Sense & Signal: Leading Through Sensemaking – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of the Sense & Signal Leadership & Sensemaking podcast, co-host Dan Tarker delves into how non-teleological thinking can help leaders navigate the metacrisis. He spends time defining what the meta crisis is, investigating the concept of moloch as defined in the Bible and Allen Ginsburg's poem Howl, and how these concepts inform our response to global crises like the war between Israel and Hamas. He then provides a history of John Steinbeck and Ed Rickett's trip on the Western Flyer that resulted in the book "The Log From the Sea of Cortez" and the 14th chapter where they present their ideas on non-teleological thinking. After defining non-teleological thinking, he connects it back to the metacrisis and complexity theory to begin to lay a foundation for non-teleological thinking as a sense making tool in our complex times.

Joe Gow has been fired as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse after the Board of Regents learned that he and his wife Carmen Wilson had been publishing pornographic content on OnlyFans and PornHub. In this micro episode of the Sense & Signal leadership and sensemaking podcast, Dan recaps the Joe Gow pornography scandal, discusses other scandals Joe Gow and his wife Carmen Wilson have been involved with, considers the role of a college chancellor in the board of regents decision to fire him, explores issues around freedom of speech especially in regards to matters of public concern, and fumes about how much time this enterprise must have taken Joe Gow to work on. He also provides a brief review of Joe Gow and Carmen Wilson’s cringy cooking with porn stars YouTube show.

In this segment of the Sense & Signal podcast, Dan reflects on the Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) verdict and what it can teach us about Imagology and ethics. Dan reviews the general fraud and conspiracy case against Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX, and Alameda Research. He gives Sam Bankman-Fried a dark quadrant performance review to determine if he is narcissistic, Machiavellian, psychopathic, or sadistic. He then discusses Sam Bankman-Fried’s rise to fame and fortune through the lens of Imagology and ponders whether the West’s fixation on youthful disruptors played a role in his success with the media. He also explores the ethical aspects of the case especially in regards to Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried - who are scholars on economic ethics. Finally, ponders the ironies in the case especially in the context of cryptocurrency, blockchain, and Web 3.0. This case reinforces the need for more ethical leadership training, the need for more scrutiny of the cryptocurrency markets, and awareness of the impact of Imagology.

Last week the Biden administration released an Executive Order addressing the safety, security, and trustworthiness of artificial intelligence. In this first of two segments on the Sense & Signal leadership and sensemaking podcast, Dan takes a dive into one of the documents informing this executive order on AI - the proposed AI Bill of Rights. Dan addresses concerns from both sides of the spectrum about this government response to generative artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT, reflects on the damage the tech industry has caused to society due to their handling of social media, and then delves into the five pillars of the Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights - safety and security, algorithmic protections against discrimination, data privacy, notice & explanations , and human alternatives. This is the first of two segments exploring President Biden’s Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence calling for deeper investigations into how all forms of AI - but especially large language models like ChatGPT - will impact society. The AI Bill of Rights is a set of guidelines that outlines five key protections to protect US citizens against AI harms. The document provides an important framework for how government, technology companies, and citizens can work together to ensure more accountable AI. Here’s what’s key to understand about the new guidelines - both what they cover, what they don’t and what other work is being done in for AI accountability. The five principles of the AI Bill of Rights are as follows: People should be protected from systems deemed “unsafe or ineffective.” People shouldn’t be discriminated against via algorithms and that AI-driven systems should be made and used “in an equitable way.” People should be kept safe “from abusive data practices” by safeguards built in to AI systems and have control over how data about them is used. People should be aware when an automated system is in use and be aware of how it could affect them. People should be able to opt out of such systems “where appropriate” and get help from a person instead of a computer 1234. The need to resolve issues around the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become increasingly important for countries, citizens, and businesses over the last eight years. Approximately 60 countries now have National AI Strategies and many have, or are creating, policies which allow for responsible use of a technology which can bring huge benefits but, without adequate governance, can do significant harm to individuals and our society. The AI Bill of Rights is a critical starting point but wish more checks and balances existed to keep AI accountable 1. While technology brings many benefits, without governance it can bring significant harm. The AI Bill of Rights provides an important framework for how government, technology companies, and citizens can work together to ensure more accountable AI. The AI Bill of Rights is a critical starting point but wish more checks and balances existed to keep AI accountable 1.

in this Halloween edition of the Sense & Signal podcast, Dan shares some ghost stories for leaders. He starts off with a review of the Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix and what we can learn about leadership from it. Then we get a ghost story about a Banshee at an Amtrak Station, Lyndon B Johnson’s encounter with another presidential ghost, the sale of a leadership consultant who was really a succubus, and a tale about a vanished guest who was investigating a famous CEO about his occult activities.

