Church+State

Technology was supposed to make us more efficient and more productive. Welp. Canada had 3% annual productivity gains before 1976. We’ve barely had 1% since 2000. Is it the tech? Or is it us? It’s us. You can blame the government. You can blame CEO’s. You can blame our culture. But if we take a hard look at it, it’s us. Globally, Canada is behind only France in our skepticism of AI. Embrace change. Embrace THE change, too. Let’s go. Let’s grow.

1 in 10 workers in South Korea is already a robot. As the great @Mike Walsh explains here, South Korea may be the closest thing we have to a fully automated civilization - and that's not even remotely close to what a fully automated society will look like. We're a long way away. But we can start to see what it'll look like if we do it. And if we want to do it, these are the 3 most important things we'll need to consider along the way. Energy: We are VASTLY underestimating the energy that a fully automated society will require. Organizations: We'll need companies - like the chaebols of South Korea - who can build entire integrated worlds, not a bunch of ad-driven applications. Governance: The current short term focus of politics won't get us to transform our entire society. We need long term thinkers. As Mike says, "If you're going to be the kind of civilization that's capable of building pyramids, you can't be the kind of people that spend all their time worrying about planning commissions."

Today, women make up 29% of C-suite positions. It was just 17 percent in 2015. Soooo, that's progress, riiiiiight? Sure. But progress has been much slower earlier in the pipeline. Looks like there's a broken rung in the corporate ladder. This is the 10th year of McKinsey's Women in the Workplace research. In this year's report, they reflect on the notable gains women have made - and how their experiences at work are, in many ways, the same or worse than ten years ago.

And the Google Search Honours Awards finalists are… Of all the disciplines and departments inside organizations, it's marketing that often leads the way in fully embracing AI. We're simply doing things and trying things that our colleagues in other parts of the organization are not. Canadian marketers are harnessing AI to drive growth, boost productivity, and enter new markets. As Sabrina Geremia says, "We continue to see Canadian marketers leading globally in using and innovating with AI... By experimenting and learning, they’re able to scale their business with speed..." Returning for a second year, the program recognizes Canada's best AI-powered search marketing campaigns for 2024.

What's the difference between a cold open and a warm open? Don't worry Ann Handley’s gotchu. A warm open tells more than it shows. A cold open shows more than tells. As always, Ann has a lot of great Pearls of wisdom in here.

As we continue to talk about disruption, this passage from this great piece is a really important reminder: " " Christensen's research found that there was a particular type of innovation that had the potential to drive significant industry change. By making the complicated simple and the expensive affordable, a Christensen-style disruption (CSD, for purposes of this article) has massive growth potential. But... historically, growth had been captured not by the market-leading incumbent but by a new entrant. Market leaders prioritize playing today’s game better over playing tomorrow’s game differently.

Our ongoing partnership with Sago continues to add value to us AND our clients. Thanks, Jill!

This needs to be discussed more: Well-being is a marker of productivity. Your team's well-being will impact their work performance. So why don't we measure it? By broadening the definition of productivity, you can nurture a happier and healthier team to achieve better overall performance.

With all the focus on CX, don't forget the importance of good ole customer SERVICE. To deliver it, many of you are using contact centres (remember when we called them "Call Centres"??). There, good service is characterized by - the ease of resolving issues - the accessibility of information - the integration of communication channels so that every interaction contributes to a cohesive resolution process. Expectations have elevated. Customers don't just want solutions. They want personalized understanding and engagement. We've all heard, "Your call is being recorded for quality purposes" but what the hell happens with those recordings?? How are they used? Well, AI has just joined the chat: "Conversational intelligence enables organizations to understand the multiple reasons behind a customer’s call, which in turn helps in resolving issues more effectively and proactively sharing information across the organization to prevent future frustrations." Lotta good stuff here. And if you need help, just reach out to @Wilma Chan and her colleagues at IntouchCX. They're revolutionizing the global customer experience across all industries, delivering value-driven CX management, digital engagement, and AI and automation solutions to the world’s best-known brands.

WHO YOU GONNA BLAME TODAY? Wise words of wisdom from @Seth Godin: Blame the clients. And blame the conditions. But then, you’re on the hook to get better tools, find better clients and work in better conditions. It’s not convenient, but it’s possible. If it’s not worth the effort, we can simply accept what we’ve chosen and get back to work.