Transcript

Rapid Response: 5 memorable lessons from 2023

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Hi, everyone, it's Bob Safian. Welcome to a very special episode. This year we've seen some extraordinary developments from incredible tech advances. To the rise and fall of inflation, to ongoing war on multiple continents. As we look ahead to twenty twenty four. It's a good time to reflect on what we've learned from the year gone by and how we can best prepare ourselves for the future.

We've identified five memorable moments from rapid response in twenty twenty three. To help illuminate key lessons for the year. In these stories. Liters on the front lines of chain share their experiences. And provide the inspiration that can propel you forward.

It's both fun. And instructive. So Let's get to it.

I'm Bob Safian, and this is Five memorable lessons from twenty twenty three. Lesson number one. Experimentation is your friend.

Twenty twenty three has undoubtedly been the year of AI. And whether we like it or not. The next era of business will be defined by this powerful new technology. But the key lesson from the AI craze isn't really about the technology itself.

It's about embracing a mindset of experimentation. Our first memorable moment comes from Rana El Calyubi, the deputy CEO of Smart I. A leading AI developer focusing on predicting human behaviour. Ronald's been working with AI for years. She was co-founder and former CEO of Effectiva. Until its acquisition in twenty twenty one.

But You don't have to be an AI insider to be impacted by AI. I sat down with Rana on Rapid Response in June to discuss how even the least tech savvy entrepreneurs and businesses should begin experimenting with AI. You can find a link to the episode and to all of the episodes you'll be hearing today in our show notes. Let's listen in.

Even if your business is not AI driven. Thinking about how AI can accelerate or change or help you innovate on your core product is really key. Томі за майсет із апельментаці майнсет експлоацій майнсет. Knowing that you'll try things that may or may not work, knowing that you are an early adopter and there's advantages to that, but there's also disadvantages. always ask this question like when is AI gonna become mainstream? Like should we wait? Is it like in three years? I'm like no

It's already mainstream, you gotta be trying it now. So you co founded a business effectiva that utilized AI to identify human emotion by reading people's nonverbal signals. And now at SmartEye you've got an expanded portfolio of AI supported insights from Industries

From automotive to marketing, you're already an AI based Operation. So how does this new wave of AI impact Smart eyes business and your plans Or is it just like oh yeah, we've been doing this the whole time?

So I started my company Affectiva out of MIT, and right from the get go, we've been deploying machine learning approaches to understand people's emotions. And capture these nonverbal signals. So when we first started, we were using a lot of feature engineering. And then when deep learning came along, we migrated to be deep learning based. So what we're doing today is we're asking the question Okay.

AI is at an inflection point with all its generative AI advancements. The question is, how does it affect our core? Products. And I think every business should be asking this question. How is AI gonna affect your core product, whether it's a threat or opportunity. And then how can you leverage these new AI tools across other Functions in your business. And that spans everything from finance to operations, human resources, sales and marketing.

'Cause that's going to allow the business as a whole to move faster and be more efficient. Do you find The folks within Smart eye. Anxious

At all about what the implications of this is gonna be for their jobs. I think AI is going to change the way we all do our jobs. Like for every job, every type of industry, your job's gonna change with AI. And I really believe that The folks who figure out how to partner with AI

To be more productive or more creative or More connected or more empathetic, I'm gonna do better and be more competitive. And more marketable. and more kind of in demand than people who don't. And I believe that at the individual level and I believe that at the organizational level.

So in general, I've been kind of encouraging my team to really lean into this. The truth is the AI wave is only at the beginning, despite all the buzz over the last year. Even if AI hasn't revolutionized your core product yet. It'll have ongoing impact across your business and that of your competitors. Wherever team members are hesitant to try out AI.

Leaders need to step in and welcome everyone into a new future where experimentation Will be increasingly essential. Less number two. Taylor Swift won't be stopped.

As much attention as AI has received. It arguably pales next to the passion and mania around Taylor Swift. From breaking the one billion dollar barrier for her tour to boosting the fortunes of NFL football. Swift demonstrates how traditional expectations around brand building А біблі чанас, ню апроч.

