In the Amazon Prime series Fallout, the Hulu series Paradise, and the Apple TV+ series Silo, a lucky few members of humanity relocate underground to escape the apocalypse. Could life imitate art? Possibly, if your benefits package is sweet enough.

That's because "large corporations" are leasing shelter 200 feet beneath the Earth's surface to protect executives and data in case society goes kaboom, according to Semafor. The Kansas firm Survival Condo will get your C-suite and digital assets through the End of Days — with food, water, and electricity, plus indoor pool access — for a mere $45 million and up.

The pitch is especially popular with crypto firms, Semafor reports. (No word on how this could impact work-from-home vs. return-to-office policies.)

Today's Edition...

LinkedIn: Boost your presence with quality comments

Get ahead of change: 12 questions to ask right now

Make Your LinkedIn Comments Sound Human (Even If They Aren't)

(Source: business.com)

How much of what you see on LinkedIn is still written by people? In 2023, the social networking app launched an AI-powered assistant to generate personalized writing suggestions, which 7 in 10 users now rely on when posting a comment or reply.

Quality comments are the most effective metric to increase visibility, according to the 2024 LinkedIn algorithm report. (When your post receives a comment judged as valuable, it boosts reach by 15 times more than receiving a like and five times more than a share.) If the vast majority of comments are AI, what does that mean for building your brand?

Customer service influencer Craig Davis, who has over 26,000 LinkedIn followers, spoke with b. on how to keep your LinkedIn presence organically growing and organic-sounding.

(Craig Davis / LinkedIn)

b.: What makes a LinkedIn comment stand out and genuinely add value?

Davis: Share your own tips, resources or a story that shows you've read the post while expanding on its message. Keep it straight to the point, while also keeping mobile readers in mind because most people read the comments on their [phones] …

Let's say someone landed a new job or a promotion. I wouldn't just congratulate them, but I'd ask an interesting question like, "What are you most looking forward to learning in your new role?" Asking questions like this shows others that you're engaged, increases your chances for a response, and makes your profile stand out.

b.: There's a pop-up feature on LinkedIn that suggests prewritten messages. Is this a helpful tool or could it lead to everyone sounding the same?

Davis: It's something that makes the messages more robotic, and it's not personalized. It doesn't feel like a human is speaking to a human. It feels like a robot is speaking to a human, and it just doesn't feel good …

It comes down to getting out of your comfort zone a little bit. I understand that it's scary … because now you're someone that's not fitting in with the crowd. But at the same time, if you're going to stand out and become the best version of yourself, you have to do things that other people won't do.

b.: How should LinkedIn users use AI, if at all, when writing comments?

Davis: You should only be using AI for practicing and improving your comment-writing skills. It's like using training wheels. When you're going to speak with other top thought leaders, you can't be using AI for it, because then you're just not being honest to who you are …

I mean, you can use it for a bit, but sooner or later, just like when you ride a bike, you have to take the training wheels off. … That's the only way you're going to get better.

b.: How can people show off their expertise without coming off as too self-promotional?

Davis: Well, the fine line is you want to strike a balance as someone who's helpful and knows their stuff… So in other words, being a helping hand for the people that may not [know] you.

12 Questions for Getting Ahead of Change

(Source: business.com)

Dr. Ben Baran is an associate professor at Cleveland State University and co-founder of Elevating What Works.

Change can be tough, but it's easier to manage if you anticipate at least some of it. Doing so helps you avoid going from one surprise to the next, which can be highly disruptive to your effectiveness. The place to start is by being proactive and asking the right questions — both to yourself (to guide your thinking) and to others (to spark creative conversations).

From my own research on the topic, here are a few questions to consider asking yourself and others on your team:

What might change quickly about your business or industry?
Which parts might you control or not control?
What other businesses might your success depend upon, and what changes do they face?
What "trending" topics are worth paying attention to and which are just distractions?
What should I be reading or listening to in order to stay informed?
What do people talk about the most in meetings?
What are the common topics "in the grapevine" among co-workers?
What are the most important parts of your business strategy as they relate to your responsibilities? Then, to get a sense of additional trends outside your organization, ask:
What regulations or laws influence what we do and how likely are they to change?
What aspects of our clients or customers are changing?
What are our competitors doing that we are not doing, and why?
What aspects of the industry could fundamentally influence our success?

Many of these questions may raise other questions, but that's OK. The point is to get your thinking and conversations focused on key areas that can help you get ahead of change.

Although some changes truly are impossible to predict, most changes do provide some clues and signals before they actually happen. Asking the right questions can expand your perspective, which is always valuable in turbulent times.

On February 28 in Business History:

1849: The first gold rush prospectors arrived in San Francisco. Often referred to as "49ers," they turned the small settlement into a bustling port city — which eventually became the heart of the technology sector.
1882: The Harvard Cooperative store opened, the first and most famous of its kind.
1919: Marshalls founder Alfred Marshall was born. Today, his namesake department store chain has over 1,000 locations nationwide.
1997: Cigarette smokers had to prove they were over 18 to purchase tobacco anywhere in the U.S.
2020: Trader Joe's founder Joe Coulombe passed away.