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Hundreds of E Mortgage Capital employees, including loan officers, can opt-in to the complaint accusing the company of failing to pay them for overtime. View the full article

AI is upending business, our personal lives, and much more in between—including the operation of the U.S. government. In total, The Washington Post reported 2,987 uses of AI across the executive branch last year, hundreds of which are described as “high impact.” Some agencies have embraced the technology wholeheartedly. NASA has gone from 18 reported AI applications in 2024 to 420 in 2025; the Department of Health and Human Services, overseen by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now reports 398 uses, up from 255 a year ago. The Department of Energy has seen a fourfold increase in AI usage, with a similar jump at the Commerce Department. Agencies were effectively given the green light in April 2025, when the White House announced it was eliminating barriers to AI adoption across the federal government. They appear to have taken that invitation seriously. Those numbers may raise eyebrows—or trigger concern among observers worried about bias, hallucinations, and lingering memories of the chaotic AI-enabled government overhaul associated with the quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency during Elon Musk’s brief orbit near the center of power. “It’s not clear using AI for most government tasks is necessary, or preferable to conventional software,” cautions Chris Schmitz, a researcher at the Hertie School in Berlin. “The digital infrastructure of the U.S. government, like that of many others, is a deeply suboptimal, dated, path-dependent patchwork of legacy systems, and using AI for ‘quick wins’ is frequently more of a Band-Aid than a sustainable modernization.” Others who have worked at the center of government digital innovation argue that alarmism may be misplaced. In fact, they say, experimenting with AI can be a form of smart governance—if done carefully. “It’s become apparent that we never really properly moved government into the internet era,” says Jennifer Pahlka, cofounder and chair of the board at the Recoding America Fund and former U.S. deputy chief technology officer under the Obama administration. “There have been real problems that have come out of that where government is just not meeting the needs of people in the way that it should.” Pahlka believes that experimentation with AI in government is “probably somewhat appropriate” given how early we are in the generative AI era. Testing is necessary to understand where—and where not—the technology can improve operations. “What you want, though, is ways of experimenting with this that gives you very clear and effective feedback loops, such that you are catching problems before it’s rolled out to large numbers of people or to have a large impact,” she says. Still, it is far from certain that AI systems will produce outcomes that serve all Americans equally. Denice Ross, executive fellow in applied technology policy at the University of California, Berkeley, warns that rigorous evaluation is essential. “The way government would find out if a tool is doing what it’s supposed to for the American people is by collecting and analyzing data about how it performs, and the outcomes for different populations,” says Ross, who served as chief data scientist in the White House from 2023 to 2024. The core issue, she says, is whether a given system is actually helping the people it’s meant to serve, or whether “some people [are] being left behind or harmed.” The only way to know is to look closely at the data. That might mean discovering, for example, that a tool works fine for digitally fluent users but falls short for people without high-speed internet or for older Americans. Public participation is also critical. “Getting the conditions for legitimate government AI use right is hard, and this work by and large has not been done,” the Hertie School’s Schmitz argues, noting that “there has been no real democratic negotiation of the legal basis for automated decision-making or build-out of oversight structures, for example.” There are also reasons to be cautious about rushed or poorly structured AI deployments, including reported plans at the Department of Transportation to experiment with tools like Google Gemini. Philip Wallach, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, argues that while the government should be exploring how rapid advances in AI can serve the public, it must do so without sacrificing democratic accountability. The priority, he suggests, should be preserving accountable human judgment in government decision-making before momentum and political expediency crowd it out. Looking at the government’s overall AI strategy, Pahlka says she sees some grounds for cautious optimism. From what she can tell, many of the early efforts appear focused on applying AI to bureaucratic bottlenecks and process slowdowns where it could meaningfully boost productivity. If that focus holds, she suggests, the payoff could be pretty useful. Still, she believes more care and attention to detail is needed—something the The President White House has not always demonstrated. “What I’m not sure I see is a questioning of the processes themselves,” she says, explaining that, in her view, thoughtful AI adoption requires asking whether a process should exist in its current form at all—not simply whether AI can accelerate one step within it. That distinction matters because poorly implemented AI can have real consequences. Government’s track record with large-scale technology deployments is uneven, and layering AI onto flawed systems could cause undue harm. “We have consistently rolled out technology in government in ways that have harmed people because we do not have test and learn frameworks as the fundamental way of approaching these problems,” Pahlka says. If done right, however, the opportunity is significant. AI could help government function more effectively, and more equitably, for everyone. View the full article

When Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards steps onto the NBA All-Star court in Los Angeles with the league’s best players, there will be cameras following his every move. But it won’t just be NBC clocking the action. Edwards’s own Three-Fifths Media will be there for his ongoing unscripted show, Year Six. It’s the second season chronicling the daily grind of his NBA exploits, building on last year’s Year Five. Three-Fifths Media started in 2019, with Justin Holland, Edwards’s business partner and manager. They signed a production deal with Wheelhouse in 2024 to collaborate on projects like Year Six. So far, Three-Fifths has produced Serious Business, an unscripted show on Prime Video that challenges celebrities and athletes in their own domains, Year Five, and now Year Six, and the inaugural Believe That Awards, which aired in October on YouTube and had 167 million views across platforms in its first 48 hours. On the side, Edwards also produced a hip-hop album featuring heavyweights Pusha T, Quavo, and Wale. The 24-year-old Edwards is methodically building his own content and entertainment business clearly influenced by the success some of his on-court heroes have had over the past decade, like Kevin Durant with Boardroom and LeBron James with Fulwell Entertainment (formerly the SpringHill Co.). Of course, there is no guaranteed blueprint—witness SpringHill’s financial struggles, despite strong productions, that led to its merger with Fulwell last year. The two common threads among Three-Fifths Media’s projects is that they shine a spotlight on a real and (largely) unfiltered Anthony Edwards, and are at least partly owned by the NBA star. Holland says that’s not only at the core of their content, but the overall business strategy. “We’ve leaned into being authentic in every room we walk into, and prioritize ownership over exposure,” says Holland, who has been working with Edwards since 2016. “Not just looking for deals because of dollar amounts or because they’re cute, but also really leaning into brands that we really can take ownership in, allow us to keep that authenticity, and also look for opportunities where we can actually own our IP.” Just like Edwards’s on-court career, it’s been an impressive start, and shows potential to help redefine athlete-owned media. Believe That Okay, picture this: A remake of the 2001 film Training Day, starring Timothée Chalamet as Ethan Hawke’s character opposite NBA star Anthony Edwards in Denzel Washington’s spot. It sounds crazy, obviously, but Chalamet and Edwards actually talked about it in October when Edwards awarded the actor his “White Boy of the Year” honor as part of the satirical Believe That Awards show. The show didn’t feature a red carpet, nor was it drenched in celebrity—though Chalamet and Candace Parker made Zoom appearances. It was shot in Edwards’s actual basement, and had the feel of a Saturday night hang-out with him and his friends. That ability to seamlessly jump from highly produced work like Year Five, to more street-level, vlogger-style content is perhaps Edwards’s biggest media strength. “You have guys that impact culture, and then you have guys that create,” says Holland. ”Ant’s one of those guys that creates culture. So everything that we do, we’re intentional about not trying to follow the standard, and aim to actually be innovative in our creative process.” There’s a reason the vibe of hanging with Edwards and his friends permeates so much of his work (his best friend, Nick Maddox, stars in many of his Adidas spots)— it’s because that’s what’s really happening. “It is actually pretty easy when you have a guy like Anthony and our crew,” says Holland. “We keep everything really tailored to our core group and just want to make sure that we continue to build from there.” Brand consistent Holland says that, as a young up-and-coming NBA star, early in his career brands would try to fit him into their box or version of him they wanted. The work they’ve done with partners like Adidas, Sprite, Bose, and Prada represent those that have not only steered away from the old hold-the-product-and-smile approach, but encouraged Edwards to take ownership of the creative. Most modern athletes will talk about authentic connection with both brands and fans, but tend to serve up only the most curated and choreographed version of it. What makes Edwards work most unique is how it makes fans feel a part of that inner circle, whether in a social post or a big time sneaker ad. “We try to stay away from just brand endorsements and we really like to be in business with people that really understand who we are and then actually want to collaborate with us,” says Holland. That translates to having Maddox starring in Adidas ads, or Edwards’s brother’s music featured in a Bose campaign. It also brings Edwards’s natural affinity for trash talk to his brand work. Brands typically shy away from controversy, but Adidas has embraced Edwards’s approach wholeheartedly. They turned heads last year, launching his first signature shoe with ads that called out other pro shoe models and social media trolls by name. In a spot called “Top Dog” for his AE2 shoe, he beats video game caricatures of his biggest rivals—Luka Dončić, Victor Wembanyama, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, among others. Holland says getting brand partners to embrace Edwards’s authentic self was tougher at first, but the results speak for themselves. “We talk to our partners about our overall picture, looking at it from a wide lens of how we want to operate,” he says. “Now those conversations are a lot easier. They see how we move and how the public actually reacts to the authenticity, and how it resonates, because it just makes all the work that much more relatable.” View the full article

