Critical Thinking
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Are You Already Running Performance Reviews With Your AI Agents?
AI agents are moving beyond experiments, demos and internal productivity tricks. They are starting to support important business processes. In some cases, they will take over parts of those processes completely. That changes the question. And that is much harder to answer than most dashboards suggest. A green status light tells you that the agent…
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AI productivity does not come from watching better answers appear
Most organisations are not short of AI tools. They are short of better ways to organise work around them. That distinction matters. Because the current debate about AI productivity is often too simple. One camp says AI will make everyone radically faster. Another camp says the gains are mostly hype. Both are missing the practical…
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When the Person Who Keeps Everything Running Announces He’s Moving to Spain
Every company has one. The person who keeps critical systems alive through a combination of institutional memory, personal relationships, and a folder structure that would make an archaeologist nervous. His name doesn’t matter. Let’s call him Harry. Who Harry Is Harry has been with the company for 40 years. He wears a Queen Magic Tour…
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The Power Grid Does Not Know What You Know
The Dutch electricity grid is congested. That diagnosis is no longer controversial. What remains poorly understood is why the flexibility that could relieve that congestion is sitting idle behind millions of meters, owned by businesses and households who have neither the information, the incentive, nor the trust to put it to use. The problem is…
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Why People Avoid Responsibility at Work; And What It Costs Your Organisation
Everyone has a colleague who has mastered the art of not being responsible for anything. Deadlines passed? “The brief was unclear.” Project failed? “We were waiting on approval.” System broken? “That’s not really my area.” Nobody sabotages an organisation on purpose. It happens one convenient excuse at a time, until the excuses become the process.…
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How AI Makes Ignorance Sound Intelligent (And How to Spot It)
There is a Latin-derived word for the habit of giving opinions beyond your competence: ultracrepidarianism. It refers to the shoemaker who critiques a painter about his technique. Similarly, the dinner-party guest who corrects the surgeon about a medical procedure, and the co-worker who has read one article and is now a marketing expert. “The confident…
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The Scary Takeover: The Day Your AI Tool Became Your Boss
We love talking about AI transformation. Keynotes, roadmaps, pilots, proof-of-concepts. Big words, bold ambitions. Every conference has a slot for it. Every board agenda has a line item. And yet, for all the noise we make about AI strategy, the most consequential shift isn’t happening in the strategy decks. It’s happening in the background, in…
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ESG Reports: Why Sustainability Needs Action, Not More Dashboards
In the realm of sustainability policies, it is time to address the stellar work accomplished so far, particularly by external consultants and ESG dashboard creators. We have witnessed a sudden influx of consultants embracing the “green” label in the last two years. Truth be told, we seem to have more reports than trees, and to…
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Do you have a digital twin or an imaginary friend?
n the realm of interconnected devices and the Internet of Things (IoT), the term “digital twin” often finds its way into discussions. You might have come across this concept in your favorite podcast, a blog post, or the latest cutting-edge technology update. It’s apparent from the various sources you’ve encountered that a digital twin holds…
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What can we learn from the Amish view on technology?
Is that new? I want to try? Have you seen this new feature? I want that too. We are all addicted to innovative technology, gadgets, and new features. Is this a good thing? I recently listened to the BBC show The Digital Human. They talked about the attitude of the Amish People towards technology. And…
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Data is the new Uranium
Inspired by the tweet of Filippo Valsorda I want to debate the analogy “Data is the new oil”. I think this analogy is incorrect since data has a lot of properties that are not similar to oil. Below, I will explain why I think “Data is the new Uranium” is a more accurate analogy. Data is very…
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How I Use the Dark Side for Innovation
In my post about the Rebel’s Manifesto, I mentioned the Dark Side. That triggered a few questions. How would you actually use the “dark side” in innovation? Is frustration useful? Can irritation lead to better ideas? Or is this just a convenient excuse to behave like Darth Vader with a product roadmap? This article sheds…
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Stop teaching our children career skills; Teach them life skills
The rise of robots, algorithms, and machine learning will free us humans from mandatory labor. Ultimately, we will be able to enjoy life without the burden of work. We need to prepare the next generation for this era of creativity and abundance of free time, and teach them life skills rather than career skills. Like all…
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Stop being so Agile !!!
Last week I visited a customer of mine. He showed me around in his new office and explained to me how his business unit was doing agile. He introduced me to agile team members and showed me around in the agile room where all four walls were covered with post-it notes. His goal for this…
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11 Laws That Explain Why Work Gets Messy
Some things I know before I can explain them. I sit in a project meeting and feel that adding more people will probably make things slower. I see a deadline with too much room around it and know the work will expand to fill it. I look at an architecture diagram and quietly suspect it…
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Why the Myers-Briggs Test (MBTI) Is Misleading, Harmful, and Poorly Suited for Workplace Decisions
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the best-known personality tests in the world. It is widely used in corporate training, team-building sessions, and career development programs. In some cases, it has even been used to influence hiring, promotion, and leadership decisions. During my university education, I learned about MBTI. I fantasized about being…