'Ben Thinking' for the week of 03.18
A few weeks ago, we had our first external Akhia event since Valentine’s Day, 2020. As part of this we had our out-of-town Akhia family members ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ it to Northeast Ohio.
As you can imagine, the first question asked ahead of this event was … ”what do we wear?”
Seriously. It was. What’s business casual anymore? Smart casual? Casual? Fortunately we all employed a little common sense and managed not to embarrass ourselves over three days of in-person meetings. But a few days later … this WSJ article caught my eye. Because turns out we’re not the only ones wondering what to wear.
Now, if we could take a few minutes to talk about the hair....
On to what I’ve ‘ben thinking’ about:
1. You know who doesn’t have to worry about what they’re wearing to work?
2.7M (!!!) retirees. Yes, that’s a lot more than we were expecting. Now, what to do about it.
(Thanks to Kevin Bachman for the share of this read!)
2. “The most in-demand tech job for 2024 isn’t in artificial intelligence, software development or even cybersecurity. This year’s hottest new job title is data scientist.”
Wait, what’s a data scientist?
3. Here’s your regularly scheduled reminder to take a look at your reputation management strategy.
This week’s is brought to you by the CEOs of Wendy’s and Kellogg
Manufacturing Dive.
4. There are five engineering openings for every one engineer.
How do you stand out v. the other four companies competing for that talent?
5. Keep the talent you have by protecting frontline workers.
They could benefit the most from wellness programs but are least likely to ask.
Whoa.
I know this isn’t the AI Roundup, but this AI story impacts our non-AI world.
6. Google’s Gen AI Search Threatens Publishers with Potential $2B Ad Revenue Loss.
Don’t you love when a service technician tells you they’ll be there between 10 and 2? Well, the projected impact to traffic is anywhere from 20 – 60%.
In both cases, you need to be ready.
One last thing.
“Today, American workers are over 400 percent more productive than they were in the 1940s. And yet, millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages than they were decades ago. That has got to change.” – Bernie Sanders
7. Get ready for the four-day work week?
For the pod squad.
8. Re: Thinking – with Adam Grant.
Want to be productive? Without burning out? That’s this pod’s topic. And it’s a good one. Especially if, like me, you’ve danced with burnout once or twice.
In our own words.
9. Navigating the future of email marketing: AI do’s and don’ts
Love this blog from Jordan Rogers.
TikTok: Stay informed.
We’re tracking the daily battle for the future of TikTok for many of our clients. If you’d like to receive updates as well as our take from our internal influencer insider, Mitchell Clifford, let me know and I’ll be sure you’re added/updated.
Take Five: Trending, wk. of 3.18.24
1. TikTok, of course.
2. The potential impact of AI on our jobs.
3. The commercial real estate market – and the future of work in general.
4. Where is Princess Kate???
5. March Madness, of course.
Need a speaker, facilitator, panelist or moderator?
I would be happy to contribute to your next event or planning session. Contact me to talk more. Believe it or not, we are booking into the summer already for AI conversations and workshops as well as on-site discovery meetings and summits. Let me know!
Thanks for reading. Feel free to share. Or to drop me a note!