And a new generation. The memorable moment for this lesson. comes from my conversation with Gary Vaynerchuk. Social media expert and founder of Vayner Media and Vayner X. In this highlight, Gary dissects the impact of Taylor Swift.

And her romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelsey. And in particular Вот бізнес мисдер. About the power of pop culture. Everybody on earth underestimates pop culture.

Pop culture is the currency. What happened with Taylor and Kelsey is their cross pollinating their platforms. So if you're a mechanic in Detroit. You're not thinking about hitting up the Thai restaurant down the street, yet.

That's the kind of left field post that will get people's attention. What if you're lucky enough to have an employee that works for you that's first name is Travis, and another one that's first name is Taylor? Literally you're a law firm. Travis Johnson Taylor Smith You can easily use the micro moment of the infatuation of our society to do something clever and silly.

What people don't realize is that little clever video on Instagram that only got 90 views. One of those 90 views is someone who's actually considering to hire an attorney. And they actually like the fact that you were a little silly and not buttoned up and you made them feel more comfortable to reach out to you. to work with your law firm or your dentist place. People are very linear. They don't realize how big pop culture is. and how they can factor into their boring business.

I had a um gentlem reach out to me who has Literally, I used a concrete cement business in one of my analogies. He literally owned. A asphalt business, he started to make tick tocks, even though he thought it was the wildest, craziest thing he'd ever heard. And it literally has doubled his business. An asphalt. Cellar like guy that comes and re does your driveway.

made a couple TikToks, one went decent, another one went viral. And If I recall properly A business that was doing eight hundred thousand dollars a year servicing a local area. I think he was in Wisconsin is now doing two point five milli the tears were coming through the email.

But most people who are listening to this podcast who are in a B to B or like a different kind of business are not thinking how TikTok can work for them. And pop culture doesn't necessarily mean that you need to have Your celebrity endorser. Correct. You're playing off of what the conversations that are going on are it's like being good at a cocktail party.

Think of this as your social media marketing. You go out tonight. And it's a fundraiser. Of your local PTA or it's the banquet for the high school basketball team. Are you the kind of person that comes to that event and you're enjoyable to talk to and have a circle around you, or are you in the corner by yourself? The reality is being an introvert and not being comfortable in that is incredibly appropriate and awesome. As a business.

You'd like to think that you're trying to market and get business. And so to me, there's so much more permission for creativity. than people allow themselves. And I think businesses and brands have more permission to be contextual to the room they're distributing the content in. When I make Facebook content, I'm thinking about parents. Because I know the demo's going to be older. Those are gonna be different videos that I'm putting into TikTok where I know they're gonna be youngsters.

The words and the videos and the slang and everything I say and do is different. Yet I believe most people are just making a video and then pushing them out on these channels and expecting for it to succeed. They think of it as distribution. I think of it as a place you have to be contextual to win the room. I'm posting different content when I know you're at work. than when I'm posting on the weekend and knowing you might be skimming your LinkedIn real quick while you're catching your kids' baseball game and you're bored. I reverse engineer the psychologie. Of the person in the room.

At the time that they consume the content. That level of thought. Besides thinking what the thumbnail looks like, besides thinking what the first three seconds of the video has to be to even keep you to consume it, this is a level of science. That I believe ninety nine percent are not executing on in social.

And Therein lies the opportunity and the vulnerability. Gary's jump from Taylor Swift to TikTok. Isn't accidental. TikTok cemented its place in twenty twenty three, too.

А з занютан сквер фоп культ. The speed at which news and content runs through the platform makes pop culture even more significant in people's everyday lives. While some leaders may feel it's beneath them to participate in pop culture discourse. They're missing out on a massive opportunity. I love Gary's cocktail party analogy.

We've gotta find ways to engage in the cultural conversation. And not let our business. Become a wallflower. Lesson number three.

Progress comes from unexpected places. The past year has included dramatic societal shifts, including the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court. There's also been a backlash against corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, or DEI. Yet despite that Businesses in twenty twenty three largely reinforced their commitment to diversity.

If not as a moral responsibility. Then it's a business imperative. In an unpredictable world Diversity of perspective is a more vital advantage than ever. Because you never know where a high value unexpected solution will emerge.

The memorable moment for this lesson is from my conversation with Princess Rima Bint Bandar Al Saud. Princess Rima is a member of the Saudi royal family. And Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States. Before that, she was a CEO and entrepreneur. And an advocate for women's empowerment in Saudi Arabia.

In the highlight you're about to hear, Princess Rima demonstrates how alternative perspectives can change the trajectory of a business. A country And our world. She begins by sharing why she sees her privilege as an obligation. And why the word no became more of a motivator than a hurdle.

Something she realized when returning home to Saudi Arabia. I grew up in the States. I w arrived in the States I was seven years old and thirty with two children when I went home, and I recognize that the experiences I had when I was younger weren't available to my children. I fell into the world of business because of the word no. And the no was women can't be employed. And I I

I couldn't understand that. I said, What do you mean? And so I s I had to sit and think. And recognize I'm a woman born of privilege. I'm born into a royal family, I'm born into the ruling family. And I couldn't get a job, so what is then the state of women and every other woman, and how many other women are being told no, but don't have opportunities?

But I had an opportunity. To make that shift, to make that pivot, and try to use skills that I had learned. Yeah. And so I I tried to do that.

I was hired into the ministry of sports and I was told That my mandate was female inclusion, and I said, That's great, but do you mean myself sitting in an office and we tick a box? Or do you mean that we actually have a mandate to create change for female inclusion? I was told no, it's a mandate. Fabulous. The only issue was there was no offices. So I actually worked from home for the first year. I would go to the ministry and there's no bathroom. So I was lucky that my home was five minutes away. That's still just not convenient. So we used to put a sticker on one of the bathroom doors with a little female sign, and we'd come back every day and it would be removed and then we'd put it back and then Not to be crass, but we put

Ladies product in the bathroom and they never took the sign off again. We're like all right, we got we got you. You know, we got you. And so I was hired to push the envelope. I was hired to make change. I was hired to push back on. Either the stereotype that we had for ourselves or the limiting beliefs that we had for ourselves or Or the the boundaries that we were always told no because I was told there is no no.

We took four women as wild card to the Olympics. FYI at that time, no facilities for women in sports. So they actually we ended up doing their boot camp in my home. They trained in my home gym, they stayed in my parents guest house. Because we just needed to get it done.

Get it done before somebody says no. Because once you break the ice and you take that first step, it is what it is, it's precedent. And I will tell you that the women of my country today. Their CEOs.

Forty percent of all small and medium sized businesses are women. Today, not a true statement five years ago. Women are in the military. Women are in leadership positions in government. We have deputy ministers and vice ministers. The challenge for women in my country today is no different than the challenge for women in your country.

And the limiting belief that we Hold ourselves to is what will hold us back. Not the limiting beliefs other people have. Princess Rima's experience is a reminder of how diversity can drive progress. And how despite other setbacks

Progress is being made. Staying committed to ideals despite criticism and an avalanche of nos. Із вотру ліршіп і саба. After the break, we'll share more memorable lessons from Rapid Response in twenty twenty three. From navigating the evolving workplace

to navigating an intractable conflict. We'll be right back. When you've built substantial wealth through your business, it's often tied up in a single equity position. The upside is real, but so is the risk, and knowing when to act isn't always obvious. Creative planning works with business owners to build a strategy around concentrated equity.

When to diversify, how to manage tax risk, and how to protect what you've spent years. Building. Creative planning where wealth works together. Learn more at creativeplaning.com slash masters of scale. Hey there, it's Jill Slasinger. I'm launching a new show. It's called Money Moves, and your money is going to move. We're gonna help you make better financial decisions. We're gonna call out the BS you're finding all over social media. We're gonna give you actionable guidance to make your financial life clearer, less stressful. We're gonna answer your financial questions and take the mystery out of your financial life.

Follow and listen to Money Moves with Jill Schlesinger wherever you get your podcast. Humans will never be more intelligent than AI. There's gonna be two types of companies. Those were great at AI and those that went out of business because they weren't. How do we build a future? That is human centered.

