This week’s inspiration comes in three parts: A reflection on the power of people to generate growth ideas, headlines of good things happening all around us, and a word to the wise about putting your message in the hands of artificial intelligence.
So happy Friday and let’s go!
First: You are All The Intelligence You Need
I spent some time in Cleveland this week facilitating a group of incredibly smart, ambitious and creative executives creating the next-best-version of their organization. The creativity began at dinner the night before (where I was reminded that great ideas happen anywhere, not just boardrooms or browser windows. Stepping out of the usual spaces brings fresh signals to our thinking: “As I was walking here, I thought….” and “Around the corner, I saw a store doing this …” and “In the Uber from the airport, the driver said that…” Suddenly everything becomes inputs to your design thinking, even though they don’t show up on BI dashboards or Powerpoint slides.
The next day demonstrated the power of inspiration on strategy.
The building itself became catalyst to “seeing over the horizon.” The space triggered strong aspirations right from the start: participants turned the awe-inspiring surroundings into hopes for the discussion to create “powerful, magnetic visions” that would drive innovation for years.
As we surrounded ourselves in flip charts, sticky-notes, diagrams and electronic presentations we saw the power of physical immersion, not just electronic interactions: The group’s experiences, observations and insights were translated into signs and signals more powerfully than a chat prompt might draw from spreadsheets and internet-intelligence. At one point, we stepped back from a wall covered in handwritten ideas. I remarked that we’d created our own “meaning map” like a LLM does in an AI system. All it took was ten questions to spark a hundred ideas, from which we could “ask” questions and draw connections. The unlocks we discovered from that exercise would have been harder, if not impossible, lacking our direct personal presence with the content and each other.
It was incredibly energizing!
Second: Good News Friday Headlines Recharge Us
This week’s batch includes great positive accomplishments in our lives recently, reminding us that thinking about the future starts with recognizing the good foundations upon which we (and the whole world) stand today:
Global driving-deaths fell 21% last year, despite adding 1 billion vehicles to the world since 2011. Smarter vehicles, safer infrastructure, stronger laws and improved enforcement are saving lives, says the WHO.
Global hunger declined for a third consecutive year, with 43 million fewer people at risk than in 2022. The UN says progress is greatest in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, demonstrating how food, agricultural and social policies have transformed the world in less than a century.
Amazon deforestation declined 38% during the first half of 2026, reaching a 10-year low; more evidence that smart environmental enforcement can work alongside economic growth policies in the developing world.
Less-invasive prostate cancer treatment now match surgery-level results, says an Imperial College 10-year study of 3,500 men. New procedures also reduced risks of urinary problems and sexual dysfunction by nearly half.
A GE Aerospace hybrid-electric airplane broke the 30,000-foot barrier, said NASA, who sent the modified aircraft aloft for over two hours in an important step toward cleaner commercial aviation.
California awarded over $100M in funds for five permanent senior and veteran-focused housing projects in Sacramento, featuring 100 modular homes and related support services.
The United States committed $5 billion to AI-powered scientific research said the Department of Energy. Projects will focus on chronic diseases, accelerated drug development and longer-lasting construction materials. Microsoft added $40 million in computing credits to support the participating researchers.
Finally, a Word from the Wise to the ‘Bots
This week an online marketing discussion on AI-generated marketing slop posed the question:
Is AI writing in real estate getting out of hand?
Spot on, I’d say. And plenty of research points this out. First, consumers really don't want “AI-powered” things beyond tech stuff, says the Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management study:
