Rishad Tobaccowala's Blog, page 13

The Magic of Tech / The Complexity of Humans.

Photography by Lizzie Shepherd

Technology is a form of magic that despite its downsides create more opportunities for more people and has done so on an ongoing basis.

In 2013 researchers at Oxford University predicted that modern computational technology including large language models would put 47% of all jobs at risk.

10 years later globally we have the lowest unemployment in decades with world-wide GDP and per capita income higher than ever.

Photography by Lizzie Shepherd

Jobs lost. Jobs gained. But all jobs will be changed.

Modern computational and communication technology from mobility to the Internet has changed all jobs. Most of them significantly because of new ways to discover data, increase efficiency, attract new employees and talent, find new suppliers, and means of production or accept payments.

There are three big benefits new technology brings.

a) Efficiency usually through time and or cost savings: It saves time by automating tasks that are often mindless or requires going through large amounts of data. Often because automation can do more faster it saves money.

b) Effectiveness by doing things better or doing things that were impossible: Adobe Suit of tools allows for manipulation of images and video that were impossible. Modern special effects enables creating movies like Star Wars and Avatar.

c) Enablement of “God like Power”: The most powerful technologies give human’s “God Like Power”. Mobile phones enabled billions to be connected to each other, entertainment, and information all the time for the fraction of what one long distance call used to cost.

Photography by Lizzie Shepherd

Take the current when it serves.

From “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare:

"We at the height are ready to decline.
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."

If an individual or business does not wish to be more efficient, effective, and enabled and turns down the benefits of the new technology they are likely to be an individual who is less relevant, less successful, and likely to be out of a job.

There is no choice but to utilize the technology.

Technology has always enabled both the math/analytical/left brain part of work and the magic/creative/right brain part of work.

Excel made finance easier, and Word made writing easier.

PDF’s made publishing easier, and Adobe Photoshop made design easier.

Today GPT allows efficiency in telemarketing centers where AI assists in answering questions while Mid-Journey and Runway ML creates amazing new options for creativity.

A case can be made that jobs will be changed so much that we will be working at many jobs and the future is about work and not jobs.

The choice is in how one uses the technology.

To that end successful individuals and companies use different criteria to decide how much technology to use and where to use it and the most successful will marry the magic of tech with the mystery of humanity to differentiate, innovate and turbo-charge talent.

Photography by Lizzie Shepherd

1) Differentiation: Over time most technologies become commoditized or are available to most businesses for an affordable price. Thus, while using the technology keeps one competitive there is more that is needed to be differentiated. It is differentiation that enables a company to gain market share or charge a higher price.

If two companies were competing and both fully automated their process there would be no difference between their products and services driving them to commodity pricing. A large part of the differentiation between firms is driven by the ideas, storytelling and creativity brought by the different talent to differentiate their company.

While Delta and American use the same technology (aircraft) and resources (airports), and operate under the same rules and regulations (FAA), Delta has been consistently higher rated and more profitable than American because of its talent and culture.

Apple uses production lines at FoxConn which many of their competitors also use and most of the raw materials are similar or purchased from competitors (screens from Samsung or LG) but it is design and branding and storytelling that allows Apple to become the most valuable company in the world.

Most marketing services companies like advertising and media agencies of a given size have access to exactly the same platforms and technology but they differentiate via focus (what they specialize in so they can build unique knowledge, data, or IP), by how they work (how various teams come together to develop solutions) and by level of service or range of capabilities (ability to understand and respond to client needs) and the quality of talent and partners.

Photography by Lizzie Shepherd

2) Innovation: Machines tend to learn and optimize based on pre-sets of learning data or pre-programmed algorithms which do adapt but are often unable to recognize if the landscape has changed either due to competition or new customer needs and so it requires humans to identify these changes and develop new ways to re-program and direct the machines in production.

Most modern technology is an aid to innovation but is not innovative itself.

It was not microscopes and gene-editing technology that enabled a Nobel Prize in Medicine or access to a Particle Collider and Supercomputer that discovers new particles but institutions and talent who challenge the status quo, imagine new answers, and break the mold.

If a machine can enhance the outcome by either doing it cheaper or faster or better it would be a competitive challenge for any company not to optimize and allocate more work to automation especially if the work is repetitive, boring and does not enhance or build skills.

However, most firms whether they are in the product or service sector will always have humans in the mix because it is the mix of computing of robots and the dreams of humans, the logic of data driven, digital silicon objects and the mysteries of feeling driven, analog carbon based humans where new products, services, ideas and creativity will thrive.

Photography by Lizzie Shepherd

3)  People and talent will grow more important and not less important: The jobs least impacted by AI are jobs where there is a need for interaction with a person. Some of these involve dentistry or delivery or restaurant service.

Increasingly people will look for people to talk to, guide them, or enhance their experience. Remember how irritated one gets when one cannot reach a human in customer service? Phone trees and automation while they save costs can enrage much more than they engage.

Time after time, many industries from the medical field to the teaching field have tried to create assembly line, industrialized, technology timed and monitored models and doctors have quit, the best teachers have become dispirited.

Employee joy is critical for service, idea, and innovation and if one finds less purpose, meaning or growth in a job it will hurt the product or service. If people are a cog in the machine, they will find ways to hobble the machine.

Martin Sorrell who runs S4 an advertising firm that buys media recently was asked if S4's adoption of AI “super tools” will threaten jobs at the company, Sorrel said: “Automation poses risks all round but we don't know what those will be. We don't know whether AI will be a net generator or net destroyer of jobs. But the algorithm will be more effective than a 25-year-old media buyer.”

Martin was right in not being sure about AI;s impact on jobs though history suggests it will end up creating more jobs than it will destroy. And, yes an algorithm can be more effective than a 25 year old media buyer but recently a Japanese company replaced its CEO with an AI so technology may also be coming for more senior roles like Martin Sorrel’s then someone who has grown up comfortable with technology. And the reality is that the 25 year old media buyer will still be key because she will be working with the algorithm, modifying the algorithm and augmenting the algorithm versus being eaten by the algorithm.

If a company can replace a person completely with an algorithm their Client does not need the service firm since they can just tap into the algorithm! Which many will do where they can so there has to be other value than replacing people with machines. And every company will be shouting about their “super tools” and it will be a cacophony of noise and and a sea of claims with little differentiation.

Also imagine if you are a young talent why would you join a company where your CEO is hungering to replace you as soon as they can? ( Never mind the fact that 76% of Gen-Z want to work for themselves so the shortage will be getting these talented people to stay on board versus optimizing them away).

The world of media increasingly has been automated with all sorts of advertising and marketing technology and this has allowed for optimization of media that humans alone could not do but the total number of people working in the field has increased and not decreased because the world is not a static place.

As soon as one optimizes a certain type of media there is new break throughs in communication whether it be voice or connected TV’s or gaming which requires new tools, techniques and ideas and a way to integrate across them all and infuse all this optimized media with ideas.

Service businesses involve humans and to be human is to often be unpredictable, incomplete, illogical, and incomprehensible and no machine will be able to do things alone because humans do not compute!

