Summary: For now, excellent content requires a human writer, but creative teams are being downsized in hopes that AI can fill the gap. When Moses told Pharoah to let his people go, Pharoah said, “I guess these guys have too much time on their hands. From now on they have to make the same quota…
Summary: It’s no surprise that employees and executives have different opinions about what’s wrong with the workplace. Is one of these disconnects the belief that employees want to be like the executives? My friend Todd Lebo from Ascend2 sent me a copy of the Arbinger Institute’s 2024 Workplace Trends report. What caught my eye was…
Summary: Understanding someone requires more than knowing facts about them, or even their perspective. It involves grasping the story they live in — their narrative, conflicts, and worldview. Looking at things this way fosters empathy, reveals motivations, and makes it easier to collaborate across different perspectives. Each person constructs a story of his life in…
Summary: Many of the workplace attitudes and “demands” attributed to Gen. Z are just rehashed Baby Boomer ideas. At the MACMA Holiday Extravaganza in New York last week, Farrah Bostic from The Difference Engine and Valentina Bojanini from TED were asked how to deal with generational differences in the workplace. They downplayed some of the…
Summary: Split tests work when you’re optimizing for a single goal. They aren’t appropriate for issues that are more complicated and nuanced. I’m a big believer in A/B testing. You can significantly improve marketing results by using the right headline, the right color, the right image, the right guarantee language, and so on. I’ve done…
Summary: It’s too easy to fall for logical fallacies or to allow cognitive biases to cloud our judgment. Be sure to know them so you don’t fall for them yourself, or inflict them on other people. Watch out, world! My superpowers are starting to emerge! Last week I was on a camping trip with some…
Summary: How can you tell whether you have “imposter syndrome” or whether you actually are inflating your abilities and accomplishments? The answer is to get objective and external validation. I frequently hear concern about “imposter syndrome.” My general reaction is that “imposter syndrome” is actually your conscience telling you that you’re not “all that.” Although…
Summary: Yes, it’s time to show a little empathy as a result of the presidential election. That might include the people you’re insulting. Years ago, when I was a brash young Evangelical, a Catholic co-worker referred to her priest as “father.” As you probably know, Jesus explicitly said “call no man father,” which I cited…
Summary: Is forced enthusiasm in sales and marketing a good thing? It may alienate audiences rather than engage them. Authenticity and a thoughtful read on your audience is better than assuming everyone responds to high-energy tactics. Am I the only one? I need some feedback on this one, folks Today’s podcast will sound autobiographical, but…
Summary: Publishers need a clear AI policy to ensure responsible, transparent use of AI in content creation, protect editorial integrity, and address challenges posed by AI’s disruptive potential. Such policies guide ethical usage, safeguard credibility, and maintain audience trust. Some publishers see generative AI as a fundamental challenge to their business. Generative AI is certainly…
Summary: When trouble-shooting a problem, challenge your assumptions, and do the easy thing first. This morning I had another lesson in “it’s not what you think.” My first big lesson in that regard was with a garbage disposal. It quit working. I assumed it had died, so I replaced it. The new one worked great…
A cookie is a small text file that a website can write to your computer. It typically includes a unique ID for each visitor. Remember that there isn’t a one-to-one relationship between a “visitor” and a person. The “visitor” is an internet browser, like Chrome or Safari. There’s often a human behind that browser, but…
Summary: You can create reusable tools with ChatGPT to help streamline idea generation and content creation. You’re staring at a blank page, and it’s staring back at you. How do you move forward? Today I’m going to explain a great tool you can use with ChatGPT to help you with content creation. My son does…
Summary: There are rules and patterns that define and describe compelling content. Here’s an overview. The Babylon Bee had a great bit where a husband is complaining that his wife wants to have a deep conversation but she won’t even listen to his podcast. That’s essentially the message of “Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t”…
Summary: A 16-point, step-by-step guide to using AI to write a book. Today I’m going to give you a simple technique to help you write a book quickly. There’s one prerequisite. You have to have already produced a lot of content on the subject. That content could be blog posts, articles, podcasts – even documentation,…