Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 33

Six Links That Make You Think #730

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, Interesting Bits, 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 Safety Is A Narrative Problem – Rachel Coldicutt – HDSR. “The US Surgeon General is calling for Social Media to be regulated like cigarettes: Addictive, easily accessible, and bad for your health. It took fifteen years for public sentiment to shift from ‘this is inevitable’ to ‘maybe we should think about how to use this.’ Jonathan Haidt has done a great job chronicling the dark consequences of social media, but if we get AI wrong they may be far worse — and may end our ability to function as a society. Rachel Coldicutt penned this excellent piece which made me step way back and ask: Maybe we’re talking about this wrong? Rachel’s a great writer, and I loved sentences like, ‘accompanied by a cavalcade of AI doomspeak.’ So Hugh, as a foil to Situational Awareness, have some Narrative Awareness.” (Alistair for Hugh). The Age Of Recoupment – David Dayen – Lindsay Owens – Prospect . “You’re not imagining things: We’re in the gouging era. When I first heard Wendy’s plan to implement ‘flexible pricing’ my thoughts weren’t that they could entice shoppers in during slow periods with flash sales, but rather ‘here comes a meat surge.’ With fewer, bigger companies; digital pricing that’s easily changed, digital payment so we aren’t counting bills, and easy price collusion, what was once antitrust is now simply ‘charge them whatever we can get away with.’ A good reminder that the laws of supply and demand ignore the role of power, and the free market is anything but.” (Alistair for Mitch). The Rush To Return Humans To The Moon And Build Lunar Bases Could Threaten Opportunities For Astronomy – Martin Elvis – The Conversation . “Things are heating up on the moon! China Chang’e-6 mission successfully landed an uncrewed vehicle on the moon this month. We’re starting to see a future, maybe not so far away, when we might have the incentive and capability to start doing things on the moon again. Real things like furthering our understanding of the universe through massive telescopes, or mining for hydrogen and helium.” (Hugh for Alistair). Situational Awareness – The Decade Ahead – Leopold Aschenbrenner . “Leopold Aschenbrenner, formerly part of the security and alignment team at OpenAI, proclaims what the world’s future looks like from deep inside the powerhouses that are building AI. Wild, is his answer. Unimaginable. He’s written a 162 page treatise about his thoughts, which you can read online, or as a PDF. If audio is your thing, here’s a 4 hour podcast interview with him.”  (Hugh for Mitch). Steven Pinker – Why Smart People Believe Stupid Things – The Free Press . “In this storm of information, lies and opinions (masked as facts), I have a handful of intellectuals that I can always return to as a safe harbor of reason. Steven Pinker is one of those people. Steven is originally from Montreal (but he spent most of his professional life at Harvard in Massachusetts) and I’ve had the pleasure of attending events in person with him and getting to know him over the past few years, which only makes me appreciate his intellect and perspectives more. When it comes to the complexities of our human lives (something AI has yet to take) around cognition, language, social behavior and more, his research (and insights on that work) always fascinate. This conversation doesn’t disappoint.” (Mitch for Alistair). 100 Hours In Baghdad In 2024 – Thomas Brag – Yes Theory . “I know that Baghdad is (currently) not on my ‘must visit before I die’ travel list. With that, this vlog is a perfect avatar for why YouTube is such a disruption to the media landscape. I had not heard of this channel before getting this video in my algorithm, and now I am a true believer and subscriber. It’s hard not to feel the passion and love that Thomas Brag has for travel, people and a better tomorrow (plus, he lives in Montreal!). We often have a vision – in our mind’s eye – of what a country must look like. With videos like this, you can see how polluted our perspectives usually are from the mass media. What do you get at the end of this? People. People who want to live a good life, fall in love, build their community, enjoy the cultures of our world and more. This story of his recent trip to Baghdad really moved me.” (Mitch for Alistair).

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

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Stream And Shout – Streaming Giants Face A New Kind Of Maple Tax

It’s happening in Canada but this can (and might) happen everywhere, so pay attention.

Canada’s new regulation has shaken up the streaming world, mandating that major players like Netflix and Spotify fork over 5% of their Canadian revenue to support local content creation.
This could pump $200 million annually into the Canadian broadcast system, funding local news, French-language content, Indigenous programming and more (would that even move the needle?).

But let’s pause for a second… is this really the best move for Canadian media?

