Reward Hacking
Whether you’re a software developer or an Artificial Intelligence (AI) vibe coder, you are probably familiar with reward hacking. Reward hacking happens when an AI model earns high scores or positive feedback by exploiting loopholes, shortcuts, or poorly designed rules…
Three Leadership Lessons from Spider-Man
Plainly put, Spider-Man leads with a unique formula of leadership of kindness, humour humility, smarts, passion, and responsibility. And here are three leadership lessons that you can take away from Spider-Man. No, this not a “new idea” and “a few people” have “already written about this” in “2010” – this being said, my lessons get to the punchline quicker and better. And the artwork (see below) that I chose to adorn this post is both adorable and (probably) concerning.
A Playful Haiku
Play is the process. Learning what we don’t know … yet. Trying is training. – A haiku about how adults and communities – neighbourhoods, organizations, companies – need to play together for the sake of play; like, Cas Holman would…
Play Without Fear
The FIFA World Cup concludes this week. It feels like Canada’s Men’s National Soccer Team has been out of the tournament for months. Even though we lost badly to Morocco, the experience was rewarding because results do not always tell…
Learning is a Non-Discretionary Function
Overseeing upskilling, leadership development, and career growth at a learning organization has eliminated a very specific occupational hazard of mine: involuntary eye-twitching during budget season. It still happens every time I hear or read the phrase “learning is discretionary spending”,…
Three Learning Lessons From Puppy Training
Last month, our family welcomed Trixie, the most perfect and awesome goldendoodle, into our home. Between my wife (who is very much her own person), our two boys, and me, we’ve spent approximately equal time training Trixie to be the…
Back to School Tips for All Ages
Little tykes, kids, young adults, adults, and grad students are all heading back to school next week. Learning – and being able to thrive in educational environments – is perhaps the greatest reflection of human achievement. Our team at The…
Nine Ways that I use my Grad Degree Every Day
The 100 year anniversary of the end of the First World War was on Sunday, November 11, 2018. My major research paper in graduate school focused on the cultural history of the Great War, specifically how a satirical British magazine…
An Internal Server Error Haiku
Server error. Gross. HTML detective. Learn through discomfort. – A haiku about the time this website was inaccessible until issues were diagnosed and problems were solved collaboratively! It is a good reminder that the best learning is often uncomfortable. Whether…
Tension: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How it can Realize a Community’s Potential
My Tension Tension happens in work and life all the time. Recently, I found myself in situations where tension was both palpable and enabling. The first instance occurred during the planning of an important event. Initially, there was considerable confusion…