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Effective communication and preparation are key to successful meetings and decision-making processes. One powerful technique that can significantly enhance the outcome of your meetings is the "pre-wire." This concept, which involves holding preliminary discussions before the main meeting, ensures that all participants are on the same page and any potential concerns are addressed in advance. When I was with APM I learned the phrase “pre-wire.” A pre-wire is simply the meeting before the meeting. As consultants it was important to share the meeting agenda with the customer and be aware of any concerns that they may have. As a manager I still find pre-wires important. For example, we always review the IT Steering Committee agenda with the chairperson a few days in advance of the meeting. The better prepared I am for the pre-wire the better the Steering Committee meeting will go. ...

Less than a month until the new American administration, Wired predicts what will change in US cybersecurity policy - and regulations. Wired predicts shifts in U.S. cyber policy under the new administration; if accurate, this would mean a lighter regulatory touch. It remains to be seen how industry will respond. [… ] “more regulation will be dismantled than introduced.” Biden’s presidency was “riddled with new cyber regulation” that sometimes confused and overburdened industry, he adds. “The new White House will be looking to reduce regulatory burdens while streamlining smart compliance.” ...

CISOs should be thinking now about changing the assumption that the ‘Great Machine’ of artificial intelligence is so transformational it can replace, rather than augment, human activity. There’s a philosophical concept called the Great Man Theory that suggests history is all about how significant individuals act as centers of gravity for society as a whole — think Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Queen Elizabeth I, or the founding fathers of the American Revolution. ...

For those considering their next career move, a new study by The Economist and the Burning Glass Institute highlights the best British companies to work for to get ahead in your career - categorised between access, promotion, retention and pay - in a good example of open source data analytics, using “publicly available data on 151 of the country’s biggest and most recognisable employers.”

Increased AI usage is driving significantly higher energy demands, often met by fossil fuels, raising sustainability concerns. Gartner Predicts Power Shortages Will Restrict 40% of AI Data Centers By 2027 - Gartner Gartner predict that data centres will experience power shortages in the next few years, driven mainly by increases in usage of AI. Data centre emissions are soaring - it’s AI or the climate - The Conversation Three of the biggest tech companies, Microsoft, Google and Meta, have reported ballooning greenhouse gas emissions since 2020. Data centres packed with servers running AI programs day and night are largely to blame. ...