Sure, supporting local content sounds great (I’m all in on this), but who ultimately foots the bill?
It’s likely us, the consumers (the streaming platforms will simply increase their monthly fee or we will pay more taxes, right?).
Will Netflix and Spotify raise their prices to cover this new fee?
It seems like we’re facing streamflation anyways.

Everything is getting more expensive these days.

And what happens if these streaming giants decide it’s not worth the hassle and just pull out of Canada altogether?
Could we be facing a scenario like Facebook did with news in Canada (for those who don’t remember, Canadians can no longer share/get news on Facebook), leaving us with fewer choices?
This regulation follows the Online Streaming Act of 2023, a step towards modernizing the Canadian broadcasting system.

But are we trying to solve 2024 problems with a 1960s solution?

With the advent of the social web, do young Indigenous creators or local French-language content producers really need this kind of support to be heard?
They’re already killing it on platforms like TikTok and YouTube without any help from the CRTC.
And we know how that works: Prove your value with an audience and the big players always show up with some bags of money to cash in on that success (and create a greater channel of distribution).

And what about the culture?

Elevating local voices is crucial, but can’t we do it in a way that naturally fosters interest and engagement?
Look at the countless media success stories like Vice (initially… not how it ended), which started as a small Montreal newspaper and scaled globally… Or think about the South Korean Netflix hit Squid Game, which became a global sensation not because of regulations, but because it was compelling content… or think about the countless TikTok local influencers who captivate your imagination.

It’s essential to support our creators, but is slapping a tax on streaming services really the best path forward?

Shouldn’t we focus on making our culture so engaging that these platforms can’t help but want to feature local content?
And let’s not forget, some of these services already invest heavily in Canadian productions.
We even have Canadian-created streaming services like Crave and CBC Gem… how are they performing in terms of customer demand?

Are we risking all this for a regulatory quick fix?

Improving our media landscape isn’t just about money – it’s about making our culture vibrant and exciting.
Let’s think about how we can elevate Canadian content in a way that makes everyone – from streamers to consumers – a winner.

How could we balance support for local content with the realities of the global streaming market?

This is what David Heurtel and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

Mitch Joel · Stream And Shout – Streaming Giants Face A New Kind Of Maple Tax

Before you go… ThinkersOne is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Dan Pontefract On Leaders As Coaches – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #936 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

My friend, Dan Pontefract, is a renowned leadership strategist, author, and keynote speaker with over two decades of experience in senior executive roles at companies like SAP, TELUS, and Business Objects. His focus has always been on corporate culture change, leadership development, employee experience, and overall performance improvement. Since leaving the world of full-time gigs in 2018, Dan has worked with organizations worldwide, including Salesforce, Amgen, Nestlé, and the City of Toronto, and countless others. He has a knack for turning leaders and corporate cultures into a competitive advantage, believing firmly that the future of work is now. In this conversation, Dan shares his insights on the evolution from work-life balance to work-life flow, emphasizing the need for a more fluid integration of work and personal life. We discuss how economic factors like the death of the middle class and shareholder primacy has reshaped work-life balance. Dan highlights the generational shifts in perspectives, with younger generations craving greater personalization and flexibility in their work lives. He stresses the importance of setting and respecting boundaries to maintain a healthy work-life balance, the role of culture in shaping this balance, and the potential impacts of gamifying work. Dan’s latest book, Work-Life Bloom – How to Nurture A Team That Flourishes, delves into the intricate dance between our professional and personal lives. Drawing parallels to how a flower needs the right mix of sunlight, water, and nutrients to thrive, Dan argues that team members need the right mix of work-life factors to create a fulfilling existence. Through global research, interviews, and personal anecdotes, he offers practical solutions for leaders and organizations to foster environments where teams can truly bloom. Dan is also the author of Lead Care Win, Open To Think, The Purpose Effect and Flat Army. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #936 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

