AI ai…ai…ai…

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI), what a complex and often controversial topic! I must confess, I've always been cautious about embracing new trends and technologies. Whenever I heard the words AI or ChatGPT, I tended to shy away. In my mind, I have convinced myself that it was a distant problem that might eventually fade away. I believed it wasn't relevant to me. But boy, was I wrong. Very wrong. AI is not going away, and it will undoubtedly have a profound impact on businesses, business owners, employees, and reputations.

The thought of it all is both daunting and mind-blowing; it's truly astonishing! To dip my big toe into the AI pool, I recently started experimenting with it to save time on creating social media posts for my social impact project, Re.Bag.Re.Use. Here's how it works: you simply type in your request, such as creating 30 TikTok captions, and then choose the "voice" you want, whether it be that of a life hacker, salesperson, or journalist. A few seconds later, the tool generates 30 well-crafted social media posts complete with hashtags and emoticons. It's incredible!

Time-saving: Undoubtedly, using an AI tool like ChatGPT will save you time. However, it's important to note that it won't do all the work for you magically. You still need to create the content; ChatGPT is simply a tool to refine your writing. You provide the inputs, and it helps you create better content based on your specific needs.

ChatGPT, as described on their website, is an advanced AI language model developed using AI technology. It is designed to generate conversational responses that mimic human-like conversations. In essence, it's a tool that aids you in improving your language and communication skills. However, to get the most out of it, you need to be as specific as possible with your inputs, otherwise the tool will return generic feedback that you will most likely share with many other companies who ask Chat GPT the same questions.

Relationship building: When it comes to building your business and your reputation, relationships are key. Human interaction and relationship-building have never been more crucial, especially as AI gradually takes over our lives for convenience. Understanding the nuances and insights into what is important to your various stakeholders is vital. Without this understanding, you won't be able to draft content that resonates with your audience.

Ethical referencing: I wholeheartedly understand the challenges that AI and ChatGPT present to academia. There's even an "academic researcher" voice option, which can be quite overwhelming. I recently had a conversation with a colleague who is busy with her PhD and teaches at various tertiary institutions. I am grateful for how fortunate we are to have access to strong academic insights within our team. There are ongoing debates surrounding the use of AI and the best practices for referencing it. From a business perspective, referencing and giving credit where it's due is non-negotiable when using specific sources, whether they are academic, business-related, or your own articles. Proper referencing is particularly important for academic writing. In the business world, the rules are slightly less strict. While you should still reference webpages, books, or articles when writing reports or media articles, tools like ChatGPT are more akin to Word, Excel, SurveyMonkey, or Grammarly. You don't need to reference every single tool you used to write a document.

I believe there's still much to unpack and develop regarding the ethical use of AI and ChatGPT in all industries. While some of us may be a little concerned about AI tools replacing our roles, we need to remember that personal relationship building is an exercise that AI is yet to replace. People want to do business with people that they share values and resonate with.

For more information on managing your reputation, visit www.reputationmatters.co.za or research@reputationmatters.co.za 021 790 0208

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Audiobook: The 10X Rule, Grant Cardone

Absolutely loved this book; it felt very synchronous with conversations I was having while reading it. 

Two of the key take homes for me:

1. It is your ethical duty, responsbility and obligation to be successful. 

2. Whatever your goals are, you need to make then ten times bigger! Think big!

Shining a Spotlight on Reputation Matters and Gestaldt Consulting

Today, I am overflowing with gratitude for my incredible team and the strategic alliances we've formed. The work we do is truly rewarding, and it becomes even more meaningful when we receive glowing reference letters.  

We've recently completed a massive Group-wide employee climate survey for the ProVest Group who is known for providing quality services to the mining sector. 

Reputation Matters® and Gestaldt Consulting Group worked together to deliver a high quality service. Here's an excerpt from the reference letter:

“It has been a pleasure to work with a team of their calibre given the daunting nature of the project. I would recommend them to anyone who wishes to conduct a research project.” ~ Kea Kalebe, Executive-Corporate Services, ProVest Group

Thank you so much ProVest Group for the opportunity to work with you!

Our alliance with Gestaldt Consulting has strengthened our ability to provide exceptional value and unparalleled insights to our clients. Together, we blend our strategic thinking and expertise to offer innovative solutions. 

If you would like us to help you to quantify your value, please don't hesitate to reach out. 

Cape Talk Radio interview: Dealing with your database: The Key to building strong relationships

Dealing with your database: The Key to building strong relationships. I chatted to Clarence Ford on CapeTalk earlier today. Listen to the conversation here: https://omny.fm/shows/mid-morning/dealing-with-your-database-the-key-to-building-str

Dealing with your database: The Key to Building Strong Relationships

Reputation management is all about building and fostering relationships. When it comes to growing your business and reputation, one of the easiest things to do is to build closer relationships with your key stakeholders. However, all too often, organisations find themselves tripped up by a poorly managed database.

Take a moment to reflect: if you had to share urgent news with your closest alliances – employees, customers, the media, and suppliers – in response to a crisis, how confident are you in the state of your database?

Is it easy to access?

Is it up to date?

Does it include specific and correct information for each individual, rather than generic email addresses like info@... or helpdesk@... that are likely to be routed to a bot?

Consider this: do you know the best communication channels for reaching each of your stakeholders? Is it email, WhatsApp, or a phone call? If it's the latter, do you have the correct contact numbers saved, so you can quickly send out multiple WhatsApp messages?

Failing to communicate quickly enough, especially during a crisis, to the right people can have a massive reputational risk for you and your business. Your database shouldn't only become a priority when a crisis occurs. Frantically searching for key contact details during a crisis can be disastrous and costly.

It's crucial to make time to declutter and organize your databases. Neglecting your database and engaging with the wrong people will waste a significant amount of your precious time. Moreover, engaging with the wrong people can also pose a reputational risk. Every individual on your database should have provided their consent according to the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Additionally, they should be given a way to opt out of future communication. This can all be easily implemented with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

If you currently don't use a CRM, consider investing in one. Business is all about forming relationships, and keeping track of these relationships is key to building your business. Personally, 

As mentioned earlier, avoid using generic email addresses. Personalizing communication can make a big difference compared to receiving a generic 'Good day' email. Make sure that names and surnames are spelled correctly. Nothing is as irksome as receiving correspondence with your name spelled incorrectly. It might also be beneficial to keep a record of stakeholders' birthdays, as this could serve as a good touchpoint to reach out and connect during the year.

Databases are particularly crucial when conducting research. Having up-to-date databases can greatly impact the success of your project, the quality of the data, and the turnaround times. If you have an up-to-date database that you frequently engage with, stakeholders will be more likely to provide you with reliable feedback. At Reputation Matters, our core business is quantifying value – whether it's reputation, internal climate, or brand identity – for our clients. A big stumbling block that causes the most delays in getting a research project completed isn’t the questionnaire, data analysis or reporting, the biggest delays are usually caused by poorly set up and maintained databases. A lot of time gets wasted fixing databases. It’s quite frustrating for all parties, when you are keen to get the results in, just to put the whole project on hold to update the database with the correct format and contact information, something that could have been avoided if regular updates of the databases were done.

For more information on managing your reputation, please contact research@reputationmatters.co.za, visit our website at www.reputationmatters.co.za, or give us a call at 021 790 0208.

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A wealth of wisdom from Margaret Hirsch

Absolutely value and treasure my friend Margaret Hirsch. Here's an example of her wealth of wisdom! Such wise words:

"I always tell people that God gives you a little bit of money and checks on how you deal with it. If you waste it he doesn't give you any more but if you look after it and make it grow - he gives you a bit more and checks again. It's up to you to use it wisely, save 10%, invest 10% and give 10% to charity - that’s the correct formula."

Here's the full article filled to the brim with leadership insight on Linkedin: 

 

 #leadership 

Selling the invisible: good advice!

Good old solid advice from Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith: Survey Survey Survey 

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#reputationmatters #researchmatters #surveys #business #books