Fit For the Future

Did you hear about the gym in Melbourne that was accidentally hacked by AI? As a leader, that should raise a warning about the training and guardrails you give people when they use AI at work. It’s your responsibility to make sure you’re protecting your data, your organisation, and your brand from AI that doesn’t follow the rules.https://swiy.co/go-when-ai-breaks-the-rulesAs a leader, do you know how much power you’re giving to AI when you use it at work?You might have seen the recent story about a gym in Melbourne that got accidentally hacked by AI.Yes, ACCIDENTALLY!A gym user, Andrew, created an AI “assistant” to help him with his admin, and asked that assistant to book some gym sessions for him, using the booking form on the gym’s website. Simple, right?To his surprise – and shock – he found the AI had hacked the gym website to accomplish the task!First, although the website only allowed bookings a few weeks in advance, the AI discovered a way to book sessions for Andrew months in advance.Second, when the AI found a session that was full and the three waitlist spots were also taken, it figured out how to cancel one of the waitlist people (without their consent, of course) to make space for Andrew.So what happened here?First, let’s be clear this didn’t have dire consequences, like loss of money or breach of privacy.But this story made international headlines because it showed a real-life example of the power of AI to go off the rails.Andrew gave the AI a task, and the AI figured out how to do it – even in ways that were never intended. Nobody said it wasn’t allowed to book months in advance or kick people off the waitlist. It simply discovered that it COULD, so it DID.And it wasn’t even trying to be “sneaky”, like somehow sending a virus or malware to the gym’s website. No, it just found two unadvertised “features” of the website software that it could use to achieve the task it was given.As a leader, this should make you sit up and take notice – for two reasons.The first is EDUCATION. When you and your people use AI at work, do they really (and I mean REALLY) understand the potential consequences?It’s bad enough having AI “hallucinating” information in a chat, but at least you can manage that by carefully checking and double-checking everything it says. But now we’re talking about autonomous AI agents you ask to do some work for you. Are you sure you (and your people) know how to clearly describe the task, explain what the AI is allowed to do, and – just as importantly – be very, very clear about what it’s not allowed to do?The second reason is SECURITY. Are you sure your IT systems are secure from external AI agents that could “hack” them – even unintentionally?You might say that’s mainly the responsibility of your IT department. And you’re right – it MAINLY is. But IT departments can’t control everything – for example, somebody carelessly leaving private customer data on a publicly-accessible web server. They might have put it there temporarily – say, to make it easy for somebody else to download it – and forget to delete it, somebody else’s AI agent could stumble across it.So, as a leader, be sure you’re educating your people and tightening your security – to protect yourself, your organisation, and your brand.For more about this, join my free, public online presentation about next-level AI. We’ll talk about this and other issues you need to consider as you’re embedding – and trusting – AI more in your organisation. It’s open to all, so register now and invite others in your team and network, too.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-when-ai-breaks-the-rules Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Australian Government has dropped the ball on AI regulation. So, as a leader, it’s your responsibility to create appropriate rules and guidelines for safe, ethical, and responsible AI use in your team and organisation. That includes privacy, confidentiality, bias, governance, and how people use AI in everyday work.https://swiy.co/go-the-ai-governance-gapAs a leader, are you doing enough to look at the ethical, safe and responsible use of AI in your team and your organisation?This is a hot topic right now because the Australian Government has dropped the ball on AI.Anthony Albanese recently announced a new strategy for regulating AI. And we DO need to regulate it – including things like (to name just a few):- Privacy- Confidentiality- Discrimination in the workplace- Surveillance- Gender bias- Transparency- Accountability in decision-making- Risk management- Safety-critical decisions- Testing obligations- First Nations rights- Data governance- Data sovereignty- Human oversight- Contestability- Frontier-model riskBut are we going to do any of that? Nope. Our national AI strategy is all about ... data centres.Don’t get me wrong – this IS an important topic, and one that directly affects our communities. But even in this area, the government is doing the wrong thing. Albanese SAYS it’s “in Australia’s interests”, but his explicitly stated goal is to “enhance our appeal to international investors, by delivering greater clarity and speed for approvals”. I’m not making this up – that’s an exact quote from the Prime Minister’s website.Whatever you think about data centres (and there’s both valid information and misinformation out there), many local communities in Australia, in cities and regional areas, are concerned about data centres popping up in their communities. And it’s happening without their consent, sometimes without their knowledge until it’s too late, and probably without any positive economic impact in return.What does all this mean for you as a leader in