Systems cause people to do very strange things out of survival. ~ Ted Fujimoto

Have you ever wondered why the implementation of a new idea doesn’t seem to be working well? If so, don’t miss this insightful leadership interview with Ted Fujimoto, President of Landmark Consulting Group, Inc., a management and investment consultancy for scaling innovations in learning.

Ted helped to design and create the replication systems and strategy for several of the largest scalable, fastest growing, highest performing public school designs in the country that created over 350 schools, including Big Picture Learning and New Tech Network. Big Picture Learning public schools are located in some of the toughest urban areas in America, are graduating over 95% of their students with nearly 100% of them being accepted to college. The New Tech Network has created over 130 public schools and is opening 30 to 40 new schools per year.

Ted also serves on the Board of Directors of the California Credit Union, a $1.2 billion credit union. This interview is packed with great lessons in leadership and fantastic information about systems thinking and educational reform.

• Freshwater fish can’t survive in saltwater tanks! Ted opens with a discussion of systems thinking in education where people enter into the school system with the best of intentions but that the system itself is failing, not the people. He says it’s like taking a healthy freshwater fish and putting it into saltwater tank. His example about an awesome teacher who underperformed in a new situation is painfully common because it’s too often the system, and no the people, that is misunderstood. He also describes a scenario where one school was built on the idea of project-based learning but came close to failure because the system couldn’t let go of pacing guides. Plus, much more…we promise.
• As someone who is obsessed with creating healthy systems, Ted surrounds himself with those who are pushing boundaries and closely follows the work of Richard Branson. Listen to what he says about being a disruptor in a sector that is foreign to you.
• Fujimoto tells our listeners that the environment around you impacts the way you behave more than we often realize. Listen to what he says about spending years behaving in ways that are contrary to what we know would be more effective.
• Listen to Ted talk about the  future of artificial intelligence, automation, and the magic of humans doing things that computers can’t do in a time when computers can do so much. It’s an incredible discussion of creativity and innovation.
• His answer to our #onethingseries personal growth question is awesome. He talks about isolation as stagnation and working to widen your perspective. Don’t miss it.
• Ted used to think that a convincible innovative idea would be enough, but too often the established systems gets in the way. Listen to what he says about actively changing systems or replacing them entirely.

The one thing that I keep scratching my head about is the use of artificial intelligence and what it means for the future. ~ Ted Fujimoto

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Joe & T.J.