Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 129

Stephen Shapiro On Solving Difficult Business Problems – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #713 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Innovation comes from solving hard business challenges. When it comes to thinking like that, there is no-one like Stephen Shapiro. This is the work that he does. Stephen cultivates innovation by showing leaders and their teams how to approach, tackle and solve their business challenges. Applying the knowledge he accrued over decades in the industry, Stephen is able to see what others can’t: opportunities to improve innovation models and the cultures that support them. Stephen spent 15 years at Accenture co-leading their business process reengineering practice and a thriving 20,000+ person process and innovation practice focused on growth and job creation. In 2001, after publishing his first book, 24/7 Innovation, Stephen left Accenture to become a full-time innovation speaker and advisor. Since then he has published four more books: Goal-Free Living, The Little Book of Big Innovation Ideas, Personality Poker, and Best Practices are Stupid. His sixth (and latest) book, Invisible Solutions, just came out. As a Speaker Hall of Fame Member of the National Speakers Association, Stephen just finished serving a six-year term on the Board of Directors of National Speakers Association and is the recipient of the Certified Speaking Professional designation, NSA’s highest earned designation. In 2015 he was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame. In this episode, we explore Stephen’s 25 lenses that reframe and help solve difficult business problems from his book, Invisible Solutions. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #713.

SPOS #713 – Stephen Shapiro On Solving Difficult Business Problems

Welcome to episode #713 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #713 – Host: Mitch Joel. Innovation comes from solving hard business challenges. When it comes to thinking like that, there is no-one like Stephen Shapiro. This is the work that he does. Stephen cultivates innovation by showing leaders and their teams how to approach, tackle and solve their business challenges. Applying the knowledge he accrued over decades in the industry, Stephen is able to see what others can’t: opportunities to improve innovation models and the cultures that support them. Stephen spent 15 years at Accenture co-leading their business process reengineering practice and a thriving 20,000+ person process and innovation practice focused on growth and job creation. In 2001, after publishing his first book, 24/7 Innovation, Stephen left Accenture to become a full-time innovation speaker and advisor. Since then he has published four more books: Goal-Free Living, The Little Book of Big Innovation Ideas, Personality Poker, and Best Practices are Stupid. His sixth (and latest) book, Invisible Solutions, just came out. As a Speaker Hall of Fame Member of the National Speakers Association, Stephen just finished serving a six-year term on the Board of Directors of National Speakers Association and is the recipient of the Certified Speaking Professional designation, NSA’s highest earned designation. In 2015 he was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame. In this episode, we explore Stephen’s 25 lenses that reframe and help solve difficult business problems from his book, Invisible Solutions. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 57:13.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
Subscribe over at iTunes.
Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.
Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.
or you can connect on LinkedIn.
…or on Twitter.
Here is my conversation with Stephen Shapiro.
Invisible Solutions.
Best Practices are Stupid.
Personality Poker.
The Little Book of Big Innovation Ideas.
Goal-Free Living.
24/7 Innovation.
Follow Stephen on Instagram.
Follow Stephen on Twitter.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #713 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #506

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Neural network racing cars around a track – Gigante – YouTube . “Sounds pretty mundane. But if you’re trying to explain machine learning to someone, this is a surprisingly clear example. Give simulated cars very basic information—speed, distance from the things around them—and cull the losers over several generations, allowing a bit of randomness in the behavior. Within a few iterations, you have cars that drive themselves. But if you put an obstacle in their way, it’s back to the drawing board. AI is both powerful and brittle, and examples like this one really help demonstrate that.” (Alistair for Hugh).
“No one’s laughing at the lenses”, or the service-dominant logic of my new pair of specs – Matt Edgar Writes Here . “Every business is a service business. This is a deep truth that I don’t think companies have really internalized yet. But in an era of abundant order-anything immediate gratification, the service is the only differentiator. It’s the embodiment of brand. This is a great read for anyone thinking deeply about marketing in the 2020s.” (Alistair for Mitch). 
“We don’t know which one is our home” – Town digs out of 6 meters of snow – The Weather Network . “Winter got you down? Six inches of snow piling up? Six feet? Try six meters!” (Hugh for Alistair).
No Ghost in the Machine – The American Scholar . “It’s hard to figure out whether AI is the most over-hyped BS or the scariest thing in our near-future. Maybe it’s both.” (Hugh for Mitch).
Rebekah Neumann’s Search For Enlightenment Fueled WeWork’s Collapse – Bustle . “I’m not sure whether these stories keep coming out because the WeWork story just gets crazier and crazier, or if the story is so crazy that more and more journalists are jokeying to create the craziest story, in hopes of it getting optioned in Hollywood. Regardless… this is some crazy stuff right here…” (Mitch for Alistair).
Coronavirus – The Passionate Eye – CBC . “There is enough apocalyptic and scary news about the virus. Leave it to the CBC to create fair and balanced content about what’s happening (and how to think about this virus). Enough fear-mongering. What happened? How did it evolve? What are the facts? Take a look…” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Yolanda Charles On This Month’s Groove – The No Treble Podcast

Yolanda Charles is this month’s conversation on Groove – The No Treble Podcast.

