Do You BYOD?
I had looked forward to attending this workshop all year. It usually sells out. I know. I have been on the waiting list far too long. My invitation was finally here, crisp and ready to be replied to. As I scrolled over all the usual mumbo jumbo, an acronym scrolled across the bottom that stopped me, BYOD. With the continual degradation of traditional acronyms, this could mean anything. When in doubt, Google it. In 30 seconds I had my answer.
Bring.Your.Own.Device.
Bring Your Own Device means anything related to an electronic device. This could be a phone, tablet, laptop, ear buds, projector, screen, 4G connection…the list seems endless these days. Nowadays it seems like there are a lot of devices out their in the world.
In the good ‘ol days it was easy and expected to arrive at your location; meeting, seminar, workshop, presentation and sit in your seat and in some cases your designated seat, pull out your notepad and pen and follow along. You did not complain you couldn’t hear, you did not point out the screen could not be seen, you weren’t asking for wifi codes and log ins too intranets or asking if documents would be uploaded onto the cloud. While times of past may appear simpler and easier, the present has opportunities abound. If you start understanding what you need to support your needs within the world of technology, you too will be walking around with your head down, focused on a small glowing device that holds the answers to the future. That might be a bit dramatic, but a lot of time, money and efficiency can be created by working the way the rest of the world works.
Andrew Kantor of USA Today stated that on average 25% of a business’s expense is in some way tied to technology. To continue to stay efficient and competitive, a business leader must be strategizing on better ways to connect and work technically every year.
To Each His Own
Because of the fierce competition technology has within its industry and the large span of product offerings, every individual business should complete an assessment first of what is needed and why. At a bare minimum, competitive communication devices are key for any leader; phone, laptop, tablet and internet. Yet, as you go bigger and deeper into yourself and business, identifying efficiency, capacity and cost specifications will allow you to receive the benefits you desire.
Efficiency-The primary factor technology is to provide us is efficiency. Whether that is in processing information, finding data, storing reports, processing orders, connecting communication, scheduling and task management systems….it is all to be done as quickly, effectively, organized, systematically and skilled. To identify your efficiency needs, begin with how you work. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Are you organized? On time? Processing a lot of work at once? Over time? How do you need to work and what weakness do you need to compensate for?
Capacity-Finding capacity is a leaders dream, as that just means more money, profit and time. These are the reasons for business, right? Are you noticing inefficiencies somewhere in your life? Business? What slows you down? If you could better or faster and make more money, where would it be? What technology do you need to support it?
Cost-There is always a cost to it and when you are talking the dirty language of technology it can get expensive, real fast. Cost does not have to be looked at as a limiting factor, as identifying need vs. cost is just being a responsible business leader. These days we find many tech savy, tech addicted leaders buy more than they will ever use and need. Having technology that is fun, robust, interactive and cutting edge needs to also deliver a result that can eventually be seen in the profit margin. I know you want it, but do you need it?
Over the years it has been fun to develop my own technology tool box. I love them dearly and enjoy unplugging from them as well. Develop systems to help control your behaviors and patterns for how and when you use them. This will ensure you don’t over abuse or not get the most benefits you can from these tools.
Synergy supported through Technology