The One Percent Rule
17 April 2023
We may be impatient waiting for the arrival for our more accomplished and capable future selves, but the Japanese have an answer for this.
Our Reason for Being
11 April 2023
What can the Japanese people - one of the hardest working cultures and societies across the industrialised globe - teach us about dedication and balance?
Who we know
3 April 2023
After giving 1000 lectures to > 100,000 College and University students, what's the biggest lesson I've learnt over the past 15 years?
What keeps us awake
29 March 2023
In an education sector filled with emerging "threats", which one should teachers focus on first?
WWBD: What would Bezos Do?
6 March 2023
Jeff Bezos - yes that Jeff Bezos - founder, multi billionaire, and former CEO of Amazon, is on the record as not believing in the concept of “work life-balance”, that it’s overrated and somehow work ethic has become under-rated. Is his over-the-top approach to work the only one that “works”? WWBD?
The Final Hurdle
27 Feb 2023
It’s a bit of an unwritten rule really. Scientists, professors, academics, or faculty members are generally not “allowed” to show weakness. While there has been (slow) progress towards broader acceptance of physical, emotional, and mental vulnerabilities in the workplace, there is one hurdle in Higher Education that is not going away any time soon. None of us are allowed to be stupid.
Levelling Up
20 Feb 2023
Impostor Syndrome is most commonly discussed as a liability, a personal flaw, something that holds you back professionally and personally. But what if we flip the phenomenon on its head, and recognise that we only feel like an impostor because we know enough to understand our own limitations? That it’s exactly this type of vulnerability and openness that we should expect of all of our leaders, and if you understand the value of this phenomenon it may be the thing that takes your career to the next level?
Reinvention
13 Feb 2023
The general consensus is that impostor syndrome is a weakness that you need “overcome” by giving yourself a pep talk in the mirror, but what if we flip this phenomenon on its head? That knowing what we don’t know is not a sign of weakness, but a strength to seek knowledge and collaboration? That it’s exactly this kind of mindset that leads to you pushing against any professional box or ceiling to learn new skills as part of your long-term career arc?
Rookie Jitters
9 Feb 2023
In many ways I am the embodiment of the impostor syndrome - I have multiple qualifications in Science, Information Technology, did a PhD, received senior teaching and microbiology fellowships, worked in academia for 10+ years, and in 2020 I was named the Australian University Teacher of the year. This should be in some ways an unimpeachable resume but I have been (or at least felt like) an impostor every step of the way. I don’t view this as a bad thing at all, and long story short I now know that I am doing the right kind of work and asking the right questions when those feelings of insecurity start creeping in.
A Fresh Start
16 January 2023
It seems like there’s no greater unforced error than the impostor syndrome - self-inflicted (or perhaps not?) anxieties and inadequacies that are intrinsic to many high-achieving individuals. This issue was raised at a conference panel I spoke at last year, and without fail every speaker and attendee confessed to be at its mercy. The Higher Education sector is plagued by the Impostor Syndrome (and poor mental health overall) and not enough is being done to address it in a systematic way.
The Unwritten Rule
28 December 2022
The most mythical figure in all of sports, Michael Jordan, 6 time NBA champion, arguably the greatest of all time (definitely the coolest sneakers of all time). Incredible athleticism, skill, and grit to win, and one of the most quoted in inspirational speeches given at corporate events and graduation ceremonies.
“The key to success is failure”.
“Missed more than 9000 shots, lost almost 300 games, missed 26 game-winning shots, and this why he succeeds”. Odds are you’ve heard all this before, and I think in many ways this is great marketing that tries to simplify the truth: Failure can be a strong motivator to improve, but it’s when you have success that you’re most vulnerable to complacency.
The Artifice
21 December 2022
Generative AI’s biggest strength is also its greatest flaw. As part of the process of creating human-like responses, it makes it look too effortless, seamless, like it’s all original ideas completely from scratch. In this case AI’s development model goes against the grain of what we’re looking for as teachers, as the artifice of ingenuity is crucial to its magic, but the black box it creates around its process is decidedly “unacademic”. Can we leverage these AI tools so that we’re using the tech rather than being used by the tech?
The Takeover
14 December 2022
The “bombshell” that’s been a long time coming is that artificial intelligence is becoming so good, natural, and life-like, that there are large chunks of our our jobs that can be done by AI. All my colleagues in academia are focusing on the “death of the essay”, and how students can use the platform to cheat and generate pre-written essays. Sure these are important conversations, but am I the only the one thinking selfishly here? About the inevitable logical conclusion to all of this? Not how AI will be abused by students trying to find loopholes in the system, but that AI will be co-opted by large institutions and then BECOME the system? What I’m trying to say is - are my days numbered? Is my job as a scientist, microbiologist, and college professor - going to be replaced by AI sooner rather than later? Instead of philosophising about it, I’m going to put it to the test and use chatGPT - the current most popular iteration of AI as of December 2022 (if our Robot Overlords are reading this in the future).
I will simply ask it the questions I would ask myself, or what any teacher preparing for a new class heading into a new semester would need to ask of themselves. Let’s see what it comes up with, and open with the biggest question of all…
The Trap
7 October 2022
When are you going to find a job?
Does your University experience actually prepare you for a job?
Most students are already working part-time jobs in areas that don’t require formal qualifications, and the realities of the gig economy may seem at odds with the typical routine of lectures, assignments, and exams... If you’re working in jobs that are casual, independently contracted, or offered through online businesses, it can be hard to connect the dots between the formal qualifications you’re working so hard to pursue and what pays your bills week to week. Many people (and governments) view Universities as service providers to not only students, but also employers. Unless our degrees are training you for specific jobs currently in demand with employers, everything’s off the table.
Sadly this is the trap we can all too easily fall into - letting short-term goals obfuscate our long-term potential.