Thought-provoking Things Worth Sharing - Issue #80
Nostalgia
This didn’t fit any standard categories this week, but it was fun. If you’re an Apple nerd, what could be better than this?
A Swiss IT manager’s 500-piece vintage Apple collection is going up for auction.
Looking at the pictures from the article was a throwback. I have to admit, though, I wasn’t always the Apple fanboy I am now, as I write this on my Macbook with my iPhone beside me.
This did remind me of an incredible throwback experience I had onboard the USS Missouri when visiting Pearl Harbor several years ago - PC Junkyard On Board the USS Missouri. All those old Compaq flat desktops with the monitor sitting on top of them. Oh, the memories.
What do you think? Are you up for a bid on that 128k or the Macintosh Portable?
On to the stuff I’ve written and discovered this week!
Careers and the Workplace
Linked – Social Media Is Dying
While I would love to end this with a condemnation of venture capitalists and hedge fund managers, I think it’s important to point out that many of us are complicit. Fund managers seeking the best short-term profits for their investments run funds whose shareholders include most of us. When we log in and look at our IRA or 401(k) accounts, we look for how much the value has increased, not what makes the most sense for society. Our account balance looks slightly nicer when a company lays off 10,000 employees and the stock price increases.
It’s all entwined. To paraphrase Michael Corleone – “We’re all part of the same hypocrisy.”
Why is it taking us so long to work this out? Because, the author writes, the new world of hybrid work isn’t simply about determining whether everybody should come back full-time to the office. It’s also forcing us to test long-held assumptions about how work should be done and what it even is.
Something to think about amid discussions of returning to the office - The office isn’t inclusive.
Mental Health in the Workplace
Ultimately, this is what will define your culture and your employee engagement. Do your actions match your words? It’s not enough to say you care about mental health, diversity, or developing the people who work for you. You had better put something behind that.
Lifting up both individuals and teams and recognizing emotions builds stronger communities, more trust, and helps people feel cared for. With the environment continuing to feel uncertain, engaging employees in this way is more important than ever.
Also, see:
Legal, Security, and Privacy
Chat is NOT Just Ephemeral Messaging - I’ve seen this and had this conversation. Legal and upper management can say that employees shouldn’t be creating any business records in chat, but what is really happening, and what information is getting lost with very short retention?
eDiscovery professionals, are you feeling less optimistic about the industry? It seems to be a trend.
Also on the eDiscovery front - The Importance of Data that Doesn’t Exist – Part Three (Missing Metadata – A Case Study)
Color me unsurprised - Cybercriminals Are Using ChatGPT to Make Their Jobs Easier Too.
Also, not surprising - Why People Are the Weakest Link in the Cybersecurity Chain
Training and Development
Linked – The Art of Storytelling: A Guide to Becoming a More Effective Storyteller
It’s one thing the throw data and facts at people, and it’s a whole other thing to put those into a context that anyone can understand. Stories do that.