Professional Habits: The Most Neglected Component of Employability
When hiring managers are asked what is essential in candidates, their responses are informative for candidates and educators. In recent Harris Poll research conducted with Express Employment, hiring managers identified work ethic (60 percent), dependability (59 percent), and willingness to learn (57 percent) as absolutely essential. Many institutions name attributes among their educational goals. Fewer […]
The Kodak Moments Higher Ed Can’t Afford to Miss
Kodak case study for higher education
General Education Is Not the Problem. The Employability Architecture Is.
General education is not the problem. The problem is that many institutions have not designed a coherent employability architecture. Students develop the skills, attributes, and professional habits that constitute employability across general education, the major, co-curricular learning, work-related experiences, assessment, career services, and employer engagement. But these components are often managed separately, assessed separately, and […]
Five Questions Every Chief Academic Officer Should Ask About General Education and Employability
Nearly 20 years of AAC&U employer surveys confirm that employers value the development that general education promotes. Critical thinking, problem solving, communication, teamwork, and adaptability are some of the skills identified by employers as important, and these are often listed as the goals of general education programs. Despite this focus and apparent connection between general […]
Applying Employability Futures: Three Questions for Educators and Employers
In the first two parts of this series (blog 1 and blog 2), I proposed that the future of employability, exploring the skills, attributes, and professional habits that enable people to gain, sustain, and transition between employment as work evolves, deserves the same attention we give to the future of work. The future of employability […]
Defining the Future of Employability: Scope and Methodology
Future of Employability shown with future of work
The Future of Employability: Why the Distinction Matters
From LinkedIn feeds to strategic plans, discussions about the future of work are everywhere, but the future of employability is barely discussed. This gap has consequences as unemployment and underemployment remain elevated, and graduates struggle to translate education into first jobs and sustainable careers. This is not just semantics. Terms shape priorities, and the terms […]
Strategic Foresight is an Element of Effective Leadership, Not Just a Planning Tool
In a recent article for the Association of Professional Futurists’ Compass, I explained why strategic foresight should be embedded into leader development curricula to prepare leaders for the future of work and to complement other topics found in these curricula. In this post, I explain why strategic foresight is not only a planning tool but […]
The Problem with “Future Proof,” and What to Say Instead
Terminology matters. For example, the term soft skills does not reflect the importance of the skills it represents. I wrote about this recently in Moving Beyond Soft Skills: Why It Is Time for a New Term. Future proof is another term that needs to be examined. The ideas that future proof is meant to reflect […]
Moving Beyond Soft Skills: Why It Is Time for a New Term
Year after year, reports highlight the importance of non-technical skills like critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability. The World Economic Forum’s most recent Future of Jobs report ranks analytical thinking as the most sought-after “core” skill followed by other skills like creative thinking and flexibility and agility. Despite their importance, these skills are often called soft […]
Bridging the Gap: How Higher Education and Employers Can Collaborate to Prepare Futures-Empowered Graduates
What Employers Want from Recent College Graduates A survey from Intelligent.com found that 6 of 10 companies surveyed fired a recent college graduate they hired this year. Why? The top reasons given for recent college graduates’ lack of success are (in order) a lack of motivation or initiative, lack of professionalism, poor organizational skills, poor […]
Navigating Uncertainty: The Power of Scenario Planning in Higher Education
2025 may be a year of significant change for the higher education community. This community, which includes colleges, universities, accreditors, and nonprofits focused on higher education, may see significant shifts in higher education policies. Some of the proposed changes include eliminating the Department of Education and restructuring the accreditation system. Other proposals focus on affordability, […]
Veterans Bring Essential Human Skills to the Workforce
As we celebrate Veterans Day, it is important to recognize the human skills veterans bring to the workforce. The demand for human skills continues to grow as many organizations are experiencing skills gaps that have the potential to hinder productivity and long-term success. According to Springboard’s The State of the Workforce Skills Gap 2024, a […]
Empowering Leaders to Shape the Future of Work
Leader development programs often focus on strategy and management, but what about preparing leaders for the future of work? My latest article in the Association of Professional Futurists Compass explores how foresight and futures thinking are essential to empowering leaders to navigate the future of work and build resilient, thriving organizations. Read more here: https://www.apf.org/post/empowering-leaders-to-shape-the-future-of-work#:~:text=The%20future%20of%20work%20is%20an%20important%20topic%20for%20organizational,employees%2C%20and%20create%20positive%20change.
History Majors: Beyond the Myths and Into the Workforce
What are you going to do with that major? This is the question often posed to humanities graduates. The assumption behind it is that while it may have been enjoyable to study the humanities while pursuing your degree, you will have difficulty securing meaningful employment following graduation. Although this myth has been addressed many times, […]
The complexities of leadership in the age of AI
In this episode of Inside West Point: Ideas that Impact, Colonel Chris Mayer from the Department of Law and Philosophy at West Point discusses the importance of balancing technical competence with human skills in the age of AI. Mayer shares his extensive military and academic background, highlighting his work in integrating future force capabilities and his […]
Review of Disrupt with Impact: Achieve Business Success in an Unpredictable World
Roger Spitz’s Disrupt with Impact provides a systematic exploration of disruption and offers practical advice on enhancing foresight and decision-making so that people and organizations can navigate a rapidly changing and uncertain world. Although helpful for everyone, the book is especially relevant for preparing leaders to engage with the future as response-able, agile architects (this […]
Change Management in Higher Education
In this episode of the Change Management Review™ “From the Field” Series, Managing Editor Brian Gorman interviews Chris Mayer, a career Army officer who is serving as associate dean for strategy, policy, and assessment, and associate professor of philosophy at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Chris has led, been part of, or observed efforts […]
Leadership in a VUCA World
This week, Mike is joined by Colonel Chris Mayer, Associate Dean for Strategy & Initiatives at West Point, to talk about teaching strategic leadership in a VUCA world. We begin by breaking down the concepts behind the VUCA acronym as we explore how best to lead in an increasingly Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous world. Chris imparts insight based […]
A Philosopher’s Take On The Future of Leadership, Education, & A Lot More
Cathy is joined by Chris Mayer, philosopher & also Associate Dean for Strategy & Initiatives at West Point. Among the many things Chris does is teach Philosophy to cadets. Cathy and Chris met at the University of Houston’s Strategic Foresight Professional Certificate program earlier this year. During this episode, they talk about the future of […]
A Conversation With West Point’s Associate Dean for Strategy and Initiatives
Chris Mayer is an associate dean for strategy and initiatives, an associate professor of philosophy at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a colonel in the U.S. Army. I first ran across Mayer on his active Twitter feed, @ChrisMayer_WP. Mayer generously offered to answer my questions about academic life within the military, his thoughts […]
Hacking HR Podcast: Humans at Work
Podcast Interview with Enrique Rubio. Listen to the podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hacking-hr/episodes/The-Hacking-HR-Podcast—Episode-22-ejute0
The Future of Work, Education & Leadership with Chris Mayer
In this power-hour conversation with Chris Mayer, Assistant Dean at the US Military Academy at West Point, we deep dive into the most pressing issues of Future of Education, Work, and Leadership. It is so refreshing to hear from the best, Mayer’s independent perspective on many other issues and great opportunists to elevate leadership skillset […]
Future-Proof Leadership Literacies, Robots and the Power of Science Fiction with Colonel Chris Mayer
Chris returns to join Mike Palmer to revisit the conversation started during Chris’ first appearance in November of 2019. We review Bob Johansen’s book The New Leadership Literacies as we take a few twists and turns to touch on how the world of robotics is evolving and how we. can learn from science fiction as we try to peer further out […]
West Point: Philosophy, Leadership and Combat
In this episode of ‘The New Abnormal’ podcast I interview Chris Mayer, Assoc Dean for Strategy & Initiatives at West Point Military Academy in the USA.We discuss his belief that the intersecting futures of higher education, work, and leadership (and the uncertainty associated with these intersecting futures) will create challenges and opportunities for people and […]
Living with AI
In this episode, In Conversation hosts Gina Clifford and Louise Mowbray talk with Dr Chris Mayer about AI, philosophy, ethics and warfare. Listen to the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUsvacCsvlE.
Higher Education’s Impact on the Future of Water
What will be the necessary skills, abilities, and knowledge necessary for the future leaders and followers within the world of water? Dr. Chris Mayer of the United States Military Academy (a/k/a West Point) joins the Water Foresight Podcast to discuss the future of higher education and how it is changing and will shape the future […]
Why foresight, tech and ethics education can better prepare us for uncertainty
Technology is dramatically reshaping the future of training and education, including for the military. Col. Chris Mayer is a futurist and a department head at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Looking ahead, he emphasizes the importance of incorporating foresight skills, technological literacy, and a deep understanding of ethics and humanities in education. He […]
Review of: How Colleges Change: Understanding, Leading, and Enacting Change
Internal and external forces continue to push for change in higher education. Political leaders, the public, and foundations advocate for lower tuition and higher quality; boards of trustees and accreditors also serve as catalysts for change. Additionally, administrators, faculty, and staff seek better ways to promote student learning and more effectively accomplish their institution’s missions. […]
Review of: The Undergraduate Experience: Focusing Institutions on What Matters Most
The Undergraduate Experience: Focusing Institutions on What Matters Most identifies successful practices in undergraduate education worthy of adoption by others. The foreword, written by Freeman A. Hrabowski III, President of University of Maryland, Baltimore County, highlights two overarching ideas that serve as the foundation for the book’s six themes. The first is that successful institutions […]
Review of: Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success
It is not unusual to hear a member of the faculty and staff claim that many of their students are not ready for college. High schools, socio-economic conditions, parents, and students themselves are blamed for this problem, even as there is debate as to what college readiness means or whether career readiness should be prioritized […]
Review of: Lesson Plan: An Agenda for Change in American Higher Education
The idea that higher education reflects and is a significant contributor to a country’s well-being is a key assumption of Lesson Plan: An Agenda for Change in American Higher Education. The book’s authors, Michael G. Bowen and Michael S. McPherson, argue that American higher education ‘needs to do much better than it is doing at […]
Should higher education be bundled, or unbundled?
