Video Transcript: Dan Cathy - A Conversation with Sir Ken Robinson

Dan Cathy - Well, welcome, Sir Ken Robinson, to the to the south. I don't know  if you've had any Georgia ice cream, but we call those grits here in Atlanta, I  wonder what grits are. Yes, that's what it is. But we're the home of grits, sweet  tea and Chick fil A. And now, of course, here the Chick fil A leader cast, and you  bring certainly an international component to this experience. With all the work  that you've done on innovation and creativity and the recognition that you've  received from Fortune time, the economist and a number of other publications,  we are delighted that you're here rescue us here in the US, as it relates to our  education system, I know that you speak a lot and write a lot about the need for  reformation and the whole approach that we use toward educating the next  generation. And if you've I'd be curious to know if you've seen any examples of  unique and refreshing ways in which we're educating our children here in the  

Sir Ken Robinson - US? Well, yes, but you're right, there are big problems for  the education system. One of them, I think, is that the the education system in  the US, possibly more than in a lot of other countries, has become swamped in  this culture of standardization and standardized testing. And I think one of the  consequences of that is that it's it's robbing children and teachers of their  creativity. And creativity seems to me to be absolutely vital, not only individually,  but for the future of the economy, for the future of the country as a whole. And  one of the consequence of the current culture of education here in the US is that it's, on average, about one in three children, 30% drop out of public education  between the ninth grade and the 12th grade. I mean, that's a catastrophe by any measure, really. And I think when you have a dropout rate on that scale, you  can't blame the kids at that point. You've got to look at the system, you know? I  mean, you run a business, if 30% of your customers walked away, you wouldn't  blame them. Yes, you'd say, we're doing something wrong here, and we are  doing something wrong. We're not engaging them. The good news is, there are  some great schools across the country and some great programs, but I think  they are really, at the moment, the exception rather than the rule, and they're  great despite the dominant culture, not because of it. So a lot of what I'm keen to do, and why I think events like today are very important, is to contribute to  changing the culture. Because I think our children teachers have a huge amount to offer, and they're not really being given access to that just now.  

Dan Cathy - Yes, you know, creativity is a lot about inspiration. It's a lot about  personal passion. And I know that you've given a lot of thought to that, and have written a book about personal passion, talk about the role of personal passion  as it relates to creativity and innovation. Well,  

Sir Ken Robinson - the book is called the element, how finding your passion  changes everything. And I have to tell you, Dan, it is terrific. Okay, if I say so 

myself, it's a wonderful piece of work. Now, what it's based on is just a  perception I've had for a long time that a lot of people don't enjoy the work they  do, or honestly, the lives they lead. You know, they they just get on with it, and  they endure their lives rather than enjoy them, and they wait for the weekend.  But I also meet people who love what they do and couldn't imagine doing  anything else. You know, if you said to them, Why don't you change track and try something different, they wouldn't know what you're talking about. They'd say,  but this isn't what I do. This is who I am. This defines me, and the casual  language we use that is to say they're in their element? Well, I interviewed lots  and lots of people about this, and the foundation of it is this that that to be in  your element, I think is two things. The first is that you're doing something that  you're naturally good at. But I know lots of people who are naturally good at all  kinds of things. They may be good at mathematics, they may be they may have  a natural flair for music, they may have a natural flair for languages or sport. So  that's the first thing, finding things you're good at and and the reason that  matters is because we're all very different. Our talents are very different. You  know, I often ask people if they have two or more children, do you, by the way,  two sons? Yes. Well, let me make a bet with you. I don't know them, but I'll make you a bet that they are completely different from each other. I wonder who the  father was. I won't press you on this. Well, you know, I have two children, and  they're completely different. I'm one of seven children, and we're all completely  different. I'm sure that's true of you, and it's true of anybody. And the reason is  that we're all different. We all have unique talents. We're all a unique moment in  history, and our talents are very various and very diverse. One of the big  problems for education is it's all about conformity when you know, because you  work in business, what you're looking for all the time are. Different strengths in  people, the things they are naturally good at. So that's the first thing, but the  second thing is passion, because to be in your element, it's not enough to be  good at something. I know all kinds of people are good at things they don't really like to do, they don't care for it, they just happen to be good at it. But if you're  good at something you love, well, you never work again at that point. I always  hear people say this, I'm amazed. They pay me for it. You know, this is great. I  do this for free. And one of the ways you can tell if you're doing something you  love is your energy changes your time. Sense of time changes. You know, five  minutes if you're doing something you don't like can feel like an hour, but if  you're doing something you love, an hour feels like five minutes. You look up  and think, is that the time? Yes.  

Dan Cathy - Final question, wrap up. Question, tell us, is there a difference  between success and significance? 

Sir Ken Robinson - Absolutely, I think there is. I think we've we've managed to  persuade ourselves for too long that success is about material acquisitions and  and you don't need me to say it, and I live here, so I haven't come to make a  cheap shot about America, but that's probably especially true of America. It's  also true to Europe, increasingly. But yes, I think that there's a we've raised  ourselves and our children, I think, with some very stereotypical views of  success. You know, it's about position. It's about certain levels of wealth and  acquiring goods. There was a reading interview with a guy who'd been working  with Aboriginal peoples in Australia, and one of the leaders of that group said to  the guy from from America, why do Americans have so much cargo? It's what  you mean, cargo sitting, not stuff, stuff. Why do you have so much stuff? I mean, that's quite a recent thing for us to have cargo  

Dan Cathy - store it in the houses, in the closets they have to get public  storage, and they  

Sir Ken Robinson - never look at it. They never see it. And but actually, what  really, what people really need, I think, is some sense of significance in their  lives, a sense of purpose, a sense of meaning. It's what Victor Frankl talked  about, who was a survivor of the Holocaust. He said, people can get through all  types of things as long as they have a purpose and a sense of meaning. I had a  tremendous experience about a year and a half ago in Vancouver. I was the  moderator for the opening session of the Vancouver peace summit, and it was a  very interesting panel, but the center of the panel, there were eight of us on the  panel. Was the Dalai Lama, and we had an hour with 2000 people. And the  theme was World Peace through personal peace. So we had an hour down to  sort all of that, you know. So we were just killing time for last 20 minutes, you  know. What should we talk about now? But it was, it was a great conversation.  And there are several things that he said that I loved. One of them was he said  that to be born at all is a miracle, and it is, if you think of it when all the people  throughout history who had to meet, and the circumstances in which they had to meet to give birth to all the people who eventually gave birth to your  grandparents, who eventually gave birth to your parents, then you over the  50,000 years that we've had Homo sapiens on the planet? Well, to be born at all is a miracle. You know, we made it. And this point is so what are you going to do with it now? You're going to waste it. You're going to frit your life away? Are you  going to do something worthwhile with it? Is it going to add up to something?  And I think this quest for purpose and significance is at the heart  

Dan Cathy - of it. What a great thought. Thank you for being with us at the  Chick fil A leader. It's great pleasure.