[07-Sep-24] About my Oct-24 workshop

Working on my yearly school workshop about digital transformation

I did mention 2 days ago - This time I plan to use AI to generate some of the slides I will be showing. Self-learning and -experience.

The self-learning and -experience started yesterday and I did work with three tools:

1. OpenAI's ChatGPT
2. Google's Gemini 

3. A new medium for presenting ideas. Powered by AI -- Gamma 

Here the task for ChatGPT and Gemini:

I am currently preparing a workshop on “What you need to be able to do or learn to survive in a world of robots or artificial intelligence?” for students aged between 16 and 18. Which 10 main areas should I cover and which 5 dangers should I urgently point out?

I would like to create one page for a presentation from each of the 10 main areas and 5 hazards. Can you please suggest possible titles, important content as bullet points and suitable images. Please also a start and end page.

ChatGPT was a little bit more flexible, for Gemini I had to take the suitable images request out, as it is just a language model - thanks for letting me know.

Initially I planned to let ChatGPT and Gemini generate some code to be loaded into either Powerpoint, LibreOffice or Google Slides. To create the necessary slides, but this was just too error-prone and technical for me. I am more the KISS - Keep it simple stupid guy, so I used Gamma in the end. 

My kind of tool - just create a FREE account, paste the text from

ChatGPT or Gemini, select an output language (German in my case) and a design for the presentation, let Gamma AI generate the Powerpoint slides - DONE. The free version can only create 10 pages, so I had to split the approach in 2 parts, to get my 17 slides in the end. Did not take more than 15 minutes in total, some learning included. Great stuff to get a really professional looking presentation, very impressive tool !!

When you plan to solve the riddle, you have to look at all even small details, just a hint.

50% of the Starliner mission is back on earth, the capsule. The astronauts have to wait until early 2025, what a disaster:

• Boeing Starliner capsule lands back on Earth, without astronauts, to end troubled test flight

• A Space Force Guardian Is Bringing Stranded Boeing Astronauts Home

• NASA Will Attempt to Launch Boeing's Troubled Starliner Away From Space Station as Fast as Possible, Just in Case

• NASA Engineers Were Disturbed by What Happened When They Tested Starliner's Thrusters

• Rethinking Success: Lessons for Leadership and Business

• McKinsey & Company: Monthly Highlights, September 2024 

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[05-Sep-24] Third holiday report

Back home from Belgium today

As mentioned and planned, we had been to the Orval Abbey on 02-Sep-24. A great place, clean and well managed, we have even seen bricklayer rebuilding old walls in the old way of doing the work. They are rebuilding the old monastery over time.

In 1789 the French Revolution broke out and all the possessions of Orval across the border were immediately confiscated. The abbey lived through various alerts, more or less serious, until the decisive day, 23rd June 1793, when the revolutionary troops led by General Loison sacked and burned the monastery Everything was wiped out. The community withdrew to its refuge in Luxembourg and then to the Priory of Conques. The community was officially suppressed on the 7th November 1795 and its members disbanded. For more than a century the charred walls of Orval were at the mercy of the weather and of stone- and treasure-seekers.

After the visit he had the opportunity to test the ORVAL beer and cheese in a restaurant close by. A great way to close a great day.

We had been in Wallonia - The South of Belgium is incredibly rich in cultural heritage: fascinating folklore; ancient traditions; relaxing walks in nature; endless open air activities and plentiful regional cuisine. - the remaining days we did enjoy the good food and diverse Belgian beers. Beer is a really difficult/interesting topic, especially when you are coming from Germany, but here a good starting point for some first insights.

I will be going back to work on Monday and I am looking forward to some busy month, besides all the day-2-day activities that are happening anyway:

• September: On the 12th I will be visiting the ZUKUNFT PERSONAL EUROPE 2024 in Cologne, some out of comfort zone activities, to learn and get new perspectives.
• October: On the 11th I will be doing my yearly school workshop about digital transformation. This time I plan to use AI to generate some of the slides I will be showing. Self-learning and -experience.
• November: On the 19th we will be hosting our yearly Data and Analytics Meetup. We do already have two external keynote speakers and will have to finish the agenda shortly.

More to come ...

• TED Talk: An actor and a neuroscientist answer: What makes you “you”?

• The 12 Books to Fire Up Your Brain This Fall. A sneak preview of my top new releases. - Adam Grant

• LinkedIn Data Points Out 2 Simple Ways to Improve Skills-Based Hiring

• Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski: The Next Einstein in the Making

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[01-Sep-24] The week 35-2024 summary

Second holiday report ...

Finishing the 1st holiday week today with great weather and interesting visits, like the Euro Space Center yesterday. On the picture you can see a physical model of our Solar System, in size and also distance between the planets. Mercury in front of the Sun (the large metal ring), then Venus, the Earth and the other planets behind it. Neptune is the small blue circle on the right close to the forrest. A really impressive and walkable model.

Tomorrow we plan to visit Orval Abbey, a monastery of Trappist Cistercian monks with a brewery and a cheese factory. Sounds promising.

Yesterday I finished the 1st book and did start the 2nd today. Some helpful links from the 1st book below:

• Lincoln's Great Depression (from Oct-2005)

• A Point of View: Churchill, chance and the 'black dog' (from Sep-2011)

• About Arthur Schopenhauer, the depressive's favorite philosopher

Will keep you posted about the progress I am making with the The Midnight Library. Have a great next week and enjoy the gallery that I did add bellow.

"As the biggest library if it is in disorder is not as useful as a small but well-arranged one, so you may accumulate a vast amount of knowledge but it will be of far less value than a much smaller amount if you have not thought it over for yourself." -- Arthur Schopenhauer, German - Philosopher February 22, 1788 - September 21, 1860

• Video: Build a Resilient Brain to Overcome Any Obstacle
• The Must-Read Articles for Talent Professionals This Week (30-Aug-24)
• Our World in Data: Global investment in generative AI
• ‘Wisdom Work’ > ‘Knowledge Work,’ CEO Lessons from the CIA, & More – The Leadership That Works Newsletter
• Claude.ai: Artifacts are now generally available
• When Leaders Double Down on Bad Decisions
• Beauty can come from brokenness. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with precious metals like gold, silver or platinum.
• Master Problem Solving, Credits to Ivan Carillo
• The 4 ant philosophy which made a huge change the way I think.

  Ants teach us four powerful life lessons

• Stress-reducing foods are those that help calm the mind, stabilize mood, and support overall mental well-being

• AI: Overhyped Fantasy Or Truly The Next Industrial Revolution?

"The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice." -- Arthur Schopenhauer

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[30-Aug-24] First holiday report

1st insights into the Reasons To Stay Alive book

As mentioned we did go to Belgium for our summer vacation. The separation you see on the Visit Belgium webpage is explained in the text below. Interesting and sometimes surprising for visitors.

Belgium is divided between a French-speaking people, collectively called Walloons (approximately one-third of the total population), who are concentrated in the five southern provinces (Hainaut, Namur, Liège, Walloon Brabant, and Luxembourg), and Flemings, a Flemish- (Dutch-) speaking people (more than one-half of the total population), who are concentrated in the five northern and northeastern provinces (West Flanders, East Flanders [West-Vlaanderen, Oost-Vlaanderen], Flemish Brabant, Antwerp, and Limburg).

Yesterday we did visit Bouillion, today we stay in our cottage due to rain showers and tomorrow we plan to see the Euro Space Center for a

Spationaut day, they are only open on Saturday and Sunday.

The book from Matt Haig is all about depression. Early signals and facts from your childhood, how to realize the situation, what is helping and not helping, how to handle and survive the status quo, how to get out of it and come to a long-term improvement. His personal story. Below some OpenAI statements about the topic:

Depression can affect anyone regardless of family background or social status. It's crucial to realize that depression is a serious mental health condition that requires attention. Being mindful of symptoms such as persistent sadness, loss of interest, and changes in sleep patterns can help in early detection.

Seeking professional help is key in managing depression. Medications such as antidepressants can be prescribed by healthcare providers to help regulate brain chemicals. Additionally, therapy and lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, proper diet, and sufficient sleep can aid in overcoming depression and lead to a healthier life once again.

"Depressive disorder, or depression, is a common mental health condition that can happen to anyone. It is characterized by a low mood or loss of pleasure or interest in activities for long periods of time." So we might know some celebrities with this mental health problem, but it can be anybody around you? 

I am not an expert in this area, but there are always two ways to see the same situation. - "Everytime we are on holiday it is raining" OR "after several sunny days a good opportunity to relax and take a short break - and it is good for the nature around us, ..."

Sometimes there might only be one way?

• Starliner Is Such a Disaster That Boeing May Cancel the Entire Project
• Boeing Might Not Get Starliner Working Before the Space Station Is Destroyed

...  and sometimes not ...

Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs due to a rare disorder known as Tetra-amelia syndrome. He has faced incredible challenges from birth, dealing with both physical and emotional hurdles. He struggled with depression and loneliness during his childhood but eventually overcame these through his faith, family support, and an indomitable spirit.

• Video: Inspiring man born without arms or legs - Nick Vujicic | 60 Minutes Australia

I think you have to find the right role model for your case, should be a stretch goal to reach it, but not impossible from day-1. And try to change from the glass-half-empty to the glass-half-full side early in your process or journey, as some positive thinking will be helpful.

• Where Will Artificial Intelligence Take Us In The Future?

• Can Humans Detect AI-Generated Text? 6 Studies Would Suggest They Can’t

• The New Happy: How are you, really?

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[23-Aug-24] Happy holiday ...

Now I have two weeks to focus on the glass balls

Last working day today after two intensive planning days on Wednesday and Thursday. Good results for the two Agile Release Trains (ART) I am supporting in the moment. One ART did the 12th planning this week, the other one the 3rd.

Less experience gives much more opportunities for large improvements, for the more experienced team it is really difficult to further grow, but they are trying and succeed. No need to give up.

• 10 brilliant ways to fail by ignoring the Agile principles
  Re-release - original from August 2023, Willem-Jan Ageling

• Video: Pon Asher "Leave it to me"
• Video: Boston Dynamics' new electric version of Atlas shows off its strength and flexibility by doing pushups.

We will stay at home for the weekend and then we are on the road for some days in the Belgium/Luxenburg area in a holiday resort. Looking forward to it.

• Even in the most heated discussions and most stressful phases, great leaders choose to show behaviour that positively impacts others and the situation as such.

• Shaping the Future of Learning: The Role of AI in Education 4.0

• When you come across someone who is smarter or more knowledgeable than you, it’s a great opportunity for growth and collaboration

• Lee Sampson: Receiving feedback is like removing a plaster. People have a preference for how it's done.
• The New Happy: How to be a good communicator
• The New Happy: The world we see 

[21-Aug-24] Humans and Personality

Different types explained and referenced ...

Some good pictures and infographics today, just follow the details via the link connected to the pictures.

The final presentation of our New Teams Building challenge was yesterday. All teams did a really great job to summarize the six tasks they had to work out. All had a lot of fun and did learn details about themselves and their new team members. We had four people in the jury and did easily agree on the winner, the team with the best package delivered - look & feel, content and presentation style - all done in the available time. The team building was a good basis for the 2-day planning phase starting today. Trust, engagement and team spirit is a good enabler for success. We will see shortly ...

• Scott Ambler: How Agilists Can Move Forward After Shatting the Bed
• Digital Storm Weekly: AI: The Future is Here - From Gen Z Dreams to Corporate Battlegrounds #72

• Why the Best Tool for Sourcing Is (Still) a Sharp Mind

• AI Can Make Professionals More Productive — With a Little Help from Leaders

• Marketoonist: Playing it Safe is Risky

[18-Aug-24] The week 33-2024 summary

How to solve the dilemma?

I know the line management deadlock as well. It is sometimes difficult to work with the line management, and in other situations team members only listen to their line management, even in an agile environment, where they are supposed to be self-managed and self-organized.

Next week Wednesday and Thursday we have our next PI planning, two days to prepare the coming 3-month in our project until Nov-24. The new teams are already preparing the planning days, so it will be running smoothly. THen I have Friday to prepare my two weeks holiday, well deserved I would say.

Deadpool & Wolverine also had some dilemmas in their new film -

“No wonder the Avengers didn't take you. Or the X-Men, and they'll take anyone.” -- Wolverine - let's see what OpenAI thinks about it? The free version possibly is not aware about their new film yet?

Deadpool and Wolverine, two iconic Marvel characters, share several commonalities despite their contrasting personalities. Their healing factors, enhanced strength, and combat prowess are top similarities. Both characters have a dark past that influences their actions and decisions. Additionally, they possess exceptional regenerative abilities that make them nearly immortal.

On the other hand, Deadpool and Wolverine have key differences that set them apart. Deadpool is known for his comedic nature and breaking the fourth wall, while Wolverine maintains a gruffer and more reserved demeanor. Their fighting styles vary significantly, with Deadpool often utilizing swords and a more erratic approach compared to Wolverine's straightforward claw attacks. Moreover, their moral compasses differ, with Deadpool being more morally flexible than the morally upright Wolverine.

