What is your reason for wanting or not wanting Artificial Intelligence (AI) to progress?
I’d like ESP between people to be happening easily. Imagine the time savings: less talking to Siri / opening apps / interacting with your smart phone. I’d be skiing ESPing my friends which run to do next… Changing plans on the fly, telepathically.
As computing becomes exponentially sophisticated, more activities are passed to digital aids.
Perhaps weâre developing beyond apps into ESP and predictive notifications, freeing the mind for other activities, or nothing.
What’s on your mind?
Teach Someone, to Learn
This year my skiing has remarkably improved. It’s because I’ve been providing tips to new friends and practicing on the easy slopes.
Who are you teaching now?
Expanding
Having nearly finished Ken Wilber’s The Religion of Tomorrow, I can highly recommend it for people interested in expanding their awareness of life, their own development, and if you’re in people / leadership / culture development or keen to progress current religions.
[Gayle and Malcom – the enneagram is referenced :)]
In Dan Pink’s “To Sell is Human” book he mentioned we’re now all in sales.
In the past few weeks I’ve been optimising a system to connect clients with large volumes of relevant potential customers. It could be called sales.
In refining this system, I’ve realised that now there is a massive opportunity to quickly find people online who connect with you as an individual – to find the people who will be inspired to quickly become customers, be ultra-helpful in sharing your business via word of mouth, as well as helping find answers.
The thing is, now you can connect with anyone. You don’t want to be connected to everyone. Business is fast and there are loads of messages, notifications and as the volume increases, people increasingly look for people they trust.
Being connected to highly relevant people who ‘get’ your way of thinking, your values/philosophies, your work and style… people who trust you… means you can quickly gain answers, do business together, ask for connections to potential customers and more.
LinkedIn and other social media services provide quick messaging. If you’re connected with highly relevant and engaged people you have less noise in your network and you can quickly message and create progress.
And that’s the key!
I’ve been saying for years: grow your relevant online audience, find your “niche-niche” people – the very select group of people in the world who know and respect you. Don’t bulk up your LinkedIn connections for the sake of likes and numbers, grow your relevant audience so you connect and engage with people who’ll take action.
Start now – type in a topic of interest in LinkedIn search and refine the search to your city. Click on ten profiles, read their summaries and if you’re inspired by what you read and see, hit connect. (Leave the others.) When connecting, include a message that explains why you’re interested in their perspective and what you’d like to learn from them. Be real and honest!
Repeat the process. Aim for 10-50 messages a week. Go! Discover your international peers and future colleagues.
Time is of the essence and fast progress is within your reach.
You don’t yet know the gains you’ll have in the future…
Tim B – thx again for the excellent session & sharing this post. Cam – yesterday’s chat inspired this!
This is Giles’ post that explains the automation tool for LinkedIn connections and messages, combined with LinkedIn Sales Navigator and a few other tools. We’ve refined this slightly and tailor it for relevant audiences.
Fun quote (via the Facebook newsfeed eradicator!):
Another on business culture: “The Heartbeat” by Fred Wilson – I love the opening line “The best companies I work with have a heartbeat, they operate on a pace and a cadence and a rhythm that is…”
I’ve been working with website hosting company, Serversaurus. Here are a few of the tips I’ve picked up about website hosting.
Just in case you’re listening to a Tim Ferriss podcast I’ve recommended and prefer not to listen to the first few minutes, skip the first four minutes and you’re straight into the introduction and interview. May that be useful!
Winter has chilled Melbourne in the past week with over 1m of snow falling on my beloved Mt Hotham hills.
I’m writing from Bali, visiting a dear friend temporarily living here and celebrating my (tropical) birthday next week. The lush green surrounds are relaxing and as always the food is stylishly presented and scrumptious. It brings a grin to my face seeing so much life, relaxing on the shores at sunset.
May all be well in your environs.
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I’ve been working with three organisations to have them become more focused and agile. Interesting the topic of conversation has increasingly been about roles – new roles at that.
Here are the insights ~
The Strategic Advisor +Â Performance Coach
I find working with high performing leaders fascinating and rewarding. Being in strategic conversations, using natural instinct to hone people’s aspirations into realistic business plans and actions, clearing their way when needed, seeing individuals fly and surprise themselves – it’s good fun.
