HM Ep. 23. What will happen when AI does your job better than you?

Apologies for the typos, this is an AI transcription

Welcome to Happy Millionaire, a show about how to make profit with a positive impact

It's amazing, right? Well, what's happening right now with artificial intelligence, artificial general intelligence, or whatever you wanna call it, machine learning. Is pretty phenomenal. I've had a few experiences. You, I, I'm assuming you've messed around with, uh, that G chat, G p T or

It's a fantastic read. Oh, it's great. I'm a huge fan of his. It's amazing. Yeah, I mean, his previous books and happiness are phenomenal. Scary Smart is a bit of a departure from that. So it's all about how, um, his experience at Google. Uh, sort of formed his thinking about the way the world and what he's fearful of, what he's optimistic about.

Um, the crux of the book is basically like machines are taken over and it doesn't matter what industry you're in, you're gonna get disrupted. It doesn't matter whether you're in healthcare. Mm-hmm. doesn't matter whether you're in, you know, CRM, B2B SaaS, whatever it might be, including the creative. , um, aspect, and I didn't believe that.

So when I was chatting to Mo, I was like, look, mate, there's no way, like, you know, it's gonna replace a podcaster or a musician or, you know, a, a recipe creator, a chef, like h how can you like generate this amazing creativity, this intuition, it, it can only come from like years and years of refinement. I'm wrong.

I'm completely wrong about that. And, and I didn't realize that until I started messing around with this chat bot chat, G p T. Mm-hmm. blow my mind.

Um, looking to launch. Do tell the

You know, really tie those two together. Um, we do the same thing in Bliss Growth, but with ideas. So we come up with business ideas that we believe are huge, are gonna be ones that will make a big difference to the world. And at the same time, we try to find founders or, um, the relevant people to build these businesses with.

So we are really the middle. Go between these ideas and also find the right founders. So it's like a studio, which is really fun and exciting. It's all about creativity. It's about identifying problems and also trying to understand who's the right human to solve this problem. Um, yes, we support them, but really that person will be leading the project.

So, you know, essentially we're speaking to one potential founder about this idea. and they gave three very technical questions to us. We replied to the three, two, we did as humans, you know, we typed it, right. We're still a computer, but you know, we typed it. And the third one we, we threw it to the machine and the machine reply was like, Better than our response

And I was just like, oh my God, I don't really need to write back. Like it was genuinely better. And I even asked for my, so my second company reached us is about giving corporate, like giving align business the send gifts to anyone. We basically said, Hey, write the, write what um, a software would look like if it was doing gifting.

Um, and it basically wrote down how we would describe our business in a better way than what we would've like. It's mental. These are really well thought structured sentences that are actually as good as a branding strategist. Um, yeah. Like I'm being serious as that. Good. So, yeah. Yeah. It's very scary. I'm not, to us, I haven't.

Really thought deeply and deeply about it. I think there's so many used cases of how this is gonna work, but I dunno, I'm one of those weirdly, I'm, I'm in the tech field, but also I get a bit scared as well. So I just, I don't, you know, I'm openly telling people in the podcast, I'm, I'm a bit scared, like I'm, yeah, I'm going in my little man cave and just, uh, gonna hibernate just trying to process what's going on or just forget about it, and that it whacked me in the face.

I don't know, even me who's at the forefront of all of this, I, I'm a bit. Like

And I, I think happiness, not to plug the podcast, I think happiness is gonna be the core sort of focus for the human race once robots and artificial intelligence systems have figured out a lot of things. Because if you think about it, if you disassociate politics from politics itself, and you literally allow an intelligent system to make all the decisions to increase revenue generation to, uh, maximize productivity whilst, uh, lowering environmental.

Uh, environmental, uh, emission output. You, you know, a lot of the big problems that are caused by humans can be fixed. And then the big thing is happiness. So how do we optimize for happiness? Those are the things that we're gonna spend a lot more time thinking about.

Okay, so,

So the first one is, um, Michael Singer's Happiness book. I

We, we are trained to judge other people, whether it's like they're in my way, I'm not in their way, you know, whether it's in the roads, whether it's you are walking, whether it's email, whatever it is, in whatever environment. You are the superstar in your own movie and everyone else is sort of like, you know, cameo roles and, and characters.

