Just into to Seth Godin’s new book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us and thought I would share of few quotes that stood out to me.
“So here we are. We live in a world where we have the leverage to make things happen, the desire to do work we believe in, and marketplace that is begging us to be remarkable. And yet, in the middle of these changes, we still get stuck.”
“Stuck following archaic rules.”
“Stuck in industries that not only avoid change but actively fight it.”
According to Seth, organizations, and I include education, are going to have to adjust to what I call The Big Change and The New Rule.
The Big Change
“The big news is that this has changed. People yearn for change, they relish being part of a movement, and they talk about things that are remarkable, not boring.”
The New Rule
“If you want to grow, you need to find customers who are willing to join you or believe in you or donate to you or support you. And guess what? The only customers willing to do that are looking for something new. The growth comes from change and light and noise.”
Education is losing the public’s belief and support because they are looking for something new. They are looking for change. Education is breaking the New Rule and losing support and belief.
“Is there a difference between average and mediocre? Not so much. Average stuff is taken for granted, not talked about, and certainly not sought out.”
Are you sought after? Are people pounding down the doors of your school, your district, or your education system? Or, do they just take it for granted that the doors will be open, the teachers will teach, and the kids will have somewhere to go from 8:00 to 3:00?
“The end result of this is that many people (many really good people) spend all day trying to defend what they do, trying to sell what they’ve always sold, and trying to prevent their organization from being devoured by the forces of the new.”
Sounds like a job description for district, county, state, and federal education administrators, union officials, and bureaucrats.
“It must be wearing them out. Defending mediocrity is exhausting.”
Somehow, I don’t feel sorry for them. They are just doing what they are told to do right?
“On a recent trip to India, this mind-set was made crystal clear. Ask almost anyone there what the perfect job would be, and the answer is: working as a government bureaucrat. Not only do you have air-conditioning, but you aren’t even asked to take initiative. The job is steady, the pay is good, and there are no surprises.”
I think Seth would agree. Education could use a few surprises. Here are a few of mine.
21st Century Education, Meet The 19th Century Reality
4 Ps For Innovation in Education
What surprises do you have for education? I am sure you have some.
Understanding the Big Change and correctly answering The New Question is one way to find Education Innovation.
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