Ditch the Map and Use the Compass

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I was driving to an evening event several weeks back while listening to an audiobook detailing the Japanese concept of “ikigai” and its connection to finding purpose and meaning in life (it is a slightly different approach to what Jim Collins does with the “hedgehog concept”) when I heard this quote from MIT Media Lab director, Joi Ito:‍

“The decision to forfeit the map in favor of the compass recognizes that in an increasingly unpredictable world moving ever more quickly, a detailed map may lead you deep into the woods at an unnecessarily high cost. A good compass, though, will always take you where you need to go.”‍

I put my turn signal on and pulled over into an empty parking lot. I went back and listened to the quote again, and then again. In one stroke, the words cut through a frustration I had been wrestling with and offered a glimpse of clarity: it was time to ditch the map and start using the compass.

Until recently, traditional education has offered a pretty clear map for students to follow: go to these classes, learn these concepts, master this content, take this test, and you’ll be set for college. Then you can repeat the steps and you’ll be set for a job. Then you can follow the instructions and earn a solid paycheck. And so on and so on.

The problem is we are now facing more volatility, more uncertainty, more complexity, and more ambiguity than ever before, and the map is full of detours and reroutes and closed roads. Its function more resembles the AAA TripTiks from years past–a great idea until you get thrown a curveball.

Imagine instead the compass–a tool which, when calibrated to the desired destination, allows for multiple routes, a number of diversions, and any potential obstacle while still charting the course toward the end goal. 

In a few words, Joi Ito has summed up the entire purpose of entrepreneurship education–entrepreneurship education exists to provide students with a compass so that they will be able to navigate life no matter what they encounter. They will be able to collaborate, to effectively communicate, and to creatively problem solve. They will operate with a growth mindset, and they will continuously develop their grit. They will redefine failure and they will seek opportunity. They will, in short, know exactly where they are going.

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