Move And Prove
So much great learning is going on in Hamburg, Germany right now at the SMART Factory League 2022 Summit. It is such an honor to get to both chair, moderate a panel, and speak at this event. One thing is for sure after Day 1 is that we need to have innovative mindsets and understand change management. And, great organizations work on a bold plan! One of the concepts yesterday that jumped out at me was the idea of multi-use of information to get the big picture. In education we are constantly talking about multiple data sources of information, but it is interesting to think about multi-use. Because we cannot wait to know everything, we must move and prove. If we wait to know everything nothing gets done and we lose all agility.
In order to reach infinity and beyond we must move and prove. To do this we need to:
- Assess our current setup – no wish list, but reality
- Define our north star and explain it to everyone (eg. Tesla is not about cars, but about sustainable energy)
- Implement consistently in sprints (small edible bites)
The sprints part of this is important. By doing small pieces of a change at a time we can measure benchmarks and iterate along the way. This is editive manufacturing. We need to Be Open, Be Active, Be Infinite.
A Learning Experience Not A Comparing Experience
As I traveled from the airport in Hamburg, Germany to my hotel for the Smart Factory League 2022 Summit this morning, I caught myself comparing what I was seeing and experiencing to home. It’s impossible not to do that, but I also reminded myself to learn and enjoy more than compare. It is about keeping an open mind because it is a big world out there. We travel and connect globally to learn and to have interesting and beautiful experiences. Comparing is somewhat useless. If we are so satisfied with our own country there would be no need to go learn elsewhere. So at least there has to be curiosity to experience something different.
I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes I use when doing leadership development: “To argue with someone else’s experience of reality is futile. To add their experience to your own is possibly useful.” My wish is that the world could be one big learning organization. We all have different histories and contexts. We need to leverage that. Now that I am at the hotel in Hamburg I am sipping on a cup of coffee made like the Germans make it – strong. Not how I make it at home, but I could not wait to get a cup of coffee here. I guess I’m comparing the coffee here to the coffee at home, but I am enjoying the experience. So, have learning experiences, not a comparing experience.
I Don’t Want We’ll See
This week’s Simple Truth #39: “Don’t Ever Make A Promise You Can’t Keep” in Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways To Be A Servant Leader and Build Trust, Making Common Sense Common Practice, Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley reminded me of how upset, even at a very young age, my son would get when my reaction to some request to do something was, “We’ll see.” He would shoot back, “I don’t want we’ll see!” This resulted in me then saying, “No.” Which was probably going to be the answer anyway, but I was just delaying. Conley told us that, “A promise creates an expectation” (p. 103). This really goes beyond using the word “promise.” Just saying “yes” is really a commitment as well. I loved what Conley said: “Only say it if you have a surefire plan to make something happen” (p. 103). Ever been told that something will happen, only to find out it was not? I have had this happen to me in a couple of pretty significant ways in the last couple of years. Let me tell you, I seriously question that individuals integrity, and certainly do not have any trust left.
Back to my son. I’ve always tried to teach him and be an example for if you say you are going to do something, do it. As I write this post I am sitting in the airport waiting for the first leg of flights to Hamburg, Germany for the SMART Factory League 2022 Summit. Early in the year I was asked to chair the event, lead a panel discussion on talent acquisition, development, and retaining of talent, and creating a talent pipeline that meets employer/industry demand now and in the future. I love working globally, but traveling oversees is always a commitment. Once I created my “surefire plan” I then said “yes” to my friends at GIA Global Group. Then proceeded to secure my plane tickets and we went from “we’ll see” to “will do!” And, now I am doing. I can’t wait to get to Hamburg!
I think of my son saying, “I don’t want we’ll see!” often and what a great lesson this was for both of us. It taught me to go ahead and say “no” immediately, rather than prolonging. Additionally, it gave me a chance to model for my son that when the answer was “yes” we always followed through and did whatever we said we were going to do. Interestingly, one of the top traits of great leaders that comes out in leadership development gatherings I do is “follow through.” Whether we call it a promise, saying yes, or committing to something, we must follow through or trust is very quickly lost. So, next time you say “we’ll see” think about whether you really mean it.
Being Global
My dad taught me from an early age how important it was to think globally. He understood the inherent complexity of international affairs from multiple national perspectives. He understood the economic implications and advantages of trading goods all around the world. My dad taught me that globalization was about contribution. Think about all the different contexts which we must work globally. This is very nuanced work. It’s not just about worldly knowledge and connections; it’s about contribution.
I was reminded of this and have been reflecting on my dad’s teachings as I prepare to leave for Hamburg, Germany next week to chair and speak at the 2022 SMART Factory League Summit. I’m am so excited to have the opportunity to connect, learn with, and learn from top industry and education leadership from around the world. What really got me to thinking about all this was my study of Oktoberfest. I am so excited I will be in Germany for Oktoberfest. I learned that Oktoberfest ends each year on October 3rd, which is German Unity Day that commemorates the reunification of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) with the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1990. Having grown up during the Cold War, this was a big deal. For this to happen there had to be great global leaders that were bridge builders.
As I have the chance to connect with old and new friends from around the world I want to remember to be a bridge builder and a connector of knowledge, resources, best practices, and talent across cultural and political boundaries. In addition I want to be a contributor. I do not take the “global” part of my company name, Leadery Global, lightly. It is my hope and sincere wish to help others continually improve around the world. And, take what I learn from others to make things better at home.
Precisely What Students Need
Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend the morning at Heartland Career Center with the Mark Hobbs, Director; Lori Dubois, Precision Agriculture Specialist; and, most importantly, students of the new Precision Agriculture Program at Heartland Career Center. I say I was at Heartland Career Center, but actually the bulk of our time was spent 15 minutes from the school in the field.
We were out on McKillip AgVenture land learning about seed genetics and the start to finish process of their seed corn operation. Last week the students had sorted seed corn as it was being harvested. This is just one of many partnerships that has been formed so that students can get real world and relevant content for learning.
This all took me back to my days as an Agriculture Science Teacher and our partnerships with AgReliant Genetics and our students doing real research for the company in our school greenhouse alongside geneticists. As I always say, “School work must look like real work.” I talk about that a lot in my book, The Hand In The Back Of The Room.
I am passionate about this program and have had the opportunity to be part of many of the planning meetings, served as a champion, have helped remove obstacles along the way, and helped make connections where I could. One of the many things I love most about this program is that it was developed shoulder to shoulder with business and industry. The very businesses that will be hiring students from this program, helped design the program. Novel idea I know, but you’d be surprised how often this does not happen. Students are able to leave this two year program with an Unmanned Part 107 Drone Certification, Chemical Applicator License, and a Class A Commercial Drivers License (CDL).
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to experience drone flying first hand. In fact this was the very first time I had ever flown a drone. We’re not talking some toy drone, but a commercial drone like would be used in precision agriculture businesses. I was shocked at how quickly I was able to learn to fly the drone. The students did an incredible job of teaching me. Here are two videos of me piloting the drone:
This two year program of study prepares students for careers that bridge the gaps between agronomy, agriculture, machinery management, and data analytic sciences caused by the rapid evolution of high-speed sensor agricultural technology. This is all stuff that fascinated me. We even got into a discussion about artificial intelligence, which is an area I have been exploring with some of the work I have been doing with SMART Factory League, globally.
This program is truly making school work look like real work! Well done!
Where Is The “Twin”?
Today I had the opportunity to moderate a great global webinar entitled “Creation of a Digital Twin.” The webinar was put on by GIA SMART Factory League. I am always honored to have the opportunity to work with this organization and it was incredible to be in the [virtual] room with industry representatives from over 36 different countries. And…now that we have learned we can hold these events effectively virtually and learn together apart, we can get together more often and not have the huge travel expense. Talk about holding the whole world in your hands!
I value the opportunity to spend time learning from those in business/industry and manufacturing. It saddens me that many leaders in education talk a big game about wanting to hear from business stakeholders, but most of what happens is lip service. We need more walking the talk. Those in education must stop thinking we know more than those that hire the students we educate. It must be a partnership. There must be a true dialogue of listening to understand.
That’s why I love events like the one today where we can learn together and learn each other’s industry specific languages. Today we were learning about the “digital twin.” The creation of a digital twin enables us to simulate and assess decisions:
- Before actual assets are built and deployed
- Before maintenance
- Before a design change
- Before complex tasks
A number of industries are creating digital twins, digital replicas of products, and many other things including body parts. Today we saw a digital twin of the heart done by Philips Innovation Services. The heart digital twin performs patient specific adaptation. It was amazing. Imagine the testing of procedures and products for heart repair. Also, think of the possibilities for training and education. Endless!
The digital twin mirrors what it is twinning in bits keeping the bit replica synchronized with the real one. I learned today that just certain parts of an asset can be selected to twin. Thus making it easier to focus in on specific functions or parts. It was pointed out that this could be of incredible use in education and training. In this sense digital twins are a new tool for education: rather than studying on the real thing you can study on its digital representation. Even though in a polling question I asked during my introductory statement today, there were only 7% of participants using digital twin technology for training/development and education, and 27% just starting too, technologies like virtual reality provide new tools for education.
Imagine if we had a digital twin of ourselves. We would still have all the flaws, but some some smart technician might find ways to help us improve. Far fetched? I think not!
Byron's Babbles 
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