"The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference."
Wilhelm Stekel
Austrian physician and psychologist
"Gratitude is the sign of noble minds."
Aesop
Author of Aesop’s’ Fables
Blocking the Exits
Few things dismay a manager more than when a valued employee leaves without warning or explanation. Most executives want to know how their employees feel about their workplace experience so they can create a better one. One way this is done is through “exit interviews” when an employee, especially a valued one, decides to move on (assuming you can get the employee to do it).
Vistage speaker and employment law expert Hunter Lott offers an alternative that may help you not only learn more about your company but retain valued employees. Find out what he suggests as an alternative to the “exit interview” in his latest 5 minute “Take 5 with Hunter Lott” video post”.
Has Artificial Intelligence (AI) Arrived?
Remember the HAL 9000 Computer, the “silicon villain” in the groundbreaking 1968 film of Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “2001: A Space Odyssey.”? If you never saw the movie, the story is a mission to Jupiter in 2001 and the “intelligent” computer HAL 9000 who decides it knows better than its programmers how to assure its success. Check out the chilling 2-minute scene between Hal and the mission’s commander .
“2001” author Dr. Clarke warned that “We overestimate technology in the short term and underestimate technology in the long term.” A recent blog post by Dr. Scott Galloway (a professional skeptic) suggests that we may be at the end of the overrated short run and at the beginning of an underrated long-run. In his “No Mercy, No Malice” blog he projects an optimistic future for AI when he writes “I believe we’re in the midst of a great leap forward in AI, and that this tech will be transformative, not just lucrative, thanks to its utility.”
The Existential Threat to Every Business
“It's time to face a tough truth: we might have emotionally healthier employees in the future, but they may not have a place to be employed.”
Covid’s disruptions can be classified as cyclical (short term, visible today) or secular (long run, structural, not easily visible in the current moment. A short, one page post from Chief Executive Magazine suggests that some of the disruptions to the workforce that we refer to as the War for Talent are not only permanent but have significant consequences you may not have fully appreciated.
In particular, the article suggests that a permanent two-tier workforce is being created and with-it profound challenges. “The deep existential question, the one that most of us have not yet discussed is, who will lead this company in the future? …This existential question will give rise to two classes of employees in organizations….”
If you don’t read anything else in this newsletter this week; be sure to read “#ActYourWage: The Leader’s Existential Question.”
Do Talk to Strangers
During the holidays, we’re encouraged to think of the needs of others, especially those who may be alone at this time of year.
Talking to, and really listening to, our neighbor, the person sitting next to us at the airport, or the cashier at the grocery store may help someone who is struggling with loneliness. And it also helps us understand and appreciate people who may appear different from us.
It’s good for your kids too, as one of my favorite bloggers Dr. Scott Galloway explains in this 30 second video.
Econ Recon
Dr. Brian Wesbury’s latest blog post warns that the recent surges in the stock market are temporary and explains why this “rally shouldn’t last.”
Throwing us a Curve: One of the harbingers of a recession is an inverted yield curve in which short term interest rates are higher than long term rates. The Fed’s recent actions, according to Brian Beaulieu of ITR Economics, have pushed the yield curve into decidedly gloomy territory with serious implications for 2024. Learn more in his podcast “The Inverse Yield Cure is Here.”
A Note From Scott:
Friends,
I wish you all, my readers, friends, colleagues and group members a holiday that is full of love, joy and gratitude. Regardless of which holiday you celebrate, we can all be thankful for the blessings we have been given. I wish you all success in the new year at you grow in your leadership and service to those in your circles of influence. In the midst of fear and polarization let's be voices of hope, encouragement and love.
Happy Holidays,
Scott
