Hi folks, from Singapore!
It had been several months, but we finally got to meet up and hang out this week. Productive as it has been remotely, it was so nice to reconnect in-person and go a bit deeper than Zoom-level. In ways, it felt like a two-person offsite!
Speaking of connecting, one of the nuggets below is about our human need to connect and belong at work. It's paired with another on the surprising upsides of being an outsider, and a third about artificial intelligence being used to drive sales on -- wait for it -- LinkedIn.
We hope you enjoy the read.
Aki & Usman
CONVERSATION #1
#wellness #inclusion #leadership
On the one hand, this quote is about wellness, and the well-documented link between seemingly mundane social interactions, and our health and well-being.
But it's also a reminder of our human need to connect and belong. And that this need doesn't disappear once we get to work. To the contrary: as other traditional sources of connection wane, the ability to connect at work has become even more important.
Ultimately, we have to find a way to reconcile the convenience of remote work -- physically removed from others as it is -- with our need to connect. The onus has always been on leaders to ensure that connection and belonging. But the need for this inclusive leadership is greater than ever.
CONVERSATION #2
#resilience #belonging #inclusion
Readers of this newsletter know that challenge, discomfort and the learning and growth that come from it are recurring themes. Here we get some insight into the well-documented benefits which being an outsider can have on our resilience and emotional strength.
As well -- the text doesn’t explicitly make this point, but we will, which is that experience as an outsider – or in knowing what it is like to exist between groups – is also helpful from the standpoint of inclusion. Who better to reach out, use language, make effort – include – others on the fringes or outside of a group, than someone who knows what it’s like not to belong to one?
CONVERSATION #3
#AI #trust
Hearing about deep fake technology in political contexts, like the information battle raging in the Ukraine right now, doesn’t surprise many of us at this point.
But this combo of AI-generated deep fake photos, being used on LinkedIn with fake profiles, in order to engender trust — and drive sales leads — really brings home how pervasive the technology will become. And whether or not you think it's "coming for our jobs", the reality is that the technology is here, and we're just learning about the use cases.
That selfie above though? That's us. :)
Thanks for reading. 🙏🏻