"Dude, I just had a five hour energy and then took a 20 minute nap...I'm going to shake his hand right off of his arm!" Brian and I were waiting for Dr. Todd to show up at Arby's for lunch. Awesome Labs Director, Nick Such, was on his way. We'd been wanting to meet with him since before we opened the doors of Awesome Inc, as we feel it's making the kind of differences that Dr. Todd talks about in his speeches, but for one reason or another we had yet to get to sit down with him and hear him express his personal priorities, and us ours. So in addition to my physiologically stimulated state and my naturally high-energy personality, waiting three years to sit down with someone that you've got a picture of on your wall (actually in two places - our 'Wall of Awesome' and 'The Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame'), had me ridiculously excited.

Fortunately for all parties involved, Dr. Todd's hand stayed attached to his forearm after I shook it. I was also able to sit still long enough to hear all the cool things he had done and Brian, Nick and I shared what had done and planned to accomplish with Awesome Inc. As the conversation wrapped up, though, I was even more energized than when it started, actually more so than I'd been in months and not because Dr. Todd gave us advice or insight that we'd never heard, or made an introduction for us that we needed. He made no promises and offered no favors (aside from covering our lunch - which we greatly appreciated), just his presence and attention for a little over an hour. In this post, I want to explain how that presence and attention alone lifted the spirits of three young entrepreneurs in a way it hadn't been in a long time. The short answer: he's awesome.

1. He cares about Awesome stuff.

Rule #4: "Always do something awesome over something not awesome."

Dr. Todd has a passion for science, technology, entrepreneurship, math, and education. He knows that building a strong foundation in these areas will make an individual more employable, and that doing it for the state of Kentucky and the US will make us more competitive. Since he happens to be an MIT-trained engineer, entrepreneur, and educator he not only knows intellectually that everyone else should do these things, but he personally has dedicated his professional life to them, and not out of obligation. His definition of 'Awesome' throughout his life has been different manifestations of these endeavors.

Between Brian, Nick, and I, we are also scientists, engineers, educators, and entrepreneurs, and we see some of the same opportunities and potential for the students of UK and the people of this state and nation. We've also made sacrifices for and decisions about our professional futures (Brian's decision, Nick's decision, my decision) to these things as well.

Having this common foundation, not just as a hobby (we weren't talking UK basketball while blowing off jobs we didn't like) or even as a profession (Brian, Nick, and I have yet to pay ourselves and Dr. Todd could have found a much more lucrative job if he was shooting to maximize his income), but as a deep-seated calling and passion transformed the conversation from one of just energy and passionate opinions to one of purpose. When he would tell us that he 'really appreciated what we were doing' it was a thankfulness that felt better than most people that share this sentiment (which is many) not just because Dr. Todd's a big deal, but because we felt understood and validated by someone that has gone through and then so far beyond where we are.

It was also encouraging to see that his definition of Awesome was his own, not determined by anyone else. He was saying no to so many things things that weren't his priority or passion and had been for years. There are plenty of things he could have focused on both in his presidency and now that he has chosen not to. This refusal to say yes to everything has led to criticism (one of Dr. Todd's favorite qu

otes about how much 'the critic' counts) and a whole lot more progress towards what he thinks really matters than if he'd tried to make everyone happy. He's embodied the attitude of forget 'em - do your thing.

2. He cares about making a difference

Dr. Todd has created millions of dollars in wealth and hundreds of jobs through the companies he has created and sold. He has lead the flagship university of this state for the past decade, reaching significant milestones while simultaneously being more and more underfunded by the state. He has unquestionably made a large contribution in the last 20 years. But even as a professor at UK 25+ years ago (which, in and of itself, is an important contribution) Dr. Todd sought to make a difference outside of the classroom. Making an impact was not something that crossed his mind when he took over the presidency of UK in 2001, or when he started his first company, it has been pervasive throughout his life, even when that 'sphere of influence' was not very big. And it still exists today, now that he's 'retired'.

"Well, guys, I'm sixty five..." we could just see the wheels turning, as if saying "I only have one life to live and it won't last forever. What am I going to do with these remaining years?"...and then he says it for us: "I'm just trying to think of ways I can make a difference."

