Richard

Efficiency. Productivity. Metrics. These three words are often associated with technology in the workplace, and for good reason. According to the Deloitte 2023 Global Human Capital Trends survey, over 90% of business leaders acknowledge the imperative role of technology in enhancing work outcomes and team dynamics. Yet, for all their advantages, we must look at technological tools in the workplace from another perspective. That is, how will technology help us bring out the humanity in our day-to-day jobs?

This question isn’t rhetorical. We can’t afford to lose our humanness. Yes, we need technology, but only as an aid. Without living, breathing people, no organization can fully utilize any software, program or innovation.

These days, when technological advancements seem to happen every hour, far too many employers are forgetting the importance of putting people first — and consequently forgetting that when you take care of your employees, they will take care of everything else.

Employers need to begin folding humanity into their technology today. After all, in an era of remote and hybrid working, employee isolation and disengagement can happen quickly. Technology can either heighten feelings of loneliness and separation or bring workers together. It’s up to us as leaders to put more emphasis on humans than machines.

Related: AI Can Replace (Some) Jobs — But It Can’t Replace Human Connection. Here’s Why.

Building a people-first, tech-positive culture

At the end of the day, the world is changing. However, tech isn’t the only thing evolving; people are, too. People deserve to be seen as just as much of a sustainable investment as a piece of equipment or software.

Where can you begin to move the needle and find the intersection between your company’s technology and your team’s human connection? Look for places where you can lean into tech to enhance people’s needs and experiences. This can look like the following:

1. Learn what makes each team member tick

Every team member has unique work style preferences. These are frequently more apparent when employees and leaders work side-by-side. However, they’re not always as clear within virtual work groups. That’s why all leaders should work diligently on developing genuine, mutually respectful relationships with their direct reports.

Take communication. Understanding each team member’s unique communication preferences — from the format they prefer, such as emails, texts or voice memos, to how frequently they wish to be updated — is crucial in today’s hybrid work environment. Companies like Humantelligence are leading the way by using technology to tailor communication strategies with AI-powered tools for more personalized communication within teams.

The point of this solution is that leaders have never been able to tailor their messaging to different employee personalities like they can right now. By being intentional, leaders can enjoy stronger bonds with their people and use technological solutions to help everyone become both efficient and effective.

Related: The Perfect Blend: How to Successfully Combine AI and Human Approaches to Business

2. Create space for old-fashioned “water cooler conversations”

Personal talk frequently goes by the wayside among remote teams. Rather than chalking this up to inevitability, create space at the beginning of Teams or Zoom meetings to discuss what’s going on in everyone’s lives. Setting aside five minutes of “family talk” to make way for 55 minutes of “business talk” is a decent trade-off. Or take a page from GitLab. They actively encourage new hires to schedule virtual coffee chats with colleagues during their onboarding to promote informal communication.

During one-on-ones, the talk can be just as personalized. Leaders should remember that each one-on-one is about the employee rather than them. Therefore, the dedicated agenda should concentrate on the employee, not the supervisor. Concentrating on the employee’s needs fosters a two-way dialogue. It also puts some of the responsibility on the employee to guide the talking points.

Remember: Informal interactions can play critical roles in team and employee-leader bonding. These “water cooler conversations” don’t always feel intuitive in a digital workspace, so they need to be intentionally allowed. For example, we use a lot of text chains around our company, especially around our events. Sometimes, things get silly, and jokes are made between a couple of people. It gets us off to a great week, and no one worries about the repercussions of not being single-mindedly production-focused.

Related: You Can Fear It and Still Use It — Why Are So Many American Workers Shy About AI?

3. Hold team sessions to talk about tech opportunities

Another technique to break down workplace barriers to team members living in sync with tech is to talk about digital transformation. Speaking about it allows everyone to chime in and build trust. This is especially important given that 54% of people say they have “no idea” how their company is using AI and that lack of transparency is a real problem. It highlights the necessity for clear communication about how technologies like AI are being utilized and their impact on individual roles.

