Every Single Human. Like. Always.

I almost skipped this Michael Lopp piece, but I’m glad I didn’t. It’s one of his best in a long time, especially if you’re a manager. Reframing the act of working with AI as “making the robots dance” is so good. But there’s more to it than that. Just read it, ok?

Robots don’t lie. Lying requires intent to deceive, and when a robot provides you with plausible-sounding, but incorrect statements, it’s either following its programming or making an error. Or both. Humans lie. They boast, they are tragically optimistic, they exaggerate, they forget, I could go on for a long, long while. It’s a list of foibles that make them familiar… that makes them human. What do I do as a leader to work with these troublesome humans? Well, here’s a short, essential list:

• I speak clearly and specifically, so my intent is clear.
• I frame conversations with context so everyone understands my ideas.
• I understand errors are part of the process and work to build tools to prevent them.
• I debate and plan big ideas before I begin.

Source: Every Single Human. Like. Always. →

The game you’ve never heard of that taught me a better way to build alignment

In South Africa we call this game (where the goal is to keep the rally going as long as possible) “Beach Ball” so I immediately got it. And despite my aversion to “Here’s what X taught me about B2B Sales” posts this one actually got to me. Because Gabrielle is right. The communication goal—especially in big corporations—is not to win, it’s to keep talking until you have a better way forward:

In tennis, you win by hitting shots your opponent can’t return. In Frescobol, you win by setting up your partner to succeed. One earns you points. The other builds momentum. When you default to tennis, every hard conversation becomes a match to win. You come in armed with tactics—rebuttals, logic, bulletproof clarity. But the more you prepare to win, the more you risk breaking the rhythm that makes change possible. Frescobol invites a different question: “What would I say differently if my goal were to extend the rally, not win the point?”

Source: The game you’ve never heard of that taught me a better way to build alignment →