Josh Allan Dykstra

The Work Of Our Time The things we talk about here can be really difficult to DO. Here are 3 practical ideas to help create a future that doesn't

It's not lost on me that the things I talk about can be really difficult to DO.

SO...

Here are 3 practical ideas to help us start un-sucking the future.

joshallan.com/2025/07/27/t...

Look! Up In The Sky! It’s A… I've just released a brand new website and I'd love for you to see it! Also, a few thoughts about

I've been haaaard at work over the past month to get a new website ready to share with y'all.

It's finally here.

Take a look, lmk what you think!

joshallan.com/2025/07/18/l...

The Most Important Thing We Don’t Understand About A.I. I just had an epiphany about A.I. — and I believe it's the most important thing we are still not fully understanding about what's happening...!

Lots of pundit-types out there telling us we need to lean into our humanity as A.I. infiltrates work.

This is true, but it just became clear to me WHY this is so important.

Any why it's so urgent.

joshallan.com/2025/06/29/t...

A.I. Needs To Release Humans From Drudgery On this great big carousel we call life, are we actively working to release humans from drudgery?? We need to, and I've got just the song to prove it...

What do you think A.I. is FOR?

I've been obsessed with this phrase "releasing people from drudgery" lately.

It pretty much sums up exactly what A.I. needs to do... but did you know it comes from a Disney song...!?

joshallan.com/2025/06/08/a...

A.I. Is The Great Distraction Organizational leaders beware: A.I. could become The Great Distraction (if it's not already). Here's what to do instead...

I am increasingly concerned about the way I see organizational leaders approaching A.I.

Too often, it feels reactionary and chaotic.

That is the OPPOSITE of where we should be going — here's why you should stay out of the fray...

joshallan.com/2025/06/01/a...

Creating A Future That Doesn't Suck I've got a new "battle cry" for my website! What the heck is that? Want to check it out? Great question / absolutely, let's go...!

I've been a "Future Of Work" guy for a long time.

And I still am, but the mission is broadening...

Read all about it!

joshallan.com/2025/05/24/c...

Oh, The Special Kind Of Hell Of Being An Introvert At A Conference...! If you're an introvert, going to a conference solo is a special kind of hell. But I experienced something this week that might totally fix it...!

I hate going to conferences solo. I'm just enough of an introvert to make it terrible.

But...

Last week I attended Workhuman*Live and LOVED it.

Here's why!

joshallan.com/2025/05/18/o...

I Am So Tired Of Shortsightedness Business "leaders" will often feel forced to make decisions that prioritize the short-term over the long-term. The problem is this isn't actually LEADERSHIP at all...

Holy sh*t y'all — I am so sick of the shortsighted nonsense out there.

Decisions that optimize only for tomorrow aren't actually leadership at all.

Let me explain...

joshallan.com/2025/05/11/i...

This is what a rigged economy looks like:

In the 1970s, CEOs made 27 times more than the average worker.

In the 1980s, CEOs made 48 times more than the average worker.

This decade, CEOs are making 354 times more than the average worker.

That has got to change.

Lessons From A CEO: The Typical Path Is The Worst Path Have you ever wondered why all our workplace systems seem to suck? As in, they literally suck the life out of everyone? Yeah, me too — and as a CEO, this is a BIG problem.

I always wanted to be a CEO.

When I got my wish in 2018, I discovered a problem I'd never heard about, and that nobody had ever warned me about...

joshallan.com/2025/04/26/l...

So Many Kinds Of Magic A quick recap on my last two weeks... and something powerful I would have never noticed if I hadn't written this recap!

A quick recap on my last two weeks...

And something powerful I would have NEVER noticed if I hadn't written this recap.

joshallan.com/2025/04/19/s...

Chart showing global stocks plunging because of Trump tariffs

Remember: Republicans in Congress can put a stop to this at any time.

Would You Help Set A Mile-Long Table?? What!? A mile-long table!? Yeah, it's happening this summer in Denver, and you can be a part of it! (I'd highly recommend it.)

This is one of my absolute favorite projects in a very long time.

Would you help us, however you can??

joshallan.com/2025/04/06/w...

Hierarchies Of Purpose, Hierarchies Of Power, & The Illusion Of Control The topic of hierarchy is littered with confusion. Hierarchy isn't inherently bad; it's the KIND of hierarchy we employ that can be dangerous...

Is hierarchy good?

Is hierarchy bad?

These are the wrong questions.

It's all about what KIND of hierarchy we're using...

joshallan.com/2025/03/29/h...

The Future Of Work Requires Much More Imagination Do humans naturally move towards our picture of the future, whatever it may be?? All signs point to YES... so what do we do with this?

We humans naturally move towards our vision of the future — both consciously and unconsciously.

This is why our imagination is so very important.

And why it needs a big upgrade.

joshallan.com/2025/03/22/t...

Is TEDx Still The Ultimate Stage? Back in 2018 I got a chance to do something that changed my life: I did a TEDx talk. Here's the untold story of what happened the day BEFORE...

A few reflections about my life-changing experience on the Big Red Circle. 🔴

joshallan.com/2025/03/16/i...

Trying To "Outscore" A.I. Is A Waste Of Your Time If you’re worried about whether you’re “smarter than GPT-5,” you’re asking the wrong question. Intelligence isn’t a competition — it’s a toolbox.

"I don't think I'm going to be smarter than GPT-5." - Sam Altman

This framing of "Human Intelligence" vs "Artificial Intelligence" is everywhere, but that doesn't make it smart.

It's actually dangerous and misleading...

joshallan.com/2025/03/08/t...

Energy Vampires & How To Stake 'Em You can probably think of a bunch of "energy vampires" in your job. But what do we do about them? Can we stake 'em and make work NOT life-sucking!?

Most people agree that work frickin' SUCKS.

Is there anything to DO about this??

Why yes, there is — and it has to do with vampires. 🧛

joshallan.com/2025/02/22/e...

Look For The Helpers Mr. Rogers said "Always look for the helpers." Will this be enough for the coming catastrophes? I think there's a next step we need to take...

Years ago, one of my personal heroes, Mr. Rogers, encouraged us all to "look for the helpers" in times of crisis.

As I get older, I realize that my role has to be more than just "looking"...

joshallan.com/2025/02/16/l...

I'm In A Hurry And Don't Know Why It's so easy for me to move through my life in a rush! But that's not who I want to be. What can I do about this? Maybe my PT will help...

Modern life makes me feel like I need to RUN, pretty much all the time.

But this isn't how I want to be...

joshallan.com/2025/02/09/i...

Dow surges 2,900 points, S&P 500 posts biggest gain since 2008 on Trump tariff reversal — CNBC President Donald Trump announced a pause on some tariffs, powering stocks higher.

I have a story for you; stop me if you’ve heard it before

“The Orange Who Cried Wolf”

apple.news/Aq2cO5MTVT4i...

Sure seems like a good time for Congress to, oh I don’t know, do something

A Bright Spot Is Emerging Amid All This Trump Chaos The point of mass protest is not to stage a perfectly organized, fully realized one-time event.

“The protests will not change this administration overnight. But that’s not the point. Pressure is the point. Changing social climate is the point. Creating a sense of social obligation to resist tyranny is the point—in a functional democracy that’s a basic obligation.”

slate.com/news-and-pol...

Brand Burning, Cancel Culture, & More DEI What would happen if we let the "DEI" label burn, and reimagined fresh language for the work that needs to be done?

Proposing a new phrase for our collective lexicon: "brand burning."

It's like cancel culture, but for brands.

Kind of.

And I think it is happening (and should?) with "DEI."

joshallan.com/2025/02/02/b...

image of watchmen's doctor manhattan, a superhero who is entirely blue and nude, sitting on a rock, small in frame, on what is depicted to be a very pink version of the surface of the planet mars. he looks pensive.

It is 2002. I am 18 years old. We are in a once-in-a-generation economic crisis.

It is 2008. I am 24 years old. We are in a once-in-a-generation economic crisis.

It is 2020. I am 36 years old. We are in a once-in-a-generation economic crisis.

It is 2025. I am 41 years old. We are in a—

A recession is only a recession if you’re not wealthy.

If you’re wealthy, a recession is a fire sale.

Why Are Companies Pulling Back On DEI Initiatives? Recently we've seen a number of highly visible companies loudly separate themselves from DEI work. What is going on? Could there be something deeper happening here?

Read this for a different take on why companies can't stop pulling back on DEI.

The problem actually goes much deeper than "bad leadership"...

joshallan.com/2025/01/24/w...

My friends when one idiot with a sharpie can wreak this much havoc on global markets we need to start questioning the system.

Our world is intensely interconnected and more fragile than it seems; have we already forgotten this lesson from the pandemic?

Turn off the news and look at the patterns.

Wildfires, CEO Murders, & History That Repeats Itself If history repeats itself, what are we repeating now? There's one pattern that connects the dots between CEO murders and LA wildfires...

It already seems like another lifetime, but it was just a few months ago that a health insurance CEO was murdered on the streets of Manhattan.

The news cycle may have moved on, but the larger historical cycle we are in is still playing out...

joshallan.com/2025/01/09/w...

2024: Year In Review 2024 was unquestionably the strangest year of my adult life. This is the post in which I tell you all about it, and about where I'm going next.

Every year I post an epic article reviewing my last year and setting goals for the coming year.

It's insanely long but apparently some people like to read it.

joshallan.com/2025/01/02/2...