Page 17 - The Interconnected Individual: Seizing Opportunity in the Era of AI, Platforms, Apps, and Global Exchanges

60 THE INTERCONNECTED INDIVIDUAL

career. Understanding yourself and how well you work with others are the
best places to start in becoming an interconnected individual.
As Satya Nadella suggests, this “humanistic approach” to self and others is
a core value to harness AI for the benefit of all: “how we experience the world is
through communications and collaboration. If we are interested in machines
that work with us, then we cannot ignore the humanistic approach.” 2

Vision Matters

Let’s begin with a simple question. Who influences, mentors, and inspires
you? Is it an author, teacher, family member, boss, peer? What did you
learn or what impressed you about them? If you had never been inspired
by anyone you can think of, then watch Randy Pausch: Achieving Your
3
Childhood Dreams on YouTube. Pausch, dying from cancer, presents a
lecture to an audience who knew him. He describes his life so his kids
would know who he was, and in the process teaches the rest of us how we
can approach fulfilling our own dreams.
We previously cited Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, as a visionary creat-
ing a future in which he can help to connect all entrepreneurs to markets
through equal access to the global marketplace. His focus is on customers
and employees—a refreshing alternate to the short-term quarterly profit
motive of too many corporations, who put the stock trader first.
Each of us can have a vision.

Start with Your Authentic Self

Daniel Pink has developed a set of values that can be a start for your
4
self-exploration. Determine how important each is to you. Then, assess
which career goals align with your values (Table 5.1).

2 S. Nadella. 2017. Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a
Better Future for Everyone (New York, NY: Harper Collins), p. 204.
3 R. Pausch. 2007. Really Achieving your Childhood Dreams, Video ( Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon
University). https://www.ted.com/talks/randy_pausch_really_achieving_your_childhood_dreams
4 D.H. Pink. 2011. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us (New York,
NY: Riverhead Books).