Review: The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions

The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions by Geoff Woods
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is geared more toward C-suite and executive leadership and how to get your company to adopt AI, but I still found some interesting takeaways.

We are starting to adopt AI at work, but not everyone has a full license to use the tools yet.  The author addresses how to get your teams excited about adopting AI.  We are all excited to use the tools, however we are limited in capability by the license issue and by the data it has access to because of the type of work we do.  The author addresses these types of issues which made me think a bit differently about how I can use the tool in my day to day.  He also addresses better ways to use AI and how to learn how to use it to start getting the returns you want.  It works better if you start asking it the right types of questions using it as a thought partner but you have to know how to harness it.

Overall, this gave me some ideas on how to think about using AI tools in the future.  While I'm not in an executive position, I can still use the framework Woods lays out to use in some of the work I do.

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Review: Wisdom Corner: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Wisdom Corner: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I didn't realize this was a follow up to Winter Counts, but I'm so glad I picked this up. I wouldn't necessarily call it a sequel, because it reads as a complete standalone.  But both books follow the same main character as he attempts to solve a crime on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

In Winter Counts Virgil Wounded Horse was more of an enforcer who took the law into his own hands when the Native Police and the FBI ignore the crime on the reservation or take too long to investigate.  Vigilantes like Virgil mete out justice as needed when someone steps out of line or wrongs his tribe.  In Wisdom Corner, Virgil has given up the enforcer life, but it hasn't quite let him go.  He is trying to do honest work, be a good role model, and help the tribe where he can.  When his mentor is found murdered he is determined to find out what happened and his former lifestyle and skill will come in handy.  His girlfriend, who doesn't love the enforcer lifestyle is always supportive of him, but she is running for the tribal council and is stressed as the election nears.  Virgil may not be better at enforcing than he is at detective work but he slowly gathers all of the pieces and puts everything together.

This was a great read.  It hits on the social commentary aspect of Native American culture and treatment historically and in today's society.  It also speaks to the Native boarding schools that tore families apart in the United States and Canada giving a historical and educational element to the book as well as educating the reader on the rampant drug and alcohol problems within Native society today.  The author does a wonderful job of weaving all of the elements of the story together in a seamless way while taking you on a thriller journey to find out  who is at the center of the crime.  I was immersed in the story, location, and connected to the characters.  While I enjoyed the fictional plot I also learned real things from this book as well, it is rare that an author can keep you entertained while teaching you something at the same time.  

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