The Innovator's Mindset
This week, I have reviewed one of my favourite books on educational leadership.
George Couros is a Canadian educational consultant, specialising in innovation and leadership. His work emphasises his belief that heart to heart connections are a prerequisite for meaningful change. Couros’ popular book, The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity (IM) is the subject of this review. The reviewer examined the Kindle Fire version, running to 252 pages, and published by Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. on October 20, 2015.
IM aims to support educators and school leaders to create and encourage a culture of innovation in today’s students and schools. However, the nature of the book means that it is equally appropriate for people in fields beyond education; for instance, business and medical leaders will gain much insight into developing a culture of innovation and IM can provide the catalyst for this. The crux of IM revolves around Couros’ assertion that educational practice needs to continually evolve, and that this evolution needs to be promulgated within both students and educators. In addition, Couros argues that an innovator’s mindset involves the harnessing of individual passions and development of personal abilities in order to create new and ever better things.
The book begins with a few pages of quotations from reviewers and a publisher’s foreword, before Couros makes the introduction. Part One addresses the definition of innovation, what it is and is not, and the characteristics of an innovator’s mindset. Part Two explores the foundation of developing a culture of innovation: building relationships and creating a shared vision. Part Three examines the practice in action, in particular with the creation of meaningful, innovative, learning experiences. The conclusion looks at a barrier to innovation and articulates an attitude to overcome this. The final few pages offer acknowledgements and a brief biography of the author.
IM is a personal favourite of the reviewer, due in no small part to the book’s accessibility. It is composed in an entirely non-didactic and non-esoteric way and can be accessed by students, educators and non-educators. Couros includes colourful, hand-drawn diagrams to illustrate some of his key points. One of the reviewer’s favourites is the diagram illustrating the eight characteristics that define an innovator’s mindset: empathy; intentional problem finding; taking risks; building networks; observing; creating; resilience; reflection. As a proponent of emotional intelligence, the reviewer steadfastly supports the inclusion, in particular, of the characteristic of empathy, and the guiding question “would I like to be a student in my classroom?”
Couros includes a wide variety of thoughtful quotations, from thinkers and innovators like John Quincy Adams and Albert Einstein. The Kindle version of the book used by the reviewer also includes active hyperlinks with hashtags that take the reader directly to relevant posts on Twitter- if the reader is using a Kindle with Wi-Fi capability.
Late in the book, writing about a barrier to innovation, Couros urges educators to be wary of the pitfalls of teaching to the test, covering only what is prescribed in the curriculum, and attending to the basics only. He makes an impassioned plea for us to move beyond this mindset and encourage students to explore their own passions and interests, with educators poised to act as role models for this by developing our own talents and hunger for learning. This lesson resonates with the reviewer as a stark warning to break free of the shackles of traditional education, and to embrace a mindset of authentic innovation.
The final strength that the reviewer would like to comment on is that of Couros' consistent references to successful leadership authors such as Simon Sinek and Michael Fullan, adding to the book’s gravitas and providing the reader with some avenues for further reading.
The reviewer finds few weaknesses in IM. Although empathy, reflection, and resilience are noted as characteristics of an innovator’s mindset, Couros does not take the chance to explore the broader field of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, social skills, and empathy. Here, in this reviewer’s opinion, is a missed opportunity to make connections with Daniel Goleman's work and explore the junction of innovation and EQ.
Ultimately, the reviewer wholeheartedly recommends IM to all educators and leaders. Furthermore, the book should be required reading in any institution that hopes to evolve and stay one step ahead of its competitors. IM’s strengths lie in its accessibility, unpretentious style, and inclusion of variety in the form of diagrams and quotations. The book’s simple, intentional structure makes for a perfect addition to any professional learning community committed to continuous school improvement, and the continuous generation of new and ever better ideas.
