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As organizations grapple with rapid developments in technology and policy while also balancing shifting market conditions and financial realities, having a deep bench of leadership talent is crucial. However, a recent survey from TalentLMS, found that 45% of managers say their companies arent doing enough to develop future leaders. One of the key issues is that companies are using a narrow scope in offering leadership development opportunities, says Nikhil Arora, CEO of learning technology company Epignosis, the parent company of TalentLMS. A lot of companies kind of limit the leadership development to the top 1%, leaving behind the remaining 99%, he says. Arora says the survey found a number of areas where respondents said their companies are lacking key efforts to develop leaders. Just 8% found their companies’ leadership initiatives effective. Fortunately experts say there are ways to strengthen theses areas of weakness and help companies get better at leadership development. Develop leaders at all levels The TalentLMS survey found that the top two areas where leaders found companies lacking were in offering leadership training programs (43%) and developing new talent from within (42%). These stats dont surprise workplace consultant Melissa Swift, author of Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace. She says that one key issue is that companies often focus leadership training on employees who are already in on a leadership track or who are near the top of the organization, overlooking promising talent at other levels. She says that leadership development efforts, including leadership training programs, should be integrated throughout the company and supported. One issue that I’ve heard repeatedly across organizations is, You did this wonderful leadership development program with us, but then you don’t have interesting on the job development opportunities for us to follow that up, she says. Companies don’t have to necessarily spend more money on [leadership development], but how do we get people the right experiences through their day-to-day work? Focus on the leaders you need Forty-one percent of respondents said their companies often fail at identifying leadership skills gaps and in being transparent about selecting and promoting leaders. Leadership consultant Lori Mazan, author of Leadership Revolution: The Future of Developing Dynamic Leaders, says that companies need to focus on a few things to get their leadership development programs right. Mazan advises looking at your overall goals for leaders within your organization and be sure youre developing a range of leaders with the skills your company needs. Arora agrees. Your No. 1 [key performance indicator] and what you’re going to be measured by as a manager is going to be: How are you developing your talent? he says. Transparency is also important, Mazan says. She also advises developing leaders in alignment with your company culture. She recalls a former client whose culture was very amiable and people focused. When the company hired new employees who had been at a competitor where the culture was very hard-driving, the styles often cause friction. After a month, they’d be hiring me to coach them, because that style of hard driving leadership didn’t fit in the other company that was more let me help you, she recalls. Mentorship matters Four in 10 survey respondents said that their companies are lacking mentorship programs. Thats an area that should not only be developed, but expanded, Arora says. Mentoring isnt just senior managers advising more junior workers anymore, although that still remains important. He encourages others to follow his lead and have younger mentors, as well, who can help them keep a finger on the pulse of where change is happening and what people from their cohort are thinking. You need somebody younger and you need somebody older, he says. Identifying leadership skills gaps and, in response, developing leaders across the organization with programs, transparency, and mentorship can help fill in the missing pieces that hinder leadership development.
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Even if you’re a regular Alexa user, there’s a good chance you haven’t discovered some of its most efficient features. Actually, strike that: Theres a good chance youre only using your Alexa device to set timers and play music. But Alexa does so much more! Here are five commands to add to your vernacular that could save you tons of time with regular use. “Alexa, check traffic” Once you link your home and work addresses in the Alexa app, simply asking to check traffic will give the time between your home and office by defaultalways handy when youre heading out the door. You also can ask for traffic conditions to a certain destination. Alexa just told me that traffic from my house to the nearest Whole Foods is sluggishitd take me a whole six minutes to get there. Good thing I saved so much time asking for traffic conditions, eh? Alexa, add jelly to my shopping list Writing a shopping list by hand? A fools errand. Opening an app and typing a list by hand? A suckers gambit. As you notice ingredients running low, just say “Alexa, add [blank] to my shopping list.” The items will appear in your Alexa app’s shopping list, ready for your next grocery run. You can even check what’s on your list by asking, “Alexa, what’s on my shopping list?” before running to the store. “Alexa, announce that its time for lunch” Its 2025enough shouting up and down the stairs. Instead, say, “Alexa, announce that its time for lunch.” Your message will immediately be broadcast to all Alexa devices in your home at the same time, just like a fancy-schmancy intercom system. “Alexa, find my phone” My wife never reads these articles, so Im safe telling you that while she was frantically searching for her phone the other day, it turned out that it was in her hand. Not all lost phones are so easy to find! For the tougher tests, Alexa can call your wayward device and you can follow the ringtone. There are a couple slight catches: Youll need to do a one-time setup so Alexa knows which number to call, and you only get three free calls each month. If youre asked whether you want to sign up for a free trial of the premium phone-finding service, just say no and Alexa will place the call. Alexa, remind me . . . Just as a glorified note-to-self, Alexa is a lifesaver. There are a few ways you can ask it to remember things for you. First, just ask Alexa to remember something. Itll store it in the notes section of the Alexa app on your phone. Second, ask it to remind you of something at a certain time. Itll . . . well, you get the idea. And the best one is asking Alexa to remind you of something when youre at a certain place. If youve enabled location in the phone app, it can remind you to get Band-Aids the next time youre at Walgreens. Its almost too easy.
