|
By John O'Leary. This was originally posted on JohnOLearyInspires.com. When John O'Leary was 9 years old, he suffered burns over 100% of his body and was expected to die. He is now an inspirational speaker and bestselling author, teaching more than 50,000 people around the world each year how to live inspired. John's first book, ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was published March 15, 2016. John is a contributing writer for Huff Post and Parade.com. John is a proud husband and father of four and resides in St. Louis, MO. Order John’s book today anywhere books are sold.
Remember those masks we used to wear on Halloween? No, not the modern masks my children grew up wearing. I’m referring to the old-school, far cheaper, far more dangerous ones; the ones that scratched our faces with dangerously jagged edges, had eye cutouts that never actually matched our eyes, and had a rubber band so cheaply fastened to the mask that after just three houses, the band would break and we’d spend the rest of the night holding a bag of candy in one hand and our mask in the other. Remember THOSE masks? This time of year, masks are mainstream for adults and kids alike. Halloween gives us an excuse to lean into childlike playfulness, get dressed up for a night and be someone radically different than we typically are. I love Halloween. And I love getting dressed up for it. (For proof of that, check out the photo of Beth and I at a Halloween party last year!) But for many of us, masking our true selves isn’t reserved for once a year. For many, it’s Halloween all the time. We wear masks in seeking approval from others. We may mold our words, our opinions and even our appearance to fit whatever room we’re in. And in trying to fit in, we may go along with things we disagree with and pretend to be who we’re not. In hoping to be somehow more worthy of being accepted, we cake on makeup less to amplify our natural beauty and more to hide perceived imperfections. In pursing success, we stay so busy and run so fast so we can avoid letting others see our shortcomings, our weaknesses, our scars. We strive not to become the best version of ourselves, but to become worthy in the eyes and opinions of others. And yet in the end, we still feel too fat or skinny, too old or young, too accomplished or marginalized, too unconnected or broken. Someone else always has a better house, better family, better job, better physique, better life. I spent decades wearing various masks, trying to measure up and fit in. Always joking, always partying, always busy, and finding myself too frequently feigning confidence, quietly struggling, and often longing for something more. And in that time, I found that joking often masks pain. Anger masks fear. Addiction masks longing. Arrogance masks insecurities. Busyness masks meaninglessness. Removing the mask of inauthenticity, however, liberates us to fully embrace who we are, whose we are, why we’re here, and what matters most. So rather than losing the comparison game by attempting to measure up to someone else, consider a far better comparison. Compare yourself each day with who you are, who you were, and who you could become. Tonight, we have a wonderful excuse to get dressed up, act like a kid, give out candy, sit around firepits, visit with friends, have a couple beers and toast life. Tonight, the streets will be packed with kids wearing costumes, gleefully filling buckets with candy, racing through neighborhoods. But as the last visitor departs, the firepit is extinguished, and the candy is sorted, let’s agree to put away the masks along with the rest of the costumes until next year. And then starting tomorrow, let’s strive each day to become the best, most authentic version of yourself. Today is your day. Live inspired. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success!
0 Comments
By Shep Hyken
You have most likely heard people use the expression FOMO, an acronym for Fear of Missing Out. People have a hard time deciding what to do or where to go and worry about missing out on a fun experience, a business opportunity, and more. Recently, I interviewed Dominic Constandi for Amazing Business Radio. We talked about different customer service and experience topics, and he casually mentioned FOMU. I knew what FOMO meant but wasn’t sure about FOMU, which, as it turns out, stands for Fear of Messing Up. Specifically, he talked about how the stakes are higher than ever in business. Faced with the pandemic, supply chain issues, employment problems, and a challenging economy, companies have had to tighten up, watch every penny and become cautious almost to the point of being so scared they struggle to make a decision for fear of making a mistake they can’t afford to make. In short, the pressure is higher than normal and combined with fear, it leads to FOMU. I want to take the idea of FOMU to the customer service world. A little FOMU is good. It means you care. If you are a conscientious person, you don’t want to make a mistake, share the wrong information, create unnecessary friction or do anything that creates a confrontation. You want to do things right – without messing up. That said, there is sometimes a bad reason for FOMU. It happens when an employee is so afraid of what the boss might think and that they might get fired or yelled at. They become almost paralyzed with fear and won’t push themselves or step out of their comfort zone. That often means the customer won’t get the experience they could or should have. While it may not be possible to eliminate FOMU altogether, a culture that empowers employees to make good decisions is what you want. Employees must have the confidence to overcome FOMU, and this comes from proper training and praise. When employees do it right, compliment them. That positive reaction from a boss begets more of the same behaviors. It’s impossible to deliver a perfect experience every time, and it’s crucial that every employee knows this and is given permission to mess up, provided they exhibit the right effort and attitude toward the customer and the situation. Use these “mess-ups” as coaching opportunities. When they happen, if appropriately managed, it can give the employee more confidence than if the mess-up hadn’t happened at all. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Ron Culberson. With a master’s degree in social work, Ron Culberson spent the first part of his career working in a large hospice organization as a clinical social worker, middle manager, and senior leader. As a speaker, humorist, and author of "Do it Well. Make it Fun.The Key to Success in Life, Death, and Almost Everything in Between", he has delivered more than 1,000 presentations to associations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and corporations. His mission is to change the workplace culture so that organizations are more productive and staff are more content. He was also the 2012-2013 president of the National Speakers Association and is a recognized expert on the benefits of humor and laughter.
