Years ago Dove funded a research effort to uncover "The Real Truth About Beauty." According to their site, their "global research highlighted a universal issue: that beauty-related pressure increases whilst body confidence decreases as girls and women grow older -- stopping young girls from seeing their real beauty."
Some of their key findings:
* Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful
* Only 11% of girls globally are comfortable describing themselves as "beautiful"
* 72% of girls feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful
* 80% of women agree that every woman has something about her that is beautiful but do not see their own beauty
From this research was birthed a marketing effort: The Campaign for Real Beauty. In this campaign, Dove began to redefine "beautiful" and highlight the beauty found in each woman. A goal was to pull away from the typical, the standard of beauty our society has established, and to reimagine a new model of beauty.
The parallels between this campaign and virtual learning are striking to me. We have a current model that cannot live up to its promise nor can anyone live up to the promises it wants to make.
It is time, not to merely find another model that is younger or has a certain look about her. No, it is time for virtual learning to reflect the beauty it has to offer in a real, authentic fashion. It must build to serve the audience it can best serve. It must redefine "learning" and break completely from the current way of seeing things.
The "Campaign for Real Virtual Learning" must exist because the individuals who are influenced the most by this effort are the same ones we all say we want to serve: KIDS.
If Dove can do it for beauty (see images in Target and other stores that reflect this new definition) then it can also be done for virtual learning.
houston@figment-consulting.com
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Friday, September 27, 2019
The Ride of a Lifetime: Relentless Curiosity
Yesterday I received my signed copy of Robert Iger's book, "The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of The Walt Disney Company."
I am reading it, studying it really, because I believe I can learn something from it that will propel me forward in life.
The more I learn the more I believe I grow.
In this book, Iger describes his "relentless curiosity" as the catalyst for his personal success and for the success that Disney has seen, and continues to see, under his watch.
Imagine an educational system that worked to instill relentless curiosity rather than higher scores on knowledge-accumulation tests.
Oh well. One can imagine.
houston@figment-consulting.com
I am reading it, studying it really, because I believe I can learn something from it that will propel me forward in life.
The more I learn the more I believe I grow.
In this book, Iger describes his "relentless curiosity" as the catalyst for his personal success and for the success that Disney has seen, and continues to see, under his watch.
Imagine an educational system that worked to instill relentless curiosity rather than higher scores on knowledge-accumulation tests.
Oh well. One can imagine.
houston@figment-consulting.com
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
All three are exactly alike really. They are merely different modes of transportation, designed to take people and/or products from one place to another -- from Point A to Point B.
Yet, they each have a niche and those who serve their niche well thrive.
Done properly they can complement each other and the overall economy is the better for it.
The same is true in education. Virtual, blended and traditional. Public, private and charter. Choose any three you like. Alternative, home-based, homeschool. The words are interchangeable. Each is merely a different mode of educating the young. Each has a niche to serve.
Those who understand their niche, cater to it, design for it, market to it, and serve it properly will thrive. Imagine though if each mode of education complemented each other rather than competed against one another.
What would learning look like then?
houston@figment-consulting.com
Yet, they each have a niche and those who serve their niche well thrive.
Done properly they can complement each other and the overall economy is the better for it.
The same is true in education. Virtual, blended and traditional. Public, private and charter. Choose any three you like. Alternative, home-based, homeschool. The words are interchangeable. Each is merely a different mode of educating the young. Each has a niche to serve.
Those who understand their niche, cater to it, design for it, market to it, and serve it properly will thrive. Imagine though if each mode of education complemented each other rather than competed against one another.
What would learning look like then?
houston@figment-consulting.com
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Start with a better question
If you want a good answer then start with a better question.
We ask students, "What do you want to do for a living?"
The result? Life today as we know it.
What if we began asking students, "What kind of lifestyle do you want to lead?"
I wonder where their imaginations would take them? I wonder how they might see things differently? I wonder what life would look like?
houston@figment-consulting.com
We ask students, "What do you want to do for a living?"
The result? Life today as we know it.
What if we began asking students, "What kind of lifestyle do you want to lead?"
I wonder where their imaginations would take them? I wonder how they might see things differently? I wonder what life would look like?
houston@figment-consulting.com
Monday, September 23, 2019
Failure is not tolerated
Middle schoolers in this public school must write a two-page paper on why they failed and what they intend to do about it each time they receive a D or F on a test or project. Then, they must get their parents to sign it along with the teacher, and even the principal if it is a recurring problem.
