Future Of Work

Powering Your Career with Cloud-Native Skills In today's rapidly evolving tech landscape, cloud-native skills are not just nice-to-have – they're essential. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱-𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲? Scalability: Easily adapt to changing demands Security: Built-in best practices for data protection Flexibility: Adapt resources to match exact needs, potentially optimizing costs Agility: Faster deployment and updates Top Cloud-Native Skills to Develop: 1. Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)    - Package and run applications consistently across environments 2. Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation)    - Automate infrastructure provisioning and management 3. CI/CD Pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions)    - Streamline software delivery and deployment processes 4. Observability & Monitoring (Prometheus, Grafana)    - Gain insights into application performance and health 5. Cloud Security    - Implement best practices for securing cloud-native applications 6. Serverless Computing (AWS Lambda, Azure Functions)    - Build and run applications without managing servers 7. Microservices Architecture    - Design scalable and maintainable distributed systems 8. Cloud Databases (Amazon DynamoDB, Google Cloud Spanner)    - Leverage managed database services for scalability and performance Investing in these skills can open doors to exciting opportunities in cloud engineering, DevOps, and platform development roles. Which of these skills are you currently focusing on? Any others you'd add to the list?

If you think sexuality has no place at work, this post is for you. It’s Pride Month, and I’ll be speaking with teams about LGBTQ inclusion. At almost every session, someone will ask some version of: “Why do we have to talk about this at work?” The simple answer is we already do. But let’s start with a few things that might’ve happened at work just yesterday: You’re waiting for a meeting to start. Someone asks, “How was your weekend?” You spent it with your partner’s family but not everyone on this call knows you’re gay, so you stay quiet. Your team is reviewing new benefits. The language only refers to heterosexual families, so you’re left unsure if fertility, bereavement, or parental leave policies even apply to you. Your team is heading to a conference. You’re the only one delayed at security because your legal ID doesn’t match your name or gender. These aren’t rare or extreme situations. They’re everyday experiences for LGBTQ people. And they’re exhausting. The constant calculation of what's safe to say, what's too much, what will be thought of as "unprofessional" takes up valuable energy. It limits our ability to connect and trust our teams. It impacts our well-being and our ability to perform. So, why do we have to talk about sexuality at work? Because we already are. Every time we talk about families, benefits, weekends, travel, we’re talking about it. During Pride Month, we’re not introducing something new. We’re just making visible the experiences of LGBTQ team members and the extra burdens we may carry. We’re highlighting the assumptions we make and who we leave out when we make them. This isn't about special treatment. This isn't about "politics." This is about how we care for our people. This is about building strong, innovative, high-performing teams where everyone, including LGBTQ people, can thrive. Caring about your people is caring about your business. We want to bring our best to work but we can't do that if we're asked to leave the best parts of ourselves behind. Use this pride month to have these conversations. Review your policies. Host the trainings. Reinforce that everyone on your team will be treated with dignity and respect. Make it explicit. This doesn't have to be complicated but it is intentional. Your teams will thank you. And if you need support, DM me. I've got just a few open slots for pride this month.

𝗜𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗯? — 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦. We often talk about meritocracy in hiring — but research keeps reminding us how easily optics overshadow objectivity. 📊 A 2024 study by Harvard Business Review found that 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟱𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Similarly, research in the 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 confirms that 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 — even when their résumés are identical to less “polished” counterparts. This isn’t vanity; it’s psychology. It’s called the “𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗼 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁” — a cognitive bias where one positive trait (like appearance or confidence) spills over to how we judge unrelated qualities (like intelligence or leadership). And it’s costly. Because every time we let surface cues dictate selection, we risk 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 that doesn’t advertise itself well. The solution isn’t to ignore presentation — it’s to balance perception with structure: • 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 and 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. • Involve 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀 to reduce individual bias. • Train leaders to recognize 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 — before they unconsciously act on them. 💬 𝘐𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘴. #HiringBias #OrganizationalPsychology #Leadership #UnconsciousBias #DEI #FutureOfWork

This organization chart shared by Pascal highlights a systemic risk in the "AI Journey": Administrative bloat vs. Technical execution. We often see a sprawling hierarchy of "Pink Boxes" (Governance, Strategy, and Policy) while the actual value creation (the Blue Box) is buried four levels deep. My perspective: To scale AI, we must "Blue-ify" the organization: • Distributed Capability: AI cannot remain a siloed "Center of Excellence." We need technical literacy and "Blue" execution embedded in every department, from Finance to Operations. • Executive Proximity: When the builders are this far from the CEO, strategy is informed by a game of "corporate telephone" rather than technical reality. • From Oversight to Insight: Governance is critical, but it should accelerate deployment, not replace it. An organization with twenty "AI Strategists" and one "AI Engineer" isn't an AI-first company. it's a committee. The most resilient organizations of 2026 won't just have a Chief AI Officer; they will have a leadership team that understands the "Blue" box as well as they do the "Pink" one.

2017: No revenue, no social presence. 2024: $440k+ in revenue, 875K+ social media followers. 💸 How did I achieve this transformation? 🤔 It wasn’t just about random sleepless nights and hard work. Here are the key strategies that made a difference: 1. Expanding My Skill Set 💻 What I Did: → Started as a content writer and then transitioned into marketing and copywriting. Why It Worked: → Diversifying my skills opened up new opportunities and helped me stand out in a competitive market. Tip: Continuously develop new skills and find the ones that align with your goals. 2. Building a Strong Social Presence 📸 What I Did: → Created a personal brand, studied social media algorithms, produced valuable content, and leveraged trends. Why It Worked: → A strong social presence attracted more followers and clients, ensuring steady business growth. Advice: Focus on growing one platform at a time. 3. Creating Value-Added Content What I Did: → Focused on producing content that provides real value to my audience, such as how-tos, tips, and insights relevant to their interests. Why It Worked: → Value-added content builds trust and positions you as an authority in your field. Strategy: Always aim to solve problems or provide insights that your audience can benefit from. 4. Effective Networking 👏🏼 What I Did: → Connected with like-minded professionals, attended industry events, and engaged in meaningful conversations. Why It Worked: → Networking opened doors to unexpected opportunities and provided valuable referrals. Pro Tip: Share book snippets or insightful articles to start meaningful conversations and build strong connections. 5. Mastering Sales 🛒 What I Did: → Improved my sales skills, including pitching, negotiation, and closing deals. Why It Worked: → Good sales skills are essential for converting prospects into clients, and helping people naturally leads to sales. Hope this helps 😁 Question - What are the top 3 skills you think one must have to grow their business?

AI products like Cursor, Bolt and Replit are shattering growth records not because they're "AI agents". Or because they've got impossibly small teams (although that's cool to see 👀). It's because they've mastered the user experience around AI, somehow balancing pro-like capabilities with B2C-like UI. This is product-led growth on steroids. Yaakov Carno tried the most viral AI products he could get his hands on. Here are the surprising patterns he found: (Don't miss the full breakdown in today's bonus Growth Unhinged: https://lnkd.in/ehk3rUTa) 1. Their AI doesn't feel like a black box. Pro-tips from the best: - Show step-by-step visibility into AI processes - Let users ask, “Why did AI do that?” - Use visual explanations to build trust. 2. Users don’t need better AI—they need better ways to talk to it. Pro-tips from the best: - Offer pre-built prompt templates to guide users. - Provide multiple interaction modes (guided, manual, hybrid). - Let AI suggest better inputs ("enhance prompt") before executing an action. 3. The AI works with you, not just for you. Pro-tips from the best: - Design AI tools to be interactive, not just output-driven. - Provide different modes for different types of collaboration. - Let users refine and iterate on AI results easily. 4. Let users see (& edit) the outcome before it's irreversible. Pro-tips from the best: - Allow users to test AI features before full commitment (many let you use it without even creating an account). - Provide preview or undo options before executing AI changes. - Offer exploratory onboarding experiences to build trust. 5. The AI weaves into your workflow, it doesn't interrupt it. Pro-tips from the best: - Provide simple accept/reject mechanisms for AI suggestions. - Design seamless transitions between AI interactions. - Prioritize the user’s context to avoid workflow disruptions. -- The TL;DR: Having "AI" isn’t the differentiator anymore—great UX is. Pardon the Sunday interruption & hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did 🙏 #ai #genai #ux #plg

New research joint with Maxim Massenkoff: How is AI affecting the US labor market? In this research brief, we introduce a new measure of AI displacement risk to spot disruption, then test it against employment data. We find limited evidence AI has increased unemployment to date. Our measure, "observed exposure," compares the tasks LLMs are theoretically capable of to the tasks people actually use Claude for at work. We find that actual usage is far from reaching theoretical capability. This measure tracks with independent forecasts. Jobs with higher observed exposure to AI are projected by the BLS to grow more slowly over the next decade. We find limited evidence, however, that AI is playing a role in the broader labor market today. The top 25% of workers most exposed to AI automation have similar trends in unemployment rates to workers with no exposure at all. Hiring of younger workers in the most exposed occupations appears to have slowed faster than for non-exposed roles, but our estimates are imprecise and other non-AI factors may be playing a role. This research is a first step. Our goal is to establish an approach for measuring how AI is affecting employment, and to build on these analyses periodically as more data becomes available.

The Executive Assistant manages calendars, filters information, handles logistics, and serves as the critical interface between leaders and everyone seeking access to them. Today, #AI can automate perhaps 80% of these tasks with remarkable efficiency. But I believe automation will not eliminate this role, it will elevate it from #assistant to genuine partner. The future EA will spend less time on bookings and more time on judgment calls: deciding what deserves the executive's attention, prioritizing competing demands, analyzing plans before they reach the decision-maker, and anticipating needs before they become urgent. Throughout my career, my executive meetings were scheduled twelve months in advance, requiring thoughtful planning rather than reactive scheduling from assistants who knew what truly mattered. The qualities that make an exceptional EA cannot be automated: making #leadership possible, providing the human touch that keeps intense schedules bearable, and demonstrating the loyalty built through years of consistent judgment. These are delicate, well-compensated roles that are becoming more valuable as AI handles the routine and frees these professionals to focus on what truly differentiates them. What roles in your organization will AI elevate rather than eliminate?

Microsoft AI Teams will soon tell your boss where you are. Starting December 2025, Teams can automatically detect when you connect to your company’s Wi-Fi and update your location to “in the office.” It sounds like a small feature. It isn’t. Location tracking through workplace networks is the newest frontier in digital surveillance, and it’s coming through your collaboration software. Microsoft says the feature is opt-in. That is very good. But, that decision will rest largely with employers and admins, not the average employee trying to meet deadlines. If you work for a Microsoft-using organization, now is the time to ask: Is our company planning to activate this feature? Has consent been properly documented? If you represent a union, this deserves to be on your next agenda. The GDPR and UK Data Protection Act require transparency, necessity, and proportionality for any location tracking. Under the EU AI Act, this may also fall under high-risk processing of biometric and personal data for workplace management. Employers must conduct a fundamental rights impact assessment before rolling it out. This isn’t paranoia. It is risk management, employee rights, and compliance. Workplace tracking without explicit, informed consent can violate privacy law in multiple jurisdictions, and it may open employers to liability under both GDPR and the EU AI Act’s risk provisions. If your organization uses Microsoft Teams with minors, such as schools or training programs, the stakes are even higher. Here’s what to do as an employee, parent, or guardian: 🔹 Ask your IT administrator if “location autodetection” is enabled. 🔹 Request a copy of the company’s Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA). 🔹 Ensure opt-in consent is voluntary and revocable. 🔹 Check that logs are deleted regularly and not used for performance evaluation. Transparency is not optional. #DigitalSovereignty #WorkplacePrivacy #AICompliance #GDPR #MicrosoftTeams Image source: SlashGear, https://lnkd.in/di5WvY2e From Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Roadmap: https://lnkd.in/dYc3N9TX Microsoft Learn (Configure auto-detect of work location): https://lnkd.in/dtEkYNqB

#PeopleAnalytics: Turning #HRMetrics into #Strategic Insights In today’s data-driven organizations, HR is evolving from a support function to a strategic powerhouse. These HR Metrics are more than just numbers; they’re lenses through which we can understand workforce dynamics, organizational health, and business impact. Let’s break it down: 🔹 Absenteeism Rate: A high rate may signal burnout, disengagement, or systemic issues in workplace culture. Tracking it helps identify patterns and intervene early. 🔹 Employee Attrition & Retention: These twin metrics reveal the stability of your workforce. High attrition can be costly and disruptive, while strong retention often reflects good leadership and employee satisfaction. 🔹 Internal Promotion Rate: A key indicator of talent mobility and succession planning. Promoting from within boosts morale and reduces hiring costs. 🔹 Cost Per Hire & Time to Hire: Efficiency metrics that reflect the effectiveness of your recruitment strategy. Long hiring cycles or high costs may point to process inefficiencies or misaligned sourcing channels. 🔹 Offer Acceptance Rate: A direct measure of your employer brand and candidate experience. Low acceptance rates might mean your value proposition isn’t resonating. 🔹 Human Capital ROI: This is the ultimate business case for HR—how much return you’re getting from your investment in people. It’s a powerful metric for aligning HR with financial performance. 🔹 Employee Engagement: Often measured through surveys, this metric captures how emotionally and cognitively invested employees are in their work. High engagement is correlated with productivity, innovation, and employee retention. 💡 Why it matters: These formulas empower HR teams to move from reactive to proactive. They help diagnose problems, forecast trends, and make evidence-based decisions that drive business value. People analytics isn’t just about tracking—it’s about transforming. #PeopleAnalytics #HRStrategy #HumanCapital #WorkforceInsights #EmployeeExperience #DataDrivenHR #Leadership #FutureOfWork #LinkedInHR #HRLeadership