Tuesday Dispatch: Issue #78

The Owl and The Beetle

I was blown away by the enthusiasm around The Leadership Dojo. I got so many requests that I had to double up on the 2023-Q2 cohort, and both are sold out!

What’s a Leadership Dojo?

It’s a cohort-based leadership development program where participants meet every second week for three months. Every session revolves around a theme; after a quick introduction, it’s all about practice.

Exercises are carefully selected, explained, and facilitated by the host. Then we break out into pairs or groups, and we practice.

Here you can find more info about The Leadership Dojo.

I started taking applications for the 2023-Q3 cohort kicking off in July. Don't miss your spot!

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This week we learn about bold thought leadership, sleep, and the Abilene paradox. As well as how ChatGPT is a blurry JPEG of the Web and how to track humans with WiFi.

Let’s get going!

3 Droplets of Leadership

Three Defining Characteristics of Bold Thought Leadership

Listening to the voices of thought leaders is always a wise idea when a significant shift is happening in an industry or the world. However, the question remains: What exactly do these voices sound like? Answering this question can help to ensure that the right decisions are being made in the face of change.

Three Defining Characteristics Of Bold Thought Leadership

• The Ability To Recognize Failure Early

• The Ability To Reframe

• The Ability To Inspire Others

Great article on Forbes. Don't miss it!

Sleep Is Your Superpower

Sleep scientist Matt Walker asserts that sleep is a life-support system and Mother Nature's most impressive attempt at immortality. In this comprehensive exploration of the science of sleep, Walker elucidates the positive effects of adequate sleep and the deleterious consequences of sleep deprivation for both the brain and body.

Through this talk, one can gain insight into the influence of sleep on learning, memory, immunity, and genetic code, as well as advice on achieving restful sleep.

Don't miss it!

The Abilene Paradox

Over time, groups can often find themselves making decisions that don't align with the wishes of their members - this phenomenon is known as the Abilene Paradox. This is due to the tendency of group members to avoid rocking the boat or being the "killjoy" - a problem distinct from groupthink.

To optimize group dynamics, groups must overcome groupthink and the Abilene Paradox.

Read here about the Abilene Paradox. Don't miss it!

2 Grains of Technology

ChatGPT Is a Blurry JPEG of the Web

It may not be immediately apparent, but there is a similarity between a photocopier and a large language model. Imagine that you need to store a compressed copy of all the text from the web on a private server, but you only have a fraction of the necessary space.

To make it fit, you must create a lossy algorithm to identify statistical regularities in the text and store them in a specialized file format. This scenario highlights the potential for a large language model to be used for compression, just like a photocopier.

Check out this great article on ChatGPT in the New Yorker.

Tracking Humans With WiFi

If you thought that cameras, LiDAR, infrared sensors, and the like weren’t enough for Big Brother to track you, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have found a way to track human movements via WiFi. Check it out!

1 Atom of Reflection

"You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish" - Richard P. Feynman