We often make no sense and in it is the wonderful complexity of humanity.

We choose with our hearts and use numbers to justify what we just did. All the AI’s are being optimized for intelligence which is IQ that might in conversation sound like EQ but they do not have a heart.

Combining the magic of tech while embracing the complexity of humanity is will be the key to thriving in a transforming world.

Irresistible!

Mid Journey. Prompt…Imagine what irresistible looks like?

Josh Bersin is a legend in the world of Human Resources and Talent.

His four decade long career has spanned all the twists and turns and ups and downs of a career from studying to be an engineer at Cornell and Stanford, earning an MBA from the Haas School of Business at University of California Berkeley to working for large companies such as IBM as well as smaller firms. Josh also has had the experience of being laid off which gave him the opportunity to began Bersin & Associates in 2001 an advisory firm focussed on corporate learning which expanded and grew and was bought by Deloitte in 2012. Josh spent 6 years at Deloitte before he began yet another career in launching the Josh Bersin Academy in 2019 to help develop HR and Learning professionals and in 2020 the Josh Bersin Company which today has 40 analysts and advisors who publish constantly, undertake research and help guide organizations through the transformations at work. And in Fall of 2022 he published Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the Most Enduring Employee Focussed Organizations.

What Next in the World of Talent?

I was lucky to have Josh as my guest on the latest episode of my What Next? podcast and it is a conversation that everyone who is interested in the future of work whether you are a CEO, a Human Resources professional and most importantly talent navigating your career should listen to!

Some highlights include the following insights and statements and this is just a sampling:

Companies will become their employees rather than the employees becoming the company as the future of talent is crafting jobs around skills of the people versus fitting people into jobs.

Too much emphasis on measurement can lead to reduced productivity as people work to hit goals versus doing the right thing and many times the goals can be counterproductive and can lead to significant damage to a company like Wells Fargo employees opening fake accounts since they were compensated on how many accounts they opened.

Many organizations compensation and reward models as well as management styles are broken being stuck in a world where people moved up a hierarchy, worked full-time in an office, stayed at a company for many years. In today’s environment when skills rather than tenure, unbundled and distributed work and side gigs and side-hustles permeate and careers last much longer than most companies it is management that is failing to transform themselves from bosses to coaches.

Focussing on employee experience and culture is even more important than customer experience and investor relationships. We discuss the ups and downs at two world class firms Starbucks and Microsoft and what we can all learn from them. And how in a world of AI the best companies will be Human Services Companies.

A conversation with Josh Bersin:

Listen wherever you can access podcast from Apple to Spotify. Here is the Spotify Link.

It will change the way you manage and grow yourself, your teams and your business.

The Seven Secrets of the World’s Most Enduring Employee-Focussed Companies.

I have been reading and re-reading Josh’s latest book and have marked it up a lot since it is chock full of examples, methods, approaches and stories on the big shifts all of us have to undertake to attract, retain and grow talent.

Here are the Seven Secrets ( which are in one way no longer secrets since Josh has published and shared them) but they are secrets in that too many companies remain oblivious of them or rather so many of us have the answers can be in front of our faces but we choose not to see or after seeing them refuse to accept them.

Teams not Hierarchy: Josh defines teams as “a highly interdependent group of people that comes together in a physical or virtual setting to plan work, solve problems, make decisions and review progress toward a specified goal”. In a world of work that needs Jazz like improvisation and agility versus Classical hierarchy and bureaucracy the team is the key to the future of work.

Work not Jobs: In a world where people work all around the world, some part time and some full time and where companies are delayering and reducing levels the future is not jobs to fill but work that needs to get done. Companies have to re-architect around skills, outcomes and work versus titles, layers and jobs.

Coach not Boss: Leaders will build and guide people helping them unleash their inner talents rather than monitor, oversee and evaluate them. These days leaders focus on zone of influence versus zone of control.

Culture not Rules: Culture is often mistaken by many companies to be about a place. So many corporate campuses particularly the tech companies were more about inculcating cult like behavior rather than cultures. Josh Bersin reminds us that while culture does include the work environment it is not just physical place, but also an environmental and a virtual experience. And in addition there are four other components of culture which include well-being, inclusion, recognition/reward and flexibility (optionality, agency and freedom). Focussing only or mainly on physical space and believing the “office” is where its at is rather outmoded, outdated and outlandish given where we are going in the future.

Growth not Promotion: Companies should find ways to grow people so they can up-skill, re-skill and adapt and learn to fill future needs instead of constantly trying to find the right skills for the job today which will change tomorrow. As companies focus on flexibility, teams and getting work done there is a significant amount of de-layering underway. Compensation aligned with levels, tenure and how many people one commands or the size of budgets one oversees is increasingly mis-aligned with being effective, efficient and evolving in an increasingly accelerating and fluid world. Talent needs to grow and re-invent so companies can grow and re-invent.

Purpose not Profits: Companies that succeed behave like good citizens and ensure well-being of employees, alignment with society and openness and inclusion. These build deeper relationships with their customers and consumers, stronger attraction and retention of talent and a more resilient eco-system of relationships with communities and suppliers. Focussing on these right things ends up building competitive advantages which lead to profits. To win a game focus on the ball and not the scoreboard.

Employee Experience not Output: Talent will grow more important in the future and not less important. AI will require not just great talent but increasingly the ability to be more human and the future will be about Human Services Companies. Great results, brands and much more will not be possible without employee joy driven by great employee experiences.

Get the book. It will make you better.

And check out the articles and resources at Josh Bersin’s site. Its filled with amazing FREE content. It is a deep masterclass to help us improve.

Welcome to the Jazz Age!

Illustration by Leon Zernitsky

To remain relevant today leaders and companies who have often been classically trained need to realize we are in a jazz age and re-invent some of the ways we conduct ourselves and business.

Classical vs Jazz.

While both Classical and Jazz are highly complex styles of music which are held in high regard there are some key differences between them.

1. Fixed Hierarchy vs Rotating Leaders.

Classical music in many cases involves an orchestra or a multi-person assemblage which has a central leader known as the conductor.  This hierarchy also cascades down into every instrument section with a first, second and third violinist or clarinetists.

Jazz ensembles sometimes have a leader but even when they do there is little hierarchy with different players often taking the lead.

2. Fidelity to a score or a“way” vs agility and improvisation .

Classical performances are traditionally based on pre-composed material, revitalizing scores from years past, whereas jazz is fresh with each performance with musicians extemporaneously re-composing in real time using improvisation.

Because most classical musicians and conductors follow a score often written hundreds of years ago there is limited flexibility to interpret in personal ways outside of playing faster/slower or quieter/ louder while accentuating certain passages.

Jazz music is often about improvisation with each rendering often very different from each other with the players having great degrees of freedom to iterate and invent on the fly as the spirit, the situation, and their fellow players move them.

3. Greater emphasis on the musician and individual in Jazz.

Since jazz tends to have fewer players who are improvising and who share leadership the talent of the individual is emphasized versus the scale of the collective in orchestras.  There is more spotlight on individual talent versus large numbers of people who can be switched out for other people in large orchestra sections.

