Future of Work Friday — Vol. 36 - INDEPENDENCE
Whether or not you celebrate it - or even like it - Independence Day is today. And so is the launch of SpeakerPro - but what has this got to do with the future of work.... Well... Quite a lot....
Hi there everyone
Happy Fridays. Did you know the idea of independence and freedom are key to the future of work. Well they are so…
Today on Independence Day. Whether you celebrate it or not.
We have to realize - perhaps like the American’s did that:
“The past system was not broken. It was built that way.”
(And now, in this Fifth Industrial Revolution, you can build your own.)
You see…. This week, something clicked.
Not a headline. Not an AI product drop.
Just a moment of clarity.
A speaker friend messaged me:
"Feels like I’m paddling a boat whilst your boat has an engine."
It was meant to be a compliment on how much work I do.
But…. It was something deeper too.
You’ve probably felt it too.
That feeling of effort without movement. Momentum without progress.
More tools, more tech… but the same grind.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth:
🔧 AI doesn’t fix broken systems.
⚡️ It just makes them faster.
That’s why I say this:
The system isn’t broken. It was built this way.
But now — finally — we have the tools to build differently.
Independence Day or Judgement Day?
Last month, I judged an award on AI.
But instead of just using JUST my own opinion, I let three AI models judge the entries too. Claude. ChatGPT. Gemini.
Each gave scores. Feedback. “Insights.”
None of them agreed. None of them matched my gut. FULLY.
Were they wrong? Not exactly. But they missed nuance.
Context. Intent. Humanity.
That’s when it hit me:
🤖 AI is powerful — but partial.
🧠 Human judgement is deep — but flawed.
💡 Together, they’re exponential.
This isn’t just about tools.
It’s about collaborative intelligence.
It’s the Fifth Industrial Revolution in action — not man vs machine… but human + machine unlocking more together than either could alone.
But what does this mean for you?
It means this:
AI is not just for tech companies.
Not just for coders.
Not just for “people in innovation.”
It’s for anyone with a system that isn’t serving them.
A process you’ve avoided.
A task you thought was “just how it is.”
And that brings me to SpeakerPro.
SpeakerPro: A case study in AI leverage
Here’s the problem almost every keynote speaker knows:
You do the talk. Crush it.
Handshake. Selfie. Standing ovation.
Then… silence.
No follow-up. No feedback. No leads.
Just on to the next gig.
All that energy? Gone.
I know as it effects me (A LOT) Sometimes I even need time off.
It’s madness. Because the value was always there — we just didn’t capture it.
So I built SpeakerPro.
A simple system that:
📱 Captures leads via a smart QR code
💬 Collects testimonials in the moment
📧 Triggers email follow-up
📊 Tracks data from every gig
🎁 Delivers digital content instantly
In short:
It turns one talk into five conversations with lovely people about future talks.
Not by shouting louder — but by unlocking what was already in the room.
And here’s the deeper point:
This isn’t about speaking. YES that’s what I do for a living.
But this is a metaphor.
Because every industry, every business, every individual has gold buried in their own backyard.
AI just hands you the spade.
Three questions to ask this week:
What’s your version of the untapped talk?
That thing you do, but never capitalise on?Where are you still manual by default?
Busywork that could be automated, if you stepped back?What data or value are you leaving behind every day. Without realising it?
AI doesn’t invent. It reveals.
Final Thought
The real shift in work isn’t just tech.
It’s perspective.
We’re not short on tools. We’re short on systems that serve humans.
🧠 AI expands what’s possible.
❤️ Humanity decides what matters.
So on this Independence Day, I soft-launch SpeakerPro.
Not just to help speakers. But to show what's possible when we reclaim the system.
Because the future of work isn’t about working faster.
It’s about working freer.
Here’s to you and yours
PS. Remember with all this exciting AI stuff going on - that your marketing is still important too. And using someone you trust is key. So Sparkr — is my trusted partner in web design and SEO — And they (aka Federico) are offering a free SEO audit to all newsletter readers.
And if you book a plan, they’ll throw in a free technical SEO boost too.