Canvas Meets Gangplank Academy
Yesterday, I had a great meeting with Jade Meskill and Derek Neighbors of Gangplank. I couldn’t be more excited about their vision for the Gangplank Academy http://gangplankhq.com/academy/.
Both Canvas and Gangplank share in the school of thought (no pun intended) that our education system needs to be altered. We want our children to have a broader scope of the opportunities that surround them. Primarily by using creativity to spur imagination, ambition and initiative to open their minds to possible careers they may not have even known existed. It seems as kids become adults they leave those skills in their childhood, and then they start to work and forget how to play.
In a time when innovation is a buzz word, we see businesses losing market share and employees being laid off, employers want their teams to create. However, we are expecting behaviors that don’t exist in our corporate cultures because we have taught people that it isn’t ok to fail or make mistakes. When was the last time you were celebrated in your workplace for trying something new or failing?
What happens when your eight year old daughter stops in the Lego isle at Toys R’ Us? Do you encourage her interest or say “Lego’s are for boys.” Gangplank is encouraging kids to play and see what they like or don’t like. By exposing them to topics they don’t get in traditional education like movie making, art, food service, technology, programming and acting children are getting a first hand experience to spark their interest in these various areas.
How much more profitable would our businesses be if our teams were truly engaged in the work? If every employee felt it was their calling to be doing the work the came to do in our workplaces each day? Even if you aren’t in first grade, I encourage you to go out and try new things. What sparks your interest and how can you squash your fear of failure from trying it?