Illustration by Leon Zernitsky

Why increasingly companies and leaders need to be less classical and more jazz like.

Over the past decade or two the four shifts of demographic, mindset, technology and boundary shifts have re-written the business landscape. See The Four Shifts.

A) Size and Co-ordinated Movement of huge enterprises matters less as new types of technology and platforms from AI to Cloud Based Software as a Service ensure plummeting prices and access to cutting edge quality, scale of manufacturing and global marketplaces to small companies and individuals.

B) Speed and Agility has grown in importance where responsiveness and customization of products and services becomes a key differentiator. i

C) Flexible ways of working and managing grow in importance as four generations work together at the same time, work is now done at different locations, and cultural and individual differences must be incorporated into decision making.

When companies and leaders struggle to adapt it is often because they are organized or trained classically while the new landscape and expectations of the new generations are crying out for a jazz-oriented approach.

The good news is that many of the best jazz players were classically trained and some of the best classical music including Rhapsody in Blue (The United Airlines theme) or Dvorak’s 9th Symphony (New World) are infused with jazz like structures so there is nothing holding back today’s companies and leaders from adapting to tomorrow.

Illustration by Leon Zernitsky

Some Questions to Ponder

Is Hierarchy holding the company back?  Are bosses followed due to their zone of control and title or are they leading via a zone of influence and updated skills?  In some organizations such as the Armed Forces and others hierarchy is a feature and not a bug while in many others it is less relevant and so they have out of date conductors swinging a baton at an orchestra that is looking somewhere else.

Are companies re-thinking things with a blank sheet of paper versus replicating ways of operating that made sense when our companies were founded or made sense at a different time.? In this week’s What Next? podcast we hear about how productivity has been significantly improved at Shopify when CEO Toby Lutke recently had all meetings removed from everyone’s calendar and people had to decide whether they needed them and if they needed them as often, as long, with as many invitees or they could be done away with altogether.  This is just one way that companies are re-architecting from ground up rather than making small adjustments that while easy to do have little impact.

Is there significant time and budget allocated to training talent to better self-manage or to help management adapt to lead better? The future of leadership is continuous learning, coaching, empowering people and delegating to more junior employees or employees closer to Clients and the business battle front so they can improvise as the situation calls for.

Illustration by Leon Zernitsky

The 4X4 Approach to thriving in the Jazz Age.

The recipe of success of Jazz Age companies and leadership will be to focus on a 4X4 approach.

Four of these are built around Talent and four are built around Rhythm so that talent plays well and can improvise with each other to create real value and growth.

The Talent Four: a) finding and honing the best talent, b) emphasizing teams/team work, c) investing in growing skills and d) encouraging improvisation.

Increasingly a combination of AI, access to global marketplaces, and other breakthroughs will reduce most moats that companies have created leaving talent as one of the key long-term moats along with other such as Brand.

Companies that attract superior talent, enable them to lear rapidly, communicate clearly and fearlessly while collaborating flexibly are likely to be the long term winners.

The Rhythm Four: Growing talent while key to companies and leadership alone will not be enough and a significant value of firms and leadership will be to set a a) strategy/vision, b) clear deliverables, c) evaluation metrics, and d) a methodology/language to improvise around to ensure that it is music and not cacophony that results from a more flexible and fluid approach.

Welcome to the Jazz Age!

On Reading.

Photo “ The Reader” by Alex Timmermans

Today’s Large Language Models (LLM’s) which drive AI advances like GPT learn and grow through “reading”.

They ingest large data sets and then connect dots, “see” patterns and create relationships while optimizing against learning goals.

“Reading” grows their capabilities which allow them to “write” their responses. We respond with shock or awe when we read what “they” write.

Writing and therefore being able to pass on knowledge from generation to generation and accessing such knowledge via reading is what has enabled humanity to grow.

Even today in a world of multi-media such as movies and games or wonderful Broadway works like “Hamilton” the key is the script and the story.

It has been said that “stories are data with a soul”

Today, GPT reads widely and then observes our reactions to help us grow (though like any reader who switches between genres they can move from non-fiction to highly speculative fantasy disconnected from reality!)

These days we hear people saying the machine is “hallucinating” but for us humans too “reading is a form of dreaming” which takes us out of ourselves.

The Case for Reading.

Reading allows us to be other people and a good writer makes us inhabit another character.

They make us better understand others and better understand ourselves.

David Foster Wallace wrote “ Good writing should help readers be less alone.”

Often a good book will give you “you” as the writer evokes what you feel better than you have the words to express the same thing..

It makes us less lonely and lets us live simultaneously in yesterday, today and tomorrow, and inhabit places here and there, becoming people that are free from our physical constraints.

“Writers have not taken us anywhere but they have taken us everywhere”

George Martin wrote “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”

Reading also changes us.

“The best books are like surgeons. They change you but you do not remember them and they do not leave an external mark.” but even then “A great piece of writing is one that you feel on your skin.”

“A story is simply a sequence of language that produces a chemical reaction in our bodies.”

But they have a unique long last effect because while “Drugs get flushed from our system but not the best stories.”

The Case for Books.

Today due to the Internet and enabling platforms from Substack to Wordpress everyone can access more voices from more places with more diverse backgrounds than ever before.

Some of the best reading is self-published and can be obtained far from the big publishing houses of the West.

Short form or long form. Listened to or in the reflected glow of a Kindle. Words by themselves or a piece of writing encrusted with links and multi-media can all transform.

But one great way but clearly not the only way to read is through an ancient “ interface” of a physical soft cover or hard cover book.

While it cannot illuminate itself allowing you to read under starlight or allow one to hold a thousand books in the palm of your hand there is something tangible, mystical and spiritual about a physical bound book.

The utter simplicity.

Black symbols on a white background which create an alchemy of feeling, unleash our imagination and spur growth in their own unique way distinct to each reader. Personalized magic that all modern tech seeks to replicate but has not yet.

They might one day if they learn from reading.

Less is more.

Life is infused with meaning because of the reality it ends.

Data is not wisdom.

Humans are unpredictable, inexhaustible and illogical .

One could do no better than watch Chip Kidd speak about the “thinginess of books” to make you newly appreciate these objects in which knowledge has passed down the centuries to intersect with us sometimes so powerfully that a book can leave us thinking “I must change my life!”

Many are lucky to own hundreds of books often decades old. Many yellowing. Most marked up with exclamation marks reinforcing the writer or quarrels with the author in angry scribbles in the margin.

Some tattooed with stains of spilled food or some mishap on a plane or train or other accelerating or braking vehicle from a journey in the misty past.

Artifacts encrusted with meaning.

Citadels to memories.

When we revisit them like many readers we wonder why we underlined the lines we did.

The book did not change.

We did.

“Life is a river and we cannot step into the same book twice”

Lots of things in life change us. Memorable experiences. Transformative relationships. Amazing people.

But the books we read impact us deeply too.

As a reader wrote “ Its only reading. By which I mean it’s everything”.

