Back to school
What we can learn from 5 year olds
It’s September, so that means I’ve been attending information sessions to find out more about what my children are learning at school.
I’m always so impressed by the concepts that schools teach nowadays as standard, and the positive impact that this has on children. Both of mine have been familiar with the “growth mindset” since reception and my eldest was shocked to hear that sometimes in my work I have to explain to grown ups what it means. It wasn’t something I ever heard of until I was well into my management career. At his age I was already pretty convinced that there were things I was “good” at and things I wouldn’t ever be able to do.
The other thing that always strikes me, and which I love to see, is that alongside the focus on academic learning there is a real focus on teaching children to work together. My younger child is in Year One (5-6 year olds) and a lot of thought and effort is going into thinking about how to support them to work well in groups.
As there absolutely should be. As I repeatedly bang on about – working well together is essential for both performance and happiness at work.
So is there anything we can learn from the kids?
No matter what area of work we go into, being able to communicate and cooperate effectively will play a big part in our success. There’s also plenty of evidence that it makes us happier too, with more collaborative workplaces boosting greater morale and employee wellbeing.
Schools focus on teaching children to work as a team because it’s a core life skill.
But it doesn’t come naturally to them. Anyone who’s ever watched toddlers squabble over toys know that social skills are learned and developed over time (as our brain develops). Working well with other people is a conscious set of skills, based on knowledge and experience. It’s something we can and do get better at – not just at school but all the way through our lives.
On the other side of this, when children do work together they do it really effectively. There is the famous “marshmallow and spaghetti tower” experiment where kindergartern (reception) children regularly outperform teams of CEOs and high paid executives. Why? Because they just get on with it. They focus on solving the problem and they don’t tend to worry about trying something and it not working. They also don’t worry too much about who is ‘in charge’ and what the politics of the group are – if someone has an idea, they shout it out!
There are some general principles teachers seem to follow, which I think could be really helpful for leaders looking to get the best out of their teams:
Mix up groups
School pupils given the option tend to choose to work with their friends. So teachers actively mix groups up regularly to give the opportunities for new relationships to form, and for children to learn how to work with different people.
Doing the same at work can pay dividends too, in terms of new input and different ways of doing things. Next time you’re bringing together a project team, try to think beyond the obvious and include some different perspectives.
Make sure everyone is clear on what they’re doing
In a good team, everyone knows what the goal is - whether that’s junk modelling or product design. They understand that the desired outcome isn’t them doing well, it’s the team solving the problem together.
They also understand what their role is and how it’s contributing: “I’m cutting these shapes out to be windows” or “my job is to oversee sustainability”.
Make it fun!
Kids learn through play. Even as grown ups, we are more open and receptive to new ideas, or likely to have our own, when we’re relaxed and happy.
It’s ok to make jokes and have silly rituals in team meetings – laughter is proven to build bonds. And if you’re running a brainstorm or a workshop with people, make it interactive and engaging to get the creative juices flowing.
Learning is a process, so we can always learn more about working together. And, thankfully, we don’t need to go back to school lunches to do so.