At the Pegasus Conference in Seattle recently we were lucky to have some school students attending. The discussion was about the needs of 21st century learners, learners of the future, millennial learners… One of the students made the point that they are learning NOW and so we should be focussing on the here and now learners as well as having an eye on the future. The urgency is now to push for the changes that we have been suggesting for some time, rather than something new, some radical change in the way people learn.

We know what learning is about so why do we persist with irrelevant testing, focus on sitting and listening, and teaching just in case? We are great at talking about learning needs but not so great about practising what we preach. So here is the challenge – go find a student, go find the youngest person in your business …listen to what they have to say about their needs, their experiences, their future. Be curious. Ask questions. Reflect on what they say and what this means for you and your organisation. I am off to do exactly that. Watch this space for further information on reverse mentors and how they can be a great catalyst for personal and organisational change.