1 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:07,320 Welcome to the new Manager podcast. 2 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:16,200 I'm your host, Kim Nichol. Hello and welcome. 3 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:18,880 I'm glad you're here and I hope you're doing well. 4 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:24,560 I want to start by just saying thank you for being here, not 5 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,920 just for listening to this show, but for actually caring about 6 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:33,080 how you manage people and by being curious and wanting to 7 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:37,680 learn ideas that will help you be more effective every day and 8 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:43,800 hopefully improve your quality of life as well as improve the 9 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,920 outcomes that you're seeing in the workplace with the people 10 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:49,840 that you work with. You know, I, I live in San 11 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:54,720 Francisco and next week is climate Week and there are 12 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:59,480 hundreds of events happening all over the city, all related to 13 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:03,560 climate and sustainability. I'm going to be hosting an event 14 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:08,480 on manager readiness for climate professionals and for people 15 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:12,280 that work in sustainability. And if that's you and if you're 16 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:15,520 going to be in San Francisco, I'll put a link to the event in 17 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:18,920 the show notes below. And I would love for you to come 18 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:21,800 and we can could meet and talk about some of this stuff in 19 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,600 person. But the reason I mentioned it 20 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:30,600 now is because when I think about what does it take in order 21 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:37,360 for us to address the most complex challenges of our time. 22 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:42,920 And no matter how great the ideas are or how compelling the 23 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:49,840 vision is, no matter how you know elaborate the solution or 24 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:55,880 how sophisticated the technology or the the innovative ideas, at 25 00:01:55,880 --> 00:02:03,560 the end of the day, it requires people working together in order 26 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,760 to implement and activate and make things happen. 27 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,919 And that's not always easy. It's not always easy, even in 28 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:14,320 the best of times, to communicate in a way that is 29 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:16,760 understood or that is influential. 30 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:22,720 And it's not always easy to make hard decisions or to delegate 31 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:29,160 work or to, you know, figure out how to reach your goals even 32 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,160 when the conditions are not ideal. 33 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:39,240 All of this has been on my mind also because I have started to 34 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:44,760 learn about AI, about artificial intelligence and I will will 35 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:51,080 tell you I, you know, on a scale of resistant to enthusiastic, 36 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,240 I'm much more on the resistance side. 37 00:02:54,920 --> 00:03:01,360 I am not an early adopter. I am not someone who is just 38 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:05,120 excited to learn about all of the new technology and tools. 39 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:10,440 You know, I really like getting to foundational principles and 40 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:14,360 skills like how do 2 humans who have different ideas about how 41 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,320 things should go? How do they communicate, you 42 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:19,360 know, what happens in that conversation. 43 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:24,320 So I tend to be someone who's more oriented towards the human 44 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:28,880 interaction rather than, you know, the technology. 45 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:34,360 But because AI is here and I've, you know, been hearing more 46 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,000 about it and more about it, and I'm finally starting to get 47 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,360 curious. And I was attending an event 48 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:48,280 recently and it was about ways to use AI in performance 49 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:52,040 management and performance reviews and leadership. 50 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,640 And that's all stuff I'm super interested in. 51 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:59,240 And one of the speakers said something that's really stayed 52 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:05,520 with me, and she said we can choose to use AI to amplify 53 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:10,240 empathy. And what that really meant to me 54 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:17,120 was we can use this as a tool that helps us to connect better 55 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,640 with each other. It can help us to communicate 56 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:22,520 more effectively with each other. 57 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:26,760 And most importantly, remembering that it's the human 58 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:32,360 who is engaging with the tool that is really important. 59 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,200 You know, there are so many tools and there's lots to learn 60 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:38,480 there. But remember that it's the human 61 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:43,960 at the keyboard who is engaging with this tool and deciding how 62 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:49,120 to implement and how to use it. And there's still a lot that, 63 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:53,400 you know, we're figuring out around this, but the reminder 64 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:57,640 that it's the human when we think about how are we going to 65 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:03,320 use AI in our industry or in our workplace, that gave me a little 66 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,320 bit of relief. Like, oh, right, that that's 67 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:10,120 true, right? Like it requires a human in 68 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,520 order to wield it, in order to use it. 69 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,760 And that's something that I want to include when we think about 70 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:21,200 what does it mean to use AI in the workplace and as a manager. 71 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:28,880 So for today, I wanted to simply signal to you that I am starting 72 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:33,040 to get ready to talk more about AI and what that means for you 73 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:37,200 as a leader and a manager. There's still so much that I'm 74 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,520 learning. So you know, don't expect 75 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:43,400 anything comprehensive anytime soon. 76 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:46,760 I'm still learning what I want to share and what I want to talk 77 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:50,280 with you about. But it occurred to me to ask 78 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:56,520 you, I am really curious to know, are you currently using AI 79 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,120 tools in the course of your work? 80 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:04,280 And if so, how? What kinds of things are you 81 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:08,640 using it for? And if you're not using AI at 82 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:12,680 all, I would love to know how you feel about it. 83 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:15,360 Is it something that's on your radar? 84 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:18,840 Is it something like, you know, maybe similar to me, you're 85 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:23,320 hearing a lot about it and maybe it just seems overwhelming or 86 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,960 you're just, you know, resistant, not very interested 87 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,520 in learning one more thing because you feel like your brain 88 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:33,880 is already full. And you know who has the time to 89 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:37,800 learn about this entirely new tool set? 90 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:43,800 I'm really curious to know where you are in your relationship 91 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:47,880 with this particular technology, in this particular tool set. 92 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:52,360 If you want to tell me about it, there are a couple ways you can 93 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:54,800 do that because I truly would love to hear from you. 94 00:06:55,320 --> 00:07:00,600 One is you can find me on LinkedIn and message me there. 95 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:06,680 You could leave a comment on this episode in Spotify. 96 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:11,280 I don't think it's true for Apple podcast listeners, but if 97 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:14,960 you are listening to this show on Spotify, you're able to 98 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,280 submit a comment on this specific episode. 99 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:21,400 It's not a review, it's a comment on this episode. 100 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:25,960 And so you could do it that way. And the third way is I might, I 101 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,880 think I might create like a submission form. 102 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:33,800 I'll put a link to that if you know if that's the easiest way 103 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:36,160 to do it. But honestly, I would really 104 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:38,320 love to know because I'm so curious. 105 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:42,880 And if there's a particular way that you're using it or a tool 106 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,480 that you're using, tell me about it and I'll check it out. 107 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:52,440 And if there's something that I can share with the rest of our 108 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:57,840 listeners, I would be delighted to be able to pass along your 109 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:02,440 best tip for using AI if you are, again, a person who's not 110 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:05,880 excited about it at all. If you're actively resistant, 111 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:08,960 you are in good company. You are not alone. 112 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:14,920 And I want to hear from you too. Like, what's your feeling about 113 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:17,600 it? And you know what makes you feel 114 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:19,880 resistant? You know, it's interesting. 115 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:25,720 When I was working as a manager, the last full corporate job that 116 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:29,680 I had, I was working with a team of people, many of whom were 117 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:34,000 much, much older than I. And to give you some context, 118 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:40,320 they had joined the company before the Internet, before 119 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:45,080 there was e-mail. And I once asked them as part of 120 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:50,080 like a team building exercise. I said, I want you to remember 121 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:54,920 what it was like when you first started working at this company. 122 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:59,160 And I want you to think about, you know, what's what was 123 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:04,120 different then compared to now and as context to the 124 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,920 organization was going through a lot of change and it was just 125 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:09,960 very difficult. And so I was doing a little bit 126 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,640 of change management, change facilitation work. 127 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:16,200 And so with my team, I asked them to think about, remember 128 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:18,880 when you you first started working here, remember your 129 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:24,880 first day on the job, what was it like and how is it different 130 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,040 then compared to now? What are all the things that 131 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:31,000 have changed? And so many people said, oh, 132 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,600 when I first started working at this company, there was an 133 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:39,520 e-mail we had to, you know, send interoffice, you know, memo 134 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:41,800 communications. And there were certain colors of 135 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,680 paper for different kinds of messages and a certain kind of 136 00:09:44,680 --> 00:09:46,920 envelope. And you had to put it over here. 137 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:51,640 And it was so interesting to hear these stories of how 138 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,920 technology had changed within our industry and the bigger 139 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:59,720 world just in the course of their career within one 140 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:04,160 organization. And so I feel like for us, we 141 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,640 might be, you know, kind of on that cusp. 142 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,760 We might be at that place where, you know, one day we say, yeah, 143 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:14,960 I mean, I used to have this job. I used to work in this 144 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:19,200 organization, and there was an AI, and you had to do everything 145 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:23,320 this way compared to now when we use AI for all these things. 146 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:26,920 So, you know, I think about that because it's hard to know when 147 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:31,760 you're in change exactly how that change is going to play 148 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:35,640 out. But it's absolutely happening 149 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:40,000 and it seems like the kind of thing that is good to get 150 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,480 curious about and start paying attention to. 151 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:49,280 I think the key is to find a way to explore and to learn such 152 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:53,200 that it doesn't become overwhelming, because I think it 153 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:55,760 could very easily become overwhelming. 154 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:58,880 And when we get overwhelmed, we tend to shut down. 155 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:01,800 We tend to not remember things very well. 156 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:03,680 It's not a great learning experience. 157 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:08,520 So we want to activate the curiosity by being a little bit 158 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:13,120 interested in what this technology means for us at work 159 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,080 and what you might be able to do with it. 160 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:22,440 So let me know if you are enthusiastic, tell me why. 161 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:28,160 If you are reluctant or just not interested, tell me why. 162 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,040 And in future episodes to come, I am looking forward to sharing 163 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:38,120 more with you about what I am learning that I think will help 164 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:45,720 you to do your work in a way that feels both humane, 165 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:50,760 ultimately, like still want to keep the human part of how we 166 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:54,560 work with other humans. But perhaps with some of these 167 00:11:54,560 --> 00:12:00,120 new tools, it might create more ease or it might change things 168 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:03,080 in some interesting and hopefully positive ways. 169 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:07,480 So that's what's on my mind today, and I'm really looking 170 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:11,480 forward to continuing this conversation. 171 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,400 All right, thank you so much for listening. 172 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:18,160 I look forward to hearing your thoughts and your experience. 173 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:22,720 I will talk to you again later. Have a great week. 174 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:29,880 When you're more effective at work, you're happier in your 175 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:32,120 life. And when you're happier in your 176 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:34,160 life, you're more effective at work. 177 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:38,360 I can help. Go to my website kimnickel.com 178 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:40,680 and sign up for a coaching consult. 179 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:42,480 It can get better.