#human capital consultants

[dei360]

What We Want Our Future Leaders To Know

What will make a future leader successful? I explored this in my piece, *Portrait of a Future Leader, published as part of Upwork’s Work: Reimagined series on Medium. Really getting down to the nitty-gritty of how major workforce trends will affect leaders was exciting. But I don’t know everything.

What will make a future leader successful? I explored this in my piece, *Portrait of a Future Leader, published as part of Upwork’s Work: Reimagined series on Medium. Really getting down to the nitty-gritty of how major workforce trends will affect leaders was exciting. But I don’t know everything.

I would love for you to weigh in— what’s one quality a future leader absolutely must have?

It turns out we have some of the same ideas. Here are five qualities that I believe are imperative for future leaders, and the valuable perspectives of my peers.

1. High Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

What does a leader with a high EQ look like? They’re curious about people they don’t know, aware of their strengths and weaknesses, skilled in active listening, and aware of their own emotional states, enabling them to respond rather than react.

The qualities that indicate a high EQ are also valued by my peers.

The qualities that indicate a high EQ are also valued by my peers.

I appreciate Susan bringing up compassion, a quality that in the past may have been viewed as a weakness in leaders. A teenager recently asked me how to improve his EQ. I told him to practice kindness and compassion.

You may be asking, isn’t a high EQ important for our current leaders? Yes, it is very important. But in the future, organizations will not be as centralized, and hierarchy will diminish in importance. Leaders will be constantly creating and dismantling teams to complete projects, which requires a strong understanding of building and maintaining relationships.

Another important part of relationship building and maintenance is being a proponent of a purpose-driven strategy and culture.

2. Proponent of a Purpose-Driven Strategy and Culture

The purpose at work is a major driver for the future of work. Leaders will measure success on more than profit and loss.

Last year, Aaron Hurst, author of The Purpose Economy, wrote in The Guardian that we’re “experiencing the rise of the fourth economy in our history, in which a sense of purpose is recognized as a critical human need and driver of innovation.”

He explained that this critical human need was sacrificed in the industrial and technological economies in order to maximize efficiency and scale.

So how does a future leader create a purpose-driven strategy and culture? It starts with valuing more than just profit. He or she must also prioritize the personal development of employees, along with the sense of purpose that each employee embodies, all while continuing to focus on tangible deliverables like targeted goals and bottom-line commitments.

Personal development is also a key to being a successful future leader. The desire to learn is a must.

3. Lifelong Learning

We’ve all witnessed how quickly technology has changed the fabric of our world. The increasing global pace of growth only adds to that rapid-fire change. In order to keep pace, a leader must be constantly learning. Whether this happens in the form of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) or peer-to-peer information exchange is irrelevant. What matters is that the leader of the future wants to learn on a continual basis and prioritizes this need for education.

I agree with Kathleen. Yet many leaders say they don’t have time to learn new skills. So how can organizations instill a sense of constant learning in the cultural DNA? This is an important question to answer as we move into the future of work.

Learning goes beyond mastering the latest technology trends. The demographic makeup of the future workforce is going to be different, requiring leaders to learn to be more culturally aware and able to eliminate bias and discrimination.

4. Diverse to the Core

Future leaders are not straight, white, and male by default. So say goodbye to ‘pale, male, and stale’ and hello to diversity.

Today, only 3.8% of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies are minorities. This, is despite minorities making up a full 36% of the American workforce. In the future, what we consider minorities will be the majority of consumers, clients, employees, and leaders. This requires that the leaders of the future understand their diverse employees and consumers.

5. Entrepreneurial Mindset

Our new workforce will function as more of an ecosystem than a pyramid, so leaders of the future need to have an entrepreneurial mindset; they need to be agile and innovative. Their ability to pivot, pull teams together quickly, and exhibit out-of-the-box thinking will influence their success in a decentralized structure that is constantly evolving.

Jennifer and Paul make a good point. Part of being entrepreneurial is pulling together people who will fill the gaps in your abilities, inspire you, and take you to the next level. There is no room for feeling threatened in the future of work. Entrepreneurs need to be too good to ignore.

Outside of the five qualities I believe exemplify our future leaders, Mike brings a valid quality to the table.

Leaders of the future will be facing an exciting and ever-evolving workplace and economic landscape. If they do not believe in themselves, they will become daunted by all of the change happening around them. A leader needs to create a vision that people believe in and want to contribute to. That takes confidence.

There’s a tsunami of change ahead but the changes will deeply enrich the culture of organizations. With a high EQ, purpose-driven motivation, a love of learning, a deep interest in diversity, and an entrepreneurial mindset, the leaders of the future will surely thrive.

Now it’s your turn.  What’s one quality a future leader absolutely must have? I can’t wait to continue the discussion.

Let us share experiences. Leave a comment below, send us an email, or find us on Twitter.

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#top leadership consulting firms #executive coaching dc #leadership development consulting #human capital strategic consulting #benefits of executive coaching #human capital consultants

[centerforhci]

Leadership And The Lost Art Of Listening

I heard Richard Branson on the Diane Rehm show, and he spoke about something extremely important for successful leadership: listening. I find Branson’s comments on listening to be spot-on:

“I think not enough business leaders know the art of listening. They love to hear their own voices. And I was fortunate to learn from a young age that other people — by listening to other people, you learn an awful lot more than by listening to yourself.” — Richard Branson

From my experience, listening is a lost art. This holds true particularly for leaders and entrepreneurs.

Why don’t leaders listen? Though Branson jokes that they love to hear their own voices, there are two main reasons. For one, we are never taught how to carefully listen. And secondly, society sets leaders and entrepreneurs up to be expected to have all the answers.

In this clip from my interview with Cornell University, I talk about the three levels of listening, and how leaders can develop relationships and trust if they are able to use all three. I also talk about how important it is for leaders to ask questions. Asking and listening go hand in hand.

Do you find that you are good at fully listening to others? Is listening to a challenge for you? I’d love to hear your ideas about why listening may be difficult for leaders. Also, if you have experience working on your listening skills, let us know what steps you have taken.

Read the full transcript of Richard Branson’s interview on the Diane Rehm here.

Leave a comment below, send me an email, or find me on Twitter.

#top leadership consulting firms #executive coaching dc #leadership development consulting #human capital strategic consulting #benefits of executive coaching #human capital consultants

[humancap947]

Unlocking Potential: The Power of Human Capital Consulting

In the ever-evolving landscape of modern business, companies are constantly seeking new ways to gain a competitive edge. While technological advancements and innovative strategies often take center stage, one crucial aspect that is sometimes overlooked is human capital. Simply put, the people within an organization are its most valuable asset. Recognizing this, many companies are turning to human capital consulting firms to optimize their workforce and unlock their full potential. In this article, we'll explore what human capital consulting is, its benefits, and how it can revolutionize businesses.

#Human Capital Consulting

[beechamber]

Strategic Staffing: The Impact of Human Capital Consulting on Talent Acquisition & Retention

Talent acquisition and retention are essential for organisational success in the cutthroat business world of today. Human capital consulting is essential to assist businesses in strategically managing their workforce and drawing and keeping top talent. The effect of human capital consulting on strategies for attracting and keeping talent is examined in this article.

Human capital consulting firms focus on assisting businesses in determining their talent requirements and creating plans to draw in the best applicants. They collaborate closely with HR departments to comprehend the company's culture, values, and objectives and ensure that recruitment efforts reflect these elements. Using their knowledge, human resource consultants can assist companies in finding high-potential applicants, streamlining the hiring process, as well as improving their employer brand to draw in top talent.

One of the key advantages of employing human capital consulting for talent acquisition is having access to a wider pool of talent. Due to their extensive networks and resources, experts connect with passive candidates who may not be actively looking for new opportunities. This can guarantee that a business has access to the greatest personnel, improving their hiring endeavours.

Human resource consultants can also assist companies in enhancing their hiring procedures. Consultants can identify candidates who not only meet the necessary education and experience requirements but also align well with the organisation's culture by using data-driven insights and assessment procedures. In the end, companies can save time and money by improving their hiring procedures and observing decreased employee turnover.

Maintaining elite talent is the next challenge after hiring them. Human resource consulting firms can help businesses create all-encompassing retention strategies that prioritise the growth, development, and welfare of their workforce. Consultants can help organisations identify areas for improvement and implement initiatives that increase job satisfaction and loyalty through regular staff surveys, assessments, and feedback sessions.

Businesses and human capital consulting firms can collaborate to close skill gaps in their workforce. Through skill evaluations and gap analyses, consultants can pinpoint areas in which staff members might benefit from further education or training. They can then collaborate with businesses to create training curricula that focus on these areas, guaranteeing that staff members have the abilities required to conduct their jobs well. Enhancing job satisfaction and retention are two benefits that come from this for employees.

By putting strategies into place that promote a positive work environment and a sense of belonging, human capital consultants can assist organisations in increasing employee engagement. These include programmes for career development, recognition, and flexible work schedules. Through enhancing employee engagement, companies can lower attrition and boost productivity.

Plans for career development and succession planning are two areas where human capital consultants can assist organisations. Companies can increase employee motivation and retention by offering opportunities for development and promotion. Consultants can also help organisations find and nurture the next generation of leaders, ensuring that their operations have a strong talent pool to sustain their long-term growth and success.

In summary, human capital consulting is essential to an organisation's ability to draw in and keep top talent. Consultants may help companies create strategic plans for talent acquisition and retention that complement their corporate objectives by using their knowledge and resources. Investments in human capital consulting put businesses in a strong position to develop high-achieving teams that propel their companies forward as the talent market becomes more competitive.

#business #human capital consulting

[artisticdivasworld]

Leveraging Outsourcing for Strategic Growth

In the dynamic landscape of small business operations, the strategic decision to outsource Accounts Receivable (A/R) functions can unlock significant growth potential. While the immediate benefits of outsourcing—such as improved cash flow, reduced overhead costs, and enhanced efficiency—are well-documented, there’s a transformative opportunity that often goes underexplored: the re-skilling of…

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#business agility #business efficiency #cash flow management #competitive advantage #cost savings #employee training programs #employee value #financial operations #fostering innovation #Freight #freight industry #Freight Revenue Consultants #human capital #increased engagement #innovative workforce #job satisfaction #logistics #operational efficiency #Outsourcing A/R #profit-generating activities #re-skilling employees #retention strategy #role transition #small business growth #small carriers #strategic advantage #strategic goals alignment #strategic planning #talent development #Transportation

[skinnyazn]

Aaaa so I’m at a major career crossroads of girl bossing again and making $$$$$ OR just creating and making art and hoping it works out. Idk what to dooo

#I’ve already consulted the cards #they said stfu and just make a choice #also I turn 30 next year and I’m 😵‍💫😵‍💫 #as the daughter of an immigrant I can’t afford to not girl boss #but as a human #I just wanna create art all day #😭 #damn u capitalism!!!

[caramel12345]

HR Innovations & Growth | FYI Solutions

Innovate your HR practices for sustained growth and competitive advantage. Visit today https://fyisolutions.com

#Human Capital Services #Cloud Security Services #Risk Management Services #Project Management Services #Network Monitoring Services #Software Testing Services #Business Process Management Services #Staff Augmentation Services #Customized Software Development Services #Azure Consulting Services

[gurushrconsultancy]

Investing in the Future: Nurturing Young Talent through Human Capital Development

Gurus HR Consultancy is rising as a leader in providing the best HR Consultancy Services in Liberia. Gurus HR Consultancy is proud to announce its unwavering commitment to promoting talent & improving the workforce's abilities through its complete human capital development program. As a reliable partner in Liberia's human capital management landscape, Gurus HR Consultancy is set to drive positive change, both for organizations and individuals.

Program of Human Capital Development 

Gurus HR Consultancy's Program for Human Capital Development is designed to manage the growing requirements of businesses in Liberia. By nurturing talent, honing skills, and aligning employees with organizational goals, this program paves the way for sustainable growth & success. In a constantly upgrading business environment, investing in human capital is essential, and Gurus HR Consultancy stands at the forefront of this transformation. The program provides various strategic solutions according to the needs of each client. 

A Commitment to the Future

Gurus HR Consultancy's commitment to nurturing talent extends beyond the present; it is an investment in the future of Liberia's workforce. This program aims to create a skilled, engaged & adaptable workforce that can drive organizations toward sustained excellence.

Gurus HR Consultancy's capital development is a testament to its dedication to providing innovative, customized, and results-driven solutions to its clients in Liberia and beyond.

Driving Economic Growth

By focusing on human capital development, Gurus HR Consultancy contributes significantly to Liberia's economic growth. A skilled & motivated workforce is crucial for attracting investments and fostering entrepreneurship, which, in turn, leads to job creation and economic prosperity. Gurus HR Consultancy's role in this process is pivotal, as it equips individuals with the skills needed to excel in a competitive job market and empowers businesses to thrive.

Sustainable Development

Gurus HR Consultancy's Liberia human capital management aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4 (Quality Education) and Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). By enhancing education & skills training and promoting productive employment, Gurus HR Consultancy actively contributes to a more sustainable and inclusive society.

Global Expertise, Local Impact

While Gurus HR Consultancy has a global perspective, its focus remains local. The consultancy understands the unique challenges faced by businesses in Liberia, including the dynamic regulatory environment and the need for a skilled workforce. By leveraging its global expertise and tailoring solutions to local requirements, Gurus HR Consultancy ensures that its clients achieve success on a regional and international scale.

Looking Ahead

Gurus HR Consultancy's commitment to nurturing talent and promoting human capital development is a testament to its vision for Liberia's future. As the business landscape continues to evolve, Gurus HR Consultancy remains steadfast in its dedication to fostering growth, enhancing skills, and driving success.

For more information about this program and its HR Consultancy Services in Liberia, please visit gurushrconsultancy.com.

About Gurus HR Consultancy:

Gurus HR Consultancy is an ISO 27001 Certified, Labor certified, one-stop HR consultancy services in Liberia. Established in 2019, Gurus HR Consultancy is committed to providing Human Resource and management services to the private and public sectors in Liberia, while also conducting research and finding solutions to human resources problems locally and globally. Gurus HR Consultancy is the Approved Education Provider (AEP) for the Talent Management Institute in Liberia and the KPI Institute for Performance Management and Balanced Scorecard, among other certifications.

Media Contact:

[Monrovia, Liberia

[email protected]

([phone]https://gurushrconsultancy.com/ ]

#liberia human capital management #premier hr consultancy firm in liberia #human capital development program #hr outsourcing companies liberia

[thetaplowgroup]

#human capital development #human resource consulting firm #human capital consultancy services

[erpadvisorsgroup]

Why Really Great HCM Software Should Matter to Your Business

Join ERP Advisors Group this Thursday, August 17th, where ERP expert Shawn Windle will explore the business opportunities made possible through the right HCM solution. Reserve your spot using the link below ⬇️

#erp consulting services #human capital management #erp consultant

[kaymiteconsulting]

At Kaymite Consulting, our human capital consulting firm building a winning team is essential to the success of any organization. Our expert consultants provide customized solutions to help you attract, develop, and retain top talent, maximizing your human capital and driving your business forward. Contact us today to learn more about our human capital consulting services.

#Building a Winning Team: Human Capital Consulting at Its Best

[aeinvicta]

#Company Formation Services #Human Capital Management #Management Consulting #Business Management Consultant #Management Consulting Companies #Financial Management #Financial Service Company

[centerforhci]

Why I’m A Hypocrite And My Challenge With Mental Energy

I’m a hypocrite. There, I said it.

Leadership, both personal and professional, is an energy game. But it takes more than physical energy for peak performance. Leaders need abundant physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy to manage their stress and perform their best. And just like professional athletes, leaders need to train properly, regularly and on purpose to achieve the results they’re after. I help leaders do just that in Lunch & Learns, half-day workshops and even 8-week online courses.

So here I was—teaching leaders how to balance their energy—yet grinding my teeth at night. Waking up in the middle of the night with my heart racing, thinking about work and then getting up at 3am to answer emails. Snapping at my team for no reason, putting undue pressure on them.

I’m Good at Talking the Talk, But I Haven’t Been Walking the Walk

I was not walking the walk and practicing my own teachings. It was time to step back and assess what was going on. I was totally out of whack! So I did an energy assessment of myself, just like I would for a client.

My Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Energy Level Assessment

• Physical: I eat well and exercise regularly. My recent check-up showed that I had the physical energy of someone a decade younger.

• Emotional: My EQ is fairly high. When I’m not stressed, I can manage difficult situations and people with empathy and patience.

• Spiritual: I know my values and refer to them regularly.

• Mental: I have the attention span of a flea; I can’t focus on anything for more than a few minutes, and my brain is on constant overdrive. No surprise that this is my weakest area. In fact, my husband calls me a shark, because I literally can’t sit down for more than an hour without jumping up to do something.

I Have the Attention Span of a Flea

Hmmm.. this is going to be a challenge. Ask me to run a marathon and I’ll train daily for it. Tell me to go gluten-free and I’m on a baking frenzy. Offer me the chance to work with emotional teams and I can’t wait. Tell me something ‘can’t be done’ and I will find a solution or at least a work-around. Yet, invite me to sit and read a book? I read the first chapter and then the last chapter (no joke) to save time. Buy me a cuppa? I’ll start getting antsy after 30 minutes. So working on my mental energy to improve my focus is going to be hard.

Very hard.

My Shark-Like Behavior Was Impacting My Family and Team

Yet I had to do it. Not only was my shark-like behavior impacting my sleep, it was also impacting my team and family. In addition, I felt like a total hypocrite. It’s like Ellen Page saying she had to come out while filming Freeheld; I can’t teach energy management and not practice it myself.

So where to begin on this journey?

I Started With My Limiting Beliefs

First, I had to look at my limiting beliefs, or the things I thought were true that held me back from changing my behaviors. In general, our society is addicted to activity, and rewards constant busyness. We applaud the person who pulled the all-nighter; we recognize the person who stayed late to get the job done. Yet there is no such fanfare for the person who leaves at 5pm; in fact, those people are ridiculed in certain organizational cultures as weak or not team players. In addition, it’s frowned upon to take all your vacation time or take any downtime at all.

This perception is problematic for many reasons but one of those reasons is factual. The University of California put out some interesting research on the upsides of downtime. The research says:

“You can’t think without space. If you’re always doing something, there’s no way to get anything new into your mind; there’s no way to reach new conclusions.”

Why? Because unstructured time stimulates the ‘default mode network’ part of the brain, where creativity and problem solving happen. When we perform any task at all, no matter how small, our brain switches to the ‘executive network control’, which is related to deductive reasoning. So it’s when we sit back and let our minds wander, that the creative ‘default mode’ kicks in.

Even Though I Fully Knew the Benefits of Downtime, I Was at Super-Shark Speed

My limiting belief was that ‘downtime is for wimps’. The research proved me wrong. My mind was buying into the idea but my body was resisting. Even though I fully knew the benefits of downtime, I was at super-shark speed, racing around the house to get things done.

What would I tell a client in my position? I’d tell them they needed to practice downtime.

I’m a kinesthetic learner, which means I need to touch something to learn it well. So I had to find a role model to physically, literally show me what down time looks like. I had no idea how to ‘do’ downtime.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to look too far: my husband. He cherishes his downtime; I don’t mean just an hour here or there. He is fully committed to detox Sundays, where he just kicks back and reads the newspaper…the old fashioned thing made from trees. He totally unplugs and sometimes won’t even get in a car.

I Started My Practice Small, Slowly Building Mental Muscle

So I started small. I sat down for 15 minutes to read a magazine. Then I got up to plan my work for the week. Then I sat down for 20 minutes to close my eyes on the couch. Then I jumped up, feeling guilty that I hadn’t wrapped the holiday gifts. Then I allowed myself to watch a TV show, once all the ‘work had been done’. Little by little, week after week, I taught myself to chill. Stare out a window. Pet our cats. Listen to music. Snuggle in bed with our daughter. Sit on a plane without compulsively checking email. It was torture. I wanted to jump out of my skin. I wanted to do something, anything, please give me a task! Yet, I knew that I was slowly building a muscle, just like going to the gym.

I Taught Myself to Chill

And the impact was clear, both at home and work. At home, I was more patient and easier to be around. I stopped grinding my teeth and actually slept through the whole night. At work, I started enjoying writing again. It was no longer a chore. The ideas flowed out of me and actually became my most popular leadership posts, such as this one on surfing and this one on EQ. And my best product ideas and client ideas came from daydreaming out the window.

The best part? I no longer feel like a hypocrite. I’m a leader who inspires other leaders to manage their energy, all of it, for peak performance.

Do you think you need more practice managing your physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual energy? I’d love to hear what challenges you have and how you face those challenges.

Leave a comment below, send me an email, or find me on Twitter.

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#top leadership consulting firms #executive coaching dc #leadership development consulting #human capital strategic consulting #benefits of executive coaching #human capital consultants #Washington strategic consulting #top leadership consulting companies #leadership development consultant #top people analytics training courses online #people analytics online course #online people analytics training workshops

[singaporeben]

Mergers and acquisitions are here to stay

It appears that with the renewed interest in deals in the UK (primarily generated by PE), we are once again embarking on a bit of deal mania. I often think that I’ve dedicated the last 23 years of my career to an activity which is entirely defined by the famous quote about madness…to paraphrase, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Why is this? The reason is…

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#change management #communications #consulting #human capital #innovation #Merger integration #productivity

[mostlysignssomeportents]

"Don't spy on a privacy lab" (and other career advice for university provosts)

This is a wild and hopeful story: grad students at Northeastern successfully pushed back against invasive digital surveillance in their workplace, through solidarity, fearlessness, and the bright light of publicity. It’s a tale of hand-to-hand, victorious combat with the “shitty technology adoption curve.”

What’s the “shitty tech adoption curve?” It’s the process by which oppressive technologies are normalized and spread. If you want to do something awful with tech — say, spy on people with a camera 24/7 — you need to start with the people who have the least social capital, the people whose objections are easily silenced or overridden.

That’s why all our worst technologies are first imposed on refugees -> prisoners -> kids -> mental patients -> poor people, etc. Then, these technologies climb the privilege gradient: blue collar workers -> white collar workers -> everyone. Following this pathway lets shitty tech peddlers knock the rough edges off their wares, inuring us all to their shock and offense.

https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/21/great-taylors-ghost/#solidarity-or-bust

20 years ago, if you ate dinner under the unblinking eye of a CCTV, it was because you were housed in a supermax prison. Today, it’s because you were unwise enough to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for “home automation” from Google, Apple, Amazon or another “luxury surveillance” vendor.

Northeastern’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC) is home to the “Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute,” where grad students study the harms of surveillance and the means by which they may be reversed. If there’s one group of people who are prepared to stand athwart the shitty tech adoption curve, it is the CPI grad students.

Which makes it genuinely baffling that Northeastern’s Senior Vice Provost for Research decided to install under-desk heat sensors throughout ISEC, overnight, without notice or consultation. The provost signed the paperwork that brought the privacy institute into being.

Students throughout ISEC were alarmed by this move, but especially students on the sixth floor, home to the Privacy Institute. When they demanded an explanation, they were told that the university was conducting a study on “desk usage.” This rang hollow: students at the Privacy Institute have assigned desks, and they badge into each room when they enter it.

As Privacy Institute PhD candidate Max von Hippel wrote, “Reader, we have assigned desks, and we use a key-card to get into the room, so, they already know how and when we use our desks.”

https://twitter.com/maxvonhippel/status/1578048837746204672

So why was the university suddenly so interested in gathering fine-grained data on desk usage? I asked von Hippel and he told me: “They are proposing that grad students share desks, taking turns with a scheduling web-app, so administrators can take over some of the space currently used by grad students. Because as you know, research always works best when you have to schedule your thinking time.”

That’s von Hippel’s theory, and I’m going to go with it, because the provost didn’t offer a better one in the flurry of memos and “listening sessions” that took place after the ISEC students arrived at work one morning to discover sensors under their desks.

This is documented in often hilarious detail in von Hippel’s thread on the scandal, in which the university administrators commit a series of unforced errors and the grad students run circles around them, in a comedy of errors straight out of “Animal House.”

https://twitter.com/maxvonhippel/status/1578048652215431168

After the sensors were discovered, the students wrote to the administrators demanding their removal, on the grounds that there was no scientific purpose for them, that they intimidated students, that they were unnecessary, and that the university had failed to follow its own rules and ask the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to review the move as a human-subjects experiment.

The letter was delivered to the provost, who offered “an impromptu listening session” in which he alienated students by saying that if they trusted the university to “give” them a degree, they should trust it to surveil them. The students bristled at this characterization, noting that students deliver research (and grant money) to “make it tick.”

[Image ID: Sensors arrayed around a kitchen table at ISEC]

The students, believing the provost was not taking them seriously, unilaterally removed all the sensors, and stuck them to their kitchen table, annotating and decorating them with Sharpie. This prompted a second, scheduled “listening session” with the provost, but this session, while open to all students, was only announced to their professors (“Beware of the leopard”).

The students got wind of this, printed up fliers and made sure everyone knew about it. The meeting was packed. The provost explained to students that he didn’t need IRB approval for his sensors because they weren’t “monitoring people.” A student countered, what was being monitored, “if not people?” The provost replied that he was monitoring “heat sources.”

https://github.com/maxvonhippel/isec-sensors-scandal/blob/main/Oct_6_2022_Luzzi_town_hall.pdf

Remember, these are grad students. They asked the obvious question: which heat sources are under desks, if not humans (von Hippel: “rats or kangaroos?”). The provost fumbled for a while (“a service animal or something”) before admitting, “I guess, yeah, it’s a human.”

Having yielded the point, the provost pivoted, insisting that there was no privacy interest in the data, because “no individual data goes back to the server.” But these aren’t just grad students — they’re grad students who specialize in digital privacy. Few people on earth are better equipped to understand re-identification and de-aggregation attacks.

[Image ID: A window with a phrase written in marker, ‘We are not doing science here’ -Luzzi.]

A student told the provost, “This doesn’t matter. You are monitoring us, and collecting data for science.” The provost shot back, “we are not doing science here.” This ill-considered remark turned into an on-campus meme. I’m sure it was just blurted in the heat of the moment, but wow, was that the wrong thing to tell a bunch of angry scientists.

From the transcript, it’s clear that this is where the provost lost the crowd. He accused the students of “feeling emotion” and explaining that the data would be used for “different kinds of research. We want to see how students move around the lab.”

Now, as it happens, ISEC has an IoT lab where they take these kinds of measurements. When they do those experiments, students are required to go through IRB, get informed consent, all the stuff that the provost had bypassed. When this is pointed out, the provost says that they had been given an IRB waiver by the university’s Human Research Protection Program (HRPP).

Now a prof gets in on the action, asking, pointedly: “Is the only reason it doesn’t fall under IRB is that the data will not be published?” A student followed up by asking how the university could justify blowing $50,000 on surveillance gear when that money would have paid for a whole grad student stipend with money left over.

The provost’s answers veer into the surreal here. He points out that if he had to hire someone to monitor the students’ use of their desks, it would cost more than $50k, implying that the bill for the sensors represents a cost-savings. A student replies with the obvious rejoinder — just don’t monitor desk usage, then.

Finally, the provost started to hint at the underlying rationale for the sensors, discussing the cost of the facility to the university and dangling the possibility of improving utilization of “research assets.” A student replies, “If you want to understand how research is done, don’t piss off everyone in this building.”

Now that they have at least a vague explanation for what research question the provost is trying to answer, the students tear into his study design, explaining why he won’t learn what he’s hoping to learn. It’s really quite a good experimental design critique — these are good students! Within a few volleys, they’re pointing out how these sensors could be used to stalk researchers and put them in physical danger.

The provost turns the session over to an outside expert via a buggy Zoom connection that didn’t work. Finally, a student asks whether it’s possible that this meeting could lead to them having a desk without a sensor under it. The provost points out that their desk currently doesn’t have a sensor (remember, the students ripped them out). The student says, “I assume you’ll put one back.”

[Image ID: A ‘public art piece’ in the ISEC lobby — a table covered in sensors spelling out ‘NO!,’ surrounded by Sharpie annotations decrying the program.]

They run out of time and the meeting breaks up. Following this, the students arrange the sensors into a “public art piece” in the lobby — a table covered in sensors spelling out “NO!,” surrounded by Sharpie annotations decrying the program.

Meanwhile, students are still furious. It’s not just that the sensors are invasive, nor that they are scientifically incoherent, nor that they cost more than a year’s salary — they also emit lots of RF noise that interferes with the students’ own research. The discussion spills onto Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/NEU/comments/xx7d7p/northeastern_graduate_students_privacy_is_being/

Yesterday, the provost capitulated, circulating a memo saying they would pull “all the desk occupancy sensors from the building,” due to “concerns voiced by a population of graduate students.”

https://twitter.com/maxvonhippel/status/1578101964960776192

The shitty technology adoption curve is relentless, but you can’t skip a step! Jumping straight to grad students (in a privacy lab) without first normalizing them by sticking them on the desks of poor kids in underfunded schools (perhaps after first laying off a computer science teacher to free up the budget!) was a huge tactical error.

A more tactically sound version of this is currently unfolding at CMU Computer Science, where grad students have found their offices bugged with sensors that detect movement and collect sound:

https://twitter.com/davidthewid/status/1387909329710366721

The CMU administration has wisely blamed the presence of these devices on the need to discipline low-waged cleaning staff by checking whether they’re really vacuuming the offices.

https://twitter.com/davidthewid/status/1387426812972646403

While it’s easier to put cleaners under digital surveillance than computer scientists, trying to do both at once is definitely a boss-level challenge. You might run into a scholar like David Gray Widder, who, observing that “this seems like algorithmic management of lowly paid employees to me,” unplugged the sensor in his office.

https://twitter.com/davidthewid/status/1387909329710366721

This is the kind of full-stack Luddism this present moment needs. These researchers aren’t opposed to sensors — they’re challenging the social relations of sensors, who gets sensed and who does the sensing.

https://locusmag.com/2022/01/cory-doctorow-science-fiction-is-a-luddite-literature/

[Image ID: A flier inviting ISEC grad students to attend an unadvertised 'listening session' with the vice-provost. It is surmounted with a sensor that has been removed from beneath a desk and annotated in Sharpie to read: 'If found by David Luzzi suck it.']

#pluralistic

[drchucktingle]

Mr Chuck, wizard of gay romance, I consult ye. Without knowing a damn thing about the plot of the book I'm writing other than it is gay and has themes of hunger, consumption, joy in spite of suffering, and the fleeting nature of life, how should my story end?

well to create we need to consume, this is how we produce energy and multiply and build. since beginning of time from frothing volcanos to tiny microbes CREATION and CONSUMPTION are linked. in addition an act of creation is an act of love, it is filling the empty void with SOMETHING and that is as powerful and important as it gets

i think what confuses MANY buckaroos is they get caught up by the consumption part. they see this equation i have laid out and say 'well if consuming leads to creation and creation is to point then we must consume everything as a moral imperative.' i mean HECK that is capitalism in a dang nutshell right there. if you trot this path it says the bigger fish should eat the little one, and that war and power are sort of innate. you see a lot of goofball conservative philosophers with melted brains stop here and set up shop to peddle their sad wares

THE PROBLEM IS consuming everything that you can DOES NOT ACTUALLY LEAD TO MORE CREATION IN PRACTICE. maybe sometimes in the very short term, but at the end of the dang trot it leads to destruction on a massive scale. if the biggest fish eats ALL the little fish then it is not just the little fish who dies it is BOTH of them. if you seek power through TAKING AND CONSUMING all that you can you will do more harm than good. you may puff up your chest for a little while but eventually you will go beyond your means and crumble.

consuming yields the best results when you do it in sustainable way, when you share with your neighbor, when you build a community. this is because LOVE is the best fuel and love thrives when buds work together to create a greater whole than themselves. even if you use example of TAKING through violence, ten little cave buckaroos as a team will always take down one big cave buckaroo. COMMUNITY PROVES LOVE. TEAMWORK PROVES LOVE. CONNECTION PROVES LOVE.

fortunately, as much as scoundrels want to convince us that fighting and violence and TAKING is the best way to grow as a dang species, it is not. humans thrived not because of some primal hierarchy (as goofball conservatives say) but because we started villages and societies and systems of working together. the buds who put their chips behind the BIGGEST FISH are only seeing one part of the picture. YES sometimes in the animal kingdom the biggest beast will win the fight, but that is why THEY ARE BEASTS AND WE ARE PEOPLE. we evolved to greater heights as we grew bigger brains for sharing and empathy and love and complexity. WE STARTED COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE WITHIN COMMUNITY CREATION AND LOVE THRIVE. THE 'REAL' BIGGEST FISH IS KINDNESS.

so hunger and consuming are ACTUALLY an important part of creation. they are part of bringing joy to this timeline, so long as you are not endlessly hungry even after you are full, and so long as you are not consuming what could be better shared with a bud.

hope that helps with your story buckaroo

#love is real #buckaroo lifestyle #art theory