Weekend Leadership Reading: 5/17/19

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Weekends are time when things slow down a little. Your weekend shouldn’t be two more regular work days. That’s a sure road to burnout. Take time to refresh yourself. Take time for something different. Take time for some of that reading you can’t find time for during the week.

Here are choice articles on hot leadership topics culled from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms. This week there are articles about education and learning.

From Wharton: Can the Minerva Model of Learning Disrupt Higher Education?

“Traditional universities — including Ivy League schools — fail to deliver the kind of learning that ensures employability. That perspective inspired Ben Nelson, founder and CEO of the six-year-old Minerva Schools in San Francisco. His goal is to reinvent higher education and to provide students with high-quality learning opportunities at a fraction of the cost of an undergraduate degree at an elite school. While tuition at top-tier universities in the U.S. can run more than $40,000 a year, Minerva charges $12,950 a year, according to its website. In a recent test, its students showed superior results compared to traditional universities while also attracting a large number of applicants.”

From Jonathan Woodson: Decades Ago, Pilots Learned to “Fly by Instruments.” Doctors Need to Do the Same

“In a landmark 2016 study Johns Hopkins researchers estimated that more than 250,000 Americans die each year from treatment-related mistakes, making medical error the third-leading cause of death in the United States. As a former military flight surgeon trained in aviation accident investigations, I know well the hazards of misusing or mistrusting instruments.”

From Charles Handy: Educating for uncertainty

“Business schools have always been educational pioneers, but new times bring new challenges – so now they must do it all over again.”

From Russ Banham: Out-Of-The-Box Approaches To Executive Education

“No surprise, then, that many companies are taking a fresh look. Led by CEOs who are firm believers in the value of continuous education, such organizations are sponsoring a wide range of internal programs customized to specific business needs and goals. Like more traditional Exec Ed, the programs are intended to fill skills gaps, but they’re also designed to produce more tangible results.”

From Adi Gaskell: Reinventing Education For The Future Of Work

“British educationalist Ken Robinson holds the distinction of having the most viewed TED talk ever, and his widely viewed skewering of the modern education system has been further embellished upon in numerous books and presentations. He rails against an education system that was forged in the heat of the industrial revolution to create a workforce fit to perform the one task they would have to perform for the entirety of their working lives.

It’s a system that is increasingly unfit for purpose, not only in terms of meeting the widely reported skills shortages in technical disciplines, but also in skills like collaboration and problem solving that are cited as being vital for the 4th industrial revolution. With technology increasingly capable of performing routine tasks, it is beholden on us to develop those skills that are fundamentally human.”

Book Suggestions

Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande

The Second Curve: Thoughts on Reinventing Society by Charles Handy

Bedtime Stories for Managers: Farewell to Lofty Leadership. . . Welcome Engaging Management by Henry Mintzberg

The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin

Every week I share some recommendations of business books that I think are worth a look. Follow this link to the most recent list.

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What People Are Saying

Hamilton Lindley   |   18 May 2019   |   Reply

Minerva looks like they are doing it right. Knowledge is one thing, but real critical thinking skills are what society needs. Imagine how little fake news would affect us if we were better critical thinkers? I also like the idea in the Chief Executive blog about sharing business ideas in a round table discussion.

Wally Bock   |   19 May 2019   |   Reply

Thanks for adding to the conversation. Critical thinking skills are important, but so is knowledge. The hard part is deciding which knowledge. And, for both the impact of critical thinking skills and roundtable discussions, remember that human nature gets a vote. Human beings seem naturally wired to jump to a solution, even when we’ve learned critical thinking skills, and to be aware of hierarchy, no matter what shape the table.