On-line is the New Local

During my recent travels, I meet a young person who was buying their first home. This individual explained to me that they had run into some unexpected problems in the process which were deeply frustrating. Given they were buying a house in one part of the country and their bank was located in another part of the country, most of the communication related to this purchase had been done on-line and over the phone. As I listened, they shared how it might have been easier if they had someone local to visit with about this process.

I have reflected quite a bit on this comment. First, I know there are numerous, very fine banking institutions in their local area, all of whom would be more than willing to help them through this complex process. However, based on his comments, switching to a new bank did not appear to be an option. 

Second, I began to think about how this could be clearly a generational difference. I grew up in a world where your community bank was part of your local community and everyone knew their banker on a one to one basis.  All transactions, i.e. deposits and withdraws, were done at the bank and in person.

However, we live in a world now where more and more people rarely ever go to their bank in person. On-line banking and on-line interactions are the norm to working with a financial institution. For some, this is the only form of banking they have ever known. The perception that “there is an app for that” is the new normal. And banking is just one more app in a collection of apps.

Third, I realized, upon reflection, that many young people do not know how to bank locally. They have no experience of it and thus do not know the value of having a face to face relationship with someone in the financial services world.  And with this realization came my mind-blowing insight for the week. For many young people, doing something on-line equals doing something locally.

While I can not be the first to have achieved this level of insight, the implications are dramatic for so many organizations and institutions. Bricks and mortar institutions will continue to exist but the growing edge of the population will only interact with them in person when there are problems and only after they have tried numerous on-line possible solutions. Furthermore, they will assume that those who work within these institutions are totally up to speed with their individual on-line actions so that their problem can be solved in a seamless and timely manner. 

For us as leaders, the phrase, “think global, act local,” now has an all new meaning when the definition of “local” is defined as actions taken on the internet. It is going to stretch many people and how they do customer service. It also is going to require many companies to completely redesign their customer service systems.

For me, I know that I have a tremendous amount of thinking to do before I fully grasp the implication of on-line being the new local. Still, I know today that we are entering a whole new era as more and more young people work and live from this perspective. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

The Transformation of Education

Being a former high school history teacher, I remember when the only computer was in the school office, and chalk and black boards (*) were the standard tools of every teacher. I even remember when the mimeograph machine was the teacher’s best friend. Now, it is amazing to see the transformations taking place in education this coming school year.

In particular, this fall there will be a new kind of student coming to school. They will be technologically savvy from kindergartner on (Remember that they are the class 2023!) and only know a world where the internet and computers are the norm. They will expect a broadband solution in every classroom along with live, constantly upgraded multi-media educational experiences accessible at any time and in their own way.

Furthermore, we also will encounter a new kind of parent. The last of the baby boomer parents are now replaced by the Gen X parents and those even younger who are all actively engaged with high expectations even if they do not always communicate them to those who are educating. They also expect a broadband solution to education and they expect to be constantly updated on what is happening during the day. They assume that there is 24/7 accessibility to those who are teaching.

Finally, we are encountering a new kind of teacher. This came clear to me when Apple introduced the new iPad2 with a $ 39.00 HDMI cable that can be plugged into any flat screen TV in the classroom so the teacher can project what they are working on to all students. These pedagogically advanced new teachers are entering the classroom and also expecting a broadband solution to their educational challenges. They want live and constantly upgraded accessible resources and data at any time and in their own way. For these new teachers, the text book and the black board are being replaced by iBooks and YouTube videos.

The implications for us as leaders is to recognize that we will need to respect the teacher - student - parent relationship, and help them identify the impediments to college and workplace readiness and success. We also must help those involved define the “academic individuality” of each student, i.e. individual patterns of academic strengths and weakness while focusing on the whole K-12 experience.

This fall as school districts and states struggle to meet these changes I will reflect on my first year as a teacher, and marvel at all that is taking place.

* FYI: the black board in my first classroom was an actual sheet of plywood painted black. Chalk did not work on it very well and tended to fade quite quickly. I remember helping to install a real black board and being delighted with this technological upgrade. My how times have changed!

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257