Strategic Disruption Consulting, LLC

I went to a management conference this week- what a blast! Connected with friends, stayed on the beach, and just generally had a great time. Don't forget to enjoy life as you pursue goals.

The uses of AI are fascinating and also eye opening in their scope and potential consequences. Bias and Accuracy Issues:?What are the assumptions that were made, and what is data is being used? Insufficient Transparency and Accountability:? have the tools been validated? Consider your credit score: who else uses it? Employers, utility service providers, insurance companies, landlords, among others, use credit scores to evaluate whether to offer their services to you. But what was the score initially based upon? Have you ever challenged something in your record? Have you even looked at it recently? Inaccurate data may hold you back and you won't even realize it.

Contract Monday!??Evaluating contracts can seem mystifying – until you have a list of what needs to be done.??Here is one example – but the real key is to ensure terms and conditions align with your interests and expectations. Whether you are entering into a business agreement, employment contract, or any other legal arrangement, here are some general steps to help you evaluate contracts: Understand the Parties Involved: Identify the parties involved in the contract and ensure they have the legal capacity to enter into the agreement. Define the Scope and Purpose: Clearly understand the purpose and scope of the contract. Ensure that the contract accurately reflects the intentions and expectations of all parties involved. Terms and Conditions: Carefully review all terms and conditions outlined in the contract. Pay attention to obligations, responsibilities, rights, and limitations. Payment and Compensation: If the contract involves financial transactions, carefully examine the payment terms, amounts, and methods. Ensure that the compensation is fair and reasonable. Timeline and Duration: Check for any timelines or deadlines specified in the contract. Understand the duration of the agreement and any provisions for renewal or termination. Performance Metrics: Identify any performance metrics or benchmarks outlined in the contract. Ensure that they are realistic and measurable. Legal Compliance: Verify the contract complies with relevant laws and regulations. If necessary, seek legal advice to ensure that the contract is enforceable and valid. Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure: If applicable, review confidentiality and non-disclosure clauses to safeguard sensitive information. Dispute Resolution: Understand the dispute resolution mechanisms outlined in the contract. This could include arbitration, mediation, or litigation. Ensure it is acceptable to all parties. Insurance and Indemnification: Check if the contract includes provisions for insurance and indemnification. Understand who is responsible for liabilities and damages. Governing Law: Identify the governing law of the contract. This specifies which jurisdiction's laws will apply in case of disputes. Termination Clauses: Examine the conditions under which the contract can be terminated by either party. Understand the consequences of termination. Amendments and Modifications: Check if there are provisions for amending or modifying the contract and understand the process involved. Review Dates and Signatures: Ensure that all relevant dates are accurate, and the contract is signed by authorized representatives of each party. Professional Advice: If in doubt or if the contract is complex, seek legal or professional advice.? Each contract is unique, make sure you are comfortable with the terms before signing.

What’s your leadership style???Who would you prefer to work for?? Transformational Leadership: Inspiration and motivation by creating a compelling vision for the future. Transformational leaders articulate a vision that resonates. Transactional Leadership: Focus on the day-to-day operations and tasks. Use a system of rewards and punishments to motivate their team and ensure that objectives are met. Laissez-Faire Leadership:? Hands-off approach and delegate tasks, allowing team members to operate independently. Servant Leadership: Prioritize well-being and development. View themselves as servants to their team and seek to empower others to reach their full potential. Provide support, guidance, and resources to help team members succeed. Servant leaders prioritize the needs of their team members over their own, fostering a culture of collaboration and mutual support. Styles can be very situational - and dependent on the team you're leading. But who do you want to work for? Someone supportive, or just looking for those tasks checked off a 'to-do' list? Stay away from the latest fad (whether it is deciding you are eating last, or using special techniques) and understand what people want. Think of their situation - what would you want if you were the team? Just that mindset shift can bring new perspectives.