Is it Human or is it AI?

12 Months of Progress of AI responding to the same prompt for an image on Mid-Journey.

Remember the Memorex Cassette tape ad with Ella Fitzgerald where Ella recorded on Memorex still shattered the wine glass? When one heard her voice was it live Ella or was it taped Ella?

Today we cannot tell whether AI generated images are real or not.

See above for the AI generated image using the same prompt one year apart.

These are not photographs but machine generated images created by mixing and merging data using text prompts

See below for another example.

If Force is equal to Mass x Acceleration with AI we are seeing Mass in hundreds of billions of dollars of investment globally and acceleration of doubling capabilities sometimes within three months. For instance Chat GPT which is GPT 3.5 scored on the 10th Percentile in the Law School Test. Six months later GPT 4 scored in the 90th percentile! Moore’s law of the processor age of doubling capability every 18 months is so snail like slow compared to what we are seeing.

AI is a Force that appears to me to be more impactful than the World Wide Web and the iPhone multiplied by 2.

Three years ago Sinead Bovell a model wrote an article in Vogue predicting that AI would take her job. That time she believes is here.

Earlier this week she was on the a16z podcast along with Danny Postma and if you are in any part of the marketing, creative, production, e-commerce or media business take a listen.

In this episode, Sinead Bovell and Danny Postma discuss the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on the world of modeling, online creation, and self-representation.

From the rise of AI-generated photos to the democratization of creativity, they discuss the potential of AI in shaping the future of digital expression.

If you want to try these tools click below for Danny Postma’s projects.

https://www.postcrafts.com/

Below is just one of more than two dozen projects and tools

The economics of these new tools and the ultra- reality and speed of the output will unleash some of the biggest tsunami’s in the creative and production industries starting now. This is not the future. The future is here.

Every leading firm is already incorporating these tools into their workflow to build upon and add value.

Deepfake Videos driven by AI.

An amazingly fun (and disturbing since it looks and sounds so real) video of Satya Nadella putting Gates, Balmer as well as other Indian tech CEO’s in their place and ending with the following rap was released a few hours ago:

“Because this fella,

Satya Nadela,

the rocket propella,

will take Microsoft Interstella.”

Click below or here to watch….you will both be amazed, terrified and possibly pass out laughing…

MSFT CEO Satya Nadella : I am the superior Indian tech CEO

AI Clones

The WSJ tech reporter cloned her voice and image and sent her avatar into interviews to confirm her security to JP Morgan Chase and into meetings.

The Avatar succeeded some times and failed at other times.

Watch the video above or click this link:

But as we saw with the AI imagery advancements in the past year, the speed of enhancement and improvement is such that it will be less than a year before we may ask:

Is it live or is it AI?

AI and the Creative Arts

The New York Time had an incredibly interesting article ( also read the comments in the comments section) that must be read in its entirety to understand how AI is not just going to impact finance, tech, accounting and other left brained, quantitative, mechanical and mathematical industries but the very heart of creativity and storytelling!

Here are four paragraphs from the article that snapped me to attention:

“It is not out of the realm of possibility that before 2026, which is the next time we will negotiate with these companies, they might just go, ‘you know what, we’re good,’” said Mike Schur, the creator of “The Good Place” and co-creator of “Parks and Recreation.” “We don’t need you,” he imagines hearing from the other side. “We have a bunch of A.I.s that are creating a bunch of entertainment that people are kind of OK with.”

In December, Apple introduced a service allowing book publishers to use human-sounding A.I. narrators, an innovation that could displace hundreds of voice actors who make a living performing audiobooks. The company’s website says the service will benefit independent authors and small publishers. Other actors fear that studios will use A.I. to replicate their voices while cutting them out of the process. “We’ve seen this happening — there are websites that have popped up with databases of characters’ voices from video games and animation,” said Linsay Rousseau, an actress who makes her living doing voice work.

SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, says more of its members are flagging contracts for individual jobs in which studios appear to claim the right to use their voices to generate new performances. A recent Netflix contract sought to grant the company free use of a simulation of an actor’s voice “by all technologies and processes now known or hereafter developed, throughout the universe and in perpetuity.”

On-camera actors point out that studios already use motion capture or performance capture to replicate artists’ movements or facial expressions. The 2018 blockbuster “Black Panther” relied on this technology for scenes that depicted hundreds of tribespeople on cliffs, mimicking the movements of dancers hired to perform for the film. Some actors worry that newer versions of the technology will allow studios to effectively steal their movements, “creating new performance in the style of a wushu master or karate master and using that person’s style without consent,”

There is a lot more in the article including a strident defense of the superiority of emotion and the unique ability of humans to have ideas in the article.

But we ain’t seen anything yet….watch for text to video and much more

Prompt to Text is GPT. Prompt to Image is Mid-Journey/Dall-E2 and more. Now Prompt to Video!

Runway ML is a company that is a pioneer in this area. Click on the video above and you will not believe your eyes as to what is now possible with AI.

The ability of individuals to produce pretty high quality video’s with current technology is just a start. The tools are getting far better, far easier to use and far cheaper to access.

But wait that video of Gen 1 was 2 months ago which is a lifetime in AI time. Gen 2 is out and here an example from earlier this week of video completely made from text prompts except for one shot.

For an example of the rate of change and quality of what is possible read this tweet:

It is called The Great Catspy!

Click here for the video or the link below:

https://twitter.com/ChristianF369/status/1651607149804498946?s=20

The Future is Human Plus AI.

Everything I have shared is what I read or discovered in my “learning hour” this morning ( as people know I believe if you are not spending an hour a day learning it is game over for most of us regardless of our experience, status or seniority.)

I am convinced that AI is moving faster and deeper across more industries than we can imagine and it will impact everybody’s job in some way small or medium in 2023 and will begin to have a significant impact in 2024.

History suggests that every advance in technology places a premium on superior ability and talent will matter. However what talent does will shift as technology changes the nature of jobs and industries. There clearly will be a lot of creative destruction and many wonder if it will only be creative destruction versus new industries, new jobs and new opportunities.

While the future is hard to predict there is no doubt that AI can make all of us more productive by 10% or more right away and unleash break throughs in medicine and several sciences. It also will provide more people with more tools and canvases to tell more stories in new ways.

It will help us grow as long as we grow our learning alongside these advancements.

Career Bending Times.

Photography by Alex Timmermans

These are career bending times.

A fusion of forces in the forge and furnace of the future that reshape many fundamentals of our careers.

Whether we are early or in the middle or more senior in tenure.

Whether we work for a small, medium, or a large firm.

Whether we are self-employed, a free-lance or a “full-time” employee.

Regardless of our industry, our country, or our expertise.

Photography by Alex Timmermans

The Forces.

There are six forces each of which might have changed the contours of our career which are all occurring at the same time, are intertwined with each other, and are becoming increasingly powerful.

1. Demographic Change: Four generations at work. Major mindset differences between youngest and oldest generations. Aging and declining populations everywhere but Africa. Today the largest increases in working populations are over 60 years old. And 62% of Gen-Z have a side- gig, side-hustle or passion project while working full-time!