SPOS #936 – Dan Pontefract On Leaders As Coaches

Welcome to episode #936 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #936. My friend, Dan Pontefract, is a renowned leadership strategist, author, and keynote speaker with over two decades of experience in senior executive roles at companies like SAP, TELUS, and Business Objects. His focus has always been on corporate culture change, leadership development, employee experience, and overall performance improvement. Since leaving the world of full-time gigs in 2018, Dan has worked with organizations worldwide, including Salesforce, Amgen, Nestlé, and the City of Toronto, and countless others. He has a knack for turning leaders and corporate cultures into a competitive advantage, believing firmly that the future of work is now. In this conversation, Dan shares his insights on the evolution from work-life balance to work-life flow, emphasizing the need for a more fluid integration of work and personal life. We discuss how economic factors like the death of the middle class and shareholder primacy has reshaped work-life balance. Dan highlights the generational shifts in perspectives, with younger generations craving greater personalization and flexibility in their work lives. He stresses the importance of setting and respecting boundaries to maintain a healthy work-life balance, the role of culture in shaping this balance, and the potential impacts of gamifying work. Dan’s latest book, Work-Life Bloom – How to Nurture A Team That Flourishes, delves into the intricate dance between our professional and personal lives. Drawing parallels to how a flower needs the right mix of sunlight, water, and nutrients to thrive, Dan argues that team members need the right mix of work-life factors to create a fulfilling existence. Through global research, interviews, and personal anecdotes, he offers practical solutions for leaders and organizations to foster environments where teams can truly bloom. Dan is also the author of Lead Care Win, Open To Think, The Purpose Effect and Flat Army. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 59:06.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.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.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Dan Pontefract.Work-Life Bloom – How to Nurture A Team That Flourishes.Lead Care Win.Open To Think.The Purpose Effect.Flat Army.You can also have Dan pop in to your meeting and more at ThinkersOne.Follow Dan on LinkedIn.Follow Dan on X.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Takeaways

Work-life balance has evolved into work-life flow, emphasizing the need for a more fluid integration of work and personal life.Economic factors, such as the death of the middle class and shareholder primacy, have had a significant impact on work-life balance.Generational differences exist in work-life balance perspectives, with younger generations seeking greater personalization and flexibility in their work.Setting and respecting boundaries is crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life balance.Culture plays a vital role in shaping work-life balance, and organizations need to consider individual needs and values.The gamification of work can have both positive and negative effects on work-life balance.In-person interactions and connections are valuable for fostering work-life balance.Integrating productivity into work-life balance is a complex challenge that requires finding ways to be productive without sacrificing personal time.Leaders should strive to be coaches, providing support, empathy, and constructive feedback to their team members.The integration of artificial intelligence in the workplace raises concerns about job security and the need for human skills that cannot be automated.Societal considerations should include addressing the struggles faced by men in the workplace and ensuring equal support and opportunities for all genders.

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction and Background03:02 – The Shift from Work-Life Balance to Work-Life Flow06:31 – The Impact of Economic Factors on Work-Life Balance10:23 – The Death of the Middle Class and Its Effect on Work-Life Balance13:08 – The Influence of Shareholder Primacy on Work-Life Balance16:47 – Generational Differences in Work-Life Balance Perspectives19:19 – The Personalization of Work and Its Impact on Work-Life Balance23:57 – The Importance of Boundaries in Work-Life Balance28:03 – The Role of Culture in Work-Life Balance32:30 – The Gamification of Work and Its Effect on Work-Life Balance36:25 – The Current State of Work-Life Balance39:40 – The Importance of Respect in Work-Life Balance43:48 – The Role of Boundaries in Work-Life Balance46:33 – The Value of In-Person Interactions in Work-Life Balance47:52 – Integrating Productivity into Work-Life Balance48:21 – Leaders as Coaches51:26 – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Work55:15 – Societal Considerations for Men in the Workplace

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #936.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Six Links That Make You Think #729

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, Interesting Bits, 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: 

