FLEE

Organizations of any size, but particularly large bureaucratic institutions, can fall prey to a cultural norm I call FLEE.

The Fault Lies Elsewhere Excuse is so prevalent that we almost don’t notice it. It occurs when a user or customer has a problem or complaint. The first person contacted acknowledges that there is a problem and then proceeds to explain to the stakeholder how the Fault Lies Elsewhere.

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Things my students told me

As I retire from the college I feel the compulsion to share some hard learned lessons. To all teachers, newbies and old hands, sooner or later someone will say…

“You are a bad teacher”

The Devil Made Me Do It

Let’s assume for a moment that there is a Supreme Being. Let’s call this entity IT – not to be confused with Stephen King’s novel about a sewer dwelling evil clown named Pennywise.

According to the story,  IT decided to confer the Truth on one person. Put aside for a moment your curiosity as to why IT as Supreme Being didn’t simply tell everyone. (The rumor is that most people couldn’t handle the Truth.) In any event, IT decided to share the secret with the chosen one – henceforth referred to as CO. (Feel free to substitute your favourite variation about the CO.)

How Will They Learn? (Team Work)

If the school system seems inadequate to the task of instilling problem solving skills surely they will do better at team building. All those young people in the same place with the same goals. It screams team work!

 Would it be fair to assume that in order to teach team skills the instructors must be team players? Since teachers and professors are products of the school system they will only succeed to the extent that the school system succeeded – well you can see the problem.

How Will They Learn? (Problem Solving)

Employers are frustrated because new employees are deficient in soft skills like problem solving, communication and team work.

Post-secondary promises to deliver these skills but is overwhelmed with both the technical aspects of the programs and the demand for breadth courses.

High schools are evaluated on how well students do on standardized testing. Accordingly, teachers have become increasingly focused on test scores.

Is it Getting Better?

The lingering question – is it getting better? Does a more inclusive, less draconian educational system and management style result in better work experiences?

The short answer seems to be – no.

How will they learn?

We all wish that new employees had better soft skills. Employers agree that they can screen for the prerequisite technical knowledge. But soft skills, people skills, problem solving skills – those are tough. I know we agree because I have done research. You know because you see it every day.

You hired that promising new employee – Amanda. Her resume was a little light, but she was just starting out. Bit nervous in the interview but she’s young. Great academic record. Excellent grades, an award winner – you knew because she told you.

So what happened?