A few years ago, I had a speaking engagement on Long Island, NY and was staying in a small hotel in Great Neck. On my way to lunch, the elevator got stuck between the second and third floors. Now, just so you know, I’m slightly claustrophobic. And by “slightly”, I mean “tremendously.” But the elevator was big enough to hold six people and I was the only one onboard. So, there was plenty of room for me, myself, and my thoughts (for any of you literary enthusiasts, this is called foreshadowing). The first thing I did when the elevator stopped was to pull the emergency knob. It fell off into my hand and no alarm sounded. So, I looked for the emergency phone. There was nothing but an empty hole in the wall where the phone used to be. At that point, my heart picked up its pace and my breathing accelerated. An alert popped up on my Apple Watch asking me if I wanted to record my exercise session. I told Siri to mind her own business and continued weighing my options. Small drops of sweat started to run down my back and it occurred to me that I had not dressed properly for an elevator confinement exercise. And that’s when my mind got involved. I heard this voice in my head suggesting that my final days on the planet might just be in this Long Island elevator. I have nothing against Long Island. In fact, my wife is from there. But as an Appalachian, this was not where I saw things ending. I had always envisioned taking my last breath as I gazed out at the brilliance of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I did not expect to be squinting under a flickering fluorescent bulb as the word “Otis” gradually faded from my sight. That specific mental image caused my entire body to react. My stomach knotted, my chest tightened, and I felt like my core temperature was nearing the boiling point of magnesium (look it up). This only encouraged my mind to misbehave even more. My brain instructed my heart and lungs to engage the flight-or-frickin-flight mode and prepare me for a precarious “Die Hard” escape involving a panel in the ceiling, steel cables, and a death-defying leap to the only open door in the entire elevator shaft. As I’m typing this, I realize the absurdity of my overreaction. I had been in the elevator less than a minute and was already freaking out. I also imagine that you know how my journey ended. Of course, I used my cell phone to call the front desk and inform them that I was stuck in their elevator. At first, the clerk thought I was pranking her. She assumed that a call from an outside line could not possibly be coming from inside their elevator. She even said, “Well, if you’re in our elevator, why didn’t you use the emergency phone.” Ugh. About ten minutes after the elevator stopped, a maintenance technician released me to my own recognizance and sent me on my way. As I headed outside, the sky looked brighter, the air smelled sweeter, and when I got to the restaurant, the food never tasted so good. There have been few times in my life when I felt so relieved—and drank so much beer. Fast forward to a few years later when I signed up for a firefighter academy. I knew the training would require physical effort which might be hard for someone of my age and physique (I’m a lover, not a fighter) but I underestimated the psychological impact it would have on me. Early in the academy, we were participating in a mock search and rescue operation where we were placed in a large room completely blindfolded. To be clear, I’m not talking about the kind of blindfold we’ve all used to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey—the kind that covers most or your eyes but allows you to see under it. I’m talking a solid black, full face, total darkness, I-can’t-see-a-thing blindfold. And under the blindfolds, we were wearing masks attached to air tanks that amplified our breathing so that our inhales and exhales were practically the only sounds we could hear. As I crawled along the floor, following my partner who, by the way, was way too excited about this particular exercise, I could feel that familiar sensation I had experienced in the elevator. Immediately, my mind put this thought in my head: You’re probably going to run out of air and become the first trainee to be rushed to the hospital—not so much for asphyxiation but for claustrophobic “fixiation”. I should point out that all of this was happening while our instructor and a few other staff members were standing right next to me. In reality, the worst thing that could have happened was that I might need a little help getting my mask and blindfold off if my tank actually ran out of air. Well, not being able to ignore my annoying mind, I told the instructor I had to stop. I stood up, doffed the blindfold, removed my mask, and took a few breaths. The relief was instant and when I saw there were no real threats in the room, I felt embarrassed that I had mentally wussed out. However, the instructor looked at me and said, “Would you like to continue?” Reluctantly, I put my gear back on and began crawling in darkness again. And you know what? I finished the exercise without any more “fixiation” problems whatsoever (cue thunderous applause from readers everywhere). As my firefighter training proceeded, I had to participate in many more drills like this. Each time got easier and I never had another anxiety problem. And why was that? Well, first, I recognized that I had successfully survived the previous drills. And second, I knew that the someone (my partner or the instructor) was always there to help me if I got into trouble. As I thought back on these fearful experiences, it occurred to me that while the situations were real, the fear was generated by thoughts. It’s as if my mind generated the worst case scenarios regardless of the reality of the actual event. I realized that many of our day-to-day fears are also generated like this. And if we can find a way to remove the metaphorical blindfold, in order to see the reality of the situation, our challenges might not be so scary. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Steve Gilliland