A good summary and the majority of the topics was used in the film, what a surprise.

• The Must-Read Articles for Talent Professionals This Week (16-Aug-24)

• How Leaders Can Ask More Powerful Questions - You don't have to be a coach to ask provocative questions that spark curiosity, make people think, and facilitate courageous conversations by Gustavo Razzetti

• Video: A Complete Guide to Becoming Highly Productive

• My view on ALL the changes in LeSS Scrum - 2020 Scrum Guide vs LeSS Scrum by Willem-Jan Ageling

• 17 Generative AI Data Analytics Tools Everyone Should Know About

• Why Your Company Urgently Needs an AI Policy: Protect and Propel Your Business

"I’m The Best There Is At What I Do, But What I Do Best Isn’t Very Nice."
X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Just coming back from our weekly Sunday ballroom dancing training. First time after several weeks off. Interesting to see that everything that made it into the subconscious mind in the past is still perfectly available, the rest can either be rudimentary remembered or is totally gone. More to practise, practise, practise ...

Have a great next week.

[15-Aug-24] You’re never done

Embrace every evolution ...

I had the opportunity for an evolution today. I did summarize some BLOG posts from May-21 on Substack - Motherhood and Agile Leadership

Due to timing only some more links today:

• Tom Fishburne marketoonist: Thought Leadership
• TED2024: An anthem for peace and justice from Israeli and Palestinian youth
• Video: Best of “A Symphonic Tribute to Queen”• Philharmonie Salzburg • M. Ballwein • P. Büttner • E. Fuchs

• Boeing's Starliner Could Spin Out of Control and Crash Into the Space Station, Expert Warns (not funny)

• Confused Robotaxis Gather in Droves to Honk at Each Other All Night (very funny)

• Dan Rockwell: Say No: The Key to Freedom
• Dan Rockwell: Ugly Efficiency: Discover the Secret Power of Beauty
• Frank Sonnenberg: Is Good Ever Too Good?

• Charted: Big Tech Uses More Electricity Than Entire Countries

• Team Growth Matrix also known as Performance-Potential Matrix

[13-Aug-24] Banksy is back

Banksy's animal-themed art trail across London

Street artist Banksy finished an animal-themed art trail across London with a painting on the shutters of the capital's zoo showing a gorilla freeing a sea lion and birds.

Interested in my 7th eBOOK covering the 2024 posts? The latest update until 11-Aug-24 is available via the Downloads menu. Enjoy reading.

Our new teams building initiative started today with an introduction session. Every team member had 5 minutes for sharing some personal and business insights. Next session is tomorrow, all teams have two hours to work out six different tasks. The results will be presented next week Tuesday, due to two public holidays in India (for details see my 07-Aug-24 post). Besides the fun fact all session will be about learning, about the team members and themselves.

• Video: THE 6 TYPES OF WORKING GENIUS by Patrick Lencioni | Core Message
• Video: 103 YEAR Old Doctor Reveals The Secrets To Living Longer, Happier & Healthier - Dr. Gladys McGarey
• Dan Rockwell: 5 Gratitude Strategies to Energize Your Team Today
• Scott Ambler: The Agile Community Shat The Bed
• Chris Stone: Personal user manuals - The approach you never knew you needed + Resources to create one

• Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge." – Simon Sinek
  

• The Different Styles Of Learning. Source: Integrated Learning Strategies

P.S:

• The massive Crowdstrike IT outage struck millions in July, causing global havoc.

• Video: Snoop Dogg & Dr.Dre perform TOGETHER at the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony --> LA 2028 will be different ...

[11-Aug-24] My week 32-2024 highlights

Last day of the Olympics and the final Medal table

Many sports heros did retire during the 2024 Olympics and several new promising talents have been discovered. Four years time until Los Angeles 2028.

Google Gemini: Top 10 Stories of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics

1. USA vs. China: A Fierce Medal Battle
The United States and China engaged in a thrilling competition for the top spot on the medal table. Their head-to-head battle in various sports, particularly basketball, kept audiences on the edge of their seats.

2. Historic Dominance of US Track and Field
The United States showcased unparalleled dominance in track and field, sweeping all hurdle events for the first time in history and securing medals in almost every individual track event.

3. Pakistan's Golden Moment
Arshad Nadeem's gold medal in the men's javelin throw marked a historic victory for Pakistan, ending a 32-year drought.

4. India's Vinesh Phogat: A Controversial Near-Miss
Vinesh Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final but was disqualified due to a weight issue, sparking controversy and debate.

5. Seine Pollution Concerns
The Seine River's water quality issues led to postponements of triathlon events, raising environmental concerns and highlighting the challenges of hosting water sports in urban areas.

6. "Bob the Cap Catcher" Becomes a Viral Sensation
A lifeguard, affectionately dubbed "Bob the Cap Catcher," became an internet sensation after diving into the pool to retrieve a swimmer's cap.

7. Yusuf Dikec's Cool and Collected Style
Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec captured hearts with his relaxed demeanor during competition, casually resting his hand in his pocket while aiming.

8. Surfing's Spectacular Debut
Surfing made its Olympic debut in Paris, showcasing the sport's dynamic and thrilling nature to a global audience.

9. USA Women's Basketball Extends Dominance
The US women's basketball team continued their reign as Olympic champions, securing their eighth consecutive gold medal.

10. A Spectacular Opening Ceremony
The Paris 2024 Olympics kicked off with a visually stunning and innovative opening ceremony, setting the stage for a memorable games.

A pretty good and less than in 2 seconds summary, I covered some of the topics as well.

• Interesting video: Noah Lyles is the 2024 Olympic champion in the 100m, but just how much faster is he than the Paris Olympic champion of 1924, Harold Abrahams? The answer might surprise you.
• Adam Grant: I Was Wrong About the Olympics

• AI Platforms At The Olympic And Paralympic Games Paris 2024: How Intel Is Transforming The World's Greatest Sporting Events

• Video: Square Wheeled Tricycle

• The Must-Read Articles for Talent Professionals This Week (09-Aug-24)

• [11-Aug-24] Ranked: Top Companies by Generative AI Patents

• Overcome your fear of giving feedback. Supercommunicators. Talking to customers is the fastest way to learn

• Mapping the FORTUNE Global 500

• Why Team Culture Is More Powerful Than Company Culture

• The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model, Credits to Timothy Timur Tiryaki, PhD

• What is the key secret of personal development? It is understanding which learning style is best for you

• 15 Powerful Ways To Start Your Presentation

• Burnout isn’t a badge of honor, it’s a warning sign. Here's what your days shouldn't be

• Productivity means using your time, energy, and resources efficiently to achieve your goals. It's about doing the right tasks effectively and completing them without wasting effort.

[07-Aug-24] Olympics AI limerick (poem)

A place for locals, tourists and everyone keen to discover Limerick

I did prepare the team building activities for the newly build teams in my project today. Announcement was last Monday and the team sessions will start next week Tuesday. Due to India Independence Day on 15-Aug-24 and a lot of people leaving for a long weekend, the final results will be presented on 19-Aug-24. One of the tasks will be to generate a LIMERICK about the team, based on e.g. team name, logo, scope and available skills of the members.

As this was a great trigger for me today, I did ask different AI chatbots to generate a limerick - "Please write a funny limerick using the following topics as basis: Olympics 2024, paternity leave, motivation and values".

Here the results, pretty diverse and good quality:

Gemini

• A dad, an Olympian bright,
  Thought gold was his ultimate light.
  But baby's first coo,
  Changed his world's view,
  And paternity leave felt so right.

ChatGPT

• In Paris, the Olympics took flight,
  As new dads cheered with delight,
  They traded gold dreams,
  For diaper change schemes,
  Proclaiming, "Our values shine bright!"

Claude

• An Olympian, ready to soar,
  Found out he'd be dad times four!
  He said with a grin,
  "My values will win:
  Family first, then go for gold galore!"

OpenAI (the helping hand on this BLOG platform)

• There once was an Olympian so bold,

  Took paternity leave, we were told.

  His motivation and values so high,

  He bid the Olympics goodbye,

  Said family first, medals can wait, all jokes will be told!

Helpful links for today:

• TED Talk: How AI could empower any business

• TED Talk: How to disagree with respect — not hate

• 9 Hidden Signs of Personal Growth written by Sahil Bloom

[06-Aug-24] Olympics pictures, part V

Whale steals the spotlight during Olympic women's surfing semi-finals

A whale and a full moon make really interesting pictures possible, not always expected or planned.

Some more pictures and links today:

• UDACITY: AI and Your Career: How to Prepare for the Changing Job Landscape
• My Substack: Emotional Intelligence and more ...

• 8 Things That Set Truly Confident People Apart

• Developing a growth mindset is more crucial than ever

• Penguins: It might not feel like a choice some days, but you do get some say in what you add to it

• The Simple Candidate Experience Hack That Every Company Should Adopt

• How Hose Drags, Sales Demos, and Triage Tests Can Help You Make the Right Hire

• From Hubris to Intellectual Humility: Advantages for Modern Leaders

• Leadership isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. It morphs and adapts, shaped by the circumstances and the needs of workers at any given moment

[04-Aug-24] The week 31-2024 summary

Olympics pictures, part IV - DIKEC Yusuf again

The relaxed, cool and down to earth way how Dikec appeared in the
10m Air Pistol Men tournament, seems to be very motivating for people creating pictures and memes on social media. Two more examples today.

Other supporting characters are ...

• 8 Times Snoop Dogg Proved Himself a National Treasure at the 2024 Olympics

• Video: JO PARIS 2024 - Les Minions sous la Seine lors de la cérémonie d'ouverture

"Sometimes a loss is the best thing that can happen. It teaches you what you should have done next time." -- Snoop Dogg

"If it's flipping hamburgers at McDonald's, be the best hamburger flipper in the world. Whatever it is you do you have to master your craft." -- Snoop Dogg, American - Rapper Born: October 20, 1971

The Olympics 2024 will go on for another week until 11-Aug-24 and it is looking pretty good for a lot of the German women and men teams. We will see how it goes until the end? 

Interesting next week as we will be preparing the last demo of this three month period and then the 5-day team building phase of the newly build teams. A lot of pressure, but also opportunities to be successful and to improve for the next 3 month. A great experience ...

• Video: Building iron discipline
• Video: The story behind the Paris Olympics cauldron balloon

• The Surprising Benefits of Being Bored at Work. Boredom is a warning sign. It's your untapped potential talking by Gustavo Razzetti

• Recent CrowdStrike Failure

• Great leaders don’t just make the right choices:
  They make the best decisions with the info they have

[03-Aug-24] Olympics pictures, part III

Another participant going viral ...

This time it was DIKEC Yusuf, Turkish 10m Air Pistol Men, who did show up without any helping tools and did win the Silver Medal, pretty cool.

NI Xia Lian, Women Table Tennis, did lose her next game and did not make it to the round of the last 16. Possibly no real issue with age 61 at her 6th Olympics?

The Men's cycling road race did show the beauty of Paris and its surroundings today. All 2024 Olympic Venues are really impressive, in the city center and a little bit farer away, like Tahiti for surfing as example. 

A good example for SHU-HA-RI and maximizing your strengths is Oliver Zeidler. He dominated the men's single sculls final today and did win the Gold medal. He was a very good swimmer in the past and did start rowing just 8 years ago, what a success story. OpenAI about SHU-HA-RI:

Shu Ha Ri is a concept originating from Japanese martial arts that symbolizes the stages of learning and mastery. The first stage, Shu, represents following traditions and absorbing knowledge without deviation. Second, Ha, involves breaking from tradition, exploring new ideas, and adapting techniques. Finally, Ri signifies transcending mastery to reach a state of complete freedom and self-expression. In a professional context, this concept can be applied to continuous learning and development in various fields.

Key insights to consider about Shu Ha Ri include understanding the importance of respecting traditional knowledge before seeking innovation. It highlights the necessity of building a strong foundation of skills and principles before venturing into new territories. Embracing the concept of Shu Ha Ri can foster growth, creativity, and adaptability in both personal and professional endeavors, leading to enhanced expertise and self-realization.

• I Wish I Knew This When I Was 5. What We Can Learn From Children?

• It's Sounding Like Boeing's Starliner May Have Completely Failed

• McKinsey & Company: Monthly Highlights, August 2024

• Will AI Really Revolutionize Every Industry? A Critical Analysis

• Leading the AI-driven organization

[01-Aug-24] Olympics pictures, part II

Rowing athlete’s name at the Paris Olympics goes viral

Julius Christ did get a lot of attention this week, due to his name and doing sports on water :-)

• “If this guy stands up and starts running on the water this will be the greatest Olympics of all time,” quipped Chris Bakke on a post on X.

• “Surely one of these blokes has an unfair advantage on the water?” asked stand up comedian Danny McGinlay.

Today he did help out in the German men’s eight boat as one team member was ill. And no walking on water ...