I'm Rana El Chayubi. On my podcast Pioneers of AI, we answer that question and so many more. As an AI scientist, entrepreneur, and investor, I know what it takes to build AI that works for everyone. Every week, I sit down with the pioneers shaping our future. And we take you behind the scenes of the AI that's transforming our lives. Find pioneers of AI wherever you tune in. We back with five memorable lessons from Rapid Response.

Before the break we heard about AI Taylor Swift. And pushing back in the face of setbacks. We have two lessons to go. So let's jump in.

Lesson number four. The workplace is your home. The lockdowns of the pandemic seemingly anchor remote work into our daily work lives. With some experts predicting that in person offices would wit away. But in twenty twenty three

The workplace staged a comeback. Business leaders across industries concluded that working in physical proximity Has advantages that even technology like Team, Zoom and Slack can't match. Still The push and pull of

How many days in the office? How remote talent is integrated. How opportunities and compensation might be impacted by less than full office occupancy. These questions are still being explored. What the workplace of the future will look like

has yet to really be resolved. One lesson that has become clear though. The lines between work and home Are more blurred than ever. For good.

Or for bad. The memorable moment for this lesson. Comes from Bozema Saint John. The former chief marketing officer at Netflix Previously at Apple, PepsiCo, Uber, and Endeavor.

In this highlight from Rapid Response Bose talks about a very personal book she's written, which in part Examines the modern dichotomy between your personal life and your and your professional life. Let's dip in.

So The full headline of the book is The Urgent Life. My story of love loss. And survival. Dells into your family, your loved ones, many painful moments.

But it also touches on your life as a professional. And those two realms for you, and you refer to this a little bit, but Personal and professional. Are they separate? Are they the same?

Have they become more the same? I think Twenty years ago. We wanted them to be separate. But I don't think that was ever a reality.

When we think that like oh there's this personal side of you and there's a professional side of you. I think I was just getting into my job at Netflix. And a friend thought they were giving me some good advice and said, Oh, well, you know, your social handle.

Badass Bose. That's like you like having fun, like you as a you know normal person. But now you're getting this enormous job. It's On the public stage, and I'm like, girl, where have you been? I've been on the public stage, but okay, whatever, you know? And she's like, Well, you know, you should probably create a separate handle. That is just about your work and you know your professional thing. And I remember sitting there thinking like maybe that's a good idea. Then I was like, No it's not. And that's crazy.

Because it's like how do I divide myself? That doesn't work. In today's age, if you are in any kind of leadership position, Your customers, your audience, those that you are Trying to sell to

Want to know who you are. Gone are the days of us being behind facades. Or behind a door. In the corner office. People want to know your politics.

They wanna know your Favorite food. They want to know if you swim in the morning. Yeah, folks wanna know all this stuff. And not because they're necessarily just gonna judge you, I think that's also a fear, right? That you're gonna be judged and therefore canceled or not liked or whatnot, but that's not really it.

Think we're in an age in which we need to better understand Our leaders as humans. As people. Human beings prefer honesty. That's what I've learned also as a marketer and how I've also applied it to myself.

Just be honest about it. I respect that more. It is so important for us to be more transparent. In our belief, so no, I don't think that there's room. To be

Two people. One which is professional and one which is personal. There's a lot of talk about being your authentic self. Вот Бозма з ампліфайн хір. Is that for leaders in particular

Hiding yourself. Just doesn't work anymore. The more you share with your team, your partners, your customers. The more they'll trust you. It may feel uncomfortable to link your work world and your personal world.

But like many things in today's business climate We need to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Лес номер фай. Keep learning. Keep hoping.

Keep helping. The final unforgettable lesson of twenty twenty three has to do with the war in Israel. Since the Hamas attacks on Octob seventh. We've produced a series of episodes speaking with business leaders and aid workers directly impacted by the conflict in Israel and Gaza. The series has both harrowing and inspiring moments.