Why? Because at this school "failure is not tolerated."
The result is that the students get to redo the project or retake the test and the scores are averaged together. Who wins? Sounds like the school does to me.
What exactly does this teach the students? Does it teach them the difference between failing and failure? Does it teach them that failing is part of the success process? Does it teach them that failing can actually lead to success?
Or, does it teach them to fear the prospect of failure? And, when we are afraid to fail, we become afraid to try. And, when we are afraid to try, mediocrity sets in, ambivalence takes over, and apathy becomes our driver.
Edison might have given up if he had to write a two-page paper each time he failed. Steve Jobs may never have pushed through with the Mac II when the original Mac sales were disappointing. Walt Disney would have never found Mickey. And, none of us would be standing right now, let alone walking (because as a baby we become intimately acquainted with failure as we learn to stand and walk).
We tend to think the problem with education is found in grammar, math, and history. I wonder if it is found in the way we treat those we say we care about the most.
houston@figment-consulting.com
Why? Because at this school "failure is not tolerated."
The result is that the students get to redo the project or retake the test and the scores are averaged together. Who wins? Sounds like the school does to me.
What exactly does this teach the students? Does it teach them the difference between failing and failure? Does it teach them that failing is part of the success process? Does it teach them that failing can actually lead to success?
Or, does it teach them to fear the prospect of failure? And, when we are afraid to fail, we become afraid to try. And, when we are afraid to try, mediocrity sets in, ambivalence takes over, and apathy becomes our driver.
Edison might have given up if he had to write a two-page paper each time he failed. Steve Jobs may never have pushed through with the Mac II when the original Mac sales were disappointing. Walt Disney would have never found Mickey. And, none of us would be standing right now, let alone walking (because as a baby we become intimately acquainted with failure as we learn to stand and walk).
We tend to think the problem with education is found in grammar, math, and history. I wonder if it is found in the way we treat those we say we care about the most.
houston@figment-consulting.com
Friday, September 20, 2019
A Zig and a Fig
"You cannot perform in a manner inconsistent with the way you see yourself." Zig Ziglar
Our behavior is inspired by our beliefs. These beliefs are not in what we can have in life but in what we are worthy to receive and hold onto. Our belief in ourselves guides our behavior, produces the results we see in our lives, and either lifts us higher or restrains us from what we might become.
Perhaps if we spent more time in school working to elevate the confidence each student has in themselves, the other results might just manifest too.
A "C" student becomes an "A" student when they first believe they are an "A" student. Sometimes though, they must make a temporary stop at "B" just to make sure.
houston@figment-consulting.com
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Customer service in schools? Don't let data guide you.
Customer service is not a program. It is not an initiative. It is not the technology you use. It is not something you do.
And please, whatever you do, don't let data lead the way. For many years the number one question asked by guests at the Magic Kingdom, according to data, was, "What time does the 3 o'clock parade start?"
Imagine if Walt Disney World had spent an inordinate amount of time seeking ways to ensure the guests understood that the 3 o'clock parade began at 3 o'clock. It would not have minimized the question and Disney would have been dumbfounded because the data told them this was the problem. (See point 3 below for the answer)
Too many schools work from the outside-in. They launch initiatives to offset parent problems or an influx of calls. They purchase new technology in order to make it easier for parents to connect with the schools. And, they gather data that tells them how many parents are complaining about X, Y, or Z so they can then work to alleviate X, Y, or Z.
Over time the band-aid approach of initiatives fails and schools are left to wonder why. So, they move on to purchase new technology or reassess the data and the pattern begins again.
Where are they going wrong?
1. Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Psychologist, and TED speaker, says that "how you say something is more important than what you say."
Walt Disney World understands that customer service (guest experience) must be a culture -- not a program nor an initiative. And, technology must serve the guest experience culture and bring value to it. And, data? Well, data is used properly to help Walt Disney World identify pain points and delight opportunities. You see, customer service is not an effort to overcome a bad experience. It is also an opportunity to build experiences that continually delight the customer and build loyalty.
More importantly, Walt Disney World understands that how you say something carries more weight than what you say. But, when HOW and WHAT merge together seamlessly and both are done properly, delight is the result.
2. If schools truly want to serve their students then they must move beyond the idea of initiatives and programs. They must place technology and data where they belong. They must, I repeat, must move toward a culture of service that permeates the school.