Great Wealth Doesn’t Need To Lead to Great Inequality – The Noosphere. “The common refrain in capitalism is that in order for risk-takers to take risks, we have to give them rewards. That makes sense, to a point, but the huge gulf between Billionaires and mortals has widened. ‘That’s just how it is,’ we shrug, and thank the tech gods for our smartphones. But according to this Noosphere piece, that’s not always the case. I’ve been spending a bunch of time lately trying to decide what comes after representative democracy, and realizing that some of the ‘rules’ of our society are just traditions that are a part of it.” (Alistair for Hugh). Chechnya Bans Music That Isn’t Between 80 And 116 Beats Per Minute – Smithsonian Magazine . “Damn… that’s harsh.” (Alistair for Mitch). Billy – Your Human Book Friend – Leigh Kinch-Pedrosa . “My pal Leigh has great taste in books, and just launched a book recommendation newsletter. ‘I started this newsletter to feel like a creative human and to put something human on the internet.’ You should subscribe.” (Hugh for Alistair). Baby Reindeer In Court: The Two Words That Might Have Saved Netflix $170M Worth Of Grief – The Guardian . “This is such an interesting case: Netflix released a surprise phenomenon of a show, created, written and acted by Richard Gadd, and based on a more-or-less real story and more-or-less real people. Richard Gadd got rich (I hope) telling the story of his stalker, in the show she was called Martha. The real Martha (or rather, the real person the character Martha was based on) eventually emerged, and she’s suing Netflix to the tune of $175M for: ‘defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence and violations of her right of publicity.’ It’s a complicated case. On the one hand, Netflix has profited off of a story about a woman without her consent, and it has caused real damage to the woman’s life. It seems fair – somehow – that she should be compensated? On the other hand, if every fictionalized version about a real person means that person is entitled to compensation, well that certainly creates a whole new and complex legal and financial universe for art.” (Hugh for Mitch).  How To Do Great Work – Paul Graham . “I attended the Sagard and Diagram AGM this week in Montreal (I am an investor), and was fortunate to catch a fireside chat with David Senra. David is the host of an amazing podcast called, Founders. On this show, David reads a biography (every week!) of an entrepreneur and dispenses gems and insights from his learnings (it’’s always a great listen). During his presentation, he was very excited about this piece from Paul Graham. I know we’ve linked to Paul’s work before, but this is a spectacular (and in-depth) look at ideas, execution, perspiration and more. Success is an anomoly mostly because few are willing to do the sweat labor to find the ’there’. Here is one of the countless gems in this article: ‘The other thing you need is a willingness to break rules. Paradoxical as it sounds, if you want to fix your model of the world, it helps to be the sort of person who’s comfortable breaking rules. From the point of view of the old model, which everyone including you initially shares, the new model usually breaks at least implicit rules. Few understand the degree of rule-breaking required, because new ideas seem much more conservative once they succeed. They seem perfectly reasonable once you’re using the new model of the world they brought with them. But they didn’t at the time; it took the greater part of a century for the heliocentric model to be generally accepted, even among astronomers, because it felt so wrong.’ ” (Mitch for Alistair). Writing Changes How We Think About The World – Only Dead Fish . “I am big fan of the Only Dead Fish newsletter from Neil Perkins. It is always full of links to stories and data that I had not seen elsewhere. Neil points us to this lecture from Larry McEnerney from the University of Chicago’s writing program. Our job, as writers, is to help readers change the way they think about the world. If you were not sure about the importance of ‘rule breaking’ from the link above, try this one on for size. Following the rules of writing (or thinking about them too much) is probably not going to change much. I really loved this lecture as much as Neil because it’s a vivid reminder that the best work challenges the status quo and is still a part of the centuries of words that came before it. This is a must-watch”. (Mitch for Hugh).

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

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Apple Intelligence Is Core To The Future

Apple jumps (big splash!) into the artificial intelligence… and it feels like the future is closer than ever.

Is that just buzz or raw truth?
They’re calling it Apple Intelligence (clever play on “artificial intelligence”) and it was launched last week at their WWDC 2024 event.

What are we getting?

It feels like we’re getting AI sprinkled into every nook and cranny of the iPhone (and the iPad and MacBooks).
Sure, it’s got quirky tricks like being able to create custom emojis on the fly by simply typing a description (want an emoji of a raccoon licking an ice cream cone? Just type it in, and there it is!).
But the real game-changer lies in the updates to Siri and the writing and composing tools (imagine asking your phone to rewrite an email to make it more professional or punch up a boring text message).

And your voice will boom too.

For many, Siri has often been seen as lagging, but that hasn’t stopped us from using our voice (instead of our fingers) to create and navigate.
Now, Siri becomes a true voice assistant… in every sense of the word.
You will be able to give Siri more complex commands and watch it seamlessly perform tasks across multiple apps (that sounds like a real assistant).

So, is Apple slow to AI?

Not a chance.
OpenAI and Microsoft might have taken the early lead in the consumer facing Generative AI race, but Apple’s had machine learning for some time and is looking at their large language model approach with a focus user privacy.