And we're gonna play a few of them for you today. A warning the clips in this segment contain descriptions of violence that some may find distressing. We'll begin By hearing a moment from my interview with Mine Cohen. The CEO of Hello Hart.

She attempts to navigate the war. From the company's offices in Israel. This was by far the most difficult week of my life. My CTO texted me and said hey. Israel's under attack.

And I was like, Yeah, you know, there's rockets, Israelis are tough. And she texted no this is really bad. We started sleeping in the bomb shelter. Nobody's hanging out in the streets anymore. It's war.

I'm in the office every day. I have eight employees here that depend on me. So I have soldiers out in the field that until a week ago were software engineers and project managers. And a lot of our team members their spouses are out in the fields. And I have three team members that are survivors of the strike zone.

And I have to take care of them. Mayan gives a window into one side of the conflict and the leadership challenges involved. For a different perspective, I spoke to Mercy Corps Arno Kemen. Who has team members in Gaza. And your team on the ground there.

What are their moods like? Some Uh completely Focused on taking care of their families. Uh others are like, Okay, what can I do today?

Find me something to to be useful, please. We have a voice memo from inside Gaza from one of the Mercy Court team members. The voice memo is in Arabic. The translation you'll hear is read by an AI pie. Yeah. We went to buy bread today.

We now go out food shopping every two, three days. I live in northern Gaza but had to leave my home and go to the southern part. We are staying in a family house that is hosting 20 people in a very small apartment, and I consider ourselves lucky because other apartments of the same size are hosting up to fifty-sixty people, like in ninety or hundred meter apartments. We went to another area which is a refugee camp to find a bakery. When we arrived we found out that the bakery was bombed. We went to another area, we found the bakery.

And there is a long line of about three hundred people waiting for their turn to get bread. The area has been targeted previously by airstrikes. It was not safe to wait. Crowds of people have been targeted many times. Yesterday. They targeted a food market that was full of people. I went back to the area we were staying in to buy some groceries.

In the store, we continually heard the explosion of the airstrikes. These explosions have become a normal thing to hear. Like I'm not sure about it. For third perspective, I sat down with the founder of Kind Snacks, Daniel Lubetsky, who's based in the US, but's worked for decades trying to use business as a bridge. Between Israelis and Палестиніс.

His hope. is that we can turn this difficult time into an opportunity for cross cultural unity. People marching and saying. Cast the Jews, I take that very personally.

People know me as a founder of Kind. I'm very proud of that, but well before Kind existed, I started my first company called Peaceworks to use business to bring Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, Turks. To trade with one another and then to use vested economic interest to cement and deepen human relations between all people. My daughter came to me two days ago and she said Daddy I understand that you're trying to Help your friends in the Middle East, your Palestinian and Israeli colleagues, but

You're not smiling anymore. And just made me remember that I cannot let them diminish me. I'm gonna choose to laugh, I'm gonna choose to live, I'm gonna choose to build And particularly now that there's so much darkness, I'm gonna choose to be a light. And I want everybody that's listening to you today to choose to be a light with me, to reach out to the other and and not allow the terrorists a victory.

Cause they wanna divide us. The lesson I'm taking away from the series of clips you just heard is Don't lose your empathy. Whatever your anger, your frustration, your disappointments and confusion.

Byondiel twenty twenty three scene plenty of conflict. Plenty of challenges. Fears of recession, layoffs. Historic union strikes, bankruptcies. Political dysfunction on all sides.

Yeah, when people are hurting, that's when true leaders step up. Human centered organizations take into account the hearts of team members across the board. So keep listening. Keep learning. Keep hoping.

And keep helping. If empathy is at the forefront of your strategy. You'll cultivate a happier, bonded, more productive team. and do your part to usher in a better 2024. Happy holidays to you all. Take a rest, recharge.

And be ready for what the new year has in store. I'm Bob Safian. Thanks for listening. Hey listeners, Bob here. If you listen to Rapid Response on Masters of Scale, you may be missing half the show. Because every Friday we release a second rapid response exclusively in the Rapid Response feed. The guests and topics are just as compelling and timely from Ford CEO to NASA's administrator to the lessons from The Devil Wears Prada. It takes about

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