Hello my friends! Welcome to another episode of “Weirdos in the Workplace”, the podcast that celebrates authenticity, passion and purpose in today’s world of work! I’m your favorite weirdo, Erin Patchell and today, we’re delving into the realm of technology and how you can help you, your business and your team to not just survive, but thrive in it. Let's dive in.
Marshall McLuhan, the person who coined the term “the medium is the message”, was a visionary when it came to the intersection of technology, communication, and society. His words, "We shape our tools and afterwards our tools shape us," have profound resonance today.
When McLuhan referred to 'tools', he was speaking about technology in all its forms. And what he suggested is incredibly powerful. We, humans, have invented technologies like AI and machine learning, but in turn, these tools are now influencing us, reshaping the ways we work, communicate, and live.
As someone with neurodivergence, I've always had to grapple with certain challenges tied to executive functioning – which, for those who aren’t familiar, relates to the brain's self-management system, overseeing tasks such as organizing, planning, self-regulation, and task initiation. For me, technology has been a game-changer. For instance, I have struggled with staying organized and remembering important deadlines and appointments, but digital tools like Google Calendar and task management apps like Asana have been life-saving. Ask my team, honestly I preach and preach and preach these things all the time. I live and die by them, honestly. I can set reminders for important deadlines, plan out my tasks, and even break them down into manageable sub-tasks. Similarly, note-taking apps like Evernote and others help me capture and structure my thoughts in real-time, completely changing the way I’m able to focus and attention to detail. Text-to-speech technology assists with reading comprehension, and speech-to-text tools make writing less overwhelming. By leveraging technologies like this and integrating them into my life, I've been able to turn my “interesting brain” from a hurdle into a strength, enhancing my productivity and performance while celebrating my unique way of interacting with the world. Because otherwise, I’m not sure I’d be able to do what I do and be as productive as I’m able to be.
And this is just on a personal level, right. If you look at emerging technologies like AI and machine learning, web3, these are perfect examples. We designed them to solve complex problems, and now, they’re impacting how we think about these problems. They’re changing our approach to business strategy, to medical diagnosis, in our everyday interactions, to being creative. I know those of us who have been using ChatGPT and other GPT-3 models, or GPT-4 models now have been completely blown away by how much they have enhanced our lives.
But as with most change, there comes fear. And I hear a lot about fear and technology, especially with respect to AI as well as machines- even more simple machines - that people fear will take over their jobs. A lot of people fear that they will be left unemployed when machines take over their jobs. And I would like to reframe that. AI and machines are not here to replace us. They're here to take over repetitive, mundane tasks that have long consumed our time. This allows us, I think, to focus on areas where humans naturally excel, like creativity, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, leadership, and problem-solving and more.=
And if you’re worried that a machine is going to take over your job, I just want you to stop right now. You need to think more about yourself. You need to have more confidence than yourself. You’re worth a lot more than a machine.
But I do understand the fear. Before I was diagnosed with ADHD in my mid-30’s, I struggled with a lot of different things and I honestly never thought I’d be as successful as I am today. There were times earlier on in my life when I was much younger, in my late teens and early twenties, that I didn’t think I was going to amount to much at all. To be honest, if I was holding a steady retail job I would have been very happy with that. I’m very lucky to have landed a job in an organization that nurtured my creative side and my potential and my strengths, because without that I might still have been stuck in that same mindset.
I’d like you to imagine a workplace where technology does the heavy lifting, and you as a human being are free to engage in truly meaningful work, fostering innovation, empathy, and collaboration and really leveraging your strengths. This isn’t science fiction, it’s happening today, and it's making room for us to grow in ways we didn't think were possible.
And I’d like to throw out one more aspect to consider. We’re facing a declining human population globally. I know that sounds insane because our population has exploded over the last hundred years. With fewer people entering the workforce, there’s a genuine concern about maintaining economic momentum. Technology, including AI, can help offset this decline. It can increase productivity, keep our businesses competitive, and importantly, keep our economy more robust and resilient.
If you’re a small business, I’m even more encouraging you to take advantage of new technologies that are coming out because I truly feel like this is the great equalizer. It will allow you to compete on a completely different level because you’ll have the resources and ways of becoming more efficient that you never had before that used to be very expensive frankly.
In essence, we are in a symbiotic relationship with technology. We created it, and now it's helping us create a future where, I hope, we can achieve our fullest potential. But that’s only going to happen if we aren’t afraid of it. Like it or not, our evolution intertwined with technology. Unless you decide to completely opt out and go off grid, our evolution - your evolution - will be intertwined, completely entangled, with technology. The tools we shape, indeed shape us back, and in the process open up new frontiers of possibilities. So what do you think about that?
And it is a little bit scary to be honest. I mean, I’m excited about it but there’s still a little bit of fear - ya know? The tech world moves at breakneck speed, and as a small business owner, investing in something that could be obsolete tomorrow is terrifying. But here's something to ponder - futurist Ray Kurzweil said, "We won't experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century—it will be more like 20,000 years of progress." The time is now, folks. We can't afford to kick this can down the road.
But, where to start, if you haven’t started already?
Technology can often seem daunting. It’s like learning a new language or a new skill. It takes time, and at first, there are going to be hiccups. But the key is to shift your perspective - don't view technology as your enemy. See it as your ally, your strategic partner in building a stronger organization.
Let's break it down. When we say a 'strengths-based' organization, we're talking about focusing on what your people do best and finding ways to make those strengths shine. Technology can be instrumental here. Imagine tools that help track individual skills and performances, identifying unique strengths, and aligning tasks to match these strengths. This leads to increased productivity and a more engaged and fulfilled team.
And when it comes to discipline, technology is amazing. It can automate workflows, streamline processes, and eliminate human error, or at least reduce human error, freeing up time and mental space to focus on strategic, high-value tasks. It encourages consistency and efficiency, making your business more disciplined and more agile.
And yeah, learning new technology can be overwhelming. It's like climbing a steep mountain, and the peak seems endlessly far. But remember, you're not alone on this journey. There are Sherpas in the tech world - experts who can guide you, help you understand the landscape, and equip you with the right tools. It’s not as complex as it always seems when you’re first starting out.
And here's a pro tip - look for a tech partner who not only understands the technology but also understands your business and your unique needs. They should be able to recommend solutions that are the right fit for you, not just the latest or the most popular. An incremental approach, like we talked about in the last episode, is usually best.
For example, if you’re a restaurant owner maybe it’s as simple as an online reservation system. This can enhance customer experience by making reservations easier and reducing errors. If marketing is important to you, maybe it’s a workflow that can help automate some of your requests for referrals and reviews. It could be something as simple as that. If you own a retail store, you might think about starting with an inventory management system that makes things easier for your team and fewer 'out of stock' situations.
I think it’s important to think about technology, and everything we do when we’re a business and we’re making decisions that enhance our profitability and enhance our clients lives, I think the most important thing is to focus on what’s going to deliver customers value.
With each small step, you're doing two things. First, you're enhancing your business operations, which directly impacts your bottom line. But equally importantly, you're fostering a learning culture in your organization. Your team will need to learn how to use this new tool, adapt to the change, and perhaps even come up with creative ways to leverage it further.
The most important things to your customers is the best way to integrate technology mainly because you’re not going to be boiling the ocean all at once, implementing all kinds of things at once, you’re just going to be focusing on the next thing that is going to add value to your customers.
So I have a quick exercise you can do. It's called the Customer Priority Matrix. You should be able to Google this as well and find a visual model to use. You can do this exercise alone or with your team, and all you need is a piece of paper and a pen.
The first step is to list all the key aspects of your product or service. Think broadly here. It can be anything from price to quality, from delivery speed to customer support, and everything in between. Write these down on the left side of your paper, creating a column. Anything that you think is important to the customer journey.
Now, beside each aspect, give it a score from 1 to 10 based on how important you believe it is to your customer. This is your perception score. One means 'not important at all', ten means 'extremely important'. Be as honest and objective as you can.
Take a look at the scores. Are there any surprises? Is there something you’ve been putting a lot of energy into that is actually not very important to your client? You can start there and make some shifts. Take energy from that area, and put the energy into what’s important to your client.
And step 4, now, this is where it gets more interesting. Try to get the same scores from your customers' perspective. You can do this through customer surveys or interviews. Ask them to rate the same aspects you listed on a scale of 1 to 10 and write these scores in a new column next to your own scores. This is your customer score. This is what they actually care about from their own mouths.
Nex you’re going to compare things.Compare to see where you’re putting your energy and time and money, and make sure it lines up with what your customers care about. And if there are some significant differences, and usually there are differences, if that’s true for you that’s OK, that’s pretty normal. It just means that your priorities need to be calibrated a little bit toward your customers priorities.
Remember that using technology to enhance your customer and employees’ lives is about creating a better, more fulfilling workplace. When your team isn't bogged down by mundane tasks, when they are really focused on delivering value, when they're empowered to learn, adapt and create, you're not just improving productivity, you're also boosting job satisfaction and employee engagement and long term longevity at your work.
As Alan Kay, a pioneer in computer science, said, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." Let's remember that as we step into this new era. We aren’t just adopting technology; we’re actively creating a future - the future - of our businesses, our workforce, and our society. It's a future that's inclusive, innovative, and vibrant. It's a future where technology doesn't overpower us but empowers us, and I can't wait to see how we shape it.
So, let's invent our future. A future where technology and humans work together, complementing each other’s strengths. A future where we are not replaced but elevated. A future where we’re not afraid. That's the dream we should all be working towards.
That’s all for today. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I look forward to our next adventure together next week. Until then, stay weird, stay curious and remember… don’t stay out of trouble.
