AI
The Forthcoming Wave of AI Mop-Up Jobs
Get your buckets ready. Plenty of rework is coming.
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AI
AI's Promethean Moment
As a 2023 tragedy manifsted, we're not remotely prepared for what's here, never mind what's coming.
AI
What Every Software Vendor Should Learn From This Glorious Ghost Alert
Recent notifications from Google Gemini and Notion prove that they are generally a hot mess. There's hope, though: it's a fixable problem.
WordPress
How AI Eased My Recent Website Migration
A long post about how our robot overlords saved me considerable time and money.
AI
Why Most Niche Software Vendors Will Soon Perish
AI is making many execs at smaller companies nervous. They should be.
AI
AI's Continued Lack of Transparency and Consistency
Adventures in truly amazing, opaque software that makes basic errors.
Communication
The Joy of Diversification and New Endeavors
I reflect on my decision to leave my teaching position and channel my inner Billy Beane.
Communication
Thank You for Spamming Me, Nobull
The company's incessant spam made me make a long-overdue change.
AI
Can AI Write in My Voice?
An experiment that conjures up images of teleported steak.
Consulting
The Curiosity Dividend
A post on the benefits of embracing the unknown.
AI
The Case for a Regular Tech Audit
I'll take the benefits of curiosity over the costs of problem-solving.
Communication
The Miscellaneous Mindset
A post on the benefits of not staying in your lane.
AI
On AI, Psychedelics, and Spinal Tap
Maybe incoherent output isn't so worthless after all?
Higher Education
Three Freelancing Models
Thoughts on a few ways to make a living for yourself.
Communication
Notion and Slack for ... Relationship Management?
Spreadsheets and group chats no longer cut it. The gap between work and personal applications is shrinking.
AI
Does writing a book resemble the Waterfall method or Scrum? Yes.
A book is that rare breed of product that fuses two very different ways to build a mousetrap.
Notion
Notion Formulas Based on Attachments
Impossible? Think again.
AI
Can AI Improve Atrocious Writing?
Yes, but that's the wrong question to ask.
AI
The Amazon Coffee Rebellion
It turns out that there's a ton of overlap between free joe and reinstating a booted CEO.
Communication
Department Names Don't Matter. Just Help Me.
More Apple issues are grinding my gears.
AI
How Fancy Text Helps Me Identify Spam
Here's a simple way to weed out these bots and clowns.
AI
On OpenAI and Employee Empowerment
What happens when a dissatisfied board and a loyal workforce with white-hot skills collide? We're about to find out.
AI
On AI, Priorities, and Product Development
Thoughts on ignoring a popular product's glaring weakness to pursue sexy new features.
AI
AI and Indolence
A short post on spammers and laziness.
AI
What I Really Want From AI
In the name of all that is holy, can someone please invent a better computer diagnostic tool?
AI
Not Just Hollywood: The Nine Are Coming for You, Too
Thoughts on a few of the powerful forces colliding as we speak.
Big Data
Outliers
Thoughts on parallels between emerging technologies from last decade and the WFH debate.
AI
Power, Prestige TV, and Packages
The forces I describe in The Nine continue to collide. Get used to it.
AI
On Skiing, Spanish, and AI Hallucinations
I put the buzzy new chatbot Claude to the test.
Future of Work
Overcoming FOBE and the Multi-Tool Problem
You may use a variety of low-code/no-code apps. Think about ways to track them cohesively.
Low-Code/No-Code
Low-Code Lessons From My Website Overhaul
Thoughts on spaghetti architecture, citizen developers, subtraction, and simplicity.
Book Reviews
Book Review: Wonder Boy
A look at the life and times of one of the era's most ambitious entrepreneurs.
AI
Forces Are Colliding
Moonlighting in the age of AI.
AI
Collaboration, AI, and the Long Game
Thoughts on giving people a pass.
Trends
Employee Empowerment and Pity City
Times have changed, but MillerKnoll CEO Andi Owen never got the memo.