Public transit could be on the verge of getting a whole lot more efficient. The Bay Area city of San Jose says it has improved public transportation by implementing an AI transit signal priority (TSP) system that makes its bus routes 20% faster and shortens ride times for passengers. An urban planning win, it also broadens the strategies available to other cities looking to improve their public transport. TSP systems are programs that make traffic lights responsive and adaptable to public transportation in real time. They can extend a green light to give buses an extra second to make it through an intersection or shorten a red light so they don’t have to wait as long. It’s similar to the higher-urgency emergency vehicle preemption (EVP) system for first responders. While EVP systems for ambulances, fire engines, and police cars can immediately change signals, TSP systems for buses or trains can only nudge them. The extra moments from those lower-priority nudges, though, can still make a meaningful difference in keeping buses operating on schedule. “By helping buses move more efficiently through intersections, the technology reduces delays, improves on-time performance, and shortens wait times for riders,” a statement from the city read. Cities have found other ways to reduce wait times for riders. AI lane enforcement that tickets vehicles driving in or blocking the bus lane cuts the number of illegally parked cars in a hurry. In London, buses have switched to contactless boarding, which led to improved boarding times. San Jose becomes one of several test cities San Jose’s TSP was developed by Lyt, a Northern California transit software company. Its software interacts with a transit agency’s traffic manager center via a computer called Maestro. Lyt’s system was piloted in San Jose beginning on just two Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus routes in 2023; now it’s used for 24 routes. Federal and state funds paid for a majority of the project. Lyt provided TSP software for buses in Portland, Oregon, in 2022 that reduced delays by 69%. Last September the company announced it would pilot its tech on four bus routes in Baltimore. Lyt did not respond to a request for comment. Lyt’s TSP technology uses criteria like routing information, traffic conditions, and vehicle location to predictively keep buses running on time. The company pitches its system as better and more cost effective than the analog prioritization method of dash-mounted strobes on buses that beam infrared or optical lights to traffic pole equipment. “Our cloud-based transit priority system takes the global picture of a route into account and uses machine learning to predict the optimal time to grant the green light to transit vehicles at just the right time,” Lyt founder and CEO Tim Menard said in a statement about the system when it expanded across more San Jose routes in 2023. Public transit garners new public interest City bus speeds have grown from being strictly transportation and infrastructure issues to something that resonates more broadly after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won last year’s election in part on a campaign promise to make city buses faster and free to ride. It’s a promise Mamdani’s office says he intends to keep, even after the federal Department of Transportation developed a proposal to stop its transit funding for any city that provides free bus service, according to Politico—which represents a direct threat to the Mayor’s ambitious plans. Nevertheless, smarter systems that give buses a few extra seconds to make it through an intersection could be the edge that makes public transportation in cities across the country faster and more reliable. View the full article

Ministers argued the direct action group engaged in a campaign of criminal damage and violenceView the full article

Marks & Spencer is one of the latest U.K. high-street brands to launch a skiwear collection. Even supermarket Lidl is in on the action, with items in its ski range priced at less than 5 pounds (roughly $6.75). This follows earlier moves by fast-fashion retailers such as Topshop, which launched SNO in the mid 2010’s, and Zara’s imaginatively titled Zara Ski collection, which launched in 2023. Fast-fashion brand PrettyLittleThing’s Apres Ski edit (a collection of clothes chosen for a specific theme) tells potential shoppers that going skiing is “not necessarily essential,” which is good, because many of the products in the collection are listed as athleisure, not sportswear. It’s not just the high street. Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand Skims has recently collaborated with the North Face and has dressed Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics—though these are strictly designed to serve the athletes during downtime, not for the piste. Alongside dedicated skiwear lines, the apres-ski aesthetic has become a recurring seasonal trend over recent years, expanding well beyond the slopes. You may have noticed the slew of ski-themed sweatshirts across the market. One of these, an Abercrombie & Fitch sweatshirt, went viral in January after a buyer noticed that the depicted resort was actually Val Thorens, France—not Aspen, Colorado, as the text printed on the garment claimed. It is not only the quality of ski-themed fashion products that is a cause for concern, but also those designed for the slope. Many of these high-street collections have received criticism from consumers, with some claiming that the garments are “not fit for purpose.” Meanwhile, many influencers have taken to social media to warn their followers to avoid skiing in garments from fast-fashion brands. Such were the complaints that Zara Ski reportedly renamed its products “water resistant” instead of “waterproof.” These collections respond, in part, to a genuine need for women’s sportswear that is practical, fashionable, and, most critically, affordable. Ski and performance wear in general is costly, and such collections being both fashionable and relatively low-cost make for an attractive prospect. And yet, if these garments are so poorly suited to skiing, then what are they for? The visual allure of skiing Despite sports playing a key role in challenging gender ideology and perceptions of female physicality, the perceived importance of femininity and how women look while doing sports has lingered. Images of sportswomen frequently fixate on gender difference and femininity is foregrounded over athleticism. Here, the glamorous image of skiing has much to account for. Glamour relies on distance and difference to conjure a feeling of longing. For many, the novelty of eating fondue at 3,000 feet is out of reach, as is the ever-increasing price of a lift pass. Throughout the 20th century, the glamour of skiing has been defined by women’s fashion. In the 1920s, Vogue magazine featured illustrations of elongated skiing women on their covers. Designer Pucci’s aerodynamic one-piece ski suit premiered in Harper’s Bazaar magazine in 1947, while Moncler’s ski anoraks—photographed on Jackie Kennedy in 1966—gave birth to a vision of American ski “cool.” Changing ski fashions were recorded in photographer Slim Aarons’s resort photography, capturing the leisure class on and off piste between the 1950s and 1980s. Vogue Archive Women’s fashionable skiwear has taken many forms since the activity first became popular in the 1920s. It was during this decade that skiing became a marker of affluence. Leather, gaberdine, fur, and wool were popular materials in early women’s skiwear and were selected for their natural properties; water-repellence, insulation, breathability. By the mid-century, women’s skiwear became more focused on silhouette and excess fabric was considered unfeminine. Equally, skiwear gradually became more colourful, and in the fashion press women were even encouraged to match their lipstick to their ski ensemble. By the 1980s, skiwear aligned with the fashionable “wedge” silhouette; causing the shoulders of ski jackets to widen and salopettes (ski trousers with shoulder braces) to draw even tighter. These historic developments parallel today’s aesthetic ski trend where fashion and image arguably comes before function. For example, PrettyLittleThing’s models are photographed on fake slopes, holding vintage skis. The glamorous image of the skiing woman lies not only in the clothing but in her stasis. The suggestion is that ski culture does not necessarily require skiing at all: It may simply involve occupying the most visible terrace, Aperol in hand. No wonder then, that so many fast-fashion ski lines for women are deeply impractical—they appear designed less for physical exertion than for visual consumption. They sell women on the alluring glamour of skiing, while leaving them out in the cold. There is an additional irony here: Climate change means that skiing is becoming increasingly exclusive. Lower-level resorts are closing as the snow line moves up, meaning fewer options and increased demand. In this sense, the image of skiing looks to become even more glamorous via increasing inaccessibility and therefore distance. Fast-fashion has a negative impact on the environment, and the ski aesthetic risks damaging the very thing it claims to celebrate. This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org, The Conversation UK may earn a commission. Tamsin Johnson is a PhD candidate in visual cultures at Nottingham Trent University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

