All I Want For Xmas is a Learning Mindset

As I helped my 4 year old write her letter to Father Christmas this afternoon (“that’s right, Chanel with one N”, as I sneaked in a few of mine) I reflected on what I would really like her to gain this holiday in our time off together. This will be her final Christmas before her school life begins, which will take her all the way up to 2030 when she becomes 18. Unless we win the lottery, she will need to begin thinking about earning her way in life at that point. The fabric of tomorrow’s workplace is about to change beyond recognition in a very short space of time. Who can predict what the required job roles will be in 2030, but what is certain is that people with an open/learning mindset are likely to find the transition a little easier. 

This week has seen two announcements hit the mainstream headlines: Amazon Go’s fully automated supermarket is due to open in Seattle next year and Mark Carney’s prediction that 15m jobs will be stolen by robots on the front page of the Daily Mail. As parents and workers, this is the time for strong and positive leadership to help today’s children navigate their way as we embark on the machine learning age, and if you expect to be working still in 15 years time: you too.

So, as we break for Christmas this year, the best present we can give ourselves is some time and space to think and feel like humans. Based on discussions and focus groups with people from all walks of work life, I believe the 4C’s (of Caring, Collaboration, Creativity and Curiosity) will be the fundamental behaviours that will stand people of all ages in better stead as we see more robots and Artificial Intelligence (AI) hit the mainstream. So my list to Father Christmas this year is as follows (the fifth C is Chanel btw):

1. Caring – amidst the pressure of ‘getting Xmas right’, Santa please give me the patience and kindness to pause, make eye contact and ask if someone is ok. With a follow-up question just to check. A simple ‘So how are you, really?’ encourages people to open up and reveal how they are feeling. For if us humans are unable to name how we ourselves are feeling, then we are less able to use emotions effectively. There has been incredible technology released this year with the ability to correctly identify facial and tonal expressions for commercial benefit. Adults need to be clearly role-modelling genuine caring behaviours, as this will increasingly be important in any service industry- and it feels good too.

2. Collaboration – as I strive to prepare the big meals, the wrapping and writing etc, Santa please give me the confidence to ask others for help in achieving these goals. Not in a moody or tired way, but as a demonstration of how working together can achieve far more than an individual working alone in the kitchen silo. A simple question such as ‘we’ve got 10 things to do before we leave the house, how could we help each other do this?’ sends the subtle message that working together is a sign of strength rather than weakness. How many organisations (whether families, hospitals, schools or corporates) could benefit from more people crossing the corridors to chat and ask how they can help each other achieve their goals? As workplace automation increases, there will be dividends from people reaching out and working together over and above what the cloud database can offer. And it feels joyful when we unite.

3. Creativity – pressure is known to reduce problem-solving creativity as it can impair peripheral vision etc (see Prof James Reason’s work in reducing workplace accidents and errors). Please Santa, allow me the headspace if I’m stuck this Xmas to ask ‘how else could we approach this?’ to encourage bringing a bigger brain to a problem. The ability to think up brand new ideas, suggest untried solutions and dream unseen visions is (in 2016 anyway) still the preserve of our carbon-based brains (the neocortex bit, according to Google’s Ray Kurzweil in his excellent book ‘How To Create a Mind’). My daughter’s first job is likely to be in a workplace with some fantastic technology where spelling will be less prized than inventive thinking, so this is the homework I can prepare her for with our dinnertime chats. And it feels fun too.

4. Curiosity – if I always resort to Google to tell me what other Xmas films Kevin Bacon has been in, then I may inadvertently be showing that ‘correct’ is the only desired outcome of a conversation. So Santa, please give me the resilience to handle life’s discrepancies and inconsistencies, to challenge what I read online with what I think might also be a perspective. To ask ‘what else do YOU think could be a reason?’ will show that it is ok to brainstorm around a problem rather than always shortcutting to an absolute X/Y fact. Because in our online and offline worlds, the ability to bring deeper interrogation is how we will add value alongside robots and AI in the future. And it keeps our brains fresh.

So Santa, amidst the business of festivity this year help me to ask these 4 questions ‘How are you, really?’ ‘How could we help each other do this? ‘How else could we approach this?’ and ‘What else do YOU think could be a reason?’ to help my child practice viewing problems from a less binary perspective. All whilst searching for Chanel deals.

P.S. The robots are coming… Play inventively with the empty boxes as well as the toys this Xmas, a learning mindset will be the greatest gift we can give.

Laura Thomson-Staveley is founder and leadership coach at Phenomenal Training and co-host of Secrets from A Coach podcast. For more information visit: phenomenaltraining.com and secretsfromacoach.com