Recently, a client and I were tackling a thorny business issue in which various stakeholders held differing opinions about the path forward. Some team members were suffering; for a high performer, it could push her to leave the company. It was a messy, complicated situation.
We framed it out, and ultimately, “began with the end in mind”, as quoted by Steven R Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Locking in to the desired outcome, even if it takes work to clarify what that desired outcome is, is critically important. It gave my client a clear path to address the situation.
Worth the share
AI, however, is a much thornier issue, but I think that “beginning with the end in mind” can help here too. There is so much written about AI that my head is spinning. With AI, what is the endgame for me, my business, other businesses, and the future state of our world? I’m on overload. There is so much to read and learn. A book just came out about AI as it relates to babies, focusing on the importance of human interaction. Really? Isn’t that obvious?
So, I tuned in to this podcast, The Case for Optimism with Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler, thinking it would answer some of my nagging questions and make me even more excited about how AI will improve our world for the better. It did not disappoint, and I invite you to listen to the podcast or get their new book: We Are As Gods.
My key insight: Use AI when you have a specific purpose, and then lean into it with curiosity and dig deep, since AI has a world’s worth of information at your fingertips. PURPOSE and CURIOUSITY. It is an amazing tool.
Oh, and then, in the Wall Street Journal, buried in the business section on July 5, was an article about AI and Jobs….guess what? They pivoted! The headline: Big Tech Has Suddenly Flipped on the AI Jobs Wipeout Scenario.
Here is the WSJ’s summary (generated using AI):
- Business leaders have shifted their public stance on AI’s impact, now emphasizing job creation and productivity boosts over job elimination.
- An EY-Parthenon survey found the percentage of CEOs expecting significant AI-driven headcount reductions fell from 46% in January 2025 to 20% this May.
- Some tech companies announced layoffs to funnel money into AI spending, even as their CEOs spoke of AI’s job-creating potential.
The world is spinning. Use this technology to support your efforts, as a teacher, investigator, and tool. Remember your purpose and get curious.
#wisewords
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.”
–Vince Lombardi
And Finally...
As I’ve mentioned in this newsletter over the last few months, I’m now switching over to Substack. Periodically, I’ll post a newsletter, and a couple of times a week, I’ll post some thoughts on my Romeo’s Reflections page. Join me! Here’s the link to subscribe.
To make it easy for all of you, we’ll port your email over to Substack. As always, if you want to unsubscribe, you can do so easily.
This is my last official newsletter from my old platform. Thank you so much for staying with me all these years, and I hope to see you on Substack.
Happy Summer and Happy 250th America!
Have a great week,
Mary Jo