2014-06-29 – If you ask a bunch of kids “who wants to grow market share?” you’d probably get a different response than if you ask “who wants some ice cream?” I’m guessing it’s something like 9 to 1 in favor of ice cream and the one kid who screamed for market share either wears glasses or didn’t hear you.

The results would probably be different if you asked a bunch of MBAs.

Now, I’m not saying that kids aren’t territorial. They are. “Mine” is a favorite word, which you know if you ever had children. “More” is another favorite. Kids could get into market share, if they knew what it was.

Most people moderate the “mine” and “more” as they gain social skills and come to value relationships over piles of stuff and working over taking. MBA education is designed to teach people to get in touch with their inner child. And you thought MBAs were uptight nerds!

We like to think that we become sophisticated when we become adults. But sometimes its just a matter of language.