You can listen the new episode right here: Groove – The No Treble Podcast – Episode #63 – Yolanda Charles.

Groove – Episode #63: Yolanda Charles by No Treble

Who is Yolanda Charles ?

There was a buzz on Yolanda Charles’ bass playing long before Sting chose her for his upcoming tour. Yolanda’s resume is as diverse as her musical tastes. The British musician (and teacher) has played with everyone from Paul Weller, Robbie Williams, Hans Zimmer, Eric Clapton, Sinead O’Connor, and Mick Jagger to being a member of Squeeze (since 2017). With that, she also has her own projects (The Deep Mo, Project PH, and solo shows). And let’s not forget teaching, which she has done at many bass events as well as solo masterclasses at the Royal Northern College of Music. Yolanda took up the bass at an early age, and while she was still a teenager she managed to land a gig with Scottish singer/songwriter, Jimmy Somerville (and his band, The Communards). He playing has elements of funk, fusion, rock and everything in between. Enjoy the conversation…

Listen in:  Groove – The No Treble Podcast – Episode #63 – Yolanda Charles.

What is Groove – The No Treble Podcast?

This is an ambitious effort. This will be a fascinating conversation. Our goal at Groove is to build the largest oral history of bass players. Why Groove? Most of the content about the bass revolves around gear, playing techniques, and more technical chatter. For us, bassists are creative artists with stories to tell. They are a force to be reckon with. These are the stories and conversation that we will capture. To create this oral history of why these artists chose the bass, what their creative lives are like, and where inspiration can be found.

Grant Baldwin on How To Be A Successful Speaker – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #712 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Grant Baldwin is a popular keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and speaking coach. He’s also the creator of the popular podcast, The Speaker Lab (which I’ve had the pleasure of being a guest on), and the online course Booked and Paid to Speak, through which he has trained thousands of speakers. He just published a new book, The Successful Speaker (along with Jeff Goins), where he has documented the exact system that helped him land over 400 paid speaking gigs across 46 different states over the last decade. Grant has been a good friend for many years, and this business of speaking is something that is near and dear to my heart. Regardless of whether or not you want to be a professional speaker, your ability to stand up (with confidence) in front of an audience and tell a commanding story is critical for every executive’s success. This book will help. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #712.

SPOS #712 – Grant Baldwin on How To Be A Successful Speaker

Welcome to episode #712 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #712 – Host: Mitch Joel. Grant Baldwin is a popular keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and speaking coach. He’s also the creator of the popular podcast, The Speaker Lab (which I’ve had the pleasure of being a guest on), and the online course Booked and Paid to Speak, through which he has trained thousands of speakers. He just published a new book, The Successful Speaker (along with Jeff Goins), where he has documented the exact system that helped him land over 400 paid speaking gigs across 46 different states over the last decade. Grant has been a good friend for many years, and this business of speaking is something that is near and dear to my heart. Regardless of whether or not you want to be a professional speaker, your ability to stand up (with confidence) in front of an audience and tell a commanding story is critical for every executive’s success. This book will help. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:00:09.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
Subscribe over at iTunes.
Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.
Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.
or you can connect on LinkedIn.
…or on Twitter.
Here is my conversation with Grant Baldwin.
The Successful Speaker.
Jeff Goins
The Speaker Lab.
Booked and Paid to Speak.
Follow Grant on Instagram.
Follow Grant on Twitter.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #712 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #505

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

AI-generated fake content could unleash a virtual arms race – Venture Beat . “‘Using publicly available AI tools and about an hour of her time, Tynski created a website that includes 30 highly polished blog posts, as well as an AI-generated headshot for the non-existent author of the posts.’ Makes me wonder how much longer these links can go on. Seriously, though—the future starts as a toy, and then that toy turns real. At what point are we just going to delegate language assimilation to machines?” (Alistair for Hugh).
This App Automatically Cancels and Sues Robocallers – Vice . “I get a couple of robocalls a day. They’re a chink in the telecom system, a gap nobody foresaw where automation makes what was hard trivial, and preys on the old and untechnical. But the only way to beat automation is automation—so this is a great Judo move.” (Alistair for Mitch).
Fair Isle: The remote island where jumpers are always in fashion – BBC . “In the UK, they call ‘sweaters’ ‘jumpers,’ and if you’re a jumper person – like I am – you’ll get a kick out of the Fair Isles.” (Hugh for Alistair).
Japan’s Lost-and-Found System Is Insanely Good – CityLab . “If you’re bent on losing something, at least do yourself a favor and lose it in Japan.” (Hugh for Mitch). 
The Universe Is Made of Tiny Bubbles Containing Mini-Universes, Scientists Say – Vice . “You are going to have to read this article twice (at least). It will melt your brain. What is the universe made of? It may be tiny bubbles that contain mini-universes. Science has a lot of work to still do, but we’re getting closer to better understanding not just our world, but the universe. It’s all just so mind-blowing…” (Mitch for Alistair).
Unbuttoned – David Sedaris – The New Yorker . “One of the greatest writers of our generation. HIs biting humor and insights based on his real life stories (are these real?). Spend some time with the words of David Sedaris. You will laugh and be moved. A brilliant mind.” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Can Amazon Save The Amazon And More On CHOM 97.7 FM