No matter how much you like your coworkers, you’re going to have some conflicts with them. Most of those conflicts involve differences of opinion or approach. A colleague may do something that irks you or causes difficulties for the work you’re doing. While those conflicts may lead to tension for some period, you typically get beyond those difficulties and may even wind up with a closer relationship to them later. But, there are some colleagues where anger hardens into resentment. That can cause real workplace problems, because you’re going to have to engage with that colleague which can get in the way of a project’s success. Plus, no matter how good you think you are at hiding your resentments, chances are your feelings for that person shine through in your engagements with them as well as your conversations about them. Not only will those resentments make projects harder to do, they can also stand in the way of your success in your organization. After all, most promotions involve moving up in leadership. Companies like to promote individuals they think will bring people together rather than dividing them. Your resentments mark you as a source of division rather than unity. So, how can you get over a resentment? After all, you can’t just wave a magic wand and have your feelings go away. Talk it out The best strategy for dealing with resentments is to talk about it with your colleague. When someone has done something that continues to bother you, it can be valuable to clear the air. Conversations like this aren’t always an option, but if they are the can be quite effective in moving your relationship forward (even if they are uncomfortable in the moment). Invite your colleague out for coffee. Your colleague might be surprised by this invitation, because (chances are) they know that you are annoyed at them. Let them know that what they did, how it affected you, and why you are still upset about it. Before you have that conversation, you should actually practice saying all of this so that you have words to describe it clearly. Don’t wing it. This strategy can be helpful for a few reasons. First, there are times where you say your grievance it out loud when practicing it and then realize that the problem here is you. That is, you may discover that you have been making a bigger deal out of something than it is worth. Second, there are times when the other party doesn’t realize the impact their actions had on you. This conversation may help them to better recognize the impact of what they do on others. Third, this conversation is likely to help you to see the event from a different perspective. When you talk out a complicated interaction, you may find that the other person’s actions were completely sensible from their perspective, while you had been feeling like they had bad intent. Forgive (and forget) Another powerful tool for dealing with resentment is to forgive the other person. That resentment you’re carrying is fundamentally about your reaction to that person as a result of your reaction to them. When you see them or think about them, you are reminded of what they did, and the bad feeling wells up again. When you forgive someone else, you are acknowledging what they did and the bad impact it had, and then you are accepting that action. Research suggests that forgiveness primarily benefits the forgiver. In particular, when you forgive someone, it dampens the negative emotions you experience later. It also makes some of the details of what the other person did less memorable. So, by forgiving the other person, you are taking an important step toward enabling that resentment to have less impact on your behavior in the future than it does now. Look in the mirror If you find yourself unable to talk with the other person or to forgive them, it is time to take a look at yourself. No matter how good a person you are or how much you strive to be a good colleague, you have probably had some moments where your actions harmed someone else. Because you like to think of yourself as a good person, you probably focus less on your bad moments than on your good ones. As a result, you may not remember some of the times that your actions had a negative impact on others. When you call to mind a few instances of your own less-than-stellar behavior, it can sometimes open you up to forgiving someone else. It can be particularly helpful if you think about times that other people have forgiven you for something you did. Imagine what your life would be like if everyone resented you for things you did in your worst moments. Recognize that your own career and success is owed in part to the willingness of others to forgive you. Finally, just because you forgive someone or let go of a resentment doesn’t mean you have to trust them blindly. If someone has treated you badly in the past and you are not convinced that they are reformed, you should still be vigilant when you work with them in the future. You can be careful in your engagements with a colleague while still treating them cordially and respectfully. View the full article

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. The conversation around energy use in the United States has become . . . electric. Everyone from President Donald The President to the cohosts of Today show has been talking about the surging demand for, and rising costs of, electrons. Many people worry that utilities won’t be able to produce enough power. But a report released today argues that the better question is: Can we use what utilities already produce more efficiently in order to absorb the coming surge? “A lot of folks have been looking at this from the perspective of, Do we need more supply-side resources and gas plants?” said Mike Specian, utilities manager with the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, or ACEEE, who wrote the report. “We found that there is a lack of discussion of demand-side measures.” When Specian dug into the data, he discovered that implementing energy-efficiency measures and shifting electricity usage to lower-demand times are two of the fastest and cheapest ways of meeting growing thirst for electricity. These moves could help meet much, if not all, of the nation’s projected load growth. Moreover, they would cost only half—or less—what building out new infrastructure would, while avoiding the emissions those operations would bring. But Specian also found that governments could be doing more to incentivize utilities to take advantage of these demand-side gains. “Energy efficiency and flexibility are still a massive untapped resource in the U.S.,” he said. “As we get to higher levels of electrification, it’s going to become increasingly important.” The report estimated that by 2040, utility-driven efficiency programs could cut usage by about 8 percent, or around 70 gigawatts, and that making those cuts currently costs around $20.70 per megawatt. The cheapest gas-fired power plants now start at about $45 per kilowatt generated. While the cost of load shifting is harder to pin down, the report estimates moving electricity use away from peak hours—often through time-of-use pricing, smart devices, or utility controls—to times when the grid is less strained and power is cheaper could save another 60 to 200 gigawatts of power by 2035. That alone would far outweigh even the most aggressive near-term projections for data center capacity growth. Vijay Modi, director of the Quadracci Sustainable Engineering Laboratory at Columbia University, agrees that energy efficiency is critical but isn’t sure how many easy savings are left to be had. He also believes that governments at every level—rather than utilities—are best suited to incentivize that work. He sees greater potential in balancing loads to ease peak demand. “This is a big concern,” he said, explaining that when peak load goes up, it could require upgrading substations, transformers, power lines, and a host of other distribution equipment. That raises costs and rates. Utilities, he added, are well positioned to solve this because they have the data needed to effectively shift usage and are already taking steps in that direction by investing in load management software, installing battery storage and generating electricity closer to end users with things like small-scale renewable energy. “It defers some of the heavy investment,” said Modi. “In turn, the customer also benefits.” Specian says that one reason utilities tend to focus on the supply side of the equation is that they can often make more money that way. Building infrastructure is considered a capital investment, and utilities can pass that cost on to customers, plus an additional rate of return, or premium, which is typically around 10 percent. Energy-efficiency programs, however, are generally considered an operating expense, which aren’t eligible for a rate of return. This setup, he said, motivates utilities to build new infrastructure rather than conserve energy, even if the latter presents a more affordable option for ratepayers. “Our incentives aren’t properly lined up,” said Specian. State legislators and regulators can address this, he said, by implementing energy-efficiency resource standards or performance-based regulation. “Decoupling,” which separates a company’s revenue from the amount of electricity it sells, is another tactic that many states are adopting. Joe Daniel, who runs the carbon-free electricity team at the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute, has also been watching a model known as “fuel cost sharing,” which allows utilities and ratepayers to share any savings or added costs rather than passing them on entirely to customers. “It’s a policy that seems to make logical sense,” he said. A handful of states across the political spectrum have adopted the approach, and of the people he’s spoken with or heard from, Daniel said “every consumer advocate, every state public commissioner, likes it.” The Edison Electric Institute, which represents all of the country’s investor-owned electric companies, told Grist that regardless of regulation, utilities are making progress in these areas. “EEI’s member companies operate robust energy-efficiency programs that save enough electricity each year to power nearly 30 million U.S. homes,” the organization said in a statement. “Electric companies continue to work closely with customers who are interested in demand response, energy efficiency, and other load-flexibility programs that can reduce their energy use and costs.” Because infrastructure changes happen on long timelines, it’s critical to keep pushing on these levers now, said Ben Finkelor, executive director of the Energy and Efficiency Institute at the University of California, Davis. “The planning is 10 years out,” he said, adding that preparing today could save billions in the future. “Perhaps we can avoid building those baseload assets.” Specian hopes his report reaches legislatures, regulators, and consumers alike. Whoever reads it, he says the message should be clear. —By Tik Root This article originally appeared in Grist. Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at Grist.org. View the full article

For the past two years, artificial intelligence has felt oddly flat. Large language models spread at unprecedented speed, but they also erased much of the competitive gradient. Everyone has access to the same models, the same interfaces, and, increasingly, the same answers. What initially looked like a technological revolution quickly started to resemble a utility: powerful, impressive, and largely interchangeable, a dynamic already visible in the rapid commoditization of foundation models across providers like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and Meta. That flattening is not an accident. LLMs are extraordinarily good at one thing—learning from text—but structurally incapable of another: understanding how the real world behaves. They do not model causality, they do not learn from physical or operational feedback, and they do not build internal representations of environments, important limitations that even their most prominent proponents now openly acknowledge. They predict words, not consequences, a distinction that becomes painfully obvious the moment these systems are asked to operate outside purely linguistic domains. The false choice holding AI strategy back Much of today’s AI strategy is trapped in binary thinking. Either companies “rent intelligence” from generic models, or they attempt to build everything themselves: proprietary infrastructure, bespoke compute stacks, and custom AI pipelines that mimic hyperscalers. That framing is both unrealistic and historically illiterate. Most companies did not become competitive by building their own databases. They did not write their own operating systems. They did not construct hyperscale data centers to extract value from analytics. Instead, they adopted shared platforms and built highly customized systems on top of them, systems that reflected their specific processes, constraints, and incentives. AI will follow the same path. World models are not infrastructure projects World models, systems that learn how environments behave, incorporate feedback, and enable prediction and planning, have a long intellectual history in AI research. More recently, they have reemerged as a central research direction precisely because LLMs plateau when faced with reality, causality, and time. They are often described as if they required vertical integration at every layer. That assumption is wrong. Most companies will not build bespoke data centers or proprietary compute stacks to run world models. Expecting them to do so repeats the same mistake seen in earlier “AI-first” or “cloud-native” narratives, where infrastructure ambition was confused with strategic necessity. What will actually happen is more subtle and more powerful: World models will become a new abstraction layer in the enterprise stack, built on top of shared platforms in the same way databases, ERPs, and cloud analytics are today. The infrastructure will be common. The understanding will not. Why platforms will make world models ubiquitous Just as cloud platforms democratized access to large-scale computation, emerging AI platforms will make world modeling accessible without requiring companies to reinvent the stack. They will handle simulation engines, training pipelines, integration with sensors and systems, and the heavy computational lifting—exactly the direction already visible in reinforcement learning, robotics, and industrial AI platforms. This does not commoditize world models. It does the opposite. When the platform layer is shared, differentiation moves upward. Companies compete not on who owns the hardware, but on how well their models reflect reality: which variables they include, how they encode constraints, how feedback loops are designed, and how quickly predictions are corrected when the world disagrees. Two companies can run on the same platform and still operate with radically different levels of understanding. From linguistic intelligence to operational intelligence LLMs flattened AI adoption because they made linguistic intelligence universal. But purely text-trained systems lack deeper contextual grounding, causal reasoning, and temporal understanding, limitations well documented in foundation-model research. World models will unflatten it again by reintroducing context, causality, and time, the very properties missing from purely text-trained systems. In logistics, for example, the advantage will not come from asking a chatbot about supply chain optimization. It will come from a model that understands how delays propagate, how inventory decisions interact with demand variability, and how small changes ripple through the system over weeks or months. Where competitive advantage will actually live The real differentiation will be epistemic, not infrastructural. It will come from how disciplined a company is about data quality, how rigorously it closes feedback loops between prediction and outcome (Remember this sentence: Feedback is all you need), and how well organizational incentives align with learning rather than narrative convenience. World models reward companies that are willing to be corrected by reality, and punish those that are not. Platforms will matter enormously. But platforms only standardize capability, not knowledge. Shared infrastructure does not produce shared understanding: Two companies can run on the same cloud, use the same AI platform, even deploy the same underlying techniques, and still end up with radically different outcomes, because understanding is not embedded in the infrastructure. It emerges from how a company models its own reality. Understanding lives higher up the stack, in choices that platforms cannot make for you: which variables matter, which trade-offs are real, which constraints are binding, what counts as success, how feedback is incorporated, and how errors are corrected. A platform can let you build a world model, but it cannot tell you what your world actually is. Think of it this way: Every company using SAP does not have the same operational insight. Every company running on AWS does not have the same analytical sophistication. The infrastructure is shared; the mental model is not. The same will be true for world models. Platforms make world models possible. Understanding makes them valuable. The next enterprise AI stack In the next phase of AI, competitive advantage will not come from building proprietary infrastructure. It will come from building better models of reality on top of platforms that make world modeling ubiquitous. That is a far more demanding challenge than buying computing power. And it is one that no amount of prompt engineering will be able to solve. View the full article

Bing Webmaster Tools now shows how often your content is cited in AI answers. See what the dashboard tracks, what‘s missing, and how to act on the data. View the full article

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a hierarchical breakdown of the tasks required to complete a project. Learn how it can help you manage your projects. The post Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Guide: Examples, Templates & Methods appeared first on project-management.com. View the full article

Thomas Woldbye says passengers at UK’s only hub airport are often in ‘the wrong place’ View the full article

Most managers are using AI the same way they use any productivity tool: to move faster. It summarizes meetings, drafts responses, and clears small tasks off the plate. That helps, but it misses the real shift. The real change begins when AI stops assisting and starts acting. When systems resolve issues, trigger workflows, and make routine decisions without human involvement, the work itself changes. And when the work changes, the job has to change too. Let’s take the example of an airline and lost luggage. Generative AI can explain what steps to take to recover a lost bag. Agentic AI aims to actually find the bag, reroute it, and deliver it. The person that was working in lost luggage, doing these easily automated tasks, can now be freed to become more of a concierge for these disgruntled passengers. As agentic AI solves the problem, the human handles the soft skills of apologizing, and offering vouchers to smooth the passenger’s transition to a new locale that was disrupted by a misplaced bag, and perhaps going a step further to make personal recommendations for local shops to pick up supplies. With AI moving from reporting information to taking action, leaders can now rethink how jobs are designed, measured, and supported to best maximize on the potential of the position and the abilities of the person in it. According to data from McKinsey, 78% percent of respondents have said their organizations use AI in at least one business function. Though some are still applying it on top of existing roles rather than redesigning work around it. 1. When tasks disappear, judgment becomes the job Many roles are still structured around task lists: answer tickets, process requests, close cases. As AI takes on more repeatable execution, what remains for humans are exceptions, tradeoffs, and judgment calls that don’t come with a script. Take for example a member of the service team at a car dealership. Up until now the majority of their tasks have been scheduling appointments, sending follow-up emails, making follow-up calls and texts. Agentic AI can remove the bulk of that work. Now that member of the team can make the decisions that require nuance and critical thinking. They know that the owner of a certain vehicle is retired and has trouble getting around. They can see that their appointment is on a morning when it might snow. The human then calls the customer and rebooks them for when the weather is more favorable. These sorts of human touches are what will now set this dealership apart and grow customer loyalty. 2. Measure what humans now contribute As AI absorbs volume, measuring people on speed and responsiveness pushes them to compete with machines on machine strengths. Instead, evaluation should reflect what humans uniquely provide: quality of judgment, ability to prevent repeat issues, and stewardship of systems that learn over time. In the example above, the service team member at the car dealership could now be assessed not by number of appointments set, or cancellations rescheduled, but by outcomes such as customer satisfaction, and repeat business. The KPIs should be in-person or over the phone touch points with a customer to up-sell, or suggest better services that their vehicle will need. 3. Human accountability for AI work When AI is involved, ownership has to be explicit. Someone must own outcomes, even if a system takes the action. Someone must own escalation rules, workflows, and reviews. Without that clarity, AI doesn’t reduce friction, it just shifts it to the moment something goes wrong. In the car dealership example, a human should still be overseeing the AI agents doing the work and ensuring that it’s done well. If there are problems, they should be able to catch them and come up with solutions. One of the biggest risks with AI isn’t failure, it’s neglect from humans overseeing the overall strategy and bigger goals that the AI is completing. Systems that “mostly work” fade into the background until they don’t. Teams need protected time to review where AI performed well, where it struggled, and why. Looking ahead This shift isn’t theoretical. Klarna has publicly described how its AI assistant now handles a significant share of customer service interactions, an example of how quickly AI moves from support tool to frontline worker. Once AI is doing real work, the old job descriptions stop making sense. Roles, accountability, metrics, and oversight all need to be redesigned together. AI improves fastest when humans actively review and guide it, not when oversight is treated as an afterthought. The next phase of work isn’t about managing people plus tools. It’s about designing systems where expectations are clear, ownership is explicit, humans focus on meaningful decisions, and AI quietly handles the rest. If leaders don’t redesign the job intentionally, it will be redesigned for them, by the technology, by urgent failures, and by the slow erosion of clarity inside their teams. View the full article

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. A medical tech repeatedly proselytized to me An experience I had recently with a medical provider has me wondering if what I felt to be inappropriate and unprofessional is a behavior worth raising with my doctor, who owns the practice. I live in area of the south where most people assume that everyone is Christian and believes in God — the kind of place where wishing someone “Happy Holidays” is likely to result in a tonally aggressive reply of “Merry Christmas.” Usually I let religious speak in various businesses just roll off me. I recently underwent TMS treatment for chronic, major depression. As part of that, I received 36 treatments that required me to go to my psychiatrist’s office every weekday for five-minute sessions with one of the techs. Early in the treatment, the tech would reference God and how he helped her, and I just let it ride and wouldn’t engage. But by the final two weeks, she escalated to asking me about my own beliefs. I eventually told her I’m not religious. She spent the next few sessions telling me that if I would just let God into my life, that would make all the difference. I expressed discomfort with the topic (clearly and directly), but she persisted. So my question is whether this is worth mentioning to the psychiatrist on my next visit. This is most definitely not a religiously-affiliated practice. Part of me feels terrible about the idea of getting her in trouble. I do believe she meant well. Plus, I have to go to the office every few months and will likely encounter her as she is in the front office when not administering treatments. So that could be awkward. But I’m also highly annoyed that I was repeatedly proselytized to while essentially a captive audience. What do you think? Would you want this behavior reported to you if it were your employee? Without any doubt whatsoever, I would strongly want to know about it! In fact, I would be horrified if I found out this had been going on and no one had told me. Hopefully your doctor feels the same way. The tech is representing the medical practice and the doctor; she’s not there to proselytize, and you’re not there to be proselytized to. It would be wildly inappropriate under any circumstances, but the fact that she persisted after you asked her to stop makes it even worse. Tell your doctor what happened. Say it was frequent and persistent, and she didn’t stop after you asked her to, and say that you don’t come there to be proselytized at. 2. My boss thinks our obnoxious, racist coworker is funny My workplace has become increasingly toxic due to poor management and enabling of inappropriate behavior. Our manager is a bully who operates by singling out team members while cultivating favorites and gossiping about colleagues. Her current favorite is Ryan, a 25-year-old man in his first professional role who has been with the team for two years. While Ryan is fundamentally a nice person, he lacks professional maturity. The rest of the team consists of women at least twice his age, some of whom actively encourage his behavior because they want to be in his good graces. Because Ryan is protected by our manager, he faces no consequences for increasingly disruptive behavior: * Constant crude humor (fart jokes throughout the day) * Physical pranks (lowering colleagues’ chairs while they’re working) * Graphic discussions of his sex life * Showing explicit images to female colleagues * Making racist and anti-immigrant comments When I’ve tried to address this, some colleagues tell me I’m being “uptight” and that he “improves the vibe.” Our manager witnesses much of this behavior and either laughs along or gives him minimal warnings. I’m concerned that making a formal complaint will result in workplace retaliation, both from the manager and from colleagues who see Ryan as popular. How can I professionally address his behavior without isolating myself or becoming a target? How’s your HR? Ideally you’d report what’s happening to HR (meaning both Ryan and your manager) and specifically say that you’re concerned about retaliation from your manager and coworkers for reporting it, and ask them to take clear steps to ensure that doesn’t happen. Legally, they’re obligated to do that; permitting a manager to retaliate against an employee for making a good-faith report of harassment or discrimination is illegal — and employment lawyers will tell you that retaliation can be a lot easier to prove than harassment or discrimination is. But companies break the law in this area all the time, so you’d want to have some idea of how your company’s HR handles things. If HR isn’t an option, the other option is to call it out in the moment and not be deterred by coworkers saying you’re too uptight. Sample language: * “I don’t want to hear about your sex life. Please stop talking about it.” * “Don’t use language like that around me.” * “That’s an awful thing to say.” * “You could hurt someone doing that, and you’re putting the company at legal risk.” * “If you show me photos like that again, I’ll ask HR to tell you to stop.” * “This is getting really boring.” But there’s no way to push back on Ryan that guarantees you won’t become a target yourself, particularly with the sort of manager you described. Can you work on getting out of there? For what it’s worth, I’m pretty skeptical that Ryan is a nice person. Related: how to deal with a racist coworker is it worth going to HR about a bad manager? 3. When the reference-checker is an employee I fired At a former job, two employees on my team were Philip and Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s work was okay, but she was a toxic personality and I ended up terminating her employment. (There is of course more to this story but it isn’t relevant to my question.) Philip and Elizabeth were peers and I believe got on fine. Philip was a great employee. He and I have since also both left for other companies. Philip reached out asking me to be a reference for a new job, and I am very happy to do so. However I just heard from the recruiter with his potential new employer and the person they want to set me up to talk about Philip with is Elizabeth, who now works there. I fired her not quite two years ago, and I absolutely do not want to talk to her. Nor can I imagine she’d want to talk to me. And I don’t want to harm Philip’s chances. He knows I fired Elizabeth but not any specifics. What do I do? I’m leaning toward telling the recruiter I’m happy to recommend Philip but Elizabeth and I have a negative history. But obviously this employer must like Elizabeth so I’m concerned anything I say will reflect badly on Philip. Tell Philip he should find another reference? Help! I agree with your instincts! Tell the recruiter that you enthusiastically recommend Philip but that you have a complicated history with Elizabeth, having worked together in the past, and so you wonder if there’s someone else there who you could offer the reference to instead. If the recruiter says Elizabeth is the only option — well, ideally you’d suck it up and do it … but if you think that’s likely to harm Philip’s chances, then at that point you should lay it out for him and ask how he’d like to handle it. Sample language for that: “I’m happy to give anyone who asks a glowing reference for you but, between the two of us, there’s some tension between Elizabeth and me, and I don’t want that to hurt your chances at this job. Would you like me to go ahead and talk to her, or would you rather give them someone else to speak to?” 4. Does “don’t take a counteroffer” apply when both offers are internal? I really appreciated the post that gathered all of your advice on counter offers together in one place! I’ve been curious whether your advice changes when the second offer is an internal one? How do you approach things when you’ve been holding out for and/or been promised a promotion or a new role that’s taking forever to materialize — but accepting an interview (or getting an offer, keep your fingers crossed for me!) in another department gets your current leader to make the dangled promised position materialize? Do the same principles apply as when it’s two companies vying for you? A lot of the same principles apply: you still want to ask yourself why it took you being ready to leave for your manager to get it together for you, and whether it’ll be a similar battle to get other things you’ve earned in the future. And the same caveats apply about making sure they’re really going to follow through on their promises, not resume dragging their feet once the immediate crisis of you leaving is averted. The piece that can be different is that your company is less likely to see you as “disloyal” (a ridiculous concept regardless) — but you should weight the other factors pretty heavily. The post my boss thinks our obnoxious coworker is funny, medical tech proselytized to me, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

