Advantage: Age

Full disclosure: Despite what my brain thinks, until I catch my reflection in the mirror, I’m not 28 anymore. We live in a culture that celebrates youth and often suggests aging means becoming less relevant. Maybe we have been looking at it the wrong way. The older we get, the more we have seen. 

We have watched trends come and go, experienced success and failure, and learned lessons that cannot be taught in a classroom or replaced by technology. Those experiences create judgment and perspective. In business, there is often an obsession with what is new. 

Age Pivoting

Technology and innovation matter, but the strongest organizations combine ideas with the wisdom that comes from understanding people and challenges. Artificial intelligence is a perfect example. AI can improve efficiency, but it cannot replace human experience. It does not understand relationships, leadership, or empathy. And I don't know about your experience, but I've discovered it's often wrong. 

Technology provides information, but experience helps determine what matters. I don't think the goal is to stay young forever - it's to stay curious forever. Getting older is inevitable; becoming irrelevant is a choice. Aging is not the end of the story; it is where age becomes one of our greatest advantages. 

Experience matters.

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Education Is More Than School

We don't stop learning with graduation. It becomes curiosity, experience, books, mentors, and paying attention to the world around us. AI is a powerful tool, but it isn’t education.

 Artificial intelligence can help us find information faster, organize ideas, and improve productivity. What it can’t replace is critical thinking, judgment, experience, and the ability to ask better questions. 

 Those come from learning. 

 The most successful people never stop learning. They adapt, challenge assumptions, and stay curious because they know yesterday’s knowledge won’t solve tomorrow’s problems. 

 Whether you’re starting your career or approaching retirement, education remains one of your greatest advantages. Keep reading. Keep asking. Keep learning. 

 Stay Curious

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The Hidden Cost of Layoffs

A couple of months ago, I was having lunch with a buddy and we were talking about a company that had just announced a massive round of layoffs. I don't remember which company, and that's not important to the story; but he said something I'd never thought about before. He then said; "They didn't just lay off thousands of employees; they also let possibly millions of years of experience walk out the door." 

 That stopped me. 

We usually hear about layoffs in numbers. Thousands of jobs. Millions of dollars saved. Restructuring. Efficiencies. Corporate language. AI. Stock prices. Industry blah blah blah. But behind every number is a person with knowledge. 

It's the woman who knows how to calm an angry customer because she's done it for twenty years. The technician who can hear something wrong before anyone else notices. The salesperson who remembers clients and relationships built over decades. And thousands have to tell their family they may not have an income for a while. 

Ones and Zeroes

Experience may not show up on a balance sheet, but it's real. It's valuable. It's important. Of course the company has to evaluate inefficiencies and shifting business realities. Layoffs happen. I've been on both sides. Businesses have to make tough decisions. Markets change. Technology evolves. I get that. But experience matters. 

When people leave; they don't just take a job title with them. They are not head count. They take years of lessons, relationships, company intel, instincts, and wisdom when they walk out the door with that infamous box under their arm. 

  And that's something that is difficult to replace. ____________________________________________________________

Can't do that, Hal

We’ve never been more connected, and we’ve never been more at risk of missing the point. Everywhere we look - AI, automation, social platforms, smart everything - there’s a promise of efficiency: faster responses, better targeting, more data, and more reach. But none of that replaces what actually moves people. 

The kind that isn’t optimized, scheduled, or generated - the kind that happens when someone feels heard, understood, and valued. Not as a lead. Not as a click, but as a person. 

Technology has changed how we communicate, but it hasn’t changed why we communicate. We still buy from people we trust. We still remember how someone made us feel. We still choose relationships over transactions - every time. 

 Zeros and Ones 

Here’s the part that we often miss: the more digital everything becomes, the more human our brand needs become in this new world. While everyone else is scaling automation, audiences are craving authenticity. They can tell when it’s generic. 

They feel when it’s forced. And they notice when it’s real. Meta - which owns Facebook and Instagram just let go 10% of its entire workforce because of their increased investment in Artificial Intelligence. They won't be the only ones. 

AI can write our emails, build our campaigns, and even sound like us. But it can’t be us. It can’t replace our perspective, our experience, our tone, our emotions, or our relationships. It can’t replicate the trust we’ve built over time or the conversations that happen off-script. That’s our edge. 

So we use the tools, embrace the tech, and leverage AI. But we shouldn't outsource the one thing that actually differentiates us. Because in a world full of noise, relationships aren’t just important. 

 They’re everything. 

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We Can’t Ignore It

There’s a shift happening right now. We don’t fully understand it or where it’s going, but ignoring it isn’t an option. Artificial Intelligence isn’t just a headline. It’s changing how we work, think, create, and value ourselves. And the number of self-proclaimed experts on the topic are growing daily.

The Pressure Is Real

AI can write, design, analyze, and automate faster than we can. Tasks that once took hours now take minutes. If a machine can do what we do, where do we fit? People said that about the automobile and the personal computer but this is much different.

As Fei‑Fei Li (Stanford Institute for Human‑Centered AI), said, “AI is not just about machines, it’s about augmenting human potential.” Even powerful tools are meant to empower, not replace us. We shall see.

Where Value Is Shifting

AI can replicate patterns, but it doesn’t live a life. It doesn’t feel uncertainty or wrestle with tough decisions - that’s where real value lies. For now.

Oren Etzioni (Allen Institute for AI), reminds us: “AI is neither good nor evil. It’s a tool. It’s a technology for us to use.” Technology itself doesn’t define value - people do. We win by using AI as a tool while doubling down on what makes us human: judgment, taste, experience, and curiosity.

Authenticity Wins

As AI makes content easier, authenticity becomes more valuable. When everything sounds polished, what’s real stands out. Deciphering what's real is the challenge.

Kevin Scott (CTO Microsoft) notes: “We underestimated how fast AI would go from fun to essential.” The shift isn’t coming; it’s already here, reshaping expectations.

Don’t Replace Ourselves

AI can help us move faster, but it can’t build trust or replace relationships. Yet.

It’s a tool, not a strategy. The risk may not be that AI replaces us. Life is more than output and efficiency and AI still can’t define meaning. At the moment.

Or I may be full of it because we don’t know what’s next.  

A.I. + A.I.

We hear about AI everywhere. Chatbots, algorithms, self-driving cars – they’re changing the way we work, learn, and communicate. It’s impressive, sometimes a little intimidating, and often makes us wonder: if machines can think, what’s left for us? 

But here’s the thing – artificial intelligence can process data, predict patterns, and solve problems. Actual intelligence? That’s deeper. It’s curiosity, creativity, empathy, and the ability to connect the dots in ways no algorithm can.

The Limits of Machines

AI can crunch numbers, recognize faces, and even write essays. But it doesn’t feel. It doesn’t care about context the way we do. It doesn’t understand a joke, a story, or why a moment matters. Actual intelligence is messy, human, and unpredictable – but it’s also what makes innovation, leadership, and culture possible. Machines can assist, but they can’t replace insight, judgment, or intuition.

The future isn’t about choosing AI over us – it’s about how we use it. When artificial intelligence augments actual intelligence, we unlock new potential. We work smarter, not just harder. We ask better questions, notice patterns we might miss, and focus on the ideas that truly matter. 

Curiosity Over Automation

Our greatest advantage is our minds. Let’s stay curious, keep asking questions, and remember what makes us human. AI is powerful; actual intelligence, fueled by creativity, empathy, and awareness, is what shapes our world.

AI and AI are here to stay. The machines will get smarter and more intuitive. They are not fads and the bottle was crushed years ago. Use AI and AI as tools and allow your own input and thoughts to have a voice as well.

We live with machines; but life is built on us. ____________________________________________________________

Life's Simple Lesson

Our minds are filled with a myriad emotions, thoughts, and distractions. AI is here to save the day, end the earth, change humans, we don't know. There are millions who won't eat today. Senseless bullies causing famine and death. And we don't even know what to say, think, do, that won't offend someone. 

I am fortunate to be in the top 1% living in a top 1% country - an awesome place called Canada. Some days I want to help everyone; others I want to hide under the covers. Did our ancestors feel this way during world wars? Has technology changed to protect the narrative? Or are we dealing with first world problems? 

Some of the best advice I've ever gotten is to just do something that will help someone. You aren't solving word hunger; but you can help one person. Lend a hand in some way to someone may be the message we need to hear most.

It's worth a try.

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Technology and Other Human Things

We can cook a turkey in 15 minutes; send a text around the world with the press of a thumb; watch or listen to anything we want on our smartphones. We are so fortunate. And now we can have a computer create everything. Look at us doing stuff and things with gadgets and doohickeys. We are the coolest.

Media are consumed mostly when we're alone. We don't gather around and answer an email and we don't hover over Josh's phone when he's texting Susan. We may binge watch that show on that streaming platform with our partner. Once a year we may gather at a buddy's house to eat too much and watch the Super Bowl. The rest of the time we are on our devices researching, reading, texting, replying, and searching by ourselves.

Technology, they said, would improve our lives. 

We can buy a car on the internet, learn about penguins on our mobile device, find the best sushi restaurant in Des Moines, and read about an awesome vacation someone else took while sitting on our couch.  

Most of the time we are connecting with each other through all this supposed cool technology while we are by ourselves. I wrote this alone and you're probably reading it while you're alone. I have a friend who hasn't answered his phone in years. He'll respond to my texts almost immediately, but I don't dare suggest an actual conversation. 

Technology, they said, would give us choices.

I remember a restaurant experience when the table next to us had six people all staring at their phones. Their meals arrived and phones weren't put away; they were placed beside plates and glanced at often. Their bill arrived and it looked like the dance of the smartphones as each of them transferred their amount to the one guy who tapped the server's machine to pay it in full. 

Technology, as it turns out, has created more depression and less human interaction. We are checking our phones yet miss what that guy said about the thing. I got a text; it must be important. I'd better check my email; I may have missed something. What's on my smart device is clearly way more important than any of this human stuff. 

I'm sure AI will solve it all.

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We Are So Cool

Technology, they said, would be good for us. 

We can cook a turkey in 15 minutes; send a text around the world with the press of a thumb; watch or listen to anything we want on our smartphones. We are so fortunate. Look at us doing stuff and things with gadgets and doohickeys. We are the coolest.

Media are consumed mostly when we're alone. We don't gather around and answer an email and we don't hover over Josh's phone when he's texting Susan. We may binge watch that show on that streaming platform with our partner. Once a year we may gather at a buddy's house to eat too much and watch the Super Bowl. The rest of the time we are on our devices researching, reading, texting, replying, and searching by ourselves.

Technology, they said, would improve our lives. 

We can buy a car on the internet, learn about penguins on our mobile device, find the best sushi restaurant in Des Moines, and read about an awesome vacation someone else took while sitting on our couch.  

Most of the time we are connecting with each other through all this supposed cool technology while we are by ourselves. I wrote this alone and you're probably reading it while you're alone. I have a friend who hasn't answered his phone in years. He'll respond to my texts almost immediately, but I don't dare suggest an actual conversation. 

Technology, they said, would give us choices.

I remember a restaurant experience when the table next to us had six people all staring at their phones. Their meals arrived and phones weren't put away; they were placed beside plates and glanced at often. Their bill arrived and it looked like the dance of the smartphones as each of them transferred their amount to the one guy who tapped the server's machine to pay it in full. 

Technology, as it turns out, has created more depression and less human interaction. We are checking our phones yet miss what that guy said about the thing. I got a text; it must be important. I'd better check my email; I may have missed something. What's on my smart device is clearly way more important than any of this human stuff.

Technology, they said, would make us more connected. 

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Destination: Home Office

Over a dozen years ago, I wrote a bunch of articles for a national Canadian newspaper publication. I stumbled on my notes recently and one of the pieces rang true with regards to the current state of affairs. With the onslaught of Covid-19 over 18 months ago, many (most?) of us had to re-adjust our working environment and many (most?) have remained in that scenario. 

Companies had to set people up in order to work from home while employees had to adjust with the fact that family life and work life were potentially forever merged. This article was about the home office. 

Why do we work? 

To sustain a lifestyle, feed our children, save for the future, go on vacation, and buy some toys? A lot has been written about the reasons why we get up in the morning and some feel it falls in to three categories (and I agree); to make money, to make a name for ourselves, or to make a difference.

We are fortunate to live in a time and place where we can make choices and enjoy a high standard of living – no matter what our profession. For decades, the model has been spaces featuring people in offices or cubicles toiling at desks on computers for eight hours each day. 

If you are currently working at home, either by choice or because of the pandemic, and seriously thinking of asking to do it full time from now on, there are rudimentary issues you must keep in mind. When setting up a home office, your headspace is as important as your workspace.   

