Jaffer Zaidi

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Sitting here on my lunch break at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles waiting to get my son his drivers permit. As I look around, I realize how horribly inefficient this whole process is. Paper based application, presentation of physical documents like birth certificate, picture taking, and driving to an office building. All of this could be done online and via a mobile app from my home. For the most part, AI isn’t even needed. Why doesn’t the state digitize the process? I am guessing it comes down to jobs. There are a lot of people working here. Makes me wonder how jobs will be affected by AI? There is no perfect answer here but what do you do with workers displaced by AI? If you look what happened to displaced US coal workers in Appalachia, I don’t have high hopes that either government or private industry can easily solve this problem. I love using AI to make my life and job better, but some serious structural issues are going to pop up over the next that I don’t think most people or politicians are thinking about.

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Just finished the course “Storytelling for Recruiting and Employee Retention” by Paul A. Smith! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gwWshjur #talentmanagement #businessstorytelling.

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Over the last several weeks, my team's dynamics have changed as the program I lead within was dealt a loss of personnel due to budget constraints. We weren’t the only team impacted; others were affected more significantly, and some parts of the program suffered extreme reduction of scope. This is par for the course not just in consulting work, but also in the IT and business world. We plan for these bumps by accepting that they will occur. We lost a wonderful developer who had successfully worked cross-functionally with many in the program. This was a major blow, but we were prepared. I’m a strong believer in cross-training and training for the inevitable: new jobs, promotions, reductions in workforce, or even changes in project scope. The dust has settled, and my team is moving faster than before. We are seeing additional project requirements creep up without additional reinforcements, and now we will plan the next step to be successful in trying times. This includes identifying methods for automating processes. During a recent sprint demo and in a conversation with another Product Owner, I identified ways we will work to increase our delivery times even more. An investment across teams will see greater opportunities for delivering more than was originally scoped for this quarter. This isn’t easy, but it is absolutely in the spirit of the Agile approach leaders, myself included, utilize every day.

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Sitting here on my lunch break at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles waiting to get my son his drivers permit. As I look around, I realize how horribly inefficient this whole process is. Paper based application, presentation of physical documents like birth certificate, picture taking, and driving to an office building. All of this could be done online and via a mobile app from my home. For the most part, AI isn’t even needed. Why doesn’t the state digitize the process? I am guessing it comes down to jobs. There are a lot of people working here that have good wages and benefits. Makes me wonder how jobs will be affected by AI? There is no perfect answer but what do you do with workers displaced by AI? If you look at what happened to displaced US coal workers in Appalachia, I don’t have high hopes that either government or private industry can easily solve this problem. I love using AI to make my life and job better, but some serious structural issues are going to pop up over the next few years that I don’t think most people or politicians are thinking about. The only hedge I see is that workers will need to continue learning and growing, but it’s more complicated than that.

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Beryl live updates: Hurricane downgraded to tropical storm; major power outages reported in Houston area Hurricane Beryl made landfall early Monday morning in Texas on the Matagorda Peninsula, about 85 miles southwest of Houston. Beryl hit as a Category 1 storm, with winds reaching 80 mph. As of 10 a.m. CT, the National Hurricane Center had downgraded Beryl to a tropical storm. Its path will take it inland over eastern Texas. According to the National Weather Service, Beryl is expected to "bring very heavy rain, damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge to the Texas coast." Beryl has already traveled through the Caribbean as the earliest Category 5 storm ever recorded in the Atlantic, causing at least 11 deaths and widespread destruction. It then traveled across Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico. Beryl is expected to weaken as it travels overland. The storm caused major power outages in Texas Monday morning. More than 2 million customers in the Houston region have been affected, according to a state-wide outage tracker. https://lnkd.in/gcB-bF7x?