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am on air at CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology, digital media and culture. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on i Heart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering on about what’s happening in the digital world. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed:

Did you get the chance to watch the PBS Frontline documentary last week called, Amazon Empire – The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos. The day before it hit the air, Bezos donated $10 billion to fight climate change. The richest man in the world has an estimated net worth of about $130 billion, so his $10 billion pledge is about 7.7% of that. People are complaining. It reminds me of the Democratic Party presidential debates in the United States last week, when the politicians were taking swipes at Michael Bloomberg‘s wealth and he kept saying, “I am giving it all away!”.
HQ Trivia was a massive hit. It was a live video gameshow that everyone could take part in, with a fun host (Scott Rogowsky) and great energy. Many saw it as the next generation of live streaming and gaming. First, HQ Trivia announced that they were shutting down. Now, maybe not… but it’s still (kinda) dead, which speaks to how many tech platforms get hyped into multi-million/billion dollar valuations and then disappear just as quickly.
Google Maps changed everything. Waze (now owned by Google) improved our driving experience at scale. What’s next? Facebook just bought an augmented reality company that’s building a 3D map of the entire world. This could be what’s next.
App of the Week: Discord.

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio.

Pauline Brown on Aesthetic Intelligence (The Other AI) – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #711 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

There’s nothing harder than getting up onstage to speak in front of a room full of CEOs that run the world’s largest associations following one of the most successful business people from the luxury goods space. I felt like a bum in my black jeans, pseudo dress jacket and sneakers. Pauline Brown had just finished her long stay as the Chairman of LVMH North America (Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton) working with a portfolio of over 70 brands in five different sectors across 100 markets. I made a joke about my clothes, we all laughed (she was probably being very kind and polite about my sad state of fashion affairs), but I was engaged and hanging on to her every word. Pauline is renowned for acquiring, building, and leading some of the world’s most influential brands. Now, she is striking out on her own. Moving from business leader to thought leader with her amazing new book, Aesthetic Intelligence (which she has brilliantly called “the other AI”). Her book is based on a course that she designed and taught at Harvard Business School. Pauline began her career as a Consultant at Bain and subsequently held senior executive roles at Estee Lauder, Avon and The Carlyle Group. She currently is an Executive-in-Residence at Columbia Business School and a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. I’ve become a raving fan of her work/thinking (which you can also hear on Sirius XM show, , on the Stars channel). Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #711.

SPOS #711 – Pauline Brown on Aesthetic Intelligence (The Other AI)

Welcome to episode #711 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #711 – Host: Mitch Joel. There’s nothing harder than getting up onstage to speak in front of a room full of CEOs that run the world’s largest associations following one of the most successful business people from the luxury goods space. I felt like a bum in my black jeans, pseudo dress jacket and sneakers. Pauline Brown had just finished her long stay as the Chairman of LVMH North America (Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton) working with a portfolio of over 70 brands in five different sectors across 100 markets. I made a joke about my clothes, we all laughed (she was probably being very kind and polite about my sad state of fashion affairs), but I was engaged and hanging on to her every word. Pauline is renowned for acquiring, building, and leading some of the world’s most influential brands. Now, she is striking out on her own. Moving from business leader to thought leader with her amazing new book, Aesthetic Intelligence (which she has brilliantly called “the other AI”). Her book is based on a course that she designed and taught at Harvard Business School. Pauline began her career as a Consultant at Bain and subsequently held senior executive roles at Estee Lauder, Avon and The Carlyle Group. She currently is an Executive-in-Residence at Columbia Business School and a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. I’ve become a raving fan of her work/thinking (which you can also hear on Sirius XM show, , on the Stars channel). Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 56:10.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
Subscribe over at iTunes.
Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.
Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.
or you can connect on LinkedIn.
…or on Twitter.
Here is my conversation with Pauline Brown.
Aesthetic Intelligence.

LVMH.
Follow Pauline on Instagram.
Follow Pauline on Twitter.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #711 – Host: Mitch Joel.