Recently clients have been wondering ~
a) how growing organisations with high performers set themselves up to ‘self organise’ – the impossible dream that may be possible – where individuals can be self-led in a culture and environment that has them progress, perform, develop, enjoy life,…
b) what high performers need to succeed
c) how to differentiate an organisation to attract high performers
In high performance environments trust can be built quickly as people deliver what they say they’re going to, or maturely communicate and reset if they can’t, and agility can happen in part because individuals know what they’re fascinated by and what they’re good at, and communication can be direct with this undercurrent of respect and vision alignment.
When people are operating in these environs, new ways are required to support their progress, enjoyment and development.
Instinctively, and from experience, one of the solutions is having access to strong and respected supporters, guides, leaders and trusted peers to listen, to suggest practical solutions, and nudge (kindly, sometimes strongly).
Such people can use their intuition to sense what the person needs to gain progress (as an individual AND in their projects/activities/organisations), so they feel heard, supported, weight lifted off their shoulders, understood, appreciated, have clear direction and more.
Cue: [some aspects of] Wendy from the show “Billions” who’s known for contributing value that correlates directly to the company’s great success.
She’s a strategic advisor and performance coach who meets with individuals at set and spontaneous times and does all of the above. She’s there when needed to uplift performance and outcomes and involved in strategic decisions, planning and is constantly aligning people’s direction to the detailed vision.
In high performance environments people are motivated to improve so tailored support makes a difference. Perhaps your organisation could do with a character(s) like this?
(Hey Aussies, you can watch Billions on Stan)
The Digital Researcher role.
For close to ten years I’ve encouraged clients to engage a Digital Researcher in their organisation: a person who can track and explore trends, emerging tech, products and new entrants via relevant forums and sites such as Kickstarter, social media and their (expanding) wide network of industry and market experts. As delivery becomes faster / instantaneous, having a person delivering these insights (and inspiring others to do so) seems obvious. I’ve often worked with wise Eddie Harran to provide these services for clients.
Opening up to opportunities and being aware of the risks is good business. Get started!
Your role in this research.Â
Being connected to what fascinates you as an individual affords a natural tendency to the research just mentioned.
Â
An organisation of aligned individuals, all contributing insights to what’s happening, what’s coming and highlighting risks to be mitigated sounds great to me.
This may have you believing your BIG ideas are possible and lead you in to protecting your crazy thinking.
I love the idea of running fast with experience and instinct – perhaps that means checking business cases/plans at the door of the “crazy factory of your organisation” and getting on with bringing your moonshots to life.
There’ll be more of this happening in the future. “Here’s to the crazy ones”, hey Steve Jobs?
“This is a very short, roughly 10-minute, episode. It explains how to ..escape incremental thinking and think truly BIG. I loved it so much that I now listen to it on a regular basis as a reminder. Perhaps youâll end up doing the same…. Astro is currently Captain of Moonshots (CEO) of X, Alphabetâs moonshot factory for building magical, audacious ideas that, through science and technology, can be brought to reality.” Tim Ferriss
Deep Work, Self-Driving Cars, Automation & Great Online Presence
Hi,
Welcome to the 21st edition of this email. Did you know you can read all past editions in our archive?
The subject this time round is Deep Work.
Ready? Let’s focus…
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Deep Work
Hi from Torquay, overlooking the waves rolling in. I’m freshly inspired from listening to Cal Newport’s “Deep Work”. These words are interesting:
âIn this new economy, three groups will have a particular advantage: those who can work well and creatively with intelligent machines, those who are the best at what they do, and those with access to capital.âÂ
âTo remain valuable in our economy, therefore, you must master the art of quickly learning complicated things. This task requires deep work. If you donât cultivate this ability, youâre likely to fall behind as technology advances.”
Cal’s book is fascinating with quickly actionable tips and this is a great list by Ryan Holiday on how he does deep work. Fascinating.
Things getting too heavy?
“Piaggio recently unveiled the company’s first product, a personal cargo robot named Gita. The bot can carry up to 40 pounds autonomously using maps, or by following a human operating the bot’s path… It’s fast enough to keep up with you on a bike (22MPH), and [has] the “human agility” needed to navigate sidewalks.” via Peter Diamandis
Gita and other helpful-to-humans technology excites me! You too?
