I THINK THEREFORE I AM

Mom wasn’t right.

When we chose to double-major in English and philosophy, the parental unit had a fit.  “Completely worthless!  What will you do with that kind of education?  Explain the jobs you’ll be able to apply for … (and so on).”

[And we went right ahead anyway.]

The latest in business thinking vindicates our choices.  No less august an institution than the Carnegie Foundation issued a report on undergraduate business education, saying it was too narrow, it didn’t challenge students to question assumptions, to think creatively, and/or to understand the place of business in a larger context. 

The solution:  Major in philosophy.  It teaches not what to think, but how to think, looking behind blind assumptions  to question supposed answers.  Philosophy also trains us to manage complexity and make solid decisions for the company as well as for society.

Way back when, we studied all manners of philosophers, from Plato to Heidegger (our main prof had a weakness for Martin).  In class, we argued and fought, constructively, figuring out how to logically refute and look for options.  Outside, we explored the whys of existence, the purpose of us, and our relationships to institutions and society.  It was pretty heady stuff, somewhat forgotten when we became journalists.

Today, a number of consultancies have risen from philosophical underpinnings.  Senior tech execs, Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn, for one, tout their beginnings in this discipline.  Most important:  When you share your worldview, you’re creating a connection with another individual or institution (a/k/a alignment).

Should we all become philosophers in pinstripes? 

THE E*D*U*C*A*T*I*O*N OF US

The jury’s still out, as they say.

Everyone, though, agrees on one fact:  The current (and sad) state of American education.  After that, there’s zip consensus, with remedies as wide ranging as our demographics, from charter schools and online curricula to the strict disciplines and draconian demands of the early to mid-20^th century. 

Our take:  No one’s right.  And no one agrees.

What bothers us most about this ongoing, never-settled argument are the implications for us, as mentors, coaches, and teachers for our professions.  A healthy debate, according to our thinking, should be about forever learning, or life-long education.  The skills and knowledge we accrue throughout our earlier business years only serves as a great foundation for continuing to feed ourselves intellectually.

Yet there’s always a but. 

All these ruminations got started when we volunteered last year as teaching assistants in an urban Midwestern elementary school.  Now we’re interacting with what might be would-be communicators and designers and marketers of tomorrow. 

It’s not pretty.  Kids can’t spell, can’t read, can’t do simple math – in spite of one-on-one work and patient repetitions and drills.    They do like to draw, and express themselves freely when asked for visual representations of concepts and numbers.  And they’re extremely voluble, looking for conversations about home and life and the world.  But not about school and education.

What does that mean for us as practitioners?  Where are the future change leaders and branding experts?  And how do we engage our staff, our teams in not only helping them learn and grow, but supporting  others in their brain- and capability-building efforts?

It’s a puzzlement.  And a very personal responsibility that begs for hearing about lessons learned – from others.