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Keep yourself educated! Research is a big part of my job as a technical Recruiter/Head Hunter, and understanding why certain companies, products, and industries select the tech stacks they do. A key learning point for me in the Industrial Energy Technology sector is understanding why we use predominantly legacy technologies and Desktop Applications and understanding that newer technologies are often easier to use and manipulate or "user friendly" but at the cost of having less depth and overall autonomy and innovation. This is coupled with the fact that legacy technologies have security protocols that are more developed and more secure than newer ones. One of the first things I learned is that if a developer has expertise in older technologies it is a lot more transferable to new technologies than the other way round. #developer #tech #technology #womenintech

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12 vital Biblical principles for workplace ethics that Christian leaders, entrepreneurs, managers, and professionals can apply: 1.Working as Unto the Lord Principle: Work diligently and wholeheartedly as if serving the Lord, not merely human masters. Scripture: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). 2. Integrity Principle: Conduct all business with honesty and moral uprightness. Scripture: “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them” (Proverbs 11:3). 3.Fairness and Justice Principle:Treat everyone justly and avoid favoritism, ensuring fair treatment in all dealings. Scripture:“Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven” (Colossians 4:1). 4. Excellence Principle: Strive for excellence in all tasks, reflecting the high standards set by God. Scripture: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23). 5.Faithfulness Principle: Be reliable and trustworthy, fulfilling commitments and responsibilities faithfully. Scripture: “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much’” (Matthew 25:23). 6. Humility Principle: Lead and work with a humble heart, valuing others above oneself. Scripture: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). 7. Accountability Principle:Be accountable for your actions and decisions, acknowledging mistakes and learning from them. Scripture: “So then each of us will give an account of ourselves to God” (Romans 14:12). 8. Respect and Honour Principle: Show respect and honour to all individuals, recognizing their inherent value and dignity. Scripture: “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:17). 9. Stewardship Principle:Manage resources wisely, understanding that everything ultimately belongs to God. Scripture:“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). 10. Generosity Principle: Be generous and willing to share, using your blessings to benefit others. **Scripture:** “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16). 11.Peace and Reconciliation** Principle: Strive for peace and be a peacemaker in conflict situations. Scripture: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). 12.Avoiding Unbalanced Scales (Fairness in Business) Principle:Ensure honesty and fairness in all business practices, avoiding deceit and exploitation. Scripture: “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight” (Proverbs 11:1). These principles, rooted in Biblical teachings, can guide Christian leaders and professionals in maintaining ethical standards and glorifying God in their workplaces.

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Wow, what a journey it has been! Recently my family and I returned to our home state of Texas after living and working in Germany and the UK for over 6 years! After this experience, I can confidently say I return "home" as a different person with an expanded mindset. Here are some of the key things I learned along the way. 🔷 One size does not fit all. One of the biggest things I had to learn was how to be a more dynamic leader. Managing in different cultures and different environments really stretched me to find different ways to motivate and inspire. What may work in one location doesn’t always work in another. Be flexible. 🔷 Take time to learn. Each team in each location had its own biology, with different needs. Instead of coming into a new place with a pre-conceived notion of what I would do, taking time to understand the people and the needs of that location always paid dividends. It became less about implementing my ideas, but more about listening, empowering, and supporting. 🔷 Failure is not fatal, nor final. Fear of not fulfilling the needs of each group can be daunting. You must learn to rise above the fear and see each challenge as an opportunity. Learn from mistakes and leave each team and location better than when you arrived. 🔷 Culture matters. Each location I’ve worked in had its own unique culture. I’ve learned that change leadership is not about changing a culture to fit your expectations. It’s about immersing yourself in the existing culture, establishing trust, and growing a new and better culture organically. That has staying power, even after you move on to new challenges. 🔷 Diversity is powerful. I’ve worked in locations that were more diverse than others, and what I’ve learned is that diversity on all levels (thought, background, sex, race, etc..) is the engine of truly innovative groups. It is amazing what can happen when you welcome in diversity of thought. Creativity blossoms and self-confidence takes root. There is no longer “one way” to get it done, but many other ways, and people become confident to challenge the norms. 🔷 Celebrate small wins. Truth is that 3-4 years in a location is not enough to get everything done that you want to. It leaves you with a feeling that things are incomplete. But if you can affect change in enough ways, that results in movement, and mass and movement have powerful inertia. There were so many other things I learned along the way, and I couldn’t capture it all in one post. But I know that I never would have had the opportunity had it not been for a trusting leadership team, and a company mindset that we are better when we challenge ourselves to go outside of our comfort zone. This is the mindset and culture of SLB and OneSubsea. I would encourage anyone that has the opportunity to work abroad to do so. It isn’t the easiest path, but for us, it was the most rewarding path. And these experiences will shape the rest of the steps I take from here in each and every role I am in.

