LifeBOK – a lifetime body of knowledge

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3129229/cloud-computing/salesforce-debuts-chatbot-building-tools.html
I really like the strategy of opening a new channel of communication to the salesforce application. Chatbot communication is a less structured and more mobile-friendly was to interact with users.

I just had the best idea! I got it while watching the new TV show, Timeless. It is about a history professor traveling back through time and experiencing some of the world’s great events and people. I think this series has promise but it also has a lot of complexity with  terrorists, love story, costume designs, backgrounds, and action scenes.

My idea: Golfing Through Time. A fictionalized ability to travel back in time to play golf with the world’s most interesting people during different periods in history. The characters would all be updated to be at least weekend hackers and they would play modern equipment and modern tournament courses, especially the tricky Pete Dye courses. 

The show would be walking and talking while playing golf. Seeing the mannerisms and temperament that only comes out on the golf course. Also having the kind of peaceful and meaningful conversations that you can only have on a golf course. 

Maybe even having two famous historic figures rounding out the foursome with the host and a famous professional golfer (Arnold Palmer). The site locations would be easy all the attention could go to the conversations and their course mannerisms.

I think it would be a fun way to deepen your knowledge of history.

Mike

II listened to the most awesome podcast interview with Ken Blanchard today. The quote, ‘profit is the applause you get for taking care of customers and your people’ reminded me of what can be the simplicity of business. The podcast is called Startup Camp and Ken Blanchard was 77 when this was recorded in September. Blanchard co-wrote the One Minute Manager which is a real favorite of mine and one of the first business books that I read. He also wrote Raving Fans, Gung Ho!, and Who Moved My Cheese?

I love Blanchard’s storytelling style and his ethics-based leadership style that is highly focused on creating purpose. This interview was excellent, I recommend it.

http://startupcamp.com/podcast/

Mike

I read an interesting article that said that there is a chatbot that makes voter registration as easy as sending a text. I can’t help but think that it won’t be long before we can have the bots vote for us. Or at least have the bot suggest how we would want to vote based on how we trained the bot to understanding our preferences. I included a link to the article, you may want to read and look at the dialogue between the chatbot and the user.

http://www.recode.net/2016/9/22/13020980/chatbot-voter-registration-text

At first I thought this article was about our Presidential Election… This is one of the best explanations of artificial intelligence and a comprehensive strategy to make this intelligence available to governments, businesses, and individuals intelligent agents like Cortana or exposed through their bot framework. 

http://news.microsoft.com/features/democratizing-ai/#5vZRhBgK5OpFZZ2e.97

This is interesting, particularly the comments and study just before launching. 

“We wanted the bot to sound as human as possible so it feels like you’re talking to a friend,” Kaplan said. “A beta group texted the number without knowing it was a bot — the true test of authenticity. When the group couldn’t figure it out, we knew we were ready to launch.”

A chatbot is software that responds to your messages using natural language and relies on artificial intelligence to determine what you mean and deliver a tailored reply.

https://www.cnet.com/news/insomniacs-this-chatbot-will-keep-you-company/

Saw a great intro article on Business Insider. It was called CHATBOTS EXPLAINED: Why businesses should be paying attention to the chatbot revolution. It does a nice job of explaining artificial intelligence, chatbots and why they have so much momentum. http://www.businessinsider.com/2016-10-2-a-chatbots-explained-why-businesses-should-be-paying-attention-to-the-chatbot-revolution-2016-9

I was reading an old HBR and it crossed into an interest topic that affects many working people today and tomorrow. Are we more interested and secure when we think in terms of  job security which is most often seen as related to staying with your current employer. Or are we more interested and secure in employment security which by nature may involve working across multiple employers in your lifetime.

With many product lifecycles dropping to less than two years, it may be delusional to think that you would have the same job or be at the same company for 10+ years.

This thinking does not foster the building of long lasting relationships at work. It’s not like the days when your children met with other employees children at the summer family picnic. Or the holloween or Christmas party. 
Its no wonder that employee engagement is so difficult. It is also a fact that engaged employees work better and enjoy their work more. 

Engagement must be proactive and deliberate for it to have a chance. The leaders need to work hard to create places that make people happy to share with their friends and family:

This takes some money, some time, but mainly it takes sincere intention, then some help and follow through

The best companies will deliberately rotate and cross train roles so that their people can have both: job security and employment security.

I have been so disillusioned recently by employers that seem to have lost interest in working hard to do the things that captivate the imagination, hopes, and dreams of their employees and instead treat them like a captive workforce. Especially in today’s era where inflation is very low and raises also very low, I think it is more important than ever to inspire people with a sense of purpose, belonging and creativity that only comes when your heart and your imagination are captured with a sense of purpose – not as a captive.

The culture of a company is important. In fact it is the only sustainable differentiator.
Mike