t the only innovator in his family. His wife, Olive Lee, also holds a degree in computer science and has a background in programming. Together, they have launched a new startup that could improve physician/patient interactions and health outcomes.
What is this new technology? Well…it’s a book. While it may seem counterintuitive for such a tech savvy couple to create a startup using good old fashioned paper and ink, it makes quite a lot of sense.
Through conversations with physicians and nurses, a common problem emerged: patients knew what changes they needed to make to improve their health, but failed at high rates to implement the recommendations made by their doctors.
From this problem, Wai and Olive designed a solution: My Habit Book, a small booklet that supports goal tracking and achievement. Co-created with input from physicians, My Habit Book is designed to meet three critical needs for forming new habits:
- Setting a simple, attainable goal
- Feeling a sense of progress
- Seeing a daily action-cue
The user decides on a simple goal to get started such as “walk 15 minutes every day.” This can be something they decide on in partnership with their physician and the book includes a prescription page to record the goal.
The book has a table-top stand backing and can be displayed in a place the user will see every day, such as a desk or countertop, and serves as a visual reminder to accomplish their goal. Stickers are provided to mark progress toward in 1, 5, and 25 day increments until the ultimate goal of 100 days is achieved. Once a goal is achieved, the user can set a new goal to continue on the path to optimal wellness.
My Habit Book is being tested in about 40 doctor’s offices and success rates will be evaluated when patients return for their check-up. So far, the response from physicians and nurses has been overwhelming positive.
As a low-cost, user-friendly tool, My Habit Book can serve a broad audience. It can work in partnership with smart wearables, but is also accessible to users who may not be able to afford or be comfortable using higher tech tools. Physicians can prescribe it to their patients to reinforce healthy behaviors, and individuals can use it to help achieve personal goals and upkeep New Year’s resolutions.
Wai and Olive are already working on the next version of My Habit Book, which will include a social accountability feature. Additional versions are in progress to support specific needs such as sleep wellness, spiritual wellness, mental health, and mindfulness.
If you’re curious to know more about this project – check it out at www.myhabitbook.com!
Entrepreneurial Marketing…new energy for established businesses
Everyday mindset and mantras that have fueled the start-up community are now being transformed into growth drivers for longstanding organizations.
Marketing in an entrepreneurial environment is based on the same premise of knowing your target market and why they would be interested in your product or service. However, think about creating processes that have a defined objective, but which allow for and even encourage failures. Test, learn and modify what types of digital communications are most effective. Develop analytics that hone in on the specific features your customers value most. And most of all, support employees as they “pivot” based on market learnings and customer insights. Then, regardless of your organizational size or industry, you’ll succeed at cultivating entrepreneurial DNA.
How has this corporate entrepreneurial DNA been accomplished?
Three approaches are: External Stimulus, or Dedicated Time, or Cultural Environment.
An example of external stimulus is Google’s use of EIR’s, (Executives-in-Residence) housed within the company, which led to Google Search and Chrome.
Dedicated time includes 3M asking employees to allocate 15% of their time at work doing creative projects. The result was not only Post-Its but also manuals of new concept boards Facebook initiated “Hackathons” for their engineering teams. Ernst and Young created employee contests such as the Innovation Challenge, for new client ideas.
Smaller companies can create the culture to spark an entrepreneurial environment. Here are some comments from the 16 entrepreneurs who left NPI to create their own successful businesses:
1. “We were not entrepreneurs but the process and environment gave birth to the entrepreneur in all of us”
2. “Officers were like movie directors and the associates were the stars of the film”
3. “Birds with no cage learn to fly” reflecting the openness required in the environment
4. “Have no small thoughts”
Never think:
i. This is not something I can do;
ii. I don’t have the skills for this;
iii. I have never done this before, don’t know what I am doing;
iv. I am going to look like a fool;
v. I am not smart enough for this.
Think:
i. I believe I can do anything I set my mind to do:
ii. I must develop a well-thought out plan;
iii. I must know my clients/subjects;
iv. I must be prepared;
v. I must have confidence
5. “Pushed me over my limits…I was allowed to take risks, initiate projects without concern of failing, forced me to grow.”
Lewis Berey will be facilitating a seminar, “The Application of Strategic Marketing in Your Business Practice” at the Bloch School on October 13, 2017. Click here to learn more about Bloch Executive Education seminars.
About the Author
Lewis Berey started his business career at General Mills, where he became Manager of the Corporate Marketing Research department, which provided marketing guidance to over 15 diversified acquisitions. He then founded NPI, a strategic marketing consulting firm, with over 50 consumer and B2B clients in the Fortune 100 and nonprofit organizations. Concurrently, Lew was also CEO of a publicly held corporation, which acquired three national toy companies who manufactured products in a 175,000 sq. ft. plant in Asia. Currently, in addition to running NPI, Lew teaches and lectures at the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and in the MBA and MPA Programs at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Lew holds a master’s degree in Marketing from the University of Kansas.
Bloch Executive MBA Alumni Feature: Mark Amick
Four years ago, Bloch Executive MBA alumnus Mark Amick (‘09) was watching the Republican National Convention (RNC) on TV and thought, “that’s something I’d like to do someday.”
Last month in Cleveland, Mark realized his dream and represented his district as a Texas Delegate to the RNC. He described the convention as an “experience of a lifetime” with all of the traditional convention excitement, plus the spectacle of the roll call and rules dispute, culminating in the attendees coming together around the decided nominee.
Mark has always believed in giving back and finding the time to volunteer despite a busy career. His service has included work with the Kansas City Zoo, the City of Raleigh (NC) Greenway Trail System, and the Kirkland (WA) Heritage Society. Currently, he is serving his second term as the Vice Chair of the Denton County Republican Party. Mark says his time in the Executive MBA program helped to provide a better understanding of the relationship between government and business.
Two and a half years ago, Mark and his wife moved to Texas soon after welcoming their son, Wyatt (now 4), to the family. Recently, Mark participated in Leadership Frisco with the Frisco Chamber of Commerce. As a class project, his class raised $170,000 to create the “Ready to Read Rail Road” – an interactive learning environment within the library that features STEM activities and tips for caregivers to help them educate children between six months and five years of age. His son is an enthusiastic fan of the project.
Mark believes that, “voting isn’t enough, if you want to make a difference – you have to take action” and he encourages others to do the same. Civic engagement is an important leadership activity and one of the four pillars of the Executive MBA program. In the future, Mark hopes to draw on learning from another key theme – innovative mindset – as he considers entrepreneurship among his next pursuits.
