Discernment is the new black

My boss, Joe Terry , likes to fire off Instagram and LinkedIn posts in a group text with the executive team. It's like micro-learning, and it helps us understand where his thinking is going. Most of the time, we respond with a thumbs-up emoji, but this week, his share sparked a mini-text debate.

He shared Adam Grant's LinkedIn post that said, "The hallmark of expertise is no longer how much you know. It's how well you synthesize. Information scarcity rewarded knowledge acquisition. Information abundance requires pattern recognition. It's not enough to collect facts. The future belongs to those who connect dots."

I'm a fan of Adam Grant, as is everyone else in the world, but does the future belongs to those who connect the dots? I'm pretty sure those who connect the dots have already figured out that AI is a much better dot connector than we are.

AI excels at processing and synthesizing this vast information far more efficiently than humans can. AI’s proficiency in analyzing large datasets quickly, recognizing patterns, and learning from them without fatigue far surpasses our little ant brains.

However, where AI falls short is in its ability to apply discernment—the uniquely human ability to apply wisdom, understand context and make nuanced judgments. Great leaders will apply discernment to understand what matters, what's noise to ignore, and what to do with those insights.

Take, for example, crisis management. Social activism has become one of the greatest threats to business today. When a sudden PR disaster strikes, AI can swiftly sift through social media data to gauge public sentiment and recommend communication strategies. However, only a leader can truly assess the emotional tone needed for the response, empathize with affected stakeholders, and authentically align the company’s response with its identity and values.

See Impact Plastics CEO for what not to do in a crisis.

As social media blew up with outrage at the deaths of Impact Plastics employees who were allegedly forced to stay at work during Hurricane Helene, the public demanded a response from the CEO. In his video statement, he reads notes about why he's not at fault and did nothing wrong. The lack of discernment in his response was glaringly apparent. Rather than addressing the emotional gravity of the situation or acknowledging the loss experienced by the families and the community, the CEO chose to defensively cite policies and distance himself from the decisions made on the ground. This reaction not only failed to resonate with the public and the employees but also intensified the outrage. ChatGPT arguably could have done better.

The leaders who will thrive are not necessarily those who know the most or even those who understand the data best, but those who can discern which courses of action align with both the data and the deeper ethos of their mission.

The future doesn't just belong to those who can connect the dots; it belongs to those who can discern which dots matter the most.

Elsewhere In Culture

https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-could-cut-managers-save-3-billion-analysts-2024-10

In the most below-the-line headline of the week, Amazon is looking to cut 14,000 management roles in order to cultivate a culture of more accountability. Who, praytell is accountable for the excessive bureaucracy and management that exists in the first place?

The irony of cultivating a "culture of accountability" by laying off thousands of managers is palpable. One might ask, where was the foresight or strategic planning that could have prevented such a bloated hierarchy? The true essence of accountability isn't just about taking responsibility after the fact; it's about proactive governance and making informed decisions that prevent such crises from occurring. See the discernment article above.

As Amazon navigates this massive restructuring, the effectiveness of their approach to accountability will be tested. Will this move lead to a leaner, more agile company, or will it reveal further gaps in their governance that require addressing?

Also, check out:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/10/opinion/manufacturing-harris-trump-immigration-college.html

American manufacturing is on the brink of a renaissance, but it's not the picture of the 1950s many might imagine. We're seeing a shift where the sector's growth increasingly relies on a diverse workforce, including a significant number of immigrants and a rising demand for college-educated professionals. Indeed, about 30% of today's manufacturing workers hold bachelor's degrees, a stark increase from the 8% in 1970.

As we look ahead, the manufacturing landscape will continue to transform, driven by technological advancements and strategic global collaborations. The challenge for us is to adapt to these changes, fostering a workforce that is both skilled and diverse to fill the approximately 3.8 million manufacturing jobs expected to open this decade. This isn't just about reviving an industry; it's about reimagining what manufacturing jobs look like in a modern economy.