Bloomberg Businessweek editor and author, Max Chafkin, talks about the unintended consequences of technology, how tech leaders wield political and social power, and the absence of theologians and philosophers in the emerging field of AI.
Welcome to Episode 473 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.
Guest Links
Episode Links
Leadr
Did The Great Resignation take a toll on your team?
The data is telling us that 50% of people either already have or will be leaving their jobs for another one in the next 12 months. Why? They’re looking for a workplace where they can be engaged and grow every day. And that’s what Leadr, the first people development software helps you do—engage and grow every person on your team.
Harvard Business Review tells us that 70% of the reason a person leaves their job is because of their relationship with their manager. Leadr helps managers lead better through effective 1:1 meetings that drive outcomes AND help each employee feel cared for and developed.
They believe that the 1:1 meeting is the most powerful leadership development tool that a manager has, which is why they’ve built a platform to help you:
- Lead effective 1:1 meetings
- Develop leaders at every level of your organization
- And, engage and grow every person on your team
500 churches and businesses are already using Leadr for effective 1:1 meetings. They also have core HR and health plans to help you better care for your team through their entire employee experience.
Request your demo today. Go to leadr.com to and use the promo code CAREY to get 20% off your first year of their people development software.
Remodel Health
Record numbers of American employees are changing jobs for better benefits. But with group health insurance costs going up every year, how can you possibly find something better for employees without breaking your budget?
The good news is that American health benefits have gone through a huge change, even though you may not have heard about it yet. It’s actually the same change that retirement benefits went through back in the 1980s, when group pension plans were replaced by individual 401(k) plans. Employers saved tons of money and employees got better benefits.
The great news is that the 401(k) of health benefits has been around and growing for over a decade. And unlike old group plans, because this style of health benefits has become so popular, it’s actually gone down in cost while giving even better coverage to employees. Small organizations and enterprise groups alike are saving millions of dollars. Imagine what savings like that could do for you and your mission.
I know that since you’re listening to this podcast, it means you like to learn, which is perfect because learning is your first step! Remodel Health is offering a FREE educational webinar that will teach you everything you need to know to understand the 401(k) of health benefits.
Register today by going to remodelhealth.com/webinar, and learn about this huge change in employee benefits that could help you care for your team better than ever!
Conversation Links
Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari
At Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof
Get Carey’s Content Straight to Your Inbox
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Insights From Max
1. No technology exists within an ideological vacuum
From the printing press to the metaverse (and everything in between), no technology really exists within an apolitical state. And that’s because it is impossible to separate conversations about technology’s impact on the world from conversations about power, access and usage.
For example, in recent years, we’ve seen a lot of (often heated) conversations about social media’s role as a public forum and free speech. Do we let tech companies police themselves, or do we rely on government intervention? Who’s responsible for what’s shared on social media—the individual or the company that provides the platform?
No matter what, if we view technology as a primary disseminator of ideas in today’s culture, then technology companies hold a massive amount of power. And, conversations around regulation and limitation challenge both ends of the ideological spectrum.
2. Built to solve current problems, new technology inevitably creates new dilemmas
It’s easy to be hyper-critical about technology. But those attitudes existed with the advent of the printing press, radio and television, as well. We need to be honest about the fact that new technologies create opportunities for growth, connection and information dissemination.
However, new technologies always introduce new philosophical dilemmas. For example, some of the most pressing issues today revolve around data mining, privacy and ideological “filter bubbles.” We could be alarmists, or we could thoughtfully engage these new problems and be a part of the solution.
3. Theologians and Philosophers have a huge blind spot when it comes artificial intelligence
Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence (AI) will be the next major theological hurdle. As AI becomes more advanced (and indistinguishable from human intelligence), it will become a more integral part of our lives.
There’s good reason to be suspicious of AI, but it does not do any good to pretend as if it won’t soon impact the day-to-day rhythms of people’s work, social experience and finances. Theologians need to begin grappling with the moral implications of AI and its impacts on the very near future if they don’t want to be left in the dust.
Quotes from Episode 473
It's easy to look at the state of technology in recent history and get depressed and miss the things that actually are good. @chafkin Click To Tweet I don't think really anything can exist in this world outside of politics and outside ideology, because of course, we all bring our biases to anything we do. @chafkin Click To Tweet It's important to remember that there's still a lot of good to be discovered and built and experienced. @chafkin Click To Tweet There's a risk in giving that power to an AI or to a piece of software that assumes things about human nature that aren't necessarily true. @chafkin Click To Tweet Both sides of the political spectrum…know that these tech companies have a great deal of power over our speech and ultimately over our ideas and the things that we think. @chafkin Click To TweetRead or Download the Transcript for Episode 473
Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?
Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.
Watch Back Episodes of The Podcast on YouTube
Select episodes of this podcast are now on YouTube. Our YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen.
SUBSCRIBED YET?
Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Adam Grant, Seth Godin, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Nancy Duarte, Henry Cloud, Patrick Lencioni, Francis Chan, Ann Voskamp, Erwin McManus, and many others.
Subscribe using your favorite podcast app via
Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review
Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn as well.
Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.
Thank you for being so awesome.
Next Episode: Michael Bungay Stanier
Rhodes Scholar Michael Bungay Stanier’s, The Coaching Habit, has sold over 1 million copies and has been called the best coaching book of the century.
Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 474.
