In ten years, the world is going to be unrecognizable. Instead of administering oral medication, doctors will inject nanorobots that target specific cells in the body with antibiotics and fight disease. Instead of relying on a radiologist to review x-rays, an algorithm will review scans with increased accuracy, skipping the need for a radiologist. We will look back on the medical practice and wonder how did we ever rely on such archaic methods?
The future is exciting.
The Next Big Thing
This week our students got dropped right into the deep end. We surprised them with an assignment: spend 50 minutes in groups coming up with a three minute presentation on what they think the Next Big Thing is going to be. In 10 years from now, what are we going to look back on and think "how did we ever survive without X"?
They set off to work against the clock without much direction. We intentionally don't answer questions about what are you looking for us to cover in the presentation? We want them to tell us about the future.
This is the students' first exposure to working together in groups at TKS beyond just conversation breakout rooms. It’s a great way for them to learn to collaborate with new people in a remote environment.
Ready?
Go!
Before the groups start their presentations, we make sure they opt-in to direct, non-sugar coated feedback. If you want to get better at presentations, this is how you get there.
Spoiler alert: the presentations are all bad. This is the point. This is what happens when your standards are set by your high school.
The first shock comes when we emphasize how students think about presenting in high school is not representative of a high bar. Six group members presenting at once? That's not world class. That's not high standards. That’s minor leagues.
This is the second curveball of the session. The groups that follow need to elect a single presenter and #figureitout. It becomes clear throughout the exercise that we are not holding them to the standards they are used to. Our bar is way higher.
The feedback I gave most often was GIVE ME ENERGY. It felt like students could not care less about their presentations and topic. And frankly, most students didn't take it to heart. I had to keep repeating myself.
We are literally talking about the future here.
If you thought the Internet was coming and could imagine how the entire world would be different, wouldn't you be excited? SHOW IT TO ME. As an audience member, I feed off the presenter's energy. This is even more important in a virtual setting where I only get a partial read on your body language and enthusiasm. I think I ended up giving this feedback to 85% of groups, even after they heard me say it to previous presenters.
If you want to get better at presentations, take a look at some world class speakers. Review 20 different TED talks (not TEDx) to start and takes notes on what you see.
What are they doing?
What are they not doing?
How do they compare to you?
This will help you both calibrate your bar for quality and increase your attention to detail in what actually goes into a world class presentation.
High Standards
Our mindset of the week is High Standards. Most people in the world don’t hold themselves or others to a high standard. This is not meant to be a jab at anyone, but an accurate reflection of reality. We accept mediocrity in so many areas of our lives.
I care about having high standards in the areas that are important to me. I don’t have high standards for everything, but when it comes to things like writing, my work, and my relationships, I do my best to maintain a high standard.
We share Jeff Bezo’s letter to shareholders with students in which he outlines his perspective on high standards. According to Bezos, high standards are:
Teachable — High standards are not innate, they can be taught to anyone willing. Most often, they are a function of our environment. You adopt the standards of those around you.
Domain-Specific — Having high standards is not a universal trait. Just because you have them in one domains doesn’t mean you have them in all domains. This is okay but also means you need to be intentional about developing them.
Recognizable — To achieve high standards you need to first be able to recognize what they look like. How can you learn by example if you don’t even know who to refer to?
Scoped — The biggest barrier to hitting a high standard is having unrealistic expectations for how much work it takes. Without a reasonable expectation of time and effort, you set yourself up for frustration and disappointment. High standards are hard to hit.
This is the session where we do our best to instil a high standards mindset within our students, starting with their presentations. If we go easy on them this session and allow students to be sloppy, that's the kind of work and effort we are going to get for the rest of the year.
“The standards that you set are the standards that are met.”
One of my favourite articles about standards is by David Meister. It’s one we referenced often at Versett. The reality of standards is they only work if you enforce them. If you don't, it's just lip service.
He shares that high standards can be a strategic differentiator if you’re willing to stick to them. And at a high performance organization, high standards are table stakes to join.1
Am I willing to give up a firm that has only the basic standards in place and voluntarily join the Olympic team, where I know from the start that it is run on intolerant principles because it’s actually trying to win Olympic gold (and the consequence of that is the standards are real)?” And the questions to ask are, “Which game would you rather play?” and “Which team would you rather belong to?”2
Are you willing to opt-in to a high standards environment, knowing it will be much harder?
Present like you’re on a TED Stage
We end the session with our own views on building great presentations. I spent ten years making dozens if not hundreds of slide decks for internal and client-facing projects. I have also made my fair share of shitty decks. So. Many. Drop Shadows.
We all do it. We have to get through the bad presentations to get to the great ones. But I am here as a TKS director to accelerate that process and help my students get there faster. Coaches are a cheat code. We set their sights high and remind them, how you practice is how you perform. Take every presentation seriously if you want to accelerate your growth.
Last week I said everything changes. This was the first week of that new new. We spent the first 2 weeks talking about philosophy and expectations, aligning on vision and a goal. Now we get into the real TKS experience. Students are collaborating and working together to solve problems on the fly.
The fun is just getting started.
Remember the top 0.1% of the pyramid and trying to surround yourself with smart, ambitious people.
If you read only one section of the post, read What Team Do You Want to Belong to?