I found an old article talking about credentials in the US alone exceeding 900,000 unique education credentials. How do they keep count? Who measures whether they are relevant and fit for purpose? Is there a way to centrally track these? Add the regions of the rest of the world and we are easily in excess of 1m credentials.

For time I have been saying two things count more than anything else – relevancy of the credential to the job aspirations of the individual (where two individuals may have the same job role but have taken different learning paths to get there) and the match of skills to an employer’s requirements. Then the credentials carry their greatest value.
This is even more pronounced when skills gaps are widening and companies are scrambling for workers; people with the skills to address a need there and then for their business, able to hit the ground running with a contribution from day 1. I have also previously referenced living longer, learning new skills multiple times, 20 jobs and 10 careers with job changes more frequently than in the past – these require a new education model to service needs of the future.

Clay Christensen predicted a reduction in post-secondary education of 50% in universities offering degrees and I liken it to the hourglass economy, where those at the top are somewhat protected by the prestige of their brand, but the rest have to differentiate or they wont survive.

The answer? More employers at the table, relevancy of credentials to workplace needs, individuals taking control and carving out credential pathways that suit their ambitions, all underpinned by a subscription model like a gym membership, Netflix and Spotify.

We have the broadest set of tools at our disposal, electronic calendars and schedules and hybrid working to support the new ways of working, and yet the day is always full of things that simply have to be done.

In supporting one of the best teams in our industry, always on the go, constantly working on the next, I remembered a quote from the British Cycling Team coach – he said at the time that he had never “come across anyone in the top 2% in the world at elite sport who operates in the comfort zone.” It is very true. Watch the Last Dance on Netflix and you will almost become uncomfortable at how driven Michael Jordan was, but then consider the success.

Marginal gains were the talking point for a while and at one Grand Prix the difference between 1^st and 10^th place was seven-tenths of a second. No room for error. Who speeded it up and why have we accepted that it is the right way forward? Back to business, I still prefer meeting people face to face, building trust, nurturing relationships. The gentlemen in this photo didn’t suddenly become good friends after one introduction and an exchange on social platforms. They have known each other for over 50 years and built their connection through many lightweight interactions over time. It is slower but longer lasting.

Pause and make real time for thinking and for people. It’s better than a video call.

I have just finished watching the sports drama Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. As a fan of all sports, it’s very good, but I recognise it’s not for everyone. Watching Jerry West find his place as a coach and the rise of Magic Johnson was compelling, but the standout thing were the quotes thrown into the arena by West.

“I’ve scored 25,192 points in my career. You know what keeps me up? If I scored 10 more in just 5 games, I’d have 5 [NBA] rings instead of nightmares.”

It is the finest margins that separate the best in their field from the rest of the pack. Almost 10 years ago Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford described the marginal gains that differentiated their cycling team from the competition.

I remember recalling a story from the 1990s as part of my presentation, where in the Winter Olympics of 1998 the Swedish team won no goal medals, yet through their post-event analysis, learned that if they had just a 5% improvement in performance, they would have won almost every gold medal they competed in. Fine lines indeed.

Anyhow, congratulations to the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry for their latest NBA title (their 4th in 8 seasons), thanks Jerry West for the great story and look forward to more stress willing the Chicago Bulls and the Bears to progress next season in their respective leagues.

This month’s buzzwords are too many to mention, but personalisation is up there at the top of the list. We read about cafe companies and how all companies must restructure and re-culture and take on more of the attributes of small firms.

Independent shops, small boutiques and owner-operated cafes are experts at building loyalty. They know their local customers, they make time to chat and they remember their preferences, in other words Amazon at a human level! So the question becomes how can we operate as a cafe company and give that amazing personal touch and service that boutique stores are recognised for?

Technology has influenced how we operate, allowed us to work remotely and send everything electronically – the queue for postage stamps was always an awful exercise – but has anything really changed? Tech can help automate most areas, but loyalty, personalisation and friendly smiles – I am not so sure.

The great economists say the answers lie in the past and I believe this story tells true to this day – there is great little bookshop called Lutyens & Rubinstein in west London. What chance does this store have against the giant e-tailers? Yet they have a secret weapon and she goes by the name of Claire. Her knowledge, people skills and personal touch makes all the difference to this brilliant bookshop and their customers. Long may they thrive.

It is good to see offices reopening in London and elsewhere, as well as the welcome reintroduction of face-to-face meetings – nothing beats a handshake with another human being.

But as we carefully move towards a degree of normality, some weird and wonderful things have been happening under the radar that are worth a mention, including new terms and even a new language; the attention economy; crypto as the new rollercoaster; NFTs (where do I begin); and who invented tooth sensors that detect salt and glucose, and tell you off when eating cake?