2. Technology: 5G, Blockchain, AR/VR, AI, Biotech and much more. Today AI and its impact are resonating everywhere but make no mistake while it might be the “Next New Thing” there is much more coming.

3. Multi-polar globalization: Globalization but with different centers of power including China centric, India centric, Euro centric and US centric zones of influence and virtual borders versus a seamless connected world.

4. Unbundled and Distributed Work: The world of five days in an office will be the minority of service jobs leading to new questions about culture, management, career growth.

5. Work/Life Reset: One long term impact of the 2020 to 2022 trauma was as someone wrote: “And isn’t this the whole point, post-Covid: to actually live your life?” Many people who believed work was life now believe work is an important and key part but just one part of a well-lived life.

6. The melting, decaying, and liquefying of industry shapes and boundaries: With Apple offering 4.15 percent interest on a FDIC insured savings account up to 250,000 dollars that you can fund with one click and loaning you funds from their balance sheet with their Buy Now and Pay Later program they are for all purposes a bank. Walgreen and CVS are shape shifting into not just providing pharmaceuticals but health care.  How long before “The New York Times” discontinues its slogan about “all the news fit to print” because it is increasingly a multi-media everything brand which might soon stop printing newspapers?

Each of these forces are intertwined with each other.  Modern technology and marketplaces allow for side-gigs and side-hustles and unbundled work. AI powers Biotech and re-configures jobs. New trade barriers move jobs and manufacturing to different countries as does the rise and fall of population.

Photography by Alex Timmermans

The Career Implications.

While the future is often hard to predict one can be quite sure that in the next few years the current waves of change will grow into a tsunami, and everybody will be impacted in some way or the other.

1. We are now going to have 50-year careers: Extended life spans, limited government pensions, incentives for elder people to stay in the workforce, machine enabled work will have us working for multiple decades versus a 30-year career.

2. Life-Long Training and Education: Even three decades into a career well into the 50’s one may need to go back to school, re-skill and re-tool. And the days of saying “We will be retired before all these new things happen” will not be realistic. Investing in continuous learning will be key to stay relevant.

3. We will increasingly be working like gig workers and there will be many other changes to the design of organizations:  A job will not be a title, a position and a static role but a constantly changing  number of tasks, outcomes and deliverables  In a globalized and connected marketplace of unbundled and distributed work we will all become gig workers even if we spend long time in a firm since all firms will become increasingly agile and connected, looking to put the best people on the most appropriate tasks very much like the way Hollywood  or TV production works.

4. We will be work in tandem with machines: Almost every job will become AI or Web3 immersed or infuses with some other technology. The productivity increases of modern technology will mean no one without modern technology will be able to compete.

5. We will work in smaller and delayered companies with many of us operating as  “Companies of One”:  a) AI software,  b) Platforms that enable access to marketplaces and talent ( Shopify, Fiver) , c) a need for shapeshifting agility as categories re-invent themselves ( Finance, Auto, Healthcare, Education at a minimum which account for half of US GDP), d) a demand for flexible cost structures in a high velocity world,  e) a work-force where free-lance workers are greater than full-time workers (2025 in the US) and f) scar-tissue of over hiring  (see tech and media companies today) will significantly reduce the size of most companies, eliminate multiple layers and focus on experts and deliverables versus generalists and process.

6. Leaders and Coaches and Learners versus Bosses and Manager and Know it Alls:  In this new world people will likely value, ask for and measure three things:

a) what does an individual help make, build, ship, change or impact?

b) what value do we add to the machine or how do we collaborate with other people or plug into a role on a project so that 1+ 1=3 ?

c) what creativity, vision, empathy, or imagination do we bring to inspire and grow people and business ?

The key will be how one can lead, train, and grow talent to unleash their potential.

The big corner offices, the gauntlet of handlers, receptionists, and other awe-inspiring fear mongering scaffolding of the pre-2020’s will all be seen as the crutches of the insecure and the fearful causing most talent to rapidly re-route around such blockages and blockheads.  

People’s “zone of influence” and “zone of impact” will be far more important than our “zone of control” or “size of kingdom”.

Photography by Alex Timmermans

Re-inventing and Staying Relevant.

A complete re-imagining and re-thinking is underway which is why all of us feel some combination of fear, challenge, excitement, and even horror!

The drumbeats of a changing reality are beating in the marrow of our blood even if we do not wish to listen to their forceful thump-thump…

We will all need to bend ourselves into new forms, skills, and shapes.

A few keys to remaining relevant will be:

a. Plan for the long term: Plot careers over phases recognizing different eras as well as our own differences as we age with a look both ahead and behind. Read 12 Career Lessons a distillation of my learnings on re-inventing over time.

b. Build expertise. Hone a craft. Be known.Learn and earn a niche or niches. Have a voice and learn to tell a story. Read Career Turbocharging for an exercise if you are looking for a job, thinking of switching jobs or re-inventing yourself and a job.

c. Do not outsource your career growth to anyone else:Be responsible and control the upgrading of your mental and skill operating system to keep on learning.Here is one way:  Learning to learn.

And here is one page with thoughts on a dozen topics to thrive in the future you may wish to bookmark. Look at Section 8, 9 and 10 in particular.

It will be a career bending time.

Which is far better than a career ending time!

On Purpose.

Ipsos publishes an award-winning strategic foresight magazine called “What the Future” . Matt Carmichel, What the Future editor and head of the Ipsos Trends & Foresight Lab, recently spoke to me for an article about Purpose which this post is built on.

What’s the state of purpose today?

There are three ways to look at it.

The first is that Purpose is a core differentiator. A survey by Deloitte indicates the following

“Purpose-oriented companies have higher productivity and growth rates, along with a more satisfied workforce who stay longer with them.5 Our research shows that such companies report 30 percent higher levels of innovation and 40 percent higher levels of workforce retention than their competitors.6 While traditional trends might dominate purchasing behavior, new opportunities exist to connect with customers through purpose.

In 2019 consumer survey showed that price and quality remain the biggest factors driving customer decisions.7 However, many of the same respondents (55 percent) believe businesses today have a greater responsibility to act on issues related to their purpose. Those failing to do so risk being displaced by purpose-driven disruptors. For example, Unilever’s 28 “sustainable living” brands (i.e., brands focused on reducing Unilever’s environmental footprint and increasing social impact) such as Dove, Vaseline, and Lipton delivered 75 percent of the company’s growth and grew 69 percent faster on average than the rest of its businesses in 2018 (compared to 46 percent in 2017).8 Soap, petroleum jelly, and tea are everyday household essentials, but by promoting sustainable living, these products became differentiated as they embody the company’s purpose.”

It is interesting to note that Unilever has not done well recently and changed management which make many believe that purpose can be overplayed.

On “What Next?,” a podcast I host we recently had two different guests talk about purpose and each provided a different perspective.

One was from Thomas Kolster who basically said, “Forget everything you know, about brand purpose.” His basic belief was that businesses are now trying to position themselves as heroes, but they're not heroes. Customers are heroes and they say, “This is my purpose.”

