by Nishant Sharma
In today’s rapidly evolving world of technology, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) has become more than just a social media slang often used by Millennials and Gen Z – it could be a driving force in the world of educational leadership and innovation. According to a report published in EdTech Magazine, 90% of principals believe technology is integral to student learning. However, only 67% feel their school’s tech infrastructure is robust, and just 45% believe their teachers effectively use technology to engage students. This gap highlights the pressures principals face in not only adopting new tools but also ensuring their effective utilization in the classroom. But is FOMO a helpful motivator for leading change in education, or does it risk pushing us toward quick, unconsidered decisions?
In this blog, we’ll explore how FOMO can be used as a leadership tool to drive positive change in schools, how to support tech-inclined individuals in nurturing a culture of innovation and resilience, and how to create a sustainable environment for long-term transformation.
What is FOMO in the Tech Context?
FOMO is often thought of as a fear of being leftout – whether it’s missing out on the latest social trend, an exclusive event, or a new opportunity. In the world of technology, FOMO is the fear of falling behind in the digital age. As a school leader, this can manifest as a concern that if you don’t jump on the newest educational technology, your institution could lose its competitive edge.
The key is to understand that FOMO in tech isn’t inherently negative. It can be a powerful motivator for change when used strategically. Leaders who recognize the importance of staying on top of emerging trends can help their schools remain relevant, innovative, and adaptive to the changing landscape of education (Sinek, 2014).
Supporting Tech-Inclined Individuals: Fostering Positive FOMO
To create a positive FOMO culture, it’s essential to identify those tech-savvy individuals – the early adopters who are eager to embrace new technologies. These people are often the ones who drive innovation in your school, exploring the potential of tools like AI, VR, and robotics in the classroom.
Rather than dismissing or suppressing their enthusiasm, school leaders should actively support and nurture these individuals. Here at Changchun America International School (CAIS), we always form a small pilot group every time with new people and provide them with the resources, early access of the tools and autonomy to experiment with the new tool/tech. This support creates a positive FOMO culture – one where innovation is encouraged and everyone is inspired to explore new ideas, rather than simply following the crowd. As Clayton Christensen discusses in “The Innovator’s Dilemma”, those early adopters can often drive the transformation needed for an institution to stay ahead of the curve (Christensen, 1997).
At the same time, it’s important to encourage collaboration. At CAIS we promote a community where knowledge and expertise are shared freely, which allows for a collective growth mindset. Our teacher led PD sessions are one of the great examples of that shared learning and celebrating what people are doing school wide.
Encouraging Resilience Through FOMO
As a leader, it’s important to recognize that not everyone will be quick to embrace change. While early adopters are enthusiastic, others may feel overwhelmed or hesitant about adopting new technologies. This is where your leadership comes into play. You must not only encourage positive FOMO, but also create an environment that supports resilience—where staff can learn, adapt, and thrive despite the challenges that new technologies may bring. I still remember when I had my first interview with our Head of School, Ildiko Murray and how she walked me through the school’s mission and vision and how the way we do things here with passion instantly connected me and gave me courage to create a supportive enviornment around EdTech, which is still an ongoing process.
One of the most effective ways I find in my practice to nurture resilience is by providing the right mix of training and support. We offer three stages of staff professional development. In the first stage, we introduce the tool in general. In the the second stage, we do the targeted department-specific training with specific use cases. The third stage is where we collect the feedback and ask for the limitations of the tools, etc. Based on feedback we received from our teaching teams, the second stage of training boosts their confidence significantly, and they feel supportive and confident. We often pair early adopters from our pilot teams with more hesitant teachers, which helps us to create an environment of peer support that strengthens the whole team. Studies on teacher development have shown that peer mentorship is one of the most effective ways to help educators embrace new learning (Edutopia, 2020).
Also, remember that small wins matter. We do weekly shout-outs to our teachers and departments – it is such a simple but powerful thing to do to celebrate small successes.
Balancing FOMO with Smart Decision-Making
While FOMO can drive innovation, it’s crucial that leaders don’t fall victim to the pressure to adopt every new technology just because it’s trending. The tech landscape is filled with buzzwords and shiny new products, and jumping on every new tool can lead to a wasted investment of time and resources.
To make informed decisions, leaders should balance FOMO with careful planning. Here are some guiding questions to ask when evaluating new technology:
- Does this tool align with our educational goals?
- Is it scalable and sustainable in the long term?
- Will it truly enhance teaching and learning, or is it just a trend?
- Will it add value to my school community?
Sustaining FOMO in the Long-Term: A Balanced Approach
While short-term excitement can create a sense of urgency, long-term sustainability is key to creating lasting change. Leaders should focus on both short-term and long-term strategies to maintain momentum and ensure that FOMO continues to inspire growth, rather than burnout.
Short-Term Strategies: Igniting FOMO in the Moment:
In the short term, the goal is to spark enthusiasm and engagement around new technologies. Some strategies for doing so include:
1. Showcase Success Stories: We have a weekly Tech Thursday email here at CAIS, which is part of one of our PDs. Every week, we share success stories from different classrooms, teachers and subjects schoolwide. Our school leadership team often share our success stories on professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn.
2. Set Clear Expectations: Clearly communicate how the new technology will benefit students and teachers, and how it fits into the broader mission of the school. As I always say, your ‘Why?’ should be more clear than the ‘What?’.
Long-Term Strategies: Building a Culture of Resilience:
To ensure that the excitement around FOMO isn’t fleeting, focus on creating a sustainable tech-driven culture:
1. Ongoing Training and Development: As I touched on above, we have 3-phase professional development strategies, Tech Thursday, which we use for refreshers, sharing successes and shoutouts, and lunch bites when teachers can just come and chat with the Tech team to support them. Recently, we have also been looking into partnering with ISS for some external PD opportunities for AI and emerging tech. These things are working for us well so far and it is important to understand the context of the school to have an Ongoing Training and Development plan.
2. Peer Mentorship and Support: We often encourage collaboration by pairing tech enthusiasts with more hesitant colleagues. This peer support system helps build confidence and reduces the fear of failure. We are also enrolled on PeerSphere, where teachers, based on their interest, join the communities and learn from each other. We are also looking into pairing students with teachers for peer mentorship.
3. Celebrate Innovation: Here at CAIS, we regularly acknowledge and celebrate the successful use of new technologies. However, we do get critical at times when required, but overall we realise that recognising achievements, both big and small, reinforces the message that innovation is valued, people are encouraged to make mistakes and learn, and it does improve overall efficiencies by creating a positive working environment.
Closure: Leading Change with FOMO
FOMO doesn’t have to be a negative force in the ever-evolving world of education, the real question isn’t whether FOMO will impact your school—it’s how you can use it to lead the charge toward innovation. The leaders who embrace this approach will be the ones who truly thrive, not only by staying ahead of the curve but by inspiring their communities to grow with them.
References
Christensen, C. (1997).“The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail”. Harvard Business Review Press.
Edutopia. (2020). “Big and Small Strategies to Harness the Power of Peer-to-Peer Teaching”
Sinek, S. (2014).“Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t”. https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/.
Nishant Sharma, Director of Technology & Innovation, Changchun American International School (CAIS), Changchun, China. LYIS is proud to partner with WildChina Education