EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
T here is a tragic contradiction at the heart of most education systems and business schools are, in some ways, uniquely positioned to address it – better late than never. Imagine your child comes back from school with a grade ‘C’. Do you start looking for a tutor, or tell them to focus on the subjects they are already good at? This age-old debate surfaces frequently, as most education systems are happy to alert you to any academic struggles, yet they remain largely unequipped to foster excellence. As the imagined parent, neither reaction here is optimal. Both responses teach your child that the decision to pursue a goal or profession should be based on external validation (or lack thereof) of their perceived ability in that area. Consequently, any setback or low grade suddenly ‘proves’ that they shouldn’t be heading for that area of study or career after all. Conversely, a natural aptitude can be seen as enough to guarantee future success. However, children don’t just need to learn about working hard, they also need to learn to not give up easily. “The best of the best fail in life more often, not less, than the rest of us,” said renowned Harvard Business School (HBS) leadership professor Amy Edmondson, in a Czech Television In an era of uncertainty and upheaval, the need for perseverance and grit has never been more critical. Newton University chancellor Anna Plechatá Krausová outlines how the institution seeks to test and cultivate students’ resilience in a challenging, yet safe environment
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Business Impact • ISSUE 3 • 2024
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