AI discussions are everywhere. They range from job replacement to new industries being developed. Are you aware of the power demand? One study says generating an image with a powerful AI model takes as much energy as fully charging your smartphone. Text takes less, but let's put it in a bigger context. One estimate is that by 2027, worldwide AI-related electricity consumption could increase by 85 to 134 TWh annually, based on the projection of AI server production. This would be comparable to the annual electricity needs of countries like the Netherlands, Argentina and Sweden. Still, we need the tool, right? Think of how data is currently processed and check results before trusting them. Google maps on a phone is a great tool, but has limitations. A real example from a trip yesterday: we were using the car gps (no traffic update) and got into a slowdown, and then complete stop on one of the local roads. We figured it was an accident (it was raining) but I used google maps to see what was going on. Five minute delay. As the line got closer - we could see the actual delay was slightly different. And we turned around to use another route. How long was the delay going to be? Firetrucks and police cars blocked both directions of traffic - so definitely more than five minutes. The tool had half the answer - there was a delay. But the real answer was find another route if you had somewhere to be. My point - check the work. Although maps has been around for awhile, it doesn't always get the whole answer. Which is important if you trust it blindly. Although there are some impressive results with AI, there are also some impressive failures. Hallucination is real.

The term Project Manager - does this accurately describe what you do? Projects have end goals that define success - and a PM's job is to use any and all tools to fulfill that set of goals. No one cares what your title is - can you deliver? Some companies have a PM job family - with relatively few actually trained in the tools. This can actually hamper PM's who are trained - because there is a perspective that anyone can do the job. (may not be well, but the position is being called that....so...) This can dilute the value an actual PM brings. I've managed portfolios, programs, and projects - but my leaders were simply looking for results. Results matter. Don't discount training or certifications - and remember what the end goal is so you can succeed. And if you hear someone say it doesn't matter if a project manager runs the project - ask why they have that perspective. Is it because someone who just had the title ran one into the ground? You may be able to sway their opinion on the value that can be brought.

Have you ever thought of being an adjunct professor? If you like to teach, it can be great!??But you have to keep some thoughts in mind.? You are simply teaching a class, decided semester by semester, with no long term outlook.? Still interested? The good:??you get to teach!??I’ve taught a variety of classes for different Universities – they all have different approaches, amount of freedom for you to customize your class, and different amounts of oversight.? Teaching for different Universities means you have the opportunity to network and meet new people outside where you would normally be.? Since the classes are assigned by semester, with no long term commitment, you can easily take a semester off.? Things that make you wonder:??the oversight can be ‘over the top’.??If you can ignore the micromanagement, it can still work.? Last minute schedule changes are common.??Although academia usually operates at a slow pace, the beginning of a semester is when you can see rapid change.? Low enrollment – which you have no control of – means no class to teach.? If you're interested, I'd encourage you to try teaching - it can be very fulfilling!

Economic development – what is your city approving???And will it bring benefits to the taxpayers?? Economic development takes many forms, with one of the common ones being sports stadiums.??Sports team owners lobby for new stadiums, and many cities subsidize, or outright pay for the stadium, based on the revenue.??Multiplier effect is often cited, meaning the investment of money is multiplied throughout the city, or region, many times over the outlay.? But when do we get to see how those calculations were formed, and metrics for whether they actually performed as advertised? It’s a little late to look at the metrics after the sports complex is built, but it would hold current efforts accountable.? The goal of any economic development should be real returns that can be measured.?? Where does the money come from???One source is the federal government.??There can be tax-exempt bonds to help finance the effort.??Another source is local government.??Both sources are using tax money – whether it is current revenue or potential future revenue that is exempted – with the end result the taxpayers foot some or all of the bill.? In future postings, I’ll look at actual projects that are on the drawing board, or have been constructed – in an effort to determine what metrics were used to support the taxpayer subsidized payments – and whether we are getting our money’s worth.??

Ethics - As part of posting more on Linked-In - it is time for information for Contracting Monday! Ethics and contracting - there are many ways to go down a path you shouldn't travel. ??? The offer of a free lunch. Will that influence the decision? Does your company have a policy on gifts? Is there a time period where you don't talk to the vendors except through one spokesman? (for example, during the time for request for proposals) ? Maintain your integrity - do you provide the same information and access to decision makers to everyone? ? Strive for the best value for your employer. It may not be the easiest path. ???? Don't use an existing supplier that isn't appropriate for the current business case. ??? Hold everyone to the same, metric driven, contract terms. What have you seen during the contracting process that should have been avoided?