So…

Apple Intelligence represents a significant leap forward in AI technology – it really does feel like it will be a massive layer within everything Apple delivers.
As we embrace these advancements (and we will), it’s crucial to balance leveraging AI’s benefits and maintaining our agency and privacy.

Apple could be the ones to really get it right.

This is what David Heurtel and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

Before you go… ThinkersOne is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Malissa Clark On Curing Workaholism – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #935 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

Malissa Clark is an associate professor of industrial/organizational psychology at the University of Georgia and the brains behind the Healthy Work Lab. Known for her expertise in workaholism, burnout, and employee well-being, Malissa has made significant strides in understanding the modern work environment. Her work has been featured in top journals like the Journal of Applied Psychology, the Journal of Management and many more. In this conversation, Malissa dove into the concept of the “ideal worker” and how this can wreak havoc on work-life balance. We talked about how the pandemic has changed our approach to work, pushing the need for flexibility and remote work options into the spotlight. She shared insights on how implementing changes like shorter workweeks and better communication practices can boost productivity and employee happiness. We also touched on the critical role of government and unions in ensuring fair work practices. Malissa didn’t hold back when discussing workaholism and the rise of hustle culture. She highlighted the importance of psychological detachment from work for overall well-being and how leaders today need to manage individual needs with empathy. Her thoughts on balancing side hustles and hobbies with work were particularly enlightening, stressing that we need time for daydreaming and mental rest to foster creativity. Malissa’s latest book, Never Not Working – Why The Always-On Culture Is Bad For Business – And How To Fix It, tackles the unhealthy relationship many of us have with work. In a world that praises long hours and constant connectivity, Malissa offers a deep dive into busting myths and providing strategies to break free. She explains how overwork and burnout affect both individuals and organizations, and offers practical advice on fostering a healthier work culture. Whether you’re a leader or an employee, this is a must-listen for anyone looking to reclaim their well-being and improve company performance. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #935 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

SPOS #935 – Malissa Clark On Curing Workaholism

Welcome to episode #935 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #935. Malissa Clark is an associate professor of industrial/organizational psychology at the University of Georgia and the brains behind the Healthy Work Lab. Known for her expertise in workaholism, burnout, and employee well-being, Malissa has made significant strides in understanding the modern work environment. Her work has been featured in top journals like the Journal of Applied Psychology, the Journal of Management and many more. In this conversation, Malissa dove into the concept of the “ideal worker” and how this can wreak havoc on work-life balance. We talked about how the pandemic has changed our approach to work, pushing the need for flexibility and remote work options into the spotlight. She shared insights on how implementing changes like shorter workweeks and better communication practices can boost productivity and employee happiness. We also touched on the critical role of government and unions in ensuring fair work practices. Malissa didn’t hold back when discussing workaholism and the rise of hustle culture. She highlighted the importance of psychological detachment from work for overall well-being and how leaders today need to manage individual needs with empathy. Her thoughts on balancing side hustles and hobbies with work were particularly enlightening, stressing that we need time for daydreaming and mental rest to foster creativity. Malissa’s latest book, Never Not Working – Why The Always-On Culture Is Bad For Business – And How To Fix It, tackles the unhealthy relationship many of us have with work. In a world that praises long hours and constant connectivity, Malissa offers a deep dive into busting myths and providing strategies to break free. She explains how overwork and burnout affect both individuals and organizations, and offers practical advice on fostering a healthier work culture. Whether you’re a leader or an employee, this is a must-listen for anyone looking to reclaim their well-being and improve company performance. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:01:55.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.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.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Malissa Clark.Never Not Working – Why The Always-On Culture Is Bad For Business – And How To Fix It.Healthy Work Lab.Follow Malissa on X.Follow Malissa on LinkedIn.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Takeaways

The concept of the ideal worker, who prioritizes work above everything else, can be detrimental to employee well-being and work-life balance.The pandemic has highlighted the need for a more flexible and adaptable approach to work, including remote work options.Implementing changes in the workplace, such as shorter workweeks and improved communication practices, can lead to increased productivity and employee satisfaction.Government regulations and the involvement of unions may be necessary to ensure fair and equitable work practices.Work-life balance is a challenge in the modern work environment, and the concept of a mandated 40-hour work week may not be feasible in the US.Psychological detachment from work is important for overall well-being and has been linked to positive outcomes such as work engagement and restful sleep.The rise of hustle culture has led to the monetization of hobbies and side hustles, but it is important to find a balance and avoid obsession.Leaders in the modern work environment need to manage individuals and their unique needs, which requires empathy and understanding.Taking time for boredom, daydreaming, and being alone with one’s thoughts is important for creativity and well-being in a constantly connected world.