You’re far more disciplined than you believe. Anyone can follow a set of rules, but life’s little challenges rarely cater to that. You want your team members to win in unpredictable circumstances because they can. You have much more power than you think, and your ability to combat obstacles can become a tremendous asset. Here’s how you can start realizing your full potential with your personal superpower of vision... 1. Redefine Discipline Your reason for thinking that you lack discipline in your life might be that you have difficulty keeping appointments or waking up on time. Perhaps your idea of a better life is waking up at dawn, cooking a healthy breakfast, getting a jump-start on work, and arriving at your desk thirty minutes before reporting time. That might be someone’s perfect life—and there’s no denying that it’s an impressive routine—but that doesn’t mean it’s the standard you need to aim for. The first step to building a life that serves you and your commitments better is dropping the idea that there’s a right way to do that. All people are different, and accepting that your perceived weaknesses are opportunities for incredible strength is a part of that. So, when you drop the traditionalist ideas of what it means to live the right way, you’re left with your own idea; and it’s yours to create. Think of simpler ways of incorporating healthy practices into your life. Things like learning to regulate your emotional responses to disappointing situations, approaching obstacles with unwavering motivation, and cutting yourself slack when you deserve it are real, invaluable skills. Finding inspiration in life’s little challenges is not something you need a routine for. You just need to accept that you need to support yourself first. Remember this as you create positivity in your life because the only one it needs to serve is you. 2. Time Is of the Essence, But Your Needs Come First Odds are, you can’t completely disregard honoring time commitments. However, you can build a custom schedule that works for you and find the root of the problem. If you’re afflicted with late nights and groggy mornings, don’t trick yourself into thinking you’re the problem. If you stay up late to unwind, it’s probably because your daily routine leaves you feeling too wired or because you don’t have space in your day for entertainment. Stay far, far away from the idea that entertainment is an expendable part of your life; it’s not. Instead, create space for it earlier in the day. The next time you find yourself with idle hands, invite yourself (and maybe some of your favorite people) out of your comfort zones in search of activities that bring joy. Whatever you seek or get out of your late nights is present elsewhere. If you look, you’ll find it. Maybe it’s a healthy dose of comedy, maybe it’s yoga. Maybe it’s some time with your nearest and dearest. Once you drop the prescribed ideas of what is and isn’t a healthy use of your time and instead start searching for what uplifts you, you’re officially unstoppable. 3. Put Honest Energy into the World Around You A positive attitude doesn’t always mean an unwavering smile. All emotions are valid, and expressing the negatives sincerely doesn’t make you negative. Let the 3 Ps of positivity melt into the way you look at things. Sound confusing? Here’s how each P can help you build paths where you need them: Purpose There’s a reason so many people who get their dream jobs ultimately find something better. We all have a purpose, and there’s a widespread misconception that the teen years are the right time to find it. That idea forgets to account for personal growth. You’re capable of more than you were a decade or even a year ago, and you get a little bit stronger every day. This applies to your personal life, too. Whether you have the life you always wanted, or you’re still working toward achieving it, stop and ask yourself what you want right now. Then pursue it with purpose. Not for a better future or to have a life that meets social ideals—but to wake up in the morning with a bounce in your step that’ll boost your entire day. Passion A job that you’re passionate about is great, but what about your personal passions? Fill your life, every hour of it, with the things you love. Make time for the people you love, eat food you love, and, by default, you’ll be living a life you love. Once you have that, self-discipline will have nothing on your iron will. There’s a time and place for passion, and it’s here and now. If there are elements of your life that don’t fill you with creativity and ambition, those are expendable. Pride Perhaps there’s value in modesty, but there’s nothing immodest in appreciating your value. When you give yourself due credit, you start becoming more conscious of the people around you who deserve a clap on the back. When you take pride in your work, you take pride in the team that you leaned on, and even your boss, for helping you get there. It may sometimes seem that people around you could do more or be more, but step back and see that with everything you’ve achieved, they’ve been just enough. When you take pride in how much you’ve prioritized finding