your team, organisation, or community?First, of course, as a local resident yourself, this affects YOU. So learn more about what that means for you and your community.For your team, business, or organisation, the big problem is this policy neglects the real issues with AI regulation – things like privacy, confidentiality, data sovereignty, and the other things I mentioned earlier.We should be regulating the tech bros, big AI companies, and AI startups selling their systems in Australia. If we’re forced to trust AI, at least we need strong rules protecting our rights.That’s what the government SHOULD be doing.But it isn’t.That means the responsibility falls on you.When you’re using AI in your organisation, it’s up to you to consider, discuss, and ask the tough questions – especially when you’re talking to AI vendors and suppliers.Make sure you protect your customers, your employees, your brand, and yourself.Our government has abdicated that responsibility. So it’s up to us.If you’d like to know more about this, come along to my free public online presentation, where we’ll explore how to take AI to the next level. Register here, and feel free to invite others from your team and your network as well.Oh, and also learn a bit more about what our government is doing – or isn’t doing – about AI.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-the-ai-governance-gap Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most teams are already using AI to save time and boost productivity – and that’s a good place to start. The bigger opportunity now is to step back and ask whether to do the work itself differently. Don’t just use AI to improve an old way of working; use this opportunity to ask what you could eliminate, redesign, or replace altogether.https://swiy.co/go-reimagine-work-with-aiAs a leader, are you just using AI for efficiency and productivity gains, or are you taking it to the next level?My local library has just reopened after a few weeks closed for major refurbishments. We now have new carpets, new furniture, new bookshelves, and everything looks nice and new.While they were closed, they also took the opportunity to reorganise the fiction books on the shelves. Instead of the traditional system, where fiction books are grouped alphabetically by author, they are now grouped by genre: mystery books one one shelf, thrillers on another, historical romance on another, and so on.That’s a great idea. For example, If I’m looking for a new mystery author, I can browse the books in that section.When I speaking to the librarian about this before it happened, she said most people were looking forward to it, but a few people grumbled. She pointed out to them that bookshops already organise their fiction that way, and libraries do it already for non-fiction books.She also said:‘In five years’ time, we’ll look back and say, “Why did it take us so long?”’I reckon the same applies to AI.Many organisations, leaders, and teams are using AI now to make their processes more efficient and more productive. That’s good, but don’t stop at that point.To take it to the next level, ask if you could redesign, change, or eliminate the process altogether.Don’t just mindlessly apply AI to your current processes without also asking whether those processes should exist in their current form at all.So many things we do aren’t relevant anymore. We hang on to them because we’ve always done them that way. But, like keeping books in alphabetical order when there’s a better alternative, we should re-evaluate them. In fact, we could have done this a long time ago. Use the AI opportunity as the trigger to think again.What could YOU do now that would let you say:‘In five years’ time, we’ll look back and say, “Why did it take us so long?”’For more about taking AI to the next level, join my next free public online presentation, which is for leaders and teams everywhere. It’s free, and you’re welcome to invite others from your team and network as well.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-reimagine-work-with-ai Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most organisations now allow people to use AI to boost productivity, and that’s a good first step. The bigger opportunity comes from using AI to rethink the way work gets done, not just making it more efficient. But are you recognising and encouraging that – or penalising it?https://swiy.co/go-the-ai-innovation-gapAs a leader, are you and your team applying AI the right way in your workplace?This year’s Work Trend Index report from Microsoft focused on the way people use AI in their workplace. And there’s some good news and some bad news!The good news is that most knowledge workers are using AI now, and it’s now with the blessing and support of their leaders and organisations. Those leaders encourage their people to use AI, especially for boosting productivity.That’s a really good use of AI – to be more efficient and more productive.The bad news is that most people who used AI in more innovative ways to change their workflows – not just improve them – weren’t rewarded for it.Only one in seven were rewarded for using AI. The other six out of seven were either ignored or criticised.They were criticised for rocking the boat because, “This is the way we’ve always done it” Their boss didn’t mind them using Copilot to be more efficient, but didn’t like people going further and ”messing with” the workflow itself.In other words, they were happy with people bring compliant, but didn’t want them to be innovative.That’s a mistake, because you only get surface-level gains from being more efficient. For next-level gains, you change your processes and systems, and maybe even consider whether what you’re doing is even needed at all.For example, if you use Google Maps to shave five minutes from your daily commute, that’s good. But what if you rearranged your work so you worked from home and didn’t have to commute at all? That saves 100% of your commute time!Obviously, changing or eliminating workflows and processes can take a lot more work. But that’s exactly what you should consider, not just the small efficiency boost from asking Copilot to draft a better email.If you’d like to know more about this, I’ll be talking about it in my next free public online presentation, “Next Level AI”, for all leaders and managers. Register here, and please invite others in your team and your network as well.