April 29, 2024
Good morning! We went so long without it the last several years it thus far continues to be cause for celebration — rain, that is. Uber in? Uber out? It’s almost impossible to know. (Minnesotans will know about this, and for the rest of y’all, please forgive the cryptic.)
- A buttload of something, a common colloquialism, is 108 imperial gallons — as explained by The Macallan, makers of good tasting Scots Whisky.
- Whereas a barrel of something, an ever more common point of reference, is a mere 36 gallons.
- Who knew?! Better to have a buttload than a barrell; whose did they measure, do you suppose?
- Previous waves of technology have ushered in innovations that strengthened traditional organization structure.
- Not so for generative artificial intelligence and large language models.
- In these cases, the norms of organizational structure such as more people, more layers, more teams, more bureaucracy are being transformed by non-people.
- And, we’re told, hardly anyone knows for sure just how much of formerly human work is being done by non-humans. (M.I.T. Sloan Group, 2024)
- Fascinating.
- One major firm, Boston Consulting Group, is projecting twenty percent (20%) of its 2024 revenue will be generated by artificial intelligence. (BCG, 2024)
- Seven signs you work for a great leader (Portaker, 2024)
- Gives you credit
- Welcomes your ideas
- Encourages and supports your growth
- Cares about your well-being
- Values and respects your time away from work
- Leads by example
- Makes tough decisions with compassion
- Can you think of something the entire world should care more about than sustainable agriculture?
- Small and large farms still face barriers in the adoption of sustainable farming practices. (Ashcroft, 2024)
- Practices requiring changes in equipment have the lowest adoption levels. Makes sense where/ when capital is needed.
- More farmers are participating in government-led sustainable farming programs — 57% — than industry-sponsored programs — 4%.
- The perfect balance does exist — according to Dayforce.
- Today’s employers are caught in a balancing act between employee flexibility vs. meticulous compliance;
- empathy vs. efficiency, worker expectations vs. budget realities.
- It’s a fine line and tricker than most to walk.
- While global productivity continues to climb at unprecedented rates, the birth rate in the United States is the lowest since data tracking started in the 1930s.
- In 2023 the fertility rate among women of child bearing age in the U.S. was 1.62 — meaning — averages and all —
- — some were having more babies, some fewer, some none, but 1.62 is a new low.
- And, here’s more on global productivity:
- China had the highest growth over the last quarter century, boosting output from $6,000 per worker to more than $40,000.
- Central Europe doubled its output per worker to $80,000; India has been among the strong economies as well. (Smit, Etc., et al.)
- Swedish pole vaulter (as in track and field), Duplantis recently broke his own world record by clearing 6.24 meters.
- His previous record was 6.23 meters set last September… then, 6.22 meters before that.
- Genius! Duplantis gets up to a $100,000 pay day when he breaks the world record, so he raises the bar by one centimeter each time to maximize his earnings.
- Genius! Contract re-write anyone? (Matty Merritt, Etc., et al.)
- Building an organizational culture is tougher than ever. Recent research reveals the difference empathy can make — as well as how to develop it in your work place.
- “When I educate leaders in empathy, one of the first hurdles I need to get over is this stereotype that empathy is too soft and squishy for the work environment.
- It’s easy to debunk that. There are decades of evidence showing that empathy is a workplace superpower.” (Zaki, 2023)
- “Employees who believe their organizations, and especially their managers, are empathetic tend to call in sick with stress-related illnesses less often.
- They report less burnout. They report better mental health and morale and a greater intent to stay at their organizations.
- People who feel empathized also tend to innovate more and take creative risks.” (Ibid.)
- “In 2023, leaders were talking about a year of efficiency. It’s a mistake to assume that being efficient means tuning out emotionally and trying to disconnect from people so you can work them harder.
- But when people feel connected to their colleagues and to their leaders, they work harder, faster, and more creatively.” (Ibid.)
- “Another thing I often hear people say is empathizing with their employees would mean not holding them accountable to a high standard.
- I want to be really clear, in performance management, empathy is not the same as being soft.
- In fact, the kindest and most empathic thing you can do for somebody is tell them what they need to hear to grow.” (Ibid.)
