Alan Berkson

This post was generated by Al.

That's my name. And that's a lowercase "L"

GenAI didn’t kill creativity.
It just made 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱.

That’s the real risk.

This week in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭:

👉 What happens when average becomes automated—
and how to stand out by being statistically unlikely.

📬 Subscribe: thenarrativeintel.intelligistgroup.com

The Narrative Intel Weekly insights on narrative, strategy, and big questions

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📬 Subscribe here: thenarrativeintel.intelligistgroup.com

This one’s for anyone trying to build trust, influence decisions, or be remembered in a GenAI world.

#GenAI #NarrativeIntel #AI #Differentiation #ThoughtLeadership #Startups

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Next week in The Narrative Intel, I’m writing about this:

👉 What happens when average becomes automated
👉 Why most people don’t see the risk
👉 And how to make yourself statistically unlikely

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This isn’t a rant about AI.
I use it every day.

The risk isn’t that GenAI makes us dumber.

The risk is that it makes us invisible.

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That’s not all bad.

It makes average easier to achieve.
It lifts the floor.
But it also lowers your signal—because now everyone sounds polished, fluent, and confident.

Even when they have nothing new to say.

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We’re in a new era of “mass mediocrity at scale.”

GenAI doesn’t write full thoughts.
It predicts the next most likely word.
Which means everything it creates… is statistically average.

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Everyone’s using GenAI.

Most of it sounds smart.
A lot of it sounds the same.

That’s the part no one’s talking about. 🧵

There is nothing so fleeting as the post you see for a split second before the screen refreshes and you can never find it again.

Thanks, Deb!

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One of my favorite lines from the piece:

“Your swim lane isn’t a limitation. It’s a signal.”

Find the thing you want to be trusted for.
Then show up for it—again and again.

(Yes, there's an actual pancake recipe at the end.)

What’s your swim lane?

Your Swim Lane Is a Signal, Not a Constraint Being good at everything isn’t nearly as valuable as being trusted for something.

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This issue is about the edge that outlasts AI and trends:
🥇 Being trusted for something specific.

Inside:
🥄 The myth of expertise
🧠 Capability ≠ memorability
🛟 Clarity earns trust—and leeway
🥞 Plus: pancakes + crayons

🔗 thenarrativeintel.intelligistgroup.com/p/your-swim-...

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New from The 𝘕𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭:
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗺 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗮 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁

Being good at everything sounds impressive.
But trust comes from clarity.
People remember the first call, not the most versatile.

🧵

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This week's edition of The Narrative Intel breaks it all down:

Why "I'll call you back" matters

Why uncertainty breaks trust

And how writing your own “user manual” might be the move

Read it here ↓
thenarrativeintel.intelligistgroup.com

The Narrative Intel Weekly insights on narrative, strategy, and big questions

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The issue drops soon.
If you're not subscribed yet, now's the time.

📬 thenarrativeintel.intelligistgroup.com

Title: Your Swim Lane Is a Signal, Not a Constraint

You don’t need to do everything.
You need to be trusted for something.

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That’s how trust is built.
And trust is what gives you:

→ Leeway to stretch
→ Permission to evolve
→ A seat at the table

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Your swim lane isn’t a limitation.

It’s a signal.
It says: “This is where I show up. This is what I do better than anyone else.”

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Being good at everything sounds impressive.
But it makes you forgettable.

People don’t remember generalists.
They remember the first person they think to call when it matters.

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This week in The Narrative Intel I’m talking about a timeless edge—one that even AI struggles with:

👉 Being trusted for something.

Not flashy. Just essential.

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Everyone says:
“Be adaptable.”
“Show range.”
“Do it all.”

But the people who get called first?
They’re trusted for one specific thing.

🧵

I'll Call You Back. Setting, managing, and meeting expectations makes everyone's life better

And how writing your own “user manual” might be the move

Read it here ↓
thenarrativeintel.intelligistgroup.com/p/ill-call-y...

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It’s not about speed.
It’s not even about being perfect.

It’s about setting, managing, and meeting expectations.

That’s the hidden engine behind customer experience, leadership, and communication that works.

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Years ago, a doctor ran 40 minutes late.

When she walked in, she said:
“Thanks for waiting. I had an emergency.
And if you were the emergency, I’d do the same for you.”

She reset my expectation — and earned my trust.

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When expectations aren’t clear, people make up their own.
And they’ll hold you to them.

This shows up in:

Customer service

Team dynamics

Sales cycles

Relationships

Everywhere.

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What do those words mean?

To me:
“I’ll finish what I’m doing and call you later today.”

To them?
Maybe just:
“I see you called.”

That gap in expectations?
That’s the problem.

“I’ll call you back.”

Four words that seem harmless… until they aren’t.
This week, I ran into a string of them — and only one person actually did.

So I wrote about it.

🧵

Real thought leadership helps people decide What separates those who pitch from those who are part of the decision

Thought leadership isn't a title.

It's what earns you a seat in the room where decisions get made.

New Narrative Intel issue: thenarrativeintel.intelligistgroup.com/p/real-thoug...

Printed edition??!?

Also, this: www.reddit.com/r/Nikon/comm...

Wow. Me too.