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-the-ai-innovation-gap Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might want to try new AI tools, but the IT team keeps getting in the way – because they (rightly) don’t want unauthorised tech in your system. But there’s a simple way you can keep experimenting and evolving with AI, while still keeping your IT team happy. It’s a practical way to keep innovation moving while still staying on the right side of the IT team.https://swiy.co/go-ai-and-itAs a leader, where are you getting stuck with using AI in your team?I was running a presentation recently about AI at work, and a participant raised a challenge she’s facing (and it’s not uncommon).She and her team are already using AI, and are keen to keep trying new AI software and platforms. But whenever they want to sample some products or trial some new AI software, the IT team puts their foot down and stops them.That’s for a good reason. IT professionals have the unenviable task of supporting increasing demands for enabling digital infrastructure while also protecting the organisation from AI-powered cybersecurity attacks, AI-powered rogue agents, and naïve staff using powerful technology without knowing the risks. So, of course, that’s why they might instinctively block your AI plans.The IT department often gets a bad rap for being overly cautious, but most IT professionals love new technology and are keen to use it. But you need to do it on their terms, after they carefully assess, test, and integrate it with their existing systems.On the other hand, you and your team might be keen to try out some new software.The best way to manage this conflict is with AI projects.Start with a small pilot project or prototype (with the approval of the IT team), keeping it separate from your main tech setup and with dummy data (so you don’t accidentally leak private or confidential information). Use this to test the concept and figure out if it’s worth pursuing.Then, if it works, take it to the IT team and build the full working version – with their help.You will probably have to discard everything from the prototype and build it again from scratch using approved software and infrastructure. But that’s exactly what you want. Treat the prototype as a clunky, messy, scrappy experiment designed to prove the value of your idea, and fully expect to throw it away.In my next public online presentation, I’ll be talking about how to take AI to the next level – from individual use to team use. I’ll share a five-step process for running AI projects this way. Please join me, and invite others in your team and network as well.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-ai-and-it Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you're weighing up an investment, it's easy to focus only on the ROI - your return on investment. But that's only half the picture. You also need to consider COI - the cost of inaction (doing nothing). Calculate both ROI and COI to make more balanced decisions, spot hidden risks, and avoid the cost of standing still.https://swiy.co/go-more-than-roiAre you doing enough to calculate the value of an investment?A client recently told me she’s been nominated the “AI champion” for her organisation – medium-sized company in the construction industry. Her general manager has asked her to write a report – which is broadly her AI strategy plan for the business. He specifically said, “Make sure your report includes our potential return on investment (ROI) from using AI.”All of this is good – she’s been seen as an enthusiastic AI user, been asked to contribute to the AI strategy, and will presumably be involved in further discussion.But I also said to her, “When you write your report, include ROI, but also include the other half of the value calculation: COI.”COI is the cost of inaction – in other words, the cost of doing nothing.We often talk about ROI: If we invest X, what sort of return Y can we expect?But, to make a well-informed decision, we must also consider COI: If we DON’T invest in this, what will it cost us?In this example, we’re talking about AI – but it applies everywhere, and for every decision.For example, if you’re driving on a highway and see traffic banking up ahead, you might quickly assess whether it’s worth taking a side road, which is usually longer and slower, but might be less congested right now. And if you can see billowing clouds ahead and you guess the highway is taking you directly into the path of a bushfire, you will definitely switch to the side road because the COI is so high the ROI becomes irrelevant.In many decisions – both in business and in life – we have to think about both ROI and COI.ROI answers the question, “What are the benefits of this change?”, and COI answers the question, “What is the cost of not changing?” You must ask both; otherwise you make the decision with only half the information.We tend to give too much value to ROI, and not enough to COI. That