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction and Background03:00 – The Gap Between Academic Research and Real-World Application06:00 – The Concept of the Ideal Worker09:00 – Balancing Work and Personal Life11:00 – The Challenges of Remote Work17:00 – The Changing Landscape of Work25:00 – The Impact of the Pandemic on Work31:00 – Reconciling Work and the Economy42:00 – The Role of Government and Unions43:33 – Work-Life Balance and the 40-Hour Work Week44:31 – Identifying Workaholism and Burnout46:58 – The Importance of Psychological Detachment from Work47:57 – The Challenge of Constantly Thinking About Work49:40 – The Rise of Hustle Culture50:39 – The Individualization of Work and Leadership Challenges51:30 – Balancing Hobbies and Side Hustles56:24 – The Role of Leaders as Mentors and Life Coaches57:30 – The Difficulty of Being Bored and Alone with Thoughts59:55 – The Impact of Personal Conversations on Research

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #935.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Six Links That Make You Think #728

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, Interesting Bits, 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: 

Wikipedia – Long-Term Abuse. “Wikipedia has a blacklist. Some people frequently edit articles, either to make a point or because they’re trolls. Whatever the reason, there’s a page to keep track of these moving targets who often go out of their way to evade detection. ‘Edit-warring vandal who keeps restoring bad edits to TV show articles,’ says one. ‘Persistently introduces factual errors regarding the relationship statuses of the characters [on Friends]’ says another. I wasted way too much time reading this list.” (Alistair for Hugh). Negativity Is [Still] Making Everyone Miserable – Slow Boring . “A lament to inaction. There’s something in the water these days: ‘A better world is not only possible, it’s something we are living through. But to make it even better, you need to do stuff, not talk about how bad everything is.’ A reminder that consumption these days is not a passive action, and that social media has made it easy to feel like we’re doing something when in fact we’re just whining from atop a mountain of good fortune.” (Alistair for Mitch). The Four Unique Ways Tokyo Approaches Housing Can Offer Lessons For Australia – ABC News . “(I read an article behind a paywall comparing Canada to Tokyo, here’s a free article comparing Japan to Australia, and making the same points). When I was younger ‘expensive city to live’ meant Tokyo, Paris, New York, and London. Not Ottawa and Calgary. Certainly not Montreal. In the late 80s and early 90s Japan went through a huge financial bubble, and real estate was insane. Now home prices in Tokyo are lower than in Ottawa. How did that happen? Among other things, Tokyo radically changed zoning laws, so you could (more or less) build whatever you wanted wherever you wanted. Results: housing prices went down, and prices for everything else went down too: restaurants and stores in Japan are inexpensive compared to here. When rent is cheap, turns out it’s easier to run a small business. Something has to give on real estate prices in Canada, and part of that surely is going to be about making it easier to build, and easier to put businesses where people want them.” (Hugh for Alistair). The Overseas Highway: The Us’ ‘Floating’ Highway – BBC . “I was going to send another link about Canada’s panic-inducing dismal economic performance, but I am starting to feel like a broken record on that front. Instead here’s a piece about the crazy 180km long highway in the Atlantic Ocean, connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland.” (Hugh for Mitch). How ‘Vice’ Went From A $6 Billion Media Empire To Bankruptcy – The Free Press . “I think I’ve told this story before, but back when Vice was a little newspaper-y startup on the streets of Montreal, I was an upcoming music and culture writer. I was publishing my own magazines, while also doing a lot of freelance work. It’s all luck and good timing, but I spent some time (and too many nights) in the same circles as the founders of Vice. So, watching them grow to what Vice turned into was a wild voyeuristic ride for me (I even wrote a few pieces for them). Towards the end, I was still following their content and quite liked many of the news features, especially the work of Michael Moynihan. Moynihan now tells his side of the story (and if this interests you, also check out the podcast about this article: How ‘Vice’ Went from a $6 Billion Media Empire to Bankruptcy – Honestly With Bari Weiss). And… still… yeah… a wild ride…” (Mitch for Alistair). Oh, Whatever, Everything Is Totally Great For Writers Right Now – Chuck Wendig – Terribleminds . “Being a writer is a tough career. In the media, all we see are the success stories. The rich and powerful writers cutting Netflix deals in Hollywood or we hear about the self-published author who became a global sensation. This is not reality. Success in writing rarely looks like that. And that kind of success is the rarest of anomalies… something not even afforded to the one-percent of those who write professionally. I’ve been lucky, but not overly successful with my own writing (if I am to be honest). Still, the pen, the paper, the keyboard, the screen… they call me… and I oblige… day in and day out. When friends tell me that their kids are considering becoming writers, and what my thoughts are… I only have one thought (and I am very honest with these friends): They are choosing a very difficult path (from getting published to earning enough to scrape by). Chuck Wendig has had more success than most, and while his books are incredible adventures, I am a huge fan when he writes about writing. This article is a true gem. It’s tough out there for writers these days, but Chuck takes in all in stride and helps us to move forward. If you do nothing this week but read this, it will be a good week.” (Mitch for Hugh).

