Hi there! It's already April, and the weather is getting warmer, which means the spring bloom is upon us. After a hectic week, I am finally taking a breather and feeling more relaxed. However, I need to get back into my routine, and what better way to do that than with our weekly inventory check here at Vasl? It's an excellent opportunity to get organized and ensure everything is in its rightful place.

Weekly Inventory Check:

New Month, New Goals! It's a new beginning, which means new opportunities and new things to achieve. What plans do you have for April? Are there any travel plans, purchases you've been eyeing, or any books or articles you've been meaning to read? Whatever your plans are, it's a good idea to write them down and set your expectations for the month ahead. Let's aim to achieve all the goals and plans we've set for ourselves and revisit them at the end of the month to see how far we've come.

Capability and Independent Thinking

During my visit to Pakistan, I struggled to understand the capabilities of the people around me. For instance, my brother's wife works in marketing and spends most of her day on the phone instructing her team on what to do and how to do it. I asked her why she felt the need to micromanage, as it's something I personally despise. She replied that her team wouldn't get anything done if she didn't force them to do it. I was shocked and couldn't believe it, until I had a similar experience working with people at Vasl for content creation support.

While the people I worked with were educated and impressive in terms of the quality of their work, they lacked independent thinking. I'm the type of person who delivers tasks and projects on time and to the expected standard. However, my experience here taught me that people don't always deliver, even when you're upfront about your expectations. They tend to prefer working the way they always have, which can lead to endless back-and-forth discussions before finally getting the work done.

When I am assigned a task, I expect my team to think critically about it and find ways to deliver it in a unique and impressive way. I don't want to receive a V1, then go back and forth until we reach V10 and finally finalize it. If that was what I wanted, I could hire anyone and teach them what to do. Instead, I prefer to hire knowledgeable workers who can think independently and provide innovative solutions to the tasks at hand.

As ChatGPT and other AI models continue to rise, it's evident that AI cannot replace critical and independent thinking just yet. However, it can replace grunt work. For instance, tasks such as content posting, and reels editing are becoming possible using AI tools. In situations where I have to go through multiple iterations with a team to get the job done, I can simply tell the AI to do it and keep improving on it.

Now, I'm not saying that these people I work with are bad at their job; they're very capable at what they do. However, they're not suitable for the type of job I give them. I don't want a grunt worker who simply delivers what I ask for; I want a sparring partner who challenges my ideas and provides alternative solutions. Instead of going through countless iterations, I expect my team to think outside the box and provide something better than what I initially asked for.

Of course, they can still use AI tools to handle the grunt work and focus their efforts on critical thinking and problem-solving. By doing so, they can provide unique and innovative solutions that can't be replaced by AI.

What are your thoughts on stress? Shoot me an email or comment below, would love to hear your thoughts!

Want More?

ChatGPT and Critical Thinking.

Grunt work is an inevitable part of life, and it's not always possible to avoid it. However, there are ways to manage it efficiently.

One way to minimize grunt work is to improve critical thinking skills. Therefore, it's a skill everyone should try to improve.

Read of the Week

Adam Grant's book "Think Again" is an excellent read as it challenges existing notions of work, culture, and society. The book aims to help readers develop a framework that enables them to continuously update their beliefs and grow as individuals. This concept is particularly relevant to our current discussion, as I genuinely believe that everyone has the potential to improve themselves. The key is to find what drives an individual and helps them to unlock their full potential.

Thoughts to Leave you With

Working in Pakistan is a different experience, as I discovered when I first started my job. Back then, I was paid to deliver what my bosses wanted, without being given much space for critical thinking. My main task was to beautify the work through creating reports and PowerPoints that met their expectations.

However, my work today is vastly different. I am paid to think critically and help others develop the same skill. This shift has made me realize that everyone has the capacity to think critically, but they need the right system to support them. By developing a system that supports and encourages independent thinking, individuals can be empowered to explore new ideas and contribute to their work in a more meaningful way. Therefore, creating the right environment and system is crucial in unleashing the full potential of individuals in the workplace.