Ortal Green, Co-founder and CEO of Glittering Minds, talks to The Ortus Club’s Roman Manuel about being a key innovator in her industry as well as the importance of widening perspectives, especially in uncertain times.
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Can you give us a one-sentence summary of your company?
Glittering minds has created a program for primary schools to help them adopt design thinking as the new way of teaching and learning.
Can you describe the of role a CEO in one word? Why?
For me, that one word is ‘visionary’. In my mind, the CEO needs to think big, imagine a preferable future, and create a vision for the company.
What current challenges are CEOs facing right now? Can you identify a solution?
If we thought before COVID that we needed to handle many changes, that the world is changing very rapidly, then COVID showed us that the amount of changes and the size of changes are just enormous. So, the biggest hurdle for CEOs today is dealing with the amount of change happening now and the instability of the environment. A few things that we need to do in order to handle this situation is to adopt a culture of change and also develop innovative thinking as we constantly need to come up with new solutions to the problems that arise.
“A few things that we need to do in order to handle this situation is to adopt a culture of change and develop innovative thinking as we constantly need to come up with new solutions to the problems that arise.”
How do you explain the success you’ve had in your career?
I’m a go-getter, so if I want to achieve something or if I set up a goal for myself, I’ll do whatever it takes to get there. I might start one way and discover it’s not working, and then I’ll change the path and shift my direction, but I’ll find a way to reach my goal.
Can you tell us about a time you took a major risk in your career?
When I wanted to follow my passion and found Glittering Minds and developed a program for primary schools to transform the education system. I actually left a well-paid corporate job in the midst of COVID when things started to fall apart around us and took that leap of faith knowing that I’d find a way to do it. I’ll follow my vision even if everything around us becomes uncertain. I knew that I had to do it. I have to follow my passion, and I knew I trusted myself to find a way to make it happen.
What marketing/business trends are you taking advantage of right now?
I think due to COVID, people are more open to change, to doing things differently, and to thinking differently because COVID pushed all of us into a new reality, and we had to adapt to the new reality and adopt new ways of doing things. I’m taking advantage of the fact that people are more open to try new ways and to think differently, and therefore, we’ll be more willing to imagine new ways to go about our education system.
What career advice would you like to share with CEOs?
I would say ignore the naysayers. Think big, and find the right collaboration and partners that will help you achieve your goals.
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