Dress Code: If you get up each morning, shower, and get ready for work, you will be in a better place to stay focused. Surfing on your iPhone while in sweat pants may limit your ability to stay on track. 

Technology: With personal digital assistants, video conferencing, email, and smartphones, we have the capacity to transform and redesign our vocational surroundings. Work can literally be done anywhere. However, frequently updating your Facebook status may limit your career growth. Oh and please remember to wear pants for any Zoom calls! 

Research: If you don’t need a video capabilities for your work, it’s best not turn any on while you are working in your home office. The temptation will be too great to “take breaks”. Watching hours of cat videos on YouTube does not count as research. 

Refreshments: I can’t speak for you, but my home office is usually overflowing with the aroma of coffee while I’m sifting through the morning emails. But you have to be very careful! The refrigerator can be your enemy. It’s best to insure that the office-to-fridge excursion is difficult to navigate. Keep the two as far apart as humanly possible. Having eighteen snacks a day in lieu of getting the report done will hinder productivity. 

Collaboration: Limit your time commiserating with other home office colleagues. How ever tempting, thinly disguised daily business meetings with friends at coffee shops will divert potential success – for both parties. 

Planning: The Internet is not a toy. Researching what you will buy when you’re rich before you get your actual work done will catch up with you.

Meetings: Full conversations out loud to yourself whilst alone are permitted; that counts as a staff meeting. Beer alone at Noon is not a working lunch. 

Assistants: If you have pets, resist the temptation of feeling bad every time you get a coffee refill and the dog thinks it’s time to play. Please remember that cohabitating with a canine would not be fun in your car while you look for another job.

Focus: It is important to build in rules and creature comforts to your working space within your living space. So take breaks, be comfortable, but don’t expect miracles to happen if your 3pm meeting each day is with Netflix. Working at home can be extremely gratifying, but it is still work. 

If you can create an office space within your home space which cohabitates with your mind space, you may never want to be stuffed into a cubicle again.

Good luck!

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Texting Help

The topic of texting is a hot one because it's costing lives as we check our mobile device while we’re mobile. It’s right there, we’re at a stoplight, and it takes a second to check for new messages. That’s bad, right? But what if we look at the technology from a different perspective? How can texting actually help us? I will add that I'm a fan of voice-activated talk-to-text when you really need to connect with someone.

Nancy Lublin shows how teens want to help but often use their mobile devices to reach out. As you watch her talk, imagine how we could harness this for people of all ages.


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No Texting and Driving

The topic of texting is a hot one because it's costing lives as we check our mobile device while we’re mobile. It’s right there, we’re at a stoplight, and it takes a second to check for new messages. That’s bad, right? But what if we look at the technology from a different perspective? How can texting actually help us?

Nancy Lublin shows how teens want to help but often use their mobile devices to reach out. As you watch her talk, imagine how we could harness this for people of all ages.


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Time Off. Phone Off.

It's summer in North America. The pace is a bit more friendly or collaborative or something I can't quite put said finger on. We are all still working hard but it feels less cumbersome when we don't have eight feet of snow to get through on our way to work.

And yes, we are all taking some time here and there to get a break. I've tried quite unsuccessfully not to check my phone for an entire day and lasted maybe a few hours. But wWhat would happen if you didn't check email for a day or attend a meeting tomorrow or not return that call until next week?

The sun will come up, life will go on, and in fact, you may even be more rested and sharper to deal with deadlines after some time away. So cheers to our vacation. We can reconnect when we get back.
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Learning for Life

Summer vacation is over. It's time for a new semester, new topics, and new learning. I had some great teachers when I was a kid and helped shape my curiosity to this day.

I had Mr. Balcaras four times for science in high school. He taught us how to dissect a frog and explained how much energy was inside a peanut by setting it on fire. I can still see the periodic table on the wall by his desk. Ms. Young was my grade one teacher. A woman in her 60’s who was like a second grandmother. It was grade one, we weren't doing much, but she was cool.

Lasting impressions

I had Mr. Peters for grade six. I ran in to him years after high school and he still remembered me. I never did ask him if that was a good or a bad thing. The delightful (and hot) Ms. Rolo was my grade ten English teacher who had patience with a fidgety geek who was bored with English. I'm glad she persevered.

Replace the word teacher with coach or mentor and have a look at your career. Give some thought to those who have helped you. Now give some thought to those you’ve helped along the way.

While we lament the near end of summer, increased traffic, and a full fall work schedule, let’s salute teachers, leaders, and mentors today.

Are you ready to teach?
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Have You Ever?

Have you ever had a complete out loud conversation with someone and they've not in the room? Have you ever sang every word to a song you love but profess your hatred to it in front of friends? Have you ever stared at your phone pretending to be reading something important to avoid making eye contact with other humans?

We love, we lose, we overcome, and we try and figure out this unexplained occurrence called life and Ze Frank wants to know the answer to a simple question.


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A Dozen Ideas

• How is the health of our overall operation?
• Do you spend more than half of your time helping your team?
• Are you clear on what your company won't do no matter what?
• Can you be honest with yourself about your organization?
• Do you have strong financial leadership?
• Is your business plan clear, concise and executable?
• Can you clearly articulate how your team will successful compete their work?
• Have you removed all unnecessary meetings from everyone's calendar?
• How do you measure success other than revenue?
• Are you aware of all opportunities and the realistic outcomes of each?
• Do you have a strong sense of your people?
• Is each member of your team working more than 80% of their time on strengths?

How many are on your priority list?
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit
New Book out in 2016 – Details soon!

Our Shared Economy

Life isn't simple. Relationships aren't either. In our lifetime, we will fall in love, have several careers, meet many great people, break some hearts, have our heart broken, make money, lose money, make more money, deal with conflict, overcome challenges, and hopefully find some joy along the way.

In his 2009 TEDTalk, Economist Alex Tabarrok sums up our world in the last hundred or so years. It's an interesting perspective.


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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

TED | Alex Tabarrok

Less Meetings – More Collaboration

Let’s book a meeting. Let’s talk about it on the conference call. Let’s reconvene at next week’s meeting. Let’s discuss the next time we have a team call. Here’s a thought, let’s figure out why we have so many meetings and calls in the first place.

I have a colleague who attends an all-day full team status meeting once a week. Once a week?! Full day!?! I am a huge supporter of collaboration and teamwork. It’s critical that your company is strong inside before it can be strong outside, but an entire day in a meeting? I challenge there could be a better way.

Do you know why you are attending meetings today?

Has the reason for each been clearly articulated? Is there an obvious summary of desired outcomes? Will a decision be made on who does what by when? Will the call start and end on time? Do you know why you’re in the meeting at all?

I work with a guy who never has a phone call last more than 10 minutes. We get a ton accomplished in that time and move on. If we realize we've missed something or an item needs more clarification, we get back on the phone. Each of us has our agenda ready, action items listed, and we get to work.

Try this for a week

Cut the time allotted for each meeting and conference call by 50%. Then in a few weeks, cut them in half again. So the one-hour session you have this afternoon would become 15 minutes. You may claim that’s impossible. Have you tried it?

More meetings do not mean more efficiency or alignment. In a matter of a few short weeks, you will realize you are giving everyone more time to think and create rather than prepare and attend meetings and calls. You will see more collaboration, more impromptu discussions, and more ideas being shared. You will get more work done.

Or you could get to your next meeting.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

Whiskey is a Tool

Everything we create begins with an idea. And once that idea is shared, it can grow into the cure of a disease, a new business, tools to help us build things, and entire cultures and habits.

Nate Garvis shares his thoughts on how ideas, tools, and laws could create better culture and common good.


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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Progress

TED | Ted Garvis

Our Most Precious Resource

Technology is exploding at a rate our minds can’t fathom. Life is whizzing by us while we try and hang on to the tailpipe. There is no time to even take a breath, never mind figure out what we want to do with the rest of our lives. Or perhaps we don’t make time to breathe and think.

Five hundred years ago, there were no phones. People in the 1700’s didn't have cars. Several centuries ago, there was no way to schedule your next haircut through your personal computer. But we have made room for those and thousands of other gadgets, inventions, and advancements.

Tick Tock

We humans make room for new stuff and since we have a finite amount of time, we toss aside other stuff to make room for the new stuff. It's been said for generations that time is our most precious resource but there is something else we might be sacrificing.

Look around the room at your next meeting - after you check your phone for new messages, of course. Email is fast. Short texts are easy. Relationships take time and care. In our quest to do more with our time, let's not forget one critical element.

Each other.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

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