December 3, 2020
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
One of my mentors described leadership as “looking around the corner,” as if we were atop a tall building and could prevent a potential accident in the making as two vehicles approached an intersection. Under her tutelage, I’ve incorporated her advice and disciplined my approach to decision making by looking ahead a month, a year, or several years to consider the possible possibilities.
Leadership consultant and TED speaker Roselinde Torres describes looking around the corner in this way: “Leaders today need to constantly be looking at trends and challenges that could disrupt or create opportunities for their business. Leaders can’t afford to be reactive—they must consciously be very proactive. Whether you’re leading an organization, department or small unit within a company, you still need to be looking ahead.”
Our preparation and planning for the pandemic is a very real example of looking around the corner. Last February into early March, we began meeting as an administrative team almost daily, stockpiled wipes and hand sanitizer, and left for spring break fully prepared not to return in person. Looking around the corner is not predicting the future but rather what author and professor at Columbia Business School Rita McGrath calls paying attention to “the edges.” Leaders “need to embed ways of learning about what’s happening, that isn’t right in front of you, that’s farther out” by not limiting our reading or interests to what is familiar and comfortable.
Seeking out unrelated and dispirit sources of news and information can be valuable. It was a podcast by a conservative, borderline conspiracist, blogger that motivated me initially to consider what seemed at the time to be a very, very, remote possibility. Now nine months into the pandemic, I am keenly interested in what the next nine months hold for us. What are the trends, signals, and data telling us about what is at the other end of the pandemic? Looking around the corner relies upon seeking diverse viewpoints and vantage points.
I believe that education is now at an inflection point and that the pandemic is a disruptive force that has long term implications, both positive and negative. For many years, I’ve been leading our school to create a curriculum that prepares students for jobs that do not yet exist. As a result of the pandemic, it is clearer than ever that the question most of us were asked when we were young, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” has necessarily morphed into “What problems do you want to solve?” Looking around the corner, students might be better served by thinking about a mission rather than a major.
As I look around the corner, I have many questions but certainly not all the answers. What will be the ongoing effect of the pandemic on society and the economy that will impact education? How is technology shaping teaching and learning? What market forces are currently at work or unfolding that are impacting our school? What are the blind spots that need realizing or assumptions that require challenging?
Looking around the corner relies upon seeking diverse viewpoints and vantage points. I invite you to join me for a “Look Around the Corner” of MPA next Thursday, December 10, 7-8 PM. I’m excited about the opportunity to engage in deep conversation with you, tap into your perspective of what you see coming and hear how that might impact the short term and long-term future of MPA. There is no formal preparation required other than some preliminary thought of what you are finding in your industry or the latest podcast, book, or article that has captivated you.
I believe that it was Sir Winston Churchill that once said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” The long-term effects of the pandemic will certainly be felt for years to come. And yet, visionary institutions and leaders will challenge themselves to be proactive and look for opportunities to harness this moment of disruption and the explosion of creativity and innovation. Join me next Thursday and let’s look around the corner together.
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Meeting ID: 948 3364 5495
Password: 484886
