Do Something...
Happy Friday,
A few years ago, I wrote about urgency as a leadership quality. The short version: urgency evaporates with scale because upper- and mid-level leaders sacrifice speed (decisiveness) to avoid personal risk. Fill the room, diffuse the blame. Gutsy leaders fight that by shouldering the risk, making the call, then adjusting as they go. They’re rare. But in the current environment, they’re the competitors you'd better watch out for.
That’s because the stakes are much higher now.
When the environment is stable, hesitation carries a relatively small cost. You lose a few weeks, or maybe an opportunity. It’s painful, but recoverable.
But when the environment is accelerating as it is, hesitation compounds. Every week you wait, competitors aren't just a week ahead. They're more than that because they’re learning and adapting, and the tools they’re using are themselves getting better. They’re pulling away and, in the process, building what could become a costly or even existential competitive advantage.
Waiting for clarity before acting is reasonable when the environment is stable and familiar. But AI isn’t a familiar environment, and there's no point of eventual stability to wait for. Engineering as a profession is being wholly rewritten, and its end state isn't in sight.
The leaders building AI fluency in their organizations right now aren't doing it because they know exactly where it's all going. They're doing it because they know their organization needs to be in motion.
Punchline: A wise friend once told me: "Your job, Dave, is to make decisions… and make 51% of them right.” That’s never been truer than it is now. Listen to primary sources unfiltered by the legacy media. Try to be directionally correct, trust your instincts, and adjust as you go. This applies to every firm and to every individual career.
Do something to become more AI-fluent, then do something more, then something more. The current pace of change is likely to be a long-term condition that splits the industry into winners, losers, and goners. Don't let your career or organization fall too far behind.
Have a great weekend,
Dave
Feedback, blowback, and suggested topics are always welcome: dave@goodnewsfriday.com
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