Building Fractal #2
This is the second in a series of weekly newsletters where I'll be sharing my journey of building a new [insert vehicle] in the future of work space.
Happy Monday!
Let’s get straight to it…
💡 In this section, I’ll evaluate how building went last week.
What we did well last week:
What we could do better this week:
Main learnings 🧭
💡 I find the best way to integrate learnings into future work is to clarify them through writing and share them so they can be helpful to others.
I did a lot of reflection this week, at both a business and personal level. On the business side, I started interrogating to what extent a marketplace/for-profit company is capable of moving the needle on the talent alignment problem. It’s a pretty existential question to have, but a crucially important one to consider at this stage. On the personal side, I complemented that by thinking deeply about my unique skills and what vehicles I might see as more effective alternatives to solving the talent alignment problem.
Every founder I’ve spoken to recently seems to be pretty disillusioned with the ecosystem, for various reasons (often linked to the incentive misalignment prompted by raising from VCs, but not always). One of the founder friends I spoke to last week who’s passionate about very similar problems to me, told me that he’s learned how incredibly difficult it is to solve a human capital problem at some sort of scale. He also mentioned that trying to change the future of work by building a company is like trying to make the world’s best meal by just using a brilliant knife. In other words, it’s helpful, but it’s not sufficient.
Kudos 🙌
💡 A quick moment to show my appreciation for my community, collaborators and supporters.
Thanks to my amazing friends Aaliya, Ollie and Sofia for their wise counsel and super constructive feedback last week as I waded through some existentialism! Special thanks also to my peer coach Charles for always being incredibly patient and helpful.
Asks & Offers 🍀
💡 What support do I need and can I offer this week?
Offer: If you are a business leader who is struggling to understand how to implement AI into your workflows to make your team more efficient and save money, I currently have openings for AI consulting clients. Reply to this email if you’re interested in working together. This work is a three-step process:
Identifying internal opportunities with AI
Implementing relevant AI-powered tools and workflows
Training team members on how to use it so you’re not reliant on external services
Ask: I’m trying to speak to as many people as possible (both talent and Heads of People/CHROs/Heads of Talent at different organisations) to understand the key pain points they’re currently facing as we progress further into this new AI-fuelled world of work. If you’re keen to share your thoughts and challenges, please book a 20 minute call here. I’ll ensure it’s worth your time!
Sending good vibes for the week ahead and thanks for reading,
Nikita
P.S. This video and this talk really inspired my thinking this week. I’d highly recommend checking them out.