• Video: SURROUNDED BY IDIOTS by Thomas Erikson | Core Message

• 8 Principles for Innovation, How to Keep Growing, & More – The Leadership That Works Newsletter

• Frank Sonnenberg: Words Matter — Communication Affects Every Area of Your Life

• 10 Mistakes Smart People Never Make Twice

• Traditional Software and FREE alternatives

[30-Jul-24] Olympics pictures

Surfing and table tennis ...

• How Photog Jerome Brouillet Got the Viral Shot of Olympic Surfer Gabriel Medina

• Paris 2024 Olympics: 61-year old Ni Xia Lian wins first round match at sixth Games

I like the small stories that are besides the mainstream broadcasting of the Paris 2024 Olympics, but the Seine water quality discussion is everywhere.

• Men’s Olympic triathlon postponed in Paris over Seine water quality concerns

More to come very early in the morning tomorrow at around 04.00 AM.

Besides the Olympics there is only work in the moment and the 1st week is normally much more interesting than the 2nd, due to all the different kind of sports that are shown on TV. Fascinating ...

• Ranked: All-Time Gold Medals in the Summer Olympics, by Country

• Retired Astronaut Admits Boeing's Starliner Has Trapped Crew in Space

• Dan Rockwell: A 10-Minute Revolution: 7 Things You Can Accomplish in 10-minutes

• How to Ask Someone to Be Your Mentor

• TED Talk: The secret force for limitless energy? Lasers

• What benefits do we get from psychological safety in action?

• MIT researchers have developed an AI model capable of detecting breast cancer up to 5 years before clinical diagnosis

• Daniel Lock: Struggling with change management? Transform your change management skills with these 9 must-watch videos for every leader

• How to free up ourselves? We must control our tech before it controls us

[28-Jul-24] My week 30-2024 highlights

Paris 2024 Olympics opened on Friday

The opening ceremony on Friday did show a very different approach and was followed by many critical voices:

• Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony: All the Biggest Moments From the Games’ Kickoff

• Olympics 2024: Upset bishops and mixed reviews for opening ceremony

Biggest change was to have all 200+ teams on boats and not in a stadium as always, why not? 100 years after the last Paris Olympics in 1924 a new approach has been taken.

Opening ceremony outfits are another topic, a small OpenAI summary below:

Throughout the last 100 years of Summer Olympic Games, team dresses have evolved significantly, reflecting changing fashion trends and cultural influences. From simple and practical designs in the early 20th century to more modern, colorful, and innovative uniforms in recent years, each era has brought its unique style to the field of athletic fashion.

Several famous designers have made appearances in designing Summer Olympic team dresses, leaving a mark on the fashion world. Notable designers such as Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney, and Giorgio Armani have contributed their creative vision to the Olympic stage, creating iconic and memorable looks for athletes representing their nations on the global stage.

And two articles:

• Paris 2024 Olympics: Opening ceremony outfits - USA's jeans, Mongolia's deels, and Canada's bold red-on-red

• How Mongolia’s Viral Olympics 2024 Uniforms Came Together in Just 12 Weeks 

[26-Jul-24] More about learning ...

A quick collection of helpful references

Have a look:

• 9 Free University Courses on the Skills that Get You Paid

• 21 FREE courses from Ivy League universities

• 16 Crucial Soft Skills, Credits to Gav Blaxberg

• Some skills never lose their value. They are the currency of personal growth

• These are the 17 Pitfalls of Change that you want to avoid

• Why Change Fails, Credits to Jeroen Kraaijenbrink

And some others as well:

• Boeing's Starliner Stuck at the ISS Until at Least August, NASA Admits

• Learn Faster With Mindgrasp - Mindgrasp instantly creates accurate notes, summaries, flashcards, quizzes, and answers questions from any Document, PDF, YouTube Video, Zoom Meeting, Webinar Recording, Podcast and much more!

• unFIX: The Iterative Sculptor (We’ve uncovered fifteen AI use case patterns)

[25-Jul-24] About help & communication

Too much help does not always help ...

Let's start with skills and learning first:

• Developing the right skills is key to success: Top 8 skills to 10x your career

• Elevate your change management skills with free courses from Ivy League schools and top universities

• 12 qualities of people with Group Intelligence (GQ)

• Dan Rockwell: CULTIVATING GREATNESS: YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH MANIFESTO

• How to be an Inspiring Leader, Credit to Justin Wright

• Emotional intelligence plays a key role in self-care and balance.

  It helps leaders understand their needs and manage their well-being

• Want to be a top performer? It's not just about hard work. Here are 10 key behaviors

In the agile world the Teams should be self-managed and -organized. When their Product Owner and Scrum Master are lacking the right communication skills to report progress as demanded or expected, Senior Management help might be offered?

Sounds great on the one side, but could mean a lot of additional administration, documentation, communication and reporting work. The effort for this cannot be used for delivering the product, so you might fall further behind in your delivery schedule? Too much help does not always help. You either earned the trust in your approach before that help is not required, or you are strong enough to reject the helping hand as early as possible. Your choice and call ...

The other topic is communication, what should be happening regularly. But you have to be very sensitive about the expectations of your audience. Do not just communicate to communicate. You better have content and to say something valuable, or you will be losing your audience faster than you think. Finding the right cadence for communication is definitely a challenge and you have to manage the expectations in your audience coming with a larger communication carefully. Not an easy task ...

• The Future of Recruiting 2024

• Dan Rockwell: COULD YOU BE A LOUSY LISTENER WITHOUT KNOWING

• How will AI adoption play out in your industry?
  Some sectors will face more disruption and obstacles than others. Knowing where your business sits is key to maximising GenAI’s potential

• How Olympic Swimmer Kate Douglass Uses Data to Win — and You Can Too

• 20 Essential Python Modules for Developers

• The Crowdstrike topic:

  • CROWDSTRIKE OFFERS $10 GIFT CARD AS APOLOGY FOR SHUTTING DOWN BASICALLY THE WHOLE EARTH

  • CrowdStrike Reveals New Details About What Caused Windows Outage

"Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm, as you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others." -- Audrey Hepburn, British - Actress May 4, 1929 - January 20, 1993

[22-Jul-24] No overnight transformations

There are no overnight transformations

The New Happy: "You might beat yourself up for this, believing that there is something wrong with you and the way you're approaching your goals. But there's nothing wrong with you—this is just how change works. We change through attempts and setbacks and unlearning and re-learning."

I have seen two surveys from Statista Germany lately, one about Homeoffice and the other one about the 4-Day workweek. As I could not find similar data in English, I did ask Gemini from Google for some insights and the used references and sources:

• See: Home Office vs. Hybrid: Survey Results, for interesting details

Perfect fit to the picture and headline today. It is not happening over night, because it will be a journey and people have to understand all Pros and Cons, to make a personal qualified decision for their best way forward. And just in case your purpose and the purpose of the company you are working for does not match enough, you have to take a decision and make a change. It is an employee market in the moment.

• Bravery, brilliance and RuPaul Charles | On the Spot | RuPaul Charles | TED2024 • April 2024

• The Pros and Cons of Sharing Interview Questions Early

• 10 Powerful Ways To Create Your Own Happiness 

[21-Jul-24] The week 29-2024 summary

Too much automation might be dangerous?

Just two out of several examples in the moment:

• BOEING DESPERATELY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THRUSTER ISSUE THAT'S STRANDED ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE ALL SUMMER --
  NASA STILL HASN'T ANNOUNCED A RETURN DATE.

• Crowdstrike: REMEDIATION AND GUIDANCE HUB: FALCON CONTENT UPDATE FOR WINDOWS HOSTS

For sure there are many more cases to be discussed in the moment, what do you think?

After lot of good insights into the world of knowledge workers last week, we will see what comes next. Maybe this?

• Video: How to Tap into the Hidden Potential of Your Brain

• The Must-Read Articles for Talent Professionals This Week (19-Jul-24)

• How to Build Psychological Safety Without Waiting for the Leader

• 9 mindsets of the most successful people, Credits to Lukas J.M. Stangl

• Paul Storm: Goodbye ChatGPT - Experience the future with AI Chrome extensions

[19-Jul-24] Just some pictures today ...

Many people are afraid to leave their comfort zones

Have a great sunny and relaxing weekend.

• 10 Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

• Video: CrowdStrike CEO on global outage: Goal now is to make sure every customer is back up and running
• Bernard Marr: AI Politicians: The Future Of Democracy Or A Threat To Freedom?

• Open Source Databases: Powering Modern Data Solutions

[18-Jul-24] More knowledge workers ...

There is more to the topic coming my way

I did get really good feeback from my colleague doing the Master Thesis interview about my post from yesterday. It is also available on Substack.

As always when you focus on a topic in more depth, you will quickly realize a selective awareness. Yesterday it was SWOT and Personal Growth, today I found these:

• The NOISE Analysis Model, Credits to Jeroen Kraaijenbrink

• What does log felling have to do with personal development?

• Dan Rockwell: THE SURPRISING GUIDE TO LASTING IMPACT
• Tanmay Vora: The Iceberg of Organizational Knowledge: How to Unlock Tacit Knowledge
• The New Happy: Results are coming AND Your unique path

In addition to that Seth Godin did write in his daily newsletter:

Glib
One of the valid complaints about some AI systems is that they make stuff up, with confidence, and without sourcing, and then argue when challenged. Unsurprisingly, this sounds a lot like people.

We often end up with what we are willing to tolerate. Show your work and ask for receipts.

Interesting - Anyway, let's ask OpenAI about some insights:

When it comes to professional knowledge sharing, storage, and management in companies, having a structured approach is key. Establishing a centralized knowledge base where information is easily accessible to all team members is essential. Encouraging a culture of open communication and collaboration can significantly enhance knowledge sharing and retention within the organization.

Top 10 to 20 list for good practices in professional knowledge management:

1. Implement a knowledge management system

2. Organize information in a clear and systematic manner

3. Encourage employees to share their expertise and insights regularly

4. Provide training on knowledge management best practices

5. Utilize technology tools for efficient storage and retrieval of information

6. Regularly update and review the knowledge base content

7. Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement

8. Document processes and procedures for easy reference

9. Recognize and reward employees who actively contribute to knowledge sharing

10. Conduct regular knowledge sharing sessions and workshops

11. Establish clear roles and responsibilities for knowledge management

12. Develop standardized templates for documenting knowledge

13. Make knowledge sharing a part of performance evaluations

14. Ensure data security measures are in place to protect sensitive information

15. Create user-friendly interfaces for accessing and contributing to the knowledge base

16. Regularly assess the effectiveness of knowledge management practices

17. Implement a feedback mechanism for continuous improvement

18. Promote cross-functional collaboration to facilitate knowledge sharing across departments

19. Encourage peer-to-peer learning and mentoring within the organization

20. Emphasize the importance of knowledge management as a strategic asset for the company

A really good outcome and helpful hints, how to better prepare a supportive environment for knowledge workers ...

[17-Jul-24] About knowledge workers

There are a few ways to categorize job titles across industries

IBM: Knowledge workers, typically those with advanced training and years of experience, have become a valuable asset for companies worldwide. Businesses lean on these people who “think for a living” to drive innovation, solve problems and manage personnel.

See also other examples:

• Kolekti: What is a Knowledge Worker?
• Indeed: What Is a Knowledge Worker and What Do They Do? (With Types)

I had an interview with a colleague yesterday about the Knowledge Worker topic and my opinion about it. The content will become part of the investigation for a Master Thesis.

We covered aspects like status quo in the company, where am I coming from and going to, differences between Waterfall and Agile project management, the role of the individual employee and their management, industry trends, life-long-learning, talent and knowledge management, etc.

For me personally the answer is definitely driven by the years behind and in front of you in your working career. At the beginning you just finished your education and cannot wait to use the knowledge in real life. After 35 years, as in my current situation, you will see a lot of topics differently, due to your expertise, experience and learning over time.

• 3 years ago I started in the Agile world after 30+ years in Waterfall projects. Self-managed and organized teams, no line management anymore and Agile roles driving the project and organization forward would be my dream scenario. Without a change in mindset, culture and commitment, we will never reach this.
• Learning, un-learning and re-learning will be key to survive in the war-for-talent, to better handle a professional knowledge transfer, storage and management, to be prepared for the baby boomers leaving in the next 5 years, for smartly supporting up to five different generations in the work environment, to get ready for 2024 technology trends and most-in-demand skills. I did not even mention AI yet ...
• Learn all you can about yourself: Your personality and learning types, your attitude, mindset, values, motivation, way of handling change, your skills, experience and expertise. Your Strength and Weakness (SWOT), your IKIGAI, purpose and many more. You just have to start - in a world with Internet, ChatGPT and Gemini for example, there is no stopping anymore for personal growth ... 

[15-Jul-24] Looking forward ...

Starting the week with some AI related topics

Let's start with some articles from Bernard Marr, an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies:

• What Job Is Most Safe From AI?

• The Vital Difference Between Machine Learning and Generative AI

• AI Hype Or Reality: The Singularity – Will AI Surpass Human Intelligence?

Then proceed with some helpful videos and articles:

• Video: The 1-minute secret to forming a new habit | Christine Carter | TEDxMarin • September 2020

• Video: SUPERCOMMUNICATORS by Charles Duhigg | Core Message

• "For almost two decades, labor markets across advanced economies have tightened—and the trend is set to continue. This article provides a data-driven look via charts to understand the implications." - Help wanted: Charting the challenge of tight labor markets in advanced economies
  

• Why GAI and Boolean Search Is a Winning Approach to Sourcing

And something to think about and to investigate in more details:

• How To Speak Like A Master Communicator

• 50 LIFE RULES THAT ARE GOLDEN

• The Team Effectiveness Model, Credits to Timothy Timur Tiryaki

• Ready to lead change successfully? Here are 5 proven steps to navigate ambiguity, fatigue, and resistance

• In organisations, each individual brings a different set of skills

• 15 Signs You Are Emotionally Intelligent

• Optimism is a mindset, not a life sentence

[14-Jul-24] My week 28-2024 highlights

Following the UEFA EURO 2024 final

In the general interest of good soccer Spain should be the EURO 2024 champion as they showed a much better quality so far, and did win all 6 games before the final. England was very lucky and had only one good game. In the end all statistics will not count and any performance of the past is no guarantee for today. We will see ...

Monday will start with two System Demos in a row. After two weeks we have some good content to present to customers and stakeholders. The rest of the week will be a little bit more quiet as the school summer holidays just started.

Have a great week, relax and enjoy the better weather.

• [14-Jul-24] See India’s Population Density Visualized on a 3D Map

• Sketchplanations: Point Nemo

• How to Build a Culture of Mediocrity - 7 ways to keep your organization comfortably average (but please don’t)

• Interesting Engineering

  • Moon to have its own GPS soon, Chinese scientists reveal plan

  • Breakthrough AI model uses 93% less time to present perfect battery cells

  • World's first Guidelines for Humanoid Robot Governance - Analyzing doomscrolling - Apple partners up with Blackmagic Design to make 3D camera

  • How does Maglev trains work?

  • This self-balancing electric motorcycle uses gyros to stay upright

[13-Jul-24] B.R.A.I.N.S ...

B.R.A.I.N.S is a 6-step framework

1st step: Benefits
When you’re trying to make a decision about taking a certain action, first consider the benefits of the choice that you’re considering.
What is the good that could come from that choice?

I had an interesting discussion with GEMINI today, the Google large language model (LLM). See - Where do you see the main differences between ChatGPT and Gemini? - I like the level of self-awareness a lot, good insights shared and even references mentioned.

Since today my 7th-eBOOK is available with posts until 12-Jul-24 via Downloads. Have fun.

Ruth Westheimer (born June 4, 1928, Wiesenfeld, Germany — died July 12, 2024, New York, USA) with age 96.

• Twelve traits emotionally intelligent people share. Turning the tables on AI. Peter principle explained

• OpenAI Researcher Says He Quit When He Realized the Upsetting Truth

[12-Jul-24] Learn at all ...

Some examples today, diverse content

See the list of links below in random order:

• Dune come true: Sci-fi-like spacesuit turns urine into drinking water

• Video: Tim Cook’s HUGE Vision Pro revelation as he admits he's ditched TV for headset to watch top show

• NASA Says If Necessary, SpaceX Could Come Rescue the Astronauts Stranded by Boeing

• The New Happy: You’re in charge
• Video: "The Mysterious Dance of Noodles: You Won't Believe Your Eyes!"
• Dan Rockwell: UNLOCKING POTENTIAL: 3 UNCONVENTIONAL GROWTH STRATEGIES
• Grant Snider: We Are the Introverts

• Becoming a leader and being successful at it takes more than ascending to a position or title or having influence over those on your team

• The Future Of Customer Experience: AI, Data And Why Listening Is Key

• LinkedIn Learning: What Is Generative AI?
• Chris Stone: The Value Story Canvas

• ChatGPT Tone Guide: Master 12 essential prompt writing styles for better output

• Can a Simple Water Bottle Light Up Your Life? If you recycle, the planet loves you

• One of the coolest #Data visualization - A Day in the Life of Americans

“One hour per day of study in your chosen field is all it takes. One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within three years. Within five years you’ll be a national authority. In seven years, you can be one of the best people in the world at what you do.” — Earl Nightingale taken from 70 POWERFUL QUOTES ABOUT LEARNING TO INSPIRE YOU!

[10-Jul-24] Learn from other sources ...

Always good to know where to find the information

Let's start with two AI reports:

• THOMSON REUTERS: Future of Professionals Report 2024

• Elsevier: Insights 2024: Attitudes toward AI

Other opportunities are BLOGs, Newsletters and TED talks for example:

• More Than a 'Nice-to-Have': Why Mentorships Can Help Your Bottom Line

• Frank Sonnenberg: Where Does Confidence Come From?
• TED Talk: AI that connects the digital and physical worlds
• Or you can investigate my Interesting Links page?

And further ideas and sources:

• Interesting Engineering: China: Game changer solid electrolyte cuts solid-state battery price by 90%
• Lee Sampson: What gets you out of bed in the morning?

• Dr. Travis Bradberry: 10 Fundamental Truths That Will Change Your Life

• Eric Ries defines a startup as, " An organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. "

[09-Jul-24] Learn from other people ...

You do not have to like or marry them, but they might have a point or two?

Elon Musk is also a difficult character for me - Genius and madness go hand in hand - but he did accomplish a lot so far and has a clear way to make a vision a reality.

• Elon Musk sent an email to the staff at Tesla with his 6 rules for productivity. Unsurprisingly, it leaked

• Elon Musk is building two massive AI supercomputers for Tesla's Full Self-Driving and xAI projects

Another example is Lamine Yamal a 16 year old Spanish soccer player. He passed his school graduation during the UEFA EURO 2024 and will celebrate his 17th birthday on Saturday, one day before the final. In the moment Spain is 2 : 1 ahead of France in the Semi-Finals and Yamal did score a great goal. A good example and role model for kids, being a great soccer player and also having a focus on the graduation.

• 30+ Best Tips on How to Prepare for a Job Interview

• Tanmay Vora: Invisible Costs to Consider in Decision Making

• Productivity or pioneering? Your industry’s GenAI adoption play

• Talent Density: Solution to a Tough Labor Market or Just Another Buzz Phrase?

• Dan Rockwell: MASTERING EMOTIONAL AGILITY: TRANSFORM DESTRUCTIVE EMOTIONS INTO LEADERSHIP ADVANTAGE
• Generative AI: Choose the best AI application from over 2,500 AI tools
• Video: Great Leadership Is a Network, Not a Hierarchy | Gitte Frederiksen | TED

[06-Jul-24] The Day after ...

Germany lost against Spain yesterday

The German dream of the Home European Championship was over after 120+ minutes, and the Spanish team did kiss Germany good-bye in the end. Great game, team spirit and mindset. Could be a good basis and starting point for a successful future of the newly build German team, we will see in the coming months and years?

A Spanish player touching the ball with the hand did cause a lot of discussion and diverse perspectives of all asked experts after the game. With all the new technology used there are still human referees running around on the pitch taking factual decisions. In the round of the last 16 teams Germany was lucky, yesterday it was against us. To be honest when you have 120+ minutes to decide the game it should not be this one situation that everybody is focusing on!!

Now Germany will proceed to be a good host of the UEFA Euro 2024 until 14-Jul-24, and maybe the identification with the German team and the support from the general public and fans can be transfered to other areas? Where we are struggling in the moment, due to internal and external crisis. Hope is not a strategy, but could be a starting point.

• NO RESCUE NEEDED FOR STARLINER, SAYS JOHNS HOPKINS SPACE EXPERT

• Video: Rogue Runway: Genesis AND Intergalactic Edition
• Video: Parachutist drops 100 million seeds in Amazon

• This chart breaks down the hottest FREE and PAID AI tools for all your content creation needs

• Generative AI: Top 21 Essential Tools to Boost Your Productivity 

[04-Jul-24] My 8th BLOG anniversary

After 8 years writing my BLOG the visitor counter stands at 1,618,110 today

Unbelievable how fast 8 years are passing by. In 2016 I just left my job in the Automotive industry, today I am already working 6 years in my new  Telecommunication job.

I just realized that I did a recap by year on 04-Jul-2023 for all my 04-Jul posts. See in my 6th-eBOOK (2023) on page 31. For today I did copy one sentence from each of my seven 04-Jul posts so far. You can find all eBOOKs on the Downloads page:

• 2016: I am 50+ and start a regular blog now. Let's see how this goes, as this is not my day-to-day technology and regular writing not a familiar area for me so far. -- 1st eBOOK, page 693
• 2017: I am proud of 208 BLOG posts in the last 365 days and the growing interest in the thoughts, ideas and material -- 1st eBOOK, page 466
• 2018: Unbelievable that 2 years already passed by and 56,520 people did read my posts so far. Thanks a lot to all my one time, sometime and regular readers. -- 1st eBOOK, page 165
• 2019: What started at ZERO back in 04-Jul-2016 had an average of

  31 readers/day and 11k readers in total after one year. Now three years later the average readers/day is 135 with a total of 147,793 readers just 5 minutes ago. -- 2nd eBOOK, page 193

• 2020: If you are celebrating Independance Day today, have fun but take care of social distancing and apply the Corona rules -- 3rd eBOOK, page 203
• 2021: And to reach the next big milestone of #600k overall readers, we just need another 9k to go. Should be less than 2 weeks from now -- 4th eBOOK, page 186
• 2022: Disruption, crocodiles, and the law of unintended consequences -- 5th eBOOK, 183
• 2023: What a journey in the last 7 years? A lot of work, fun and appreciation that leads to valuable content, satisfaction and intrinsic motivation, to go on. Assuming an average of 5 posts per week, I have written 1,825 posts on 2,324 pages so far, stored in 6 eBOOKs. -- 6th eBOOK, page 31

I am enjoying a short time to celebrate and recap the accomplishments so far. Then I will be fully motivated for year nine of my BLOG, next big milestone is to pass 2,000k visitors on the counter. We will see when this happens?

• The New Happy: Your beautiful life
• Video: Magic and wonder in the age of AI | David Kwong TED@BCG • November 2023

• Move Over 70-20-10 Rule, 3-to-1 Is The New Model for Learning

• "The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday's logic." - Peter Drucker

• Generative AI: First Robotic Suicide , New Models and more

• 9 Mindsets of the Most Successful People

[02-Jul-24] From loser to leader

Ronaldo had another great evening

Portugal - Slovenia 3:0 after penalties. Ronaldo is a difficult character and I do not really like him, but he had another historical night yesterday. First he missed a penalty kick in the 105th minute of the overtime and even started crying. Then he took the leadership to shoot the 1st Portugese penalty after the overtime was finished into the goal this time. The start of a great result in the end, the Portugese goal keeper did catch three penalties and was player of the match in the end, well deserved.

The Quarter-Finals are just complete, Turkey was the last team to join. One of the two surprising teams, the other one was Switzerland. Friday and Saturday are the next games.

• Video: THE SCOUT MINDSET by Julia Galef | Core Message
• Video: Next Up for AI? Dancing Robots | Catie Cuan | TED
• Video: Lessons from people already adapting to the climate crisis 260,032 views | Dorcas Naishorua | TED Countdown 2024

• Key Elections in 2024: Winners, Losers, Upcoming Polls

• Dan Rockwell: GRATITUDE SHAPES YOUR FUTURE

[30-Jun-24] My week 26-2024 highlights

Germany in the Quarter-Finals since yesterday

Let's start with Cricket: India produced a brilliant performance to defeat South Africa by just seven runs in a dramatic men’s T20 World Cup final, ending a long 13-year wait for the cricket-obsessed nation since its last World Cup win. Congratulations and well done ...

After 8 difficult years the German team did win for the 1st time in the round of the last 16 at the UEFA EURO 2024 yesterday evening. Now in the knock out matches nobody cares anymore, if your team is one of the favorites or surprising teams. You have to win in the end, nothing else matters. The last EURO champion Italy is out against Switzerland and England did just win in overtime, still not showing a lot of their capabilities. But nobody will remember anymore tomorrow.

A lot of people are complaining about the more difficult side with Germany in the bracket for the last 16 teams. Same here, when you managed to come to the round of the last 16 after the group phase with 3 games, you deserve to play there. Just 4 more games to win and you are European champion 2024, when you lose you are out. As simple as that.

Finally a lot of new technologies are used during the tournament, yesterday an advantage for the German team against Denmark. Their coach was not at all amused about the outcome. Too much technology impact on the result in just 5 minutes.

• Cutting-edge technology on show at Euro 2024 is changing the face of soccer

Just watching the Spain - Georgia game. The "underdog" Georgia was leading 1:0, now it is 1:1, and the winner will play against Germany next Friday. We will see and wait ...

Tomorrow I will start a busy week with the onboarding of a new Intern and two System Demos in a row. We have interesting content to share, will be interesting for our customers and stakeholders.

