It was a week full of interesting insights and inspiring conversations on AI, wellbeing, WELL Certifications, ESG; transformation and cognitive performance optimisation.
There is a recurring theme from my travels: "The power of perspectives".
Each trip leaves me with a whirlwind of ideas, thoughts, feelings, and emotions. This time, however, my emotions were mixed.
On the one hand I felt a sense of sense of joy and excitement. On the other, a sense of frustration and, to some degree irritation.
I felt joy and excitement because I could feel the buzz. There was a lot of curiosity around the impact and potential of AI, interest in wellbeing and I noted a growing appetite to learn more about how the brain works. Many of those I met wanted to understand how AI will impact how we work, yet at the same time figure out how to stay human and authentic.
I felt frustration and irritation because we seem to be stuck. The dialogue on wellbeing (at work) isn't moving forward much. Interestingly the conversation around AI seems to be taking a similar path. The same topics are being brought up, and the same people rock up on stage, with some super-star exceptions.
A client of mine once reflected, as we were discussing the fact that there's a lot of talk but little action:
"We find comfort in sharing and discussing each other's challenges".
I think there is a lot of truth in that statement.
Another reflection is that many people involved in ‘’wellbeing at work’’ have no formal education and little experience in the actual subject matter.
Let’s be honest with ourselves. The wellbeing challenges across the world of work, cannot be solved by PR/marketing people or individuals who themselves have burned out once. They can do a brilliant job in bringing people together and raise awareness, but we need more (real) experts to help us tackle these challenges.
So what made me irritated? I discovered that even those who you’d think sit on in-depth knowledge (e.g. academics) can talk a load of bollocks, but when presented in an engaging way, people will still listen and believe in what they hear.
One lecturer (from one of the world’s leading business schools) based the first part of his presentation on The Triune Brain Theory which is as old school by now as the theory about the Earth being flat.
On further reflection this somewhat shallow thinking extends beyond conferences. LinkedIn and many other forums are still full of reposts, other peoples' thoughts rehashed, and simple solutions that (apparently) can create wonders to your health or cognition.
AI will (as I have been discussing for many years now) fundamentally change not just how we work, but also how we use our brains. There are hundreds of lists outlining ‘’skills of the future’’: World Economic Forum, McKinsey and the OECD, to name some of the most respected and frequently quoted sources.
This takes me back to my feelings of joy and excitement. This mishmash presents a great opportunity for those who are ready to think differently.
A couple of things stood out for me in London.
E.g, (as I wrote on LinkedIn last week) how can we
Create cultures of curiosity and experimentation?
Evolve traditional mindsets of “experts” to “explorers”?
Excel through AI, yet stay human and authentic?
To be able to do this, we need to
Fundamentally change how we think and go about work
Redefine the meaning of value, performance and productivity
On the plane back, I concluded: the future is bright for the curious explorers, the ones brave enough to experiment, fail and experiment again to finally discover and stay strong in the learning and insights they’re gaining in the process.
Let’s remind ourselves:
‘’The challenges and opportunities of the future cannot be solved and designed based on thinking and methodologies of the past’’.