This second perspective is yes purpose is important but forget brand purpose and align with customer purpose.

The other was from Steve Harrison who believes that purpose is over-hyped, that companies have forgotten that they exist to make things, sell things and create jobs. Anything that makes them not remember they're providing jobs, selling things, and making things and instead come up with social concoctions means they have lost the plot.

This third perspective is purpose is bunk. Make things. Create jobs. Ship things and stop all the mumbo-jumbo.

Why purpose is important but needs to be nuanced and authentic.

For most firms reality lives between these perspectives.

Purpose is important because it is one of the “whys” that Simon Sinek says a company needs.

Purpose is also important to attract and retain talent.

People are very interested in what the purpose of the company is, even if the purpose is “We make great products.”

Many people are now looking not just to join a company not for money, fame or power, which is important, but for companies to have purpose, values and connections. 

But a company should be very clear that when they are identifying a purpose, it has something to do with their industry.

If it sounds bombastic it will bomb.

Authenticity is key which means tight and believable scope versus “we are here to save the world” that gets everybody who is in the real world either rolling their eyes or shrieking with laughter.

Businesses and Brands are stepping into an unfortunate void.

People are looking to brands and companies to solve problems because they have decided to give less credence to media and government.

If media and government did their jobs, we wouldn’t look to brands and CEO’s to fill in!

The purpose trend and the need for CEO’s to increasingly take positions way outside their business and expertise is due to a crisis of leadership.

A breakdown of trust and a refusal to see the world as it is.

If leaders actually led, which means identify reality, fixing problems, and delivering products and services, people would not say, “What about purpose?”

That is their purpose.

Fix problems. Think long term. Look after people. Ship product. Build infrastructure. Create jobs.

Why Purpose is hard.

Often it is Ben and Jerry or Patagonia or Unilever that are trotted out for case studies.

There are many other examples too but not too many that resonate and ring true because it is difficult.

Purpose is principles.

If you're principled, you’re going to do things that will potentially hurt your career, hurt other people, or hurt financial performance because you decide to say, “That doesn't fit my principles.” 

Those brands take a stand and the stand pisses off certain people.

What a lot of companies today are doing is adding purpose because they don’t want to piss off people, which is the exact opposite of what purpose is.

Purpose is taking a stand!

But too often it is a thin veneer of paint on the surface and and not deeply intertwined into the internal brand and company architecture or culture.

Areas that brands can align with which are critical but not politically fraught.

There are three places that brands can help that aren’t politically driven.

Helping people grow old: All over the world except for Africa every country is aging fast. The elderly or the “seasoned” in many countries have many challenges from companionship to the need for medicines to financial constraints.

Everybody regardless of one’s political affiliation, sexual preference or gender identity is going to grow old.

Helping people who are hungry: Organizations like Feeding America to local Soup kitchens to Food banks to School programs all serve humans in need. People in need. Regardless of ones beliefs.

Helping people learn: Brands and companies have great resources not just in money but the talent in the companies, technology and much more. Today like never before learning is key. And learning can be everything from internships to mentorship to coaching and much more. Most countries and areas are struggling with education which in many cases is too expensive, too degree oriented and too exclusionary. Imagine what any company can do in their markets to lift peoples skills which helps both the people and the company by having more people to hire.

What will purpose look like in the future.

Often today purpose is like soufflé at a fancy restaurant. It's basically puffed sugar like expensive candy floss. And a firm often has many purposes all different flavors of candy floss.

The future will be more single minded and unified purpose that links to your product, show how you look after your employees with it and shows customers that because of that they will feel better about your product or service. 

Brands are built today on three criteria.

One is delivery of benefits. If you clearly can do something particularly well, that's what you're supposed to be doing. Authentic. Real. Aligned with the business.

The second is purpose will require one to have happy employees. Companies who do not look to create joyful employees will not be believed about some mumbo jumbo purpose. Who cares how you source your product or how you will save the climate when you care and look after your employees?

The third is, is the purpose measurably helping people feel better about your product or service?

The future of purpose, highly measurable and very much aligned with the company’s customers, employees and community.

Photography by Rishad Tobaccowala

Creative Cultures.

Photography by Michele Sons

In 2010 Kat Gordon was the rare creative director who was a woman.

3 percent of creative directors were women then and almost no one of color.

Kat decided to do something about it, and she began The 3% Movement built on the belief that Diversity=Creativity= Profitability.

Ten years later after a decade of conferences and other initiatives nearly 30 percent of creative directors were women and while there is still a way to go Kat re-imagined and re-invented the movement to be even more community and peer to peer driven.

Kat was the latest guest on What Next? where she discussed how to be “Creative about Creative Leadership”. The conversation is applicable to any company , individual or leader regardless who might be grappling with culture, creativity, combining AI with humans, the future of the workplace and much more.

Photography by Michele Sons

Creative cultures are communities of belonging held up by trampolines of trust and creative entrepreneurship.

For decades companies have run as hierarchies.

The boss has been the parent and the employees the children.

It was important to gain favor with “dad” to earn rewards and to avoid punishment.

There was the “Sun-King’ at the center with some others in the royal court and most people were after thoughts on whom no light shined.

Changing demographics, new mindsets, enabling technology and distributed work is moving power from the center to the edge.

Stars can shine anywhere.

Creativity is increasingly about teamwork…note how entire teams take the stage at Cannes.

It is about community and a peer orientation where taking risks and speaking up and making mistakes are supported by trampolines of trust versus encrusted with jagged cliffs of death.

It requires Creative Entrepreneurs who build, create, sculpt and design not just new work but new organization and ways of working.

We not only have to re-think creativity but creatively re-think the creative organization.

Photography by Michele Sons

Creative cultures like nature constantly evolve and adapt and constantly ingest, incorporate, and build on new technologies.

The 3% Movement changed the way they work, and their focus based on new technologies, new ways of working and new challenges.

Nature evolves. We are on the 16th operating system of the Apple iPhone. Culture changes.

Creativity by definition is about the new, the fresh, the insightful, the not done before!

Moving hearts and minds, building brands and telling stories have changed as we moved from word to audio to film to digital to multi-media.

Modern technology of prompt to words (GPT-4), prompt to image (DALL·E 2, Mid-Journey, Stable Diffusion) or prompt to video (Runway ML) are already being leveraged by the creative community to great effect in three ways:

a) Enhanced Productivity: The best creative talent is overworked and often burned out. These new technologies save time and become super assistants to them in eliminating much rote work. So many creatives will benefit from tools to help them become more productive.

b) Idea Catalysts: Now instead of staring at blank sheet of paper to start a project we have starter ideas, templates, first drafts and initial imagery to build on, add our unique value to, correct and enhance. New options will unleash new worlds of creativity.

c) New Paints and Canvases: Today Creatives have a canvas of the new immersive worlds of gaming driven by Unreal Engine, 3D frontiers of creativity where the real and virtual blend such as AR/VR as well as Mongrel Media where one can embed and combine commerce and video and much more, All of these are opening massive new universes for creativity which would not have been achievable or scalable without the new AI tools.

While change might be difficult, irrelevance is worse and talent will adapt and incorporate the new tools. Some jobs will go, and others will come but if “life is short and art is long”, creativity and the creative community will not just endure but thrive.

Photography by Michele Sons

Companies that believe in diversity should also allow diverse ways of working.

The future of how work will be done in an unbundled and distributed era while operationally challenging is creatively exciting!

Creativity is connecting dots in new ways.

Ideas can occur anywhere whether it is on a walk, in a shower or while grocery shopping.

In person interaction can happen at conferences, restaurants, bars, learning events, training programs as well as the office.

It is time for companies to be brave and not go back to the safety of what was one tried and true.

Different people have different ways they prefer to work.

Different levels of expertise need different environments and support.

Instead of being like the Mandalorian and mandating “this is the way” leaders should follow the wise words of The Lawrence of Arabia’s recognizing that “nothing is written!” and experiment with different ways.

Companies that develop and integrate a portfolio of ways of working in ways that are balanced and unified but with built in flex are likely to attract, unleash and turbo-charge creativity.

They will create cultures of innovation and potentially gain long term competitive edges.

Diversity of working styles is also diversity and now is the time for companies to try different models and then offer some subset of choices to talent.

Photography by Michele Sons

A significant number of future creative leaders will be introverts and empaths.

When Susan Cain wrote the best-selling book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Cannot Stop Talking she noted that half of the population described themselves as introverts.

But today in many industries 80 percent or more of the leaders are extroverts.

This is changing and recent developments will turbo-charge the rise of introverts and empaths so that the leadership population is more like the general population.

There are many reasons for this rise beginning with the rejection of toxic or bullying or command and control cultures. People today have just too many options to put up with nonsense. People leave bosses much more than they leave companies.

More importantly the world of unbundled and distributed work is introvert and empathy friendly since many office environments with their noise and “war-rooms” are not conducive to these personalities who prefer quiet and reflection to get things done.

More importantly in a world of Zoom everyone can be “seen”. The boss has the same square footage on Zoom as the lowest ranked employee There is no corner office equivalent of Zoom where someone’s tile is bigger (probably one reason some bosses want people back to the office).

The loud and the quiet are on equal footing.

People are more likely to speak up. Content quality, conversational ability, creativity inspired, and the community minded can thrive.

And in a world where the left-brain tasks will be increasingly done by machines there will be a great demand for empathy, emotion, and humanity to work in tandem with the machines.

Remember the Memorex ad that asked “Is it live or is it Memorex? and the orange juices that promise they are “100 percent pure squeezed”

Soon just liked hand crafted, artisanal, and traditional earns a premium price, we will be promised “100% human” while we wonder whether “Is it human or is it AI?”

For companies focused on diversity it is important to remember that diversity includes people with different personalities.

In a brave new world lets be creatively open, embrace diversity and be organizationally brave.

The New World of Work.

In March of 2023 the headline of a cover story in the Wall Street Journal shrieked “ Work from Home Era ends for millions of Americans”

The very same day another headline in Axios read “ Remote work is starting to hit office rents”

On closer analysis, the Wall Street Journal article explains why their headline while true does not reflect the nuance in the data which indicates that while fewer people are working fully remote, and more employees are coming back to the office for a few days a week, in many white collar and information driven industries three years after the pandemic significant portions of work is no longer done in the office.

Which explains why in major cities such as New York and San Francisco which have many white collar and information technology workers and where commute is expensive office rents are declining by 15% (New York) to 30% (San Francisco)

For instance, the article noted:

“Remote work remained common last year in some jobs that traditionally were done in an office. In the information sector, which includes tech and media firms, 67.4% of establishments said their staff worked remotely some or all the time. In the professional and business sector, which includes law and accounting firms, the share was 49%.”

And the share of establishments that were fully remote rose slightly last year, to 11.1% of establishments from 10.3% in 2021, the Labor Department said. In the information industry, that share increased 4.8 percentage points, to 42.2%.

In February 2023, 27.7% of total days worked were from home, after holding steady at an average of 30% each month in 2022, according to research by economists Jose Maria Barrero of Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Stanford’s Nicholas Bloom, and Steven J. Davis of the University of Chicago. The share is down sharply from May 2020, when around 60% of days were remote but still more than five times the rate that prevailed before the pandemic.

And the article notes when it comes to fully remote work it “isn’t likely to entirely disappear. 

Some 13% of current job postings are for fully remote positions, according to staffing firm ManpowerGroup. That is down from 17% in March 2022 but well above the pre-pandemic level of 4%.”

As Covid recedes of course retail and other workers will go back to work and so will many white collar and info tech workers for some of the time.

There is a great benefit to in person interaction for some of the time.

But world has changed in so many ways that there is no going back to 2019.

Here are just 6 of many changes:

1. Significant investments in digitizing workplace means companies are now structured to service customers and support employees in different ways.

A Mckinsey study showed that within six months of offices closing companies had accelerated their digitization by several years.  As a result, companies have been built to have their employees work from anywhere and support their customers in any way.

2. Improved productivity because of hybrid work.

The half of the workforce that have jobs which have allowed for remote work have reported that they are more productive in a hybrid versus a full time in the office environment. This is reflected in a three year tracking study from the Conference Board that indicates that as companies and individuals get their mind around the reality that the future of work for many industries is hybrid and they create processes and structure around this people are becoming  more productive.

In addition recent study at the University of Birmingham, which surveyed 597 managers, has shed light on how managers’ attitudes towards the hybrid work model have changed as a result of the pandemic. Surprisingly, the findings reveal an increasingly positive outlook on the benefits of remote and flexible working.

The study found that 52% of managers agreed that working from home improves concentration, 60% said it improves productivity, and 63% stated it increases motivation. This is a significant shift in attitude, as there has long been a perception that working from home can be a distraction, leading to a lack of productivity and motivation.

The study also revealed that more than seven in 10 (73%) managers felt that giving employees flexibility over their working hours increased productivity, while 60% said the same for working from home. This suggests that managers are starting to recognize that giving employees more control over when and where they work can lead to better performance.

The emerging reality is that in-person interaction is critical for many aspects of culture, people growth and quality control.

The debate is not between not coming into the office or coming into the office most of the week. Rather is is how to combine the benefits of in-person with those of distributed work.

And to ensure that in office is really about in person versus a form of control, absence of trust, input monitoring and the inability of a management class to learn to be leaders versus bosses.

3. Companies have become much more flexible about hiring workers from anywhere according to the Conference Board which benefit both employee and company.

Before the pandemic, 46 percent of surveyed HC leaders indicated that their organizations were not willing to hire virtual employees, and 8 percent were willing in the US or globally. Now 49 percent are willing to hire 100 percent virtually, a sixfold increase.

The flexibility enables not only makes it easier to attract talent but also gain more diverse talent and reduce costs by recruiting from a much larger pool and cutting certain costs such as real estate.