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E-Commerce
The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. Most ordinary people know little about the calculus, statistics, linear algebra, logic, and programming languages required to design projects and products to leverage artificial intelligence. However, we are not exempt from using products and services that rely on AI. If we do not learn how to maximize these tools, our organizationsbusinesses, schools, and governmentswill have less ability to generate income and a lower quality of life compared to those who do. What is most unsettling is the general lack of knowledge about logic, mathematics, and grammatical syntax that may affect AIs creation and usage. Set theory Consider set theory in mathematics, introduced indirectly in elementary school. Basic concepts like classification, grouping, and counting objects, form its foundation. During middle school, students learn set definitions, notation, and representations (listing elements, Venn diagrams), set operations (union, intersection, difference, and complements), and relationships between sets (subsets, empty sets, disjointed sets, universal sets). By high school, students face set theory with greater complexity. Applications are presented in discrete mathematics, relationships between sets and probabilities, numerical sets and related algebraic operations, and advanced concepts to introduce mathematical logic. You might be wondering where this is going. Logical reasoning Set theory feeds into logic: the science and art of reasoning correctly. Logic studies the principles of valid thought, structuring rules and methods that help evaluate the consistency and validity of arguments, deductions, and propositions. Modern mathematics is built on set theory, itself a logical system. Logic provides the structure and principles underpinning mathematical reasoning. Concepts such as implication, equivalence, negation, and quantification are fundamental logical tools used in mathematics. Logical reasoning uses symbols and formulas to represent propositions and inferences. It is essential for solving mathematical problems. In mathematics, logic explores topics like set theory and computability theory. Were circling back to the topic again. Logic helps children (and adults) break problems into smaller, more manageable parts and tackle them systematically. When solving a puzzle, logical reasoning helps them identify patterns, rules, or constraints. Chess, Sudoku, mazes, and building blocks simultaneously develop logical thinking and problem-solving skills. In math and science, solving problems logically is intrinsic to solving equations, understanding patterns, and conducting experiments. Grammar And what about grammar? Although the proposition might seem counterintuitive, grammatical syntax has a direct relationship with mathematics, particularly set theory and logic. In traditional grammar, syntax refers to the set of rules dictating how words and phrases are organized to form sentences. Grammatical classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives) combine according to rules, and sentences have hierarchical structures (clauses, phrases). Syntax rules determine whether a sentence is grammatically correct, and in linguistic analysis (parsing), understanding sentences involves breaking them into parts. Noam Chomsky’s generative grammar theory describes the implicit rules and principles underlying natural language structure. It demonstrates how sentences are generated from a finite set of rules to create infinite possible expressions in a language. Programming languages also have syntaxrules determining the correct structure of commands and expressions. Code elements (variables, functions, loops) combine using the specific rules of the language to form programs, which also have hierarchical structures (functions, blocks, modules). Like linguistic analysis, compilers and interpreters analyze code by breaking it into tokens (parts) and examining its structure. Algorithms and AI You might think this article was supposed to be about using artificial intelligence, not creating computational models. And you’re right. One important concept for using AI’s capabilities is the notion of intervals. Defining intervals enable users to separate, structure, search, and manipulate information in databases or directly within documents. This concept, widely used in set theory, is fundamental to logic, and connects logic to computer science, artificial intelligence, and dynamic systems. It also plays a critical role in syntax, particularly in structural analysis, grammatical hierarchy, and even natural language processing. Ultimately, mathematics, logic, and grammatical syntax are fundamental to structuring algorithms. It’s worth emphasizing the classical definition of an algorithm, originating in the 9th century: a finite set of well-defined, step-by-step instructions for completing a task or solving a problem. Develop natural algorithms The brain has specialized areas for numerical and logical processing (parietal lobe) and specific regions dedicated to grammar and syntax (Brocas and Wernickes areas). These regions integrate their functions to create dynamic problem-solving strategies that mimic algorithmic thinking, unconsciously generating “natural algorithms” to tackle everyday challenges, such as planning a route or making decisions based on available data, evaluating options, and predicting outcomes. The correlation between mathematics, grammar, and the brains ability to create natural algorithms for solving daily problems reveals a shared reliance on structured logical thinking and generative creativity. This interconnectedness highlights the brains remarkable ability to abstract rules, recognize patterns, and develop natural algorithms to navigate the complexities of daily life. A logical proposition is that our young people must be well-versed in fundamental mathematics and written language proficiency for a single purpose: to train their cognitive engines to develop natural algorithms, and then artificial ones, which increasingly mimic the human brain. This way they can keep up with the times, which are being radically reshaped by humanitys computational capabilities. For parents, a logical takeaway is the idea of increasing their childrens instructional time in this cognitive set. What skills are most important? Calibrating the educational curriculum and workload has been a persistent challenge for educators. The current technological revolution makes this challenge even more pronounced. What is the correct workload for each subject to keep young people in step with evolution? Will mathematics, logic, and grammar gain more importance than subjects like history, geography, or chemistry? A realistic perspective considers these skills as foundational as others, which are also taught in knowledge blockslessons, sections, chapters, umbered exercises, and, ultimately, structured intervals. Indeed, this structure is what students use globally, with tools like Google and now ChatGPT to support their studies (in best-case scenario). Value creation We are not looking for passive users if we aim for a better world. Technologies based on set theory, grammar, and logic were the foundation for social media and other revolutionary applications in recent years. Billions around the world improved their cultural awareness and their daily life, but we cant exactly say that these applications created value for all of them. The common usability of AI, such as addressing everyday inquiries, solving household essentials, drafting texts, creating videos, or using preset tools in the workplace, will certainly deliver significant benefits to the general population, much like its predecessor technologies did. However, this time, technology should go further by driving value creation that is more equally distributed, enhancing economic output for people around the world. Rodrigo Magnago is the director of rere.eco.
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