In the workplace, everyone is overloaded with calls and meetings, but that isn’t so new. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in an interview with Harvard Business Review, shared a great story explaining 70% of people want flexibility in their work, yet 70% are also looking for the human connection – he described this as the hybrid paradox, so this topic hasn’t settled and is likely to run for a while.

In the learning and assessment space, I describe it as the beginning of the Lego model – the unbundling of learning into modular pieces that stack together to meet the needs of the individual. I enjoyed being part of a discussion about the optimal length of a learning segment, and it could be anything from 2 to 15 minutes, formed into playlists.

Overall, it is good to be back. Lunchtime sushi on the run has never tasted so good.

Remember the great Apple ad (Think Different) that began the wave of change for the company and the genius that was Jobs and his team to elevate it to the leading creative machine that it remains today?

Post-pandemic (I am being optimistic) is a different world and while nothing stands still for a minute, it’s reading beyond the page that will create the next generation of genius companies.

Consider this – the price of annual video streaming services:

Disney+            £59.99
Netflix                £71.88
Prime Video         £79.00
University             £9250.00     

Can we see the risk here? We have spent a year working from home, experienced less formality in learning and more emphasis on the consumer as they seek control of every interaction. If the rise in digital tools will change how we learn – how much and how often – might the disruption be right in that table above?

A great little letter was published in a UK newspaper that went something like this – it remains one of my favourites:

“Sir – My internet went down for about five minutes the other day so I headed downstairs and spoke to my family. They seemed like nice people.”

Why does a computer issue or problem with internet connectivity carry such enormity of drama and emotion. Partly, it is down to next gen expectations that everything – including education – is similar to their day to day life.

For them everything is instant: they buy and receive deliveries on the same day; decide to watch a movie or binge on an entire season of a programme and start within a minute of deciding; and when they do log in to Netflix, they watch movies at 1.5x speed. There is no waiting, plus if they don’t like something or find learning engaging, or if they don’t get onto a new project or get promoted, they move on. We have to make the world as interesting as they see it – although to their credit, they typically look for two things: to do things that have a purpose and to make an impact.

Derek Thomson, from his great book Hit Makers, told us that the world’s attention is shifting from content that is infrequent, big and broadcast, to frequent, small and social. In work and learning and for our next generation of talent, and to get the best out of their skills and willingness to make a difference, we need to understand precisely how they like to consume.

Gen Z is changing and dictating how they want to consume but do we understand the new world and can we get involved? Moreover, are we even welcome?

The big-brand public-facing social platforms are not so cool amongst the younger generation and they are leaving for smaller online destinations. Within these walls they can message each other and connect with other likeminded cool people. Some call them digital campfires and I like the metaphor – even during the pandemic when people were calling out for social interaction the biggest cultural moments took place in these smaller environments, such as live concerts and streams of famous folk playing video games. Who knew of gaming platform Roblox until the headline that their founders had made a small fortune? What some dismissed as computer-games-from-which-you-learn-nothing have become the place to be to reach these audiences, and yet, smartly, some wont let us in!

I remember wondering whether Second Life would be a success and now brands are chomping at the bit to be a part of Creative Mode, Discord, Twitch and TikTok (100m active users!), umbrellas for every conceivable interest and trend. Top DJs and professional sports teams have a seat at the table, but sport is cool. How about the rest of us? I understand the relevance of custom designed sneakers (from cool artists as #thelittlecustoms) but how about chinos?

The pandemic changed the landscape forever and digital transformation accelerated overnight. You cannot take a guess at this and hope the next generation of workers and customers cross paths with you. To appeal to them, they expect you to have exactly what they want and the only way to reach them is via data and algorithms to target each as an individual, based on their preferences and personalisation.

As technology evolved to play a bigger role in a company’s strategy, we used to say IT went from the basement to the boardroom – now it’s marketing’s turn.

A short story from a brilliant client of mine and Oxford Professor whose vision transformed one of the leading UK institutes. We spent lots of time talking and whether in London or New York his stories and insight were rich with poignancy and relevancy. Always memorable, you could make decisions and hang your hat on them.

He once shared a story where having graduated and read all the books about combining technical skills (in his case core accounting and financial) with business and leadership skills, he was equipped for the world of work. Within days he realised he wasn’t ready, and fortunately for him he could turn to his university professor to help him understand and complete the work he was assigned, visiting him often to ask how to tackle individual tasks.

How often have we heard versions of this tale – super smart young people qualified but not employment-ready? To get more people into jobs with the skills employers are looking for, we need to link needs with outcomes, ensuring HR departments work with academia to define the skills their companies are seeking.

Thank you Noel, best wishes for the next chapter.