The Richard Gerver Blog

I have a confession to make to you all; it may amaze you to know this, but I do tend to get rather animated when people talk about children and education and at times, I have been known to lose my temper! It seems to be happening more regularly than usual at the moment, which I think is an indicator of the times in which we are living. It has been some months though, since my last, full on eruption of anger, that was until a couple of weeks ago, when I read a quote from the English Schools’ Minister, Nick Gibb, who was quoted as saying that, “Social and emotional learning is ghastly and likely to distract from the core subjects of academic education.” It turns out that this is not a new quote but one from a couple of years ago, when his Government first took office. It has resurfaced because the Government have recently revised the criteria for successful schools and have removed the assessment of how well English schools cater for the social and emotional development of pupils from the process of inspection. I am appalled but sadly, not surprised. This is after all, the same Government that two years ago, suggested that we should hire former soldiers as teachers, in order to bring order back to our schools.

It strikes me, that as the current world events and in particular, the economic crisis continues to suffocate so many of us, Governments are obsessed with clinging to certainties and in education that appears to be a desire to return to a simple academic model of basic subjects, taught in disciplined environments where children are regarded as vessels to be filled with knowledge. This is the pattern in England, most of Western Europe, the US and Australia. There seems to be a belief that in order to regain economic and social control and to reassert the industrial dominance of the 20th Century, the West needs to return to some set of long lost rules and systems. There seems to be a belief that because we have taken more humane approaches to schooling; the understanding that all children are different, with different interests, skills, weaknesses and personalities, and we have therefore endeavoured to create more humanist and personalised approaches to what, in the past was a pretty dehumanising experience, that we have, in fact, broken our system and it is this that has led to our economic frailties and social decline. I worry that education and the developments in it over the last few years, are being used as a scape goat for a far more complex social and systemic problem.

The 20th century and most of the dominant economies during it, were driven by structures first articulated by Frederick Taylor and his work on The Science of Productivity, which as it developed became what we know as the study of ‘Time and Motion’; the thinking being that greater productivity came from increased efficiencies; a model that in an industrial age is extremely effective. We used it in the early 1900s and it was adopted and refined with stunning effect by the developing Asian markets as the new millennium approached. It was based on the idea that success came from doing what you do; manufacturing product or delivering services as quickly and as cost effectively as possible, to do this, you would need a workforce that had a good basic technical ability and that could be managed through rules and routines which would be assessed for effectiveness. We set targets that were fixed outcome focused and data driven, creating professional development programmes and performance management cycles that ensured that people got their heads down and did what their job descriptions told them, without fuss or question in order to encourage greater speed and accuracy.

The education system was designed and structured in order to create a mass populous that would function in this mechanistic and efficient world. It worked and very well, for most of the last century, but of course times have changed and the future success for most traditional economies now lies elsewhere; in innovation, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit. We are struggling though, because most of us are finding this new world, post Taylorism; a world of uncertainty, of ever changing industrial and service models, of fragmented workforces and decreasing public sector investment, very hard to live in. Mental health problems across the world have never been higher; there is a mounting discontent that comes with a sense of powerlessness. We have been talking about the age of enterprise and innovation for many years; a new organic future, where the innovative and curious will thrive, where risk taking and those that can challenge convention will drive the agenda, yet we have done very little to prepare people for this, either in business or in education, because many of us were educated and condition to live in a Taylorist environment.

In order to thrive in times of uncertainty, change and fragmentation, you need above all things, to have great mental strength, the ability to challenge and to experiment. Never before have people needed to be able to analyse their own emotional responses, fears and aspirations in the way they do today and its why, sadly, any country obsessed with dragging education backwards, due to some kind of misguided belief, that certainty will only come from a return to traditionalism, is going to fail; fail us and our children.
Education needs to put the individual at the heart of its process because we are no longer training our children to work as cogs in large manufacturing machines, they will need to be street smart, enterprising and emotionally intelligent and to that end we need education systems that recognise and deliver on that; not as an alternative to knowledge but in equity to it. A new age, requires a new toolkit, a new toolkit requires new imagination and a recognition that the past is exactly that.

The reason so many people continue to struggle in the modern age is because they don’t have the competencies and skills necessary to realise that change is no longer a review process carried out every few years in an organisation’s productivity cycle but that it is a very real part of everyday life; now and increasingly in the future. A real commitment to social and emotional education will ensure that this is addressed; it will help people to focus their energies on realising aspirations and cementing their values. It will mean that they can turn confusion, anger, passion and uncertainty into something productive because the future is not standardised. What is ghastly is that so few of our ‘Taylorist’ politicians have the experience to recognise it.

