Words that caught us: What would you like your kids to know? (Part 8)

 

In our day, good grades were everything.

That’s the only thing your grandparents

Cared about - the report card!

They were happy

If we were top, or, near the top of the class.

Good grades opened the doors

To the next class,

To secondary school,

To the university,

And to well-paying jobs.

 

Good grades and a certificate,

Were the keys to a good life.

 

We hate to break this to you,

But this is no longer the case!

 

In our day,

We could acquire knowledge only in school,

And through rare, and scarce books.

Today, the whole of the world’s knowledge

Is neatly organized for you,

And easily accessible, at the tap of your finger.

What used to be rare and scarce,

Is now plenty and easily available,

To everybody, everywhere.

Anyone with a curious mind,

And persistence,

Can now learn anything they want,

Without leaving their home.

What you know today isn’t necessarily special

Unique or rare.

Most of your friends know, or can know the same thing,

With a single tap.

Knowledge is now a commodity.

 

And that applies to most of the technical skills too.

The internet is full of ‘How-to’ videos and instructions,

And the robots and artificial intelligence

Are coming for your lunch.

Tomorrow, they’ll do any routine work

Better and faster, than any human being can.

 

Actually, having technical skills isn’t enough.

When we were your age,

We too thought and believed,

That knowledge and technical skills

Are all that we needed to succeed.

And, initially, they did help us

Get through the door,

But as we rose through the ranks,

Our knowledge became obsolete,

And our technical skills became a drag.

Somewhere along the way, we realized,

That we could only get ahead,

If we cooperated and worked well, with others.

 

We can’t tell you what your world will need,

Or demand of you,

And what you have to do to succeed in it.

It’s your responsibility to figure that out.

But we know this one thing will continue to be true…

You have to learn to work well with others,

Because no one succeeds alone.

Learn how to collaborate and cooperate,

Become adept at pitching, persuading and influencing.

Whatever your new world demands or needs,

You'll only succeed if you can orchestrate,

And build tribes and communities

Of like-minded disciples.

And you do that by selling your vision,

Ideas and plans;

And by persuading and inspiring others

To join and believe in your cause.

Talent is what God has gifted you,

Skills are what you learn through practice,

Character is the brand you develop for yourself,

Leadership is how you influence others to join you,

And selling is what turns your vision, passion

And ideas, into value.

 

Everybody sells –

All of our interactions with each other are

Implicit sale-pitches,

But very few know how to do it well.

Devout yourself in learning how to cooperate

Collaborate,

Sell to,

And influence others.

That’s the key to unlocking the value

That God has placed in your heart!