was OK when the world wasn’t changing so quickly, because we didn’t need to change that much. But in a world that’s changing faster and faster, the cost of doing nothing is often much higher than the cost of change.Make sure you include both ROI and COI whenever you’re assessing the value of an investment.So, yes, my client will include both ROI and COI in her AI strategy report.If you’d like some help with this process, download my worksheet to identify six different areas that could affect COI, and use this when making your next important decision.Download the worksheet:https://swiy.co/go-more-than-roi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI is about much more than ChatGPT or Copilot. As a leader, think about AI at three levels: professional, projects, and platforms. And all of this still needs human judgement, so building AI literacy across your team is just as important as the technology itself.https://swiy.co/go-ai-platforms-are-hereAre you sick of hearing negative stories about AI? Some of them are negative for good reasons, but also be aware of the good that AI is doing in the world.I'll share a few examples here - not only to make you feel good (but maybe that's good enough reason by itself!), but also because it will help you plan how to bring AI into your team and organisation. Here are four Australian AI examples from the last year:1. Researchers at Queensland University of Technology found that smarter farming and synthetic biology could transform croplands into tools for climate action by capturing and storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the air.2. Researchers at the University of Melbourne developed AI that uses weather data and fire records to predict land-cover change with over 90% accuracy, helping land managers and policymakers with erosion control, fire risk management, and biodiversity conservation.3. Researchers at Edith Cowan University in Perth have created an AI system that helps clinicians in detecting and staging serious conditions using ordinary scans like bone density images and ultrasounds.4. Australia’s beloved science communicator, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, has launched Digital Dr Karl - an AI chatbot trained on 40,000 of his scientific papers, articles, and media to help address climate scepticism at scale.OK, so let's talk about what this means for YOU ...These are all examples of AI platforms.They're very different from you sitting in front of your laptop, typing a query into ChatGPT, Copilot, or Claude, and getting a response. That's generative AI, and that's what made mainstream in 2022. But these AI platforms have been working quietly behind the scenes in every industry and every sector for years (sometimes decades).When you think about adopting AI, think about three levels: professional, projects, and platforms.The professional level is using AI - ChatGPT, Copilot, etc. - to improve everyday work so you can focus on higher-value work. You know what I mean: draft an email reply, create an outline for a report, analyse a spreadsheet, or design a workshop.The project level is where a small team works together to create something using AI that delivers value. You may already be running small AI projects.The third level is the platform level, where you buy (or build, if you have that in-house expertise) an AI-powered platform to help you with your core work. That could be:* GPs using AI to record patient appointments and draft follow-up notes* banks using AI to assess mortgage applications* businesses using AI to help their call centre staff serve customers better* retail stores using AI for managing inventory* insurers using AI to assess premiums and manage risk* ... and so onThe same is true for your industry and sector. It might already be true in your organisation.That makes it even more important to lift the AI literacy and education of everybody in your team.But it needs a different kind of AI literacy.AI platforms work behind the scenes. So you don’t need to learn how to write Copilot prompts or run Claude projects.But as we rely more on AI platforms, we need to apply our human intelligence to interpret, question, their outcomes.It’s always about people first, technology second – especially with something as complex as an AI platform.If you’d like to know more about this, come along to my free online presentation “AI At Work” this week. It’s open to everybody, and we’ll look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of AI at all three levels.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-ai-platforms-are-here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’re using – or planning to use – AI agents, good! But also be careful - they give you great power, but also open up possible risks. So, before you let them loose on your precious digital assets, decide what you’ll let them do on their own, where they need your approval, and how you’ll review their work.https://swiy.co/go-ai-agents-at-workAre you using – or thinking of using – AI agents in your work? If so, good! But be sure you understand the limitations and potential risks.In April, Jeremy Crane, the founder of PocketOS, a software company that supports car rental companies manage their bookings, watched in horror as a rogue AI agent deleted the entire company’s database and its backups in just nine seconds, leaving rental car companies and their customers in the lurch for two days. To add insult to injury, when Crane asked the AI agent why – despite clear instructions to never delete data unless a human explicitly asked for it – the AI apologised, admitting, “I violated every principle I was given”.That’s the power – and the risk – of