Otter's new mission and plans for the coming year
Our business has had an evolving set of mission statements over the years, but now we've landed on one that I think is going to stick. It is:
“Teaching people how to learn”
It is so simple and straightforward and resonant. And it fits with the work we have been doing.
In the past our work was really about bringing expert knowledge and ideas from places like Harvard and MIT to the “broadest number of people.” Through that work, we developed a well-honed understanding of how to be really good learners and how to use new technologies to be smart, productive and competitive. This is so important for individuals, but also for organizations and enterprises. In order to flourish in today's world, we need to re-learn how to learn.
When I give talks, I often say that I am not smarter than anybody else, but because I am a very good learner and because I have learned how to learn with the newest technologies, I often know things a bit earlier than others. That makes me appear smarter. In this world where knowledge is a commodity and the flow of new information is much bigger than any one person could possibly manage, being a good learner has become a critical skill. When we talk about Learning 2.0, what we are really talking about is how to be the best learner you can possibly be. And the best learners are often the best collaborators. Being really good at learning is often about tapping into the collective wisdom of the right group of peers. And being a good peer is about informing the group with your own intangible, personal intelligence.
The focus of our work next year will be on bringing these ideas to our clients and peer networks. We will be working on building our own learning network so that we can incorporate as many people as possible into sharing this mission. There are many ways that you can join us: we have a couple of positions open for work here at the Otter Group. We are also building a network of experts who are using podcasting to share what they know. We currently have three podcasts going on negotiation, innovation, and learning 2.0. We are going to add three more in the New Year on personal productivity, “being green,” and “weenie nets.” We're open to including your expertise in our network, so if you have something to say, please let us know.
We are also launching a Learning 2.0 boot camp, where we will introduce your organization to the ideas and methods of Learning 2.0. In the boot camp you will have a chance to take what we are developing and apply it to how you work and learn. And we will be continuing our own Learning 2.0 podcast series to help disseminate these ideas as broadly as possible.
We will be forming an advisory board, as well as a Learning 2.0 network, where we regularly convene (virtually to start) to deepen our connections and shared learning. If you would like to be part of either of these groups, please write to me.
I'm very excited about what's coming. And I'm very proud of our employees and associates. This is a shared journey and we hope that you will find a way of joining us.
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