4. People have a new mindset which no longer put up with toxic cultures or burn out.

The Great Resignation according to MIT Sloan is driven by people were leaving not for higher pay somewhere  else but fleeing from a toxic culture and  poor management

A toxic corporate culture is by far the strongest predictor of industry-adjusted attrition and is 10 times more important than compensation in predicting turnover.

MIT’s analysis found that the leading elements contributing to toxic cultures include failure to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion; workers feeling disrespected; and unethical behavior.

The MIT analysis enforces a recent Harvard Business Review article, where 76% of the workers polled believe that employees will be more likely to prioritize lifestyle (family and personal interests) over proximity to work and will pursue jobs in locations where they can focus on both—even if it means taking a pay cut.

5. New Approaches to Management and New Management Skills focused more on leading and looking after people versus managing and processing work.

There are significant challenges to managing in todays unbundled and distributed workplace.

I asked GPT-4 if management was necessary in a world of unbundled work and here is what it said:

“Covid-19 has not necessarily reduced the need for management, but it has changed the way management functions in various organizations. The pandemic has forced organizations to adapt quickly to new ways of working, such as remote work and virtual collaboration. This has led to shifts in management practices and priorities, including:

1.   Emphasis on digital transformation : With remote work becoming the norm, organizations have had to invest in digital tools and platforms. Managers need to stay updated on the latest technologies and implement them to streamline work processes and communication.

2.   Communication and engagement : Managers have had to adapt their communication styles to ensure clear and effective communication within remote teams. This has led to an increased emphasis on video calls, regular check-ins, and virtual team building activities.

3.   Focus on employee well-being : The pandemic has highlighted the importance of mental and emotional well-being. Managers have been tasked with providing support and resources to help employees cope with stress, anxiety, and other challenges that come with remote work.

4.   Adaptability and flexibility : Managers have had to be more agile and adaptable in navigating through the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic. This has included adapting work policies, redefining goals, and rethinking strategies to align with the changing business landscape.

5.   Reskilling and upskilling : With the pandemic accelerating digital transformation, managers have had to ensure their teams are equipped with the necessary skills to adapt and remain competitive.

While the pandemic has not reduced the need for management, it has shifted priorities and required managers to develop new skills and approaches to effectively lead their teams in a rapidly changing environment.”

If managers need to manage better they will always have a co-manager in AI!

6. The Future for most white-collar companies will be a blend of in-person and unbundled distributed work combining high-tech and high-touch.

When people believe that things are going back to the way they were pre-pandemic in addition to the facts that indicate otherwise one must remember that people’s minds are like champagne corks. They swell and they do not fit back into the bottle.

Three years of working differently combined with widespread availability of technology to work remotely across every company and industry means the future will not fit in the containers or the mindsets of the past.

Here are three reasons that even businesses who want to have employees spend 3 days or more in the office because they believe training, culture and quality require it they will not force things back to the way they were:

1. Larger pools of talent: Allowing for some or primary unbundled and distributed work allows companies to recruit from a far larger pool of talent. This is not just because they can hire from any market but also, they can recruit mothers looking after children, people not able to commute and people who want to work part time. In addition they can access their entire global workforce moving demand to where there have staff versus having to hire staff in one market while cutting staff in another. No company can compete by reducing its flexibility to access the best available talent pool.

2. Reduced costs: Remote work enables cost reduction not just because one can hire form a larger talent pool but there will be less travel costs, less real-estate costs and less severance if work can be moved between markets. In addition there will be fewer overhead costs because now more of the work force can be fractionalized, contracted or hired part time.

3. Future Ready: We have entered the Third Connected Age of Technology where AI, AR/VR, 5G and Blockchain all will turbo charge distributed work and change the profile of organizational design.

The future companies will re-aggregate talent recognizing the future of work will be around gigs which require different expertise coming together at different times. This talent will work alongside tech enabled machines and will need to continuously grow and hone its skills,

It is unlikely returning to 2019 way of working will suffice for this new world.

Architect. Sculpt. Hone.

Photography by Christian Fletcher

These days waves of change, seas of surprises and tectonic tsunamis are transforming our landscapes on an almost weekly basis.

Rapidly accelerating AI.

Bank failures.

Tech and other layoffs.

China Cards. Russian Wars. Indian Nationalism.

And the list goes on.

Doom scrolling. Hyper ventilating. Dramatic emotions. Screeching headlines.

All of these are understandable human reactions as we grope to find a place to stand in rapidly shifting sands.

But nothing gets better at the end of the venting of feelings though we may feel better as we rail against a world out of control.

Rather let us embrace, respect and focus our feelings to align with the forces of change

It is a time to use the fuel of feelings to architect, to sculpt, and to hone ourselves so we can continue to thrive in the future.

It’s more up to ourselves than we think.

Photography by Christian Fletcher

Architect.

“The way we spend our time defines who we are.” Jonathan Estrin

One way to gain control is to architect one’s week in ways that time and its vagaries do not toss us around.

Consider setting aside an hour a day or seven hours a week to feed each of one’s physical, mental, emotional systems.

Physical operating system: A long walk or exercise.

Mental operating system: Learn or read or watch or do.

Emotional operating system:  Connecting with friends and family. Helping others.

Architecting one’s day to feed each of the operating systems is independent of income, employment status, or country in that they do not cost much if anything.

And no day where one has learned something, connected with somebody, and helped the body can be deemed a wasted day.

3 hours a day, 21 hours a week sets the foundation for the other 147 hours in mood, tempo, and control.

Build tomorrow by architecting today.

Photography by Christian Fletcher

Sculpt.

“Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the sculptor’s job to release it” Michelangelo.

Every individual has one or more talents, and it is our job to find, feed and sculpt these talents.

Today we are increasingly in a world of builders, makers, creators, inventors and in sculpting something special out of raw materials is a way to find flow and make and leave one’s mark.

It may be writing or photography or video or writing code, cooking a meal, investing in a relationship, building a company or many other things but transforming and building is both an anti-dote and a homage to a transforming world.

We transform and are not just transformed.

Build things. Make stuff. Create something .Unleash potential.

We can release the statue within us or help others find the statue within them.

Photography by Christian Fletcher

Hone.

“To hone my voice, I read everything, from books to cereal boxes, three times: once for fun, the second time to learn something new about the writing craft, and the third time was to improve that piece.”  Amanda Gorman

In a world of change we must hone ourselves to align with change since change does not care to adjust to us.

Honing through iteration, upskilling, re-inventing, and many other ways of enhancing excellence of craft.

For many of us in the coming years it will be how to incorporate, build on, extend, and leverage AI as a tool, enabler, extender, and idea generator for our work.

How to find new ways to communicate and connect as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality enable new canvasses.

Machines will replace people who do not hone their craft to incorporate machines but will not replace talent who hone skills to incorporate and complement machines.

We cannot control or impact what a world leader may do, what shocks may come or what others may have planned but we can twist ourselves and our skills into new shapes to make sure that we bend with the arc of the future and are not broken.

The future may not fit in the containers of the past.

But by architecting, sculpting and honing we will thrive in the container called the future.