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

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

John Ferrara On This Month’s Groove – The No Treble Podcast

“Wait… did I miss something? Why is there an article about a bass podcast on Six Pixels of Separation?”

Here’s why:
In the late nineties my first job was as a music journalist (actually, my first interview was with Tommy Lee from Motley Crue right before the band released Dr. Feelgood).
I spent many years interviewing musicians and artists for local weekly alternative newspapers, national and international magazines (and even published three music magazines – before we had the Internet).
I also studied and played the electric bass (in high school and post-secondary) and always felt like bass players never really had a chance to tell their stories.
So, about ten years ago, Seth Godin introduced me to Corey Brown (founder of No Treble – one of the world’s biggest bass platforms – and he also worked on Squidoo with Seth).
From there, Corey and I decided to try this monthly podcast where I would interview bass players and talk about their music, art, creativity and more.
I’m hopeful that these conversations will inspire your work, creativity and innovation as much as they do for me…

John Ferrara 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 #114 – John Ferrara.

Groove – Episode #114: John Ferrara by No Treble

Who is John Ferrara?

Bassist and composer, John Ferrara, has made a name for himself with his innovative tapping bass playing style and his work with his world fusion band, Consider The Source. Known for his unorthodox approach, John utilizes a two-handed tapping technique that transforms the bass into an instrument capable of piano-like and classical guitar textures. His technical prowess is always in service of creating emotionally resonant music, making his compositions both relatable and engaging. Born with a passion for music, John’s early influences included legends like Jimi Hendrix and Primus. This eclectic mix of inspirations helped shape his unique sound. Over the years, John has developed a signature style that blends elements of classical, jazz, rock, folk, and minimalism. His music evokes the brooding moodiness of Philip Glass, the improvisational spirit of Chick Corea, and the melancholic undertones of Radiohead. John’s journey in music has been marked by his dedication to pushing the boundaries of what the bass can do. He has gained recognition across various music scenes, from progressive rock and jam bands to metal. His skills earned him a finalist spot on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest, where his jaw-dropping performance stood out among thousands of entries. John is also a respected educator. He has been featured on No Treble, Scott’s Bass Lessons, and more, where he shares his techniques and insights with a global audience. Hundreds of bass players have sought his expertise through private lessons, eager to incorporate his methods into their own playing. In our conversation, John delves into his musical journey and the evolution of his tapping technique. He talks about the challenges he faced in developing his unique style. John also discussed the importance of practice and the concept of learning how to learn, a crucial skill for any musician. John’s approach to the bass goes beyond traditional playing. He incorporates pedals and effects to create layered, dynamic sounds, transforming the bass into a versatile instrument capable of a wide range of expressions. His compositions are built like intricate puzzles, with each layer adding depth and complexity. Currently touring with Consider The Source, John continues to captivate audiences with his innovative playing and engaging performances. His story is a testament to the power of dedication, creativity, and the endless possibilities that come with pushing the boundaries of the electric bass. Through his music, John invites listeners to experience the bass in a whole new way, proving that the instrument can be as expressive and versatile as any other in the musical spectrum. Enjoy the conversation…

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.

Listen in:  Groove – The No Treble Podcast – Episode #114 – John Ferrara.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends).