The Blog I Said I Wouldn't Write

Image by Imtiyaz Quraishi from Pixabay

Last week, I had cataract removal eye surgery. Afterwards I put out a couple of light-hearted posts about how I wasn't going to write the obvious analogous blog post for L&D and HR about vision, clarity and future focus. It generated a fair bit of interest and many punntasticly humorous comments in response, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  One or two kind people even suggested I had missed an open goal actual blogging opportunity.

I've reflected on that, so here it is. (Bear in mind that I said at the time that it could probably write itself.)

Seeing Clearly: A Journey from Cataract Surgery to an HR and L & D Vision

There’s a certain poetic irony in having cataract surgery at a point in life when one’s personal and professional vision also needs clarity. Last week, I underwent a procedure to remove cataracts, those cloudy formations that were obstructing my physical vision. This journey, quite unexpectedly, mirrored the process that HR and Learning & Development (L&D) professionals must undertake to clear their own 'cataracts' and regain focus and clarity.

The Cloudy Lens

Cataracts develop gradually, and you might not even notice the decline in your vision until it significantly impacts your daily life. Similarly, in HR and L&D, vision can become clouded over time by outdated practices, market changes, and internal inefficiencies. Leaders might not recognize the gradual drift away from their core objectives and the dulling of their strategic vision in areas such as employee engagement, skill development, and organizational culture.

Diagnosis and Acceptance

The first step towards clearer vision is diagnosis. For me, it was a visit to the optometrist, followed by acceptance of the need for surgery. In HR and L&D, this step involves honest introspection and perhaps the help of external consultants or data analytics. A clear-eyed assessment of the organisation’s current state, acknowledging areas where vision has become blurred—such as employee satisfaction or training effectiveness—is crucial.

The Procedure: Removal of Obstructions

My cataract surgery was straightforward – removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with a clear, artificial one. In HR and L&D, this translates to identifying and removing obstacles that impede clarity and focus. These could be outdated policies, ineffective training programs, or misaligned goals. The surgical precision required in business means not just removing the obstacles but also ensuring that what replaces them brings about the desired clarity and functionality, such as updated learning management systems, more relevant training content, or refined HR policies.

Post-Op: Adjusting to New Vision

Post-surgery, the world appears brighter and more focused. However, there is still a period of adjustment, a time to adapt to the new clarity. For HR and L&D professionals, this adjustment phase is about adapting to new strategies, technologies, and processes. It involves training HR personnel and employees, aligning team members with the new vision, and ensuring that everyone is looking in the same direction, especially in terms of career development and organizational goals.

Long-Term Focus: Looking Ahead

With clearer vision, it’s easier to take the long view, both in life and in business. Post-surgery, I've found myself appreciating the finer details and planning for the future with renewed clarity. In HR and L&D, once the immediate obstructions are removed, it’s vital to maintain a long-term focus. This means setting strategic goals that are not just about immediate gains but are sustainable and future-oriented, such as continuous professional development, fostering a learning culture, and succession planning.

Vision Beyond the Horizon

In both personal recovery and organisational rejuvenation, the key is not just to clear the immediate obstacles but to foster a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability. For me, this means regular check-ups and eye care. For HR and L&D, it means continually scanning the horizon for new opportunities and potential challenges, and being ready to pivot when necessary. This involves staying abreast of industry trends, leveraging data analytics to monitor progress, and being agile in adapting to changes.

Conclusion

My cataract surgery was more than a medical procedure; it was a metaphor for the necessity of clear vision in all aspects of life. For HR and L&D professionals, this metaphor is a powerful reminder that maintaining clarity of vision requires regular introspection, willingness to change, and a relentless focus on the future. Just as my world is now brighter and clearer, organisations too can achieve a sharper, more focused vision by addressing their cataracts and looking ahead with clarity and confidence.

End. 

But wait, does that sound authentic to you? Is that my blog voice speaking? Maybe a bit too laboured and glib, pompous even? All the obvious metaphorical and analogous boxes ticked? 

If you think, yes, that's Niall, all right, I need to rethink my writing style. If you're not sure, or are even certain that it isn't me, then you'd be correct. 

Remember I said at the time that the blog could probably write itself? 

Well, nearly. I prompted ChatGPT to visit my blogsite to learn my writing style and tone of voice and then draft a 500 word blog drawing analogies between my cataract removal surgery and business vision, focus and taking the long view of the future. I then prompted it to make that first draft more relevant to L&D and HR. 

Finally, I prompted it to make v2 less pompous and self assured and to be more inquisitive about other people's experience. This became v3.

The version I published above (with some editorial tweaks from me) is actually the output from Prompts #1 and #2 which, funnily enough, I preferred to the v3. I liked its sub-headings and it made some more connections than I might have.

So what was the point of this exercise? a) I am on a self development ladder regarding generative AI and this seemed like an opportunity to explore its capabilities from my own perspective, and b) I honestly couldn't be bothered writing what I thought would be an obvious and tenuously linked piece linking eye surgery with vision etc in L&D and HR. (Back to "Does this need to be said / said by me / said now?")

While reading, did you, and if you did, how long did it take you, start to question if it was me? If not, did the piece stand up on it's own two feet? Was it too obvious? Too clever? Too laboured? Or just about right? Is AI going to usher in the demise of the written blog? Or is more AI-generated written content coming our way? How do we ensure that our human voice is still the one with the most useful things to say?

For now, if I use AI for content creation, I'll advise the reader that I have done so, just in case.

Thanks for reading and for any comments you might want to add.