Technology, especially newer disruptions like AI, can seem intimidating and scary. People can begin to worry that they’ll be replaced if they don’t operate 24/7. Your job is to show them that it’s okay for them to be human. Take a walk. Leave the desk to run a personal errand. Catch up with a friend. Focus on outcomes versus time.

Machines don’t need to take environmental breaks, but machines also aren’t going to keep your company competitive. With the right platforms, portals, devices and channels, your human employees can complete their roles much more effectively without becoming beholden to the technology that serves them.

Picture your workplace as a puzzle. Your people make up the border pieces. Without them, you’d never have a complete picture, even if the inner space was filled with all the technology in the world.

After months of testing and teasing dozens of modifications to its original burger, McDonald’s is now revealing one massive change that customers will notice — the size.

In a Tuesday call with analysts, McDonald’s Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden announced that the chain will be testing a larger burger this year in select markets.

“As we look to further build on our leadership in beef, our team of chefs from around the world have created a larger satiating burger,” Borden said during the call. “We’ll be testing this burger in a few markets later this year ensuring that it has universal appeal before scaling it across the globe.”

Related: McDonald’s Is Completely Changing Its Burgers in 2024

This isn’t surprising news for McDonald’s, as Borden hinted at the UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference last month that he believed there was a “significant” opportunity to create a larger-sized offering and noted the chain has attempted to do so in the past.

In the mid-90s, McDonald’s attempted to create “premium” burgers with different toppings and offerings (such as the Arch Deluxe, for example), instead of simply making a larger patty.

“We tried to get after this opportunity for a number of years because we thought the opportunity was about premium burger,” Borden said last month. “We weren’t successful.”

It’s been a long time coming for the chain, which laid out a massive growth plan in December that included creating a new version of its burgers with an estimated 50 modifications. The changes were first tested in Australia and select West Coast and Midwest markets in 2023.

Other changes included swapping the Big Mac’s sesame seed bun with “buttery brioche” and each burger coming with more of the cult-favorite “special sauce.”

McDonald’s reported positive Q1 2024 earnings on Tuesday, a 2% quarterly jump in global comparable sales growth, which marks the chain’s 13th consecutive quarter of comparable sales growth.

Related: McDonald’s in Connecticut Goes Viral For Astronomical Prices

“As consumers are more discriminating with every dollar that they spend, we will continue to earn their visits by delivering leading, reliable, everyday value and outstanding execution in our restaurants,” said CEO Chris Kempczinski.

McDonald’s was down just over 8% as of Tuesday afternoon.

A search for “formula for company success” on Amazon yields almost a thousand results, primarily consisting of self-help books. While I don’t claim that I have discovered the elusive formula, I believe certain characteristics can aid in achieving success, which I identified after analyzing the top companies currently active in the market.

I’m the founder of a deep tech company that is trying to push the limits of what is possible in the field of computers. For me, following these principles is crucial to achieving this ambitious goal. Yet, I’m sure these principles are not exclusive to any one field or industry and can be applied to any business willing to prioritize and use them as tools for development.

Related: 5 Key Leadership Principles for Driving Growth

Elegance

Elegance goes beyond mere aesthetics; it is the embodiment of beauty in every facet of a company. What does beauty consist of? Honestly, everything. If the founder wants to ensure the elegance of their product, they should pay attention to the structure that should be observed in every process of interaction with their company. Those may range from the way your employees present themselves at networking events or in-store to the speed with which your support team assists customers. Not only will this provide your brand with consistency, but it will also become more appealing because, after all, humans are aesthetic creatures.

When you think of elegant products or packaging, I’m sure one of the brand names that comes to mind is Apple. From the logo to the in-store decor, elegance is evident in every aspect of the brand’s efforts. In your business, the aspects of elegance are definitely different from theirs, but their role is the same.