In this episode of the Sense & Signal podcast, Dan explores some ethical questions we should be considering around generative artificial intelligence. Should we approach AI ethics as a critical theory? Should we tag synthetic art created by AI? How do we manage AI creating digital dopplegangers of dead famous people? Is it OK for a lonely person to develop a romantic relationship with an AI bot? Is it unethical for educators to refuse to teach students how to use AI? Lots of ethical AI questions to wrestle with on this episode.

Latest trends in leadership development

In this episode of the sentence signal podcast, Jodah and Dan dive into some of the latest conversations and research about leadership development. They discuss whether growth mindset is a valid theory, strategies to train leaders in hybrid work environments, distinctions between empathy and compassion when thinking about leadership, and the difference between horizontal and vertical leadership. This episode has a lot of different dimensions to it for those wanting to think about some of the latest trends and leadership development.

Articles referenced in this episode:

PROOF POINTS: Does growth mindset matter? The debate heats up

https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-does-growth-mindset-matter-the-debate-heats-up/

What Leadership Development Should Look Like in the Hybrid Era

by Julian Birkinshaw, Maya Gudka, and Steve Marshall

https://hbr.org/2022/06/what-leadership-development-should-look-like-in-the-hybrid-era

Empathy Is The Most Important Leadership Skill According To Research

By Tracy Brower, PhD

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2021/09/19/empathy-is-the-most-important-leadership-skill-according-to-research/?sh=194414733dc5

Connect with Empathy, But Lead with Compassion

Rasmus Hougaard,

https://hbr.org/2021/12/connect-with-empathy-but-lead-with-compassion

Developing Talent? You’re Probably Missing Vertical Development

https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/developing-talent-youre-probably-missing-vertical-development/

Vertical Leadership Development–Part 1

Developing Leaders for a Complex World By: Nick Petrie

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/539ca55fe4b00a440d97d43a/t/543c7996e4b0f4b200091d97/1413249430380/VerticalLeadersPart1.pdf

In this episode of the sense and signal podcast, Dan does a solo show to talk about political leadership. In our dysfunctional, two party political system, how can you be an adult in the room as a political leader? We explore the issue of age and political service. When is a person too old to serve as a president or Congress person? We also talk about personal conduct, and the dress code of politicians, especially as it relates to recent controversies around politicians like John Fetterman. We dove into the history of Jimmy Carter, who is celebrating his 99th birthday – and who might’ve been the last adult politician in the room. We touch on the budget extension and the ramifications of that. And finally we explore the TikTok “How often do you think about Rome” meme.

We all encounter bias at work. In this episode of the Sense & Signal podcast, Jonah and Dan take their audience on a tour of different kinds of biases that may be impacting our workplaces. They define the term biass, describe several types of bias, and differentiate its benefits and significant drawbacks. They also explore bias in the hiring process, attractiveness bias, bias around clothing - especially during job interviews - and bias around age and the generational war that the media maybe artificially propping up

In this episode of the Sense & Signal podcast, Jodah and Dan welcome systems thinking experts Dr. Derek Cabrera and Dr. Laura Cabrera - founders of the Cabrera Research Lab on Systems Thinking at Cornell University - to talk about leadership, systems thinking, and complexity.  They share their story about how they met and became the dynamic duo of systems thinking research, their work teaching kindergarteners about systems thinking, respond to criticisms made by Cynefin founder David Snowden, delve into the characteristics of complex systems and emergence, describe their DSRP Sensemaking framework, advise leaders how use systems thinking to work in complex environments, and how incorporate systems thinking and complexity into strategic planning. A fascinating conversation with a charming and insightful scientific team, perfect for educators and leaders who want to incorporate systems thinking into their work.

Derek Cabrera and Dr. Laura Cabrera are distinguished Systems Thinking innovators renowned for developing the DSRP theory—Distinctions, Systems, Relationships, Perspectives. Their transformative approach simplifies intricate challenges by dissecting them into fundamental components, fostering insightful problem-solving. The Cabrera’s are authors of Systems Thinking Made SImple: A new hope for solving wicked problems and Flock Not Clock, a book for organizational leaders who want to do systems thinking at the organizational level.  They are also the faculty directors of the Systems thinking, Modeling and Leadership Program at Cornell University and founders of the Cabrera Research Lab in Ithaca, New York.  Their work empowers individuals to navigate complexity, cultivate innovation, and make informed decisions across diverse domains.

MORE ABOUT DAN TARKER

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dantarker/

https://www.danieltarker.com

MORE ABOUT JODAH JENSEN

From parts unknown.  Possibly not of this earth. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodah/