It was late 2013 and I was thinking about the transformation that digital would eventually drive. In a Series of Posts on transformation, I laid out my early thinking about forcing functions and related enablers. One of those enablers was Thinking Differently. In this Article authored by Jeff Haden, he describes the viewpoints of best-selling author Simon Sinek:
“These are not unprecedented times. There are many cases — lists of cases — where change, or something unexpected, has put many companies out of business, and made other companies come out stronger and reinvent themselves. The invention of the Internet put many, many companies out of business. The ones who could not reinvent themselves for the Internet age but rather doubled down on the old way they did business.”
The importance of thinking differently could not be described better. As we approach what could be a new normal, we need to let go of current mental models. Another form of thinking is also highlighted by our current crisis. While the lack of Internet and computer access has been the discussion regarding both remote work and education, this Article focuses on how we think. I have focused on Education as a key piece of our societal journey going forward. Author Colin Seale talks about the current crisis in the context of education, highlighting our need for critical thinking. He had this to say:
“If we are sincere in our goal to prepare young people to solve problems the likes of which we have never seen, using technologies that have not been created, in career fields that do not exist, education systems should obsess over critical thinking”.
He goes on to describe the gaps in our education system and concludes that: When critical thinking is literally a matter of life or death, we can no longer afford to keep treating it like a luxury good. The need to think both critically and differently was already an imperative in a world that promised dramatic change before the current crisis. This crisis just shines a brighter light on it – other thoughts on the crisis can be found at the links below.
FEATURED: A Post Pandemic Society
- How Might The World Respond?
- Rehearsing Possible Post COVID-19 Futures
- Possible Futures Emerging Across Multiple Domains
- More Thought Leaders Weigh In On A Post Pandemic Future
- Mid-Pandemic Impact on Supply Chains
- Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery Scenarios
- Is The Canary Dead?
- How Will The Corona Virus Impact Globalization?
- The Corona Virus Serves As A Catalyst For Change
- Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery Scenarios
- COVID-19 Monday Morning News
- Anatomy Of An Outbreak
- Discussing A Post-Pandemic Society on Salem Radio Network
- The COVID-19 Economic Impact On China and a Glimpse Of The Future
- Assessing A Post Pandemic Future: A Video
- Coronavirus: Permanent Change? 34 Big Thinkers Explore the Possibilities
- Futurist Gerd Leonhard Looks Back From The Near Future
Inside the Next Transition 
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