Thought-provoking Things Worth Sharing - Issue #167
Almost to a three-day weekend.
Monday is Memorial Day in the US. Many of us are looking forward to a three-day weekend. If I can help it, I will spend three solid days not thinking or talking about AI.
The hype, the constant new releases, the continuous changes, and the random “oops that isn’t working right now” are exhausting.
Welcome to this week’s collection of thought-provoking things. For each issue, I will share information about careers and workplace culture, mental health in the workplace, talent development, and key insights into privacy, security, and legal technology.
You can learn more about me here: Mike McBride Online.
AI has taken the air out of the room across all industries. We can’t talk about other technology or innovations without AI consuming most of the conversation. We can’t go online for five minutes without being bombarded with news and pitches from AI “gurus” who promise we can use AI to strike it rich!
Frankly, I’m tired of it. I need a break.
How about you?
Oh, I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but I bet someone does:
All joking aside, take some time for yourself and the remember why we celebrate Memorial Day in the first place - those we have lost and their service.
Careers and the Workplace
Linked - In the rapidly shifting world of work, many employees are unclear what’s expected of them.
The fact is that most of our organizations fail to communicate change and explain their expectations for employees, especially when they are remote. We don't prioritize this, and then we wonder why people aren't meeting the uncommunicated expectations and report being disengaged at work.
Career Advancement for Introverts: How to Succeed Now. Even before I left school, I’ve heard about networking; as an introvert, it’s always sounded awful. It doesn’t have to be.
They widen the talent pool and attract the best talent for one. - Why remote work is still the secret sauce behind small business success.
Yeah, this:
Incivility at Work Is a Culture Problem
It’s when you have a situation where most of the time people are rude and mean to each other that incivility becomes part of the work culture. And the reason it becomes a part of the culture is because no one is holding themselves or each other accountable.
Artificial Intelligence
If You Want to use AI effectively, You Need to talk to it—prompt and iterate, like having a conversation.
What skills will help you thrive?
Training and Development
Linked - Why We Quickly Forget So Much of What We Learn
The next time you want to do some deep learning. Learn, write, and then do.
Speaking of doing, this article identifies the importance of doing leadership: The Secret to Building Great Leaders.
Related - Promoted to a leadership role? Here's how to make the 'player-to-coach' transition seamlessly.
Mental Health in the Workplace
Linked - Microsoft’s layoff: How corporate downsizing is sparking a global mental health epidemic
We also need to talk once again about the mental health of both those who were let go and those who are left behind. The shock of having your life turned upside down on the whim of an organization's managers is overwhelming. Anyone who has been part of a layoff can tell you that. I went through it, and I know plenty of others who have also done so. It's a traumatic experience.
I've also had the experience of watching people I worked closely with get let go more than once as part of a downsizing. That is also traumatic, and the impact goes much further than being sad the day it happens. You're also likely adjusting schedules and workloads, taking on more work and stress for the same pay, and feeling guilty because you are at least still getting paid while others are not.
So, if you know someone affected by these layoffs, please reach out. Keep in touch with them as best you can and help keep them connected to a community within their industry.
Related - Job loss and its impact on mental health
Keep this list in mind - 15 brilliant resources to support your mental health at work.
From burnout to breakthrough: Leading through the mental health crisis at work. - Leadership shows up in all forms.
Privacy, Security, and Legal Tech
Worth Reading - New OneDrive Prompt Could Mix Work and Personal Files
There are obvious data privacy risks here. Sometimes, I forget that not everyone works in the legal industry and is hyper-aware of confidentiality and data privacy, the way you are when that is your firm's business, but this is not one of those times. Every business, including Microsoft, would be unhappy if a user synced company data into their consumer OneDrive account.
A review of a new Susskind book is always worth reading - Richard Susskind on AI for Lawyers: A Review of 'How to Think About AI.
Related - How artificial intelligence is transforming law firm operations. - Are law firms ready for this?
Experts warn that responsible data management must keep pace in the AI era.
I tell people this all the time about M365 collaboration tools. You have to talk to people to figure out where they are doing work. - Custodian Interviews: Critical to Defensible eDiscovery in the Age of Modern Communications.
I highly suggest doing the same - I Ditched the Algorithm for RSS—and You Should Too.
That’s all, folks. If you found something interesting in this week’s newsletter, please share it with your friends. It’s the best way to help support the effort I put into sharing this with you each week.