Supporters, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And, and Michael Singer talks about. , you need to, um, generate your, your own sort of, uh, happiness by trying to help other people be happy. And literally like, um, he, he has this exercise where you're like, in your head, you're like, I'm sending love to you. Uh, with you're meeting that person with you or just walking person, like, I'm just expressing love to you.

I'm, I'm putting out love to you. I'm putting out love to, you know, this person or via email or whatever. It sounds a little bit woohoo. But I consciously try and, and, you know, generate that sort of like loving. Uh, mentality every time I'm around and just interacting with people. And that actually makes me a lot more peaceful because it makes me a lot less judgmental.

And I think we all have particularly work like working and living in urbanized environments. I, I think that really helps me personally. So yeah, that's why that's a book I'm gonna be rereading, um, another one. Uh, so I just read the mum

You're gone, right? Is it to prove, like, to determine whether you are in the right zone to have a kid or like to be known ? Or is it, is it like to determine, like, I don't actually go on, I'm gonna stop playing this game. It's probably, is it, it's a crap game. Go on, carry on. It's, it's,

But it's, um, basically a, a, a. Of interviewing potential users and figuring out whether you're actually providing a solution to a problem , um, before you start anything wrong. So yeah, nothing, nothing to do. And the reason why it's called the mom test is because like, um, let's say you have an idea and you literally go to your mom, you're like, mom, I've got this idea.

And like, obviously because she's your mom and she doesn't wanna hurt your feelings, she's gonna be like, oh, that's a great idea. Like, yeah, yeah. And you, you're. You know, would, would you buy one? And and she's gonna be like, of course. Yeah, I'd love, I'd, I'd definitely buy that. Like a hundred percent. Well done, son.

You know, off you go and then off you go and you, you think about the idea and whatever, whatever. Well, well, basically to a less extreme level, your friends, uh, your potential users or people that you know within your network are all mini versions of your mom who don't really want to offend you unless they're brutally honest.

Unless they're like, you know, entrepreneurs themselves, they'll always. Oh yeah, yeah. You know what? I would probably buy that. Oh, yeah. You know, and it's because of the, the, you are exposing your vulnerability to that person. And just because of social norms, we never really want to sort of like, take people down, particularly if you've already invested some money in it or, you know, uh, you, you want to quit your job or maybe you've even quit your job already to like go, uh, ahead with this venture.

You always constantly think, you know, you, you. Your friends are always looking out for you. And so the mum test is basically a way of asking questions about a potential business opportunity without revealing anything about your solution and actually getting to the crux of the problem that you're providing, um, a service for or a product for, whatever that might be.

And dude, it is a fantastic read. It's one of those books that is only like three and a half hours to listen to, so it was a very thin. My kind of book. Mm-hmm. And it's something that you can reread over and over again. It's got those actionable things. And so the way we now ask questions of our users is completely separate to the fact that we know that we're providing them with an absolution instead of us asking the question, oh, like, uh, how often do you use our app?

Or like, what do you think about the recipes? Are they easy enough? Forget all that. That's assuming people love the app and use the app every single day or, or multiple times a week. We're like, what is the hardest thing about maintaining your healthy eating, uh, diet? Or what is the hardest thing about going for a shop?

Or like what, what is the, the thing that is the blocker for you when it comes to picking up your chef's knife and chopping an onion instead of like going for a takeout? Tell us about that. That's where the gold lies. Yeah, and that's

Like it has to be where you're gonna get the right answer in that one moment. So I actually love reading product manager books just to help me understand, um, how to ask questions to friends in partners, in family, because sometimes you want opinions in a, not like in a neutral. And in product you have to do it.

