A twist and turn in a good way (and at my age I’ll take it!) – SCN Encourager

Futurist David Zach said several things I never would’ve predicted.

He zigged.

When I was sure he’d zag.

Oh, brother…

Some futurist I’d make.

Here’s a quick example from Tuesday’s Lunchinar.

Host Holly McCaw asked David to explain the difference between a trend and a fad.

Her follow-up question came on the heels of Zach saying “school leaders should observe and embrace trends” as they prepare their students for the future.

“The difference between a trend and a fad has to do with the duration of time,” he said. “A trend is more drawn out over time. A trend can be identified by a growth of momentum and staying power as it moves forward in time.”

A good answer.

Then I expected Zach to totally shift into talking about how stupid and silly most fads are.

It seemed like the next logical step, right?

But he didn’t.

He said that while you don’t want to make the mistake of over-committing time, money, or organizational change all because of a fad, usually every fad has something uniquely special behind it.

“Think of a fad as a moment in time, one that doesn’t have the extended time frame associated with a trend,” he said. “Most fads are actually sparked by an emotional expression of some kind. So you could say a fad is like a sudden burst… almost like a brief moment of heart.”

Hmmm.

I love that explanation.

Obviously, the difference between the two is important.

BUT we can seek to incorporate and embrace trends in our work (as we should)

AND we can also simply accept or reject the fads of the moment for just what they are.

The bad news is you still have to evaluate trends and fads and determine what they really are for yourself, though.

Zach said they often come disguised.

Dang it.

I knew there was a catch!

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