In This Edition…
9 to 5 Dilemma: Group Project Gone Wrong.
We Need to Talk About AI & Your Job.
Upcoming Events & Releases.
Dollyism.
Your situation reminds me of one of my favorite pop music stories…
Years ago, Mariah Carey brought Ol’ Dirty Bastard into the studio to record what would become one of the most iconic remixes of the 90s.
He charged $15,000 (which was a crazy high rate at the time!).
He showed up three hours late.
He arrived irate, yelling on the phone.
He demanded champagne at midnight.
He smashed a bottle when it wasn’t available.
He recorded one line.
Took a nap.
Recorded another line.
Took another nap.
Warned the engineer he wouldn’t do anything twice.
Then came back later… for another $15,000.
If you listen closely to that verse in the Fantasy remix, you can hear it punched together in fragments. Chaos stitched into cohesion.
I say all of that to say, we’ve all (even the Queen herself, Mariah Carey) been there. Whether it was a trainwreck group project in school or a corporate project plan gone to hell… it sucks.
On your project, one person derailed momentum. Emotions escalated. Timelines slipped. Leadership pressure mounted. You felt like you were babysitting instability instead of doing your actual job.
Pulling Control Back in Chaos
Here’s what most people do when things go sideways:
They try to control the person.
They escalate emotionally.
They spiral about fairness.
They tighten their grip on everything.
That rarely works.
If I were in that studio with ODB (or your coworker), here’s what would matter:
• Define what must get done now
• Decide what can be imperfect
• Set boundaries on behavior (This is what’s ok, this is what’s not ok)
• Protect the team’s energy
• Document what’s happening
• Focus on outcomes, not ego or personalities
Leadership in a chaotic project is about narrowing the field to box in the chaos.
What is the real objective?
What is non-negotiable?
What is noise?
What to Say in the 1:1
Before you try to manage the room, manage the relationship and schedule 1:1 time with the chaos swirler.
Here’s what that might sound like:
“I want to talk about how this project is moving. I’ve noticed a few missed deadlines and some tension in our meetings. I’m not here to criticize or debate, I’d just like to better understand what’s going on from your perspective.”
Pause.
Let them talk, even if it seems like everything they’re saying is wrong.
Then anchor:
“Here’s what I need to be clear about: we have a firm deadline with a lot leadership visibility on this work. I really need commitments I can rely on. If something isn’t realistic, I’d rather reset expectations now than scramble later.”
If they get defensive:
“I’m not questioning your capability. I’m focused on predictability. The team needs clarity on what’s getting delivered and when.”
Then close with ownership:
“What do you feel confident committing to between now and Friday? Let’s make that explicit.”
What to Say When the Meeting Starts to Swirl
You know the moment…
Side commentary.
Emotional reactions. Flat out arguments.
Rehashing old grievances.
Suddenly the objective disappears.
You can say:
“I want to pause us for a second. What decision are we trying to make right now?”
Or:
“We’re all feeling the stress and pressure from this project. Can we take a minute to step back from this and bottomline ourselves to agree on what can be done by next Wednesday’s client meeting?”
If someone starts escalating:
“I hear you and I know this has been really frustrating for many of us. We don’t have the time to unpack that fully right now, but I want to make time for us to chat more about the challenges. For now, what’s the next concrete step that gets us to client testing by Friday?”
“We can disagree on approach, but we can’t miss the deadline. Let’s align on what’s getting delivered. What I heard from this was X owns this. Y is due Thursday. We’ll reconvene at 2pm. If that doesn’t work, tell me now so we can pivot.”
The Bigger Lesson
When someone goes off the rails, the temptation is to match their energy.
Don’t.
You don’t fix the personality.
You fix the structure and find clarity wherever it exists… even if it’s in tiny pockets right now.
And sometimes we all just have to accept that the output will be stitched together in pieces, not in the pretty format we’d imagined or hoped for.
Not ideal.
But finished with your integrity and reputation intact.
We Need to Talk About AI + Your Job.
I know.
You’re tired of hearing about AI.
It’s in every update, every keynote, every LinkedIn post written by someone who suddenly calls themselves a futurist.
Meanwhile, you’re trying to find a job. Or keep one. Or just not feel behind.
And now this.
Last week, a LinkedIn article titled “Something Big Is Happening” by Matt Shumer went viral. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s worth your time:
It hit because it was honest.
He essentially says what a lot of people building AI tools are seeing up close: the speed of improvement is accelerating faster than most corporate workers realize. Tasks that once felt safely human, like writing, analysis, coding, planning are becoming increasingly automated.
That doesn’t mean “no more jobs.”
But it does mean substantially different jobs.
And that’s the part we need to talk about calmly, clearly, and with a plan.
This Is Not a Panic Moment. It’s a Positioning Moment.
The worst thing you can do right now is ignore it because you’re overwhelmed.
The second worst thing you can do is spiral.
Neither helps.
I need you thinking about AI as part of your job search strategy. Not as a side hobby. Not as a trend. As part of your professional literacy.
Use this time to:
• Take one free AI course
• Experiment with tools relevant to your field
• Learn how to automate repetitive tasks
• Pay attention to how companies describe AI in job postings
You don’t need to become an expert technician in anything without continual learning.
You do need to become conversant.
Because here’s what I believe is coming:
Many of you will not lose your jobs to AI.
You will manage AI.
You will oversee workflows that include AI agents.
You will be expected to know how to evaluate AI output.
That’s a different skill set.
The Part No One Is Talking About Enough
AI is very good at speed.
It is not good at judgment.
It doesn’t understand nuance, culture, risk, or human dynamics the way you do.
The edge is not “who can use ChatGPT.”
The edge is:
Who can use it thoughtfully.
Who can interpret it critically.
Who can pair it with strong communication and decision-making.
The people who thrive will be the ones who combine technical fluency with human discernment.
That has always been valuable. It just matters more now than ever before.
My Ask
If you’re in a season where you have more time than you’d like, do not waste it pretending this isn’t happening.
Experiment.
Build something small.
Get comfortable prompting.
Pay attention.
This shift is not ten years away, it’s kind of right now.
It’s reorganizing work in real time.
You don’t need to panic.
But you do need to adapt.
And if you’re thinking, “I’ll focus on this once I land something,” or “I’ll wait and see what happens,” I’ll say this gently:
The people who adapt before they’re forced to will feel very different in the market than those who wait.
We can’t control the macro environment.
But we can control how prepared we are to move inside it.
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Dollyism.
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