P.S. You can see me speak in March at the SPEAKERS for BUSINESS showcase. Click here to book free tickets.

As the fireworks set on the last, dark days of 2011 and the sun rises on 2012, I find myself in quite a reflective, but combative mood. Last year was, for many, the peak of the economic crisis and the emotional challenge that went with it, if we’re honest, the change of one digit on our annual calendar really changes nothing and we still find ourselves teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. However, I have always believed that the way you attack the start of a new year, defines the shape of the twelve months ahead and as I sit here on day one of 2012, I firmly believe that the next twelve months could well define the rest of the decade, a decade which will see our current generation of children reach maturity and take on the mantle for the future; in other words, the next year will be crucial, as we build the legacy for the next generation.

I have committed to spend the next few months fighting through the winter mists and seek out the light and optimism that we owe our children. It will be a huge year for Britain, crowned by the lighting of the Olympian flame over London as the world’s youth unite, to show the rest of us, the immense talent, commitment and ambition that they possess. Our young people will rise up in the heat of July, August and September to burn brightly through the gloom and set an example to us all.

We must take the example of those brave Olympians and work hard towards new targets and goals to ensure that the year the Mayans predicted would be our last, will in fact, be the first of a new beginning; a new mind-set that is driven by new perspectives and attitudes.

As always, education will be at the very heart of this new beginning, it has the power to set the tone, to build the capacity and direction of growth. As educators we have the very future in our hands and we carry the frightening yet hugely privileged burden of lighting the beacons of change and ensuring that they can burn brightly for years to come. For many years now, we, as a profession, have felt like victims of ‘the system’, vilified by certain elements of the media, society and politicians and as a result, many of us have buried ourselves deep in the bunkers of our classrooms hoping to survive the tsunami of uncertainty and change. We cannot afford to do this any longer; our time has come, as it has for the sprinters who will crouch on their blocks, the gymnasts as they powder their hands and the swimmers as they bend, ready to explode into the water. We owe it to ourselves, our profession and most importantly, to our children, to lead the charge for change.

I want 2012 to be the year of youth; a celebration of our children and of their future. I urge us all to look to put the last few years behind us and to invest our time and energy in tomorrow and to the people who have the ability to lead us there.

One of my abiding memories of 2011 were the riots in London in August; most of the world talked about the involvement of young people and the way it highlighted that they really were a feral generation, but what struck me, was that five times as many youngsters, came out on to the streets after the riots, to clean up their communities, as the few mindless idiots who perpetrated them. It made me realise that we should be deeply optimistic about our children as they carry far more light than dark. Sadly, we allowed the headlines to eclipse the real story!

I want all of us, wherever we are, to sign up to a five point promise that will see us work towards a more hopeful and productive vision for our young.

1. As educators, we promise to base our strategic decisions on what is best for our students; this may mean that sometimes, we have to step outside of our comfort zones. The use of digital technologies for example.

2. We monitor what is being said about young people in the press and in the public arena and for every negative story, every poor portrayal, we respond in positive defence through emails, social networks and where possible, through the main stream media. We must stand up for our children!

3. We will not patronise our young people and assume that they can’t or won’t take on real responsibilities and meaningful decision making. We must work hard to improve their own voice in society and allow them to demonstrate what they are capable of by giving them opportunities to lead learning in our schools and teach us about their world.

4. We must work harder to use education as a tool to prepare our children for the future and not to use it as a way of validating the past. We cannot allow curriculum to be a purely academic experience driven by people who view tradition as opportunity. We must draw in businesses, social enterprises and people beyond schools and universities, to create learning experiences that are valid long after the school bells stop ringing.

5. Most importantly of all, we must ensure that all members of society realise that to successfully educate our children for the future and the incredible opportunities it represents, it falls on us all to play our part in that education; parents, politicians and the wider community. Schools cannot be seen as the closed environment where education occurs, they must be seen as the hubs; the conduits where the community converge to work together to realise the full potential of our future generations.

2012 will be what we want it to be; yes it could be a continued crawl into despair and a further vacuum of hope and empowerment, or it could be the start of the future; where a new mind set and generation define the legacy of the remaining decade. What I do know, is that it is our generation that has caused the mess of the last few years so it is us who must now start the clean-up, to clear the path for the torch bearers of tomorrow to light the beacons that will guide us all into a better future!

Happy New Year to you all!

Also if you have a moment please check out what the School of Communication Arts 2.0 students have been up to on youtube using one of my talks… this is an innovative generation… http://youtu.be/1sM0-TRZVDs

So it’s time to bid farewell to 2011; good or bad, it’s certainly been a memorable year. On a personal level, I have experienced many highs and lows, just as I would expect you have. I have visited every continent, with the exception of Antarctica! I have met many amazing people and worked with some pretty groovy organisations including Google and Microsoft.

On the other hand; I have seen the media turn on our young people yet again, we have seen death, destruction, rebellion and a deepening economic crisis that is having a growing impact on all of us. I am becoming increasingly aware of the impact our treatment of young people is having on their ability to change, to adapt and to take control of their own lives, the lives of so many people who feel more and more disenfranchised. We are all becoming increasingly risk averse as the stakes get higher. I have been guilty in the last few months of sticking to what I know and trying to survive the current climate. I have also realised now is a time for action. In my new book I have used a quote from John F Kennedy. It is one that has jolted me into a new determination for active development.

“There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.” - John F. Kennedy

As the holiday season approaches and we all seek out the warmth of the familiar, it is vital that we prepare for a year of revolution, of paradigm shifts; we must all come out of the blocks with new resolve, with determination and optimism; resolved to take control of our lives and the lives of those who rely on us. We must not let our comfort zone stand in our way. What is abundantly clear is that 2012 will be the year where only the risk takers and change agents will thrive. We must use the break to reinforce our personal visions and beliefs and come out fighting. I will be looking to my own future and the kind of positive legacy that I can help to create. I will commit to a greater emphasis on collaboration, to personal development and to investing in our children.

To all of you that I have had the privilege to meet this year; to work with, to laugh with and to learn from; thank you!

Have a happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year, here’s to 2012 and the year we empower ourselves and each other!

Oh the season of mellow fruitfulness and scooping the seeds and stuff out of pumpkins. It’s the perfect ending to a fantastic month and the first time I’ve been at home for Halloween in four years. Actually, I have spent the best part of October at home on writing leave, it has been a treat! In the spirit of self-indulgence, which I think is vital every so often, I thought that this month, I would tell you a little of what I’ve been up to, apart from picking pumpkin seeds off the kitchen floor and looking up soup recipes for the discarded flesh.

I am thrilled to have made real headway in writing two books…you wait years for one to come along and then…

The first is called Jump in the Water’s Lovely and is a personal reflection on change and leadership. I am really trying to understand the nature of change for both people and organisations. I have been exploring the crucial issues of vision and empowerment; areas that have been driving my work over the last few years and have become key elements of my speaking work and of my unique collaboration with Think Again Media and David Bell (www.thinkagaineducation.co.uk), more of which I’ll tell you about in the months to come. I am determined to make Jump in a very human and readable exploration of the change process and hope that by this time next year, it’s available for you all to buy. If anyone would like to read the introduction; which explains the title, please feel free to email me richard@richardgerver.com and I’ll send it to you.

The second is a novel that I have wanted to write for the best part of ten years called The World Between. It’s funny really, because it has been playing out in my head for so long and I’m not entirely sure what finally made me start work on it… It may be that I haven’t written any fiction since I was at University and was scared that I wouldn’t be able to do it. I am glad I have begun though; I’m finding it a relaxing and strangely cathartic process. It’s the story of teenage girl who through a series of life changing events learns about the world beyond her own protected experiences; I think that in part, it’s an ode to my daughter.

As the month comes to an end, it’s time to dust down my passport and head back out on the road. Over the next few weeks I will be in assorted destinations around the UK, Spain, Sweden, the US, New Zealand and Australia, so if anyone wants me to come and work with them in any of these places please let me know.

I have just returned from speeches in Pretoria and Chicago, speeches to very different audiences, the first to senior leaders in education, the second to senior leaders in HR. The hospitality shown to me at both was fantastic and as is often the case, I had time to have a meal and a conversation with the organisers. We talked a great deal about the impact of the global economic crisis and about the challenges facing us, our children and our diverse organisations; education, health, the armed forces, tax offices. We talked about human challenges on local, national and global scales and yet again, I realised that we are all dealing with the same issues; they are of course, well rehearsed; change, risk, creativity, productivity and efficiency.

The epiphany for me has been that you can distill the world’s problems into common themes and optimistically, we can therefore find solutions by talking more, sharing more and isolating less! When I started out on this journey, moving from the classroom to the speakers podium I was worried, very worried… I knew I had something to say about education and schooling but wondered what I would have of interest for audiences in a corporate realm… Very quickly, I saw the links and I have been fascinated by them since… But my global adventures have led to another revelation; the generic links that work across continents as well as corporations, because the solutions all rely on humanity.