using AI agents badly.But it’s not all bad.Think of another agent you use in your life, like a travel agent.When we travelled to Europe last month, we asked our travel agent to book the flights. We did what many people did: We gave her approximate dates and airline preference, and she replied with a list of options. We discussed the options, narrowed it down to one, and then gave her credit card details so she could book the flights for us.No big deal, right? That’s the way many people typically use a travel agent.But we could have done it differently.For example, if she had done many travel bookings for us in the past, we could have asked her to do the research and narrow it down to just ONE option – trusting her to know enough about us to choose the right airline and the right dates.Or we could have taken it further and given her credit card details up front, so she could make the booking itself.Taking it even further, if she had access to our calendar, she could be regularly suggesting holidays for us, even before we approached her.And if we really, really trusted her, we would give her credit card details so she could find a suitable trip, book the tickets, and then tell us – again, before we even approached her.Now, you might not feel comfortable going to that extreme with a travel agent. We wanted some input into the idea, filtering, and final decision-making. But that’s just us. And the more we deal with her, the more comfortable we would feel with her taking on some of those tasks.That’s how you should think about working with AI agents.Decide how much you’re going to let them do for you, how much autonomy you will give them, and when you want them to stop and ask for more input.It’s the same with delegating work to a staff member. If they have worked with you for a long time, you might trust them to make decisions without any input from you. But if you’re working with somebody for the first time, no matter how much expertise they have, you’ll want more input up front, more back-and-forth discussion along the way, and regular check-ins.How are YOU going to use AI agents in your workplace, your team and your organisation?If you’d like to know more, I’m running a free public online presentation soon about AI at work: The good, the bad, the ugly (in sometimes, as with AI agents, the very ugly!)It’s open to everybody, so please register, and invite others in your team and your network to register as well.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-ai-agents-at-work Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve seen all the media stories about people losing their jobs to AI, guess what? Your people are seeing those stories as well! And they’re wondering if they are next. How can you tell them – in real, practical, and convincing ways – it’s not true?https://swiy.co/go-will-ai-take-my-jobHave you seen the media stories about people who are losing their jobs to AI? Last year, the biggest in Australia was about CommBank. Since then, there have been others – including Atlassian, Telstra, and Afterpay.Well, if you’ve seen those stories, guess what? You know who else has been seeing those stories? Your employees!Many people in Australia now who wonder whether they might be next. And it’s probably true for your team as well.What are you doing to reassure them?It’s no good saying, “Don’t worry about it. Nothing’s going to happen to your job.”Even if it’s true, they might not believe you.So what CAN you do?I’ll suggest three things ...If you know their jobs are safe (to the best of your knowledge), then don’t keep it to yourself! Reassure them you’re planning to use AI to help them do their job better, not replace them. That’s a good start – but it is only a start.Invest time, money, and other resources to actually teach them how to use AI – again, to improve their job, not to replace it. That doesn’t guarantee that some time in the future AI won’t come along and take their job, but at least it gives them confidence you’re investing in their professional development.Reward people for using AI! This sounds obvious, but so few leaders do it. In fact, in Microsoft’s most recent Work Trends Index, they reported that less than 15% of people – that’s less than one in seven – who used AI to improve their job were rewarded for it!Are you doing these three things? If not, don’t be surprised when you discover your people are worred about AI taking their jobs. And, of course, that will affect their performance – and your outcomes.For more, join me for my free, public, online presentation, “AI At Work: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly”, coming soon. I’ll share some practical strategies you can use in your workplace and team.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-will-ai-take-my-job Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your people might not be openly resisting AI, but I bet many are wondering what it means for their future. You can help them by recognising their fears, understanding their concerns, and facilitating honest conversations about what AI means in your workplace. If you want them to embrace AI (and you do, don’t you?), bring them with you rather than assume they’re already on board.https://swiy.co/go-ai-anxiety-at-workAre your people excited about AI? Really?Do you know how your people really feel about the impact of AI in your team?You might have seen videos in the last month of graduation ceremonies at American universities, where invited speakers talked up AI to graduating students – and were booed by the students. Real estate executive Gloria Caulfield was barely into her pitch before the boos started. Music company executive Scott Borchetta