Focus on goals and values

Focusing on the result is especially important for tech companies, particularly those developing new tech, as it allows them to deliver on their promises to both themselves and their customers. Most importantly, it allows them to focus on only those aspects that are truly important and relevant to their ultimate goal. To achieve this, detailed planning is required, where the most optimal path is selected from thousands of possible options. Moreover, prior to any action taken, it should involve thousands of hours of research, hypothesis testing, and more, but it all must contribute to the company’s goals.

According to Gartner’s 2019 Product Manager Survey, only 55% of new products are launched on time, and the other 45% are delayed by at least a month. This underscores the importance of the founders not only setting realistic goals but also communicating them clearly both to your customers and employees. Additionally, the company should not stray from its original purpose and should always keep its eye on the end goal. In order to stay on track, some things should be prioritized, such as good time management, both in your life and in your business, or for example, preparing contingency plans in advance. You can use these tools to ensure proactive and adaptive responses to unforeseen obstacles to ensure a smooth, or at least stable, ride to success.

Initiating and igniting

While it is important to keep up with the market and its latest developments, it is crucial to use this information to create new trends instead of simply following the existing ones. To follow this approach, business owners should create and keep in mind a clear picture of how their businesses differentiate themselves from their competitors, allowing them to have a shot at becoming industry leaders. The problem with utilizing trends as a foundation for a company is that the trend cycle inevitably leads to obsolescence.

Netflix is a prime example of this. It originated as a DVD-by-mail service in 1998, just one year after DVD players were introduced in the U.S. before they became an essential part of every household. The company not only competed against Blockbuster, the largest rental chain at the time, but also revolutionized the rental process by introducing a new way for consumers to interact with their services, introducing a subscription model in 1999. Netflix entered the year 2000 with only 300,000 subscribers, now this number is up to 247.2 million. Why? Because they were able to come up with an idea for a truly unique service.

Pursuit of excellence

One of the greatest enemies of any entrepreneur’s long-term success is these three words: “That will do.” This phrase not only affects you as an entrepreneur, undermining your abilities and limiting your potential success, but it also affects every single facet of your business. The pursuit of excellence doesn’t entail that you shouldn’t attempt to release anything until everything is perfect, but it does suggest that whatever you can do should be done to the best quality possible.

The strive for perfection, or rather the lack of it, is the reason the above-mentioned DVD rental chain now has only one store left in the U.S. When the market began expanding and Netflix entered the game, Blockbuster had the opportunity to acquire it, but passed on it arguing that Netflix was a too-niche business. Blockbuster’s opposition to online streaming and the fact that it was stagnant and content with the unchanged while an entirely new industry was evolving prevented it from innovating.

Related: 5 Key Leadership Principles for Driving Growth

Embracing challenges

Given that technology has advanced more in the past two centuries than at any other time in human history, the possibilities for further development and creation are endless. It is not uncommon to encounter a myriad of problems when creating something new, especially in the beginning. However, a business owner shouldn’t avoid working on a unique product or service simply because of the issues it may present and to search for innovative solutions.

As obvious as it may seem, the easiest way to approach a challenge is through hypothesis testing. Whenever you are faced with seemingly impossible problems, it is of utmost importance not to be intimidated by them, as this can lead to stagnation or the inability to deliver the promised product or service. By using hypothesis testing, one can generate and test dozens of possible solutions to avoid stagnation and initiate progress. Not only does this expand the range of feasible solutions, but it also allows the company to create a truly great product or service because you will be able to accomplish something no one has ever done.

Positive impact

In the 21st century, it is essential to prioritize more than just profit, especially at a time when we are experiencing such a rapid escalation of climate change and other worrying events. We are at the pinnacle of technological development, and it would be irresponsible not to use it to improve the world around us or at least try to preserve it for future generations.

As a founder of a tech company, I often pay attention to this detail and believe that a positive impact is essential when it comes to running such a company and that those who have a genuine urge to make the world a better and safer place have a real chance of creating a thriving business. Of course, this principle is not exclusive to one industry only; for example, food delivery and ride-hailing services have a better chance of succeeding if they are inclusive and convenient to all. Remember, if you have an opportunity to impact the world with your business, there are hundreds if not thousands of options available, especially today.

