Leverage & Teachers

Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world - Archimedes

I’ve always loved this Archimedes quote. It reminds me of so much -- to look at problems from a new perspective; that deep, sophisticated thinking is not the sole realm of modern people; that mathematics, science and philosophy can be brilliantly combined. But the most valuable lesson for me is about leverage: It’s about being a “force multiplier” to drive change.

It means looking at systems around me and wondering, “How can I improve this quickly and efficiently?” And the answer to this question almost never ends with, “I can do this alone.” I must find leverage to enact change at scale -- and in today’s knowledge economy, that means through people and process.

At Fandom, I am so proud that our team has worked so well through this pandemic and, in both the US and Poland, through very challenging political and social climates. We have rallied around our mission -- to be in service to fans -- and produced more products in the last six months than in all of 2019. This is leverage. I’m honored to be part of it.

But the challenges are not behind us. We continue to face a “fits and starts” Covid-19 recovery scenario, with its awkward social and political see-sawing. In the US, today’s political and social dynamics are likely to create even more raw nerves and tension as we head towards the November 3 election. To add to that, families are wrestling with education for their children. To these last two points, I want to make a final connection on leverage: educators.

Teachers are possibly the single most powerful “force multipliers” on the planet. They curate imagination, creativity and critical thinking in our children. And they are probably never more in need of our support today, with the pressures of the pandemic still upon us and no clear guidance on how to do the work so critical to millions of families.

I think of the late Elijah Cummings’ great quote, “By providing students in our Nation with [such] an education, we help save our children from the clutches of poverty, crime, drugs, and hopelessness, and we help safeguard our Nation's prosperity for generations yet unborn.”

How can I be a force multiplier here? I’m contributing to Teach for America to help create leverage, to help kids get an equitable education despite these incredibly difficult times. And how about thanking your teachers -- present and past. Thank you Rico Kellogg, Nikki Juen, Rafa Attias, Fanning Hearon, Chris Doucette. Thank you for finding a place to stand to move the world.