As a result, I have a plea to make; please, let’s get over ourselves! And actually it’s just a matter of emphasis… We have got to stop reacting tribally by dismissively saying, ” What do THEY know?” and asking inquisitively, “WHAT do they KNOW? For example, if we want teachers to be more inclined to action research, let’s ask the medical profession. if we want to create more entrepreneurial cultures let’s ask Brazil, if we want to understand human leadership ask great school leaders. After reading this, make yourself a promise, that by the end of the week, you will have shared your challenges with someone who lives life in a different realm to you… Because some WHO, on earth, KNOWS!

I have just come back from holiday; two weeks of sun, sea, sand and kids… I loved it, every minute! The worst thing about going back to work for me, is knowing that for the next twelve months, I will spend less time with my family, less time with my own children and their friends. We had a great break, made even better because my two kids made friends with what became a posse of about ten youngsters between the ages of 10 and 17. It was infectious watching them all; laughing, splashing about, dancing… having fun. It was a strange juxtaposition because whilst we were away we watched, in horror, the events unfolding in some of the UK’s biggest cities; images of flames and destruction, hatred and fear. We then watched the experts being wheeled out to tell us that Britain was under siege from its youth, politicians queuing up to tell us that we lived in a broken nation.

We returned from holiday just as the exam results were released and we were told that yet again, our children had broken all records of success… only for them then to be told by certain factions of the media and our ‘oh so positive’ politicians that the only reason for this was because they had elected to take easy exams in easy subjects.

This week I read, that even our young children are out of control because about 240 have been excluded from primary schools each year in the last 5 years… which I agree sounds shocking, until you realise that there are approximately 5,500,000 children in primary school in the UK each year!

I have spent my life working with young people and the vast majority are amazing; their enthusiasm infectious; their energy and desire for life humbling. They want to live happy lives, they have powerful moral beliefs and they care deeply about society, however they are so often made to feel like second class citizens. I know some people will read that statement and accuse me of being a soft liberal who is responsible for the supposed downfall of our society… I am not!

The problem here is that we are generalising for the sake of headlines and political impact. Too many people think that our children should be caged and treated like wild animals in need of civilizing… they don’t! They need to be listened to, to be understood and to be valued… Our kids are us, twenty to thirty years ago.
I remember being taught rule number one, when training as a teacher; don’t keep telling children that they are naughty because they soon start to behave to the expectation. Over the next few weeks, months and years we must remember that the majority of our young are incredible, talented and determined people with a growing sense of identity; we must help them develop their skills, their talents and their sense of identity because they are amazing and they deserve it!

If we have problems and we do, we must stop blaming those who can’t defend themselves; our kids and look within because there lie the real problems… and problem number one, is how WE treat THEM!

I like most people have been glued to the news over the last week of the unbelievable tragedy unfolding in Norway; of the innocent lives extinguished because of hatred, paranoia; sheer lunacy!

I was in Norway last December speaking to an audience of educators and university professors about the future and preparing our children for it. It was a wonderful trip to a country that oozes humanity from every pore.

This is not the first time that in one of my blogs I have reflected on tragedy and the impact the images and coverage of these obscene events have on our children and I am sure that it won’t be the last. However it seems to be a comment on our times, that events so immense, events that put us all so deeply in touch with our own humanity and our feeling of togetherness, brings out the true nature of our own kind. It appears that it is in moments of immense pain and suffering that we come together and show the real potential of our species; our natural instinct to work together for each other, to support, to encourage, to survive. Last week I sat in front of the television transfixed by the sheer spiritual beauty of the people of Oslo, as they came together with candles and flowers and on mass stood; all colours and creeds, in defiance of evil and inhumanity. This is real democracy, the power of the people working together with each other, for each other.

Ironic really, that all of this has come at the end of a month dominated by the corruption of media moguls, politicians and police officers; closed cartels who work together too often to tell us how broken we are and persuade us to believe that they carry the flame for moral good… that we should look to and depend upon them to guide us and to unite us. Watching their unseemly wrangling, mud-slinging and petty politicking in times of such powerful juxtaposition, serves only to underline to me the importance of teaching our young people that they must stick together, that the power of humanity; collegiate and collaborative, working together for a better future is the only way to meet the challenges that we have set before them.
I was brought up in a time dominated by a survival of the fittest mentality; where the likes of the Murdoch family rule and where has it got us?

