Hack the MIX Hackathon

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Defy Conventional Wisdom

By John Roth on February 24, 2022

Invitational Theme Challenges There are any number of set-into-stone, unquestioned preconceptions that somehow get locked in place in organizational situations. These kinds of conventional, TABOO TOPICS might be suitable for short-term MIX theme challenges, inviting brief I agree or I disagree personal anecdotes. One TABOO TOPIC I like is the notion of Transferable Skills. HR departments don't like to consider these kinds of things. At one point when I was in college, I took quite a few classes in structural engineering, because I appreciated the knowledge and approach of the teacher. Later in business school, I took required statistics coursework, and I was at the top of the class -- because as it happened, the underlying formulas for stresses and strains on steel beams are very similar to the underlying formulas for doing statistical analysis. I already knew the principles without extra effort. Who would know that? Such rants could even be assessed passion flame ratings, and the most committed could be re-grouped to fire again further.

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Love this idea. Taboo topics are the clear glue that hold even the most damaged and hierarchical organizational structures together, even as the walls are crumbling. They're not always easy to see or identify, but when you start chipping away at the old structure to remodel it, they are eventually revealed or manifested.