To remain relevant we must demand more of ourselves – lessons from an IB school

I read the other day a great ‘End of College Year Thoughts’ from a school which delivers the International Baccalaureate (IB). The following extract particularly caught my attention. It talks about how the IB, itself a progressive programme must evolve:

‘…This new programme must be skills and mindset-based, vs content-based, with an emphasis on critical thinking, complex systems thinking, collaboration, teamwork, as well as problem solving through interdisciplinary approaches and project based learning. The subject curricula, while important, will serve to supplement the students learning versus serving as the focus of the programme. Concepts such as social entrepreneurship, the circular economy and sustainability education are examples of interdisciplinary frameworks which will be explored…’ Peter Howe, Principle UWC Atlantic College

It struck me that this is more than a manifesto for the evolution of IB, rather it is what we should all be aspiring to. Even in this seemingly ‘post factual’ world, surely the evidence is incontrovertible that we are doing things differently nowadays and how we were trained in the past has an ever shorter shelf life. This evolution will only continue to accelerate…the early adopters already have noticed and are way off in the distance. Let’s remind ourselves of the rapid advancements since 2016:

·      iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone Xs were launched

·      4k goes mainstream

·      DNA has been proven to act as potential data storage, far outstripping current mainstream storage

·      Facebook have added over 300m users

·      Space X have launched 36 rockets compared to 20 rockets in the 6 years up to 2016, including introducing boosters that land back on Earth

·      A Tesla Roadster car is now orbiting Earth

·      466 satellites were launched in 2017

·      The 35 mile Gotthard Base Tunnel opened

·      #metoo movement

·      Pokémon Go was launched and went virtal

·      First time an embryo had its dna edited

·      The first quantum communication took place

·      Space time ripples detected for the first time

·      California becomes the first US State to make law that all new houses must have solar panels

·      Drones went mainstream

·      Blockchain gets hyped

·      Hyperloop gets hyped

·      3D printing went mainstream

·      Rapid acceptance of AI and Bots

·      Over 150 exoplanets were discovered in 2017 (of course there are many billions more to find…)

An impressive list for a quick search on Google, right? Imagine the enormity of the full list of developments during the last couple of years. This is not science fiction, it is the world we live in, now. It is the one we must navigate, now. It is both complicated and more importantly, complex. It is the later trait, namely complexity, which really challenges us. Our historical tools of long range planning, ‘everything in its place and a place for everything’, knowing all the answers before embarking on a venture, command and control, are no-longer fully fit for our world. Our brains, which like to put everything into neat little mental boxes and seek stability and control, are under attack. In response, we need to have the curiosity, humility and willingness to adapt.

So, how to adapt? Peter Howe’s words, maybe short in number but are packed with real importance on how to tackle the world of both now and the future. I would commend them to all parents when thinking how to prepare their offspring for the future. And it is not too late for those of us past our college years. It will be tough to re-invent ourselves but we can, and frankly, must embrace these words. If not, be very careful if you claim to be relevant in this day and age, whether you are a sole contributor, a team member or a people leader.