About

Welcome

In 2006, I started writing on these pages mostly about the stock market.  Those posts have been archived as I am on to the next chapter in my life.  Most of the new discussion, from 2018 onward, will center around a phenomenon that I find fascinating.  It’s summed up in a quote by Otto Scharmer:

“We collectively create results that no one wants.”

Despite having a wealth of knowledge and skills, we continue to collectively create results no one wants.  From the political system to climate change to education our institutions are structured to meet yesterday’s trials and are failing to meet today’s challenges.

Our problem isn’t a lack of knowledge.  It’s not a lack of skill.  It’s not even a lack of resources.  It boils down to a lack of will.

 

My Story

Disruptors challenge assumptions. Shake the status quo. Are curious and creative. Adapt and improvise. Disruptors push the boundaries and love shattering conventional wisdom. Disruptors are wired to act.

I’m Michael K. Dawson.  My career has spanned engineering, marketing and sales in High Tech as well as entrepreneurial endeavors in Finance, Consulting and Education. The net result is a hybrid of technical skills, business acumen, design savviness, relationship building abilities and an undeniable entrepreneurial spirit. Each transition has moved me closer to my personal mission of being a catalyst of change – having the foresight to spot problems, envision a better future and to inspire others to act.

I enjoy working on a variety of problems the messier the better. My current stop involves one of the most difficult problems facing our country – How Might We help youth, especially those residing in underserved / under-resourced communities, develop the skills and drive to become a part of the innovation economy?

 

The WILL

My collective experiences have been preparing me for this moment in time. I look forward to working together with kindred spirits as we attempt to untangle these messy webs by inspiring key people in the systems, most  interesting to us, to act.