Idea Surplus Disorder #101

This week in Idea Surplus Disorder, we explore why middle managers must become change agents, how AI is shifting the locus of critical thinking, and why inspiration is perishable.

We also examine how rest, resilience, and resistance are intertwined, unpack Jevon’s Paradox, consider the emotional cost of bitterness in writing, and reflect on why introverts might benefit from occasionally acting out of character.

As always, you’ll find a mix of fun finds, practical insights, and thought-provoking quotes to help you lead, live, and think more intentionally.

We've Been Everywhere, Man ...

I heard Johnny Cash's rendion of "I've Been Everwhere" on my drive in this morning and can relate.

In the first part of 2025, the Filament team has worked in Denver, Chicago (twice), Nashville, Bentonville, Scottsdale (twice), Kansas City, Mexico, and Portugal. That's in addition to all of the work we're doing here in St. Louis on our home field.

And in the next six months, we'll be back in Portugal, Chicago, Indianapolis, Fort Collins, and (possibly) Austin, San Diego, and Napa.

Why do I share? If you've got a conference, summit, retreat, or some other cool event where you've got to get some smart people thinking together better, shoot me a note. We travel well.

Ideas + Insights

 Middle managers must become change agents:

Instead of leveraging them to understand customer needs or to coach and motivate employees, companies often assign middle managers to routine administrative tasks that could easily be automated. This misallocation of responsibilities dramatically reduces their potential impact.

Rather than supervising day-to-day processes, middle managers should be guiding employees through skill transitions, facilitating collaboration across teams, and helping integrate new technologies into operations.

Every seven years, you're literally a new person. So act like it:

The person you are today doesn’t share a single cell with the version of you from seven years ago... We often become fixated on our past: mistakes we’ve made, opportunities we’ve missed, harms inflicted upon us (and by us), or wounds we’ve suffered. But what if we truly internalized that the person who experienced those things no longer exists in a physical sense?

This perspective applies equally to our future selves. The version of you that will exist seven years from now hasn’t formed yet. So why not focus your energy and attention on the present moment?

AI shifts where we do our critical thinking:

Using genAI redirects where we exert our critical thinking effort from tasks like collecting information and creating content to tasks like verifying information, editing, and guiding the AI’s responses. That’s why critical thinking, judgment, and taste are skills leaders tell us they see as important for the future.

The concern is when people cut corners on the verification, editing, and guiding. “There is a risk for people…to switch off their brains and just rely on whatever AI recommends. And in those instances where AI is not that good, then that's definitely critical,

The last four months have been a long year. Fighting Monsters When You're Tired really resonated with me and I hope it does with you, too:

The monsters we fight are huge and strong. The systems of harm, the climate feedback loops, and the long shadows of injustice, are all vast. Feeling tired is a natural response to opening any news app.

But remember this: every great story, every lasting myth, is built around someone who kept going anyway. So if today all you can do is grieve, then grieve. If all you can do is plant one seed, then plant it. If all you can do is rest and whisper, ‘not yet,’ that too is part of the story.

As the Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad wrote: "I will plant my hands in the garden and grow, I know, I know, I know..."

Because monsters aren’t just fought with fire. Sometimes, they’re fought with flowers. With friends. With breath. With love. And always with stories.

All emotions are useful for writing except for bitterness:

Good writing requires the consideration of other minds — after all, words only mean something when another mind decodes them. But bitterness can consider only itself. It demands sympathy but refuses to return it, sucks up oxygen and produces only carbon dioxide. It’s like sadness, but stuck eternally at a table for one.

Betteridge's Law of Headlines:

Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no.

Maybe introverts should (sometimes) act like extroverts:

Though there’s nothing wrong with being an introvert, several studies have shown that when introverts occasionally behave in extroverted ways, they experience more “positive affect” — science-speak for good feelings.

The reason for this twist is that behaving against our natures doesn’t bother us as much as we fear it might. In one study, introverts even reported feeling truer to themselves when they were behaving like extroverts.

I love flipping these four qualities of a great career from "I enjoy it, I'm good at it, I make good money, and I’m around fascinating people" to ...

1. Where are fascinating people?
2. In what ways can I make money with them?
3. Which ones am I good at?
4. Which ones do I enjoy?"

Naval Ravikant reminds us that Inspiration is Perishable:

Inspiration is perishable. Act on it immediately. So when you’re inspired to do something, do that thing... If I want to learn something, I do it at the moment of curiosity. The moment the curiosity arrives, I go learn that thing immediately. I download the book, I get on Google, I get on ChatGPT, whatever, I will figure that thing out on the spot, and that’s when the learning happens.

Finally, this essay on Jevon's Paradox blew my mind. Can humans ever allow tools like AI to make us efficient enough:

When an hour of work generates what once took days, rest becomes luxury taxed by your own conscience. Every pause carries an invisible price tag that flickers in your peripheral vision.

As our tools amplify each hour's potential yield, our internal expectations don't just keep pace, they outrun our capabilities like shadows lengthening at sunset. There’s an exquisite tension between what we can theoretically accomplish and the stubborn limitations of being human. When every hour holds tenfold possibility, rest feels like surrender, like watching gold-threaded potential slip through your fingers into a river.

The anxiety manifesting across industries reveals the central paradox of the 10x future: as our tools enhance our capabilities, they simultaneously deepen our sense of inadequacy.

Fun Finds

• Compare the True Size of Countries with this interactive map.
• Receipts Made Into Art
• Great German Insults (my favorite is Ohrfeigengesicht (noun). Literal translation: slap-in-the-face face. Meaning: "A very unlikable or smug-looking face; one that just asks for a slap (usually because of arrogance, smugness, or general unlikability)"
• The Rise of Scotland Yard was a fun read.
• Fake Work Screens for when the boss is about to peek over your shoulder.
• Gravastars are even weirder than black holes.
• Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earring in 108 Billion Pixels!

Words of Wisdom

To understand recursion, one must first understand recursion. — Stephen Hawking

Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again. — André Gid

There’s nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns. — Octavia Butler

The most valuable skill isn't inspiration but the ability to work without it. – Shane Parrish

You do not have a personal obligation to correct people who are committed to being stupid. – James Clear

You can teach a donkey to climb a tree but it's easier to hire a squirrel. – Peter Cundhill

In the past, jobs were about muscles. Now they’re about brains, but in the future, they’ll be about the heart. – Aneesh Raman

Fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm fearsome, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore. – Vincent van Gogh

Up Next From Filament

Every month, Filament delivers an incredible mix of free programming and professional development.

• May 30 | EmpowerHER
  • At this EmpowerHer session, we’ll explore how to move toward what’s next with curiosity, courage, and connection. Whether you're imagining a career shift, nurturing a hidden passion, or simply wondering what else might be possible—you’ll find the tools and conversations to help you begin.
• June 6 | New Skills for Work & SuperCollider
  • Build transformational innovation into an everyday organizational habit as you unlock ways to reimagine challenges, unlock your team's creative potential, experiment fearlessly, and turn bold ideas into actionable solutions. 

You can find links to sign up for all of our upcoming events, including PlayDays, EmpowerHer, NSFW, and SuperCollider here.