• How To Build a (Truly) Purpose-Driven Team

• Andrew Scott is an emerging American artist, renowned for his innovative approach to "frame art"

• AI And Jobs: The Good And Bad News

• Why Smart People Don't Multitask 

[27-Jun-24] Sharing is still caring ...

Is it possible to coach a coach?

In all fairness I am not a certified COACH yet, might be changing in the future, but I had some valuable lessons, experience from past coaching activities plus 35 years in business, and a lot of common sense. A good mixture to share information and be a valuable sounding board for other people.

My answer to the "Is it possible to coach a coach?" question is definitely YES. Besides our official titles, roles or current assignments, we are also individuals and should take care of ourselves now and then. To find the right balance between WE and ME.

In my 18-Jun-24 BLOG post I did mention that I see three options to react to the current headcount reduction plans:

1. People leaving as quickly as possible, because it is just too much now for them
2. People who are struggling and who will be making up their mind in the coming month
3. People who will be relaxed and sit back, wait and see how it will be going (with 61+ this is my call for now)

I am in the option 3 area and had a discussion with a colleague being in 2 in the moment. Just listening, asking some questions about feelings and next planned steps, plus sharing some personal experience did help to understand the current motivation. We had a valuable session for both sides, more to come as we need to find a solution in the end.

• BOEING'S CURSED STARLINER SEEMS TO BE STUCK ON THE SPACE STATION INDEFINITELY

• The New Happy: Shrink it
• TED Talk: The last 6 decades of AI — and what comes next

• What Skills Do You Need To Work In AI?
  

• Re-release: Top 10 Mistakes Organizations Make to Become Agile

• Scrum Inc.: Evolution of the Scrum Master Role: From Facilitator to COO

• 8 Unrealistic Expectations That Hold You Back

• Albert Einstein said, "It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer."

[25-Jun-24] About communication, etc.

The 7 Cs of Communication for business and private lives

The heart picture is from my Scottish friend, a small thank you for hosting the Tartan Army in 3 different cities in Germany. Most of the time with enough beer. Now they have to go back to work to make the money they need to pay their credit card bills. We loved their friendliness, music, singing and dancing, really great guests and fans.

In my project the discussion about the new team names goes into the next round. My initial idea to use Philosopher names has several issues:

• They are mainly old white men
• The topic might be too high level for some people?
• People do not know how to pronounce some names
• A resistance against philosophy from the past
• Maybe it is a too large change from the current color names to something different?

A quick OpenAI summary about the topic:

Philosophy has a rich history with numerous influential figures shaping its evolution. Some of the most renowned founders of philosophy include Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Descartes, Kant, Nietzsche, Rousseau, Locke, and Hume. These individuals have contributed significantly to various philosophical concepts and schools of thought that continue to influence modern thinking.

In today's world, there is a new generation of promising philosophical talents making their mark. Among the rising stars are thinkers like Angela Davis, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Martha Nussbaum, Judith Butler, Cornel West, Slavoj Žižek, Amartya Sen, Avital Ronell, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and Charles Taylor. These contemporary philosophers bring fresh perspectives and insights to the field, inspiring ongoing conversations and debates about the nature of existence, ethics, politics, and more.

Tomorrow we will discuss alternative name ideas, hopefully we will not end up with One, two, three, ..., twelve, what was my working assumption at the beginning. Will be an interesting communication.

• TED: Leadership lessons from the prime minister of Canada | Justin Trudeau | ReThinking with Adam Grant • May 2024

• Infographic: The Next Characters to Enter the Public Domain

• Dan Rockwell: THE 4 TRAJECTORIES – SEIZING THE INTENTIONAL FUTURE

• 9 Mindsets Of The Most Successful Person

• World Economic Forum: Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2024

• #Infographics: Patrick Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions Of A Team

• How I regained control of my life. 18 Game-Changing Strategies to Win Back Your Time

• 15 phrases I hear great leaders say often

• Leadership is a choice. It's not something you're born with.

"Fear and monarchy pair nicely. But democracy means you have to work with people you may not like but you must still believe are your equals. And a fearful people never trust the other side." -- Martha Nussbaum, American - Philosopher Born: 1947

[23-Jun-24] The week 25-2024 summary

Several oracles around the UEFA EURO 2024

Tonight Germany is playing against Switzerland. There are many animal and non-animal oracles to forecast the result of games. My Scottish friend did post a picture this morning - two white crossing airplane contrails in a blue sky, like the Scottish flag. Could be a positive indication for tonight in Stuttgart? Anyway the Tartan Army is having fun once again. Now several animal oracles:

• Oracle sea lion tips Germany to beat Swiss in Euro 2024

• Euro 2024: Elephant Oracle predicts German win

• Walter the “oracle orangutan” predicts the result of Euro 2024 group match

In the end the players have to get the work done on the pitch, we will see.

Getting a job done is a good topic and sometimes not so easy. Let's take the two astronauts of the Boeing Starliner as example. After all the negative press and critical articles about the current Boeing quality levels, it must be hard to wait for the 1st start with astronauts. It finally happened some days ago and now going back to earth is delayed due to technical issues. Hopefully all will be fine in the end and the astronauts can return to earth without issues?

The changing work environment was one topic last week, we have to adjust to it, the sooner the better. Let's keep changing and learning:

• The future of Agile Coaching - Now that Agile delivery is the norm

• Deloitte: 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey - Living and working with purpose in a transforming world

• Storytelling: The Secret Weapon for a Successful Culture Change

• Video: Habit Stacking 101: A Beginner's Guide to Building Powerful Habits
• Once again: Think like a farmer AND 12 Skills that pay forever

  Credits to Véronique Barrot

Next week I will try to help a colleague to take a forward looking decision how to best proceed with the career. Could be in- or outside of the current company. An open ended approach. Besides that several follow up meetings to the announcements last week.

• How To Measure AI Success In Your Organization

• 6 Powerful Models To Decide When To Say No

• Create slide decks in minutes, not hours. 9 AI-Powered PowerPoint Alternatives

• This is a very good visual representation of Artificial Intelligence

[21-Jun-24] Happy International Yoga Day

It reminds us to develop a deeper connection with ourselves, others and the world around us.

There are many statistics available around soccer in general and especially during the UEFA EURO 2024 in the moment. Fun fact about the Germany versus Hungary game 2 days ago:

• In 1954 Germany played Hungary two times. We did win the 2nd game and did get the World Cup after the final for the 1st time
• The next game in an International or European tournament was 2021
• Finally on 19-Jun-2024, interesting ...
• See 11v11.com for all details

Interested to do some learning?

• Udacity: Google Cloud Digital Leader Training

• Top free IBM courses to boost your technical skills

• 8 Essential Soft Skills Of Ultra Productive People

• How Generative AI Will Change The Jobs Of Computer Programmers And Software Engineers

[20-Jun-24] It will get better again ...

Just relax and wait a little bit, until the "fog" clears

Difficult times for a lot of people since the announcement on Tuesday. They have to work themselves from the left to the right on the picture today. Some will be faster, others will need much more time, we have to

be patient.

A welcome change is the UEFA EURO 2024 in the moment. Germany is still doing well and already qualified for the round of the last 16 teams. Other countries are having a singing, dancing and music contest in parallel. Two video examples below, cool stuff:

• Netherlands fans dance in the streets of Hamburg ahead of first Euro 2024 match

• Great Tartan Army Scotland Fanwalk Cologne Euro 2024

Some of you might remember that I am planning to restructure my Agile Release Train (ART) after 30+ month in the moment. We have the leading agile roles assigned and most of the team members are already distributed to new teams on paper. One remaining task is to agree new team names, a good approach to cut history and have a fresh start. We did already discuss several ideas, but nothing agreed yet.

Today I used ChatGPT to find new names that follow a common theme. We know what the new teams will be doing, so I asked the AI to propose some famous names out of different categories that would be fitting best. Categories are:

• Philosophers

• Nobel Prize winners

• Women in any sports category from the last 200 years

• Women international music stars in any music category, from classic, jazz, country to pop

Philosophers was my first idea, but as this is mainly old white men I wanted to look for some alternatives. After several hours I could pick up my initial ChatGPT interaction again and did just re-run the same questions for different categories. Did work smoothly, I am really impressed by the functionality. You can see the full chat here.

Pictures:

• 6 Tools To Lead Change, Credits to Vaughan Broderick

• The 3 Circles of Influence Model

• But you can change where you are heading

[18-Jun-24] Changes coming up ...

Announcement day today, how to handle it?

Our senior management did make two announcements today. More details about the headcount reduction in the next two years and an upcoming change to the ways of working. After getting the big picture in the morning we had two more session afterwards, to discuss all necessary details for our department and team.

I think the reaction of many employees was to be expected, as the coming back to the office for two days per week policy will be a big change after the COVID-19 full-flex office approach. Especially for our Gen-Z community, the young talents and all employees who did move to the location they wanted to work from in the past and that is too far away for a daily commute now.

My personal opinion with 35 years work experience, being in three different companies in two different industries, having seen several headcount reductions that impacted me for 2 times as well:

• I know it is an emotional topic, but please try to be more rationale and focus on what you can really control
• You have a contract with your company that is offering several benefits for your skills, expertise and experience in return
• When the conditions in the contract change you have to renegotiate. If this is not successful, both sides can cancel the contract
• We have a dramatic shortage of skilled workers and a war for talents, so when you cannot stand your current situation anymore, either emotional or rationale, please move on
• Taking action is something you can control!!

Going forward we will see three reactions:

1. People leaving as quickly as possible, because it is just too much now for them
2. People who are struggling and who will be making up their mind in the coming month
3. People who will be relaxed and sit back, wait and see how it will be going (with 61+ this is my call for now)

I know a job change is always a risk, especially when you have a family and high fixed costs to be covered every month, but being in emotional stress and uncertainty for several month can be tough as well. A balancing act and your personal decision in the end.

[16-Jun-24] My week 24-2024 highlights

Deal with challenges and problems

A week of learning, engagement and rethinking, plus the start of the UEFA EURO 2024 last Friday. And Ferrari did win the 24 hours of Le Mans for the 2nd time in a row today, well done.

Some interesting material for the Learning Zone:

• Steve Endacott, a Sussex Entrepreneur, has created many of the initial policy ideas and will “physically” attend Parliament to vote on policies as guided by AI Steve’s feedback from his constituents

• Generative AI And Data Protection: What Are The Biggest Risks For Employers?

• Justin Mecham: Change is hard. But guess what? You can't avoid it.

• The evolution of our understanding

• Requesting Feedback Isn't Enough – Show You Can Handle the Truth

• What are your companies' true colors? - 9 ways Agile leadership helps to overcome rough times

• Video: Tesla Optimus humanoid robot demo May 2024
• Simon Sinek Video: It's Not About Winning or Losing—It's About Momentum
• DIGITAL STORM weekly Newsletter

In the coming week the focus will be on new Interns hiring and handling the result of the last employee survey. Both Sprint demos have been canceled, as not enough valuable content was available for our  customers and stakeholders. Maybe more in two weeks from now?

• The Must-Read Articles for Talent Professionals This Week (14-Jun-24)

• Video: We Will OutSprint You - We Will Rock You Queen Parody - Scrum Team Building - Personal Agility

[15-Jun-24] Good start yesterday ...

Germany did win against Scotland 5:1

The German team did play well and made all 6 goals. A great start into the tournament. For Scotland the evening was not so nice, but their fans - the Tartan Army - did behave well as always. "They have won awards from several organisations for their friendly behaviour and charitable work." Some pubs in Munich did run out of beer due to the thirsty Scottish Bravehearts. The coming two stops for the Army are Cologne next Wednesday and Stuttgart coming week Sunday. Hopefully the pubs there are better prepared?

During the game yesterday I was in contact with my Scottish friend who stayed at home, he had a smaller can of beer but a much larger TV. You need to focus on the right stuff ...

Is AI able to forecast the result of the EURO 2024? Possibly not as you can see below. So we have to wait until 14-Jul-24 for the final outcome:

Artificial Intelligence has shown promising results in forecasting the outcome of soccer tournaments by analyzing previous team performances. By utilizing machine learning algorithms and data from past matches, AI can provide insights into which teams are more likely to succeed in upcoming games. Factors such as player statistics, team strategies, and even weather conditions can be considered to make accurate predictions.

Although AI can provide valuable predictions based on historical data, it is essential to remember that soccer matches can be unpredictable due to various unforeseen circumstances during gameplay. Factors like player injuries, referee decisions, and team morale can significantly impact the outcome of a match, making it challenging for AI to predict with absolute certainty. While AI can offer valuable insights, the beauty of soccer lies in its unpredictability and the element of surprise that keeps fans on the edge of their seats.

Today we did visit a tea-shop and my wife knows the owner. We had a discussion about the situation of the retail business in the moment and that he wants to retire in the next two years. A great plan but he does not find anybody who wants to buy his shop. Younger people seem to be more interested in 09.00 AM - 05-00 PM jobs with a good work-life balance lately, than owning retail shops or doing jobs where they are self-employed with the full risk? Might be just a very small view of the reality and world, but a first indication.