Your whole business depends on it. So I find them great books are just, you know, help me realize what questions I should be asking and how so I know, I know someone who's probably listening is not product manager, but I think they're so useful. It teaches you to be a

This whole like user research piece, it is fascinating man. Uh, it's, it's great. And as a doctor as well, I think I've already got that sort of level of, you know, deep questioning that is part of our, our dna or is the way we've been trained. But yeah, it is just like heightening my skills in this, uh,

Okay, so you're gonna read the mum's test, you're gonna read the,

That's sort of like the, you know, the, the sexy stuff. It's kind of like, you know, would you rather be the striker or the, or the defender or goalkeeper, like everyone wants to be the. But actually, you know, your defense and, uh, your goalkeeping, um, is uh, is just as important talking of which, uh, I'm sure you'll watch the World Cup

Yeah, fair enough. Messy one. So yeah, everyone

You know, one of those major trophies

Big dreams, little dreams. And the truth is, is that unfortunately on our last day, it's very likely that we may not hit some of them, right? It's just natural. We're not gonna hit them. There'll be certain things that we. have like maybe moments with, um, our parents or, um, winning some form of like award or some moment with your child you want to have and you know it's not gonna happen, right?

Mm-hmm. , and you've gotta learn how to be a blissful for like failure. So it's like you, you have to accept failing and do it in a blissful way. So if you can have that mindset today and just realize that, hey, look, I'm a. I'm a blissful failure, and I know I am right now, even to today. I've accepted that.

That has actually been one of the shifts I made, which has helped

Basic, if you are a non-tech,

The mom test about how to ask better questions, um, to figure out exactly what your product should do or, or should strive to do. And inspired is basically about how you should structure your product teams, uh, your tech teams, and think about who you should have. On your org chop.

Mm-hmm. have absolute clarity on the vision, where you're going, um, your goals. Most business have cut down budgets, cut down resources. You can't do everything now. Mm-hmm. , right? So your goals have evolved and also your vision might have changed, right? Maybe the vision might still be the same, but the way in which you, um, execute I the.

Right. That might have changed in all businesses. So I feel there's this big period, important period right now for the top, top people who are running the businesses. So we're talking about, you know, the founders or the CEO and that core group. They've really gotta be absolutely clear on what that vision is.

And trust me, if you're not clear, um, you're not gonna inspire your team. And if you don't inspire your team, then, you know, 20, 23 years, you're just making it harder for

You give this pamphlet to your customers and it basically spells out like what the company is doing in five years time. And it is basically like a vision board that you are very, very public about. And so I'm basically trying to, you know, give that to my team as well and just be like, this is what we're gonna be doing in three to five years time.

This is like kind of what we're working for. These are the immediate goals, and this is sort of the trajectory of motion.

So in my mind, yes, you can do these meetings. That bit's easy, right? And yes, you can do the basics and have the basic information. But the third, like the real level three, and this is the, like the most important one is like how deep and how clear is it really gonna be? Cause I think number one is easy.

Number two is pretty easy. Number three. Like harder. And number four is even probably the hardest cause you need even more time. But it's to make sure all the execs were aligned with that message. Cause what always happens, I've done this before, right, is I rock up in the whole hands and like I've, I've, I've, I think I've smashed it, but then some of the execs then come to me, Hey, like, are you be sure about that one.

Actually they're right. Um, because I haven't really run it past them. So sometimes this is what happens is that, you know, founders or the main people are doing this little. But no, it's not little, but they're putting this information together, but it's not aligned with everyone. So that's like bonus number four is like align it with everyone.

Mm. Right. And then I guess there is actually a level five now on that, I'm brainstorming. Level five is once you've aligned with, you know, you've got, okay, number one is you present like you've agreed to do the information. Number two is you present the information. Number three is actually you've got your exec team, um, no, sorry.

It's very, very deep and absolutely clear. Number four is you've got your exec team, and number five is then making sure your team can then collaborate and help you on that Next. That's number one. So get in the all hands. Okay, number two, this around the personal development plans, PDPs. Because right now, if you are an employee and you know, and you are good, you wanna know exactly what your career progression looks like.

You wanna know how, like maybe your title changes. Um, you need to know roughly what the salary bands are. If you do get, uh, see progression, um, these are the absolute items you gotta do to. Get that promotion, like that level of clarity needs to be so clear that that person is excited to stay, right? Like that's the level you need to aim for.

Um, number three is, um, managing expectations. So I feel now we're in this era where people, um, i e people that work in businesses, they really want balance in their life. And businesses want more output. We've got this huge misalignment and so I feel what's gonna be, again, very important Again, that word clarity comes in on just like what is important and what isn't.