Higher education today faces many challenges, including lower than desired completion rates, the high cost and resulting debt associated with attaining a degree, and low educational quality that leaves many graduates unprepared for the workforce and employers disappointed with their abilities. One approach to these challenges currently receiving a lot of attention is the “unbundling” […]
Strategic Planning: Effective Priorities
Priorities, and initiatives designed to support those priorities, are often forgotten or neglected because of the demands of ongoing operations, unexpected challenges and opportunities, and ineffective plans to employ the priorities. This is unfortunate because priorities are indispensable to the ability of colleges and universities to achieve their long-term goals. Priorities provide guidance on what […]
Trends in Curricular Change
Undergraduate curricular change at colleges and universities is undertaken for many reasons. At some institutions, the curriculum has been in place for many years, even decades, and it is time for a change. Demographic pressures and concerns about the value of degrees are also a motivation for curricular change as some colleges and universities, especially […]
What is a breakdown of social trust?
Social trust is necessary for effective interactions within and between states. Social trust is, however, very different from other types of trust. Trust between family members is developed through shared histories and frequent interactions. Individuals within a neighborhood or small town may develop a high level of trust due to their proximity and frequent interactions. […]
How might a breakdown of social trust come about?
A substantial breakdown in social trust is possible over the next decade. Trends and events that impact the interpersonal, economic, and political aspects of society could cause this breakdown due to their effect on social capital. This type of breakdown is more likely to occur in societies with thinner layers of social capital than in […]
Why would a breakdown of social trust be important?
Social capital is the glue that holds societies together. It includes how members of societies interact and cooperate with one another, especially strangers; the strength of their identification with society; the existence of shared values, norms, and understanding; and social trust. Because the elements of social capital are interrelated, a substantial breakdown in social trust […]
The Ethical Case for Foresight
Those who practice foresight understand why it is ethically important to think about and plan for the future. They also understand how foresight provides a way to do this. It is often challenging, however, to communicate this to people outside of the foresight community. Even when there is an understanding of the importance of foresight, […]
Foresight Meets Undergraduate Philosophy: How Philosophy Can Enrich Futures Work
Although he later wrote in a tweet that “We need both” philosophers and welders, United States Senator Marco Rubio created waves when he said that, “Welders make more money than philosophers. We need more welders and less philosophers” (Griswold, 2015). Philosophy and other humanities disciplines are often criticized for not having practical benefits, especially in […]
Empowering Students to Thrive in a Variety of Futures
Imagine two college students who graduate with bachelor’s degrees. The first is completely unprepared for the uncertainty that exists following graduation and struggles to find and keep meaningful work. For the second, her skills, knowledge, and attitude empower her to successfully navigate uncertainty. This does not mean that she never needs to learn again. What […]
Opening Students’ Minds to Futures
In my last blog, I suggested that educators should be more intentional about empowering students to thrive in a variety of futures and that one way to do this would be to require students to complete a foresight course. It is rare for undergraduate students in the United States to be required to take a […]
Review of: Realizing the Distinctive University: Vision and Values, Strategy and Culture
AT A TIME WHEN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES are competing for declining numbers of high school graduates, receiving reduced state support, being criticized for high tuition, and facing a public that questions the value of higher education, Mark William Roche presents his thoughts on how institutions can thrive in this environment. He argues, “For a university […]
Review of: Improving Quality in American Higher Education: Learning Outcomes and Assessments for the 21st Century
Arum, R., Roksa, J., and Cook, A. Improving Quality in American Higher Education: Learning Outcomes and Assessments for the 21st Century. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass, 2016. Improving Quality in American Higher Education: Learning Outcomes and Assessments for the 21st Century documents the work of the Measuring College Learning (MCL) Project, an initiative coordinated by the […]
Review of: The Fuzzy and the Techie: Why the Liberal Arts Will Rule the Digital World
Students are often discouraged from studying liberal-arts disciplines by people who think it will be difficult for them to find jobs in a world dominated by technology. Scott Hartley, a venture capitalist and former researcher at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, bucks that trend in The Fuzzy and the Techie: Why the Liberal Arts […]
Review of: Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Aoun, Joseph E. Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2017. Advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data will radically change the nature of work. Predictions on the impact of these advances range from the elimination of many types of jobs to the automation of a significant number of […]
