Hernan Chiosso, CSPO, SPHR 💡

I feel that this approach is incomplete, and stems from a misunderstanding of what art is and why it exists. The AI-driven approach treats art as an output problem: more art pieces, for more consumers of art. This ignores the transformational outcome of art in the artist. Art exists primarily and fundamentally as a form of self expression and introspection in the artist. We create art to discover significance in our existence. The consumer is secondary. Eliminating all the struggle of the artistic creation process means eliminating a lot of the artistic experience itself, and its outcome on the artist and the audience, regardless of the increased output. Output < Outcome.

A word of caution: in today's complex and ever changing work environment, relying too heavily on timekeeping to evaluate performance is a dangerously reductive approach. Of course, there are some jobs that are highly standardized, where timekeeping can give you a good enough measure of performance. But these types of jobs are less common each day, so -on its own- this a poor proxy for value. Timekeeping can be a good benchmarking exercise to do occasionally, but doing it constantly and granularly enough to be meaningful can be intrusive, taxing, and have a negative impact on productivity. In any case, anything that is so overly predictable that timekeeping can be easily compared across situations, is a serious candidate for automation.

An aspect of support that is not always highlighted, is around building a new "identity" as part of the new role. Sometimes, someone moves from a highly tactical role to a more strategic role, then feel that they are not creating enough value in the new role, and a sense of emptiness can settle in. And they can revert to previous behaviors that gave them a sense of fulfillment. e.g. a newly appointed Project Manager (who used to be a Software Developer) feels "empty" now that they are not producing much code. This can create a devaluation of the self because their new "identity" doesn't give them a sense of fulfillment (yet). So they tend to go back to coding, neglecting their PM responsibilities. Coaching usually helps with this.

For some types of promotions (e.g. becoming a manager), it is also important to set the expectations on what NOT to do. Sometimes the nature of the job changes radically, and the same behaviors that made someone successful at the old role hinder the performance at the new role. And sometimes, some of the old behaviors are still required but they are downgraded in their relevance to value creation. For example, when promoted to a technical leader position at some companies, you may still be required to code, but a lot of the value of the role is in helping others become better developers. So if you just spend the time coding like you always did, you may be neglecting the "leader" part of your job.

Many frameworks can be used: MBTI, DiSC, Fascination Advantage, and a long list. At the core of this exercise, however, is the understanding that different styles are possible and they can complement each other in a way that enriches all actors. Understanding your style, and the other person(s) style, helps you adapt your communication style in a way that is meaningful to the counterpart. Otherwise, you will find that different styles use different languages and consider different perspectives, which can severely hinder communication. Understanding your style, and the counterpart's style, opens a world of possibility, helping create a more robust analysis of the situation, overcoming the built-in blind spots of each individual perspective.

Employee referral programs are extremely valuable because they show your employees are so committed to the mission of the organization that they are willing to put their reputation on the line. However, they aren't always the most useful for your diversity goals, as it can be challenging to get diverse referrals from your employees if your workforce is not already diverse. That's why it's so important to look for referrals outside of your current pools of talent. If your workforce is diverse and yet you are not getting too much diversity in your referrals, you should consider exploring the reasons for that a bit more in-depth. Keep in mind that diversity without inclusion is just performative and is like filling a leaking bucket, at best.