.NET
The Biggest Lie about the .NET Logger (via Nick Chapsas)
The message argument isn’t the message, but a message template. Instead of making new strings (which need to be garbage-collected) use a formatted string then pass the arguments in next.
AI
The urgent risks of runaway AI — and what to do about them (via TED)
- Misinformation from bad actors. It creates statistically probable information but doesn’t understand the factual relationships.
- Bias. For example, one person was given different career options based on her gender.
- It has access to subjects such as chemistry and could be used to create weapons.
- It can trick human beings into performing behaviors. AutoGPT has one AI system controlling another.
- We need a new technical approach and a system of governance.
- For the technical piece, we need to combine symbolic systems (good at reasoning, not good at scaling) and neural networks (good at learning, not good at facts).
- The incentives that drive society and human beings are not the ones that drive corporations.
- We need a global, non-profit, and neutral agency for AI. This should include governance and research. 91% of people want this.
AI Can Be Both Accurate and Transparent (via HBR)
- Default to white box (vs black box).
- Know your data.
- Know your users.
- Know your organiation.
- Know your regulations.
- Explain the unexplainable.
Burnout
When Your Employee Tells You They’re Burned Out (via HBR)
- Treat your employee’s burnout concerns seriously
- Understand their experience of burnout
- Do you feel competent and effective in your job?
- Do you feel emotionally exhausted in your job and/or do you experience physical symptoms?
- Do you find yourself feeling cynical or caring less than you used to about your colleagues or clients?
- Identify the root causes of their burnout.
- Consider short- and long-term solutions.
- Create a monitoring plan.
Change management
Employees Are Losing Patience with Change Initiatives (via HBR)
- One major culprit is moving too fast.
- Build in periods of proactive rest to sustain change energy.
- Open-source your change plans vs a top-down approach.
- Have people other than mangers lead the change.
To Implement Change, You Don’t Need to Convince Everyone at Once (via HBR)
- Instead of trying to win over skeptics, focus on the people already enthusiastic about the idea.
- “Majorities don’t just rule, they also influence. We can always expand a majority out, but once we’re in the minority, we’re likely to get immediate pushback.”
- “The truth is that feeling the urge to persuade is a warning sign. It means you’re either starting with the wrong people or you have the wrong idea. A much more effective approach is to leverage early enthusiasts to focus on a keystone change which has a tangible goal, involves multiple stakeholders, and paves the way to greater change.”
Managing
Face-to-Face Time with Your Employees Still Matters (via HBR)
- These kinds of meetings communicate mannerisms, tone of voice, and energy — things that get lost in digital formats.
- Make in-office days (hub days) about communicating key messages in person. Avoid having people come in just to come in.
- Embrace video as your backup; leaders should keep the camera on.
- Manage your body language.
- Use your energy strategically to calm or excite.
Evaluating Managers: 5 heuristics to measure managerial impact (via SWLW)
- Execution — is your team delivering on promises
- People management — are you helping build careers
- Team development — is your team improving year to year
- Strategic vision — where is your team going
- Organizational influence — is your team contributing to the larger org
Morality
Does working hard really make you a good person? (via TED)
- People attach their worth to effort (harder work).
- The less efficient worker is viewed as less competent, but more moral and a better partner (“effort moralization”).
- We try to show others we are good collaborators (“partner choice”); these are people that are more likely to help others out in a pinch.
- At the societal level, it creates a work environment with perverse incentives — people signal effort instead of spending time on relationships or leisure (workaholics assuring people that they are good people).
- Capitalism should root out inefficiencies in labor, but there is “workism” — source of your paycheck, your identity, and pathway to self-actualization. We are forced into this; we not only have to be a good cooperation partner, but better than the next guy –> arms race of workism. Our culture punishes us for not keeping up.
- We’ve built a culture that asks for the wrong thing — effort. We should focus on producing meaning.
Motivating people
How to Motivate Employees When Their Priorities Have Changed (via HBR)
- “People are most productive when they feel motivated about what they do and how they live. We need both to thrive.”
- “Encourage workers to define passion in any way they want, and align your workplace to support a wide variety of situations.”
- Just because you had to pay your dues doesn’t mean current employees have to.
- Focus on performance, not time spent.
- Fear is not an effective long-term motivator.