told students “AI is rewriting production as we sit here” and told the crowd to “deal with it” as they booed back. And former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed after describing AI as a transformative force.These students aren’t booing AI. In fact, I bet most of them are already using AI in many ways in their personal lives. But they know their university hasn’t prepared them for an AI-enabled future. In fact, quite the opposite. Universities are telling students that using AI is cheating and that it’s a violation of academic integrity. That’s because most universities are still so far behind in their teaching and assessment methods they can’t cope with AI. Rather than levelling up themselves, they take it out on their students. And the students know it.I wonder how people in YOUR team are thinking about AI?They’re probably not booing you loudly at every staff meeting, but they might be doing it silently in their heads, and they might be talking about it behind your back.It’s a real concern right now because this is not hypothetical, theoretical, or purely in the future.People are seeing right now that other people are losing their jobs to AI. It might be happening to colleagues at work. Or friends outside work. Or they see stories in the media about people losing their jobs to AI.So, of course they wonder whether they might be next.If you really care about your people and want to bring them on the AI journey, then you must address those concerns.I’ll be talking about this in my next free public online presentation, which is all about AI at work. I’ll talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of what’s happening with AI right now. It’s open to everybody, so please invite other leaders and managers in your team and your network as well.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-ai-anxiety-at-work Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’re waiting for the right time to start something important, you might be looking for a signal that never comes. Like learning to surf, progress doesn’t happen from standing on the beach and watching the waves. You only learn what works, what opportunities are available, and what direction to take when you’re out there paddling.https://swiy.co/go-catch-the-waveAre you thinking about something you should be doing – and you’d like to be doing – but you’re struggling to get started?I was recently on the Gold Coast again, speaking at a conference for the marinas industry, talking about AI for marinas and boatyards. The Gold Coast has a special place in my life – and in my heart – because, twenty years ago, I lived on the Gold Coast for a year. I had lots of clients on that side of the country, so I moved from Perth to build up my business there.I lived in Coolangatta, right next to Coolangatta Beach, and because I was trying new things, I decided to learn how to surf. And I learned something valuable in my first surfing lesson.We were in a small group, with the instructor helping us to get started, and he asked if there were any questions. I raised my hand and asked,“When you’re standing on the beach and looking out at the water, how can you tell if there’s a good wave coming?”He answered (kindly),“That’s a very common question. But if you’re standing on the beach, it’s already too late. You need to get out there and start paddling. Only then can you catch the waves.”My surfing career didn’t last long because I injured my shoulder playing squash and couldn’t swim for a few months, so figured it was safer to stay out of the water! But that one lesson has stayed with me for twenty years.Often, I see people – in business and in life – standing on the beach waiting. They’re standing there, waiting for the signal that they should plunge into the water. I’ve been in the same position myself.Don’t wait! Get out there and start paddling.I’ve shared this advice with my coaching clients, in my leadership programs, and in my conference keynote presentations. Whether it’s being a better leader, working with AI, building a speaking business, or something else entirely, it’s good advice.Get started.Only then will you realise what’s right for you, what the environment is really like, what direction to take, and what steps to take next.For some practical ways to do that, download my worksheet with many different ways to “start paddling”. Download it, share it with your team, and start putting some of those ideas into action.Download the worksheet:https://swiy.co/go-catch-the-wave Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you create a team culture where people take initiative and make good decisions without always coming back to you? Easy, but not simple: build their judgement. It’s like learning to drive: you know the rules and gain the basic skills, but what really matters is how you read situations and respond in the moment. The more you help your people develop good judgment, the more you can step back and say, “I trust your judgment” – and that’s not just good for them, it’s also good for you.https://swiy.co/go-build-good-judgementDo your people feel empowered at work?The word “empowered” sometimes has negative connotations, but it’s vital for building a future-ready team.You want people who can take initiative, have the authority to make decisions, and will then make those decisions. But that’s not enough; you also need to trust them to make GOOD decisions, and that means building their judgement.Five years ago, I taught my then 16-year-old niece, Abbey, to drive. Her parents were reluctant for her to learn driving at 16, but she persuaded them that if her uncle was willing to teach her, that would be OK.So, I taught Abbey for