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Empathy

A Poem on Shiny Things

June 27, 2023
AI, Article, Caring, Chatbots, Culture change, Empathy, Lamentation, Poem
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A Poem on Shiny Things

In a world of AI, numbers, and machines,
Where computers hum with artificial dreams,
Does steel and code and pixel ever glean,
The human touch, the heart behind the screens?

Why look to tools to mend our deepest cracks,
When cogs and gears know not of empathy?
It’s we who breathe, who feel, who love, who act,
In our own souls lie the solution’s key.

With every byte, each bit and silicon chip,
We’ve woven webs of knowledge, power, might,
But at the core, beneath each fingertip,
It is the human heart that holds the light.

For tech can answer what, when, where, and how,
But in the why, AI does falter, bow.
Though technology holds a stellar charm,
It cannot comfort, cannot hold a hand.

No software feels, no hardware can disarm,
The pain a human heart must understand.
The Chatbots dance with lightning speed and grace,
Yet, they lack the tender rhythm of our pulse.

People, not tech, could steer our pace,
For human warmth no AI can ever convulse.
In wisdom’s quest, let’s not become enslaved,
To cold precision, to sterile, soulless power.

Remember it’s through people lives are saved,
In every minute, every precious hour.
Technology, a tool, a servant be,
While human spirit, the master, ever free.

How Do We Change a System That Doesn’t Want to Change?

June 2, 2023
Alien tech, Article, Culture change, Empathy, Listening, Needs, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Quintessence
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How Do We Change a System That Doesn’t Want to Change?

Changing a system that doesn’t want to change is hard. To do so invites us to focus on needs, not wants. Wants are like wishes, but needs are what drive action. So, change requires us together to change what the system needs.

This means we need to change what the people who own and run the system need. They decide how the system works. Their needs shape it. For positive change, their needs must fit with the changes we need.

One way to do this is to invite folks to consider why the change is good. Let’s say a business is reluctant to address “people issues”. By illustrating, with dialogue, how people are central to them getting their needs met, work can be easier, save money, and make customers happier.

Organisational culture is also key. It’s like the personality of the business. It decides how people think and act at work. If we can change this culture, it can also change what the system and those in charge of it need.

In the end, changing a system is about changing its needs. This can help bring the change we all need.

How Chatbots Can Help Us Understand Ourselves Better

April 21, 2023
Article, Chatbots, Empathy, Feedback, Learning, Nonviolent Communication, Relationships
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How Chatbots Can Help Us Understand Ourselves Better

Chatbots can be incredibly useful in helping us understand ourselves, particularly in terms of communication, empathy, and personal growth. Here are a just a few of the ways in which they can contribute to our self-awareness and development:

1. Nonviolent Communication (NVC): Chatbots can be designed to incorporate NVC principles, which emphasize understanding, compassion, and empathy in communication. By checking our messages and communiques for signs of violence or aggression before we send them, chatbots can help us become more aware of our language patterns and the impact our words may have on others. This can ultimately lead to improved communication and stronger relationships.

2. Empathy: Chatbots can be programmed to recognize and respond to emotions, enabling them to provide empathetic feedback and support. By interacting with empathetic chatbots, we can gain insights into our own emotional experiences and develop a deeper understanding of how to support others in distress.

3. Lencioni’s Ideal Team Player Attributes: Chatbots can help us develop and refine our understanding of Lencioni’s ideal team player attributes, which include humility, hunger, and people smarts. By engaging in conversations and exercises that explore these attributes, chatbots can provide feedback and guidance on how we can improve our behavior in these areas. This can lead to increased self-awareness and better teamwork.

4. Active Listening: Chatbots can be used as an active listening tool, encouraging users to express their thoughts and feelings openly. By engaging in conversation with chatbots, we can practice articulating our thoughts and emotions more effectively, leading to a better understanding of ourselves and improved communication skills.

5. Self-reflection: Chatbots can help facilitate self-reflection by asking users targeted questions and encouraging them to think deeply about their beliefs, values, and behaviors. This process can reveal insights about our own personalities, preferences, and motivations, ultimately contributing to personal growth and self-awareness.

6. Goal Setting and Accountability: Chatbots can act as virtual coaches, helping us set personal goals, track our progress, and hold ourselves accountable. By discussing our objectives with a chatbot and receiving guidance on how to achieve them, we can better understand our strengths and weaknesses, leading to more effective self-improvement efforts.

Overall, chatbots offer a wide range of opportunities for personal growth and self-understanding. By incorporating principles of nonviolent communication, empathy, and Lencioni’s ideal team player attributes, they can provide valuable insights and support as we work toward becoming better communicators, team members, and individuals.

Compliance or Self-worth?

April 19, 2023
Article, Culture change, Empathy, Lamentation, Organisational effectiveness
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Compliance or Self-worth?

Personally, I’ve always chosen self-worth, both for myself and for others.

Finding a job often requires individuals to compromise their self-worth in exchange for strict obedience to workplace rules and policies. This trade-off can result in employees feeling disengaged from their positions. In simpler terms, when job seekers prioritise pleasing their managers, conforming to existing shared assumptions and beliefs about work, and fitting into the workplace mold, they find themselves ignoring their own needs and values. This leads to feeling disconnected from their jobs and overall dissatisfaction and disengagement.

Unfortunately, many workplaces are structured in a way that rewards blind compliance instead of encouraging personal growth and self-expression. When employees suppress their unique traits and conform to the company’s expectations, they might secure a job, but they risk losing their sense of identity and motivation.

For a healthy work environment, employees and managers alike may choose to recognise the importance of individuality and self-worth. When people feel valued for who they are, they are much more likely to be engaged and committed to their roles. Ultimately, this leads to a more productive and satisfied workforce.

The Dance of Overconfidence & Arrogance

April 15, 2023
Article, Empathy
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The Dance of Overconfidence & Arrogance

💡 Are you unwittingly caught in the treacherous tango of overconfidence and arrogance? Discover how these two cognitive biases can lead you astray, and learn the secret to cultivating humility.

➡ Overconfidence and arrogance are indeed cosy bedfellows, often commingling to create a deceptive sense of certainty in the minds of individuals. This phenomenon is particularly insidious as it leads to suboptimal decision-making and, in some cases, disastrous outcomes.

The cognitive biases that underlie overconfidence and arrogance are well-documented in behavioral economics and psychology. Overconfidence, for example, stems from the illusion of knowledge, which occurs when individuals overestimate their understanding of a subject matter or their ability to predict future events. Arrogance, on the other hand, can be traced back to the fundamental attribution error, where individuals tend to attribute their successes to internal factors while blaming failures on external circumstances.

These cognitive biases reinforce each other, creating a feedback loop that only serves to further inflate a sense of certainty and self-importance. This inflated self-image can lead to a diminished capacity for self-reflection and an unwillingness to entertain alternative perspectives.

The consequences of such an unholy alliance between overconfidence and arrogance can be dire. In the realm of financial markets, for instance, this toxic combination can lead to excessive risk-taking and catastrophic losses. In the domain of politics, it can result in leaders who are blind to the potential consequences of their decisions, often with devastating consequences for the people they govern.

To counteract the effects of overconfidence and arrogance, individuals may choose to cultivate humility and expand their awareness of these cognitive biases. By fostering a mindset of continuous learning and accepting that one’s knowledge is inherently limited, individuals can avoid falling into the trap of overconfidence and arrogance.

Of course, when encountering folks with these afflictions, there’s nothing one can say or do to help. Excepting perhaps empathising. Which is so hard.

Empathy Is Easy

April 5, 2023
Article, Empathy
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Empathy Is Easy

Look, kid, I gotta tell ya, I think you got the wrong end of the stick on this one. Empathy ain’t easy. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things a person can do. You gotta put yourself in someone else’s shoes, feel what they’re feeling, and see the world through their eyes. And let me tell ya, that’s no mean feat.

Empathy takes effort. It takes a willingness to understand and connect with others, even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient. It means putting aside your own biases and prejudices and really listening to what someone else is saying, even if you don’t agree with it.

And you know what? Sometimes empathy hurts. It means feeling the pain and suffering of others, and that ain’t always easy. But it’s worth it. It’s worth it to connect with others on a deeper level, to understand their struggles, and to be there for them when they need it.

So, to say that empathy is easy is to miss the point entirely. Empathy takes work, it takes dedication, and it takes heart. But in a world that can be so cold and uncaring, it’s the only thing that really matters.