Sea of Propaganda

We swim in an ocean of propaganda and advertising. AI is making it worse. Nearly anyone can post their beliefs online for all to see. With AI faking pictures, videos, or "recordings" of someone saying something, we can no longer trust any of them. One way to deal with such is to ask, "what if this is false?" In business, we often need to make good decisions without much data. We make these decisions based on our own beliefs and values. It is important to have clear connection to values that build a better future.

Many people do not think about what they are watching and listening to and much is fake. People want to believe even if what they are seeing is propaganda. We more naturally believe if what we see or hear fits in with what we already believe to be true. It is especially hard to think critically about ideas that fit with how we make money.

How to tell if something is true? One US senator in a cynical moment stated that "51 votes is true." Others operate as if anything they can make money at is true. The challenge is that any group of believers, no matter how small, can be sold merchandise and services that cater to their beliefs. Business can be made from selling to very small niches.

When ignorance is prized, wisdom goes into hiding. Often it takes force to overthrow ignorance. One person claimed that ignorance is a missed opportunity, not bliss.

Western science has long operated on the basis of "falsifiable." Anything can be proposed, but if it can be proven false, then it isn't true. If a proposal is tested over and over again and found to hold up under those tests, then it is accepted as truth. However, that can take years or decades for that process to run. We need to make decisions in less time than that.

Propaganda tends to be proven false. Believing propaganda generates lower growth, lower wealth, and lower life. Propaganda tends to divide us. Propaganda claims to pull the community together but it tends to pull only some of us together. Critical thinking is one way to identify and refute propaganda.

Critical thinking starts with being well connected to our values. When we have humility and curiosity, we can hold to our values while learning new facts and ideas.

Because we have to make decisions on limited data and deadlines, it helps to step back ever so often and ask "what if we are wrong?" It helps to have contingency plans for when events prove us wrong. It helps to have ways to get out of situations. Another question to ask is, "will this decision make sense a year from now?"

We often have to make decisions based only on our values. These can (and do) change over time and with changes to the leadership. In conflict, we may need to choose sides. Making that choice simply on short term profit is rarely what will lead the team to success.

Values that tend to lead to long term profit include honesty, acceptance, caring, and community.

Hiring and Retention

Elon Musk called for people to work 80 hours per week. Rarely is that the way to get the best people. The team he assembled is full of people without experience, not knowing where mistakes are commonly made, and are making mistakes that our enemies are exploiting. Hiring and retaining the right workers challenges many companies.

A few years ago, having places to play was considered a common employee retention strategy. Companies bought game tables, built relaxation areas, and brought in good coffee. Tactics like that didn't work. Employee retention is not about perks; it is about purpose. If your people are motivated by perks (being bribed to work), you have the wrong people.

A different strategy is to hire the best, but have a structure where they can thrive. Making such a structure is a better investment than adding perks. Too many hire the best and then try to force them into a structure that inhibits them. People often prefer to work in places where they have room for initiative, recognition for good work, and accountability so that they can trust the rest of the team. People working together in a team full of trust often can out perform a group of "super stars" that aren't working together.

Hire people you can learn from. Embrace people who challenge your assumptions. When we surround ourselves with smarter people, we grow. Building a team of smart people requires emotional action to help them all work together for a common goal. When we work to build a safe environment, that is what unlocks genius, not hard deadlines and urgency.

Build a safe place for the team to grow and watch the results.

Risky World

On June 10, ChatGPT went down for hours and marketing teams around the country stopped working. Some even complained that they might have to start using their brains again. This is dependency. It is human to use pencils and paper to generate ideas. At some point, ChatGPT is going to not be available as the company is losing money with no real prospects for making a profit.