Review of: College Made Whole: Integrative Learning for a Divided World
Gallagher, Chris W. College Made Whole: Integrative Learning for a Divided World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019. High tuition and resulting the resulting loan debt, along with low completion rates and concerns about how much students are actually learning in college, have led critics to call for the unbundling of higher education. Unbundling higher […]
Review of: Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education
Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education. Bryan Alexander. Johns Hopkins University Press (January 14, 2020). Baltimore. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought institutional preparedness to the forefront as many campuses are discovering that they could have been better prepared to do such things as shift to remote teaching, transition employees to telework, provide support for […]
Review of: The Next Rules of Work: The Mindset, Skillset, and Toolset to Lead Your Organization through Uncertainty
Gary Bolles, Chair for the Future of Work at Singularity University and a partner in the strategy consulting firm Charette LLC, suggests that “humans have worried about the future of work since the dawn of machines” (1). This worry has only intensified over the past two years as the pandemic has accelerated changes to how […]
Sustaining Innovation in the Midst of Success (Journal of Leadership Studies)
It seems strange to claim that it is dangerous for organizations to achieve the success they seek; however, there are numerous cases of successful organizations facing decline soon after achieving success. This often occurs because these organizations fall into the trap of focusing too much on execution once they achieve success, which causes them to […]
Achieving Transformational Change in Higher Education (Change Management Review)
These are challenging times for colleges and universities. Competition for students has intensified as the number of high school graduates is declining. There is increased public scrutiny regarding the value of college degrees given the high cost of tuition at many institutions and the resulting debt that burdens many students. Colleges and universities have also […]
The Ethics of Strategic Leadership: The Decision-Making and Execution Process (Ethikos)
When most people think about leadership, strategy isn’t typically the first thing that comes to mind. But leadership without strategy is a recipe for disaster. It’s much like being blindfolded and wandering aimlessly in the dark, hoping to arrive at an intended destination—chances are you won’t. To be successful, you’ll need a plan of action […]
The Evolution of the Liberal Arts (The Great Skills Gap: Optimizing Talent for the Future of Work)
To fulfill their potential of preparing students for the future of work, the liberal arts (both programs and general education offerings) must evolve in terms of their curricular and pedagogical design. While there is a great deal of work to do in this area, there are many examples of colleges and universities strengthening the connection […]
Rethink Compliance Management: Take an Informed Approach to Mitigating Risk (Compliance and Ethics Professional Magazine)
As our world becomes more connected and equally complex through global stakeholder engagement, advances in technology, and an ever-changing regulatory framework, organizations everywhere face new challenges, increased expectations, and greater exposure to compliance risks. Yet the concept of risk is hardly straightforward. And, even though good governance rarely relies on a single approach for mitigation, […]
Exploring the Future to Create Pathway Opportunities that Empower Students (New Models of Higher Education: Unbundled, Rebundled, Customized, and DIY)
Book cover for New Models of Higher Education: Unbundled, Rebundled, Customized, and DIY.
Playing to Win in Higher Education: Developing Effective Strategies for Colleges and Universities (Journal of Higher Education Management)
The Playing to Win framework is worthy of consideration as a strategy framework because many college and university strategic plans are not designed to advance a real strategy. One indication that strategic plans do not produce real strategies is their similarity to one another. If there are any choices reflected in strategic plans, they often […]
Strengthening General Education to Prepare Students for Today and Tomorrow (Restructuring General Education and Core Curricula Requirements)
There is increasing skepticism in the United States about the value of higher education, and some of this skepticism is focused on general education. General education is an extremely important part of the undergraduate experience, but in many cases, it has failed to adapt to current needs. Three challenges that many general education programs face […]
Enhancing General Education with Strategic Foresight (Journal of Futures Studies)
Group of people walking towards the sun representing how general education and strategic foresight open up future possibilities.
Thriving in an AI-Dominated World: Why Higher Education Must Produce Graduates who are Uniquely Human and Technically Competent (International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education: VISIONARIUM)
This article delves into the evolving job market landscape, highlighting the dual demand for technological prowess and uniquely human capabilities among employers. It advocates for educational strategies that integrate AI familiarity with the development of critical human skills, positioning such an approach as vital for preparing a future workforce capable of thriving in an AI-dominated […]