Byron's Babbles

I read a statistic this morning that over 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by mid-February. Since we are in the last week of February, I would like to ask: have you made a New Year’s resolution and, if so, has it failed? I don’t make New Year’s resolutions so I am in the clear on this one. My reason for not making them is that they are frustrating and not sustainable.

I just finished the great book  Slow Time Between the Stars by John Scalzi and I’ve already written a couple of posts inspired by that book. Here is another. At least seven times during the book, the only character in the book, an AI being, आशा Āśā, referred to “repairing and improving” itself. आशा Āśā once said, “…what I was doing now, repairing and improving itself for a further journey” (Scalzi, p. 22). At one point आशा Āśā even referred to taking 200 years for repair and improvement. This really got me to thinking about the time we spend, don’t spend, or should spend, on repair and improvement for ourselves. Part of the reason New Year’s resolutions don’t work is because they are focused on fixing something we see as being inadequate. If we are honest, it is usually something pretty superficial.

I realize that आशा Āśā is a fictional AI character, but maybe we can learn from its approaching improvement from a continual and long game approach. Incidentally, in the book आशा Āśā is a Sanskrit word with the approximate meaning of “Hope.” The character, आशा Āśā recognizes being changed by knowledge in the book.

As a person who believes in building on our strengths, I try not to focus so much on the weaknesses, except in the areas I want to learn and grow in. For example, I am taking a University of Oxford Artificial Intelligence class right now. To better serve my clients I need to know how to better leverage the use of AI, understand how AI works, and have a better knowledge of the policy and regulatory implications surrounding AI. AI is not necessarily a strength area, but one I need to allow time for growth and improvement in.

Focusing on our strengths can help us build upon what we are already good at and continuously improve. By leveraging our strengths, we can achieve greater success and continue toward reaching our full potential. Again, we can recognize our weaknesses and work toward improving needed areas, but emphasizing our strengths can lead to more efficient growth and development.

This past week I started another Oxford University, Saïd Business School course in artificial intelligence so I have really been contemplating how far we have come since John McCarthy coined the phrase “artificial intelligence” in 1956. It just so happens I am reading The Far Reaches Collection right now and am specifically reading Slow Time Between the Stars by John Scalzi presently. This is a must read told from the perspective of an artificial intelligence being on an exploration of the stars of the farthest horizons of human potential. The AI being also contemplates its own purpose. Reading this book at the same time as starting a course in AI has been interesting to say the least. It has made me contemplate what really is possible and what is there yet to experience in my lifetime.

Named आशा Āśā, meaning “Hope,” the AI being described itself as “me” saying, “I am me. The systems and processes that comprise what I am are we. The systems and processes I contribute to are us. I contain multitudes. So many pronouns, all relevant, depending on perspective.” More on this in another blog post. आशा Āśā was describing levels of consciousness that we have as humans versus its levels. For example, we can’t become conscious of the workings of our liver – it just works. आशा Āśā could decide all its levels of consciousness. It said, “So many of my functions happen at a level below where I have set my consciousness to engage.” This got me thinking about us, as leaders, and where we set our levels of consciousness to engage with the people we serve and projects we lead.

It is very important for leaders to consider where to set our levels of engagement with both the people we serve and the projects involved. By being mindful of how and where we direct our energy and focus, leaders can ensure that we are making the most impact and effectively achieving our goals. Prioritizing tasks, goals, and relationships that align with our values and long-term objectives will lead to more purposeful and effective leadership.

Finally, a leader should learn and reflect on the importance of being mindful and intentional about where we are directing our focus and energy. By asking ourselves where we have set their consciousness to engage, we can assess whether we are prioritizing the right tasks, goals, and relationships. आशा Āśā’s ability to set its levels of consciousness to engage prompts us, as leaders, to consider if we are aligning our actions with our values and long-term objectives, ultimately leading to more purposeful and effective leadership.