Self-driving cars: coming sooner
Recently in conversations I’ve suggested we’ll use self-driving cars sooner than expected, for a couple of reasons:
With so many other things to do, see, read, watch, catch up on (including sleep), car driving will start to be less of interest compared to other things we could do.
As more images of newly designed car interiors (movie cinema, sleeping pod, working space / shared office) appear the idea of the car being a location to do other things than drive will grow on us… quickly.
“the rise of artificial intelligence is likely to extend job destruction deep into the middle classes, with only the most caring, creative or supervisory roles remaining.” Stephen Hawking
I’ve also recently heard the entrancing term the “post-work economy”. Universal Basic Income anyone? What do you think?
Average is Dead, Designing your 2017 & Employee ExperiencesÂ
Hi,
Welcome to the 20th edition of this email. Did you know you can read all past editions in our archive?
The subject this time round is Average is Dead.
The Age of Average is Dead. Yippeee!
I’ve started listening to newly released “Thankyou for Being Late” which is “an essential and entertaining field guide to thriving in the 21st century” by the “Pulitzer Prize winner and number one international best-selling author of The World Is Flat”. A short way in, it’s already a great reflection on now and where we have the potential to head. Author Thomas L. Friedman mentions how Uber has removed layers of complexity for consumers – there’s no longer the need to call, schedule, trust a taxi will arrive,… Combined with others I’ve listened to recently concurring that the age of average is dead, it’s great to reflect on what Uber now provides and how it’s reduced effort, increased simplicity and even made the experience more enjoyable. What other complexities that we deal with day-to-day will be simplified to make life easier? So exciting.
Viktor & Rolf Exhibition
If you’re in Melbourne please head to the Viktor Rolf exhibition! It is a showcase of masterpieces of focus, determination, haute couture, craftsmanship, design, production, innovation and more. Absolutely exceptional. My photos are here. (Don’t peak if you’re going.)
Constant Learning is Here to Stay
We’re now in a fabulous time for humanity (move over negativity) and with it comes faster work environments and constant learning. Don’t freak out! Get an proactive, digitally-aware mindset. Get learning! Here’s your Digital Learning checklist (scroll down to where it says “Here is your Digital Learning Plan”). Use it to check you’re up to speed with current digital knowledge and send it to peers at work. Set time each week to fill each piece (it may take a lot less time than expected and give you great pride too).
2017 is Your Year!
Last year two of my legendary friends signed up for beginner ice hockey lessons. After the first few sessions they’d fallen in love with the sport and they’ve since fitted in practicing at the ice rink every day or two at lunch time or after work or… whenever! They run their own businesses and have full lives. They’ve made a new, exhilarating hobby fit in their lives. I’ve recently had a similar experience with surfing – I get so much done after a morning surf! What life priority / hobby is creating this sort of focus for you this year? Food for thought… Imagine altering your diary so you could be at [enter your equivalent to the ice hockey rink / surf break here] every day and that helped your productivity… Have fun!
Virtual Reality Excitement
An Australian VR start-up is creating accurate, virtual reconstructions of long-lost structures.
Do you have an iwatch? What face works for you? Here’s mine. I’m loving clicking the workout icon on the bottom-right, choosing ‘Other’ then ‘Surfing’ đ Here’s a simple introduction on how to use the workout mode.
Favourite reads & listens:
I loved this fun-loving company-insight video by Zendesk. Could your company inspire newcomers / potential recruits with something similar?
Expanding
Expanding
She’s a strategic advisor and performance coach who meets with individuals at set and spontaneous times and does all of the above. She’s there when needed to uplift performance and outcomes and involved in strategic decisions, planning and is constantly aligning people’s direction to the detailed vision.
âIn this new economy, three groups will have a particular advantage: those who can work well and creatively with intelligent machines, those who are the best at what they do, and those with access to capital.â 
It is a showcase of masterpieces of focus, determination, haute couture, craftsmanship, design, production, innovation and more. Absolutely exceptional. My photos are 
d with it comes faster work environments and constant learning. Don’t freak out! Get an proactive, digitally-aware mindset. Get learning! 
