On January 26th I had the honor of speaking at a Drucker Business Forum event in Pasadena, California: Living in More Than One World: Bruce Rosenstein in Conversation With Shannon Barnes. Shannon, a senior advisor for the EDGE group, was a great conversation partner/moderator, and his multidimensional life story was a perfect complement to the idea of living in more than one world.
The forums (free, but registration required) are produced by the Drucker School. They are a valuable combination of education and networking, especially during the continental breakfast before the program. The forums are for Drucker alumni, and other members of the Los Angeles-area business and professional community.
Some are held in Los Angeles, but others, including this one, are in Pasadena, co-presented by the flagship Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) station, 89.3 KPCC, at an impressive venue that is part of their building complex, The Crawford Family Forum. The latter’s website describes it as a “welcoming, non-partisan, knowledge-building space where Southern Californians of all backgrounds can engage in the face-to-face exchange of knowledge and ideas that is becoming increasingly rare in the digital era.”
The idea of living in more than one world, developing and nurturing multiple and diverse areas of your life (inside and outside the workplace), resonated with the audience. It was apparent from their questions during the Q&A, and in discussions afterwards at the book signing. Some had been even been students of Peter Drucker.
Participating was especially gratifying, given some of the high-profile previous speakers, such as Howard Schultz, Gretchen Morgenson and Nobel economics laureate Michael Spence. Future speakers include Rick Wartzman, the executive director of the Drucker Institute, on February 23.
After the event ended, I told Mark Crowley, KPCC’s vice president and general manager (and a Drucker School alum) about my background in college radio and with the Voice of America, and asked him for a tour, which was fascinating. Check out the station’s website for digital offerings, or to listen live. And if you live in Southern California, make it a point to attend a Drucker Business Forum this year. You never know where it may lead.