• Hemingway's lost suitcase. GenAI’s hype cycle. A multi-dimensional model for every leadership style

• The New Happy: We all need help

• Why Successful People Never Bring Smartphones Into Meetings

• 'After ordering a new pair of hiking shorts, his friend found this letter in the box. In this letter, the CEO of Fjall Raven asks to buy less stuff. How many times in your life have you seen this? A CEO of a company asking to buy less of their products?'

• 92% would stay with their company if leaders understood their needs. (research shows)

[11-Jun-24] Spirit Day ...

For learning and team building

We started our day today with a team breakfast. Everybody did add something to the table and we had a tasty buffet with interesting discussions. E.g. about the meaning of first names in different countries/languages and what could go wrong during cooking.

Afterwards I did join two information sessions, one about different generations in the workplace, and then about our top priority project in the moment that will transfer our data warehouse into the cloud in

Jul-2024. Explained in easy language for awareness purposes and to be as transparent as possible for our customers.

At the end I did one of our yearly mandatory trainings - healthy guidelines to best work in the homeoffice - ergonomic suggestions, proper lighting, work-life balance, not enough sitting during the day and so on.

A good use of our Spirit Day, next one is in 3 month from now.

Only three days to go until UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany. The German team starts against Scotland on Friday in Munich. All matches here, the tournament starts on 14-Jun and finishes on 14-Jul-24. Will be an interesting month.

• Mapped: Where Tesla and BYD Make Their Cars

• [11-Jun-24] ‘The Periodic Table of Leadership’

[09-Jun-24] The week 23-2024 summary

How to Develop and Improve Your Strengths

According to the quote besides the picture you have to find your right  element, to make best use of your strength. Besides the article in the headline, three more ideas to handle this topic as example:

• 10 Boundaries You Need

• Unlock Your Life's Purpose with This Ancient Japanese Secret - Find your IKIGAI

• Video: How Small Actions Can Create Big Ripples In Your Life

It is your decision how to approach this situation. You can either further strengthen your strengths or try to improve several of your weaknesses. There are different shapes of skillsets known, you just have to be clear where you are or where you want to be? It is your choice and call.

For the penguins the decision is easy, they cannot fly in the air but in the water. For us humans it is a little bit more difficult, we first have to find the right "element" for us and need to be open and honest about our capabilities and energy to change --> leaving our comfort zone.

Being honest and critical with yourself is a necessary skill that a lot of parties that participated in the 2024 European election in all EU countries need now, after a lot of dramatic results or changes. France and Germany are only two examples. We will see, what happens in the next days ...

[08-Jun-24] Ready for transformation?

Do you feel crushed, pressed, under pressure or in darkness?

“You can’t teach anybody anything, only make them realize the answers are already inside them.” – Galileo Galilei take from 27+ Powerful Transformation Quotes

Some more videos without any pressure :-)

• The Future is better than we think: Highlights from a recent keynote by Gerd Leonhard

• Lilium Jet | EBACE 2024

• New OpenAI Powered Robot Demos 44 Axes AI Using This Shocking New Tech (NVIDIA RUBIN AI)

• ‘Everything is Going to Be Robotic’ Nvidia Promises, as AI Gets More Real

• F1 Drivers Vs Soapbox Car Race 🏁

Next week Tuesday we have our #Spirit-Day, every quarter we get one full day for learning, training, team building and knowledge sharing. No meetings, no other distraction. A great initiative. In my team we will have a breakfast together and look into the employee survey results for the 1st time. A good opportunity to discuss my Circle of Control idea.

• Narrow the gap between company and employee purpose. How to choose your life pursuits. The great flattening.

• 11 advanced ChatGpt prompts that will make you better than 99% of ChatGPT Users

• Exploring the World of Machine Learning Algorithms & Models!

[07-Jun-24] Some AI topics and more

Get ready for the weekend with some helpful material

Starting with the pictures and some more:

• Visualizing the Training Costs of AI Models Over Time

• Charted: Countries Offering Digital Nomad Visas

• The State of AI at Work, Research Report 2024

• AI Innovations: Market Milestones and Technological Breakthroughs

• DigitalStorm: Forget Siri's Stumbles, Hello Supercharged Assistant! Plus, ChatGPT Goes Free: Is This a User Grab or a Game Changer? #61

News of the day: Jurgen Appelo's debut novel is finally out now. As promised I did deliver two feedback posts on LinkedIn and Amazon, my review and summary of the pre-read impressions. All four parts and the final summary are here.

On Sunday Germany and several other countries will be voting for the

European elections 6-9 June 2024. "In the European elections, people in the European Union vote for Members to represent them in the European Parliament. The European Union is known as the EU. Elections take place in all 27 EU countries."

• The Nature of Ambition - 15 Years of Drawing Comics by GRANT SNIDER

• Re-release - Scrum Master (And Agile Coach): Please Step Up Your Game!

• Talents are out there, just win them for your company -- How to Build a More Equitable Workplace for LGBTQ+ Employees, According to LinkedIn Survey Data

• Many people are afraid to leave their comfort zones

[05-Jun-24] Taking some accountability

Leaving the victim mindset behind ...

Some of you might remember my 05-May-24 post (scroll down a little bit, just one month)? See some sentences from the post below:

The Circle of Control and Influence is an ongoing topic in the moment. During my last workshop on 30-Apr-24 and the bi-yearly Employee Survey that finished last Friday. As I do not believe in the used process and valuable outcome of the survey anymore, I decided to use - the participation is voluntary option - and did not vote this time. Maybe when the overall participation rate is going down dramatically a rethinking process will be generated? I have time to wait ...

The results of the April survey are out now and they are not really good. No surprise due to the circumstances before the survey started, but a lot of people are not thinking about this anymore. Bad results lead to many  questions about the WHY and workshops to improve the situation. Exactly what the employees hate the most, more work ...

As mentioned in the post, I did not participate in the survey this time. I was the only one in the team by the way. Some will say I missed an opportunity to share my opinion, I think I can support the next steps out of a more neutral position now? Taking some accountability ...

The survey results are basically comparing the current with the 6-month ago answers for all questions asked. The result is either better or worse and the facilitating company is sharing the three strengths and weaknesses of each team. 

My idea is to let the team judge for each question, if they can control or influence a possible improvement in the future? Only when a change seems to be possible for the team members, it makes sense to work on the question. "Do not worry about stuff you cannot control or influence anyway, do not waste your time and energy for it".

Now I just need the buy-in of the team and my supervisor for the idea, will possibly happen next week. I keep you posted ...

• Charted: Declining Birth Rates in the Most Populous Countries (1950-Today)

• Frank Sonnenberg: The Costs of Poor Communication

• Your right to repair AI systems | Rumman Chowdhury | TED2024
  

• PwC’s 2024 AI Jobs Barometer reveals AI’s impact on jobs, wages, skills, and productivity

• Dan Rockwell:

  • 6 CORE COACHING SKILLS FOR LEADERS

  • FROM BURN OUT TO BRILLIANCE: STRATEGIES TO RECLAIM YOUR DREAMS

• Are Your Weaknesses Simply the Flip Side of Your Strengths?

• 12 Time Wasters, Credits to Véronique Barrot

“At the core, there is one simple, overarching reason why so many people remain unsatisfied in their work and why most organisations fail to draw out the greatest talent, ingenuity, and creativity of their people and never become truly great, enduring organisations. It stems from an incomplete paradigm of who we are — our fundamental view of human nature. The fundamental reality is, human beings are not things needing to be motivated and controlled; they are four-dimensional — body, mind, heart, and spirit.” -- 30 of The Best Stephen Covey Quotes

[02-Jun-24] My week 22-2024 highlights

Maybe one more argument to leave the Comfort Zone?

"The Village Venus effect describes the experience of someone living in an isolated village and knowing the most beautiful person there. Because the person is the most attractive person they've ever seen, it's easy to think that no one could be more so. Yet, beyond the village is a whole world of people, many of whom could be more beautiful."

Quick recap of the sports yesterday:

• The 24h race was just a little bit longer than 8 hours, due to the weather conditions and a lot of fog
• And Real Madrid did with the Champions League final once again, decision happened in the last 15 minutes

The next 3-month project phase starts Tuesday and the first demo is scheduled for 18-Jun-24. Some time to get a little bit a break and to focus on other topics in the meantime. We plan to restructure our team setup in the middle of the 3-month phase, more than necessary after 30+ month. New opportunities for growth and to make a change. Some team members are very motivated and proactive to adapt to change, others need some external triggers to start their thinking process.

• Video: This amazing little robot can hop along at 10mph and jump to a height of 4ft | SWNS - Salto: Monopedal Jumping Robot

• The Must-Read Articles for Talent Professionals This Week (31-May-24)

• Transforming Culture Is a Team Effort – Here's How to Build Yours

• 10 elements of Scrum that will fail without Trust

• [02-Jun-24] 78 Habits Of Top Leaders

[29-May-24] Make learning a priority

Find at least one way to get better each day ...

The last 2-day planning phase was a good learning experience for all involved teams. The initial duration of the planning phase had been reduced from three to two days several month ago. Now some teams could be ready in one day already. Expertise and experience is helping them a lot. We just need to avoid that it is getting too boring, to avoid a drop in the motivation of the teams.

The picture today is showing several other ideas to "unleash your potential". Have a look.

I did start my long weekend today at 05:00 PM when the planning phase was over with a very good confidence vote. I will be away for a short holiday, so no BLOG post this Thursday and Friday!!

Some helpful material for you to check out, until Saturday:

• Dan Rockwell: STRATEGIC SILENCE: HOW TO EMPOWER NOT OVERPOWER

• Will AI do to expert professions what the Model T did to railroads?

• How global AI interest is boosting the data management market

• Generative AI: Weekly Tech Insights: Innovations, Trends, and Industry Updates

• 10 Courses to learn AI in 2024 for Free (Google AI courses)

• 16 skills that will pay you forever

• 13 things invented in India

• Video: CorPower Ocean - Introducing CorPower C4
• Video: Gerd Leonhard - The next 10 years: Yes, the Good Future is possible!

• Here are 25 harsh truths I would tell my 25-year-old self

• Positive Leadership Zoo - Great leaders drive success

[28-May-24] Murphy's law ...

10 Versions of Murphy's Law for Universal 'Truths'

Belief: "Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure."

1st day of our 2-day planning phase and several examples for the picture today. I support two groups, one is doing their 2nd planning and the other one their 11th this time.

• We made some changes in the group with the longer experience and two merged teams where struggling, to prioritize the necessary communication and knowledge exchange over process.
• One team is currently very small and was quickly finished with their planning work. A good opportunity to enjoy the moment and to prepare for more pressure in the near future.
• Another team is not using the tool we have to support our process, but they basically copied the main features in Excel.

• In the other group the team struggling the most with the process and tool approach the last time, was nearly done after one day. They deserved more and did learn fast ...
• One new team in this planning was struggling most, as the content expert was on holiday last week and ill today. Sh** happens, but they managed on their own. With team spirit and an agile mindset.  

Overall a successful 1st day for both groups, we will finish in time tomorrow. We are agile and work in 2-week iterations, no need for perfectionism during this 2-day planning phase. According to the Pareto principle, 80% is sufficient to be done.

• Seth Godin: Exceed or maintain?
• TED Talk: Are we celebrating the wrong leaders? Martin Gutmann | TEDxBerlin, February 2024

• 30 Hidden Messages In Logos of Notable Brands

• The Power Of Introverts Cheat Sheet

• 7 Challenges Smart People Overcome

[26-May-24] The week 21-2024 summary

"Glitches of Gods" - Part 4 (Final)

To have all in one place and as reference for you, all my previous posts related to Jurgen Appelo's first playspheres novel.

1. "Glitches of Gods" - Part 1

2. "Glitches of Gods" - Part 2

3. "Glitches of Gods" - Part 3

Jurgen did spend "four bloody years or four thousand hours to come up with a story as complex as it is crazy". I fully agree as I finished pre-reading the book yesterday night.

On page 465 the main character Julien explains the whole story of the book in one paragraph, sounds easier than it is. Like in a computer game there are several stories with different characters on different levels, living in parallel. Complex and crazy.

I know that Jurgen is a friend of gamification, as we did spend a longer period of time with learning and training together during the COVID-19 years. We met regularly for weekly exchanges/meetups and did also cover personal stuff and non-business related details. I am following him on LinkedIn and realized he likes fantasy books and films. Some of them are used as small references in his book. There is a Terminator like scene and getting his programming colleagues and friends together for the final show-down did remember me of either Sneakers or some All-Star movies. Might not work for everybody as both films are from the previous millenium :-)

In summary "Glitches of Gods" is a good start in an out of comfort zone area for Jurgen. Complex and crazy as he describes it in is initial author note. When you like computer games and fantasy topics this could be a book for you? And it will get a 2nd part to continue the story, as the 1st book finished with an open end, there is more to come. I did enjoy the pre-read time under pressure in a small group of volunteers. It was definitely out of my comfort zone from a book content perspective, but a time well spend. You can make up your own mind when the book is available in June 2024.

[24-May-24] The TRUST workshop today

Stilt fishermen of Sri Lanka by Ali Khataw

Today was the Teambuilding workshop about the TRUST topic. We just had 17 participants, but a lot of fun. I used my team as guinea pigs to test this kind of workshop as addition to my portfolio. When you plan a new topic, you spend a lot of time into a detailed flow planning and to simulate any possible scenarios that might happen. 

But still surprises can happen and you have to handle the situation when it occurs. I was in the home office today and my wife was wondering, why I was laughing several times. The team had to select one of four possible TRUST types and go to a meeting room afterwards, according to the selected number. Sounds easy, but leaves some grey areas. 

Two guys had the same type and did enter the same room that did NOT match their number. The third guy in the room was really surprised, what the other two were talking about. It happens ... Next time I have to be even clearer how to select the right meeting room, a great learning today. 

Next week I have only 3 working days. Thursday is a public holiday and I take a day off Friday, for a long weekend. Well deserved.

• Video: Frameless | Immersive Art Exhibition | London
• Video: Hopper - We reinvented the Bike! (english)
• Our World in Data: Share of electricity production from renewables

• Ranked: The World’s Largest Lithium Producers in 2023

• Generative AI: AI's Voice and Vision
• TED Talk: With AI, anyone can be a coder now (Apr-24)

• 5 proven models to boost your team's performance

[23-May-24] Team Building session ...

What happens when you remove trust?

FYI: Just uploaded the latest version of my 7th eBOOK (01-Jan until 21-May-24) in the Downloads section for your FREE usage, have fun.

Tomorrow is the next team building session with my Agile Release Train, this time the topic is about TRUST. As I did not host this session before, will be interesting to see the team dynamicsand if everything works out as planned?

Some Simon Sinek video insights about TRUST:

• What IS Trust Actually? | Simon Sinek

• Why Trust is Key to High-Performing Teams

• How Do You Build Trust with Remote Teams?

AND a short OpenAI statement about building TRUST:

Building trust in remote teams is crucial for their success. Communication and transparency play a significant role in fostering trust among team members who may be working in different locations. Regular virtual meetings, clear expectations, and open dialogue help establish a foundation of trust.

Additionally, demonstrating accountability and dependability through meeting deadlines and delivering on promises strengthens the trust within remote teams. Building personal connections through virtual team-building activities and recognizing individual contributions also contribute to creating a positive team environment based on trust.

Makes sense. I will keep you posted, how the session did go tomorrow.

"You can't trust water: Even a straight stick turns crooked in it." --  W. C. Fields, American - Comedian January 29, 1880 - December 25, 1946, taken from Brainyquote

• Dan Rockwell: HOW TO RUN STRATEGY MEETINGS LIKE A PRO
• Frank Sonnenberg: 20 Guiding Principles to Share with Your Kids

• ‘Stretch Your Cultural Comfort Zone’—Jane Hyun & Doug Conant on Cultural Fluency in Leadership

[21-May-24] "Glitches of Gods" - Part 3

An epic science fantasy book by Jurgen Appelo

In the meantime I am on page 341/565 and did already get two reminders from Jurgen Appelo, to be ready by 31-May-24, relax ...

For your reference and to have all in one place, here the links to my  Part-1 and Part-2. 

Yesterday I would have been happy to have OREC (here just a joke reference), the virtual personal assistant of the main character in the book. My father in law had switched the TV on-screen menu language to Mongolian and the sound was not working anymore. A manual was not available in the Internet and a hard reset button no possible option. In the end I had to use Google Image search and translate, to find the right page and place in the menu, to get back to German. Like in Putt's law - those who understand what they do not manage ...

By reading the book I was reminded of CATWEAZLE on the one side, as a witch is showing up in the story, coming from a different time line. She is pretty surprised about her new environment, but adjusts quickly and can appreciate some of the better/different/new technology.

On the other side the Groundhog Day, as the main character seems to restart a part of his life over and over again. Still 200+ pages to go for me, looking forward to the next surprises. I will keep you posted. 

[19-May-24] My week 20-2024 highlights

Jurgen Klopp's last game today ...

Three videos that perfectly summarize his last days with Liverpool:

• 'I Love You' | Jürgen Klopp's final post-match speech to his players

• FAREWELL SPEECH: Jurgen Klopp addresses Liverpool fans at Anfield for the final time

• 'It's difficult to say farewell, but let's remember the good times' | Jürgen Klopp

Today we did visit the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord for a wool market. An interesting contrast, the old factory environment versus the

warm and soft wool, as you can see on the picture.

Celebrating a public holiday tomorrow and looking forward to another 4-day work week.

• The Must-Read Articles for Talent Professionals This Week (17-May-24)

• The transformational power of ethical leadership. Zeitgeist inflection. What is machine learning?

• Life Expectancy by Region (1950-2050F)

• 5 of the most forgotten parts from the Scrum Guide

• How to Prepare Leaders for Culture Transformation: 5 Exercises

• 70% of business transformations fail (McKinsey): But agility is the key condition for business success

• Change has become the very air that businesses breathe; and developing a robust ‘change muscle’, embracing change as the core of what we do is key

"I have worked with wool all my life as a designer. There's so much more to it than knitwear - it's an amazingly versatile material and can be used in so many different ways from chic to rustic." -- Donatella Versace, taken from 25 Wool Quotes

[18-May-24] "Glitches of Gods" - Part 2

An epic science fantasy book by Jurgen Appelo

After my 1st post on Substack on 14-May-24 here the 2nd post about the new book from Jurgen Appelo.

In the meantime I am on page 204/565 and my review so far is a little bit similar to The New Happy picture today. Several bubbles or levels in the story are overlapping, and the pure number of different names used for all the people in the story are difficult to follow for me. Might be my personal issue?

But it is an interesting story with a lot of personal insights and hints from Jurgen. Banana bread is only one example.

• The Modern Proper: 10 Best Banana Bread Recipes
• BBC goodFOOD: Our top 10 best banana bread recipes
• The kitchn: Our 10 Best Banana Recipes (That Go Way Beyond Banana Bread)

The main character Julien is struggling with a lot of things, his life, his job, his family and the two dimensions/time levels he is acting in so far. A level-3 AI killed his father and now he is developing a level-4 AI together with his team. In an agile way of working, what makes most sense with Jurgen's past accomplishments :-) More to come ...

• The MITRE AI Maturity Model and Organizational Assessment Tool Guide

“Some people call this artificial intelligence, but the reality is this technology will enhance us. So instead of artificial intelligence, I think we’ll augment our intelligence.” — Ginni Rometty, taken from 80 Artificial Intelligence Quotes Shaping the Future

[17-May-24] Great analogies ...

Jürgen Klopp's Final Premier League press conference

Juergen is super positive and goes left, when required. Here a comment of a fan under the press conference video from today. Enjoy:

@godfredjnr.9849

A Coach who never received a Financial Magic Wand,
A Coach who never received a team of superstars,
A Coach who was never treated as the favorite.
...
But,
He is a coach for the underdogs,
He is a coach for the impossible,
He is a coach for miracles,
He is a coach for the dreamers.
...
You came to Liverpool with ever longing dreams and hopes of millions of fans in the background. You gave us everything we could possibly dream for. Thank you, boss, for making us dream once again.

What a great summary of Juergen Klopp being nearly 9 years in the Premier League.

And it is also about TRUST, my topic for the next Team Building session on 24-May-24. Due to the last public holiday in May on 30-May-24, we moved the Team Building session forward, to finish the next planning session in two days and before the day off.

• Dan Rockwell: 4 SECRETS OF TRUST BUILDING

• 10 Proven Ways to Build Trust With Employees

• Tanmay Vora: How to Build Trust - The Trust Triangle
• Gustavo Razzetti: Building Unbreakable Teams: Why Both Trust and Psychological Safety Matter

“Contrary to what most people believe, trust is not some soft, illusive quality that you either have or you don’t; rather, trust is a pragmatic, tangible, actionable asset that you can create.” – STEPHEN M.R. COVEY taken from 52 Quotes about Trust and Leadership

Have a great long weekend.

• pwc: The big power of small goals
• Dan Rockwell: 4 MYTHS ABOUT COACHING YOU MUST REJECT

• The Ultimate Confidence Cheat Sheet

• Generative AI: Breaking AI Boundaries

• Top-down leadership is no longer useful. Good leaders take part in genuine conversation with their people

• Mistakes are expected, respected, inspected and corrected.

• Positive Intelligence is the mental fitness that enables us to thrive in challenging situations

[15-May-24] The TAO of Charlie Munger

A collection of the best blend of wisdom, life philosophy and wealth of the legendary value investor Charlie Munger (1924 – 2023)

Due to a technical issue on this platform yesterday I could not write, what I planned during the day. Here the content from Substack -

"Glitches of Gods" - Part 1 as alternative to read.

Below #89 from the TAO of Charlie Munger, a great story and perspective:

McDonald’s: (…) the really great educator is McDonald’s…I think a lot of what goes on there is better than at Harvard.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and it doesn't matter how strong the strongest links are if they're connected to the weakest. Here, Charlie explains that McDonald's strengthens the weakest links in our culture by hiring people with bad work ethic, giving them training, and teaching them good work ethic, like showing up to work on time and being friendly to customers. It can take credit for having taught literally millions of young Americans a good work ethic over the 60 years since it was founded. And since McDonald's has a presence in 118 countries and employs 1.7 million people around the globe, it can be said that it does this to people all over the world. That's an insane feat that not even Harvard can claim.

"If you rise in life, you have to behave in a certain way. You can go to a strip club if you’re a beer-swilling sand shoveler, but if you’re the bishop of Boston, you shouldn’t go." -- Charlie Munger taken from 14 Of Charlie Munger’s Funniest Quotes

[12-May-24] The week 19-2024 summary

Germany finished 12th at the 2024 ESC yesterday

Our 2024 song did get more than 2 times the points we did get for the last 5 participations together. Well done ...

The rest is history and all countries will start from scratch again the next time in Switzerland. The previous year's ranking is no guarantee for the next time in 2025, good to know. Even when Germany had a really bad series between 2019 and 2023!!

I am currently pre-reading Jurgen Appelo's 1st novel Glitches of Gods. I am on page 30 of 565 and need to be finished by 31-May-24. Challenge accepted.

One week with 5 working days next week, before we have 2 more weeks with just 4 days per week in my area of Germany. Busy times until end of May not only due to reading another 535 pages in 18 days. I have to prepare the next Team Building session and our 2-day planning phase on 28/29-May-24.

• Video: Why Successful People All Embrace Failure
• Video: Self-balancing Motorcycle of The Future By Lit Motors || Lit Motors C1 Most Unique Amazing Bike

• Seven questions that changed my life. Why you can't fake leadership. Who profits the most from generative AI?

• The Must-Read Articles for Talent Professionals This Week (10-May-24)

• The Most Disturbing 5 Mistakes Leaders Make When Promoting People (And How to Prevent Them)

[10-May-24] Emotional Intelligence

"Handle emotions, connect with people, make good choices, and stay calm when life gets complicated"

Two pictures say more than a lot of words:

• Emotional intelligence isn't just about being agreeable by Justin Mecham

• 16 Ways To Improve Your EQ by Jessica Luna

Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö tomorrow. The "unpolitical" event is very political this year. Song titles had to be changed, the same for parts of some song texts. Demonstration in front of the event hall and a whistling audience inside. Hopefully it will come to a good end tomorrow and Germany will not be on the last place again. We will see.

Some videos for your weekend:

• World’s Longest Ever Ski Jump (New Record)

• Tony Seba just revealed why Elon Musk is no longer interested in EVs

• BionicBee Makes Robot Bees Swarm

"Rival Kings is our most popular wildlife limited edition and shows the moment when a male king penguin holds off a suitor from his chosen female. This image was awarded Specially Commended in the 2006 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year. This wonderful image will bring a smile to your face everytime you look at it!" by Andy Rouse another picture from the Planet Ocean exhibition yesterday.

Have a great weekend, weather is promising:

• Dan Rockwell: MY BATTLE WITH A TRACTOR: TOOLS MAKE THE JOB

• “Being vulnerable is kind of like opening a door a little bit at a time.” -- Steven Bartlett

• Generative AI: AI for Good...

• "Don't dig up in doubt what you planted in faith" -- Elisabeth Elliot

• Here are 5 Japanese techniques every leader should know

• 7 Things Deeply Intuitive People Do Differently

• Coleman’s Six Leadership Styles

[09-May-24] Father's Day 2024

Visiting the Planet Ocean exhibition today

Today we used the public holiday, what was also Father's Day in Germany, to visit the Planet Ocean exhibition in Oberhausen:

• Planet Ocean in the Gasometer Oberhausen

• Sharpear enope squid on a blackwater dive, Kona, Hawaii by Simone Matucci

• Here, a boy, the second of nine children in his family, spends the morning picking through the trash on shore looking for recyclable plastic, which sells for 13 pesos (35 US cents) per kilo by George Steinmetz

I made a lot of great pictures today and will use it in the near future with the correct references to keep the owners Copyright in mind.

