Experimenting with Collaboration

In this Issue

1. Lab Work to Prevent Intellectual Isolation
2. A Pilgrimage to Omaha
3. Acquired through Business Case Studies
4. Employers Left Behind
5. A Non-Compete Primer
6. Econ Recon

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Lab Work to Prevent Intellectual Isolation

With the rise of remote work, many knowledge workers today experience more autonomy. This has its upside - fewer meetings and time to concentrate on projects at their own pace.? But this way of working can also lead to isolation—not just social isolation, but intellectual isolation. Florian Zettelmeyer, a Professor of Marketing at Kellogg School of Management, offers an idea that organizations can mitigate intellectual isolation by creating a “lab setting” in which employees agree to regular meetings where they share and offer feedback on one another’s work.

Read his blueprint to this “lab” model, including how to solicit synchronous feedback and deploy “useful social pressure” to inspire individuals to make progress on projects. ?

?A Pilgrimage to Omaha

The annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting was held last week in Omaha with thousands of the faithful in attendance. This year’s meeting was the first one without Charlie Munger who passed away last year. You can find the video highlights here? , a text summary on key points and the full five-hour session .??

The annual Berkshire Hathaway letter was published in 2024 .

Acquired through Business Case Studies

You could spend your entire day listening to business podcasts and many are quite good. But if you want a deeper dive that’s more than a podcast but takes less time than a book, consider Acquired.

A recent review in the Wall Street Journal ?(subscription required to read the WSJ review) notes "Acquired is?the unlikely hit show...whose ability to understand companies deeply enough to describe them simply makes listeners want to spend time with them. Lots and lots of time. By turning case studies into cinematic spectacles, they have built the business world’s favorite podcast…a show telling the epic tales of the world’s most successful companies.”?

The site started by focusing on technology companies but expanded to other great success stories like Hermes, LMVH, Novo Nordisk and interviews with remarkable players like Charlie Munger, Morgan Housel, and others.?It currently enjoys over 600,000 listeners.?

As Acquired’s landing page says “Every company has a story. Learn the playbooks that built the world’s greatest companies - and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor."

If you lead an SMB and are thinking “these are big company stories;” they are, however, remember that all big companies were once small ones. “Acquired tells the stories and strategies of great companies.”

Maybe learning about a few of them will help you write your own great story.??

Employers Left Behind.

A short interview on CNBC with Karin Kimbrough, Chief Economist from LinkedIn shares a remarkable finding. Employers appear to be more willing to hire a candidate with less experience but good Artificial Intelligence skills than an experienced candidate lacking them. Moreover, employees appear to be leading employers in the AI adoption cycle and are bringing their own AI Tools to work.

This six-minute video may help you understand what’s going on at your office regarding the adoption and use of AI.

Also worth reading is this quick guide to how AI can transform the workplace: ?7 Key Use Cases, benefits, and challenges.

A Non-Compete Primer

The Federal Trade Commission issued a final rule banning non-competes. Vistage speaker and employment law expert, Hunter Lott , provides an overview and suggests a few workarounds in his latest Take 5 with Hunter Lott on Non-Competes. Here’s the FTC announcement. (It’s just two pages).

Econ Recon

“Frayed around the Edges”:? In his most recent “Fed Watch,” ITR Economics Brian Beaulieu sees an economy “frayed around the edges” and suggests that executives pay attention to When to strike on interest rates .

“The Fed Faithful”:? ?Economist Brian Wesbury believes “If the financial markets have a religion, we think we know what it is: a deep and abiding faith in the ability of an omniscient Federal Reserve to ride to the rescue if and when the economic weather turns bad.” Are markets justified in their faith? Find out in Wesbury’s recent blog post The Fed Faithful .

Please connect, comment, and reach out. Message me if I can answer any questions or serve in any way. And make it a productive week!

Sue Tinnish, PhD,?Vistage Chair, Facilitator, & Executive Coach

Find me easily at: 847.404.7325, [email protected] , Twitter:?@STinnish, LinkedIn: www.dhirubhai.net/in/suetinnish , Website: https://vistage.com/chairs/sue.tinnish