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When crafting an ideal business statement format, it’s essential to focus on clarity and conciseness. A well-structured statement should articulate your organization’s core objectives and values in just two to three sentences. This guarantees that it resonates with stakeholders and aligns with your mission. Furthermore, regularly revising the statement keeps it relevant in a dynamic market. Discovering how to effectively implement these strategies can greatly improve your business’s public engagement. Key Takeaways Start with a clear articulation of core objectives and customer needs in two to three sentences. Incorporate the organization’s core values to ensure alignment with its principles. Use precise language to communicate operational intent and avoid ambiguity. Integrate feedback from stakeholders to enhance resonance and relevance. Regularly update the statement to reflect changes in market conditions and strategic goals. What Is a Business Purpose Statement? A business purpose statement is a crucial element that defines your organization’s goals and operational intent. It succinctly outlines why your business exists and the specific needs it aims to fulfill for customers. Unlike mission and vision statements, it focuses more on your operational objectives. To craft a strong purpose statement, you should research the market, understand customer requirements, and include stakeholder feedback. Make sure it’s clearly formatted for readability and consistently presented across all platforms, including your website and social media. This approach maximizes public awareness. Effective examples can range from raising awareness about social issues to providing specific educational resources. Think of it as a guiding star, much like a business financial statement template or financial overview template, guaranteeing clarity in your financial statement sample format. Key Elements of an Effective Business Purpose Statement When crafting your business purpose statement, focus on clarity of objectives, alignment with your company’s values, and keeping it brief yet precise. You want to guarantee that it clearly communicates what your business stands for and how it addresses customer needs. Clarity of Objectives Crafting a clear business purpose statement is essential for defining your organization’s core objectives and effectively communicating its mission. This statement should succinctly outline what sets your business apart and how it meets customer needs. Aim for brevity—one to two sentences can make it memorable and easy to convey to employees and clients alike. Including feedback from stakeholders improves its relevance, ensuring it aligns with market expectations. As you develop this statement, consider using a financial statement template or a statement of financial performance template to illustrate your goals, akin to a small business income statement that highlights financial objectives. Regularly revisit and update your purpose statement to reflect changes in market conditions and strategic goals. Alignment With Values Aligning your business purpose statement with your organization’s core values is crucial for nurturing authenticity and trust among stakeholders. Your statement should clearly articulate these values as you identify the specific needs of your target market. By demonstrating how your business intends to meet these needs, you reinforce your commitment to your principles. Incorporating feedback from employees and customers during the creation process guarantees that your purpose resonates with shared values. When crafting your statement, consider using a concise business statement format, ideally under 25 words, to improve memorability. Regularly revisiting your purpose helps maintain alignment with evolving values and market conditions. This practice keeps your financial records template and income statement template relevant and engaging for all stakeholders. Brevity and Precision An effective business purpose statement must be brief and precise, as clarity is essential for conveying your company’s mission. Ideally, this statement should consist of two to three sentences that articulate your core objectives, products, or services. By addressing specific customer needs, you create a direct connection with your target market. Strong statements use vivid, actionable language as they avoid vague terms, enhancing your business identity. Regularly revising your statement keeps it relevant, aligning it with your evolving goals and market conditions. Just like a financial statement report template or a free financial report template, your purpose statement should be clear and to the point. Think of it as a profit and loss statement template, reflecting your business’s essence succinctly. Steps to Create a Compelling Business Purpose Statement Creating a compelling business purpose statement starts with a deep comprehension of your market and customers. Begin by conducting thorough market research to identify gaps and understand their needs. Incorporate feedback from employees and customers to guarantee your statement resonates with all stakeholders. Use a structured approach by defining your business’s vision, mission, and objectives, assuring clarity and alignment with your overall goals. Craft a concise statement, ideally one to two sentences, that captures why your business operates and the value it provides. Regularly revisit this statement as your business evolves, so it remains relevant. You can even refer to a free financial statement template or a small business income statement example to align your financial insights with your purpose. Researching the Market and Identifying Gaps Even though conducting market research may seem intimidating, it’s essential for identifying gaps that your business can exploit. Start by analyzing industry trends and customer preferences, using tools like surveys and focus groups. These methods reveal unmet needs and areas ripe for innovation. A successful strategy includes evaluating existing products for strengths and weaknesses, which can highlight opportunities for differentiation. Furthermore, reviewing secondary data sources, such as industry reports, expands your comprehension of market dynamics. Engaging with your target audience through feedback and social media interactions uncovers specific pain points. This process finally helps tailor your offerings effectively. Market Research Tools Insights Gained Application in Business Surveys Consumer preferences Product development Focus Groups Group feedback Service improvement Secondary Data Industry trends Strategic planning Social Media Customer pain points Marketing strategies Analytics Behavioral patterns Targeted advertising Understanding Customer Needs and Preferences How can businesses effectively understand customer needs and preferences? Start by conducting market research, as 70% of consumers favor brands that recognize their unique preferences and provide personalized experiences. Utilize surveys and feedback tools, since companies that actively seek customer input often see a 10-15% boost in satisfaction ratings. Analyzing customer behavior through data analytics can uncover buying patterns, with 63% of consumers expecting brands to understand their needs based on past interactions. Creating detailed customer personas using demographics, interests, and purchasing behaviors can tailor products effectively, leading to a 30% increase in engagement. Finally, regularly revisiting customer insights is essential, as 56% of preferences can shift within a year because of changing market trends and personal circumstances. Aligning Short- and Long-Term Business Goals To effectively align your short- and long-term business goals, it’s crucial to define clear objectives that guide your actions. By measuring progress regularly, you can guarantee that your immediate efforts contribute to broader aspirations, allowing for timely adjustments based on performance metrics and market feedback. This approach not just supports sustainable growth but additionally improves overall organizational engagement with the company’s vision. Defining Clear Objectives Defining clear objectives is crucial for any business aiming to achieve both short- and long-term success. Your short-term goals should focus on immediate actions and measurable outcomes, typically spanning a few months to a year. Conversely, long-term goals project 3-5 years ahead, outlining your desired direction and growth. Aligning these objectives guarantees that daily operations contribute to your broader vision, nurturing cohesion among employees. Utilizing the SMART criteria—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—can improve clarity and accountability in achieving these goals. Engaging employees in the goal-setting process increases their commitment, allowing them to see how their contributions impact overall success. Regularly review and adjust your objectives based on performance data and market changes to maintain relevance and alignment. Measuring Progress Regularly Measuring progress regularly is essential for maintaining alignment between your short- and long-term goals. By establishing key performance indicators (KPIs), you can track specific metrics that reflect both immediate achievements and future objectives. Conducting quarterly reviews of your business plans facilitates timely adjustments, helping you identify trends and areas for improvement that align with your strategic goals. Utilizing tools like the Business Health Check Tool allows you to assess current performance relative to established targets, highlighting growth opportunities and potential challenges. Engaging your employees in progress assessments encourages a culture of accountability and motivation, ensuring their daily tasks connect with the overarching business vision and mission. Regular assessments keep your business agile, ready to pivot based on performance data and market conditions. Establishing Your Brand Vision and Mission Establishing your brand vision and mission is essential for guiding your company’s direction and uniting your team around shared goals. A brand vision statement articulates what you aspire to achieve in the long term, helping to shape strategic decisions. Conversely, a mission statement succinctly describes your purpose, values, and objectives, typically in one to three sentences focused on current actions. It’s important to make these statements unique, using strong language that engages stakeholders during the process of avoiding imitation of competitors. Involving employees in this process promotes ownership and guarantees alignment with your core values. Remember to revisit and update your vision and mission regularly to maintain relevance and adapt to changes in the business environment. Incorporating Feedback From Stakeholders How can you guarantee that your business statement resonates effectively with everyone involved? Incorporating feedback from stakeholders is key. By gathering insights from employees, customers, and partners, you make certain your statement reflects diverse perspectives and needs. Engaging these stakeholders during the drafting process leads to a better comprehension of your company’s purpose and values, enhancing clarity and impact. Regularly soliciting feedback helps you identify gaps, keeping the statement relevant and aligned with evolving goals. Stakeholder feedback as well refines language, making the statement more actionable and relatable. Utilize surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one interviews to collect diverse opinions, nurturing a sense of ownership and commitment to the finalized business statement, in the end strengthening your organization’s direction and unity. Formatting and Presenting Your Business Purpose Statement After gathering valuable feedback from stakeholders, the next step is to focus on formatting and presenting your business purpose statement effectively. A well-structured statement can boost your professionalism and clarity. Here are some key considerations: Use Consistent Formatting: Choose a readable font and size to guarantee clarity across platforms. Keep It Concise: Aim for one to two sentences that capture your core objectives and value. Choose Clear Language: Avoid jargon; your audience should easily understand your message. Prominent Placement: Publish your statement on your website and include it in marketing materials to effectively communicate your mission. Regularly revisit and update your statement to keep it relevant, reflecting any changes in your business direction or market conditions. Sharing Your Statement Across Platforms Sharing your business purpose statement across various platforms is essential for ensuring that your audience fully comprehends your mission and values. Make sure your statement is well-formatted and easy to read, using consistent font and size for a professional appearance. Publish it on your business website and social media channels to help customers grasp the purpose behind your products and services. To present your statement engagingly, consider using visual aids like infographics or videos, which can increase interaction and sharing. Regularly update your statement to reflect changes in your business goals or values, keeping your messaging relevant. Finally, encourage employee engagement by sharing the statement during team meetings and including it in internal communications for a unified comprehension of your purpose. Examples of Effective Business Purpose Statements Effective business purpose statements serve as a foundation for any company’s identity, clearly articulating its objectives and the value it provides to customers. To create an impactful statement, consider these key elements: Conciseness: Keep it to one to three sentences for clarity. Customer Focus: Highlight how your business meets customer needs and stands out from competitors. Market Insights: Integrate findings from market research and customer feedback to show awareness of your audience. Social Responsibility: Include commitments, such as “Strive to protect wildlife through education about endangered species,” to improve community engagement. The Role of a Business Purpose Statement in Strategic Planning A business purpose statement clearly defines your core objectives, which serves as an essential foundation for strategic planning. By aligning your business strategies with this statement, you guarantee that decisions are made in harmony with your company’s mission and long-term goals. This alignment not merely clarifies your direction but likewise helps you effectively allocate resources to meet customer needs and market demands. Defining Core Objectives Comprehending the essence of a business purpose statement is essential for any organization aiming to define its core objectives effectively. This statement articulates why your company exists and guides your strategic planning. To create a meaningful business purpose statement, consider the following: Identify how your business serves customer needs. Distinguish your unique value proposition from competitors. Utilize customer feedback and market research to refine your statement. Regularly revisit and update the purpose to align with evolving missions and market conditions. Aligning Business Strategies Aligning business strategies with your core objectives is vital for achieving long-term success. A well-crafted business purpose statement provides a solid foundation for this alignment, guaranteeing all activities support your organization’s goals. It helps you articulate your unique value proposition, which is critical for guiding both marketing strategies and operational decisions. By clearly defining your objectives, the purpose statement enables you to evaluate market opportunities and threats, making your strategic planning more informed. Incorporating stakeholder feedback into your purpose statement allows your organization to adapt to changing market conditions. Regularly revisiting and updating this statement guarantees it aligns with your evolving vision and mission, driving continuous improvement in your strategic initiatives. Adapting Your Statement to Changing Business Environments As market trends and consumer needs evolve, it’s crucial to regularly revisit and update your business statements to maintain their relevance and effectiveness. Here are key actions to evaluate: Gather feedback from employees, customers, and stakeholders to guarantee your statements align with current perceptions. Monitor industry developments and competitor actions to proactively adapt your statements and maintain a competitive edge. Incorporate measurable goals and outcomes, enabling you to track progress and make informed decisions based on performance data. Reflect evolving values and culture in your statements to improve employee engagement and alignment with long-term objectives. Frequently Asked Questions How Do You Write a Business Statement? To write a business statement, start by identifying your company’s purpose, vision, and core values. Clearly define the industry you operate in and highlight what makes your business unique. Aim for a concise format, ideally under 25 words, using strong language that conveys actionable goals. Engage stakeholders for feedback to guarantee clarity and resonance. Finally, revisit and update your statement regularly to reflect any changes in your business environment or values. What Is the Best Format for a Business Plan? The best format for a business plan includes four key sections. Start with an executive summary that captures your business’s essence, followed by a company description detailing your mission and offerings. Next, conduct a thorough market analysis to understand your competition and target audience. Finally, present financial projections that outline expected income, expenses, and cash flow. This structure not only organizes your ideas but likewise attracts potential investors and clarifies your business direction. What Is the Format for a Business Mission Statement? To create an effective business mission statement, keep it between one and three sentences. Clearly define your company’s purpose, the industry you’re in, and what makes you unique. Use vivid, action-oriented language to engage your audience. Involve stakeholders in the drafting process for valuable feedback, making certain it resonates with both internal and external audiences. Finally, make sure your mission statement is adaptable to reflect your company’s growth and changes in the business environment. What Is the Format of a Typical Business? A typical business format includes several key components. Start with an executive summary, outlining your business’s purpose and objectives. Follow with a market analysis to identify your target audience and competition. Next, detail your organizational structure, showcasing roles and responsibilities. Include financial projections that highlight expected revenues and expenses. Finally, guarantee the document maintains a consistent tone and clear language, making it easy for stakeholders to grasp vital information quickly. Conclusion In conclusion, a well-crafted business purpose statement clearly defines your organization’s objectives and values as it addresses customer needs. By incorporating key elements and regularly updating the statement, you guarantee it remains relevant in a dynamic market. Sharing this statement across various platforms improves public awareness and engagement. In the end, a strong business purpose statement serves not merely as a guide for strategic planning but likewise as a foundation for building lasting relationships with stakeholders and customers alike. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Ideal Business Statement Format?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

When crafting an ideal business statement format, it’s essential to focus on clarity and conciseness. A well-structured statement should articulate your organization’s core objectives and values in just two to three sentences. This guarantees that it resonates with stakeholders and aligns with your mission. Furthermore, regularly revising the statement keeps it relevant in a dynamic market. Discovering how to effectively implement these strategies can greatly improve your business’s public engagement. Key Takeaways Start with a clear articulation of core objectives and customer needs in two to three sentences. Incorporate the organization’s core values to ensure alignment with its principles. Use precise language to communicate operational intent and avoid ambiguity. Integrate feedback from stakeholders to enhance resonance and relevance. Regularly update the statement to reflect changes in market conditions and strategic goals. What Is a Business Purpose Statement? A business purpose statement is a crucial element that defines your organization’s goals and operational intent. It succinctly outlines why your business exists and the specific needs it aims to fulfill for customers. Unlike mission and vision statements, it focuses more on your operational objectives. To craft a strong purpose statement, you should research the market, understand customer requirements, and include stakeholder feedback. Make sure it’s clearly formatted for readability and consistently presented across all platforms, including your website and social media. This approach maximizes public awareness. Effective examples can range from raising awareness about social issues to providing specific educational resources. Think of it as a guiding star, much like a business financial statement template or financial overview template, guaranteeing clarity in your financial statement sample format. Key Elements of an Effective Business Purpose Statement When crafting your business purpose statement, focus on clarity of objectives, alignment with your company’s values, and keeping it brief yet precise. You want to guarantee that it clearly communicates what your business stands for and how it addresses customer needs. Clarity of Objectives Crafting a clear business purpose statement is essential for defining your organization’s core objectives and effectively communicating its mission. This statement should succinctly outline what sets your business apart and how it meets customer needs. Aim for brevity—one to two sentences can make it memorable and easy to convey to employees and clients alike. Including feedback from stakeholders improves its relevance, ensuring it aligns with market expectations. As you develop this statement, consider using a financial statement template or a statement of financial performance template to illustrate your goals, akin to a small business income statement that highlights financial objectives. Regularly revisit and update your purpose statement to reflect changes in market conditions and strategic goals. Alignment With Values Aligning your business purpose statement with your organization’s core values is crucial for nurturing authenticity and trust among stakeholders. Your statement should clearly articulate these values as you identify the specific needs of your target market. By demonstrating how your business intends to meet these needs, you reinforce your commitment to your principles. Incorporating feedback from employees and customers during the creation process guarantees that your purpose resonates with shared values. When crafting your statement, consider using a concise business statement format, ideally under 25 words, to improve memorability. Regularly revisiting your purpose helps maintain alignment with evolving values and market conditions. This practice keeps your financial records template and income statement template relevant and engaging for all stakeholders. Brevity and Precision An effective business purpose statement must be brief and precise, as clarity is essential for conveying your company’s mission. Ideally, this statement should consist of two to three sentences that articulate your core objectives, products, or services. By addressing specific customer needs, you create a direct connection with your target market. Strong statements use vivid, actionable language as they avoid vague terms, enhancing your business identity. Regularly revising your statement keeps it relevant, aligning it with your evolving goals and market conditions. Just like a financial statement report template or a free financial report template, your purpose statement should be clear and to the point. Think of it as a profit and loss statement template, reflecting your business’s essence succinctly. Steps to Create a Compelling Business Purpose Statement Creating a compelling business purpose statement starts with a deep comprehension of your market and customers. Begin by conducting thorough market research to identify gaps and understand their needs. Incorporate feedback from employees and customers to guarantee your statement resonates with all stakeholders. Use a structured approach by defining your business’s vision, mission, and objectives, assuring clarity and alignment with your overall goals. Craft a concise statement, ideally one to two sentences, that captures why your business operates and the value it provides. Regularly revisit this statement as your business evolves, so it remains relevant. You can even refer to a free financial statement template or a small business income statement example to align your financial insights with your purpose. Researching the Market and Identifying Gaps Even though conducting market research may seem intimidating, it’s essential for identifying gaps that your business can exploit. Start by analyzing industry trends and customer preferences, using tools like surveys and focus groups. These methods reveal unmet needs and areas ripe for innovation. A successful strategy includes evaluating existing products for strengths and weaknesses, which can highlight opportunities for differentiation. Furthermore, reviewing secondary data sources, such as industry reports, expands your comprehension of market dynamics. Engaging with your target audience through feedback and social media interactions uncovers specific pain points. This process finally helps tailor your offerings effectively. Market Research Tools Insights Gained Application in Business Surveys Consumer preferences Product development Focus Groups Group feedback Service improvement Secondary Data Industry trends Strategic planning Social Media Customer pain points Marketing strategies Analytics Behavioral patterns Targeted advertising Understanding Customer Needs and Preferences How can businesses effectively understand customer needs and preferences? Start by conducting market research, as 70% of consumers favor brands that recognize their unique preferences and provide personalized experiences. Utilize surveys and feedback tools, since companies that actively seek customer input often see a 10-15% boost in satisfaction ratings. Analyzing customer behavior through data analytics can uncover buying patterns, with 63% of consumers expecting brands to understand their needs based on past interactions. Creating detailed customer personas using demographics, interests, and purchasing behaviors can tailor products effectively, leading to a 30% increase in engagement. Finally, regularly revisiting customer insights is essential, as 56% of preferences can shift within a year because of changing market trends and personal circumstances. Aligning Short- and Long-Term Business Goals To effectively align your short- and long-term business goals, it’s crucial to define clear objectives that guide your actions. By measuring progress regularly, you can guarantee that your immediate efforts contribute to broader aspirations, allowing for timely adjustments based on performance metrics and market feedback. This approach not just supports sustainable growth but additionally improves overall organizational engagement with the company’s vision. Defining Clear Objectives Defining clear objectives is crucial for any business aiming to achieve both short- and long-term success. Your short-term goals should focus on immediate actions and measurable outcomes, typically spanning a few months to a year. Conversely, long-term goals project 3-5 years ahead, outlining your desired direction and growth. Aligning these objectives guarantees that daily operations contribute to your broader vision, nurturing cohesion among employees. Utilizing the SMART criteria—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—can improve clarity and accountability in achieving these goals. Engaging employees in the goal-setting process increases their commitment, allowing them to see how their contributions impact overall success. Regularly review and adjust your objectives based on performance data and market changes to maintain relevance and alignment. Measuring Progress Regularly Measuring progress regularly is essential for maintaining alignment between your short- and long-term goals. By establishing key performance indicators (KPIs), you can track specific metrics that reflect both immediate achievements and future objectives. Conducting quarterly reviews of your business plans facilitates timely adjustments, helping you identify trends and areas for improvement that align with your strategic goals. Utilizing tools like the Business Health Check Tool allows you to assess current performance relative to established targets, highlighting growth opportunities and potential challenges. Engaging your employees in progress assessments encourages a culture of accountability and motivation, ensuring their daily tasks connect with the overarching business vision and mission. Regular assessments keep your business agile, ready to pivot based on performance data and market conditions. Establishing Your Brand Vision and Mission Establishing your brand vision and mission is essential for guiding your company’s direction and uniting your team around shared goals. A brand vision statement articulates what you aspire to achieve in the long term, helping to shape strategic decisions. Conversely, a mission statement succinctly describes your purpose, values, and objectives, typically in one to three sentences focused on current actions. It’s important to make these statements unique, using strong language that engages stakeholders during the process of avoiding imitation of competitors. Involving employees in this process promotes ownership and guarantees alignment with your core values. Remember to revisit and update your vision and mission regularly to maintain relevance and adapt to changes in the business environment. Incorporating Feedback From Stakeholders How can you guarantee that your business statement resonates effectively with everyone involved? Incorporating feedback from stakeholders is key. By gathering insights from employees, customers, and partners, you make certain your statement reflects diverse perspectives and needs. Engaging these stakeholders during the drafting process leads to a better comprehension of your company’s purpose and values, enhancing clarity and impact. Regularly soliciting feedback helps you identify gaps, keeping the statement relevant and aligned with evolving goals. Stakeholder feedback as well refines language, making the statement more actionable and relatable. Utilize surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one interviews to collect diverse opinions, nurturing a sense of ownership and commitment to the finalized business statement, in the end strengthening your organization’s direction and unity. Formatting and Presenting Your Business Purpose Statement After gathering valuable feedback from stakeholders, the next step is to focus on formatting and presenting your business purpose statement effectively. A well-structured statement can boost your professionalism and clarity. Here are some key considerations: Use Consistent Formatting: Choose a readable font and size to guarantee clarity across platforms. Keep It Concise: Aim for one to two sentences that capture your core objectives and value. Choose Clear Language: Avoid jargon; your audience should easily understand your message. Prominent Placement: Publish your statement on your website and include it in marketing materials to effectively communicate your mission. Regularly revisit and update your statement to keep it relevant, reflecting any changes in your business direction or market conditions. Sharing Your Statement Across Platforms Sharing your business purpose statement across various platforms is essential for ensuring that your audience fully comprehends your mission and values. Make sure your statement is well-formatted and easy to read, using consistent font and size for a professional appearance. Publish it on your business website and social media channels to help customers grasp the purpose behind your products and services. To present your statement engagingly, consider using visual aids like infographics or videos, which can increase interaction and sharing. Regularly update your statement to reflect changes in your business goals or values, keeping your messaging relevant. Finally, encourage employee engagement by sharing the statement during team meetings and including it in internal communications for a unified comprehension of your purpose. Examples of Effective Business Purpose Statements Effective business purpose statements serve as a foundation for any company’s identity, clearly articulating its objectives and the value it provides to customers. To create an impactful statement, consider these key elements: Conciseness: Keep it to one to three sentences for clarity. Customer Focus: Highlight how your business meets customer needs and stands out from competitors. Market Insights: Integrate findings from market research and customer feedback to show awareness of your audience. Social Responsibility: Include commitments, such as “Strive to protect wildlife through education about endangered species,” to improve community engagement. The Role of a Business Purpose Statement in Strategic Planning A business purpose statement clearly defines your core objectives, which serves as an essential foundation for strategic planning. By aligning your business strategies with this statement, you guarantee that decisions are made in harmony with your company’s mission and long-term goals. This alignment not merely clarifies your direction but likewise helps you effectively allocate resources to meet customer needs and market demands. Defining Core Objectives Comprehending the essence of a business purpose statement is essential for any organization aiming to define its core objectives effectively. This statement articulates why your company exists and guides your strategic planning. To create a meaningful business purpose statement, consider the following: Identify how your business serves customer needs. Distinguish your unique value proposition from competitors. Utilize customer feedback and market research to refine your statement. Regularly revisit and update the purpose to align with evolving missions and market conditions. Aligning Business Strategies Aligning business strategies with your core objectives is vital for achieving long-term success. A well-crafted business purpose statement provides a solid foundation for this alignment, guaranteeing all activities support your organization’s goals. It helps you articulate your unique value proposition, which is critical for guiding both marketing strategies and operational decisions. By clearly defining your objectives, the purpose statement enables you to evaluate market opportunities and threats, making your strategic planning more informed. Incorporating stakeholder feedback into your purpose statement allows your organization to adapt to changing market conditions. Regularly revisiting and updating this statement guarantees it aligns with your evolving vision and mission, driving continuous improvement in your strategic initiatives. Adapting Your Statement to Changing Business Environments As market trends and consumer needs evolve, it’s crucial to regularly revisit and update your business statements to maintain their relevance and effectiveness. Here are key actions to evaluate: Gather feedback from employees, customers, and stakeholders to guarantee your statements align with current perceptions. Monitor industry developments and competitor actions to proactively adapt your statements and maintain a competitive edge. Incorporate measurable goals and outcomes, enabling you to track progress and make informed decisions based on performance data. Reflect evolving values and culture in your statements to improve employee engagement and alignment with long-term objectives. Frequently Asked Questions How Do You Write a Business Statement? To write a business statement, start by identifying your company’s purpose, vision, and core values. Clearly define the industry you operate in and highlight what makes your business unique. Aim for a concise format, ideally under 25 words, using strong language that conveys actionable goals. Engage stakeholders for feedback to guarantee clarity and resonance. Finally, revisit and update your statement regularly to reflect any changes in your business environment or values. What Is the Best Format for a Business Plan? The best format for a business plan includes four key sections. Start with an executive summary that captures your business’s essence, followed by a company description detailing your mission and offerings. Next, conduct a thorough market analysis to understand your competition and target audience. Finally, present financial projections that outline expected income, expenses, and cash flow. This structure not only organizes your ideas but likewise attracts potential investors and clarifies your business direction. What Is the Format for a Business Mission Statement? To create an effective business mission statement, keep it between one and three sentences. Clearly define your company’s purpose, the industry you’re in, and what makes you unique. Use vivid, action-oriented language to engage your audience. Involve stakeholders in the drafting process for valuable feedback, making certain it resonates with both internal and external audiences. Finally, make sure your mission statement is adaptable to reflect your company’s growth and changes in the business environment. What Is the Format of a Typical Business? A typical business format includes several key components. Start with an executive summary, outlining your business’s purpose and objectives. Follow with a market analysis to identify your target audience and competition. Next, detail your organizational structure, showcasing roles and responsibilities. Include financial projections that highlight expected revenues and expenses. Finally, guarantee the document maintains a consistent tone and clear language, making it easy for stakeholders to grasp vital information quickly. Conclusion In conclusion, a well-crafted business purpose statement clearly defines your organization’s objectives and values as it addresses customer needs. By incorporating key elements and regularly updating the statement, you guarantee it remains relevant in a dynamic market. Sharing this statement across various platforms improves public awareness and engagement. In the end, a strong business purpose statement serves not merely as a guide for strategic planning but likewise as a foundation for building lasting relationships with stakeholders and customers alike. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Ideal Business Statement Format?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

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