Stop Stealing Dreams Part 1

*/By Rick Nason, PhD, CFA
Partner, RSD Solutions Inc/*

*/Follow us on Twitter/* [1]

Once again, Seth Godin has provided the inspiration for a series of blogs. 
I am referring to one of his recent e-books called Stop Stealing Dreams: 
What is School For?  The free e-book is available on his website,
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/files/stop-stealing-dreams6print.pdf [2]  .

This e-book is a fascinating examination of schooling, something that I am
very interested in as a University Professor.  However it also has a lot of
relevant points that are easily translatable to risk management.  After all,
I believe that being a good risk manager requires one to be a knowledgeable,
creative and a good learner – all characteristics that one develops in
school.

In this e-book, which is written more like a series of blogs, Godin attacks
the school system on many accounts; the main one being its cookie cutter
approach to learning.

In risk management I think there are parallels in that we are starting to
treat risk management as well with a cookie cutter approach.  Global
regulations, risk frameworks, and a focus on objective risk measurements are
all characteristics of cookie cutter thinking.  However, just as cookie
cutter thinking produces middling results in schooling, I put forward that it
also produces middling results in risk management.  Godin, like Ken Robinson
(his most watched Ted talk is here
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity [3] )
believes that a standardized approach to learning is suboptimal.  I believe
a standardized approach to risk management is also sub-optimal. 

In the next few blogs, I will be taking points from Godin's school
manifesto and applying them to risk management.  I may not want to, or be
able to steal dreams, but I can and I will borrow ideas.


[1] https://twitter.com/rsdsolutions
[2] http://sethgodin.typepad.com/files/stop-stealing-dreams6print.pdf
[3] http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity