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The 2 C’s of Technology and Early Adoption

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~ Originally published on Say “Alaka‘i”
June 2009 ~
The 2 C’s of Technology and Early Adoption

Glad someone knows all this...

A new reader who’d checked out a few of my ‘techie-type’ posts in the archives sent along an email saying,

“You seem to be an early adopter, but most of the managers I work with don’t embrace technology this much: How important is it that we keep up with the newest advances? Isn’t it smarter for leaders to work on their own ideas, and hire others who specialize in this technological stuff, having experts do it for them?”

Great questions.

Hire an expert, or learn it yourself?

I’ll answer the second question first, and then we’ll get back to the early adoption part of it:

Isn’t it smarter for leaders to work on their own ideas, and hire others who specialize in this technological stuff, having experts do it for them?

I’d say it depends on how much technology is part of the idea that leader is working on, and where their own strengths will best serve the project at hand. Thus the answer is an industry-by-industry call, and the technology menu of options gets bigger every day. Go with your strengths (i.e. where your stronger work activities will serve you best), and compensate for your weaknesses.

However do understand that the most successful leaders have big-picture awareness: They may not do it all (and usually can’t), but they are aware of what it takes, and most importantly, they are aware of what might be possible. I believe that bigger visions result from consequential learning [the Hawaiian values of ‘Ike loa and ‘Imi ola in action.]: The more you learn, the more you realize how much more is possible, and the bigger you dream.

Remember our Alaka‘i leadership definition: Leaders generate energy, and energy doesn’t come from lackluster visions which don’t get us excited about future possibility.

Generally I do agree that partnering with others is a fantastic collaborative and creative strategy ”“ especially when you hire those who are smarter than you, and who will raise your own game. Not only can you attain greater synergy, it’s usually much more fun. In most things both in and out of business, life is not a solo proposition; we human beings feed off each other’s brains.

That said, I do believe that technology has become a very basic workplace competency expectation, and to not learn whatever might be considered the basics in your industry ”“ plus a bit more to give you a competitive edge ”“ handicaps you. It’s shortsighted and possibly foolish: Prospective employers will judge your learning capacity on a technical AND technological scale (see the difference here: Job Competencies for 2009: Let’s figure them out.)

Answer the bigger question: Why Bother?

If I may, I’d like to point you back to this posting in the archives: Can we still opt out of technology today? Take a quick look and come back: Within that article I stated that the primary “tech effect” on business today is two-fold:

  1. It’s about Competency, as mentioned above,
  2. and it’s about Communication.

It’s in this area of communication that I feel technology today is extremely exciting, particularly with social media and virtual community-building, because there are pronounced trickle effects. Maybe you’ve said “No” to Facebook, to Twitter, and to LinkedIn, and you don’t spend much time online at all; you wouldn’t dream of writing a blog. If you are reading this at all, or even the print version of The Honolulu Advertiser, I’ll bet you now know other people who have become adopters, and if they send you emails, the way they write them is now different. Whereas before they’d explain in detail, they now embed a link, or a photo, or a YouTube clip. They expect you to know about Google, and search for a definition whenever you encounter a word you don’t know instead of asking them to define it for you. Don’t feel they are being lazy: Take it as a compliment! They feel you are up to speed, and in-the-know.

From what I see, technology is getting us to talk to each other more, not less, and it’s encouraging us to welcome more people into the conversation. One of the most frequent challenges I have with managers, continually finding it within a wide spectrum of workplaces, is in getting them to network and benchmark their learning; I challenge them to reach out to others beyond their own workplace. Independent and silo work is still done where teams and interdepartmental networking would achieve far, far better results. When you are ready to lead, you must clear your insular industry hurdle as well.

The great Alaka‘i managers today push non-stop communication relentlessly; they have to if they are to achieve any competitive edge whatsoever. They also know that technology is a tool, an enabler: The truly consequential learning to be gained is to be found within other people.

So ask yourself that “Why Bother?” question for each of those 2 C’s:

Early adoption is not all it might seem

Back to the first question:

You seem to be an early adopter, but most of the managers I work with don’t embrace technology this much: How important is it that we keep up with the newest advances?

I’m not really an early adopter; I’m a right-time-for-me adopter.

For example, I have enough techie knowledge to publish my own websites, yet I’m a long-time PC user who still hasn’t made what many who do what I do would consider as the “obvious” switch to Apple’s Mac. Gadget-wise I’ve actually regressed a bit: Used to work with the Palm Pilot, but ditched it when I left the corporate world and still say “No” to the iPhone and Blackberry. My cell phone is for making and receiving phone calls, and that’s it. It has a camera, but I’ve never used it (even though I’m a big fan of Flickr), and despite all I do online, it’s not hooked up to the internet. I am well past 6,000 tweets on Twitter, but I only tweet from my laptop.

Early adoption has pros and cons, as does late adoption, and I am usually somewhere in the middle. I’m one who likes to give new advances time to get the kinks worked out. I’m not one to go to a new restaurant until they’ve been open for about six months or a year, and I feel pretty confident they’ll dazzle me with what they’ve learned since opening. I want a good meal, and a great experience!

However I love staying informed: Do I know about the newest toy on the market?
If they are on the radar of those I communicate with most, and if they matter within my Ho‘ohana, [my calling to worthwhile work] then yes, I certainly do. I find out enough relevant to my purposes.

Here’s the Alaka‘i-relevant way that I look at this: Leaders emerge in the right time of any best-selling blockbuster story, and it’s not always in the beginning.

Mahalo for the questions.

I know this was longer than usual, and I hope you stuck with me! I admit that I do love thinking about technology today and working with it, (LOVE knowing you are using those archive indexes!), and it’s so great when you ask me, “Why?” because I will gain my own reality check that way too.

“Why” is always a good question, and all Alaka‘i managers should be asking it ”“ a lot.

Let’s talk story.

So what might you be adopting these days? And what is your right-time-for-me reason: Why do you bother?

For those who prefer them, here are the Talking Story copies of the links embedded in this posting:

Photo credit: Glad someone knows all this! by Rosa Say.

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Can We Still Opt Out of Technology Today?

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~ Originally published on Say “Alaka‘i” April 2009 ~
Can We Still Opt Out of Technology Today?

AnAppleForLunch
An Apple for Lunch
by chrisschuepp on Flickr

Preface:
Welcome to Sunday Koa Kākou. Sunday is the day I answer questions you send to me (or I take the day off! Want different? Be a Squeaky Wheel). If you have a question connected to management and leadership, leave a comment here, or email me.

This is a comment which came in for this article:

Hiding from the Web is Foolish: 5 Steps to Smarter

“There really aren’t too many excuses for why someone doesn’t have an email address or a professional online presence in these days… I’ve been wondering though… for someone who is tech savvy, why is it that an immediate reaction to finding out about someone else’s less tech savviness is looked down upon? Is it the generation? ignorance? rudeness?”

I thought it was a good question, one we could bring to Koa Kākou today for a bit more exploration and discussion, for it’s a question we could probably apply to a lot of other situations where someone knows more about something than another person, not just technology as I am doing today.

“Is it the generation? ignorance? rudeness?”

The generation? ”“ personally, I don’t think so.

Ignorance? Rudeness? ”“ could be a part of it, but likely not the whole story.

There is certainly a judgment of some kind involved; let’s call it a levying of opinion about the situation at hand. However I think that opinion and the emotions connected to it depend a lot on varying circumstances” The person already ‘in the know’ may not be looking down on someone as much as they are surprised, disappointed in them, or just impatient.

They could even be alarmed, concerned at what a friend is missing out on, when in their view ignorance is NOT bliss. Our assumptions get challenged, (“But I thought you already knew this!”) and we can’t help but wonder how else our assumptions in relating to that person and interacting with them might be wrong: We get thrown off balance because that person is no longer as predictable to us; they are no longer a comfortably ‘known entity.’

The Tech Effect: Competency and Communication

In the case of tech and being web-savvy, I do feel it is a big assumption in business today that prospective candidates have a basic handle on technology. If they don’t, we wonder why.

Tech competencies can be taught fairly easily and quickly as on-the-job training, and that is not the concern: We wonder why the learning hasn’t already happened, and we wonder how else a candidate may be ‘learning challenged,’ or otherwise disinterested in innovation, something critical to the long-term prospects of every business.

Taking this even further, I coach business owners that once people are on staff, the managers and leaders of that business must step into the role of teacher and coach as new advances in technology promise to potentially affect both work performance and lifestyle comfort. Work affects life and life affects work. For instance, I’d bet that every business owner would LOVE it if every single one of their employees had a personal email address and gave their employers permission to use it to communicate with them.

Advances in technology have had a pervasive effect on our society, and while we can still opt out personally, for many of us opting out is not a viable option within the workplace. The ‘tech effect’ looms largest in these two critical areas:

1. Job Competency, i.e. best-possible productivity practices.

The number of software programs which now exist to automate, speed up or otherwise improve work performance is amazing. Do they always have that effect? No, and part of job competency has become the learner’s experience with weighing the pros and cons of specific technological application, figuring out whether the old way or new way is still best.

2. Communication.

Consider email and company intranets as just two of the many examples which exist today, or the way that Bluetooth receivers are so commonly issued with uniforms throughout the food service industry for the front-of-house staff to better communicate with the kitchen. Now think about all the external partnerships and customers of your workplace, and what it takes to meet their expectations whether or not a business is tech-savvy internally.

So here is my advice, and in light of my recent articles, this is not likely to surprise you.

Get on board the Tech Train and enjoy the ride!

Going back to this for a moment; “Is it the generation? ignorance? rudeness?”

Let’s say no!

— The generation?
No, and don’t allow that to be an excuse or justification, or your expectation of others. Technology consistently proves there are no age barriers, just different learning and adoption choices within every generation.

—Ignorance?

We live in a day and age where ignorance is hard for people to accept any more than other excuses or justifications are, and they do wonder and look deeper for other root causes. They question if there is really something else going on with you, just as I’d mentioned how a hiring manager can wonder about a learning challenge or attitude of disinterest. People tend to be more understanding about a learning curve with job competencies, but they are much less understanding about someone choosing not to communicate with them in ways that they prefer or feel are easier.

—Rudeness?

Let’s hope not, and let’s all do our part with eliminating any rudeness or intolerance. Let’s offer to teach, help, and coach others, making it easier for them. Let’s talk about those joys of learning and the exciting and inspiring prospects of creativity and innovation. As Mother Teresa said so well in the context of eliminating poverty but very apt here too,

“If each of us would only sweep our own doorstep,
the whole world would be clean.”

To the point of this blog in particular, if you are an Alaka‘i manager or a leader, opting out of technology is not an option today. Alaka‘i managers and leaders are lifelong learners. They have to be. Their self-talk is always “Can do!”

So, we play full out: Let’s talk story. You now have three Alaka‘i ways to do so:

  1. Comment right here on the blog —I encourage you to introduce yourself so we can get to know you.
  2. Twitter with us @sayalakai —mahalo nui loa to those who have already jumped in there!
  3. Email me your questions for Sunday Koa Kākou —it’s no surprise to me that Sundays now capture some of the best postings here, for you make this happen.

More reading from the Say “Alaka‘i” archives:

For more articles similar to this one, subscribe to Talking Story, and join the discussions held by the Ho‘ohana Community of the Managing with Aloha ‘Ohana in Business.
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The Digitally Savvy Workplace

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Preface:
Welcome to Sunday Koa Kākou. Sunday is the day I answer questions you send to me (or I take the day off! Want different? Be a Squeaky Wheel). If you have a question connected to management and leadership, leave a comment here, or email me. 

From the Say “Alaka‘i” mailbox:

Rosa, in telling us about Twitter, you wrote: “On the other side of the spectrum, there are scores of businesses still resisting giving internet access to their staff much less taking the plunge with social media, and caution is wise.” So it sounds like you are in favor of businesses opening up internet access to people while they’re at work; true or false?

True, especially for those who are using the computer right now as a workplace tool. I think that working at a computer keyboard without internet access in 2009 is very short-sighted. It’s like expecting a chef to prepare food with sauce spoons but no knives, or expecting a librarian to work in a place that censorship is actively practiced in stocking the bookshelves.

And that is primarily why I am in favor of internet access at work: The internet is a portal which gives staff access to the biggest ‘library’ of information on the planet. Close that portal, and you handicap your chances with approaching the full capacity of your business enterprise.

That clickable mouse is a library card

Google is now a verb. I have not used the white or yellow pages of a phone book for as long as my coaching business has been in existence (SLC is in it’s 6th year now). Consider how our kids will do their homework, and how we all gather so much of the information we’re looking for when we are on our computers at home. Why not bring that common sense to work, opening up access to the thought leaders in your field across our entire planet?

While experiencing the web’s digital, virtual library, the person with computer mouse in hand learns exactly how to access it for real-time need, facilitating the improved quality of actions taken to then immediately implement that knowledge within day-to-day workplace context. We have far, far surpassed the days of only using computers for word processing, or as a fancy spreadsheet calculator, or for the mac-kids and artsy types saving digital pictures and doing graphics layouts.

If a business owner fears the time sinks possible with web-surfing (the biggest objection by far ”“ time frittered away reading stuff unrelated to work), I highly suspect they have an assortment of different challenges requiring their immediate attention. They need to get to the root cause of the problem, namely that their staff is not interested enough in the job at hand: Work bores them. On the other hand, when work is engaging, fulfilling and meaningful, people are actively preoccupied with doing it: Their day flies by, and they find they only have time to web surf at home, for they’ve bought in, and genuinely believe the work they do is more important.

There are new cautions with Social Media

That said, I did not expect Twitter —or even reading this blog— to be on your list of sites to visit while at work: I fully expect this to be extra-curricular reading for managers and leaders who are taking on the tertiary learning of Managing with Aloha (the ‘rootstock mission’ of my Say “Alaka‘i” writing) and social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Delicious and other web apps) as part of their own self-improvement self-coaching docket.

However, they could be brought to work, and quite successfully! It depends on if they are also to become acceptable, endorsed workplace tools which are put into staff hands for a specified purpose, one in alignment with the way you learn and communicate —both inside and out of your company.

There are new cautions with social media in particular. One was linked in my first mention of our Twitter experiment, and again in the question above: Online branding can get muddled, and users must be aware that they can be viewed as business ambassadors when they make public statements on the web. There is also the fact that the internet is a free copy machine, and “delete” clearing one computer screen of a few pixels does not equate to delete throughout the world wide web.

What does it take for a manager to be digitally savvy in 2009?

The computer is like any other tool in the workplace: Arm staff for optimal effectiveness —as opposed to turning them loose while ‘armed and dangerous.’

When people come on board, you do not assume they already know how to use all the tools you will soon place in their hands, right? You teach your people how to use workplace tools in the best possible way.

Imagine a landscaper signing out a hedge-trimmer for the first time. Even if they have used one before, you don’t hesitate to thoroughly explain that “this is the way we prefer you handle this while at work,” and you demonstrate, sharing tips and tricks unique to the landscaper’s craft; you point out safety features, and explain how to keep the trimmer in good working order. You will then ask, “Do you have any questions for me? What are your thoughts at this point on where you’ll use this on the seaside project today? How you will get this to work best for you there? When do you anticipate needing the wood chipper for those bigger branches?”

A computer hooked up to the internet is no different. It is a powerful, work-enhancing tool. To be a digitally savvy manager and leader, I offer you these 5 suggestions:

  1. Shed any doubt and the fear. Shift from conventional thought to innovational creativity ”“ just think of the possibilities!
  2. Learn what technological tools are available to you to better execute the actions that will make your strategic initiatives realistic, and easier ”“ don’t add complexity.
  3. Select digital tools based on how you can best capitalize on their functionality internally (within your organizational culture) and externally, i.e. integrating with your industry.
  4. Enroll your staff in your vision, mission, and strategic initiatives using the user-friendly language of digital tools ”“ get your vocabulary to be current, and aligned.
  5. Be the user evangelist. Learn to use the tools you have chosen consistently well ”“ optimize them. Keep them freshened with new updates, and keep them integrated into your communication channels. Be sure to share success stories.

I know there is an incredible amount of both learning and productivity challenges in those five things. However I also know that new learning and meeting new productivity challenges is always worth the effort.

If you are a digitally savvy manager, or learning to be one, please share your tips with us! We learn to be Alaka‘i kākou, together.

Comment here, or via the tweet-conversation we have on Twitter @sayalakai.

More reading from the Say “Alaka‘i” archives on: 

~ Originally published on Say “Alaka‘i” ~
The Digitally Savvy Workplace


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