Think: If you want to think better–and, really, who doesn’t–read this article on the importance of handwriting. Even in the age of laptops, keyboards and voice recorders, I’ve long been an avid writer of handwritten notes. I scribble notes in the margins of books, jot things down by longhand at conferences, why I even still journal every day by longhand. Science now  suggests that writing by longhand not only helps you retain information better and longer, it may also help you think more clearly. But don’t take my word for it, try summarizing this week’s newsletter by jotting down a short, simple hand-written summary and see if it helps you better recall some of the insights you took away from this week’s newsletter.

Think Harder: With the release of ChatGPT5 just around the corner, it is not too soon to begin thinking about what’s next for artificial intelligence. This interview with Mustafa Suleyman, the cofounder of DeepMind, is an interesting read. He believes that “interactive AI” is what’s next. This has a couple of profound implications. First, Suleyman believes that conversation will be the “interface of the future.” In other words, you’ll just talk with AI and it will do what you want it to do. The second, and more serious implication, is that interactive AI will have the potential freedom to take action on your behalf. (Note: Suleyman is pretty nonchalant about this, but I’d argue that this “freedom” is exactly what scares most people about AI.)

Think About Trust: I’ve written two books on leadership, Into the Unknown: The Leadership Lessons of Lewis and Clark and Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker: The Leadership Lessons of George C. Marshall. Ironically, although I’m a former naval officer, William Clark, Meriwether Lewis and George Marshall were all Army officers. Now, a fourth former Army officer, Colin Powell, has offered up the most succinct definition of what makes a good leader that I have ever heard. (Because I want you to watch this entire 2-minute video, I won’t even reveal Powell’s one word answer because his additional thoughts on the matter are so valuable.) Enjoy!

Think Different: If you’re in the trucking business or if you rely on trucks for your business, you will want to read this article on Sweden’s solar-powered trucks. The trucks don’t rely 100 percent on solar energy. In fact, the solar panels provide only enough energy to power each truck for an extra 3000 miles a year . Still, it’s a start and it is a trend which is likely to grow more pronounced in the years ahead. Any business interested in reducing the carbon footprint of its supply chain should also be thinking now about how to employ this technology.

Think Humbly: I want you to read this statement: “Overconfidence tends to grow faster than knowledge.” Now, please read it again and reflect on it. (The statement comes from this article, With Little Knowledge Comes Great Confidence.) In other words, even though people have less-than-complete knowledge of a particular subject matter they grow more confident in their knowledge. I have long been an advocate of humility–especially when it comes to thinking about matters relating to science, technology and the future. Many of us–and I include myself in this category–think we know more about these topics than we actually do. My best advice: Proceed with caution–confidence does not always correlate with knowledge or accuracy. (For more information on a related topic, see the Dunning-Kruger Effect.)

P.S. A bonus “think”: This article is a succinct overview of a keynote presentation I recently delivered at Santa Clarita Economic Development Corporation’s 2023 annual economic summit.

Afterthought: “If you need to be proven right, learning is a challenge. If you’re eager to be proven wrong, learning is delightful”.–Seth Godin