Pro Humans

Give this one a read, dear friends (click here).

It's fun to have a research brand "imagine a future" where humans earning $12 an hour are fired, replaced by automation that is ultimately sold by the brands that pay the research organizations to write articles about imagining a future where technology replaces humans. It's fun to provide thought leadership!! In fact, it's fun to not have to be accountable for firing humans. Ask your favorite researcher who writes thought leadership articles like the one referenced above.

• Aside: Years ago, the salary structure of my team was being modified by a compensation manager. The individual modifying the salary structure certainly enjoyed the changes - heck, he was bonused for exceeding his objectives in making the changes. I asked the compensation manager to help me out, since half of my team would take a pay cut as a result. The compensation manager said "no". I then refused to implement his changes unless he came to my department meeting and communicated the changes to my team, taking accountability for the changes he was forcing upon my analysts. His response? "I don't want to do that!" Well, of course you don't want to do that! It's fun to cut pay for people you don't know and don't ever have to talk to. Regardless, I refused to implement his changes unless he addressed my team. Needless to say, my team was promptly compensated. It's funny what happens when the individual responsible for ruining lives has to face the accountability of communicating said ruination.

The whole omnichannel movement is offensive. You know it. I know it. Vegetable lasagna knows it (bonus points to those who know what that reference means). Vendors demand that you fire humans and install their technology instead. Consultants claim that "the customer", whoever that is, would rather be served by a robot than a human. They tell you that you have to align all your channels or you are "dead", even though Amazon aligns nothing and crushes your online business in the process.

Try to be a human being.

Try to have compassion for others.

You can transition your business to the future and maintain a semblance of humanity in the process. Stay away from the cold attitude of the linked article. Be kind.