“COVID-19 has caused an economic shock three times worse than the 2008 financial crisis”
Uncertainty, fear, not-knowing – these are the feelings anyone has experienced this year. The shock is not only economic. Becoming a Lonely Guy locked out of their Normal, turned many into deep reflection mode about how the things are – and probably could be, when we are back: people could see the Himalayas again. Lonely Guys, experiencing the global crisis at home with their family, seeing things in unusual light, connected everyday impact to common destiny and turned global – open to the whole universe. SDG appeared to be very personal matter – sustainable development is about honesty about ourselves, what we do and the values we live, nothing else.
We hope the world to be greener, and we hope it to be better, when we are “back”.
But there is no way “back” – we are different today, reconsidering, rethinking, redesigning our existence and meaning.
Lonely Guys went online – new ways of working, communicating, learning, doing things develop exponentially, demanding more skills than ever. Going online, Lonely Guys also question familiar things, their meaning, and ways we do things – and disconnect, if irrelevant.
This refer to the ways we Learn as never.
My father, a university teacher with 25+ years of experience, believed, that “The students always learn – despite our attempts to teach them”. Sounding strange decades ago, it is obvious now. Teaching-in what we think the others should learn, and the way we used to do it, however blended or smart, does not work anymore. Learning is about the learners – rooted in the learners needs. This process is adaptive learning. It is about THEM, not us educators.
It is also about WHAT we learn. Familiar common concepts, like charismatic extrovert leaders, knowing the answers and strategically communicating them, are failing in Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous COVID19-related environment. Introverts, with “introvert advantage” – rethinking, aiming on long term, giving space to other voices and listening, masterfully building connections between remote destinations, building shared vision out of diverse meanings, making the best of commitment rooted in the individual values – are better virtual leaders*. They do not play strong, but build teams including, accepting, connecting – and learning together with the team. To
be able to facilitate this tremendous collaborative learning the reality is challenging us with becomes the core feature our systems cannot work without today. “Orchestrating” is about being able to listen, hear and build a symphony out of tunes and authentic voices.
We are eager to learn and move on together with you. Are you stuck with COVID19 paradoxes? Shall we learn what to do next together? Reach out for Agile Design
#learning #COVID19 #adaptivelearning #facilitation #leadership #virtualteams #remoteteams #IACCM
References:
*Research by Prof. Dr. Marie-Therese Claes, Presentation at IACCM Global Virtual Conference: LOST IN CONNECTION? Global Virtual Teams in Research, Higher Education and Business, 26.06.2020, Online event