That communication of both people speaking and being honest about the challenges they're having. I e you know, if you're an employee, you are gonna say, Hey look, I wanna. I can't, I need to enjoy my life as well, you know, at certain points, right? Cause I need to go do my things. And at the same time, the manager has to be honest, say, look, I'm getting pressure from the top.

This fourth one is like working with the best people, so. Mm-hmm. , I think if you are good at your job, you wanna a hundred percent work with other people that are good with their job. And unfortunately, there are people that probably aren't all in. Right. And that's normal. It's in all businesses you find 10, 15% of people that just aren't all in.

Cause I feel that's not a metric that's talked about much. People wanna work with the best and that quality of hire is gonna be a big topic. So just to summarize the four. Number one is having an incredible all hands meeting in the diary already and just be absolute clear on your vision, goals and culture.

Number two is having. Good pdp. So personal development plans for each person. Be clear on how they can progress, um, what, how their titles would evolve. Um, number three is managing expectations, um, with your team because I know there's so much to get done and you know, your team member has already stressed and got loads of items on.

So just be absolutely clear on what needs to be done. And number four is making sure that, you know, you as a manager are hiring the best people for your team. Um, you know, removing any underperformers or people that probably aren't the right fit for that team or. And, you know, ensuring that the future people you hire are the best.

So that quality of hire is really important.

And it's about vision, it's about team fit, it's about culture. Um, all those sort of, I mean, you could call them intangibles. I think that there are definitely tangible things that you can do to create that within, within your, uh, company. Um, but yeah, no, th tho those really do align

I think it's just about the depth, right? I think that's what it is. More about the depth, right? I think you can do, I think these things are all obvious, but there's just levels to how you execute them, and I think that's where you determine. You know, if you are a great manager or leader or if not, it's like, cuz you have to go really in the weeds and it's really difficult to do these things really, really well.

It's really, really hard. Yeah. Um, it's a bit like going to the gym, right? You can, you know, the routine, you know, the routine of what to get done, but like to do those extra reps or to do those extra thi extra, like, you know, look at your form to do those extra reps. Stay in the gym for 45 minutes rather than 20 minutes.

Like me, , you know, you. Um, dude, you are, you're

There's levels. And I feel like that is, um, it's like with everything.

Let's bring on, told you guys about it. I meant slash gpb. Two three. Okay. So main takeaways for me was, um, on the mom test, you, you were talking about, um, initially you said, , you ask people for feedback. They kind of don't give you proper answers because just the way society is, they don't want to hurt your feelings.

Um, . And you know, when, when, when you come across a problem like that, you, you kind of think, oh, that's just the way people are. But you could actually just reframe it as to, oh shit, maybe I'm not asking the right questions. Mm-hmm. , so there's not really a problem with society or this time I've been asking the wrong questions and that's why people give me these like rubbish answers.

So yeah. Yeah, just think of ways that you can frame the question so you get to the crux of the matter. And so that. Don't have to offend you. Uh, and the second part of it was, um, wh when you are asking them more about your problems, uh, sorry, their problems rather than your solutions, you are really listening to them rather than just trying to say your bit.

And then the second takeaway was for the stay motivated bit. So, uh, you guys talked about doing your. Team level, which was the all hands on meeting. So getting clarity and alignment and then setting out PDPs and getting clarity and alignment with that. But there's levels to this. Uh, so, um, you could, you could go further with that because I, I don't know if you remember Ru Rui, when you are working as a doctor, we have these kind of annual reviews and appraisals where you manager do a PDP and things.

What was it like when you did that? Exercises. But that's because like, be it is because everyone is doing it because they have to, it's like a prerequisite for like passing the year almost like, it's not like an exam you have to do, it's just like something you have to do. And because it's enforced and there isn't like a genuine energy around them.

People take, you know, just take the piss and just like, oh yeah, yeah, tick

So I. Like the levels to this is pe people either don't do these kind of exercises or they do it as a tick box exercise. But when, when I was working with Jay, like, I don't know if you remember, you said, oh, send me your goals. What did you wanna get out of this? And all of these things and holy shit. Yeah.

Or even if you are the person who's being reviewed, you can go into it with, uh, like a, a more of a genuine lens and really trying

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