AI Fragility: Why I’m Not Pro-AI or Anti-AI, but Pro-Thoughtfulness
tl;dr AI is neither savior nor threat. The differentiator is thoughtfulness: critical thinking, problem solving, and control over how the work gets done. The bulk of the business world is being split into two camps: pro-AI and anti-AI. I’m neither. I’m pro-thoughtfulness. AI is here, and we can’t stick our
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Pedal, Wheel, Handbrake: Three Conversations Every AI Strategy Needs
Most companies assume they are behind the competition when it comes to having a well-articulated AI strategy. They might be surprised to learn that they aren’t. While there is a flurry of activity, that is not a reflection of clarity or direction. While this isn’t a framework for building your
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The Appearance of Wisdom: What Can Plato Teach Us About AI?
Plato may be an unusual person to turn to for a perspective on AI. In trying to predict where AI goes and what it means for work, for learning, and even for humanity, we look to the history of technological adoption. The internet is the most common reference point, mostly
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Smart Idiots and Brave Thinkers: Rethinking Critical Thinking
Is courage the missing ingredient for successful critical thinking, and why is critical thinking still one of the most critical skills for every human? As we start to explore critical thinking, it’s a term that’s thrown around as loosely as leadership or integrity, but it is very much worth examining
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Learning To See Through Direct Observation and Drawing: Inspiration From Laurie Olin
“To sit still is to see the world as it is, not as we would have it” – Laurie Olin Filmmaker Gina Angelone describes the title of her documentary Sitting Still as coming from landscape architect Laurie Olin’s conviction that “one of the best methods devised to learn from the
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Reflections on AI and Humanity With Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington was hosted at Lehigh University for a wide-ranging discussion centered on AI, but covered much more. I certainly will not try to summarize the entire conversation, but will focus on three key takeaways and my reflections on them as she told stories and shared perspectives. Learning from Every
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Get CEO Succession Right
Sometimes, CEO succession goes horribly wrong, and that’s very often public. We see the failings of the CEO selected and think, as they fire them, “How could they get this so wrong?” That’s convenient Monday morning quarterbacking, because the reality is that it is very tricky, and no one (except
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Flawed Harmony and the Consensus Trap
Leaders love to tout consensus decision-making. It sounds collaborative, inclusive, and wise. Many will even claim they “lead through consensus,” whether it’s true or not. But consensus fails more often than it succeeds, either because it’s executed poorly or applied in the wrong situations. Here are the most common failure
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Don’t Start Problem Solving on Auto-Pilot
Are you starting your problem solving on auto-pilot? Do you need some kind of trigger to drive systemic, rigorous problem solving? Most people do, and it’s a missed opportunity. I came across this quote from Marvin Minksy, co-founder of MIT’s AI lab: The way people solve problems is first by
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Setting Goals for Lean / CI / OpEx Teams
Many organizations have formed teams dedicated to the work of Lean, Continuous Improvement, OpEx, or whatever other term you prefer. These teams range from large centralized teams to distributed resources, to sole individuals. Regardless of the size and structure of the team, goals likely have to be set. While one
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