Within our introduction post I emphasized the importance of having a sounding board. If you had a chance to read Greg's post about who you should consider for one , he lists mentors, coaches, and advisors. What doesn't he list? AI. The use cases for AI are evolving by the day. However, allow me to draw a line in the sand with our position: Eels will never recommend AI for companionship, relationships, friendship, a sounding board or anything that goes beyond using a tool to accomplish a task. AI is incredible. I willfully ignored it while working on my MBA at UConn because I didn't want the temptation. Since, I've absolutely used it and am actively experimenting with ways it can enhance our website and improve user experience. However, I picked up on a pattern I found interesting while working with it. My first introduction to AI being used the way Mark Zuckerberg is explaining here was when someone told me they used ChatGPT to practice for a tough conversation with their boss. The practice? An hours long car ride while they travelled for work. They described it as "awesome" and concluded with, "who else do you have to talk to about work?" (a human sounding board). Back to the pattern. I noticed while working with it that if I countered a response or asked a question challenging an answer, they would respond with "that's a great point" or "that's exactly how you should be thinking about this" and would update its response to match my position. That's a problem. The last thing a person needs when discussing real life problems is an echo chamber that simply adjusts to your position. Now, are there prompts that could have improved the responses? Yes, probably. Could you kick off a conversation ensuring the machine is 100% truthful and brutally honest with how it responds? I'm sure. However, typing that last sentence alone felt absolutely ridiculous and not how humans should be living their lives. You're free to interact with a machine all you want. But it will never substitute for tone, nuance, or what happens in the room when you put what you've practiced to the test and the heart begins to race while fight or flight kicks in. If you need someone to talk to, find a human. P.S. I'm right on average with the number of friends. But 15? Who has time or energy for 15?!

Let's talk RTO mandates. Much can be written about this topic from the leader and employee perspective. Today, we'll focus on the team member who's been asked to return. First, a little bit about my experiences with virtual, hybrid, and in-office work. Late 2019, just before COVID struck, I transitioned to a fully virtual project management role. Regardless of the virus, there would be little to no travel and my days were spent behind screens and on back-to-backs all day. It was an amazing role, and I learned a ton about deal formation and drastically improved my financial acumen. However, like many of us during this timeframe, I realized I'd go hours without leaving the home office and days or even weeks without leaving my house. Additionally, during this time I had my third child, and I'd frequently find myself knee deep in contracts and proposals while navigating knocks at the door from his two sisters and a sometimes-crying baby in the background. After two years of this, I needed a change. During this time, I belonged to an amazing organization who valued growth, development, and cross functional experiences. An opportunity presented itself to transition to our Branch Network and assume General Manager of our two sites in Hartford and Springfield. For me, it was a no brainer. This move would be my first people leader role with the organization, provide more cross functional experience, and get me out of the house. Even with Covid still roaring and a mask/distance policy for those on site, I was all in. I don't recall the transition being challenging, but it was certainly different. Getting ready in the mornings for virtual work versus in-office is night and day. Also, the commute wasn't too bad since most offices were still fully remote. What stood out the most? The team. I loved my team. I loved the bond we built during those years and how hard we worked for our customers, the organization, and each other. We didn't always agree with everything that was going on, but we looked beyond the memos and company updates and focused on our purpose and who it was we were working for. Let's fast forward to current state RTO and what I would ask a team member who's been called back to consider. There's lots being written about the chaos of RTO. I personally enjoyed this recent piece from Gleb Tsipursky, describing the brain drain RTO is causing large organizations (Opportunity! More on that later). I've also personally heard stories from friends who have been asked to return (are there enough desks yet?) Regardless of noise and potential disorganization, never lose site that there are people like you and me who are making the decisions and having to implement them. People you can build relationships with, learn from, and develop under. Through the noise, I ask you to consider the opportunity at hand. Since RTO mandates have gone into effect, I've read about protests, letters being signed , low engagement, and team members leaving organizations. This creates a ripe environment for you to stand out. Regardless of what you're seeing and hearing, give it a try with an open mind. Seek the good, keep a positive attitude, be the example you want to see and set the tone. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. If you belong to an organization that you value and want to be with, that you support and want to grow with, this is the time to be intentional about your development and presence. I've learned throughout my journey that pendulums swing and when they do, it's fast. Position yourself now for when that door opens and before you know it, you may be the one influencing decisions and how programs are implemented. On the other hand, if you truly give it a try and it's not for you, the decision to go is yours. Begin searching for alternatives or if you're ready, launch your own Michael Scott Paper Company (we can help with that too).

My name is Jose, and I am founder and principle of Eels Professional Development. My goal with this platform is to have a place beyond social media where I can share ideas, insights, opinions, and thoughts around topics relevant to the areas we cover and support clients with. So why the name Sounding Board? One of motivators for launching Eels is that I believe professionals don't have enough people to talk to about their daily challenges. There may be spouses, significant others, friends, and family, but sometimes it's nice to talk to someone who gets it because they've done it or have been through it. I'm an advocate for everyone having a sounding board and having someone in their lives with relevant experience that they can comfortably release to. And just in case, what is a sounding board? In the business environment, a sounding board refers to a person who listens to your ideas, plans, or concerns and provides feedback, perspective, or validation. They serve as a trusted resource to help refine thinking, test strategies, or gain clarity. Simply put, it's a person you can talk to without fear of reprisal about what you have going on. Moreover, I thought this LinkedIn piece by Greg Gunther does a phenomenal job describing the benefits of a sounding board and who you should consider if you don't have one today: Why is it important to have a sounding board in business? | LinkedIn With this Sounding Board, I'll speak my mind into the ether with the hope that it positively contributes to someone out there navigating their own professional journey. Onward we go.