Cooking at home can be great for busy professionals because it’s budget-friendly, easier to stay healthy, and meditative. Whether you’re a home cook or an entrepreneur on the hunt for a unique gift that could stand out to a colleague, potential business partner, or friend, this limited-time deal is well worth checking out.

This Seido Japanese Master Chef’s 8-Piece Knife Set comes with a gift box and is on sale for $109.97 (reg. $429). These high-quality knives are made with very durable and strong high-carbon stainless steel. Their forged construction incorporates a sloped bolster and acute 15° angles (compared to the typical 25° seen more commonly with Western knives).

This set includes the following knives:

• 8″ chef’s knife
• 8″ slicing knife
• 8″ bread knife
• 7″ cleaver
• 7″ Santoku knife
• 5″ Santoku knife
• 6″ boning knife
• 3.5″ paring knife

To add an air of high-class presentation to this deal, it also comes with a stylish gift box that can securely store the knives for travel or passing on to a business partner.

This set has an impressive 4.6/5 star average rating among verified purchasers. One recent perfect five-out-of-five star review reads, “Affordable price. Excellent workmanship. Fast shipment. Overall, great product that’s hard to beat.”

Discover the quality of a high-end set of knives to improve your home cooking, or gift them to someone you work with.

This Seido™ Japanese Master Chef’s 8-Piece Knife Set comes with a gift box and is on sale for $109.97 (reg. $429).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Plenty of business leaders and entrepreneurs rely on headphones to zone in with music and take calls throughout a given workday. At the same time, if you’re totally inaccessible with noise-canceling over-ear headphones, that might not make your employees or colleagues feel like they can access you when they need to.

There’s a different type of headphone technology that could be a good middle ground. For a limited time only, you can get these Mercato Open-Ear Bluetooth Headphones for $39.95 (reg. $69) with code GET10.

This is the best price online for these headphones. They work by sitting on top of the ear, allowing the user to hear and interact with the outside world while also saving their inner ears from noise damage. Designed to provide pain-free listening and lasting comfort, the Mercato Open-Ear Bluetooth Headphones have an ergonomic design that loops over the ear.

While an unusual and seemingly indirect design, the Mercatos promise to deliver premium sound with a deep base and a wide range. They’re great for workouts and running outside, so you can stay attuned to the fast-changing environment around you. An IPX5 water-resistant build also makes these headphones ideal for the outdoor adventurer.

Great for wearing at the office and on business trips, the headphones have a lengthy battery life of six hours per full charge. And while they do allow you to access the outside world, they also have dual noise-canceling mics to keep your calls professional and clean.

Don’t forget that you can get these Mercato Open-Ear Bluetooth Headphones for $39.95 (reg. $69) with code GET10.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Summer is almost here and spending time outdoors is known to ease stress and anxiety and enhance cognition. If you plan on spending some time in the great outdoors with clients, employees, or family, you should make sure you have the right tools. We’re not talking about tents and camping stoves; we’re talking about emergency tools, like this Outdoor Flashlight with Flame Simulator & 2400mAh Power Bank.

This light can keep your devices powered up, which keeps you reachable and able to handle any potential work emergencies. It also has a cool LED screen that simulates a campfire to add to the fun.

Most importantly, this outdoor flashlight provides ultra-bright LED lighting to give you visibility at night. The fireplace simulator mode also adds some light, with an adjustable flame setting that helps set the ambiance and provides some additional visibility while mimicking a real fire.

The durable flashlight is made with COB technology to provide a bright and even light output and is rechargeable via a USB-C charger or via solar panels during the day. It can last for up to 24 hours on a single charge and is built to withstand all weather conditions.

And perhaps best of all, it features a compact, portable design that makes it easy to pack in your car or carry in your backpack. Whether you’re going fully off the grid or just spending a night in the backyard with the family, it will come in handy.

Gear up for summer entertaining and fun.

Right now, you can get this Outdoor Flashlight with Flame Simulator and 2400mAh Power Bank for just $39.99, a 36% savings from the original price of $62.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Many small-business owners consider lack of capital and cash flow their biggest concern. Buying refurbished products in good condition can go a long way to mitigating both of those problems, and one of the best moves is to get a powerful business computer at almost half its original cost. Right now, the price of an A-grade refurbished Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 mini desktop has dropped to $179.97 through 11:59 PM PT on April 30, with no coupon required.

This M900 Tiny has a 2.2GHz Intel® Core™ i5-6500T processor and 16GB RAM, which means you can keep multiple applications running simultaneously without lagging. The 256GB SSD is big enough to store all the office and media files you need and fast enough to access them quickly.

Windows 10 Pro is already installed, so you can access any program you want without any complications. The M900 also comes with Lenovo Smart Meeting Room Solution and Intel Unite, so you can wirelessly connect securely to a meeting room display with either your laptop or a tablet without having to hunt for the right connector.

At 7″ x 7.2″ x 1.4″, this ThinkCentre M900 has an exceptionally small footprint, so it will take up very little of your workspace. However, it also has support for mounts if you’d prefer it out of the way. There are ten ports: two for displays, six USB 3.0, a VGA, and a LAN. In addition to the M900, you’ll get a keyboard, mouse, AC adapter, and Wi-Fi dongle.

This 2015 ThinkCentre M900 refurbished grade “A” means it’s in near-mint condition, with only very minimal to zero scuffing on its case. Plus, you get the reassurance of a third-party one-year aftermarket parts and labor warranty. Also, remember that buying refurbished products is eco-friendly, so you’re helping the planet and your business.

Get this refurbished Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny Core for $179.97 (reg. $349) through 11:59 PM PT on April 30.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Elon Musk founded Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, Neuralink and other companies and consistently ranks among the top three richest people in the world. But his recent conversation with another powerful CEO shows the price Musk had to pay to achieve wealth — and the management and mindset strategies he employs now to build successful companies.

Musk explained how he defined ultra-hard work to Nicolai Tangen, CEO of $1.6 trillion Norges Bank, the world’s largest wealth fund, on an April episode of Tangen’s podcast, In Good Company.

Ultra-hard work happens when “you’re basically just working every waking hour,” Musk said.

When asked how long he could do that, Musk replied that he’d done it “continuously” for a few years at a time.

^{Elon Musk. Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic}

“I’ve done many, many stretches of 100-hour weeks, where roughly six hours per day is sleeping,” Musk said. “I would not recommend that. That’s for emergencies.”

Musk put in those 100-hour weeks during difficult times at Tesla and in the early days of some of his startups, when he said he slept under his desk and worked seven days a week.

Related: ‘Americans Just Work Harder’ Than Europeans, Says the CEO of Norges Bank, the World’s Largest Wealth Fund

Musk also discussed overseeing hard workers on the podcast, stating that smart people tend to manage themselves and can work anywhere. His strategy is to outline a common goal and ask them if they agree with it. If they do, they can get it done.

When Tangen asked how Musk balanced micromanagement with delegation, he claimed he wouldn’t call his style “micromanagement.”

“It’s just insisting on attention to detail,” Musk said. “If you’re trying to make a perfect product, attention to detail is essential.”

Related: Elon Musk Says Remote Workers Have ‘Marie Antoinette Vibes’

Musk’s last tactic for building successful companies might be his mindset toward his own impact.

When asked how he would want to be remembered, Musk said he doesn’t mind if his legacy is inaccurate as long as he feels like he’s “done the right thing for the future of consciousness.”

Musk is the CEO of Tesla, which he stated this week is on track to produce new, more affordable electric cars even as revenue dipped year over year.

Related: Elon Musk Tells Investors Cheaper Tesla Electric Cars Should Arrive Ahead of Schedule

Many people who have heard the adage ‘work smart, not hard’ may think my claim here is tip-toeing around this idea and echoing this sentiment, but they would be wrong. As the nature of work continues to undergo intense scrutiny, primarily focused on the ‘where,’ debates surrounding the frequency and necessity of workplace meetings have also surged. This topic is now discussed in significant volume, and rightly so. In 2024, we have many opportunities to change productivity, creativity and employee satisfaction. There is a compelling case for working teams to have far fewer meetings, which I buy into heavily. Let me tell you why.

Related: 5 Ways to Make Sure Your Meetings Are Worth Attending

The cost of excessive meetings

The cost of putting people through excessive meetings is first up. At the core of most working teams, leaders and bosses are usually quite tentative about the set-up of teams and the expenses they incur. Having meetings is something that most see as a productive, progressive task, and therefore, often slips under the radar when it comes to culling unnecessary and costly activities. However, current research and personal experience tell me that it should not. Research highlights a trend where excessive meetings can detract significantly from productivity. Specifically, a study conducted by Harvard Business Review found a pretty substantial increase of 71% in employee productivity and satisfaction when meeting frequencies were reduced by 40%.

So, not only do you boost your team’s output when you reduce meetings, but you also get more bang for your buck with your personnel. It is extremely common that not every meeting section will apply to every attendee and their workflow, and therefore, people find themselves twiddling their thumbs and listening to colleagues present work out of politeness to them and the meeting leader.

Could this time be spent better elsewhere? Almost certainly. Could the information be delivered in a better, more targeted manner? Definitely.

As mentioned at the start, there are opportunities to deliver information more efficiently than within a meeting, arising with new technologies, such as Slack, Notion or Bubbles. Don’t waste the time of your colleagues in inapplicable meetings and the money you spend on their salaries. Instead, discuss what needs to be discussed in the meeting, and continue that meeting conversation asynchronously with a tool like the aforementioned, keeping the details and context of the information delivered, but in a more efficient way.

Related: Get the Most Out of Remote Meetings and Avoid Meeting Burn Out

The psychological and operational impact

Not everything is about cost, and in fact, many bosses would prioritize operational brilliance over some extra spending. Therefore, we must look at how this claim sits within the operational side of things. I want to dig deeper into the statistics just covered to question whether this is just an anomaly and the preference of a select few or whether the vast majority believe reduced meetings will positively affect their workplace operations.

I have noticed and heard from my team members that meeting less allows them to feel more autonomous and less micromanaged, meaning they hold themselves more accountable for getting work done.

We experience that working alone boosts the possibility of deep focus too, something essential in creative roles. We find that tuning in for a team meeting to discuss a larger chunk of either completed or blocked work means that we operate at optimal efficiency with increased output. As I claimed, this is about making the right decisions with the technologies available to us in 2024.

That was most operational, so let’s deep dive into the psychology. Meetings often lead to what is known as “Meeting Recovery Syndrome,” which is where employees need time to regather their thoughts and mentally recover after frequent, long or chaotic meetings.

Related: Meetings Suck. Here Are 5 Ways to Make Them Suck Less.

Strategic meeting reduction techniques

Now that we have more clarity, let’s look at how your business can optimize their meeting practices:

• No-Meeting Days: Allow that deep work to take place. Have days where interruptions rarely happen, and let workflows thrive with concentration.
• Prioritize Agenda-Driven Meetings: Don’t meet if you don’t know why you’re meeting. Annette Catino, CEO of QualCare Alliance Network, put this nicely: “Give me an agenda or else I’m not going to sit there.” Meet better, not more often.
• Limit Meeting Duration and Size: Amazon uses a two-pizza rule — don’t invite more people than two pizzas can feed. Don’t flood the room and overrun, and you will get more thoughtful input and outcomes.
• Embrace Technology: Integrate AI tools, meeting management tools and platforms that can automate parts of meetings to maximize efficiency. Don’t waste time doing silly, mundane tasks.

Just like that, you will arrive at the future of meetings. They are set to become more strategic, and instead of being the default communicative method, teams (the good ones) will adopt a more thoughtful approach where they assess the real need for each meeting and the potential value it holds. Don’t fall behind the curve, and from now on, create a culture of meetings being made better, not busier, regardless of whether you are in-person or remote.