Another great topic this week was the launch of a German Startup rocket - The HyImpulse small satellite launcher is powered by our innovative hybrid engine running on a paraffin-based fuel.

Paraffin fuels are safer to operate, are more efficient, and have lower environmental impact compared to kerosene propellants. - a great story, looking forward to the future news.

Next is our upcoming introduction of Microsoft Viva Engage at work, as replacement for the current Workplace solution (a Meta Facebook for business usage). In general I do not care about tools, just enablers to do the work. I am not using Facebook in private life, I am not a Microsoft fan, just use it because it is the company standard. The biggest issue with the migration is the short timeframe - Engage is available starting 20-May-24 and Workplace will be shutdown on 31-May-24. An export of existing posts is only possible for your own ones and you cannot migrate complete groups or environments. The best and most common sense approach is to start from scratch and just leave the history behind. Hard for me and my 3,000+ "5-minute-learning-bites" that I did post in the last 3 years.

Fun fact: A colleague from the UK did contact me this week and asked for my migration strategy, because he is a big fan of my posts. I did give him a personal export file of 440MB and the link to my BLOG, a happy customer.

• The Benefits of Building New Leaders Internally, According to LinkedIn Data

• The Why, What and How of Employee Listening

• The best alternative for a SWOT? Probably a NOISE Analysis

• Gartner: Top Strategic Technology Trends 2024

[05-May-24] My week 18-2024 highlights

Another 4-day workweek ahead of me ...

The next public holiday in Germany is on Thursday 09-May-24, Ascension Day. The three days before will be busy and even on Friday is a lot to be done. 

It starts with a brainstorming session tomorrow morning with my Scrum Masters and Product Owners. We are now in the 10th three month period and have enough topics to be discussed and maybe to be adjusted going forward. What is the future scope of our Agile Release Train (ART), which teams will be owning which content, and would it be a good idea to use new team names? Just some of the questions to be discussed and answered in the end.

Directly after this I will be hosting two Sprint-4 Demos, tomorrow another two weeks are over again. Two more weeks to go in Sprint-5 and then we have to prepare the next PI planning on 28/29-May-24 already. Time is running fast.

As 30-May-24 is another public holiday in Germany (Corpus Christi), we plan to do our regular team building session already on 24-May-24. Maybe something around TRUST, I found two helpful articles:

• How to Supercharge Your Team's Trust Battery (Exercise)

• 7 ways leaders cripple their organization by destroying trust

The Circle of Control and Influence is an ongoing topic in the moment. During my last workshop on 30-Apr-24 and the bi-yearly Employee Survey that finished last Friday. As I do not believe in the used process and valuable outcome of the survey anymore, I decided to use - the participation is voluntary option - and did not vote this time. Maybe when the overall participation rate is going down dramatically a rethinking process will be generated? I have time to wait ...

On 03-May-24 we had the purpose topic, I found a fitting picture today.

• Where Are You Placing Your Bets?

• The Must-Read Articles for Talent Professionals This Week (03-May-24)

• McKinsey & Company: Monthly Highlights, May 2024

• The surprising truth about emotions in the workplace. AI index: state of AI in 13 charts. Three types of friends

• 20 sentences that will 10x your productivity

• If you haven't yet incorporated AI into your smartphone, you're lagging behind by 50 years

• A Distributed Leadership Team

• Generative AI and Manga: Taking Advantage of Japan’s Strength in Refinement

[04-May-24] The Ivory Tower ...

Happy Star Wars Day once again

The picture is a great representation of the Ivory Tower idiom.

"Ever been accused of living in an ivory tower? Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean people believe you’ve moved into a pearly fortress with an excellent view. The phrase ivory tower is an idiom used to describe someone disconnected from the real world, often with a few scholarly or rich overtones."

Good examples are the central leadership organization in large corporations, or the difference in perspective between people living in a city or the country side. Politics are made in parliaments in larger cities for the whole region or country. A decision to protect e.g. wolves or bears is easily made in the city center where you are safe, but might mean something totally different when these wild animals are killing your sheep or cows? A good analogy for large corporations :-)

I had the idea for the topic today in the morning and it was enforced later when I was looking at an interview (see below):

• Video: Nordwolle-Chef über die Realitäten auf dem Land und die autoritäre deutsche Politik | Marco Scheel (you can auto-generate English subtitles)

• Nordwolle GmbH

[03-May-24] You can be anything ...

You do not know, if you can do it before you try ...

When you know your purpose you are clear about your drivers. To take the smallest step in the right direction. Go for it and give it a try.

Due to the latest short notice changes in the department, we are trying out a lot in the moment. Teams without a supervisor and even the department without a head for some month. Why not? All senior people with experience, self-managed and -organized. So far not an issue and we will see how it goes over a longer period of time?

Next is Murphy’s Law in large projects. When you think you have seen all possible issues already, you will be surprised what can still go wrong? We are close to the end of our 3 month project period and learned yesterday about a nearly 2 weeks freeze that was not even known when we planned the last time. So you can complain and escalate the issue, but as the enddate cannot be moved there is no option anyway. Just accept the situation and make the best out of it.

Balance the pros and cons and in our situation the urgently required technical readiness versus the potential business continuity impact. Our credo is to make the decision as easy as possible for the responsible stakeholders. Keep it simple and do not hide it behind unnecessary complexity. Enjoy your weekend.

• Amount of AI Content in Google Search Results - Ongoing Study

• The New Happy: Keep transforming

• It's Time to Prepare for the Great Reshuffle 2.0

• Generative AI: AI at the Helm

• You cannot heal in the same environment that made you sick

• Before the "May the 4th be with you" flood of content - with the Star Wars Retrospective

• The only leadership cheat sheet you will ever need...

[01-May-24] Back to the roots ...

Going back where you came from, to better understand and value the status quo 

The left picture shows the maypole my wife did get today. We are married since 20 years and I give her one every year on May 1st. As our garden is not that large, it had to be a smaller one this year. As a side note: Only in leap years women are giving a maypole to men, but we are skipping this tradition since 20 years.

On the right a pretty old coffee mill that we had to reuse again - going back to the roots of traditional coffee bean grinding - as the grinder in our Espesso machine is broken lately. Normally we put coffee beans and water into the machine, press the start button and get a freshly brewed Espresso. Now we can either buy Espresso coffee powder or use the mill, we decide for the one or the other based on availability.

More "back to the roots" quotes here and additional information about 

Matshona Dhliwayo. Have fun.

The offsite workshop on Tuesday was really successful with 50+ participants. Filling the Team Agreement Canvas with 8 teams and sharing the findings afterwards, did bring a lot of insights and good ideas. The retrospective afterwards - a really new approach for a department that is not working agile at all - did generate a lot of interesting ideas.

Getting from an idea to an actionable item in the end was much more difficult out of two reasons:

1. The most selected items were far out of the circle of influence of the teams
2. The remaining power of the participants on day-2 after a tough day-1 and a socializing night was a little bit reduced

In the end we decided to finish without action items, but a good feedback round. A good job done ...

• Generative AI: Weekly Dive into Future Tech

• 5 Keys to Emotional Regulation for Leaders, 6 CEO Strategies for Thriving in Chaos, & More

• Dan Rockwell: 4 WAYS “NO” MOVES YOU FORWARD

• Preparing for climate risks to key commodities: What businesses should know

• [01-May-24] 16 Qualities You Need to Be Productive

• 6 Free Harvard Courses To Future-Proof Your Career in 2024.

• The Best AI Tools – Paid vs Free!

• 10 Unmistakable Habits of Utterly Authentic People

[29-Apr-24] Prioritize and decide ...

Helpful frameworks, keeping it simple ...

Easy to understand and follow sketch notes or infographics are a good starting point to dig deeper into the details, have a look. And with the right headline a lot of articles will fit to the main theme:

• The Eisenhower Matrix
• The $100 technique

• [29-Apr-24] The Skill/Will Matrix

• Are You Leading or Just Have the Title?

• Customize Employee Development

• High performers aren’t born, they're built; here's how to be one:

  Elevating to high performance

• The Ultimate Cheat sheet for building habits

• Dan Rockwell: HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE

• A few Japanese concepts that could impacted your life, and might have a positive impact too?

As AI is one of the trend topics in the moment, some helpful material:

• Shaping the Future of Learning: The Role of AI in Education 4.0

• 101 real-world gen AI use cases from the world's leading organizations

• Demystifying AI: Perception vs. Reality

• YouTube has more than 2.70 billion monthly active users as of 2024. But most don't know the useful channels. Here are 7 best YouTube Channels on AI

And three videos to close the content for today:

• How to Bounce Back from Hard Times

• Simon Sinek Explains the "Friends Exercise"

• Simon Sinek । 50 Minutes for the NEXT 50 Years of Your LIFE

"A great leader doesn’t only inspire us to have confidence in what THEY can do. A great leader inspires us to have confidence in what WE can do." -- Simon Sinek

"A leader without a title is better than a title without the ability to lead." -- Simon Sinek

[26-Apr-24] #futureofleadershipsalon

My personal summary of the event yesterday

With a 24 hour break in between today my summary of impressions and thoughts triggered after the event yesterday. You can get the detailed agenda and list of participating thought provokers and leaders from the

Future of Leadership Salon 2024 homepage. 

In the moment Germany is falling more behind other countries like e.g. USA, China, South Korea, Taiwan, etc. with respect to economy, technology expertise & leadership, and in a lot of other areas as well. It feels more like a general lethargy than a mood of optimism. The right time to reboot and to make a wave. Starting with a small one that should become bigger and bigger. We started with one day per year yesterday (after a several year COVID-19 break for face-2-face salons), but need to make this an every day focus on future leadership as quickly as possible, to drive and make a change going forward. YES this is work, will cost time and money, and requires CHANGE, BUT there is no alternative and we need to get going quickly. Better start earlier than later, WHY not next week Monday?

And you do not need to own a box in an org-chart to start doing something - leadership is not a position but rather a mindset - so be the change you want to see and become a role model for other people, who are still behind in their thinking and personal development process. Below some of the notes I have taken and thoughts/ideas I liked a lot:

• you can be leading outside of a line management position

• we had the Earth Day lately (22-Apr-24), let's save mother earth before going to Mars
  

• we need 15 Gutenberg moments every day

• where is AI in your org chart?

• AI in sports: Wilson's basketball with sensors
• Book: Factfulness By Hans Rosling

• be more human centric by using technology

• LEAD approach: leadership - experience - authority - direction

• humans are not rational, especially parents

• 7-stages of AI

• learn - unlearn - relearn, collective intelligence: humans together with AI, soft skills are hard to learn

• emotional ability to learn will outsmart AI - if you have a brain you are biased - from homo sapiens to homo sensing

• leaders as agility alchemists

• Try this out: write yourself a letter from now to the future or from the future back to today
• Let's embrace PROTOPIA, a positive outlook into the future

[24-Apr-24] Master your time part II

A follow up to my 12-Mar-24 post

Another Justin Mecham infographic about time management today. Once again a good summary of several different approaches that can be helpful for you. Just be open for it and give it a try.

Does also fit to the other picture that I have taken yesterday -

Klaus Rinke created Zeitfeld / Time Field when the Duesseldorf Volkpark was being redesigned for the 1987 Landesgartenschau. The installation consists of twenty-four station clocks on tall supports. The field of four by six clocks transports the viewer to a surreal scene. All of the clocks are accurate, as they are connected to the Braunschweig atomic clock. Here, it becomes abundantly clear that time does not stand still – even while viewing art: it is impossible to observe all of the clocks at the same time.

The workshop yesterday did go really well. Some people were missing due to illness and some joined later due to the traffic situation in the morning. The downside of face-to-face meetings, when everybody has to be in the same room. Anyway, due to enough time buffer we could start 30 minutes later and did finish as planned.  

Guessing a colleague's personality type or social style based on past experience and a 4 minute introduction was the 1st challenge. A SWOT analysis to cover the status quo and a Team Agreement Canvas describing the future ways of working did generate good content. Some Canvas examples:

• Team Agreement Canvas Management 3.0

• Team Working Agreement Canvas Scrum Inc.

• Custom Team Agreement Canvas Templates EDIT.org
  

• Creating a Team Working Agreement Scrum.org

In the end we did brainstorm roles and responsibilities of the two departments coming together. What is clear already, where are overlaps to be solved and more urgently gaps to be closed?

The webinar today about the one week Silicon Valley visit did cover a lot of different topics. The big technology players versus small startups. Driverless taxis and of course the state of technology around AI. What is already available and what will be available shortly? Good insights.

• TED Talk: How AI will step off the screen and into the real world
• TED Talk: What is an AI anyway?

• Visualizing AI Patents by Country

• Mapped: The World’s Top 50 Science and Technology Hubs

• Grant Snider: How to Make Poetry Comics. Six Exercises in Creating
• Video: Optimize your workdays: MANAGE YOUR DAY-TO-DAY by Jocelyn Glei | Core Message
• Dan Rockwell: 10 PRACTICES FOR THE LEADER AS COACH