Designing Schools

This week on the show I’m taking you to Georgia Tech. From diversity, to innovation to academic excellence it’s one of the top ranking universities with a vision to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. Today I’m speaking with Wayne Li and Michael Flanigan about how they use design thinking to carry out the vision of the university. 

In this episode we discuss:

• Why design thinking is a lifestyle
• Why the traditional model of school leads to children feeling shame and insecurity
• The goal of the Design Bloc program at Georgia Tech and how they use design thinking practices
• Why students and faculty engage in community projects using design thinking
• The influence Design Bloc projects have had on empowering the community with design thinking practices
• The mindset shifts they see in students who are in the Design Bloc
• How students in K12 can leverage a portfolio to stand out in the admissions process

Part one of my conversation with Adam and Larissa, co-founders of MakeTeamWork, discusses why a culture of trust and psychological safety is critical for creating successful teams. A talk regarding masculine and feminine cultures was one of the most intriguing aspects of our chat.

In a feminine society, the emphasis is on the quality of life and the people. While in a male society, competitiveness, accomplishment, and success are valued. A culture that pervades all institutions, especially schools. It's the difference between working to live and living to work.

The only way to ensure that everyone can contribute to uncovering and addressing issues, as well as seizing opportunities, is to ensure that everyone has access to a high-quality, equal education.

0:00 Introduction
1:33 Talking about Finland as an example of ' feminine'  education
4:40 What is the Quirky Owl program?
9:40 Why is it so hard to be authentic as a leader?
16:48. How does the ' Start-Stop-Continue' strategy works?
20:06 Adam and Larissa's case studies
25:25 Neema's experience with the project Imagine September
28:44 Importance of technology for education, when paired with a focus on relationships
30:24 Neema's advice for designing human-centered environments
32:52 What changed for Neema as a teacher after the pandemics?
35:41 How 'the great resignation' will impact educators in the future?
39:52 Adam and Larissa's tips for design teams and schools that meet students today's needs

Reserve Your Free Ticket for the Launch of the Documentary- https://designingschools.org/documentary 

Connect with Larissa / Adam / Neema:

Website: maketeamwork.com
Larissa LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larissamenocci/
Adam LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamambrozy/
MakeTeamWork LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/maketeamwork/

Neema: Twitter - @AvashiaNeema

Connect with me, Dr. Sabba Quidwai:

Website: https://designingschools.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabba-quidwai/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/askMsQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designing_schools/

Trust is the most important factor in culture activation. It’s the cornerstone of education, and it’s what makes people want to do something. It’s how you get people to take that one step. Trust is the foundation if anything else is to thrive.   Larissa and Adam co-founded MakeTeamWork.com, a global company specialising in team development, culture change, and visual collaboration. MakeTeamWork, founded in 2020 and located in Amsterdam, has created a relevant array of services and an impressive client list by developing and facilitating unique learning experiences that help teams build trust and accomplish amazing outcomes.

They are thought leaders in applying agility, creativity, and the science of Team & Organisational Development into workplaces around the globe, in person and remotely. Their Quirky Owl program, discussed in the podcast, aims to equip leaders to be authentic while having the tools to develop their high-performing teams.

0:00 Introduction
2:41 Introducing Larissa and Adam
4:27 How MakeTeamWork began just prior to the pandemic
6:39 The growth in the need for team design after the pandemic
9:00 The importance of psychological safety for making great teams
11:45 Defining Trust and Psychological safety
14:27 Introducing Neema and her views on education
15:48 How the pandemic affected Neema's educational practices
22:04 Why is it so hard to build a culture of trust within education?
25:41 How can design thinking help education?
26:41 Where to begin when accessing an organization's culture?
31:01 What leaders can do to improve trust and psychological safety on their teams?

Reserve Your Free Ticket for the Launch of the Documentary- https://designingschools.org/documentary 

Connect with Larissa / Adam / Neema:

Website: maketeamwork.com
Larissa LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larissamenocci/
Adam LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamambrozy/
MakeTeamWork LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/maketeamwork/

Neema: Twitter - @AvashiaNeema

Connect with me, Dr. Sabba Quidwai:

Website: https://designingschools.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabba-quidwai/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/askMsQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designing_schools/

In This Episode We Discuss:

• The challenges that arise when you don't take ownership of telling your story
• How leadership and social influence help build trust, encourage creativity, recognize accomplishments, and inspire a collective vision
• How leaders can nurture and grow talent within an organization
• How districts can leverage brand ambassador programs
• How different departments from construction, to site principals can leverage social media
• Why leaders should embrace an infinite mindset

Connect with Jerry on LinkedIn and Twitter

Connect with Lynette

For more episodes and information visit Designing Schools. 

In this episode we discuss:

• How Jerry uses his weekly Friday meetings with his leadership team of over 180 people
• How creating a culture of vulnerability influenced the conversations that were taking place at the different sites across the district
• Significant inflection points, both personal and professional, that have shaped Jerry into he leader he is today

In This Episode We Discuss:

• How Jerry defines innovation
• The framework Jerry uses to develop strategic foresight
• How being vulnerable led to deep and meaningful relationships with his leadership team
• The strategies Jerry uses to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world
• How he overcomes the fear of being vulnerable in public spaces, such as social media platforms

Connect with Jerry on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Connect with Sabba on Twitter and Instagram. 

Today's episode is a reminder of how much potential today's young people have to create, collaborate and design solutions to areas they are interested in. 

In this episode we discuss:

• The mindset and skills Seth believes young people need to have to thrive in today's world
• How he uncovered a need for creating LinkJoin
• The value of LinkedIn as a platform for young people
• Strategies for how students can get started with LinkedIn and how to use it
• The changes he'd like to see in school as a learner. 

To learn more about LinkJoin click here. To connect with Seth on LinkedIn click here. 

You may have noticed that people kind of say the same thing over and over. They have one message with different versions for different audiences, and that consistency is a big part of their influence. But being consistent on social media doesn’t have to mean coming up with brand new content every day. It could mean showing up consistently with repurposed content or going deeper into old content. In this episode, I give you some tips to tell your story online and increase your influence.

Click here for the full episode!

To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your strengths, skills, and ideas in an online portfolio. You can download it here.

Just about everyone believes that the way we do education needs to change. We know the why, so I’m focusing on the how. In this episode, I talk about two different frameworks that can help educators get through the first step. 

Click here for the full episode!

To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your strengths, skills, and ideas in an online portfolio. You can download it here.

“The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed.“ This quote by William Gibson resonates with me so much. Most of the time when we talk about the future, we talk about things that are going to happen. But if you look around the world you may find that these things are already happening. There is so much opportunity in the world today but how do we empower others to fully take advantage of it? In this episode, I rift on this quote and talk about the humble beginnings of my dissertation.

Click here for the full episode!

To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your strengths, skills, and ideas in an online portfolio. You can download it here.