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Hi, Kevin Coupe here, and this is FaceTime with the Content Guy.
As you read or watch this, I am making my way west to Portland, Oregon, where I'll be engaging in my annual "adjunctivity" at Portland State University's Center for Retail Leadership, team-teaching a class with Tom Gillpatrick. As longtime MNB readers know, this annual sojourn touches my heart and soul in all sorts of ways, and as I was driving along, I wanted to pull over to the side of the road and talk about it.
Because as I drive, top down on the Mustang and enjoying the blue skies, it occurs to me that this week has been all about education.
The week started with a drive to Chicago, where I spent some time at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Connect conference, which, as always, was educational in all sorts of ways. (More on that in "Reporting In," below.)
And now, I'm heading across the northern part of the country ... purely because I wanted to drive through North Dakota - one of two states that I've never been to. I just wanted to see it, as part of my ongoing education. (Now, the only state I haven't been to is Alaska - if there are any retailers or associations up there who are looking for a speaker, let me know. I can be had. Especially during the summer.)
And then, the week will end in Portland ...where I'll spend a lot of time with people a lot younger than me, with entirely different attitudes and experiences, and who, I've found over the years, tend to be motivated and hard-working and looking for a challenge and willing to be challenging. And here's the thing - I always think that I probably end up learning as much from them as they do from me.
That's important. Because no matter how much experience we have, how many places we've been, and how many people we've met, there's always room to learn a little bit more, to experience something a little bit different, to taste a different food or wine, and to get beyond the epistemic closure that sometimes can restrict our views and attitudes.
That's what I'm doing this week ... and now, I'm going to get back on the road. What I'm really hoping to see is a sign advertising pie ... because there's nothing like eating pie to enliven a cross country trip. If I'm lucky, it'll be a flavor I've never had before.
That's what is on my mind this Thursday morning. As always, I want to hear what is on your mind.
- KC's View:
