Category: Technology

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The subtle but vital skill Covid19 has made difficult to learn

This subtle but vital skill is even more difficult to learn thanks to the pandemic

“Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast.” -- Ron Burgundy, Anchor man

How true these words ring today from Will Ferrell’s laughable character in Anchor Man, a satirical comedy of buffoonery and over-the-top gender stereotyping resulting from the introduction of a woman to a news team. But in a very real and sobering way, here we have yet another case where reality is more incredible than fiction. Challenges resulting from the Covid19 global pandemic “really got out of hand fast.” Buried in the avalanche of effects, there's a subtle, but vital skill that Covid19 had made difficult to learn.

But here we are.

Since it’s explosion and unforgiving grip on the world stage, Covid19 has reaped havoc in all social systems in countless ways. In particular, there's a subtle, yet crucial skill Covid19 has made difficult to learn. And “no,” as is the case with any change for the ages, and this is one, we won’t go back to the way we were.

But let’s take a reality check.

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The “new normal” changes everything in traditional personality assessment – and more.

Human life in the "new normal" of social distancing. Is psychology keeping up?

Who’s the extravert now, in our "new normal"? The individual making 100 phone calls a day (including to their mother) but works and mostly stays in their relatively isolated space in compliance with CDC guidance during this pandemic? Or the people protesting for social justice -- most peacefully, some not – with or without masks, but definitely “out” in physically social groups?

{Note: It’s regrettable that we’ve somehow confused “social” with “proximal” in coining and using the term, “social distancing.” Uncertainty is largely managed by being social but being social isn’t necessarily about “huddling” or “cuddling” – important, though they may be. “Physical spacing” would be a more appropriate term to reflect how this virus operates without implying that it should cause us to be “farther” apart in social vs. physical ways.}

Similarly, is a prolific online social media user an extravert, or something else? Does being “agreeable” (or perhaps more evidentially, “disagreeable”) in person look the same online as in a room with others? One thing’s for sure: The “new normal” in which we live in (hi Paul, if you’re reading) changes everything in traditional personality assessment.

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Want to stay ahead of machines? Think like a four-year old.

Job technology is shown as a robot kicking a worker from their desk

I was surprised, and disappointed, that the 2016 presidential debates never addressed the explosive growth of job technology. Nothing. National borders, the economy, the environment, ethical behavior, etc. Same deck of cards. All important; none as imminently disruptive as the proliferation of job technology. It would have comforted millions to hear candidates say, “Here’s what I will do to protect your job from technology.” But it wasn’t mentioned. Technology was summarily avoided like a port-o-pot with a moist seat; you just don’t go there.

I believe the candidates and networks/discussants worked out a deal to keep the topic out of bounds. Why?

Because job technology is rapidly becoming more ubiquitous, unpredictable and disruptive than we thought in the labor market — and people’s lives. Restated in candidate speak, “It’s about the technology, Stupids.”

It absolutely amazes me to understand how one can run a campaign on job growth without addressing job technology? News break: Undocumented immigrants, offshoring production and bad international trade agreements aren’t taking jobs. Technology is.

Culture may eat strategy for breakfast. Technology eats whatever it wants.

And one of its favorite appetizers is your job. Continue reading “Want to stay ahead of machines? Think like a four-year old.”