I fondly remember my first cell phone. It had a three-inch or so black antenna that screwed onto the phone. It weighed several pounds and felt more like a dumbbell than a phone. My restaurant employees called it “the BIG Brick.”
The phone was cumbersome. It couldn’t fit in your pocket. The display screen was rudimentary.
Nevertheless, I was thrilled to own it. What a time saver! I could be in touch with my restaurants at any time, which was a big plus for me, as I had a 25-minute drive between stores. I felt the mobile phone helped me be a more effective and productive business operator.
Fast forward 20-plus years.
That heavy, big antenna, brick phone has turned into a powerhouse supercomputer that fits in your pocket. That hand-held computer can provide information about your business with the swipe of the screen, allowing you to monitor Facebook, Twitter, emails and texts, anytime, day or night. You are constantly connected to your business.
So all this technology is a good thing and your smartphone makes you much more productive in operating your business, right?
Maybe.
After reading an article by Andrew Sullivan, who writes on politics and culture about the negative impact the internet had on him, (http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/09/andrew-sullivan-technology-almost-killed-me.html) and watching a “60 Minutes” story on phone apps and their use (www.cbsnews.com/videos/preview-brain-hacking-2), it raises questions about the real productivity boost using this technology.
The gist of Sullivan’s article and the “60 Minutes” story is that there is a very strong distractive and additive nature of the Internet and smartphones, which can negate the valuable connectedness and access to information we enjoy at our fingertips.
How much of a distraction is your phone for you? If you are in the middle of a conversation with someone and you get a text alert, do you immediately see what the text concerns?
How often does your search for information lead to aimless scrolling through Facebook or your Twitter newsfeed?
What is your employees’ use of their phone during the workday? Do you have a policy about their use?
When you receive an important email, do you take the time to think about the issue and craft an appropriate response or do you feel the pressure to respond immediately?
As these questions demonstrate, it is rather easy to move from the smartphone being a valued tool to a constant distraction from the business at hand.
Time is such a valuable commodity for entrepreneurs. Anything that distracts or causes a lack of focus means less time for finding new customers, resolving operational and financial issues, developing better relationships with your employees and being a better boss and owner.
Take stock of the use of your smartphone. Evaluate your employees’ use. Are you controlling the technology or is the technology controlling you and your employees?
Pat Sisneros is the Vice President of College Services at Everett Community College and former small business owner. Please send your comments to psisneros@everettcc.edu.
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