My oldest son started his college experience in a class designed to assist new students with the college experience and, hopefully, lead to better retention of students. His professor, on the first day of class, spent much of the time sharing how much he cared about them and wanted them to succeed. "I am here for you this semester to make sure you have a great experience," is what he told them. One week later he was gone, replaced by a new professor who repeated the same content. Why? Because it was an initiative of the university and for those who led it, they had their script to follow but their heart was not in it.
Another professor of his that same semester went about her duties of teaching and guiding the students, answering their questions, encouraging them, and working to inspire them. When she would see my son on campus, she would walk over and ask him how he was doing and how his other classes were going. She didn't need to tell him how much she cared but when she said it, he knew she meant it. For her, it was not a program nor a script. It is who she is, not what she does.
Three years later when she sees him she still inquires about his well-being.
3. Back to the 3 o'clock parade. Disney understood that the real question being asked was somewhere below the surface. The data did not guide them, rather it assisted them because they kept it where it needed to stay -- in a support role. Once they uncovered the real question being asked, they then built it into their culture of how to answer it (how you say something). (If you want to know what they did, shoot me an email - houston@figment-consulting.com)
When a student says something improper in a school that has a customer-service culture, they understand the real issue might lie below the surface. And, they are trained to look for it, be open to it, and how to probe for it.
It has a completely different feel to it.
Start with these three tenets and you can begin to build a customer service culture in your school -- one that will last and one that will radically improve the relationships you desire with your students and parents.
houston@figment-consulting.com
And please, whatever you do, don't let data lead the way. For many years the number one question asked by guests at the Magic Kingdom, according to data, was, "What time does the 3 o'clock parade start?"
Imagine if Walt Disney World had spent an inordinate amount of time seeking ways to ensure the guests understood that the 3 o'clock parade began at 3 o'clock. It would not have minimized the question and Disney would have been dumbfounded because the data told them this was the problem. (See point 3 below for the answer)
Too many schools work from the outside-in. They launch initiatives to offset parent problems or an influx of calls. They purchase new technology in order to make it easier for parents to connect with the schools. And, they gather data that tells them how many parents are complaining about X, Y, or Z so they can then work to alleviate X, Y, or Z.
Over time the band-aid approach of initiatives fails and schools are left to wonder why. So, they move on to purchase new technology or reassess the data and the pattern begins again.
Where are they going wrong?
1. Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Psychologist, and TED speaker, says that "how you say something is more important than what you say."
Walt Disney World understands that customer service (guest experience) must be a culture -- not a program nor an initiative. And, technology must serve the guest experience culture and bring value to it. And, data? Well, data is used properly to help Walt Disney World identify pain points and delight opportunities. You see, customer service is not an effort to overcome a bad experience. It is also an opportunity to build experiences that continually delight the customer and build loyalty.
More importantly, Walt Disney World understands that how you say something carries more weight than what you say. But, when HOW and WHAT merge together seamlessly and both are done properly, delight is the result.
2. If schools truly want to serve their students then they must move beyond the idea of initiatives and programs. They must place technology and data where they belong. They must, I repeat, must move toward a culture of service that permeates the school.
My oldest son started his college experience in a class designed to assist new students with the college experience and, hopefully, lead to better retention of students. His professor, on the first day of class, spent much of the time sharing how much he cared about them and wanted them to succeed. "I am here for you this semester to make sure you have a great experience," is what he told them. One week later he was gone, replaced by a new professor who repeated the same content. Why? Because it was an initiative of the university and for those who led it, they had their script to follow but their heart was not in it.
Another professor of his that same semester went about her duties of teaching and guiding the students, answering their questions, encouraging them, and working to inspire them. When she would see my son on campus, she would walk over and ask him how he was doing and how his other classes were going. She didn't need to tell him how much she cared but when she said it, he knew she meant it. For her, it was not a program nor a script. It is who she is, not what she does.
Three years later when she sees him she still inquires about his well-being.
3. Back to the 3 o'clock parade. Disney understood that the real question being asked was somewhere below the surface. The data did not guide them, rather it assisted them because they kept it where it needed to stay -- in a support role. Once they uncovered the real question being asked, they then built it into their culture of how to answer it (how you say something). (If you want to know what they did, shoot me an email - houston@figment-consulting.com)
When a student says something improper in a school that has a customer-service culture, they understand the real issue might lie below the surface. And, they are trained to look for it, be open to it, and how to probe for it.
It has a completely different feel to it.
Start with these three tenets and you can begin to build a customer service culture in your school -- one that will last and one that will radically improve the relationships you desire with your students and parents.
houston@figment-consulting.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)