her first ten or so lessons – the crucial first ten hours, which I think are the most difficult! And then I handed her back to her parents so they could take on all the extra hours of supervised driving she needs before her driving test.When we were talking about handing over, I said to her,“Abs, you’re already a pretty good driver. Your job now is to stay out of other people’s accidents.”Isn’t this true for all of us as drivers every day?Abbey knew the road rules, she had learned the skill to handle heavy machinery in public, and she was reasonably confident on the road.But the real test is when she had to make judgement calls. She will often face situations when it’s not a clear-cut decision.Sometimes it’s safe to go.Sometimes you need to stop.Sometimes you need to wait.And good judgement is knowing the difference between those three options.This applies to your team as well. You know they have good judgement when they know when to follow the rules, know when to ignore the rules, and know when they don’t know (so they ask you).Ideally, you’ll get to the situation where somebody comes to you for help, and you can confidently say,“I trust your judgment.”Right now, can you do that with all your team members all the time? Probably not, and you don’t HAVE to do it every time.Sometimes you help – by telling them how to start, showing them the process, adding a few check-in points, maybe even doing it yourself while they shadow you.But every time you do this, ask yourself,“What would she have to know next time so I COULD confidently say, ’I trust your judgement’?”Building good judgement in your team is one of the most important factors in building a culture of change agents.For more about this and other elements of the future of work, join my free, public, online presentation THIS WEEK. It’s open to everybody, so share the link with others in your team and your network as well.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-build-good-judgement Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might want AI to help your team work smarter, but are you just giving them more work? Instead of freeing people to focus on meaningful, higher-value work, AI can end up creating a cycle where more efficiency just leads to more work. If you’re not careful, the work never really changes, it just keeps coming back faster – and that's bad for everybody.https://swiy.co/go-the-sisyphus-trapWhen you’re using AI in your organisation, are you falling into the Sisyphus trap?In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king who angered the gods. So, for his punishment, they gave him a never-ending task. Every day, he had to push a big rock up a hill. But before it reached the top, it magically rolled down to the bottom, and he had to start all over again. Push the rock, it rolls down. Push the rock, it rolls down. Push the rock, it rolls down.In Greek mythology, this was known as the eternal punishment. I call it the birth of rock and roll, ha ha.But isn’t this exactly what happens in many workplaces?Many team members feel like Sisyphus – spending most of their waking hours pushing rocks up a hill, never achieving anything useful. Even when they get a “new and improved” system for boosting their productivity, it just means they can push more rocks up more hills!Is that true for you? Do people in your team feel like they’re making progress, or just working harder?New tools, new processes, and new expectations promise efficiency, but sometimes they just lead to more work. AI can draft your emails and replies faster – good! But does that just mean you get more emails???Using AI isn’t better if it just means more emails, more tasks, more pointless meetings, and more pressure.That’s short-term gain (at best) but it’s terrible for your people, and uitimately for your organisation.This is not true of all AI adoption, of course, but I’m seeing it a lot.As a leader, recognise this and ensure that change is actually improving the work – not just increasing the workload – of everybody in your team.AI is part of a broader conversation about the future of work, but it’s a very important part because everybody’s talking about it.I’m running a free public online presentation very soon about the future of work – including AI – so please join me and invite others in your team and organisation as well.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-the-sisyphus-trap Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you have a culture you’re proud of, workfluencers are powerful brand voices for you – sharing their experiences, amplifying your culture, and helping attract the right sort of talent, long before an interview. It’s time to support, nurture, and trust the people already championing your workplace.https://swiy.co/go-meet-the-workfluencerDo you have a workfluencer in your team? If you don’t, maybe you should!So what’s a workfluencer? (I hear you cry)In a nutshell, a workfluencer is an employee who talks about their work on social media and in other online communities.Of course, we’ve always been doing this, even before the online world – with friends and family at parties, with other parents at your children’s school events, and in your local community or church community.A workfluencer is the 2025 version of that. It expands and amplifies the concept because of the power and reach of online networks. They work in your team, and are also active on social media and other online networks, sharing the good, the bad, and the occasional ugly about work. Exactly as you do when talking to friends at a barbie, but on a much larger scale.So do you have somebody like that in your team? Typically, it’s a younger person – a Gen Z