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How can you successfully adopt ZTNA for remote work? Follow these key steps to secure your business.🛡

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Choosing the right data integration method is crucial for efficient HR operations. Should you opt for SFTP or API? 🖥️ 𝐒𝐅𝐓𝐏 (𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥) offers robust security for bulk data transfers, ideal for sensitive information. However, it can be complex to manage and slower for smaller data exchanges. 𝐀𝐏𝐈 (𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞) provides real-time, flexible data exchange, perfect for dynamic interactions. While it demands a learning curve and relies on external service performance, its efficiency for frequent requests is unmatched. 🔑 Understand your needs to make the best choice for seamless data integration. 👉 Learn more about SFTP vs. API: https://lnkd.in/exwsjN8u #hrtech #dataintegration #hrmanagement #integrations

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Maintenance operational leaders are overwhelmed with siloed information, which hinders effective decision-making. Massive amounts of data could keep teams from taking action, but thanks to AI there's an app for that! Our Maintenance Decision Intelligence app has been recognized by Globee Awards as the Asset Management Innovation for 2024 and today Aakash Indurkhya is sharing five ways Virtualitics is elevating maintenance strategies. https://lnkd.in/grDtqJQd #innovation #ai #maintenance #operations #data #management #technology

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It was a 4 Billion $$ project and I was about to get a front row seat to the planning. As I rode the elevator on my first day in that Houston skyscraper, I was curious what I would see. I thought probably around a 3,000 activity CPM schedule that would take me a few weeks to process. Nope, it was a plot on the wall with very neat color coded bars…and float was nowhere to be found. How could this be, I thought, with more than a little judgementalism. This wasn’t some junior kid out of college. The planner was very reputable and experienced. The business manager had this look of adoration in her eyes as she went over it with me. The planner didn’t need to say much, the schedule told the story, but walked me through the plan structure with equal affection. I was heading to the integration yard to be the client hookup and commissioning planner and I could clearly see when the hull was to arrive and how much time we had to complete the work. I remember the housing unit was behind, but you didn’t need fancy logic for that. It was progress based and there was a very clear date when the unit needed to be front and center of that big ass crane. Over a decade since and I still have not been able to replicate the simplicity of that plan, try as I might. Simple elegance is a sight to see and once you see it you can’t unsee it. The second senior planner over the topsides surely had the large CPM schedule I was still hoping for. Again, nope. He was quantity based and told his story through progress. Although I had a taste of this mentality on my prior project the simplicity of a progress base and clear project schedule still had not sank in. Too much float jockeying while on government projects for a contractor and bad habits from college. The next project, that’s when it really hit home. That project was completely failed by traditional float based scheduling and reporting. But that’s a story for another day. 

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It is clear that When Western states, especially the USA, oppose the zionist, racist, apartheid, supremacist state od Israel and criticize its practices, all democratic rights are limited and, if necessary, implemented with violence. The new scholasticism of the West is the existence of the Zionist state of Israel. By attributing sanctity to that state, they want to make the whole world serve it. The Gaza war clearly revealed the hypocrisy of western states. Western countries have virtually been taken over by Israel. But humanity has seen this, you cannot stop this with violence. The right thing to do is to put everything in its place. What do people want? permanent ceasefire, a two-state structure, an independent Palestinian state... There was no need to kill so many innocent people and terrorize the whole world. However, after this stage, the terrifying side of the picture was seen. The entire West was taken over by Israel. Whether those who came to power in the USA are Democrats or Republicans, the will of those parties has been taken over by the Israeli lobbies. The people now want more: they want the power that was stolen from them and taken hostage. Gaza's struggle for freedom will liberate the whole world.

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