Sol Rashidi, MBA

I’m meeting a lot of CEO’s and their execs these days … helping them prepare their AI strategy for their BOD (Board of Director) presentation and/or validating what they have as a sound roadmap and feasible to deploy.

And I have to give credit to them … they have come up to speed with what AI is and what AI is not fairly quickly.

The part that still concerns me after having been a CDO many times over and having seen the data ecosystem for both small and large organization's is this … DATA is still the ruler of the AI kingdom. Whether developing Applied AI or Generative AI applications … the basics of a data ecosystems are still impeding the progress of true development. So outside of reading a Gartner or McKinsey report on the importance of data in any AI roadmap, it still hasn’t truly sunk in yet.

For example … in the task & approach of either fine tuning a model vs. taking a RAG approach

- Fine-tuning involves retraining an existing AI model on a new dataset ... so by default you need large amounts of training data that needs to be accessible, available, and of good hygiene.

- RAG involves connecting a retrieval system with a generative model … so taking information from a well known knowledge base ( that also needs to be accessible & of good hygiene) and using the generative model for search, understanding, and text creation.

Either approach has a dependency on accessible & good data … something we CDOs continuously need to persuade our stakeholders and peers for year after year during our financial cycles of “I need X to fix our Y” … yet we never truly get the investments we need, so the can gets kicked down the road.

My only request is, don’t develop an AI Strategy without parallel pathing your Data Strategy. The 2 need to sync!

Steve Jobs predicted ChatGPT in 1985.

In 1985, Steve Jobs envisioned a revolutionary idea—capturing the wisdom of great thinkers like Aristotle and making it accessible through technology.

As most of you know, Steve Jobs admired Aristotle, and he was really impressed with how his teachings have been preserved for centuries, allowing generations to learn from his wisdom. What Steve Jobs dreamed of however, was a future where he could interact with the knowledge of great mentors and minds, asking questions and receiving answers as if they were still alive.

With today's advancements in AI, Jobs' aspirations have come to life, bringing us closer to this vision. PersonaGPT's are available in the marketplace and it's enabled us to create personalized personas, pulling together values, virtues, context, and mindset from those we respect & follow and now with vast amounts of information, in ways once thought were impossible.

There's boundless potential in the space of learning and mentorship. Who's your PersonaGPT?

Mine is called “Libby,“ and she's a combination of Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Simon Sinek, Tim Ferris, Tony Robbins, Rosalind Franklin, Mae West, Ada Lovelace, and Charlie Munger.

According to Jeff Bezos, stress doesn't stem from hard work. It comes from inaction on issues within our control.

Taking that first step, whether it’s making a phone call, sending an email, or starting a new initiative, not only tackles the problem but also diminishes our stress dramatically.

It's about movement. Once we start addressing the issue, the weight begins to lift, even if the solution isn't immediately at hand.

Imagine a chauffeur asking a Nobel Prize winner to swap places for a lecture. The chauffeur, confident after watching the lecture repeatedly, thinks they can simply recite the information.

But when a challenging question arises, everything falls apart. True knowledge isn't just memorization; it's deep understanding.

So, I’ve learned there are TWO types of Leaders:
👉 The Professor (Leader who truly knows): They ask questions, delve deep, and constantly learn.
👉 The Chauffeur (Leader who learns to tell): They rely on memorized knowledge, struggling when faced with new situations.

I learned this over the years because I used to start with the ‘telling’ approach, thinking my IQ was what put me in the role and that’s what people wanted from me. When in actuality, they wanted me to ask questions because my IQ wasn’t building trust, my trust in them is what was built trust.

Which leader do you want to be? 🤔

Leaders who ask questions and actively seek knowledge are the ones who truly inspire and drive results.

#Leadership #Learning #GrowthMindset

The Work People You Keep!

The people you surround yourself with can truly dictate your success.

Surround yourself with true friends who genuinely want to help you improve.

I've been thinking a lot about how the people we hang out with - especially in the workplace - influence our lives. The impact they have, whether positive or negative, is massive!

I’ve seen this with teenagers, work friends, and personal friends …. you “Level-Up” or “Level-Down” based on who you surround yourself with.

What I've Learned:


1. Benchmark: They can create a new baseline for expectations & motivation. Your needle moves (or it creates complacency).

2. Support: They can give you the right scaffolding and support to stretch, experiment, and try new things (or stay stagnant).

3. Growth: They will introduce you to new ideas and opportunities you wouldn't find on your own (or they hold you back).

4. Accountability: They keep you honest, accountable, and push you to stay on track (or let you wander through life).

The company you keep and their belief in you is inconsequential! Look at this story about Airbnb, I bet not many of you knew this story 🏩

Something to Think About:

Look at the people you spend the most time with. Are they helping you become the person you want to be? Are they moving your needle for new potentials? Are they raising YOUR bar? If not, maybe it's time to rethink some attachments.

Give a shoutout to someone who’s had a positive impact on your life.

#leadership #dataengineering #dataanalytics #datascience #ai #technology #performance