Having grown up during the evolution of digital technology, I was fortunate to see the gradual shift in the way people interacted with technology and the devices to which they were given access. Today, device technology is so abundant that younger generations take this access much like we all wake up in the morning to sunlight. It has always been here, so why would it not be here tomorrow?
Although this may be true in terms of access and availability to technology by most on the planet, it is not a given to each and every person. Some areas of our planet do not have the luxuries of internet access or cell phone access. It likely seems odd to younger generations to even consider such areas or digital deserts with no digital access, but they exist.
At the same time, as there are barren spaces for cell phones and digital internet access, there has also been equal and opposite growth in the absence of the skills to build interpersonal relationships with those around us. As the digital footprint expanded, individuals grew closer and closer to using tools of this nature to bridge the gap of space and time between those they wanted to interact with, etc. The more they depended on such tools to contact other people, the less they needed to interact with them directly.
Social media exploded this craving so that, to some degree, people could live significant portions of their lives without actually interacting with those around them. They build on the perception that by texting, posting, and, in some cases, just talking on their mobile phones, they have satisfied their need for personal interaction.
While these technologies can definitely add additional value to interactions between people, they can in no way replace the human need for face-to-face, person-to-person interactions. A face-to-face chat between two people allows them to see each other but cannot replace the human magnetism of being in close proximity to each other. The level of feelings transferred over the phone cannot replace the embrace of a loved one.
You might be asking what this has to do with your business. Well, a great deal. Business, although enabled by technology, is, in the end, still conducted face-to-face and belly-to-belly. Organizations are starving to hire individuals who can interact with others in a person-to-person environment. These future hires need to be able to actually talk, communicate, and listen to other people without having the artificial barrier of a technology device. As more and more people have used these tools, their ability to refine interpersonal skills has been diminished. Writing skills have weakened. Listening skills have faded away. Simple things like taking direction to complete a task have become a project to complete even before the first effort is spent on working on the desired task.
This week, look at how your organization deploys technology and understand how it impacts the goals and objectives you have set forth for your organization. Use the technology to enhance your human abilities, not replace them for building relationships between your team, customers, vendors, and communities.
Are you curious about how your business is leveraging your human talents while capitalizing on the technology to make your processes functional? Give a JKL Associates Promise Guide a call for an opportunity to discuss your organization’s present state of human interpersonal skill success. Reach out to us at MI (313) 527-7945 or FL (407) 984-7246
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QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS – EMAIL US AT PARTNERS@JKLASSOCIATES.COM OR CALL OUR OFFICES – MI AT (313) 527-7945 FL AT (407) 984-7246
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