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KAOSPILOT MONTHLY#2 12/2006

Immortal

Mindset

Across

Generations

Individuals

Neighbourhoods

Existence

KaosPilot Monthly #2/2006 – Content

# The things we accomplished

# For those who don’t like soft

Christmas packets

# What can the KaosPilots take to the world?

# KaosPilot New Year’s Quiz

# KaosPilot Alumni

Imagine you will soon wake up to the sight of 365

fresh, untouched days. Days to unfold your

talent, to make a positive difference, to have

some fun, to help the world live as one. Imagine

all the opportunities ahead of you.

You may say we are dreamers, but at the

KaosPilots we will do our best to make the

dreams come true.

Thanks for the year drawing to a close. A year

enriched with days to remember and people who

joined us – some of them being 35 new students

in September, a new principal and a new CEO,

the international board and new Hall of Respect-

members. Not to forget the 34 KaosPilots who

graduated in June and our fantastic birthday

party that took place on October 6.

Thank you all for your support and for sharing

lovely moments with us.

We are looking forward to the year to come and

wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New

Year.

or simply...


The things we accomplished

by Christer Lidzélius, CEO at the KaosPilots

So this is Christmas … and what have you done … another year over … a new one justbegun…

What have you done? John Lennon’s soft melody playing in the radio around everyChristmas time always made me sad, even a bit guilty – being part of a Lutheran,Swedish rural-working-class-heritage that doesn’t exactly grant you acknowledgementof what you have done ... more of what you did not do … what you could have done …what you could have accomplished … but you didn’t … you did something else ... ornothing? So the question echoes in the long winter nights … are you satisfied with whatyou have done?

However, today I’m CEO at the KaosPilots, and at the KaosPilots we’d rather celebratethe things we have accomplished than reel off the things, we didn’t manage to do. Justlike we prefer to say yes instead of no, focus at the opportunities instead of thelimitations, the successes instead of the failures, the good news instead of the bad ones.– Shouldn’t be a tough manoeuvre, by the way, as 2006 has been a year of great news,big success, promising initiatives, entertaining events, new products and wonderfulpeople. Here’s just to mention some of them.

InternationalizationLooking back at 2006, a thing that juts out is that the first serious internationalization spittook place with the opening of 2 new KaosPilot educational programs in Oslo (2005) andMalmö (2006), a school most likely coming up in Rotterdam in 2007 and maybe evenStockholm. After the summer holiday, we met for our first joint seminar in Aarhus – andwhat a meeting! It is quite astonishing to consider that we now have operations in 4different countries. A big and warm welcome to all of you. Looking forward to a fruitfuland inspiring collaboration ahead.

Another big and warm welcome goes of course to our new international board bringingthe world into the KaosPilots in Aarhus as well. 26 guardian angels and sources of inter-national inspiration from all corners of the world decided to contribute with ideas,advices, contacts etc. and to meet once a year to discuss the development, directionsand opportunities of KaosPilot International. On October 5th, we had our first boardmeeting and no doubt next board meeting on October 4-7 2007 will give food forthought and new initiatives. Again.

Change of guardsOctober was also the month when Uffe stepped back as the KaosPilot principal through15 years to become chairman of the International Board – handing over the managementbaton to Jytte Vikkelsø and my self. As the new CEO, my primary responsibility is todevelop the commercial department and the internationalization, whereas Jytte as thenew principal will be dealing with the education and the pedagogical development – how-ever in a close collaboration and with several overlaps. Having met her, I have every faithin the future and look forward to the time she joins us. Jytte starts on March 1st ’07.

New leading starsDuring springtime, we also decided to take a deep look at ourselves and try to redefine thepurpose of the KaosPilots. If the KaosPilots was the answer to the unemploymentproblems of the nineties, then what question do we answer today? One of the answersthat came out of the discussion was that the KaosPilots is “Positive social change throughpersonal growth”. Moreover, we chose three focus areas or global challenges that we – inour own way – consider to be essential issues to deal with today for the world oftomorrow. They are:

The CEO at the KaosPilots, Christer Lidzélius.Singing or talking?

New principal, arriving in DK March 1st 07, Jytte Vikkelsø


• sustainability• cultural diversity and• social innovation

The three new focus areas were written into our Worldview Paper in relation with theboard meeting and we will endeavour to couple the new focus areas with our currentvocational focus (process, project and business design), the external assignments weaccept and the way we act and behave in our everyday at the school.

The partyNot only the international board met in October. On October 6th a lot of other peoplealso met – to celebrate the KaosPilots 15 years birthday. The celebrations were heldhere in Aarhus starting at Aarhus Theatre and with Uffe’s stepping down (or steppingup) speech as the zenith. The speech wasn’t the longest, I’ve heard by him, but proba-bly the best,,,-;). And Mejlgade took a long spin out into the autumn morning – so thankyou all for making it a truly memorable day and night and morning…

Old students and new (international) studentsSpring and summer 2006 was also the time when Team 10 graduated, Team 11 did theiroutpost in San Francisco, Team 12 finished their first year and a new Team 13 started –represented by students from 8 different countries eg. Brazil, USA and the Netherlands.During the autumn 2006, Team 12 did a cultural diversity project in Aarhus as a preludeto their process exams and Team 11 headed off for their world internships – leaving the‘little ones’ – Team 13 – behind to work with boxing, marketing and branding projects etc.

OutpostsThe outpost 2006 took place in the creative melting pot of San Francisco. Here, Team11 had a peak at what the future might bring when it comes to leaders of the future,corporate and organizational sustainability. They did a splendid job over there, and so didtheir team leaders, Bjarke Stark and Kristin Birkeland. In February we had visitors fromCanada and the US, a visit that probably paved the way for the next outpost, which willbe in Vancouver. This time headed by Simon Kavanagh, Fanny Posselt and Paul Natorp.

Commercial The commercial activities took a new turn – as a new thing, we won a contract to workon sustainability as well as turned up for the work on educational design. The next yearlooks promising, the order book being full of new arrangements and new collaborations.

New colleaguesNot only did the KaosPilots go out into the world. The world also came to the KaosPilotsbringing in a new Irish colleague from Shanghai, Simon Kavanagh. – Mind you as theonly new male colleague, among a lot of new female colleagues: Majbrit Gottrup, TinaBroberg, Line Rönnow and Astrid Wierzba – all looking well in the picture and bringingin new inspiration and knowledge.

Friends and partnersDuring the year, we have had so many great people visiting us, like Elena Sawka, theDemos-people, Chat the Planet, Bliss Browne, Wagner University, N.Y, Toronto University,Bertel O. Steen, Patch Adams, Synnøve Finden, 16 Russians from the Russian President’sProgramme and many, many more. Thank you all for your visit, we look forward to haveyou back.

New bookLast but not least, the second and updated edition of Uffe’s book KaosPilot A-Z 2 wasreleased on December 8th. Don’t miss it – there’s lots of new material, new photos,new names, new reflections and new jokes, giving the reader an insight into theKaosPilot organization and mindset.

New staff Símon Kavanagh dj’ing at the birthday party


New Year resolutionsSo what have we done and where does it lead us? Well, this week there will be theannual Christmas party and the following week the staff seminar – and then we are alloff for Christmas holiday. A chapter has ended, but the book is far from finished. Newinitiatives and experimentations are in the pipeline as well as an adjustment of the inter-nationalization strategy and the rewriting of the curriculum.

So, when getting ready for Christmas and the coming of the New Year we all have ourways to bring up the Christmas spirit. For me it includes (sorry John) Shane MacGowan& the Pogues’ Fairytale of New York. For those interested – follow the link below http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyPq3uzTHOk&mode=related&search=

Hope, you understand what he says … if not … who says everything can be graspedthrough words…;-)

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all of you,Christer

Got on a lucky oneCame in eighteen to oneI’ve got a feelingThis year’s for me and youSo happy ChristmasI love you babyI can see a better timeWhen all our dreams come true (Shane MacGowan)

For those who don’t like soft Christmas packets

Christmas time is reading time and why not sweeten the holidays with the secondEnglish edition of the probably most controversial and undoubtedly most beautifulDanish book about management, -training and (social) innovation, KaosPilot A-Z 2?