After completing my review, I thought about Couros' five strategies for fostering a culture of innovation. I used Piktochart to summarise my reflections:
George Couros is a Canadian educational consultant, specialising in innovation and leadership. His work emphasises his belief that heart to heart connections are a prerequisite for meaningful change. Couros’ popular book, The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity (IM) is the subject of this review. The reviewer examined the Kindle Fire version, running to 252 pages, and published by Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. on October 20, 2015.
IM aims to support educators and school leaders to create and encourage a culture of innovation in today’s students and schools. However, the nature of the book means that it is equally appropriate for people in fields beyond education; for instance, business and medical leaders will gain much insight into developing a culture of innovation and IM can provide the catalyst for this. The crux of IM revolves around Couros’ assertion that educational practice needs to continually evolve, and that this evolution needs to be promulgated within both students and educators. In addition, Couros argues that an innovator’s mindset involves the harnessing of individual passions and development of personal abilities in order to create new and ever better things.
The book begins with a few pages of quotations from reviewers and a publisher’s foreword, before Couros makes the introduction. Part One addresses the definition of innovation, what it is and is not, and the characteristics of an innovator’s mindset. Part Two explores the foundation of developing a culture of innovation: building relationships and creating a shared vision. Part Three examines the practice in action, in particular with the creation of meaningful, innovative, learning experiences. The conclusion looks at a barrier to innovation and articulates an attitude to overcome this. The final few pages offer acknowledgements and a brief biography of the author.
IM is a personal favourite of the reviewer, due in no small part to the book’s accessibility. It is composed in an entirely non-didactic and non-esoteric way and can be accessed by students, educators and non-educators. Couros includes colourful, hand-drawn diagrams to illustrate some of his key points. One of the reviewer’s favourites is the diagram illustrating the eight characteristics that define an innovator’s mindset: empathy; intentional problem finding; taking risks; building networks; observing; creating; resilience; reflection. As a proponent of emotional intelligence, the reviewer steadfastly supports the inclusion, in particular, of the characteristic of empathy, and the guiding question “would I like to be a student in my classroom?”
Couros includes a wide variety of thoughtful quotations, from thinkers and innovators like John Quincy Adams and Albert Einstein. The Kindle version of the book used by the reviewer also includes active hyperlinks with hashtags that take the reader directly to relevant posts on Twitter- if the reader is using a Kindle with Wi-Fi capability.
Late in the book, writing about a barrier to innovation, Couros urges educators to be wary of the pitfalls of teaching to the test, covering only what is prescribed in the curriculum, and attending to the basics only. He makes an impassioned plea for us to move beyond this mindset and encourage students to explore their own passions and interests, with educators poised to act as role models for this by developing our own talents and hunger for learning. This lesson resonates with the reviewer as a stark warning to break free of the shackles of traditional education, and to embrace a mindset of authentic innovation.
The final strength that the reviewer would like to comment on is that of Couros' consistent references to successful leadership authors such as Simon Sinek and Michael Fullan, adding to the book’s gravitas and providing the reader with some avenues for further reading.
The reviewer finds few weaknesses in IM. Although empathy, reflection, and resilience are noted as characteristics of an innovator’s mindset, Couros does not take the chance to explore the broader field of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, social skills, and empathy. Here, in this reviewer’s opinion, is a missed opportunity to make connections with Daniel Goleman's work and explore the junction of innovation and EQ.
Ultimately, the reviewer wholeheartedly recommends IM to all educators and leaders. Furthermore, the book should be required reading in any institution that hopes to evolve and stay one step ahead of its competitors. IM’s strengths lie in its accessibility, unpretentious style, and inclusion of variety in the form of diagrams and quotations. The book’s simple, intentional structure makes for a perfect addition to any professional learning community committed to continuous school improvement, and the continuous generation of new and ever better ideas.
References
Couros, G. (2015). The innovator's mindset: Empower learning, unleash talent, and lead a culture of creativity. [Kindle Fire edition]. Available from www.amazon.co.ukAfter completing my review, I thought about Couros' five strategies for fostering a culture of innovation. I used Piktochart to summarise my reflections:
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