Nfl

3 posts

Automation will shape the way we work and thrive in the years to come. The technological landscape is constantly evolving, and keeping up with that evolution is necessary for professionals, executives, and businesses if they want to stay relevant and competitive. So, how will automation transform employment, skills, and job market trends? How will it impact different industries and jobs?

We recently asked our leading executives what they think automation means for the future of work in their respective industries.

Here are their responses...

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive

Automation is already here and impacting businesses every day. As a brand marketer, automation has been a game changer from chatbots to ChatGPT. In 2023, global marketing automation spending will reach $25 billion. At this point, itâs in your best interest to embrace these transformative technologies. Hereâs why.

Customer Insights and Personalization:

Automation platforms such as Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, and Tableau enable brand marketers to gather and analyze vast customer data in real time. This wealth of insights into customer behavior, preferences, and trends enables marketers to create highly targeted and personalized messaging, content, offers, and marketing campaigns. By leveraging tools that harness this data, marketers can deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. This allows for continuous optimization and agility in adapting to changing market dynamics, ultimately driving better results, including increased engagement, conversion rates, ROI, and improved customer experiences.

Streamlined Processes and Efficiency:

Automation can streamline many routine, repetitive, and time-consuming tasks. Marketers can focus their efforts on strategic planning and creative thinking by automating data analysis, content creation, scheduling, responding to inquiries, product recommendations, campaign management, and even chatbot interactions with customers. Automation tools like HubSpot and Marketo allow for greater productivity and the delivery of personalized brand experiences at scale.

Improved Content Creation and Delivery:

Automation helps optimize content creation. Tools like Canva and ChatGPT simplify content creation and distribution for brand marketers. Platforms like Canva provide easy-to-use templates, intelligent image selection, and automated scheduling capabilities. Platforms like ChatGPT use cutting-edge AI technology to produce high-quality content at scale, saving time and resources. A study by Gartner predicts that by 2024, AI-generated content will account for 30% of the total content produced by enterprises. Automation streamlines content creation processes, increases productivity, and allows agile responses to market trends and consumer demands.

Human-Centric Creativity:

Marketers can harness the power of automation to streamline repetitive tasks and dedicate more time to creative thinking and ideation. Tools such as Adobe Creative Cloud and Hootsuite offer a wealth of inspiration, creative resources, and collaboration features that ignite innovation. Marketers can craft unique and emotionally impactful brand experiences by combining creativity with automation-driven insights.

Automation has the power to revolutionize the future of work for brand marketers. Itâs important to ensure that automation enhances rather than replaces human creativity and empathy, creating an impactful and authentic brand experience.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

Lynn Holland, VP Sales & Business Development

As a tech seller, I have found in recent years that traditional corporate decision-makers have been fairly slow to understand, cost justify, or embrace digital transformation even when presented with a clear business case. This has limited automationâs threat to the human workforce.

However, as decision-making has started falling to younger executives facing greater pressures to increase productivity and profitability in an app-for-everything world, NOT investing to automate low-value activities when there is a fairly rapid payback has become increasingly difficult to refuse and justify.

Fast forward to 2023 as artificial intelligence and machine learning models are coming out of the shadows of expensive, engineer-intensive, heavy applications into readily available, open-source everyday tech. I believe automation represents both an opportunity and a challenge for the modern workforce, determined through a workerâs initiative to stay relevant by learning about and embracing new technology in their industry and role.

A few measures will help workers proactively position themselves to coexist with technology in the workplace:

Acknowledge that low-value, repetitive tasks and jobs will be eliminated.
Seek out opportunities to be an early user of new technology in your organization.
Reduce personal expenses to withstand a job transition if needed and enable proactive investment into ongoing education.
Become a perpetual learner. Commit to learning about emerging technology applicable to your industry and your role. Invest also in upskilling essential human skills like communication, building influence, problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

Whether learning from trusted content on YouTube, a masterclass, a paid course with a community of peers, a respected business book, or college coursework, make learning and personal development a priority.

Think like an entrepreneur by looking for unmet needs around you to innovate a product, service, or even a new app to solve the problem. With many tech tools and open APIs available with low/no code, it is a great time to start a business or side gig to create a new revenue source.
Join a community of peers to be challenged and supported in your personal development.
Prioritize building your personal brand with a content strategy and perpetual content distribution to gain visibility, improve your image, document and share your expertise, and expand your network and opportunities.

Lynn Holland is a business development executive with 18+ years of experience taking operational, IoT & retail technologies, products, & consumer engagement to market with a focus in petroleum & convenience retail.

Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations Executive

Workplace automation uses systems to perform predictable and repetitive tasks without human input.

Does this mean people will lose their jobs? Will automation further shrink the workforce?

I use automation all the time at the NFL in working in finance operations. I create macros in my Excel spreadsheets to grab data in one cell to use it in another cell to tell a story. I further use macros in budgeting and forecast modeling.

On the football field, automation monitors the game for many purposes:

The broadcast center uses various camera feeds to call the game with play-by-play precision. Sports journalism is big business when it comes to covering statistics and data.
The on-field game officials and replay officials use camera shots that show various angles so that the coaches can challenge the split decisions made by the game officials. Cameras are placed in the end zones to cover precision views for scoring. Every game is highly competitive, and every call can make a difference between winning and losing.
Game officials on the field are graded using automation systems to track the calls they make on the field. Good calls, bad calls, no calls. This grading is employed to place officials in postseason games.
The coaching staff uses sideline tablets on the sidelines to review the playbook for upcoming plays and formations.
Scouting and recruitment uses automation to get play-by-play stats and activity on every player. Tracking injuries. Time off the field. Player performances. Health and safety reporting.

Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M - $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.

Ana Smith, Leadership Development & Learning Strategist

In an era defined by technological advancements, automation has emerged as a transformative force shaping the landscape of work. As industries embrace intelligent machines and algorithms, the future of work is undergoing a profound revolution. I would like to delve into some key pros and cons of automation to navigate this transformative shift.

Some key pros of automation:

Increased Efficiency: Automation eliminates repetitive and mundane tasks, allowing workers to focus on higher-value, creative, and strategic work. This leads to increased productivity and efficiency in various industries.
Enhanced Safety: Robots and machines can perform dangerous or hazardous tasks, reducing the risk of workplace accidents and injuries. This is particularly beneficial in industries such as manufacturing, mining, and construction.
Cost Savings: Automation can lead to significant cost savings for businesses, as machines do not require wages, benefits, or breaks. It streamlines operations, reduces errors, and optimizes resource allocation.
Improved Quality: Automated systems can consistently produce high-quality outputs, minimizing errors and variations. This is particularly valuable in sectors such as healthcare, where precision and accuracy are critical.
Job Creation: Contrary to popular belief, automation has the potential to create new jobs which do not exist today. As technology advances, new roles emerge that require skills in programming, robotics, data analysis, and maintenance of automated systems.

Some key cons of automation:

Job Displacement: The rapid adoption of automation technologies can lead to job displacement for workers performing routine and repetitive tasks. Certain occupations may become obsolete, requiring individuals to reskill or upskill to remain relevant in the workforce.
Income Inequality: The benefits of automation are not evenly distributed, potentially exacerbating income inequality. Workers who are displaced may struggle to find alternative employment, leading to socioeconomic disparities.
Lack of Human Interaction: In industries where automation is prevalent, such as customer service or hospitality, the absence of human interaction can impact the quality of service and customer satisfaction.
Ethical Considerations: Automation raises ethical concerns regarding privacy, data security, and algorithmic bias. Striking the right balance between technological advancements and ethical guidelines is crucial to ensure responsible automation.

The question for each one of us is how are we preparing for it.

Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread.

What do you think automation means for the future of work? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Finance Internship

Executive Spotlight: What Automation Means For The …

Have you watched an advertisement that made you cry, got you angry, or gave you goosebumps? Rihannaâs Road to Halftime ad gave fans everywhere goosebumps. Apple Music is the new sponsor of the Super Bowl Halftime show in a new multi-year agreement with the NFL. They just gave fans an alternative way to experience this event with headliner Rihanna, calling it âRihannaâs Road to Halftime.â

In building excitement ahead of Super Bowl LVII, Apple released an ad that paid tribute to the singerâs childhood in Barbados titled âRun This Town.â The ad tells a great story, following a girl who puts on her motherâs sunglasses and struts down the street, going past Rihannaâs childhood home and along Rihanna Drive, renamed in 2017 to honor her success. It ends with the girl and her friends flying kites with the message, âMy whole life was shaped on this very road. I was just a little island girl flying kites in the cemeteryâ¦but I had big dreams.â Rhianna said she represents immigrants, her country Barbados, and black women everywhere for Super Bowl LVII.

Whatâs truly amazing about this story is that we watched the first pregnant woman perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, with no special guests, saying loud and proud that a pregnant woman can handle this. She then opened with the song "Bâ¦ Better Have My Money" which was inspired by a real-life experience of an accountant that cheated her of her money. In one decade she became a billionaire. She opened with that song on her own stage, pregnant, with no special guests, and closed with the song "Diamonds" (she has all the diamonds) on top of a stunning product placement of her Fenty brand, all while grabbing the attention of 113 million viewers. Rihanna is the wealthiest female musician in the world (worth $1.7 billion), second only to Oprah Winfrey. This is no small feat!

Knowing Rhiannaâs story makes this ad, this Super Bowl Halftime Show, and her brand much more interesting and relatable. When stories resonate and connect with us, they trigger an emotion in us that leads to the formation of a deeper, more meaningful relationship with your brand. This is called emotional branding.

Letâs take a look at what emotional branding is and how to inspire emotion with storytelling.

What Is Emotional Branding?

Did you know that people buy emotionally, even if they donât realize it, and then justify their decisions rationally? Fifty percent of brand experiences are based on emotions. Creating an emotional bond with consumers requires more than good marketing.

Emotional branding refers to creating a deep emotional connection between your consumers and your brand. Marketers can achieve this by appealing to consumersâ natural desire for love, power, emotional security, and ego gratification.

At the heart of emotional branding is storytelling. So how do you inspire emotion with storytelling?

Inspire Emotion With Storytelling

We all have a story to tell. Great stories can connect with audiences on a deeper, more memorable level, creating more meaningful relationships. Here are five ways that storytelling can be used to inspire emotions.

Make The Audience The Hero

One effective way to inspire emotion with storytelling is to make the audience the storyâs hero. This can be achieved by crafting a narrative that resonates with the audienceâs experiences, values, and aspirations. By doing so, the audience will become emotionally invested in the story and feel empowered to take action or make a positive change. To achieve this, the story should highlight the audienceâs strengths and potential while also acknowledging their challenges and struggles. By portraying the audience as the hero, the story can inspire them to overcome obstacles, pursue their dreams, and make a difference in their lives and the world around them.

Drive Empathy

To inspire emotion with storytelling by driving empathy, itâs important to create characters that the audience can relate to and care about. This can be achieved by showing the characterâs struggles, fears, and desires in a way that resonates with the audience. By creating a sense of empathy between the audience and the characters, the story can evoke powerful emotions and create a lasting impact.

Another way to drive empathy is to use descriptive language and vivid imagery to create a sensory experience for the audience. By appealing to the audienceâs senses, the story can create a more immersive and emotional experience, helping them feel more connected to the story and its characters. Itâs vital to use storytelling to break down barriers and connect with the audience on a human level. By sharing stories that are honest, vulnerable, and authentic, the audience can feel a sense of kinship with the storyteller and the characters in the story. This can help to drive empathy and create a powerful emotional response.

Make It Emotional

To harness emotions with storytelling, itâs essential to understand the emotional journey that you want to take your audience on. First, build tension by creating a sense of anticipation and excitement in your audience by building up to a moment of emotional impact. This can be achieved by using suspenseful language, foreshadowing, or cliffhangers. Second, create an emotional impact by contrasting emotions. For example, you could start with a moment of sadness or despair and then follow it up with a moment of hope or triumph. This can create a more powerful emotional response in your audience. Third, use repetition (repeating a phrase or image throughout your story) to develop a sense of familiarity and emotional resonance with your audience. Fourth, use symbols that are universally understood to create a deeper emotional connection with your audience. Fifth, use music and sound effects to create a more immersive experience.

Build Suspense

Suspense is a powerful tool in storytelling that can be used to create an emotional impact on the audience. By building tension and anticipation, the audience becomes emotionally invested in the story, eager to discover what happens next. This can be achieved by establishing high stakes for the characters, using foreshadowing, creating a sense of mystery, using cliffhangers, and varying the storyâs pacing. Using these techniques, the audience is taken on an emotional journey, experiencing a range of emotions such as excitement, fear, and anticipation. When the suspenseful moment is finally resolved, the emotional releases can be cathartic and rewarding, leaving a lasting impact on the audience.

Be Vulnerable

Embrace vulnerability in your storytelling. Itâs important to share personal experiences authentically and honestly. By sharing stories that reflect your vulnerabilities, you can create an emotional connection with your audience. This connection is often built on the common ground of shared experiences and emotions, which can help your audience to empathize and relate to your story. Use descriptive language, describing sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures to create an immersive experience to draw your audience in and help them to feel the emotions that youâre describing. Also, allow yourself to be seen as imperfect, flawed, or uncertain. By showing your own vulnerability, you create a sense of authenticity and honesty that can be very powerful for your audience. It can also develop a sense of connection and empathy, as your audience can see themselves in your story.

Donât forget to be courageous in your vulnerability. By sharing your personal experiences and emotions, youâre opening yourself up to the possibility of rejection, criticism, or judgment. However, by being brave and sharing your vulnerability, you create a space for others to do the same, which can be very powerful and healing for you and your audience.

Visual Storytelling

Use descriptive language to create a vivid picture in your audienceâs mind. This can help your audience to better visualize and feel the emotions that youâre describing. One way to use visual language is to paint a picture with your words. Use descriptive language to create a detailed picture in your audienceâs mind, focusing on the sensory details that help to develop a sense of atmosphere and emotion. For example, instead of saying, âThe sun was setting,â you could say, âThe sun was casting a warm, orange glow across the sky as it slowly descended towards the horizon.â This kind of description helps to create a sense of warmth, peace, and tranquility and can help evoke a sense of emotion in your audience.

Another way to use visual language is to create a metaphor or analogy that helps your audience to understand better the feeling that youâre describing. For example, you could say, âHer heart was a heavy stone, sinking deeper and deeper into her chest with each passing moment.â This kind of language can help your audience to better understand the emotion of sadness and can make it easier for them to empathize with the character in your story.

By following these steps, you can develop a strong emotional connection with your audience through inspiring storytelling. If done right, you can increase brand loyalty, enhance your brandâs overall equity, drive more qualified leads, and increase your customer retention rate. For a step-by-step guide on how to develop a brand strategy, check out my book How to Develop A Brand Strategy. Start building your brand leadership today. Youâve got this.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

7 Powerful Ways To Inspire Emotion With …

Should We Blow The Whistle On Labor Unions?

What Is A Labor Union?

A labor union can be described as an employee organization that advocates for the rights of employees.

A labor or trade union is an organized group of workers who advocate work conditions, economic justice, and unfair treatment by employers. Labor unions have collectively advanced their members' interests by negotiating with employers.

Unions are organized much like democracies. The members of the associations elect officers who make decisions for their members. The primary purpose of the officers is to provide power and control for their members.

How Do Unions Make Money?

Labor union, worker protection, team concept

Union members pay dues to cover the unionâs costs. Most unions have paid full-time staff that help to manage their operational costs. Some of the union members volunteer their time and talents to the association. Some unions create strike funds that support workers in the event of a strike.

Are Labor Unions Still Effective Today?

Unions have played a significant role in workersâ rights for centuries. Labor unionsâ roots in the United States date back to the 18th century when the Industrial Revolution and big business were in their infancy and relied heavily on human labor. This quickly led to widespread abuse of workers, including children, who were forced to work many hours daily for low wages and benefits.

Today there are federal and state labor laws to protect workers. For example, these two agencies are responsible for setting industry standards, such as safe working conditions and minimum wage standards.

What Are The Critics Saying About Labor Unions?

âCritics say that labor unions work against employers, making it more difficult for a company to manage its employees for the companyâs good. Some say that labor unions make it difficult for companies to fire unproductive employees. Also, companies complain that unions are driving up payroll costs and benefits costs that leave the company with less revenue to operate the company or force the companyâs hand to raise the price of goods and services.

Which Industries Have Labor Unions?

The public sector has the highest rate of union members, such as police officers, firefighters, and teachers. In the private sector, industries with high union rates include transportation, warehousing, utilities, motion pictures, and sports.

When I worked at the National Football League, labor unions played a large part in the game. The players union was known as the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). The NFLPA represents all players concerning wages, retirement, insurance benefits, and working conditions, and protects their rights as professional football players. Lastly, the NFLPA ensures that the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) terms are met.

Just as the players benefit from union representation, the game officials also belong to a union. The game officials union was called the National Football League Refereesâ Association (NFLRA). The NFLRA represents all game officials concerning wages, retirement, insurance benefits, and working conditions, and protects their rights as professional game officials. Lastly, the NFLRA ensures that the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) terms are met.

The Pros And Cons Of Organized Labor

Labor unions have been part of American culture for a long time. Due to government-regulated employment laws, memberships and the need for unions have declined. Gone are the days when unions were in place to protect child labor, unfair working conditions, pay disparities, and workday hours unfairness.

Pros

1. Unions promote higher wages and better benefits.

2. Unions can economically be a pacesetter.

3. Unions provide worker protection.

Cons

1. Labor unions discourage individualityâthe group is treated the same.

2. Unions can protect failing employees.

3. Unions can drive up costs for the company.

The Last Resort Or Bargaining Play

A strike or lock-out is evidence of discontent and an expression of dissatisfaction by unions. When negotiations between company management and labor unions fail, unions must take action to disrupt the companyâs workflow and production. The best course of action is when the company and the labor union continue to discuss their differences that keep an agreement from being agreed upon.

When the two sides refuse to budge on the sticking points while negotiating, companies are sometimes forced to hire replacement workers to continue operations. Many of these replacements might be unskilled, but this temporary move by the company is an attempt to keep the company open for business. Hiring replacement workers might also be a bargaining ploy by the company to let the union know that the company can move forward with these non-unionized workers.

Lastly, as company management and labor unions negotiate an agreed-upon contract, neither side will get everything they started out to get. There will be give and take on both sides. Finding common ground so that management and labor can co-exist to work together should be a goal for both sides. Letâs work together so we can all continue to do what we all love. Working. Playing. Making a better world!

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship