So, health insurance is in the news. And so is Americans' feelings about it. I got to wondering how we ended up with this terrible health insurance system in the United States. I uncovered a fascinating story about the marketing campaign that sunk Truman's national health insurance program in the 1940s. I also discovered some interesting parallels to popular marketing messages among today's influencers, gurus, and marketers.Today's episode is a little trip through history that will hopefully put some of our current issues in perspective.Footnotes:Gallup's survey data on healthcare"The Lie Factory" by Jill Lepore, in The New YorkerInterview with Leone Baxter in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting"Campaigns, Inc." via the California State Archives"The deprofessionalization of medicine. Causes, effects, and responses." by RR Reed and D Evans"Professional Identity Misformation and Burnout: A Call for Graduate Medical Education to Reject “Provider” by Deborah Ehrlich and Joseph Gravel"White Privilege and Professionalization: A Decolonial and Critical Feminist Perspective on Professional Nursing" by Natalie Stake-Doucet"Why Doesn’t the United States Have National Health Insurance? The Role of the American Medical Association" by Marcella Alsan and Yousra Neberai"Oli London & the Right Wing Grift" by Matt BernsteinFind an essay version of this episode at whatworks.fyi! ★ Support this podcast ★

A problem, question, or challenge is often more than meets the eye. But we're biased to accept how an issue is initially framed. We acquiesce to the original terms. That's called acquiescence bias. When we don't counteract our acquiescence bias, we miss opportunities to get to the root cause or think creatively about a challenge. Today, I share 3 ways to resist acquiescence bias as you consider your next moves, goals, or plans.Footnotes:"In Your Spare Time" from No Time to Spare by Ursula K. Le Guin (read it or listen on Spotify)"Don't call it a Substack." by Anil DashMore on why podcast metrics were so screwy this yearA skeet thread on the difference in referral traffic from Bluesky and X ★ Support this podcast ★

Do you see your software?Do you see how it influences how you run meetings, brainstorm ideas, fulfill your responsibilities, and communicate with others? Do you see how its text boxes, radio buttons, tabs, search results, and menus train you to think? Do you see it, or do you just use it?Footnotes:"The impossible dream of good workplace software" on Decoder "Practico-inertia" by Rob Horning ★ Support this podcast ★

Stop me if you've heard this before: we're overloaded and overwhelmed by information. There's more content than you could ever hope to consume. More scientific theories, philosophical concepts, and art forms than you could ever hope to engage with.Enter personal knowledge management (PKM). It's a modern term for an ancient practice—how one collects, preserves, and utilizes knowledge worth remembering. In this episode, I speak with Sari Azout, the founder of Sublime, an app for personal knowledge management (but that description truly doesn't do it justice). We talk about the philosophy behind the product and how that plays out in the product's design.Plus, I dive into how Sari's PKM philosophy is part of a long lineage of practices people have used to remember what's worth preserving.Footnotes:Check out Sublime or get started right away with an invite!Too Much to Know by Ann BlairMore about Sarah Mackenzie & Read-Aloud Revival"The Glassbox and the Commonplace" by Steven JohnsonMore on John Locke's commonplace book index systemWhat do you want to preserve?More on Corita Kent at the Corita Art CenterEvery new episode is published in essay form at WhatWorks.FYI! ★ Support this podcast ★

In management cybernetics, there are 3 types of systems: simple, complex, and exceedingly complex. The systems we pay the most attention tend to be, you guessed it, exceedingly complex. In this episode, I explore what that means for how we do our work and run our businesses—and what happens when we forget that people are exceedingly complex systems, too.Footnotes:Cyberboss by Craig GentThinking In Systems: A Primer by Donella MeadowsEmergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown"Practicing the Future: 3 Ideas for Rethinking Change" at What Works     Every episode is published in essay form at What Works and delivered in my newsletter—check it out and subscribe! ★ Support this podcast ★

The podcast challenges the conventional notions of scarcity and abundance mindsets. It introduces a compelling idea: resourcefulness as a third approach. Listeners are encouraged to distinguish between needs and wants, urging creative use of available resources. The discussion highlights the power of narrative and storytelling in fostering resourcefulness. Interconnectedness and cognitive creativity are emphasized as essential components in overcoming feelings of inadequacy and unlocking new opportunities. It's a fresh perspective on how we perceive and generate value!

Data isn't just a set of facts; it's a medium that shapes our interactions and perceptions. The podcast explores how the interpretation of data isn't purely objective and is influenced by human context. There's a deep dive into the concepts of predictability, relevance, and actionability, highlighting the importance of meaningful metrics for decision-making. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for enhanced media and systems literacy to navigate the complexities of our data-driven world.

Today's episode is about tips. As in gratuity. Wait, wait, wait! Where are you going?I know, you probably don't receive tips for your work. Maybe you don't live in the US, and you're thinking, 'What is this American BS about tips?'Well, when I first heard about Trump's (and then Harris's) proposal to eliminate federal taxes of tipped income, my brain went a hundred different places: how many people would it impact, how much savings are we talking about, what will this do to the proliferation of tipped work, and how much could this accelerate re-proletarianization?! You probably weren't expecting that last one. Here's the thing: tipping is a class issue. Which means it's also a social justice issue. And it's also an issue that intersects with frustrations with the way all of us work. To find out how, you've got to trust me—and listen.Footnotes:Information on the federal tipped minimum wage'Tip baiting' Instacart drivers via CNN"The Economic Logic Behind the 'No Tax on Tips' Policy" by Jadrian WootenTipping: An American Social History of Gratuities by Kerry Segrave"'It's the Legacy of Slavery': Here's the Troubling History Behind Tipping Practices in the U.S." via Time"Tipping is a racist relic and a modern tool of economic oppression in the South" via the Economic Policy Institute"Errand Runners of Digital Platform Capitalism" by İsa Demir"Defending Hierarchy: The Conservative Impulse" by Matthew McManusThe Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord"The problem is proletarianization, not capitalism" by Solange Manche (about Bernard Steigler)Capitalism is Dead: Is This Something Worse? by McKenzie Wark"The Practical Utopian's Guide to the Coming Collapse" by David GraeberFind essay versions of every new episode at whatworks.fyi! ★ Support this podcast ★

If a chatbot writes your novel, did you really complete NaNoWriMo?Two niche internet panics caught my eye over the last couple of weeks: a bungled AI policy by the organization that promotes National Novel Writing Month and a viral story about people hiring Strava surrogates to run for them so they can claim the kudos. And those two stories got me thinking about the ways that we delegate away the intrinsic value of other activities.So with the help of a 1935 essay by Walter Benjamin, let's unpack the cult value of novel writing, running, and social media.Footnotes:"NaNoWriMo Says Condemning AI is 'Classist and Ableist'" via 404 Media"Some Thoughts on NaNoWriMo" by Sarah GaileyChannel News Asia on the Indonesian Strava jockey trend"People are paying 'Strava mules' to do their runs for them, but why?" via Women's HealthVelljko's Strava mule confession on TikTokLeigh Stein on the internet's difficult with satire on TikTok"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" by Walter Benjamin"Unpacking the Attention Fetish" on What Works"In Defense of Inefficiency" on What Works"Why AI Isn't Going to Make Art" by Ted Chiang via The New YorkerEssay versions of every episode are posted at whatworks.fyi, where you can also become a premium subscriber and support What Works for just $7 per month. ★ Support this podcast ★

Dive into the fascinating world of values, where traditional notions are turned on their head. Discover how values like freedom and justice can empower rather than constrain. Explore the idea that values should foster creativity and curiosity, promoting individuality instead of dogma. This discussion encourages a flexible, inclusive understanding of personal and societal values, with an emphasis on their transformative potential in our lives.