Focus & Refocus

The portrait of a beautiful mind. As many people who started podcasts, I do write non fiction books mostly as a happy excuse to reach out and meet people I always admired or I am #curious about. In my 2018 book my father nudged me to not shy away of the chance to interview colonel Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho. The leader and strategist of our 1974 blodless democratic coup. A larger than life national hero. It was a priceless meeting. The scheduled 60 minutes turned into an unforgettable 4-hour chat over coffee and drinks... ... This time, as part of my upcoming 2024 book, my fourth, the story of one of the largest factories in Lisbon crosses with the fascinating life of professor Carvalho Rodrigues. He is widely known back in Portugal. As a kid, I remember well watching his fascinating interviews in tv shows. After all, he is the father of our first satellite. Later he became also the former NATO chief scientist up to the mid 2010s. He is a Pavarotti look alike as he often jokes about. He is a gifted storyteller who can zoom in and zoom out and move around many topics, well beyond physics and science. A fascinating mind. And a warm heart. In one of our interviews I met him in person in his family farm, coincidentally just a few miles away from my grandpa's village. In this day-long chat, professor Carvalho Rodrigues kept doodling on a piece of paper his thoughts and ideas. His stories and mind are restless and never ending. I couldn't resist to ask him to bring it back with me. It just felt priceless when he said yes. More recently, a former boss - who is a psychologist like me - gave me a beautiful idea when I casually mentioned it and showed a photo of the paper to him: "you should have it framed, Pedro". After all, it's the portrait of a beautiful mind. #focusandrefocus #creativity #doodling #lateralthinking #bookwriting #thecuriosityadvantage #sideprojects #leadershipstories #storytelling

Small things have a big importance. Basic education say. Just like my father tells me since I was a kid. He knows what he says. My father recently retired from a career in education. A nerdy but loving school teacher who did a PhD for fun - lifelong learning way before it was a cool buzzword. Friends like Roberto, Melissa or Vladimir shared similar stories and perspectives recently. It's easy to look successful here in LinkedIn. This is a bubble... The vital many who start with little, but actually ensure our economies keep running and growing, have a different life... I never lived that reality. But listened such stories firsthand from my late grandpa who started from misery and retired as a shop owner who sold it to an employee who be nurtured and educated as family. Twenty years after my grandpa's retirement and 7 since he passed away, the shop is still open and ran the same way. It looks like how my grandpa wanted it done. The same things my cousin Gonçalo and I did before we closed it and headed for dinner. Value with values. That's legacy. From all small things, the one I value the most is education for all. Being able to learn anything, anytime. Regardless of where and how you live. It matters and it's way easier now in the age of web 3.0 and generative AI as Philip Gast and I chatted recently. Education is the best and most scalable social lift individuals and families have available to grow and live and think better. My father's words. I think he is damn right. The 4th development goal of the 17 defined by UN. #lifepurpose #ungoals #lifelonglearning #futureofeducation #inclusionanddiversity

Did the AI star killed the soft skills? A survey with 700 business leaders hints the contrary. Here're 3 key take aways: 💪 Employers expect a raise in the value of soft skills 💬 Face-to-face and synchronous human interaction, particularly oral over written communication, will be key to work sensitive, critical topics 🟢 Develop leaders and teams to foster a sense of trust and authenticity If anything, the research by Peter Cardon and his teams shows that human interactions and rich, people-centered company cultures will be key sucess factors. This in line with the focus I see among peers in different industries on culture and fundamental skills to help leaders and their teams to navigate through change, and create a safe and sustenaible performance and innovation environment. You still doubt it? Then think about the new LLMs and #generativeai technology as an "army of interns", like Wouter recently told me. We will need to supervise and coordinate their work as well - which calls for better #softskills and clear communication. I also think we will see more and more a need for a digital mindset which values agility and a growth mindset, as Heineken found and drove since 2020 as part of a broader digital upskilling initiative. #futureofwork #digitalupskilling #llms #futureskills