Gretzky
Posted on May 13, 2009
Several years ago, researchers Karl Fisch, Scott McLoed and Jeff Bronman assembled a now famous set of observations in the form of a video that characterizes the future in unsettling ways. (A more recent remix of their video can be found on You Tube under the title, Did You Know 3.0?) For example, their prediction that, the top 10 in-demand-jobs for 2010 were not even invented in 2004 spawns the generalization that educators are currently preparing students for jobs that do not yet exist, which will employ technologies that have not yet been invented, in order to solve problems that we don’t even know are problems yet. Before we get too excited, I’m not sure this is new to education. However, there is an important principle to be found here. Life is not glacially changing. Today, we feel that we just joined Luke Skywalker as he jumped to “hyper-drive” and are now lost in a distant galaxy without time to chart our ever-changing location. Take a deep breath. Top quality education is about skill development and the thinking process. An excellent education instills the self confidence to proactively anticipate a very different future and to hold the expectation that we will be successful in it.
There is commonly quoted statement attributed to “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky. Most report that upon his retirement Wayne Gretzky, holder of numerous hockey records, was asked the secret of his success. Gretzky is credited with a response akin to “I was never the most powerful player, never the fastest skater nor the biggest hitter. I made it a habit to skate to where the puck would be and not where the puck was!” Apparently, if truth be told, this was a frequent bit of advice given by Wayne’s father, Walter, while Wayne was growing up. Wayne’s self-assessment of his abilities is not an honest description of the magic stick handling and passing that marked his remarkable career. However, Gretzky too is talking about anticipating the future.
In Florida the odds are better that you have watched young children play soccer rather than ice hockey, and if so you have seen the entire team moving as a pack after the ball. The obvious lesson is that we never quite catch moving targets by following behind them. We are better served by anticipating the ball’s (or puck’s) movement and meeting it when it arrives. Anticipating the future does not merely serve athletes well. It will be an essential skill for future success in any discipline. Colleges are expanding course offerings in “anticipating the future,” and leaders in technology, medicine, education and business (to name just a few) all feel the pressure to know where their respective fields are headed. This is precisely why Microsoft reportedly spends $2.5 billion annually for research and development.
If Karl Fisch and friends are correct, it took 38 years for radio to reach a market audience of 50 million individuals, TV required 13 years, the Internet needed 4 years, the I-Pod 3 years and now Facebook just 2 years. “Hyper-drive” indeed! My guess is that no one taught you to use a radio and that you have picked up the Internet and I-Pod all by yourself. Why? You are educated, self confident, well adjusted and motivated. Learning THOSE skills will be essential for your children too as they anticipate the future and arrive at just the right time to meet it. You might call it the Gretzky Principle!