Three years have passed since the first English edition was published and in the nameof renewal new contributions have been added – one of them being Marco Visscher’sarticle The best school for the world, published in Ode Magazine 2005. Moreover,there’s more emphasis on the school’s academic focus and learning tools in this edition.The internationalization strategy, the new schools and educational programs in Oslo,Malmö and Rotterdam, the initiatives in London and Hong Kong, the international board– it’s all there along with a range orientation, flash backs, visions and jumping up anddown, professional experiences, open questions and equally open answers. And ofcourse the updated version is also full of new pictures. Heaps of new pictures.

Order the book at [email protected] or call us at +45 8612 9522. Of course, you’realso more than welcome to drop by the school in Mejlgade 35, Aarhus, Denmark, to buythe book.

What can the KaosPilots take to the world?

By Alan Webber

In the second article in the new series ‘Board’s Corner’, Alan Webber writes about a pub-lic educational system in crisis and the lack of ambitions on behalf on the public schools.

The new KaosPilot A-Z book


Here are just three newspaper headlines from The New York Times in the month ofNovember: “Schools Slow In Closing Gaps Between Races”; “Most Students in BigCities Lag Badly in Basic Science”; “As Math Scores Lag, a New Push for the Basics”. Historically, public education has been the ladder of opportunity in America. Familiescould come from anywhere in the world, and even if they didn’t speak English, theycould put their children into the public schools of America’s big cities, confident thattheir children would learn the language, would get an education, and would begin thejourney to a better life. In large measure, the promise of the American Dream has hadas its first principle the idea that public education – that learning – is not only the greatequalizer but also the great enabler.

Why? Because deep down, we all want to believe in the even grander ideas of demo-cracy and a society that operates as a meritocracy. We want to live in a country – or aworld – where your effort and your talent will take you as far as you want to go; wherethe historically limiting factors of race or gender, religion or national origin give way toindividual aptitude, however it is measured or defined. Your gift, your passion may bemusic not math, counseling not consulting, or environmentalism not entrepreneurship.It doesn’t matter; one is not more “worthy” or “important,” more “valuable” or“acceptable” than another. What does matter, in an ideal sense, is a commitment tostudy, to learning, and a love of life-long learning.

But before there can be life-long learning that has to be a beginning. The first steps ofpublic education have to be strong and solid before the higher rungs on the ladder canbe climbed. And today, not only in America, but also around the world, public educationis a massive, systemic failure.

In the United States, the response has been national legislation: The No Child LeftBehind Act. This measure was designed to create performance benchmarks in Englishand math – test scores – that America’s school children are required to achieve. Thenschools and school districts are held accountable: If their scores don’t measure up, theyrisk losing their federal funds. In worst case situations, the school districts could betaken over. This approach is failing, failing as miserably, massively, and systematically asthe schools have failed for years.

So here’s where we are.

There is widespread agreement that good public education is essential to the future –for the well-being of individuals, for the well-being of societies, for economic reasonsand for social and political reasons. And there is widespread agreement that what’sbeing done now, both in education and to reform education, isn’t working.

After that, there is little agreement.

Is the problem not in the schools and in the classrooms, but in the families? Are parentsat fault? Is the problem not with the students, but with the teachers? In the United States, theteachers’ union is very strong – is that the problem?Is the problem not with the teachers, but with the administrators? Is there too muchbureaucracy?Is the problem not with the administrators, but with the elected officials? Are electedschool boards to blame for flawed policies and bad budget priorities?Is the problem financial? Are teachers underpaid? Are we putting too little money intoour buildings and facilities?Is the problem class size? If the ratio between students and teachers were smaller,would student performance go up?Is the problem in the curriculum? Perhaps we’re teaching the wrong things, or in thewrong way?

Mr. Alan Webber


Is the problem in the way we’re teaching? Perhaps our pedagogical techniques haven’tkept pace with the times – do we need more computers and fewer blackboards, moreexperiences and fewer books?Is the problem just in the society – are we simply witnessing the gradual breakdown ofsocial standards and social order, an inexorable erosion of old-fashioned virtues? Iswhat’s missing as simple as structure, accountability, and no-nonsense discipline?

Everyone has an opinion; few have data.

But there is one source of data worth taking a look at. Several years ago, the State ofArizona decided to take a serious look at the future of public education as it concernedHispanics. The concern: that “demography is destiny” – and that if the state didn’t finda strategy to improve the educational performance of its fastest growing population, itseconomic future would be severely jeopardized.

Using a methodology developed by Jim Collins, whose book Good to Great has becomea must-read for leaders in all kinds of industries and sectors, including not-for-profits,Arizona tried to isolate the variables that could account for a public school making thechange from being a “good” school to a “great” school. The findings may not be sur-prising; they may, in fact, be nothing more than common sense. But they do help tochange the discussion about education to something based on facts and data, and notmere opinion. Some of the findings are:

• The most important person in determining the overall performance of a school is theprincipal. The principal sets the standards, inspires the teachers, and establishes theoverall tone for the school and the direction of the school.

• While it is true that measuring performance is important for accountability, measure-ments have to be done for each student – averages don’t matter. What matters is howeach student is doing. And progress has to be measured every week, so that inter-ventions can be made before learning problems escalate. If a student doesn’t get acertain kind of math problem, the time to take corrective action is immediately.

• Working with students isn’t just a matter of each teacher taking responsibility in his orher classroom; it takes a team of teachers to see the whole student, and to addresslearning needs and learning styles as a group. Principals who get their teachers towork together are the kind of leaders whose schools create real learning gains.

• When it comes to curriculum, there is no “silver bullet.” School districts have a badhabit of believing that one reading program or one math system is somehow going toelevate their students’ performance – just because of the teaching methodology. TheArizona study says that’s just plain wrong – there is no “best” curriculum. Far moreimportant is that a district pick a system and stick with it, rather than making frequentchanges in search of the right one. When it comes to curriculum, too much change isa problem, not a solution. But these findings are currently confined to Arizona, andeven there, I’m sure, there is still great disagreement on how to implement them – orwhether to implement them at all.

I’d like to believe that the KaosPilots can become a contributor to the larger conversationabout public education and the future, not only in the United States but also around theworld. As a board, we were asked at our meeting in Aarhus, “What can the KaosPilotstake to the world?” As a school, I think one thing the KaosPilots can contribute is a calm,considered inquiry into what it will take to make public education work as a positiveforce for as many people around the world as possible.When it comes to education, what works for the KaosPilots – and how can thoseprinciples be identified and then applied to other educational programs?

Over the years, what have the KaosPilots learned about education – what key knowledgecan we distill that could help others who are grappling with improving education? Whatdo the KaosPilots see as the key ingredients to making public education work better?

KaosPilots, Aarhus, 2006


How can the KaosPilots get involved – either as individuals or as a school – in efforts toimprove public education? Are there examples – in Denmark or around the world – ofpublic schools that are working? Where are they and what could they teach all of us?What best practices could be distilled and transferred for the benefit of others?

As the KaosPilots enters its next phase – and as the new international board developsand grows – I’d like to see education become a focus and a contribution. The KaosPilotshave much to teach – and always more to learn – about the essence of learning and thepromise of education.

KaosPilot New Year’s Quiz 2007

How sharp are you to tell the future from coffee grounds and crystal balls? Test yourskills in KaosPilot New Year’s Quiz 2007, where there are fine prizes at stake for theskilled and lucky ones.

How many nationalities will be represented at Team 14? Colloquially, who are ‘TheThree Musketeers? How many articles about the KaosPilots and Team 12 will bepublished in the Vancouver press? Make a guess at these questions and let yourimagination bubble at www.kaospilot.dk/quiz

Enjoy!

KaosPilot Alumni

We are well under way with the establishment of KaosPilot Alumni giving you theopportunity to meet with old fellow students, strengthen your carrier track, participate invocational brush ups-days etc. A further description will follow during springtime. Till then,we seek your help in locating the missing alumni, who are not in contact with us. If youreceive this newsletter directly, we seem to have your email…;-) If you receive it from afriend or a friend’s friend, it seems we lost you along the way and need your new email-address. – In that case, please call us, write us … or even better: sign up at the newAlumni website http://klubkaos.net/, where there are currently more than 200 sign ups.

Our phone no is as always: +45 8612 9522, but you’re also more than welcome to senda note to head of communication, Astrid Wierzba, [email protected]

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