time for personal growth, also take pride in the people who inspired you. 4. Limit the Space That Work Takes up in Your Life No Matter What Your Industry Last but not least, take a good hard look at your work-life balance. You can’t be expected to create consistency in your life if the schedule you’re creating it for isn’t healthy. Sure, time waits for no one, but you don’t need it to wait for you. There’s power in letting go of the things that are out of your control. If your job isn’t doable within your shift hours, that doesn’t mean you need to take it upon yourself to expand them. If you’re putting in the work, there’s no reason for your performance to dwindle when you follow the terms of your contract. Do a once-over of your work schedule. If there’s no way you can continue the way you’re going and start leaving your desk at the prescribed time, then speak to a manager. Ask them genuinely if they can help you create better time management strategies. Organizations are always looking for ways to retain great employees, and your superiors will be aware if your deliverables are excessive. All of this is part of the journey to grasping the fact that your life is yours to live as you please. Never let others define your failures or successes, and instead, start leading with heart and creating your own standards. Remember that any experience worth having will bring challenges, and if you think you’ve failed, keep in mind that the lessons you learned and the resolve you responded with were all a part of helping you find your purpose. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Steve Gilliland
You’re far more disciplined than you believe. Anyone can follow a set of rules, but life’s little challenges rarely cater to that. You want your team members to win in unpredictable circumstances because they can. You have much more power than you think, and your ability to combat obstacles can become a tremendous asset. Here’s how you can start realizing your full potential with your personal superpower of vision... 1. Redefine Discipline Your reason for thinking that you lack discipline in your life might be that you have difficulty keeping appointments or waking up on time. Perhaps your idea of a better life is waking up at dawn, cooking a healthy breakfast, getting a jump-start on work, and arriving at your desk thirty minutes before reporting time. That might be someone’s perfect life—and there’s no denying that it’s an impressive routine—but that doesn’t mean it’s the standard you need to aim for. The first step to building a life that serves you and your commitments better is dropping the idea that there’s a right way to do that. All people are different, and accepting that your perceived weaknesses are opportunities for incredible strength is a part of that. So, when you drop the traditionalist ideas of what it means to live the right way, you’re left with your own idea; and it’s yours to create. Think of simpler ways of incorporating healthy practices into your life. Things like learning to regulate your emotional responses to disappointing situations, approaching obstacles with unwavering motivation, and cutting yourself slack when you deserve it are real, invaluable skills. Finding inspiration in life’s little challenges is not something you need a routine for. You just need to accept that you need to support yourself first. Remember this as you create positivity in your life because the only one it needs to serve is you. 2. Time Is of the Essence, But Your Needs Come First Odds are, you can’t completely disregard honoring time commitments. However, you can build a custom schedule that works for you and find the root of the problem. If you’re afflicted with late nights and groggy mornings, don’t trick yourself into thinking you’re the problem. If you stay up late to unwind, it’s probably because your daily routine leaves you feeling too wired or because you don’t have space in your day for entertainment. Stay far, far away from the idea that entertainment is an expendable part of your life; it’s not. Instead, create space for it earlier in the day. The next time you find yourself with idle hands, invite yourself (and maybe some of your favorite people) out of your comfort zones in search of activities that bring joy. Whatever you seek or get out of your late nights is present elsewhere. If you look, you’ll find it. Maybe it’s a healthy dose of comedy, maybe it’s yoga. Maybe it’s some time with your nearest and dearest. Once you drop the prescribed ideas of what is and isn’t a healthy use of your time and instead start searching for what uplifts you, you’re officially unstoppable. 3. Put Honest Energy into the World Around You A positive attitude doesn’t always mean an unwavering smile. All emotions are valid, and expressing the negatives sincerely doesn’t make you negative. Let the 3 Ps of positivity melt into the way you look at things. Sound confusing? Here’s how each P can help you build paths where you need them: Purpose There’s a reason so many people who get their dream jobs ultimately find something better. We all have a purpose, and there’s a widespread misconception that the teen years are the right time to find it. That idea forgets to account for personal growth. You’re capable of more than you were a decade or even a year ago, and you get a little bit stronger every day. This applies to your personal life, too. Whether you have the life you always wanted, or you’re still working toward achieving it, stop and ask yourself what you want right now. Then pursue it with purpose. Not for a better future or to have a life that meets social