Wow. Here's one of the most influential people in this state, a person that's lived a life that we aspire to and hope to emulate if we dedicate ours similarly. He's achieved a level of success and influence that we are very statistically unlikely to achieve, yet he still feels personally called to make the largest, most positive contribution he can...and maybe one even larger than that..

You know what Dr. Todd? We've only been at this for a few years and we probably have 65 more in front of us...but we were just thinking the same thing.

People have told me that my enthusiasm for changing the world will dwindle over time, that I'll get realistic. I've been told "first a man wants to change the world, then he wants to change his neighborhood...eventually he just wants to change his underwear". This has always frustrated me. Just because many of the people sharing this advice have gone through this process in their own life or seen it in others doesn't mean it will happen in me, and even if it might why on earth would you want to discourage that attitude in anyone? Yes, enthusiasm must eventually bring with it wisdom in order to increase its likelihood of manifesting into something of significance. But while enthusiasm without wisdom is sometimes reckless, wisdom without action is always impotent.

We don't know exactly the best way to go about 'starting and growing high tech, creative, and entrepreneurial companies and communities'. It's a pretty ambitious goal for a few twenty-somethings with no money, in a state more famous for bourbon and chicken than software and art. But we believe that these aspects of the human being, the desire to solve problems and answer questions that haven't been answered before, the desire to create something of beauty and significance, and the desire to grow an idea beyond yourself, are present not only at MIT but in every person given permission to pursue them and given some guidance along that journey. Though we are only on that journey ourselves, we hope to provide an example, an opportunity, and some guidance for others to do the same.

I'm sure Dr. Todd has been accused of being 'reckless' at times. People have 'worried about his priorities'. But he was too worried about making a difference beyond himself because he saw the potential in the people around him too...and we think he's pretty awesome for it.

3. He thinks big.

Rule #22 "Go big or...don't be my friend"

As Dr. Todd talks about making a difference he speaks about what he can do for Kentucky. Yes, that's one person, talking about how he's trying to affect the lives of over 4.3 million people. While he is one of the most influential people in the state, he's just one guy. This is something that you can see he realizes and frustrates him at times, but that doesn't stop him from thinking big. And just like his mindset of making a difference has been pervasive throughout his career and life, so has he his tendency to set progressively larger goals one could easily call 'beyond reasonable'. UK, a top 20 research institute? Turning down a buyout from Hughes Aircraft? Running a company while you are a full-time professor? Even his decision to start what became his first company was an act of big thinking, and the reason we met at Arby's, as he explains in his Founders Series Video (coming out 10/3/11).

When we think big, it's about growing Team Alpha, or our Awesome Labs projects, or running a Team Alpha X program with some of the sharpest young entrepreneurs in the nation. We dream about BuildingLayer being acquired by Google for eight figures and automatically turning forty UK graduates into (wealthy) Google employees in the process. We think about putting an Entreprenur Hall of Fame in each state and seeing the awareness of the importance of entrepreneurship grow throughout the United States. We don't think as big as Dr. Todd does now, but neither did he when he was our age. He did, however, think big enough then to eventually get where he is now, though, so we hope we're at least on the right track.

4. He's not all talk.

This is what gives substance to our common definition of 'Awesome stuff', his lifelong mindset of making a significant difference, and his desire to think and act just beyond (and sometimes far beyond) his present means. While he

did just listen and respond during lunch, his history of results speaks for itself and that is what made his presence alone light such a fire under us. I have no doubts that Dr. Todd's next act will be even more 'Awesome' than his previous ones.

"So guys, how did I do?" I asked my friends as we stood outside, watching Dr. Todd pulling out into South Limestone St. traffic in his tan Cadillac. I had interrupted him at least a handful of times with an "US TOO!" kind of story or anecdote about our experiences as entrepreneurs, students, community organizers, etc. I hoped I'd get some encouragement that I wasn't distastefully rude...perhaps just naively so. "You did all right, man." Nick responded, with a smile "It was a good balance of energy, since Brian and I were so dead tired". While this was probably the nicest way he could think of to say "you were just a level below embarrassing" he was actually right about balance.

Nick had just started his company, Awesome Inc has been around for two and a half years, APAX (Brian's company) has been going on for almost twice that, and Dr. Todd had a lifetime of experience...and from these different perspectives we were all working on how the conversation at that table could happen between more people and more frequently than once every three years. If Dr. Todd continues to be as awesome as he has been, I have no doubts that more people more often will be doing just that.