“If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food”. Anthony Bourdain
Last week amplified time. As a noun, it is defined as “the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole”. My events included a nephew and niece graduating from high school, Justify winning the Triple Crown and the world saying goodbye to two disruptive talents.
Time is accelerating our events. The attention span of an adult is shorter now than a decade ago, but not for the reasons we were lead to believe. Why? We now have more options.
Time doesn’t wait. If I want to know what is happening, I open Twitter, FB, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn. Before I get out of bed each morning, my news has arrived through “The Skimm.” Reading the morning paper paired with a leisurely cup of coffee is a memory.
If I need driving directions, I ask Siri and follow the details sent by Bluetooth to my car. Does anyone remember pulling over to the side of the road and looking at a map? Bonus if you remember your father teaching you how to fold a map. As I stand here tonight, someone is coding an app that will change my daily routine forever.
In 2012 I gave my nephew a book, written by Randy Gage, “Risky is the New Safe, the Boundaries Have Changed.” He called out that disruptive technology, accelerating the speed of change and economic upheaval are changing the game. The same tired, old conventional thinking won’t get us to success today.
“This year I resolve to think outside the lines & live colour fully. Kate Spade”
In the world of higher education, we are still hugging the lines. We are stalled in the process. Our problem: Students have more options. In our world we need to view time not as a noun but as a verb; “a measure of the time taken by a process or activity”.
Dr. Ken Dychtwald uses an analogy for many problem solvers. He paints the picture of a huge elephant migrating across the decades. Most institutions are desperately chasing after the elephant, shooting arrows in his butt. What we need to do is get in front of it and dig a big hole. Stop the problem.
We will prosper if we anticipate the needs of our communities instead of reacting to what happened yesterday. We need to speed up, and the women in this room have the smarts and grit to do so.
I have served on the Brookdale board for 5 years, and while we have advanced, it seems as though we are playing “catch up.” With declining enrollment, we are running out of time. Opportunities are captured by the bold, and we must move swiftly if we want our share.
“That without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive, moribund.”
― from “Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook”
How will we move ahead while we still have time? Albert Einstein said, “Question everything.” We should focus on questions, not answers, for breakthrough insights through brainstorming. Organizational innovation relies on a willingness to seek out new information. It is the question that brings clarity, not the statement.
Does a child raised in a home with non-degreed parents understand the value of an education? Maybe… but maybe not. Does she know the demand for physical skills has continued to decline over time, except for “near vision,” which is necessary to read computer screens and other types of documentation?
How can we communicate our value to them when the term “education” does not connect? Should we ask them about their desired outcome? Maybe we should talk about their “want” and how we can help them reach their “get.” Does that same teenager understand that a good job equals options? Maybe a nice car and her own apartment? Now we are talking.
In June the unemployment rate was 3.9 percent, the lowest rate since 2000 and a sign that the job market has become even more competitive. Do the students care that by 2020, 65 percent of all jobs in the economy will require postsecondary education and training beyond high school? During the same time, at the current production rate, the United States will fall short by 5 million workers with postsecondary education?
According to the Recovery report by Georgetown University, the U.S. economy will grow from 140 million to 165 million jobs by 2020. To break it down even further – There will be 55 million job openings that same year. 24 million openings from newly created jobs and 31 million openings due to baby boomer retirements. Do our area employers understand the unique value we bring to their businesses and their employees?
Are we looking forward – predicting the hole? Job openings in healthcare, community services, and STEM will grow the fastest among occupational clusters. Judgment/decision-making, communications, analysis, and administration will be the four most in-demand competencies in the labor market. How will we teach these skills and demonstrate our student’s competencies to future employers?
How can we create a “win-win” for our students and communities? I believe we should pay attention to time. Ask ourselves, how can we be more efficient? Is there a better way to communicate our value? Are we talking to the right audience? Why are we doing this way? What can we do differently? More effectively? Better? Remember the Rule of 5.
“She’s a dreamer, a doer, a thinker and sees possibility everywhere. Kate Spade
We need to bring our voice and share our collective ideas. As women leaders, it is time to unify. Time to push our students, and each other, to greatness.
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