Imagination House: An Entrepreneurial Life

In his first book, Lee Walker tackles the daunting task of concisely describing a lifetime of accomplishments and lessons in entrepreneurship. Through masterful storytelling, Mr. Walker delivers a vulnerable account of his involvement with organizations such as Dell Computers, the Livestrong Foundation, Capital Metro, Save our Springs (SOS), and Westcave Preserve. He recounts the critical moments and relationships that ultimately led to his success in each endeavor.Various sub-themes are contained within the stories. Most notably, Mr. Walker explores how a sense of place affects our lives. Other sub-themes include the importance of mentorship, service, imagination, and collaboration. His stories also underscore how a single act of kindness can change the trajectory of a life.I initially picked up this book in part out of curiosity to learn more about the early days of Dell Computers, and in part to learn more about imagination in entrepreneurship. I am a clinical research scientist, and research studies are like micro-businesses that require both imagination in the conception and business savvy in the execution. Thus, I sought insight from his book. Further, conducting research in a clinical setting is fraught with constraint, so Mr. Walker’s book is validating in its message that constraint breeds imagination and that constraint features prominently in his success. I found that both of my initial interests were satisfied within the pages of Imagination House, and still I walked away with so much more than I expected.It is a testament to Mr. Walker’s humble character and skillful writing that the reader can find relatable, universal principles within each anecdote. Imagination House contributes a unique, authentic human perspective to existing entrepreneurial literature. Mr. Walker is undoubtedly a shrewd businessman, but surprisingly, Imagination House shows us that there is also a place for philosophy and poetry in the cut-throat world of entrepreneurship. Absent from this book is any arrogance; without prior external knowledge you may not grasp from this book that his pursuits have led to grand-scale success of great significance.Both entertaining and instructive, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the characteristics of a true innovator and leader, and anyone interested in an unconventional approach to conducting research. Mr. Walker’s life suggests that remaining true-to-self is not only an asset in a business or civic engagement career but is perhaps essential to it.

This is a great book for a wide range of readers, especially business school students and anyone connected to or interested in the development of Austin and/or Dell Computers (which are closely connected, of course). But Walker does a wonderful job of filling in details - connecting the important dots in highly entertaining and relatable ways - that the book is worthwhile for a general reader as well. Even for someone like me, who has near-zero knowledge of (or care about, if I’m being honest) most of the specific names and business concepts within. It’s just good storytelling, done with concision and earnestness. Reading it feels like sitting at a table with the man as he recollects, with the benefits of hindsight, the relationships and thinking that drove his successes in business and life.I admit that I had one major curiosity that drove me to read the book, which was satisfied in the titular (penultimate) chapter, where a topic about which entire books could be (and have been) written is whittled into a tight and heady little space. I’m sure that Walker’s thoughts about his friend Lance Armstrong were difficult for him to put into words, but he captures that particular bivalence quite well in my opinion. He then ends the book with the story of his HBS reunion, which hits the right note, especially as he frames it around his long-ago memories of a professor there, an early mentor who affected him in unmeasurable ways, reminding us once more of all of the meaningful connections throughout the book and in our own personal lives.I read the book from beginning to end only a few days after receiving it and will likely return to it in the near future. Highly recommended.

En este libro Lee Walker cuenta en primera persona sus vivencias desde que era un niño construyendo cohetes espaciales caseros, a través de sus años como jugador de baloncesto, estudiante y emprendedor. Éxitos y fracasos incluídos.Si eres o quieres ser emprendedor, éste libro te cuenta cómo una persona con sed de conocimiento y esfuerzo, puede llegar a convertirse en una persona de éxito. Si no eres ni quieres ser emprendedor, las historias que se narran te darán una visión diferente del empresario del imaginario popular. De familia humilde y curiosidad insaciable, Lee fantasea de pequeño con qué puede haber fuera de su pueblo natal en Texas, más tarde de estudiante sueña con ir a Rusia, pasando por altos y bajos en Harvard, donde cambia la Física por los negocios. Michael Dell le propone ser presidente de su compañía de ordenadores y terminan superando a grandes como IBM o Compaq. Con el paso de los años nunca deja de transitar nuevos caminos, el desarrollo sostenible y cívico de la ciudad de Austin o la enseñanza son algunos de ellos. Fantástica la colaboración con Nike y curioso como su amistad con Lance Armstrong se ve tocada tras la confesión pública de doping del ciclista.Imagination House está lleno de enseñanzas y cuenta la historia de una persona brillante y de gran corazón. Es ameno, fácil de leer y muy recomendable si quieres ver la vida desde los hombros de un gigante.

Reading Imagination House is an invitation to go on an adventure with a truly one-of-a-kind entrepreneurial Renaissance man: Lee Walker. Vivid descriptions of pivotal moments, from falling in love with Russian poetry to important conversations over shared sandwiches with Michael Dell, serve as a beautiful reminder of our most valuable assets in business and life: imagination, curiosity, and lifelong pursuit of adventure and possibility. Lee's generosity of spirit and good humor shine through every page. What a gift this book is to anyone hoping to live a life of meaning through principled entrepreneurship.

This is a provocative and informative account of a noted entrepreneur and significant technology executive. Extremely well written. If you want to hear a story of how Dell became one of America's greatest brands on $1,000 capital you must read this book. And if you are an entrepreneur there is great wisdom, to wit on P. 72, "In our case, constraint had bred imagination." As an executive leadership coach this is the book I have given or recommended to all of my clients in 2019.