ideals—but to wake up in the morning with a bounce in your step that’ll boost your entire day. Passion A job that you’re passionate about is great, but what about your personal passions? Fill your life, every hour of it, with the things you love. Make time for the people you love, eat food you love, and, by default, you’ll be living a life you love. Once you have that, self-discipline will have nothing on your iron will. There’s a time and place for passion, and it’s here and now. If there are elements of your life that don’t fill you with creativity and ambition, those are expendable. Pride Perhaps there’s value in modesty, but there’s nothing immodest in appreciating your value. When you give yourself due credit, you start becoming more conscious of the people around you who deserve a clap on the back. When you take pride in your work, you take pride in the team that you leaned on, and even your boss, for helping you get there. It may sometimes seem that people around you could do more or be more, but step back and see that with everything you’ve achieved, they’ve been just enough. When you take pride in how much you’ve prioritized finding time for personal growth, also take pride in the people who inspired you. 4. Limit the Space That Work Takes up in Your Life No Matter What Your Industry Last but not least, take a good hard look at your work-life balance. You can’t be expected to create consistency in your life if the schedule you’re creating it for isn’t healthy. Sure, time waits for no one, but you don’t need it to wait for you. There’s power in letting go of the things that are out of your control. If your job isn’t doable within your shift hours, that doesn’t mean you need to take it upon yourself to expand them. If you’re putting in the work, there’s no reason for your performance to dwindle when you follow the terms of your contract. Do a once-over of your work schedule. If there’s no way you can continue the way you’re going and start leaving your desk at the prescribed time, then speak to a manager. Ask them genuinely if they can help you create better time management strategies. Organizations are always looking for ways to retain great employees, and your superiors will be aware if your deliverables are excessive. All of this is part of the journey to grasping the fact that your life is yours to live as you please. Never let others define your failures or successes, and instead, start leading with heart and creating your own standards. Remember that any experience worth having will bring challenges, and if you think you’ve failed, keep in mind that the lessons you learned and the resolve you responded with were all a part of helping you find your purpose. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Donna Cardillo
I recently stayed in a hotel out of state the night before a speaking engagement. I decided to walk to a local market to buy some food rather than go out to eat. It was raining lightly, but enough to need an umbrella. I noticed a pickup truck with a passenger cab in the parking lot of a small park along the way. It looked as if the truck bed contained all of someone’s earthly belongings, uncovered and getting rained on. I spied a few children who looked out of place playing outside in the immediate area in the light rain, one young boy barefoot. I also saw an adult woman and suspected they were a family experiencing homelessness. When I walked back to my hotel from the store, the light rain had turned into a torrential downpour. The truck was still there, the contents getting soaked, and everyone was now in the truck cab. So it didn’t seem appropriate to stop and chat which I was otherwise drawn to do. I thought about them all that evening and wondered if they would still be there the next day or if they had moved on. So when I was finished speaking at noon, I changed my clothes and took a walk past the park. There the truck still was. I walked past the vehicle this time down a short hill into the park. Two of the children I had seen the previous day were in the park with a blanket set out and playing with each other. I sensed their wariness toward me and asked them if their truck had broken down (to further assess the situation). The older child, a girl of about 12 or 13, quietly said ‘no.’ I asked if they were OK and if they had enough to eat. The girl responded ‘yes’ as the younger child watched carefully. Her response was in a cautious and rehearsed way. So I walked back up the hill and now saw the adult woman with a 3rd child, even younger than the other two, at the truck. They seemed camped out in the parking lot. I asked her if she needed any help. She politely responded, “No.” I asked if I could give her some money for gas and she hesitated and asked if I wanted to buy some greeting cards. Presuming she wanted to ‘sell’ me something rather than just take the money I said “Sure.” She tried to find the cards but could not put her hands on them right away. I pulled out a $20 bill and handed it to her saying, “Let me give you some money for gas. Don’t worry about the cards.” She asked tentatively, “Are you sure?” I replied, “Yes. I see you have some children here.” She smiled slightly and took the money softly saying, “Thank you.” After that, I headed to the airport to return home. I wish I could have done more and perhaps I could have if I lived in the area. But my heart goes out to them and everyone in their situation. I understand how easy it is to experience homelessness these days. You lose your source of income, then lose your home, have no one to help, and you’re out on the streets. The fact that she had 3 young children with her broke my heart. Sometimes we have to witness what others have lost to truly appreciate all that we have. Take a moment to be grateful for the roof over your head, having a safe, dry bed to sleep in, and enough food to eat. And don’t forget to extend a little help to those in need, even in a small way. It might help them remember that they are not invisible and that others do care. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Steve Berkowitz
Hardly a day goes by when there isn’t some story in the news about artificial intelligence (AI). We are bombarded by the media with topics both inspiring and terrifying. This is particularly true in healthcare. We read how artificial intelligence will drastically change the practice of medicine, nursing, our entire healthcare infrastructure, etc. The word “AI” has now become a buzzword—an overused and perhaps inappropriately cited cliché in our business. But there is no doubt that this technology will radically change how we do things in the future. But what is AI, particularly in the context of healthcare? As we dive deeper into the field of AI, however, we first must come to grips and hopefully achieve a workable consensus with some fundamental concepts: What do we mean by artificial intelligence in the first place, and how do we conceptualize and define it? Is AI an entity, and if so, does somebody own it and have accountability for it? Can AI develop a life of its own? Is this technology a blessing or a curse? Can it save mankind or destroy mankind? And the list goes on. WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? Prior to addressing any of those questions, we must first develop a practical working definition of artificial intelligence. As you will see, this is no simple matter. Webster’s dictionary defines artificial intelligence as follows:
Once again, it appears quite simple and predictable: There is an input in the form of a database, there are rules of engagement in the form of algorithms, and there is an output that imitates human intelligence to offer a solution to the problem, and all aspects of this process are supervised by humans. If that truly is the definition of the process, we should have little to worry about. What can go wrong if the AI is limited to a particular set of “rules”, and the computer simply applies these “rules” to a given, ostensibly finite, set of data points, all of which are controlled by humans? If anything, this should be a boon to humans because the computer has incredible speed, will apply the algorithms with complete accuracy, and can perform those duties 24 hours a day, seven days a week without stopping- all to serve mankind. COMPLICATIONS OF AI IN THE REAL WORLD As we learn more about the actual application of AI in the real world, however, two phenomena have been observed in the actual application of the AI process that are particularly concerning. First, even though specific “rules” may be initially programmed into the computer, through a process called emergent properties, the computer may randomly start to deviate from these initial “rules” and develop events or conclusions that are entirely unexpected and unpredictable. By deviating from the initial programmed constraints, the computer could develop a “mind of its own” which the original human programmers cannot predict or control. The ability to develop emergent properties allows the “machine” to modify the human controls and supervision. This introduces a scary randomness or uncertainty into what previously was considered a defined and confined process of human-machine engagement. Additionally, through a process known as hallucinations or confabulation, AI can randomly give a confident response that is nonsensical or not justified by its training data or source content, in other words, it can simply lie and make a false statement on a random and unpredictable basis. Put another way, the computer can occasionally make things up. Therefore, as a practical matter, I believe we must expand our initial definition of AI to include these two well-described phenomena. This makes the potential impact of AI much more precarious and frankly scarier. WHAT IS AI IN HEALTHCARE? Considering all of the above, let me submit the following working definition of artificial intelligence. I will use this understanding of AI in subsequent discussions regarding the impact of AI in healthcare: Artificial intelligence is the process whereby humans program a computer with multiple algorithms which the computer will apply to a predefined set of data points to provide a solution that simulates human intelligence…. BUT, on a random basis, uncontrollable by humans, it may change the rules of engagement, and on occasion, even confabulate and lie to you about the results. And it will do so extremely rapidly, extremely confidently, and extremely efficiently! We now have a practical working definition of the process of artificial intelligence. We must understand and concede that even though the rules of engagement may be initially set by human programmers, the end result may on occasion be compromised by randomly unexpected and even false conclusions. Artificial intelligence continues to advance using Moore’s Law of doubling every 12 to 18 months in capacity and ability. What we have today will pale in comparison to what we will see in the coming years. It is clear that: AI has the capacity to not only exceed human intelligence and human processing, but also exceed human control and accountability. Thus, we can see how AI can be simultaneously a blessing and a curse. It could deliver incredible value or create unforeseen and unpredictable disasters. There are two polar opposite answers to each of the questions listed above. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Mary Kelly
We often do not consider how seemingly insignificant choices lead to habits that have long-term consequences. How we choose to spend our mental energy and physical time impacts us and those around us. Lots of little decisions add up and create outcomes, so we must make sure we are making good choices, even about seemingly insignificant things. A friend lamented that her recent flight was delayed by 4 hours, and she was upset that she lost those 4 hours. How did she lose those hours? Instead of working on a report with an upcoming deadline, which was an option, she watched movies. Why did she watch movies instead of working, even though she knew it was going to cause her to get behind with her work? “Because,” she said, “The delay was not my fault. I deserved the break.” She felt as though that time somehow did not count because the delay was outside of her control. Instead of maximizing the time she had, she made the choice to try to relax. As a result, she wound up working on the report Sunday night before the Monday morning deadline. She time-sabotaged herself and it caused more stress later. We make choices like this all the time. How can we be more mindful of our small choices so that we do not sabotage ourselves? We sometimes think “this time does not matter.” The reality is that ALL time matters. It is up to us to decide how we spend our time, and that means not allowing external events, like flight delays, derail our focus. People who are personally and professionally successful are always revisiting how they spend their time. They are constantly asking: “Is this the best use of my time?” “Is this what I should to be doing?” “Am I accomplishing what I want to accomplish with this activity?” What we decide to do on a consistent basis determines our success. 1. Cultivate good daily habits. Create small daily habits that move your goals forward. It is easier to be disciplined when you have already made the decision to take the right action. 2. Plan to control your time. There will always be interruptions, distractions, and external forces that threaten to derail your schedule. Tasks are easier to accomplish with an action plan. What projects you need to work on within the week? Plan how to tackle them. It gives you control of the time you have and allows you to track your progress. There is less time wasted when you have a detailed plan for each day. 3. Work ahead of deadlines. Many people miss deadlines because they underestimate how long a project will take. They do not plan their work properly, they procrastinate, and then they are late. Set deadlines to avoid procrastination or the “I still have plenty of time to do this” attitude. Deadlines inspire action, improve productivity, and ensure you hit the target. Therefore, assign them to every goal and task. Doing this helps us work more efficiently toward the right results. When we map out projects and create due dates ahead of schedule, we gain that the sense of urgency, and then if there is a crisis, there is time to adjust. 4. Focus. Improving focus as a daily practice requires discipline and conscious decisions. Decide to be more intentional about how you spend your time. Decide to be productive. Decide not to waste time. Decide to ignore distractions (even the really irritating ones!) because it is better for you. Decide to not allow the actions of others to derail your decision to focus on what needs to happen. 5. Be very strategic with your time. You should know the activities that take you closer to your goals and schedule those activities in the day. If you do not run your day, your day will run you. When you take control of time and use it wisely, you free yourself up for new opportunities. The important activities get done. Having control of your time protects you from needless stress and allows you to plan for the success you want. 6. Monitor and evaluate. Be relentless about measuring your actions as you determine what is working and what is not. Evaluation gives you the feedback you need to determine where you need to allocate more time and where you need to adjust. Knowing you are on track gives you more time to schedule the next activities. That process tells you when to make changes in scheduling. It restores your control of your own time. 7. Be ruthless. Protect your time. There are all kinds of time vampires that threaten to get us off schedule. For most of us, people are the most important part of our business and personal lives, so we must protect our time so we can dedicate the right amount of time to the people most important to us. What do you do on a regular basis that contributes to your time management success? Please leave us a comment we would love to know how you manage your time to be successful. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Josh Linkner
Just before she won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, Lady Gaga dazzled the live audience with a pitch perfect performance of her hit “Shallow.” From her stage skills to her vocal ability, the talented performer made it all look so easy. When we see people performing at the top of their fields— from Broadway to business—they often make it look simple. But people who achieve Lady Gaga levels of success arrive at the top by way of rigorous training. They refuse the elevator, preferring to take the stairs. The romantic notion of a wildly talented genius who effortlessly reaches the epitome of achievement has about as much practical validity as the Easter Bunny. Rather, it’s the unglamorous, repetitive practice regimen that unlocks creative brilliance. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, now known as Lady Gaga, was born on March 28, 1986, into an Italian American family in New York. Her ascent to stardom was less about raw talent and more closely aligned with her relentless work ethic. She began playing piano at age four and became driven to become a star before her tiny legs could reach the piano pedals. In a 2009 interview, she told a London reporter, “I’ve always been famous—you just didn’t know it yet!” She already viewed success as part of her being, which drove her to extreme levels of training and practice. While her elaborate outfits and theatrical performances may appear to be the child of whimsy, Lady Gaga is meticulous and deliberate about every aspect of her music and brand. Growing up, she spent hours honing her craft. Pushing aside the customary pleasures of childhood, she studied piano, singing, and dance with the intensity of a Zen monk. When she wasn’t practicing performance skills, she studied the legends of fashion design, theatrical staging, choreography, and visual artists. Her training inputs were a strange mix—from David Bowie to Bach, from Andy Warhol to Cher. She drew inspiration from an eclectic mix of artists, later weaving their ideas together into her own unique style. “To be completely candid, the creative process is approximately fifteen minutes of vomiting my creative ideas,” Lady Gaga said in a 2011 Gagavision interview. “It all happens in approximately fifteen minutes of this giant regurgitation of my thoughts and feelings, and then there are days, months, and years spent fine-tuning.” To put this in perspective, if creating a hit Gaga song takes five hundred hours in total, the ideation process is only .05 percent while the vast majority of her creative time is spent shaping and refining her work. And if you include the thousands of hours she invested in deliberate practice before the song was initially spewed onto the page, the contrast would be even more glaring. It’s the ritual of refinement that’s often the difference between mediocre and legendary work. It’s been said that the one thing all great authors have in common is lousy first drafts. The difference between a bad book, a decent book, and a breakaway bestseller is often directly linked to the amount of time invested in the refinement stage. When a writer quickly dumps her ideas onto a page and ships them to print, the end result isn’t usually her best work. In contrast, her masterpiece comes by doing the reps in the unglamorous and painstaking process of refinement. We all know that doing the reps is required to build physical muscle mass in the gym. Regrettably, none of us are born with “six-pack abs.” Yet most of us garble the translation when it comes to creativity, thinking that it is a fixed talent rather than a malleable skill. And skills of any kind only become deeply ingrained by way of repetition. At age sixteen, Stefani began working with famed vocal coach Don Lawrence, who had also worked with Billy Joel, Christina Aguilera, and Mick Jagger. Behind the glitz of her dramatic performances, Lady Gaga still does the reps and continues to work with Lawrence. For a single high-profile performance in 2017, she trained with her coach every single day for six months leading up to the show. Today, her training regimen continues with enviable discipline and consistency. To keep up with the physical demands of the job, she exercises five days a week doing yoga, Pilates, and strength training. She carves out time to write music and rehearse daily. Lady Gaga is the product of intense and consistent practice, an amalgamation of her countless hours doing the reps. Each Big Little Breakthrough she achieved fused together into the megastar we now love. In the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Bestselling author Seth Godin might have put it best when he said, “Lots and lots of people are creative when they feel like it, but you are only going to become a professional if you do it when you’re not in the mood.” Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Kristin Baird
In today’s talent market, smart hiring often goes out the window, and it can be tempting to hire the next applicant with a pulse. Regardless of a dwindling talent pool leaders still need a crystal-clear picture of their ideal candidate. This may seem obvious. But it isn’t always top of mind when leaders are stressed for time and struggling to get positions filled. Many of us have made bad hires that end up costing us time, money, and even other valued staff members when we don’t get it right. Hiring for fit is critical to the future success of your team. HOW TO HIRE FOR FIT Here are a few tips to help you zero in on people who will be a good fit with your team.
ASKING QUESTIONS Trusting your gut can be helpful in some situations but give your gut some support. Make sure you are clear about what you are looking for. Smart hiring is about asking questions that give reliable information. Probe a bit deeper to learn more. There’s a saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” This adage applies to hiring as well. If you don’t know who, and what, you’re looking for, anyone will do. Take time to identify the most important qualities. Next, ask the questions that will let you know if this candidate will be a good fit. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! |
Archives
November 2023
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed