Use the four reasons rule to decide if a meeting is worthwhile. The dimmer switch mentality. Notes on China
Welcome to a new issue of the newsletter, “Journal of discoveries.”
Each week, I check a list of hundreds of sources of inspiration to spot exciting articles, videos, podcasts, and books on personal development, leadership, management, technology, and innovation.
While this newsletter will remain a free resource, you might consider becoming a paid subscriber to support my work, and get access to my searchable Notion database. Thanks!
And now, let’s dive in!
Have you ever wanted to be different in how you express your ideas? 💡
My friend Pejman Milani has been teaching Thinking in Visual Metaphors for the last year.
In three weeks, he shows how you can turn your ideas into your own unique visuals, and you don’t need to be Leonardo da Vinci to make visual metaphors 😉
📢🗓️ I’ll have the pleasure of hosting a bonus session with him on LinkedIn and personal branding on Sunday 30th 15:00 CET
We will talk about:
The mindset for sharing ideas online
Connections and networking
Content and planning
And yes, analytics
Thinking in Visual Metaphors is rated one of the top Design courses on Maven with 400+ students and 100+ testimonials giving it 10/10.
PJ is a constant source of inspiration and a wonderful example of how to encourage everyone to express their creativity, and the testimonials from his course are another proof of that. His energy and joy in sharing and teaching others are infectious.
His enthusiasm for helping people reach their creative potential is motivating and connects deeply with my coaching training, and reminds me of the fact that "people are naturally creative, full of resources and whole".
You can sign up here with a 10% discount using the code “FERRARO10” 🙌
One “must” for this week
A study shows our meeting time has tripled since the pandemic, but we may be too afraid of looking disengaged to decline them.
Adam Grant offers a simple solution: only meet for one of four reasons - to learn, decide, do, or bond.
Learning meetings work best when you've got someone with valuable expertise sharing interactive insights that directly improve your work.
The other good reasons to meet?
When you need collective decisions that everyone will support
When collaboration produces better results than solo work
And when strengthening team relationships is the goal.
And I would add choosing intentionally (if we can) between in-person and remote.
Personal development
The dimmer switch mentality
No, you don’t get an A for effort
Powerful life lessons from my mentor
How to find work you love
We live like royalty and don’t know it
How to create your own luck
Innovation
LLMs as AGI: problems and solutions
Superintelligence imagined creative contest
Crossing the uncanny valley of conversational voice
AI agents are changing how people shop. Here’s what that means for brands.
AI promise and chip precariousness
The ChatGPT prompts that can be $1B+ companies
The art of the pivot
Leadership and management
Use the four reasons rule to decide if a meeting is worthwhile
Schrödinger’s cat at work: when performance and perception collide
Why successful culture design requires more than recipes
Rigorous thinking: no lazy thinking
Feedback: how to receive it and what to do with it
When employees take sabbaticals, organizations benefit
One book
“Rethinking Work: Seismic Changes in the Where, When, and Why” by Rishad Tobaccowala
See you next Saturday,
Roberto
How to deal with our emotions in stressful situations
What if you could turn stressful situations into opportunities for success?
No matter our role or job, we all face stressful situations daily, and the way we manage these situations can determine whether we get what we need or not.
Lousin Mehrabi is a professional negotiator and inspirational speaker.
She is considered one of the top 50 most impactful people on LinkedIn, and she is one of the people who constantly inspires me.
She works with top teams to help them get the best out of themselves and their teams, and she shares insights on negotiation, emotional intelligence and personal growth.
I’m excited to invite you to a LinkedIn Live event with Lousin:
📅 Wednesday, March 19th⏰ 16:00 CET / 19:00 GST
We will talk about how to deal with our emotions in stressful situations and get what we need.
📌 What will you get?
Proven strategies on managing emotions under pressure
Practical techniques to turn stressful situations into productive outcomes
Actionable advice that works in both professional and personal contexts
Insights on "Peace Negotiations with Yourself"
And the opportunity to ask questions directly to Lousin!
Whenever you're ready, here's how I can support you
1:1 coaching. Join me on a co-active coaching journey to explore your values and purpose and transform your life.
The Archive. Posting on social media? Save hours with my curated content archive; never run out of ideas! Choose a topic, read, write, and publish!
Content creation consulting. In two years, I went from zero to 250.000+ curious minds following my work. I will share with you what worked and what to avoid.
License my illustrations to enhance your message and reach your goals. I created more than 1.000 unique illustrations, generating millions of impressions, and you can also use them.