#people #machines #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #hospitality #jobs #tasks
The Chase ad portrays the man in the self-driving car and the robot serving him coffee (not the way he wants it) with the song, “Tired of Being Alone” playing in the background.
Chase promises that when you go into its offices, you’ll have real people to serve you.
Machines are great for some tasks. They can actually replace some people for menial tasks.
But, the line should be drawn for public-facing jobs. Chase is correct. People should serve people.
The advancement of AI holds great promise, perhaps for some back-of-the-house tasks, to use a hospitality term.
But, the front of the house should be people. Of course, robots could bring things to the people who serve.
In fact, part of the reason people go to banks, restaurants and other public spaces is to interact with people.
That isn’t to say that some tasks could not be automated. For example, one could envision going into a restaurant, choosing a seat yourself, placing an order via a computer, laptop or tablet and, when finished, paying the bill via that same device.
But, there should be actual people to consult if there are questions about certain menu items, and to bring the food to the table. Can anyone envision asking a machine whether a certain dish is spicy?
If it comes to that, how could anyone believe what the machine is saying?
Hospitality, by definition, is human-to-human contact. People serving, or caring for, people.
Much of banking, meanwhile, has become automated. You can make a withdrawal or deposit by ATM.
But, you can’t get financial advice – at least good, reliable advice about your personal situation – from a machine.
Of course, if you don’t need advice and just need to, say, buy a mutual fund or a CD, a machine can probably do that.
But, the point of the Chase ad is that we, as people or as customers, prefer interacting with people. We can only hope that Chase, and other institutions like it, prefer using people, rather than machines, to serve its customers and clients.
You can certainly cultivate relationships using electronic devices, Web sites and social media. But, it is definitely not the same as talking to someone in person.
Such mechanical interactions have prompted lots of loneliness and, as has been alleged, created mental health issues, particularly among younger people.
A young person who’s grown comfortable with online interactions may have difficulty with interpersonal interactions in a workplace.
The lesson here is that not only is it good business to have real people for customers and clients to talk to, it’s also good for society. When given the choice of talking to a real person live, or communicating online, one should always choose the former.
That isn’t to say that online communication doesn’t work in some scenarios.
In the 1964 Broadway musical “Funny Girl,” Barbra Streisand famously sang: “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.”
Whenever you are able to interact with someone in person, you should. When you do, consider yourself lucky.
Peter
Tag Archives: tasks
MOTIVATION VS. INSPRIATION
#motivation #inspiration #work #tasks #jobs
“When leading, fear may motivate a few. But it will inspire no one.”
That Wednesday Whiteboard Wisdom comes from Jason Barnshaw senior enlisted leader at Spectrum Warfare Group.
The message had been posted on LinkedIn.
This speaks on many levels. It evokes thoughts of the old days, in which employers used fear to motivate staff. You may have heard at one time, “do it this way, or else …”
So, was that “motivation,” or just self-preservation?
It certainly was not inspiration.
In real estate, we hear about “motivated” sellers. To buyers, it’s supposed to convey that the seller really wants, or needs, to sell. It’s designed to give the buyer some negotiation incentive, or negotiating power.
In short, many things can motivate, including fear. “Motivated” people will do many things that, say, an employer wants him or her to do.
But, if you are an employer, would you rather have a motivated staff, or an inspired staff?
Inspiration is created from positive experiences. When a person can see that if he does this, he can achieve that, and what he HAS to do may be a chore, he’s inspired to do it because of the benefits of the outcome – to him or her.
An inspired employee works not just for the paycheck, but also for other positive enhancements at the end.
Motivated people, on the other hand, are doing things they HAVE to, but don’t WANT to.
Desire inspires. When you see a job or task as necessary to get what YOU want, not just what your boss wants, you become inspired. You perform the task with some degree of pleasure. A motivated person may take no pleasure in performing the job or task.
So, do you have a job that simply motivates you, or inspires you?
Is it just a job, or is it more of a calling?
If you work at a job, perhaps one you hate, perhaps one that doesn’t give you the life you want, you may want to look at the many programs out there that could inspire you.
If you’ve only been “motivated” for much of your adult life, it may be time to look for something that will inspire you.
Be it the relative pleasure of the task, or the potential reward at the end, look for that inspiration.
To an employer, motivation may be just as impactful as inspiration. To the worker, inspiration is so much better.
Peter