Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

Distance in Conversation

The question of whether businesses make high value work sits at one end of the spectrum -- commodification sitting at the other. We rarely think about authenticity and profit in the same sentence or category, yet I argued that Authenticity is for Profit in 2005. Much of the reasoning behind it still works today. As part of the series for Italian firm Trivioquadrivio annual client publication, I wrote a contributing article on Distance titled Distance in Conversation in 2004. The themes were Attention in 2003, Authenticity in 2005, and Representation in 2006. My choice for the last theme was to... Read more →

How Simple Rules Evolve in Communities

While conversation and interaction was welcome in the comments box of many publications and blogs early on, as social networks evolved the commentary moved to platforms like Facebook and Twitter. For good or for less optimal exchanges, they now happen in public. It didn't take long for people to figure out that sharing a poor service experience on Twitter would drive a faster resolution than trying to redress the issue via normal company channels. Smartphones with cameras for taking pictures and video, and connections to all kinds of apps and tools to share what is happening instantly. The slow pace... Read more →

Continuous Improvement Through Experiments

お早うございます / おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu), good morning. For many years I worked with a global organiza... Read more →

Why Truth is Important to us

“We hold these truths to be self-evident.” [Declaration of Independence] Truth is not as obvious a concept for us. After writing a very popular book On Bullshit, where he explores the question from a philosophical perspective as to why to go with vast amount of experience we have on how, Harry G. Frankfurt wrote another short think piece On Truth. The reason and purpose of writing this second book was to fill a gap identified in the argument against bullshit -- an explanation of “the value and importance of truth,” and a reason why we should care about it. The... Read more →

Jim Carrey: the Most Valuable Currency There is

When we talk about leadership, we typically do not think beyond the world of business, maybe politics, maybe academia, maybe we expand our definition to include people at any level of an organization. But do we think about writers? They open new worlds for us through which we can imagine better. For example, J.K. Rawling's Harvard Commencement Address was an opportunity to reflect on how what we achieve inwardly will change outer reality. How about actors? They provide experiences through which we live vicariously, try on new stories, confront our fears and other emotions. The ancient Greeks had a term... Read more →

Ricky Gervais on Separating Sand From Bedrock

In a short interview with Esquire, Ricky Gervais talks about Winston Churchill, Caligula, Gandhi, being invited back to the Globes, why he'll never host the Oscars, and honesty. Sir Winston Churchill understood the purpose of art: Churchill's advisors once came to him and said, “We're going to stop all funding for the arts so we can put that into the war effort.” And Churchill said, “Then what are we fighting for?” Sends a chill down my spine. Incredible. Comedy is about truth, says Gervais, and it gets better when it tackles big questions: “I think comedy has to be an... Read more →

Jeff Weiner: the Origins, Being Purpose-Driven, and his Work at LinkedIn

An in depth conversation between Re/Code Kara Swisher and LinkedIn CEO by Jeff Weiner that covers the early days of his career, his conversations with his father, and how each successive job eventually led to the CEO post at the social network. Weiner spotted the rise of convergence of digital, media, and education, etc. early on - circa 1994 - and thought “it was going to completely change the way many industries would manifest themselves.” He says: In the cover letter, I mentioned that I was of the belief that it was going to be content that was increasingly going... Read more →

Making Sense: What does it Mean to be Cool?

What does it mean to be cool? It’s a means of standing out, as well as a way of fitting in. In studying the brain, economists have found that when we consume products from status brands, it actually gives us a way to create social networks, friendships, alliances. An eight-minute segment by PBS with Steven Quartz, co-author of Cool: How the Brain's Hidden Quest for Cool Drives Our Economy and Shapes Our World. Still time to subscribe to Learning Habit weekly, which includes new posts, articles around the web, and books I’m reading on topics ranging from business, technology, culture,... Read more →

The Role of Luck in our Lives

In How to Get Lucky: 13 techniques for discovering and taking advantage of life's good breaks, Max Gunther says: luck is one of the most important elements in men's and women's lives. Indeed, in many lives it is unequivocally the most important. Yet, strangely, people don't talk about it much. In fact, most people are reluctant to acknowledge luck's huge influence. Why do we deny the role of luck? We deny the role of luck because: (1) we prefer to think we are in control of our plans and actions, (2) discussing luck diminishes our role, (3) our culture is... Read more →

How to Write a Good Invitation to Connect

Social media makes reaching out to contacts and new people simpler. Because activity means business for them and the brands who use the platforms alongside us, the main networks strive to eliminate friction. Channeling culture Serendipity abounds on Twitter, checking up on college mates, family, and friends is the daily Facebook value proposition, being in the moment is a click away with Instagram and SnapChat, exchanging the subtext in meetings is a snap with WhatsApp, and working on our career improvement is a few well-placed links away on LinkedIn. Each social network has its limitations, features, and culture -- and... Read more →