By Colleen Gallion
Seth Meyers has a segment on his show called “Back in My Day.” He dons a cardigan, smokes a fake pipe, and waxes nostalgic about how much things have changed. Along these lines, when I think about “smart” technology and how it has changed the way we live and work, I can feel my hair grow grayer, and the bursitis in my hip starts to act up. As a card-carrying member of Gen X, I remember when nothing was marketed as “smart.” Smart was used to describe quick thinkers, a snazzy outfit, or a minor wound. Now, “smart” and “cutting-edge technology” have become synonymous. As leaders, I think it’s essential to untangle these terms so we can make wise decisions about where to invest our resources.
Find your counterbalance
We all land in different places on the spectrum of technology adoption. If you follow technology trends and always have the latest version of your phone, you’re probably an early adopter. If your kids had to pry your flip phone from your hands and you still prefer to leave a voicemail, you are probably a late adopter. When evaluating any new technology or innovation, recognize your bias and team up with someone who balances you out.
Weighing benefits and risks
Here in Austin, Texas, a conflict is brewing between one of the autonomous-car companies and the school district. Apparently, the cars don’t obey the flashing stop sign on the sides of school buses when kids are entering and exiting the bus. For the folks on the technology team, I imagine this scenario is classified as an outlier use case and not a high priority on their list of improvements. The parents of kids who take the bus to school would passionately disagree.
When you are exploring any new technology, ALL stakeholders must be considered, not just the ones who would clearly benefit. Something that the vendor considers “minor” could be a very real risk for you, your team, or your customers.
Convenience versus resilience
Both of my parents’ homes had avocado green refrigerators. They were purchased in the 1970s and were going strong well into the 1990s, when I left home. These fridges are the root of two promises I made to myself: I would NEVER buy an appliance in a trendy color, and I would have a refrigerator with a water and ice dispenser.
I have a stainless steel fridge with a water and ice dispenser. Dreams really do come true! However, during the amount of time the avocado monstrosities served my parents, I’ve had countless repair visits and at least two replacements. The lesson? The more technologically complex something is, the more opportunities it has to malfunction. To quote my mom, “If it doesn’t have an ice maker, then the ice maker can’t break.” When exploring a solution that will increase ease or efficiency, consider what happens if it breaks. Can you quickly revert to the “old way” until it’s fixed, or will workflows come to a halt?
Take the user’s journey
When a new technology is brought to market, the sales team is sent out with talking points designed to convince the company’s decision-makers that their product will increase efficiency, decrease overhead, and make them look like heroes. How do I know this? Because I’ve helped craft those talking points for tech companies!
Your job as a decision-maker is to represent the end users who are not in the room. How likely are they to adopt this technology? How does it make THEIR lives better? I have seen vast sums of money wasted on technology purchases that end users refused to adopt. If you are saying, “Well, then I’ll make them!” — please drop me an email and let me know how that worked out for you.
Consult your future self
One of the tools in the ol’ coaching toolbox involves consulting with your future self. The idea is to imagine you’re having a conversation with yourself in the future, getting their feedback on the decision you are weighing. Imagine your business a year from now after successfully integrating the innovation you’re considering. Has it solved the problems you hoped it would? What’s better? What’s worse?
What many folks discover in this exercise is that an innovation solves some issues, but maybe not the actual problem they are hoping to solve. It’s easy to be seduced by a “silver bullet” solution. Consulting your future self can help give you some perspective.
As our lives and work become “smarter,” I hope that we will strive to become wiser. New isn’t always better, any more than the “good ol’ days” were all that good. Trust your team to help you make wise decisions about “smart” solutions.
Colleen Gallion is an ICF-certified professional coach whose passion is supporting entrepreneurs and founders in building healthy and sustainable teams. For more information, visit www.gallioncoaching.com.
