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Education Reading

Latest Read: The Effective Hiring Manager

The Effective Hiring Manager by Mark Horstman.

The Effective Hiring Manager by Mark Horstman

Mark is a graduate the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he studied mechanical engineering. He served as an Officer in the U.S. Army for five years, where he developed leadership skills and gained valuable experience in managing teams. Following his service, he worked at Proctor & Gamble and as a recruiter.

Mark is a co-founder of Manager Tools, a management consulting and training firm that provides resources and training for managers in Fortune 1000 companies globally for more than 30 years. He also hosts the popular Manager Tools podcast, which offers practical advice on management skills and techniques.

This is the second book by Mark that I have read in my current role. Mark is delivering the key essentials in hiring and team-building. Managers, new or seasoned will understand his step-by-step approach to make strategies easy to implement. Hiring effectively is without a doubt the most important and long-term contribution any manager will deliver to their organization. Mark is right on target with his message that “the only thing worse than having an open position is filling it with the wrong person.”

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Artificial Intelligence Education Innovation Reading

Latest Read: The New Dark Age

New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future by James Bridle.

The New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future by James Bridle

James holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science and Cognitive Science from University College London. He is a contributor to Wired, The Atlantic, and The Guardian. He remains an Adjunct Professor at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.

So, does the creation of massive data sets make the world better? Perhaps not according to James. It would appear the data models in use are not sufficient anymore. In some cases the algorithms are revealing bias and lack of transparency by vendors.

As a result, James takes a position that even with Big Data accessible to more and more people, we are living in a new dark age. Hence the title of his book.

In general James is acknowledging how recent technology has led to the concentration of wealth to a small group of individuals and key corporations. As a result our social inequalities continue. He position includes the idea that data is no longer about facts alone but is now embedded into our current social conditions.

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Artificial Intelligence Education Innovation Reading

Latest Read: HBR’s 10 Must Reads 2025

HBR’s 10 Must Reads 2025: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review.

HBR's 10 Must Reads 2025: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review

In the closing days of 2023 I was reading HBR’s 10 Must Reads for 2024. This was a good indicator of management ideas for the coming new year. A year later, closing 2024 seems perfect to begin 2025 with HBR’s annual refresh.

This book is for both new and experienced leaders seeking insights, inspiration, and advice to propel their organizations forward in the new year.

Perhaps no other topic is the continuing role of AI impacting organizations last year and the coming impact of AI Agents. Perhaps their 2026 Must Reads will expand upon the growth of agents we will engage this year.

Why? The chapter ‘Reskilling in the Age of AI’ acknowledged ChatGPT’s impact was not predicted. As a result computer automation was already set to displace and transform the global workforce. Now LLMs, Agents, and ML will perhaps drive those numbers even higher. The message: Reskilling will be a focal point for organizations to thrive in an AI-driven environment. Yet the advice includes the challenge that organizational ups killing simply will not be enough. Worth the read alone especially for colleges and training centers.

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Artificial Intelligence Education Reading

Latest Read: I, Human

I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic.

I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Tomas holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Buenos Aires, M.Sc. in Occupational Psychology from Goldsmiths, University of London, and Ph.D. in Business Psychology from University College London. He has taught at New York University, Columbia, and Harvard. Today he is the Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup.

In the book I, Human the impact of artificial intelligence to improve how we live and work is from the perspective of a Psychologist, not a software engineer. So questions about how AI will alienate us are at the forefront of this book.

An example is the embrace of AI dating apps by today’s younger Generation Z or GenAlpha. Big Box retailers have deployed AI to not only highlight products but also track user behavior. And thankfully, Tomas is revealing how rogue actors and criminals are using AI to persuade our political views with social media tools including Twitter bots spreading fake news.

Categories
Education Innovation Reading

Latest Read: Revenge of the Tipping Point

Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell.

Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm holds a BA in history from the University of Toronto in 1984. He began as a staff writer at The Washington Post and today has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996 and is also the host of the podcast Revisionist History and co-founder of the podcast company Pushkin Industries.

Actually I find it a bit amazing to consider that I read Malcom’s book The Tipping Point in August 2007. As amazing as may seem, The Tipping Point was on the NYTimes Bestseller list for eight years. This was the first of eight books by him that I have read.

Now 25 years later he has published a follow up which is reframing some of his original stories. As always he crafts unique points of interest, discovers overlaps, and presents them in very intriguing ways. Malcolm is also in fact, now tracing the rise of a new and troubling form of social engineering. Perhaps this is the book that many readers must simply see as an indicator of social engineering. While I continue to struggle to effectively communicate the risks of social engineering on computers, Malcolm is presenting this risk in a much more eloquent manner.