The Boot: 2024 Issue
Hey Businesses, we think you should quit…
BLINDLY USING
GEN AI
GenAI is the shiny new hammer, and peoples' lack of understanding leads them to see everything as a nail. The result? Wasted marketing dollars, misallocated talent, and costly product misfires.
Only 15%
of organizations who adopt genAI do so with a clear idea of what they want to accomplish
Source: Stack Overflow
So, what now?
GenAI's incredible power demands responsibility (so says uncle Ben). Before upending your business, consult real experts to understand what genAI can and can't do.
INNOVATING FOR THE ALGO
The race to create algorithm-friendly products is turning everything into a remix. Hyper-optimizing for algos dumbs us down and homogenizes the product landscape, burying groundbreaking ideas.
Only 21%
of 1,847 products and services examined were seen as meaningfully unique by consumers - a 10% drop from 2003
Source: Brand Strategy Insider
So, what now?
Rebel against the algorithm - take bold, informed risks, even at the cost of short-term engagement. Seek out the algorithm’s blind spots where human ingenuity shines. Fortune favors the brave, not just the viral.
SIGNALING WITHOUT STEPPING
Public declarations of inclusivity without meaningful action is pandering to consumers’ values – and they’re seeing through it. Activism rings especially false when products are designed based on privileged defaults or they exploit the very communities they claim to support.
Only 1%
of ads show people with disabilities, even though the incidence is 25%
Source: Impact Plus
So, what now?
Ditch posturing for transparency - share challenges and lessons in creating inclusively. Foster accountability, trust, and continuous improvement to move beyond virtue signaling into authentic progress.
CONFLATING PAY WITH POWER
Assuming a paycheck guarantees your employees' engagement is a mistake. Workers are actively prioritizing other 'currencies' like flexibility and self-expression through side hustles and personal projects that 'fill their cup,’ not just their wallet.
Over 1/3
of Americans have a side hustle, with skill development and personal interest as the leading motivators behind extra income
Source: Millennial Money & DollarSprout
So, what now?
Understand your people's unique motivations, then build a dynamic employee experience that allows for alternative career paths, fractional work, and boomerangs.
BRINGING YOUR (A**)
WHOLE SELF TO WORK
Showing up authentically at work is a double-edged sword: it breaks down barriers and builds interpersonal rapport, but expressing personal beliefs without empathy for others disrupts team harmony and erodes civil discourse.
64%
of employees say that they’ve experienced backlash after revealing something about themselves in the workplace.
Source: JobSage
So, what now?
Read the room and be open to learning. Use your ‘share of voice’ to spark curiosity-led conversations and invite others in, championing a culture that seeks to understand rather than undermine.
GIVING STRATEGY WHIPLASH
From overinvesting in kombucha taps one minute to extreme role cuts like 'the great unbossing' the next, roller coaster strategies are myopic and erode institutional trust. Rebranding this rashness as 'adaptability' is a delusion your business can't afford.
Only 9%
of companies, while cost-cutting, allocate sufficient resources to drive growth and innovation, ultimately undermining their long-term aspirations.
Source: Harvard Business Review
