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  • 50 Nintendo Switch Games Discounted, Including Dozens Of Mario, Zelda, And Pokemon Titles
    www.gamespot.com
    Nintendo finally unveiled the Switch 2 this week with a brief teaser trailer. The full reveal is slated for a Nintendo Direct on April 2, so fans will have to wait a few more months to find out when the next-gen console hits store shelves. In the meantime, you can clear out your Switch wishlist and chip away at your backlog for less thanks to Woot's massive ongoing Nintendo Switch game sale. Dozens of Switch games, many of which are exclusives, are discounted at the Amazon-owned retailer. The lineup of Switch game deals includes a bunch of Super Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda games. See all Switch deals at Woot Continue Reading at GameSpot
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  • Best Act 1 Bosses In Path Of Exile 2
    gamerant.com
    During Path of Exile 2's early access phase, it's become clear that this is a challenging game. A lot of this challenge comes from the game's bosses, who experience a step up in mechanical design from the first game. Path of Exile 2 expects players to be much more on point with dodges and attack timings than its predecessor, but it makes for some exciting and challenging boss fights.
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  • How to unlock all Tonics in Destiny 2
    www.polygon.com
    Tonics are the special episodic mechanic for Destiny 2s episode Revenant, the second in Bungies post-Final Shape epilogue releases. These Tonics help you target certain gear pieces to farm (granting you bonus loot of your chosen type) and can also enhance your artifact perks for the season, making your build even more powerful. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of work and resources to unlock all of the Revenant Tonics.In this Destiny 2 guide, well walk you through how to unlock Tonics and give you a full list of all Tonics you can craft.How to unlock Tonics in Destiny 2Tonics branch off of each other, starting with uncommon, moving to rare, and then to Legendary. There are two Exotic Tonics you can craft, but you unlock the ability to do so by collecting the Intrinsic upgrades for the Slayers Fang shotgun in the Kells Fall Exotic mission.To unlock all of the Undiscovered Formula Tonics, you simply need to buy Tonics of a lower tier. Crafting five uncommon Tonics will unlock a rare Tonic in the same branch, and crafting four rare Tonics will unlock a legendary in the branch. The only catch here is that, for Tonics that have multiple branches you can unlock, youll gain access to a random Tonic every four or five that you purchase.For example, if you wanted to get bonus drops of the Gridskipper pulse rifle from Season of the Splicer, you might want to unlock the Tonic of Gridskipper in the Tomb Gear Tonic track. To do that, youd want to buy five uncommon Tonic of Tomb Gear potions. Doing this will randomly unlock either the Tonic of Tomb Weaponry or Tonic of Vintage Tomb Weaponry.For the sake of the example, lets say you unlocked the Tonic of Tomb Weaponry, which isnt the Tonic that Tonic of Gridskipper branches off. You need Tonic of Vintage Tomb Weaponry. To get what you actually want, youd need to craft five more Tonic of Tomb Gear potions to unlock the Tonic of Vintage Tomb Weaponry, and then craft four of those to unlock one of the three legendary Tonics that branch off it one of which is Gridskipper.If youre looking for a specific Tonic, its a bit of a luck of the draw system, where youll be gambling various resources (which you can learn about where to find via the Tonic Capsule in-game) until you get the Tonics you want. But if youre just looking to unlock all the Tonics to complete Eidos Fieldworks, just craft each uncommon Tonic until youve unlocked all the rares in that category, then craft each rare until youve unlocked all the legendary Tonics that stem off of them.Just a fair warning here that the rare resources will be your bottle neck in this process, as you need one for every rare Tonic you need to craft. Be prepared to play a lot of the Revenant activities if you want to unlock all of the Tonics.All Tonics list in Destiny 2There are two major categories for Tonics in Destiny 2: Volatile and Enriching. Volatile Tonics power up your artifact perks, while Enriching Tonics give you bonus chances for specific loot drops.Weve broken down the complete Tonics list and branches below.Volatile TonicsThere is only one category of Volatile Tonics, with each Tonic branch focused on two perks.Diluted Tonic of Protecting Frost -> Potent Tonic of Protecting Frost -> Refined Tonic of Protecting FrostDiluted Tonic of Stasis Crystallization -> Potent Tonic of Stasis Crystallization -> Refined Tonic of Stasis CrystallizationDiluted Tonic of Renewing Finishers -> Potent Tonic of Renewing Finishers -> Refined Tonic of Renewing FinishersDiluted Tonic of Weakening Void -> Potent Tonic of Weakening Void -> Refined Tonic of Weakening VoidDiluted Tonic of Amplified Arc -> Potent Tonic of Amplified Arc -> Refined Tonic of Amplified ArcDiluted Tonic of Brawling -> Potent Tonic of Brawling -> Refined Tonic of BrawlingDiluted Tonic of Void Shrapnel -> Potent Tonic of Void Shrapnel -> Refined Tonic of Void ShrapnelEnriching TonicsDrinking an Enriching Tonic will guarantee you a specific piece of gear or a piece of gear from a selected loot pool. There are six categories of Enriching Tonics: Onslaught Tonics, Tomb of Elders Tonics, Kells Fall Tonics, World Gear Tonics, Shadestalker Tonics, and Resource Tonics.Onslaught TonicsOnslaught Tonics let you specify which piece of loot you want from Onslaught, even when doing other activities.Tonic of Onslaught Gear -> Tonic of Onslaught WeaponryTonic of Onslaught Weaponry -> Tonic of Vantage PointTonic of Onslaught Weaponry -> Tonic of InsurmountableTonic of Onslaught Weaponry -> Tonic of ExuviaeTonic of Onslaught Weaponry -> Tonic of LiturgyTonic of Onslaught Weaponry -> Tonic of SovereigntyTonic of Onslaught Weaponry -> Tonic of Bitter/SweetTonic of Onslaught Gear -> Tonic of Vintage Onslaught WeaponryTonic of Vintage Onslaught Weaponry -> Tonic of Ignition CodeTonic of Vintage Onslaught Weaponry -> Tonic of Chroma RushTonic of Vintage Onslaught Weaponry -> Tonic of Sojourners TaleTomb of Elders TonicsTomb of Elders Tonics let you specify which piece of loot you want from Tomb of Elders, even when doing other activities.Tonic of Tomb Gear -> Tonic of Tomb WeaponryTonic of Tomb Weaponry -> Tonic of Noxious VetiverTonic of Tomb Weaponry -> Tonic of Scavengers FateTonic of Tomb Weaponry -> Tonic of ExuviaeTonic of Tomb Weaponry -> Tonic of Bitter/SweetTonic of Tomb Gear -> Tonic of Vintage Tomb WeaponryTonic of Vintage Tomb Weaponry -> Tonic of GridskipperTonic of Vintage Tomb Weaponry -> Tonic of Chroma RushTonic of Vintage Tomb Weaponry -> Tonic of Sojourners TaleKells Fall TonicsKells Fall Tonics let you specify which piece of loot you want from Kells Fall, even when doing other activities.Tonic of Kells Fall Gear -> Tonic of Kells Fall WeaponryTonic of Kells Fall Weaponry -> Tonic of Heretics FervorTonic of Kells Fall Weaponry -> Tonic of Red TapeTonic of Kells Fall Weaponry -> Tonic of InsurmountableTonic of Kells Fall Weaponry -> Tonic of SovereigntyTonic of Kells Fall Gear -> Tonic of Vintage Kells Fall WeaponryTonic of Vintage Kells Fall Weaponry -> Tonic of GridskipperTonic of Vintage Kells Fall Weaponry -> Tonic of Ignition CodeTonic of Vintage Kells Fall Weaponry -> Tonic of Sojourners TaleWorld Gear TonicsWorld Gear Tonics let you specify a piece of loot you want from the world pool.Tonic of Worldly Gear -> Tonic of Worldly ArmorTonic of Worldly Armor -> Tonic of Worldly Head ArmorTonic of Worldly Armor -> Tonic of Worldly Chest ArmorTonic of Worldly Armor -> Tonic of Worldly Arms ArmorTonic of Worldly Armor -> Tonic of Worldly Leg ArmorTonic of Worldly Gear -> Tonic of Worldly WeaponryTonic of Worldly Weaponry -> Tonic of Kinetic WeaponryTonic of Worldly Weaponry -> Tonic of Energy WeaponryTonic of Worldly Weaponry -> Tonic of Power WeaponryShadestalker TonicsShadestalker Tonics let you farm for specific pieces of armor in the Shadestalker set.Tonic of Shadestalker Armor -> Tonic of Shadestalkers Head ArmorTonic of Shadestalker Armor -> Tonic of Shadestalkers Chest ArmorTonic of Shadestalker Armor -> Tonic of Shadestalkers Arm ArmorTonic of Shadestalker Armor -> Tonic of Shadestalkers Leg ArmorResource TonicsResource Tonics help you refill important resources like Enhancement Cores or Glimmer.Small Tonic of Enhancement Cores -> Medium Tonic of Enhancement Cores -> Large Tonic of Enhancement CoresSmall Tonic of Glimmering -> Medium Tonic of Glimmering -> Large Tonic of GlimmeringTonic of Ascendant Alloy (Exotic)Tonic of Ascendant Shard (Exotic)
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  • Designing relationships with AI: ethics of AI empathy
    uxdesign.cc
    How far can AI empathy really go?Continue reading on UX Collective
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  • How to Follow a Training Program for a Marathon or Half Marathon, Even When Nothing Is Going Right
    lifehacker.com
    When youre training for a race, a good training plan is key. With that training program, youll have all your runs planned out for you, with just the right mix of long runs, speed work, and easy mileage to get you to the start line strong and ready. But what do you do when the plan doesnt match up with your life? You get sick and miss a week, or you realize too late you started on the wrong date. Or maybe the plan calls for something you just cant make happen on schedule, like a tune-up race.What do I do??? I hear you wailing. Well, dont worry. Ill tell you what you do: you do your best to follow the plan without letting any feelings of guilt or nervousness take over. Missed workouts are in the past, and youll move on without trying to make them up. For the most part, anyway. Lets look at a few scenarios where you might have questions. But firstlets zoom out so we can see the big picture.Understand what your training plan is trying to doBefore we can talk about whether to do this or that run off-schedule, we need to get our bearings and understand what each part of the training plan is trying to do. Im going to describe the phases in a typical marathon training program, which will apply to most hard training programs, including those for half marathons.There are a few different phases over the course of what's usually a 12- to 18-week plan, and they're laid out something like this:The beginning, or baseWhat it is: Several weeks where you run a similar number of miles per week to what you were used to doing before you started this program. During this on-ramp phase, the program will challenge you to keep a consistent training routine and add some extra distance to your long runs and perhaps some extra speed work or strength training that you had previously been neglecting. This may or may not feel like its own phase; it may just be the beginning of the build.(On the flip side, it's possible to have several months of base building before your plan transitions you into the build. This is common if you're using a long term plan, like the kind you get from an app or wearable like a Garmin if you put in a race date that is far in the future.) How youll feel: Youll feel pretty good during this phase.Your biggest priority in this phase: Sticking to the program and preparing for the work to come.The buildWhat it is: A nice long stretch focused on building up your mileage, both in the length of the long run and in total weekly mileage. This is the longest phase of the program, perhaps six to eight weeks long.How youll feel: Youll experience some fatigue, sore muscles, and maybe some blisters or minor injuriesbut these tend to be pretty mild and overall youre feeling OK.Your biggest priority in this phase: Keeping up with the increases and taking care of your body (good nutrition, shoes, etc.) so that you can stay healthy and keep training.The peakWhat it is: This is the three to four weeks or so when mileage is highest, workouts are hardest, and the fatigue is really starting to catch up with you. If its a marathon program, youre probably doing some 18+ mile long runs. If your race is a half marathon or less, you may be doing long runs that are longer than your race.How youll feel: Somewhere between pretty rough, but hanging in there and frankly, I feel like shit.Your biggest priority in this phase: Surviving.The taperWhat it is: After all that hard work, you finally get a break. The long runs are suddenly a lot shorter, and youll find yourself running a lot less mileage than you were during the peak. This phase is often about three weeks long for a marathon, and one to two weeks for a half marathon. For shorter races it may be just a few easy days so you can rest up before race day.How youll feel: Often this is when you feel the worst, because all of that fatigue has built up, but you havent had enough of a break yet to feel rested. Its also very normal to go a little crazy as you start wondering whether your training was really good enough and whether youre really ready for your race. But this is all part of the plan, and if you stick with it youll feel like a million bucks on race day.Your biggest priority in this phase: Recovery. Or to put it another way: following the damn program, and not giving in to the temptation to go run an extra 20-miler or a race-pace workout just to be sure that you can.General rules for modifying your training program when life intervenesWith those phases in mind, it becomes a lot easier to figure out what to do when something messes with your schedule. Here are some very general rules to follow in every phase:Its OK to rearrange workouts within a week. For example, if you cant do your long run on Saturday, go ahead and move it to Friday or Sunday.(Get in the habit of looking at your schedule at the beginning of each week so you can plan ahead.)Prioritize your key workouts (long runs, speed work) and try not to miss those. If you have to miss a run for scheduling/life reasons, make the one you drop an easy run.Dont try to make up missed runs, especially if you were sick and/or had to miss multiple sessions. Pick up where you left off. And give yourself some grace those first few days backtake it easy and do what you can.Make sure the program ends on race day. The taper works genuine magic if you time it right, and the peak is what sets up the taper. Dont mess with the timing of those last few weeks.Nobodys perfect. If you manage to do 90% of the program as written, youre still 100% on track and youll do great at the race.Got it? Now lets tackle some specific questions. These are all taken from running forums, subreddits, and coaches anecdotes about what questions they get most often.A coach or experienced friend is the best resource, since they know you and you can discuss the specifics of your situation, but if you're just looking for general advice, here goes:How bad is it to miss a run on your training program? Look, there's a reason your training program lasts 12 weeks or whatever. It's because no single run is going to prepare you for a marathon. That also means no single run is going to ruin your fitness just because you missed it. It is OK to miss a run sometimes. If it's one of your short or easy runs, your fitness won't really suffer at all. Even if it's a long run or an important workout, it's not the end of the world to miss one or two of those. Think of the runs as like money you're putting into a piggy bank. If you aim to put in $5 a week, and you miss putting in a penny here or there, it's not a big deal. But if you're consistently totaling $4 rather than $5, you'll come up short in the end. It's more important to be consistent than to worry about one day's individual contribution. Sometimes you're missing a run for a good reason, anyway. You got sick and now you're recovering. Or you had a vacation and you took some time off and enjoyed yourself for once. The benefit of missing that run is arguably more valuable than the training you would have gotten by doing it. I started the program too early, and now I have extra time to fill. Should I repeat some of the weeks?That depends on where you are in the program. Do not repeat weeks in the taper. Thats meant to be a short, sharp decrease in mileage. Stretching it out will rob it of its power. (Tapers are magic, I swear.)You also do not want to repeat hard weeks in the peak. Remember, thats the highest fatigue part of the program, and youre just trying to hang in there and not let it kill you. If the program is designed to have one 20-mile training run, it is foolishness to try to run two in a row.(There are, of course, exceptions to these rules. Some people might benefit from a longer taper, or have the fitness to do an extra long run and recover from it without too much trouble. But Im trying to keep my advice general, and most people who say fuck it, Ill do an extra long run will end up regretting it.)So what can you do? Id recommend these approaches, in this order of preference:Extend the beginning or build phases. You can certainly repeat week five of a 16-week program, no sweat. Feel free to make the repeated week(s) slightly different, maybe decreasing the long run by a mile or two, or doing hills instead of track repeats. Just try to keep it within the spirit of what that phase of training is trying to accomplish. Add cutback weeks during the peak or late build phases. If youre already in the peak phase when you notice your scheduling mishap, add an easy week in between some of the hard weeks. For example, the Level 3 Boston Marathon program has a 17-20 mile run in week 16, followed by 18-20 in week 17. You could insert a week in between where your long run is 13 miles or so to give you a little bit of a break. Or say youre following a Hal Higdon program that alternates between 20-mile and 12-mile long runs during the peak. Add an extra repeat of that cycle, maybe doing 16 or 18 rather than another 20-miler (since multiple 20s is a lot), and following it with a 12 according to the pattern.When in doubt, make the added week easier than the weeks before and after it. Your body will appreciate the extra recovery.What if I dont have a tune-up race to run?Some training plans will throw in a race partway through the program. (Our resident marathoner Meredith Dietz explains the rationale here.) A marathon program might have you race a half marathon in the middle of your training. A half marathon might have you race a 10K.Ideally, this will be an actual race. Youll sign up for the My Town 10K and have to figure out all your race day logistics: how early to wake up, what to eat, whether you want to carry your phone, and so on. Youll also have the pressure of a timed course (no free pauses for water breaks) and the adrenaline rush of a crowd cheering you on.Having to deal with all that bullshit is half the point of doing a tune-up race. The other half is getting a chance to see how fast you can really run, and then you can use that result to help you decide what pace to target for your big race. (Plug in your race time here to see your predicted times at other distances.) But maybe there isnt a 10K in your town that weekend. Here are, in my opinion, your best options:Find a race of the correct (or similar) distance on a different weekend. Usually this isnt a part of the training program where the timing is super critical. If you can get the full race day experience a week or two earlier or later, go ahead and swap things around to make that happen.Run a time trial. This is just a race that you do on your own. There wont be a crowd or a bib pickup table, but you can still test your fitness over the programmed distance. Reward yourself with a stale post-race bagel for verisimilitude.Just do a regular long run. Usually the tune-up race takes the place of your weekend long run. Look at the weeks before and after it on the calendar, and ask yourself if there wasnt a race here, what would it be instead? Make your best guess, and then do that.What if I want to add a race that's not on the program?This is the opposite of the dilemma above. There isnt a race scheduled, but you want to do one anyway. Your friend is running a 5K and you'd like to join them, or some other scenario where youll be running, but not hitting the programmed distance.The simplest answer is just: run a loooong warmup and cooldown. Three real easy miles before the 5K shouldnt ruin the race for you; in fact, youll probably feel nicely warmed up by the time you get to the start line. And then you can do the other six miles as an extended cooldown.Same idea if youre meeting a friend for a run. If they want to do a nice easy five-miler, you can do seven before they show up, run your last five with them, and then go to brunch together.If the race is a longer onesay, a 10Kyou can also just treat it as a tune-up race. Run it all-out, and dont bother making up the mileage. Depending on where you are in the program, a race and a long run might be too much to recover from.You wouldnt want to do this every week, but once or twice in your training plan isnt the end of the world.I missed my longest run, and now its taper time! Should I squeeze in a 20-miler real quick?You know the answer to this one by now: no. The taper is for recovery. Also, my god, you have no idea how many people miss their last 20-miler and then do absolutely fine at their marathon.I ran all my long runs, but some of them went really badly. I think I can redo my last 16-miler, but do it better this time. How do IThat's the neat thing, you don't. What if I am a special snowflake and believe these rules dont apply to me?Honestly: maybe youre right.A cookie-cutter program is not guaranteed to be perfect for everyone. Just promise me something: whatever bad decisions you make, learn from them. Maybe you think youll be fine with a shorter taper. If you truly want to test that hypothesis, shorten your taper! Keep notes. And then see how you do in the race.Just remember that this kind of self-experimentation works best if you do the program as written your first time around, and then tweak it when you run your next race. Youre learning how you respond to training, which is an incredibly valuable skill as you grow as an athlete.
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  • Everyone suddenly has cold feet about banning TikTok
    www.engadget.com
    With a TikTok ban seemingly imminent, TikTok users have spent the last few days fleeing to Chinese social media app RedNote, trying to learn Mandarin, and bidding heartfelt farewells to their Chinese spy. But its looking increasingly unlikely that TikTok will actually disappear on January 19.Most Supreme Court watchers expect the court to uphold the law that requires ByteDance to sell TikToks US business or face a ban on January 19. But it seems theres little appetite to actually enforce the law that was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support last year. Incoming President Donald Trump, who formally asked the Supreme Court to delay the ban, has said he wants to save the app.Yesterday, The Washington Post reported that Trump was considering signing an executive order shortly after taking office on January 20, that would suspend enforcement of the TikTok ban-or-sale law for 60 to 90 days. Now, NBC News reports that unnamed White House officials are saying they dont want TikTok to be banned on their watch, either.The administration has decided to defer implementation of the law banning TikTok in the U.S. to the incoming Trump administration, the officials said, effectively not enforcing it during the final 36 hours of President Joe Bidens term in office.Given the timing of when it goes into effect over a holiday weekend a day before inauguration, it will be up to the next administration to implement, a White House official said.Where does that leave TikTok? I have no idea.Under the law, Apple and Google are required to remove the app from their stores or face billions of dollars in penalties. That unnamed Biden Administration officials are now saying they wont enforce it on their way out the door, doesnt mean that the two, generally risk-adverse, companies would opt to ignore federal law. Particularly when the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party sent letters to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook just one month ago pointedly reminding them of their obligation to comply with that same law.Even if Apple and Google do remove the app from their stores, TikTok could still theoretically function for the millions of people who have already downloaded it. But, a report earlier this week in The Information indicated that TikTok planned to make the app inaccessible on Sunday if the Supreme Court upholds the law. Neither Apple, Google nor TikTok all of whom are presumably waiting for the actual Supreme Court ruling have responded to questions or publicly commented on any of these scenarios.But the desire to disappear TikTok off Americans phones seems to be rapidly evaporating. Senator Ed Markey, who voted in favor of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act last year, introduced a bill this week that would extend the deadline for banning the app. In a statement, he said that the ban was rushed through without sufficient consideration of the profound consequences it would have on the 170 million Americans who use the platform. Senators Cory Booker and Ron Wyden, who also voted for the bill last April, joined him in calling for an extension, as did Representative Rho Khanna (who did not back the original bill).Should TikTok get some kind of reprieve, there have been a number of options floated for keeping the app online in the US. These include finding an American buyer, reviving Project Texas or simply getting Trump to instruct DoJ officials to just ignore the law altogether.If all that seems confusing, its because it is. Officials in both parties have spent months issuing dire warnings about the mostly theoretical national security threat posed by TikTok. But, now that a ban is seemingly just days away, no one wants to be blamed for being the ones to actually take it away.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/everyone-suddenly-has-cold-feet-about-banning-tiktok-232152569.html?src=rss
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  • It's a real shame but the world's first eGPU with Thunderbolt 5 interface won't run on Apple Silicon
    www.techradar.com
    Sparkle eGPU Studio-G 850 boosts data speeds to 120 Gbps with Thunderbolt 5, delivering faster performance and compatibility for demanding discrete desktop graphics cards.
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  • Snap shares drop as FTC refers MyAI chatbot complaint to the DOJ
    www.cnbc.com
    Snap shares closed down 5% on Thursday after the Federal Trade Commission said it would refer a complaint against the company to the Department of Justice.
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  • 3 lessons in leadership I learned from the bass guitar
    www.fastcompany.com
    For me, the intersection of my scientific roots and the creativity that helps me lead innovation for one of the worlds largest food and agriculture companies came from an unlikely placethe bass!Playing the bass is a deep passion of mine. I could spend hours covering the greats, from James Jamerson Jr. (You may not know him, but you should! He was the driving force on countless Motown classics) to Verdine White, anchor and cofounder of the iconic band Earth, Wind & Fire.That turned out to be time well spent. Whats really that different between a TED Talk, supporting a Santana-type solo, or pitching a first-of-its kind innovation? While on the surface they might seem completely separate, they rely on the same three principles.1. Lead by lifting upThe bass is rarely in the limelight. But together with the drums, the bass drives the beat of the song, at the same time providing the harmonic foundation. It helps set the stage for the singer and solo instruments. The bassists number one job is to make everyone sound better. The mood, the feel, and the vibe of the song heavily rides on the bass.Much like the bass, Ive always felt that my role as a leader is to set the organizations foundation and rhythmmoving everyone in the same direction and to the same beat. Like the bass, I try to focus on maximizing everyones individual potential while moving collectively with a shared vision to accomplish the organizations biggest priorities and tackle its hardest challenges.2. The magic comes from preparation and practiceThe best musicians seem so relaxed and in control when they play. The same is true for leaderswhether in the boardroom, the lab, or in customer meetings. The more command you have in the hot seat, the more preparation is required beforehand.This one I learned from my mother, Hedwig Bilgram, who was a world-famous classical organ and harpsicord player. As a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich, Germany, practice was her number one expectation for all her students. Growing up I remember her practicing long hours regardless of whether she was playing in front of 50 people or 2,000. She told me, Everyone who paid for a ticket to listen to me play deserves my fullest effort, followed by her typical line, The more effort you put into practice, the more effortless on stage!The same is true when you give a presentation or are motivating a global team. Having your material down allows you to deliver the message with confidence and make it stick.3. Learn to improvise (or walk)Improvisation is key, especially in jazz music but also in many other styles. The melody, the chord progression, and often the overall structure is set. But for the remainder, the bass player needs to improvise to fit the music. That includes walking, which refers to a bass line that remains in constant motion versus sticking to one note. To do this you must know the chord harmonies as well as transitions from one chord to another. Once youve mastered this, you will be able to adjust real time to what the band and the audience need.The same is true in innovationand business overall. Our world is constantly changing. Knowing how to take the first steps when youre leading through change is critical. After that it is all about improvisation with a good chord sheet of values and vision! There are several areas I rely on as a leader to help navigate new territory.Play up: Focus on attracting, developing, and highlighting talent. Surround yourself with people better and smarter than you. At Cargill, we are constantly looking for experts in their fieldsfrom food science to AI to precision fermentation. With this breadth of expertise, new ideas and inputs come from all corners of the world. And when it comes to leadership, raw talent beats expertise every time in the mid to long term.Keep learning: Lead with curiosity, questions, and insights. Truly seek to understand the benefits and challenges related to a change. What is happening in the market? How will it benefit customers or consumers? Why is this better? With most changes, you wont make everyone happy at the beginning. But a seeking to understand mindset will take you far towards finding creative solutions.Experiment: Test, try, revise, and repeat. Change is constant and our work walking teams toward the new and different is never done. Create your best theoretical model, then test, iterate, and always stay open to feedback.When you lean on these three foundational chords, driving change and making the leap from what you know to whats possible becomes much easier. Whether youre moving the audience towards the dance floor or your team to the worlds next great innovation, I hope you find these tips helpful to create memorable and lasting impact.Florian Schattenmann is CTO and vice president of R&D and innovation at Cargill.
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