Cecily Motley’s Post

Just ask Harriet... OR Luke O'Mahoney and the inspiring gang of People leads at the PX Espresso live event yesterday. If you missed it, you missed an inspiring rally cry for change - and the playbook to make it happen. Oh, and some epic MERCH. HR is broken. Long live PX! It was a pleasure to be involved! Jessica Z., JooBee Yeow, PhD, Luke O'Mahoney, Alicia Grimes, Marie Krebs, Lauren Gomes, Megan Trotter, Natalie Pearce

On the road again 🛣 🌭 🔊 Harriet is on the Road in the US for the next few weeks - first Las Vegas for HR Technology Conference & Exposition, then San Francisco, followed by Austin. In the US? Have a burning question about Harriet or AI in HR? Want to know how to make life less frustrating for employees and take the pressure off your HR team? Want some Harriet MERCH? Well; hit us up. Book a meeting and let’s chat: https://bit.ly/3MPKhkZ https://lnkd.in/eqAie4s4

Turns out, a flash is the secret to a great photo. Who knew?✨ And great partners are the secret to a great event. Picture the scene; lots of People leaders in one room. Chatting, laughing, eating, talking about serious People things, laughing again. (ref. photo evidence). If you weren't there for the Harriet,Techspace, Elevayte and Founders Keepers Back to School drinks - well you missed out. Great hosts and great conversations. Plus a few incriminating photos of me clearly guarding the food 😳. If you did miss out, fear not, you SHALL go to the ball (well, breakfast); we will be hosting a People Leaders Breakfast on November 26th at the new Techspace space on Goswell Road. (invite below) If you did make it, check the photos out (link below)...that flash 💋 Camilla Bier, David Buxton, Kusia Pell, Phil Bolton MCC, Philip Ellis, Burju Erdem, Lizzie Segal

Well, well, well 🤔 If it isn’t the UK AI Opportunities Action Plan making its grand entrance. In case you missed it (lets face it, it sounds boring), it's actually not boring. It's essentially the government setting out its store re. AI. How they're going to make Britain Brit-AI-n. Here are the interesting bits: 1️⃣ Bottom line, AI = economic juggernaut The report reckons AI is going to add £232 Billion to UK GDP by 2030. 🕺 2️⃣ It's all about building a Digital Utopia 🌅 The plan’s focus is on tech infrastructure and talent development. 3️⃣ The daily grind - but make it AI ⏰ It wants to make AI ubiquitous; from public services to everyone's everyday apps. 4️⃣ For Business 🌱 The report takes a Jack and the beanstalk approach: it doubles down on 'pilot projects' and 'gradual scaling'. i.e. "start small, dream big, and let AI work its magic". 5️⃣ Just say no to Red tape 🔴 Lots of emphasis on removing regulatory hurdles for AI. (But I feel like every report loves talking about regulatory hurdles, so not such a big one there) Haaappppppy Friday. Detailed guide is here if you're curious. (Weekend reading?)

Too fun for a photo 🥓 ☕ Thank you to Faye Whitlock for another excellent Harriet x Rise Talent People Leader's Breakfast at Dishoom. Forgot to take a picture of us all, but this is a visual representation of the energy in the room. Powerful, no? Thank you to Laura C. Willming, James Wright, Catalina S., David Field, Carol Paddison, Camilla Bier and Faye Whitlock for an excellent start to the day. If you are a People Leader and you'd like to join for the next one - just let me know. You too can start your day with bacon and egg naan, interesting people and great conversation fuelled by 400 chai refills (ref picture below)

👯 What are you doing next Wednesday evening? 👯♀️ What's that? You're a People leader with no plans? You were away when I first posted about this FUN EVENT? WELL. I have a plan for you - if you're quick. We've got a few spaces left for our People community drinks in London on 11th September, hosted by Harriet and our friends Techspace, Elevayte and Founders Keepers. Great food, great drink, great music and great People people? What more could you want. Fight the back to school blues and raise a glass to the coming Q4 madness with some People leaders who KNOW. Can't wait to see you there. Sign up here to bag the last few spots https://lu.ma/h2uaguid ** Space is limited so People Leader's only! ____

👹 The Devil's in the Detail 👹 Everyone loves talking about the sexy AI stuff. Will it take my job, when can it make me coffee, do my laundry etc. But the real hot topic at the moment is some big legislative changes in the US, UK and EU. They're big - In every sense of the word - they ain't light reading I'll tell you that for free. So, here's a little break down of the US version - California's SB1047 and why it's interesting. You'll get the UK and EU break downs next week. TL;DR 🌭 California is stepping up its game with SB 147, a bill that aims to regulate advanced AI systems. Some see it as a win for safety, while others worry it might stifle innovation. Here's the quick scoop: 🍨 💻 What’s Happening: SB 1047 targets high-risk AI models, especially those with massive development costs or hefty computing needs. 🧑💻 Why It Matters: The bill could set the stage for nationwide AI regulations, so understanding it is key for anyone in tech. 😃🔫 The Debate: Some industry leaders love the idea of safer AI; others think it will kill creativity and investment. And if that's piqued your interest, the article below also covers key takeaways, why you should care and the massive opportunity for people leaders... You're welcome ___ Death of Creativity or the dawn of safer AI? Let me know your thoughts

"Like watching 5 year olds play football" 👟 ⚽ Team Harriet wrote a helpful article last week about Gartner's Hype Cycle and where we are on it. (linked below) But listening to The Rest is Money podcast this weekend, Azeem Azhar said it better. AI today is like watching 5 year olds play football. Most Chief Execs and business leaders were in their 20s in the late 1990s. They will have sharp recall of the many businesses that lost out to the internet. Since then they've been schooled in the world of digital and mobile and ecommerce; they know what happens if you get left behind. Which leads to an element of crowd psychology: Everyone is chasing the AI ball. But, unlike former hype cycles (NFTs or the great Tulip speculation of the 17th Century), it's undeniable that this time there IS a ball on the pitch and there are big prizes for whoever can crack it into the goal. ⚽

“AI and the Trough of Disillusionment” 🧙 Sounds like the title of a questionable Silicon Valley Harry Potter remake. Gartner’s Hype Cycle seems to be playing out when it comes to AI (graph below) i.e. 😆 breathless with excitement > 💅 nothing really happens > 😞 we get depressed > 🤠 then actually it does work out in the end, but in a more moderate way > the end Right now, it looks like we’re approaching the “getting depressed stage”. There are still some punchy rounds being raised for AI companies BUT 😱 According to a recent study by CNBC, 75% of employees say AI is making them less productive  😳 Whilst Deloitte reports that only 8% of companies have seen real benefits from their AI investments so far.  BUT leaders still believe it’s the key to productivity Here’s my two cents 👶 ChatGPT (and similar) are still teething. To realise productivity gains using these tools, you need to spend time and effort on training your workforce. Which means a disconnect between the obvious productivity mega-power of AI and its current adoption i.e. the reality of most people’s workflows. Employees need support to embed it. Which means training and education. Which means time and investment. Hardly the quick fix the hype promised. Hence the depression. So how do we get past the trough and up to this “Plateau of Productivity”? IMO, this is where the product builders (like us) come in. We make the tech easier to embed! Products, like Harriet, are solving specific customer problems. They negate the need for complex prompt engineering and deliver what customers really want: all the productivity gain, without the pain of relentlessly learning new tools. So if you’re a business leader who still believes in AI but is depressed by the current state of play remember: the journey from hype to meaningful impact is a marathon not a sprint: ➡ Manage expectations ➡Invest in your people ➡Keep an eye on emerging products ➡And stay flexible in your AI strategy—be prepared to pivot. (Thanks to Johannes Sundlo...#inspo)

What's the place for face to face? ☕   It’s magic when you show you up to a meeting and and it works like this: Joke, incite, joke, active listen, active listen, thoughtful reflection... business friend for life. But sometimes it’s the opposite of magic and can go more like this: Hour on the tube. No actions. Everyone checks their phones 15 times. Hour back on tube. Day killed and not much value added. I've been thinking a lot about this recently. The pressure on time, hybrid working, big cities. What is the place for face to face in the hybrid, time poor working world? It's certainly easier—and definitely cheaper—not to go. But, like the gym, I've found it’s almost always worth making the effort if you can, no matter the context: potential new partner, employee, existing team member, customer, or prospect. Here’s why: 1️⃣ 🏄♂️ Focus It’s hard to read between the lines in online calls - especially with new people. With everyone constantly back-to-back, and a million different messaging platforms vying for attention, the simple act of moving to a different physical space provides a mental reset that makes for better conversation. 2️⃣ 🧠 Quality Time The brain drain from back-to-back online meetings forces tight agendas, which is efficient (great). But the relationship building that ultimately allows you to communicate better and to troubleshoot later down the line, is as important as the agenda - and seldom on it. 3️⃣ 🧚♀️ Serendipity I often discover things in face-to-face meetings that I wouldn’t have in a virtual catch-up. Maybe it’s the casual offer to buy coffee, but I think it's something to do with being in the same physical space. 4️⃣ 🧗♂️ Plan B Flexibility Face-to-face, it’s easier to pivot when Plan A doesn’t resonate. The conversation naturally flows into new ideas, alternative strategies, and unexpected solutions that I am not sure would have surfaced online. 6️⃣ 🧢 Lasting impressions You’re more likely to leave a lasting impression when you’ve had some sort of shared experience; be that embarrassing coffee orders (mine is basically a pudding) or a firm handshake. It makes your next email or call much more likely to get a reply.