AI
Can ChatGPT improve collaboration?
My head is spinning with possibilities.
AI
Following the AI Money
A tried-and-true rule of thumb suggests that big things are on the horizon.
AI
Why I Don't Write With ChatGPT
Thoughts on the generative AI tool that's taking the world by storm.
AI
On ChatGPT, Duplicability, and Citizen Development
Thoughts on the AI tool that's all the rage today.
AI
On Amoeba and Notion
Low-code and no-code tools don't fall neatly into a single category.
Low-Code/No-Code
Thoughts on Citizen Developers and Author Choices
Why I specifically avoided a few key topics in the new book.
Low-Code/No-Code
Characteristics of the Modern Citizen Developer
A quick infographic to answer Seinfeld's immortal question, Who are these people?
Low-Code/No-Code
What's the Difference Between Low-code and No-Code Tools?
A short video on essential definitions.
Data Issues
How to Switch LC/NC Vendors
Thoughts on saying goodbye to one and hello to another.
Communication
Professional Scribes vs. Amateur Writers
Thoughts on how these two groups approach the craft of penning a book.
Collaboration
Cluelessness in Virginia
The pendulum has swung towards employees. LinkedIn management understands as much, but one governor never got the memo.
Future of Work
Why Office Mandates—Even From Petulant Billionaires—Won't Fly
Thoughts on Tesla, Twilio, and proximity bias.
Collaboration
On Calendly Etiquette
When egos, tech, and the desire for efficiency collide.
AI
Simon's Laws of Interorganizational Communication and Collaboration
Project charters are meaningless unless people, you know, actually follow them. Sadly, this isn't always the case.
Technology
On Piano Teachers, Windows XP, and Aversion to Change
A trip to the Genius Bar brought back some interesting memories.
Communication
Does Your Prospective Employer Truly Embrace Remote Work?
In which I offer unsolicited advice to applicants trying to separate fact from fiction.
Future of Work
The Case for a Transparent Hiring Process
In my first post of the new year, I chime in with thoughts on how one can serve as a critical point of differentiation in the war for talent.
Faves
What CD Sales Teach Us About the Future of Work
In which I drop a panoply of music references and liken the idea of returning to an office to a nearly obsolete product.
Dataviz
On Hybrid Work, Book Figures, and da Vinci
Employer flexibility is on the rise—and I don't see that trend abating.
Collaboration
Slack Continues Its Assault on Multi-Tasking and Manual Work
No, yesterday's updates won't eliminate multi-tasking. Make no mistake, though: Users will spend less time toggling between and among disparate applications.
Communication
Why I Never Describe Myself as Results-Oriented
Call me persnickety, but this trite phrase really grinds my gears.
Consulting
Thoughts on Consultant Certifications
Despite what many software vendors claim, they are neither necessary nor sufficient to deliver the goods.
Collaboration
Slack and Its Ilk Shine a Light on Organizational Problems. Be Thankful.
Internal collaboration hubs can quickly manifest thorny cultural issues. That's exactly why some leaders oppose them. Big mistake.
Collaboration
How Author Indecision Leads to Missed Opportunities
Thoughts on the downsides of dithering while writing a topical business book—or paying someone to do it for you.
Collaboration
On Collaboration Tools, Interview Litmus Tests, and Higher Education
Flip the script and interview the interviewers.
AI
Solving Tool Overload and the Search Dilemma
More tech isn't the solution. Pick a lane and stay in it.
Collaboration
Thoughts on Slack Clips
Another valuable edition—and feature that makes the comparison to e-mail even more absurd.
Dataviz
Zillow, Location, and the Beginning of the End of Compensating Wage Differentials?
I dust off my old HR hat in today's post and drop a reference from The Wire.
Collaboration
The world of work isn’t returning to its pre-Covid state. Why should your tech?
Yeah, we want things to return to normal. Tech-wise, however, that mind-set is a mistake.
Collaboration
Why I Don't Offer Turnkey Consulting Arrangements
Foolish is the soul who believes that successful change management involves a cookie-cutter approach.
Collaboration
The Great Resignation Will Hurt Some Firms More Than Others
Four ways that hubs and spokes will lessen the pay of key departures.
Collaboration
On Collaboration, E-Mail, and the Discman
A parallel between antiquated tools.
Collaboration
A Better Way to Work
Hubs and spokes in action.
Collaboration
On the Parallels Between Collaboration Hubs and Smartphones
A useful analogy to unleash the true power of Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom
Communication
How Not to Start a Book
An absurdly complex 85-word sentence right off the bat all but guarantees crickets, confusion, or both.
Collaboration
Does using collaboration hubs correlate with better outcomes?
A personal and decidedly unscientific analysis.
Future of Work
In Which I Stitch Together Booleans, Books, and Influence
Yeah, the three concepts are related.
Faves
Nailing Your Book's Title and Subtitle Is Really Hard—and Essential.
Thoughts on the most important ten or so words that authors write.
Collaboration
In Defense of Slack
Cal Newport is a smart dude whose new book is based upon two fundamental misconceptions.
Collaboration
Why Effective Collaboration Requires Lifelong Learning
Thoughts on nudging others to change their ways.
Collaboration
Zoom Third-party Apps Have Exploded in the Last Year. Here's Why.
Called it.
Collaboration
On Zoom, Experimentation, and Cat Filters
Thoughts on why so many of us are afraid to go beyond the bare minimum.
Collaboration
Early Thoughts on Microsoft Viva
The company is going all-in on the Hub-Spoke Model of Collaboration.
Collaboration
Should your organization use more than one internal collaboration hub?
Thoughts on whether it's a good idea to split your knowledge. TL;DR: It's not.
Collaboration
The Hub-Spoke Model of Collaboration
Here's the big idea at the center of <i>Reimagining Collaboration</i>.
Collaboration
A Simple Model of Collaboration Maturity
A quick video based on Reimagining Collaboration on how to think about this topic.
Technology
How Many Slack Channels Do You Need?
In this quick video, I answer this frequently asked question.
Collaboration
Thoughts on Salesforce's Acquisition of Slack
The collaboration hub isn't dying. It's just finding a new home.
Collaboration
Thinking Differently About Collaboration
We have entered the era of hubs and spokes.
Collaboration
Collaboration and Singing
Thoughts on the relationship between the two.
Technology
When Client Training Expectations and Reality Collide
Spotting red flags for custom classes.
AI
Ruminations on the Future of Work
What might typical work day look like in 2028?
Dataviz
Obliviousness in Higher Education
Some schools' actions are downright absurd.
Collaboration
Thoughts on Zoom's New Presentation-Sharing Features
It's a step in the right direction but it's not quite where it needs to be yet.
Communication
Zoom Education at the Bank
An everyday encounter illustrates a common misconception with the product.
Slack
Thoughts on Slack Connect
Communication among employees in different organizations is now more robust and easier than ever.
Collaboration
Slack Tip #5: Quickly Edit Your Last Message
Scroll no more.
Platforms
Thoughts on Twitter and Section 230
Kudos to the company for its principled stance.
Higher Education
Never Waste a Good Crisis
Thoughts on what students can do in these trying times.
Faves
Geeking Out Over Scrabble in Python
Writing a little script to calculate the streak needed to hit a user-defined winning percentage.
Analytics
Visualizing My Students' Slack Messages
A Tableau dataviz that explores the relationship between days active and messages sent.
Higher Education
Professors: Expect Your Student Evaluations to Drop
The online experiment likely means lower numbers at the end of the semester.
Higher Education
Tips for Professors Teaching Online for the First Time
Some tools to help newbies weather the transition.
Communication
Slack and Change Management
Thoughts on why it's essential to overcome employee resistance.
Dataviz
Tableau Animations Are Here. Professors Take Note.
It's a great time to spruce up a few assignments for my upcoming dataviz class.