Higher Performance Insights | Invert or Perish
November 5, 2024
Campus leaders, you're standing on the edge of tomorrow. But here's the rub: your institution isn't ready for it.
You've been asking the wrong question. It's not "How do we improve our current systems?" It's "What if our campus was already thriving in 2030?"
Edward Bernays didn't just sell cigarettes. He reconstructed reality. He didn't ask, "How do we sell more cigarettes to women?" He asked, "What would the world look like if women smoked everywhere?" [1]
The result? A cultural revolution. [2] [3]
Your challenge is greater.
Your impact, potentially world-changing.
Invert your thinking. Don't adapt to the future. [4]
Create it.
· What if every student was an entrepreneur?
· What if every classroom was a startup incubator?
· What if your campus was the epicenter of the next technological revolution?
Now, how do we make THAT world real?
This isn't about incremental change. It's about audacious transformation.
Your move, leaders.
Will you be the Bernays of education? Or will you be left behind, wondering what happened?
The future is calling.
Answer it.
Footnotes
[1] I want to acknowledge Shane Parris for introducing me to Edward Bernays in his book, The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts.
[2] Smoke: A Global History of Smoking edited by Sander L. Gilman and Xun Zhou.
[4] Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models by Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann.
Team Discussion Question
If your institution were already thriving in 2030, what radical changes would we see in your current approach to programming, engagement, campus culture, and technological integration? How can you start implementing these changes today to create that future rather than merely adapting to it?
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