Kevin Novak

The Value of Reflective Decision-Making Issue 155, April 11, 2024 Admit it, most of us are stressed out and often filled with anxiety. We are time-pressed. Overbooked. Distracted. Confused. Dumbfounded. Surprised. And potentially even trending to pessimism. We are trying to make sense of events we can’t control that are hurtling toward us daily through our news feeds. A Moment in Time We’re also grappling with the speed of change in the digital economy and our connected society. The news…

Kevin Novak

April 10, 2024

Reactive Decision-Making, Social, and Youth

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

Reactive Decision-Making, Social, and Youth

Reactive Decision-Making, Social, and Youth Issue 154, April 4, 2024 We’re worried about the members of our younger generations – your customers, employees, children, and family members. We’re worried as well about the kneejerk attempts of some of our leaders and those with influence to solve what is perceived as a problem without truly understanding it or the consequences of the solution they attempt to put into place. Reactive States of Mind Post-pandemic society appears to be in reaction mode,…

Kevin Novak

April 4, 2024

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Are We Playing Monopoly as a Society?

Are We Playing Monopoly as a Society? Issue 153, March 28, 2024 Big tech has been taken to task repeatedly often without a complete understanding of who they are, what they do and how their business model functions. For many, it seems elusive to understand their motives, wrapped up in proprietary strategy. And frankly, just about no one (certainly not the average individual) can figure out what they’ve been up to and what their intentions are. Are they out to…

Kevin Novak

March 28, 2024

What We Know About You: Welcome to the Surveillance State

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

What We Know About You: Welcome to the Surveillance State

What We Know About You: Welcome to the Surveillance State Issue 152, March 21, 2024 We recently read a report in The Wall Street Journal that got our attention. Commercial data brokers are selling their third-party data to the government. If you’re an optimist, you would think this could be a good thing. Our intelligence agencies and the defense department may be able to identify patterns that could predict and prevent an unfortunate event – terrorism, for example. But honestly,…

Kevin Novak

March 20, 2024

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

Unintended Consequences: Decision-Making and Economic Interconnectedness

Unintended Consequences: Decision-Making and Economic Interconnectedness Issue 151, March 14, 2024 We’re entering the fray in the debate on the economy. And central to this debate is a refresher focused on our inability to make connections, see patterns and anticipate how micro and macro trends can radically and consequentially compromise our approach to solving real or perceived problems. In solving what we see as immediate problems (low wages, inflation, price-gouging, lack of skilled workers and migration as examples), there are…

Kevin Novak

March 14, 2024

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

AI: Spring Awakenings

AI: Spring Awakenings Issue 150, March 7, 2024 We think the onset of Spring is a good time for house cleaning and taking a pause to reassess AI. It has taken over both the imagination and the anxiety of most anyone who has been paying attention. Take a straw poll and you may have two oppositional results. AI is a tool that will help human beings achieve higher levels of productivity and more efficient levels of profitability. Or AI is…

Kevin Novak

March 7, 2024

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Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

The Need for Reversed Learning

The Need for Reversed Learning Issue 149, February 29, 2024 Is it really true that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? If you’re an old dog in a digital marketplace, you don’t have a choice. Let’s say you are an editor. You used to work with writers to create provocative, well-researched, surprising articles. Today, you have to write titles, headlines, and content to optimize search and game the online systems. Or let’s say you are a marketer. You…

Kevin Novak

February 29, 2024

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The Value and Challenge of Compromise

The Value and Challenge of Compromise Issue 148, February 22, 2024 How many times did your parents tell you to, “Pick your battle.” And then in the next breath say, “Never compromise your values.” That ambiguity could be confusing to a child, but is mind-bending to an adult navigating our complex, polarized society. Increasingly public opinion is becoming less compromising, leaving common ground hard to find. Compromise: Positive or Negative? In its most basic sense, a compromise can be understood…

Kevin Novak

February 20, 2024

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Do You Fall Prey to Oversimplification?

Do You Fall Prey to Oversimplification? Issue 147, February 15, 2024 We all do it. We oversimplify when it suits us or when we believe that is what our audience wants to hear. In business, we have been programmed not to share too many financial details and just report the high-level numbers. Or not get all techy; talk in plain English. Avoid all those legal terms that make heads spin. Can’t you just say that a different way? Add to…

Kevin Novak

February 14, 2024

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How Clock Time Reshaped the World and Work

How Clock Time Reshaped the World and Work Issue 146, February 8, 2024 We think it’s safe to say that most of us take clock time for granted. Timepieces are ubiquitous; they are on our stoves, microwaves, refrigerators, walls, radios, wrists, and mobile phones. From 1300 to 1600, they were the centerpiece of small towns placed on towers and public buildings, which dramatically changed how people ordered their lives. So fast forward and timepieces have become so affordable and mobile…

Kevin Novak

February 8, 2024

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