Now more than ever it is apparent that we cannot educate our children to perpetuate the same cultures and ways of life… It may sound kooky but, we need a global education system that teaches our children to stand together; to light candles of hope and raise flowers of optimism in all times; good and bad… we must teach them that above all, they must work and live together for a common vision of an optimistic future. Let’s make that the vision for a future global curriculum and help prepare them for peace in their time!

I have a confession to make; if it’s a little warmer or a little wetter where you live this month, it’s probably because of me… sorry! I have just finished a bit of a world tour; 26,000 miles since I last wrote. I promise I’ll try to swim next time!

I have to say though, that every mile was worth it. I started the month in Australia where I met some amazing educators who are doing incredible things… I heard the story of one school principal who despite suffering very serious health problems has led some of the most innovative developments in Australian education. I met educators who are fighting regressive government policy (Sound familiar?) in order to ensure that the children in their care, really do become global citizens, brimming with aspirations and values… I even managed to take in a game of Aussie Rules Footy and the incredible MCG, I don’t think I understood it but apparently I cheer for the Demons!

On my penultimate day in Australia, in the foyer of my hotel, I had a life changing experience; by complete accident, I met the number one person on my list of people I dream of meeting… I was running out of the breakfast room, when I literally bumped in to the Dalai Lama, like you do! We didn’t speak, but our eyes met, can you hear the music? He really is the most serene person I have ever been in the presence of, his passion for humanity and his vision radiates like a light!

Then to Madrid to speak at an event for La Red Innova; the meeting place for the innovative of the Spanish speaking world and Latin America… Wow, what an experience; I met some of the most dynamic, creative, can do people I’ve ever hung out with. The way they see the world, our future, is inspiring!

So here I am, now at home, with a cup of tea, mentally preparing for Murray mania in the semi-final at Wimbledon, looking out of my window trying to piece the last month together and one thing sticks in my mind; a comment, can’t remember who from, but in a discussion about the definition of leadership I heard someone answer in one word; courage.

From my incredible month and the people I met, I would say that it would be hard to argue with that… because wherever you are, whoever you meet, whatever their jobs… people who are leading us through difficult times into better places certainly have more balls than a Wimbledon fortnight!

Last week was a little like déjà vu for me. Just over a year ago, I was stranded in Chicago thanks to the angry outpourings of some unpronounceable volcano in Iceland. Last week I was on my way to Lisbon when its big brother woke up and exploded more ash into the skies above Europe. Fortunately I got to the event in Lisbon and even luckier I made it home.

I was there to speak at an education conference for Microsoft, a company that has led the way into the 21st century; an organisation whose technological advances have gone a long way to changing the shape of the world; providing people with more and more control over more and more elements of their lives. Which make the volcanic eruptions of Grimsvötn and Eyjafjallajökull even more sobering.

It brings into focus for me the fact that no matter what we do or how we develop, uncertainty will always be a fact of life. It’s typical of Mother Nature to throw a major hissy fit at a time when we are already coping with almost unprecedented levels of uncertainty in so many aspects of our lives. Events like this also sharpen into focus how badly equipped we are to deal with things that are beyond our control. We seem to spend our lives looking for it, surrounding ourselves with certainty and as a result, so many, are struggling so hard, to thrive in times of change.

I think that we need to spend more time pushing our own boundaries, looking into the unknown and stop this control reflex that hampers so much of our potential. Sometimes we have just got to let the lava flow and enjoy the new landscape it creates.

I like many people around the world, am trying to catch my breath after a weekend that has in a snapshot, encapsulated the world in which we live; the good, the bad and the ugly. It started with the pomp, ceremony and shear escapism of the Royal Wedding; that dress, the national pride and those kisses… and 72 hours later, the extraordinary events in Abbottabad. I wonder what our children make of it all?

I think back to 1981 and the wedding of Charles and Diana and compare the media coverage, the change in the way the world appears and the immediacy of the news we digest. One minute our kids are making hats and flags, having street parties and celebrating the marriage of two young, vibrant people… The next they are seeing flags being waved and celebration as one of the world’s most hated men is killed… I don’t want to reopen the debate today about the media and the good and bad associated with it but I do want to ask; how are we helping our children to come to terms with such confusing and contradicting images, messages and monumental moments.

I asked my 10 year old son last night what he will most remember from this historic weekend in the middle of the sunny spring of 2011 and he said, without hesitation, Arsenal beating Man Utd. 1-0 at The Emirates Stadium… I smiled and not just because I’m a lifelong Gunner, but because there is part of me that is glad that at least he is still a child!

Long live the innocence of youth… It’s worth protecting in all our children don’t you think?