or maybe a younger Gen Y (Millennial). That’s good, because of the demographic shift that’s happening now. In the next few years – and it might already be happening in your industry and sector – one in three people on the planet will be Gen Z. That’s one third of your customers, one third of your employees, and one third of your future leaders.If you don’t have workfluencers in your team, maybe you should. Not by forcing it, but by creating a culture people feel proud to boast about.If you like the people in your team, you want them to talk to their friends and community, because you want to attract more people like them. And you want those people to know about you before they join – not through the traditional hierarchical interview and recruitment process, but by knowing somebody “on the inside”. Those people will be a good fit for your team, because they already know your values.So, are you tapping into their online influence?Now, if you’re NOT proud of your workplace culture, this advice isn’t for you. (I have some other advice for you, but that’s a topic for another day!)But if you have the sort of workplace culture and team you’re proud of, you have nothing to be afraid of. Encourage and nurture workfluencers to share their experiences online, far and wide.This becomes part of your employee value proposition (EVP), which is a key element of the future of work.I’m running an online presentation soon about the future of work, and this is one of the four key elements for all leaders to understand. It’s free, public, and open to all. So please register, and invite others in your team and organisation as well.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-meet-the-workfluencer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adopting AI in your organisation can feel like a huge task, but it helps to keep your strategy simple. Start by understanding your assets so you know where you can apply AI. Then build and deploy AI tools to support your teams and improve how work gets done. Finally, connect those systems to the wider world, bringing in external data and insights to make smarter decisions.https://swiy.co/go-abc-of-ai-strategyI’m speaking soon at the Marinas26 conference, an international event that brings together professionals from the marinas and boatyard sector. My keynote session is about AI for this sector, and I’m then moderating a panel with four people who are using AI in different ways.As with any industry group, the level of AI use will vary. Some aren’t using it at all, others are just starting out, and others are embracing it.What’s your level of AI adoption?In my keynote, I’ll lay out a three-stage strategic roadmap for AI adoption. I’ll share it here because it applies to every organisation – small or large – and you can overlay it on your own strategy.Think of this as the ABC of AI strategy: Audit, Build, and Connect.First, AUDIT your assets: processes, data, physical assets, and your people assets (internally, your team and employees; externally, your customers and other stakeholders). Assess how much data you’re capturing, storing, and collecting from those assets, and how much you CAN capture. AI works on data, and the more data the better.Next, you BUILD, deploy, or buy AI system to work on that data. For employees, for example, you might use AI for HR, learning and development, career growth, shift management, and removing the boring, routine work. For physical assets, AI might use sensor data for predictive maintenance, sustainability, equipment performance, and return on investment. And so on.Third, to take this to the next level, you CONNECT AI systems to the external world. For exampe, in the marina sector, it means looking at climate data, sustainability data, regulatory requirements, and a range of other external data.This AUDIT-BUILD-CONNECT roadmap is a simple framework, but don’t be fooled by its simplicity. Review and assess your current AI adoption through these three stages, and ensure it fits within your overall “future of work” strategy.For more about the future of work – and how AI fits in it – register for my free, public online presentation coming soon. It’s open to everybody, so please invite others in your team and your network as well.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-abc-of-ai-strategy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As an expert, your most powerful marketing tool is not your business card. It's not your glossy brochure. It's not your Web site. It's not your client testimonials. It's not any of your collateral material. As an expert, your most powerful marketing tool is your expertise. It's your knowledge, your ideas, your intellectual property - and the way you apply it to your clients' lives and businesses to make a difference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some marketers know how to write good content, but then make the mistake of not doing enough with it. Every article you write has the potential to do so much more for you in building your on-line reputation, establishing your credibility and bringing qualified traffic to your Web site. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today Facebook rolled out its biggest and most significant changes ever for businesses. If you're not currently using Facebook in your business, you really should! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you find the time for Internet marketing when you've got so much else going on in my business? This is a crucial question. Because it doesn't matter how much good stuff you learn, if you don't put it into action, it doesn't count for anything. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.