The Secret to Becoming the New Tech Expert
There is a new technology expert in our midst. Before you worry about keeping up with the competition, know that whether you own a startup or work in a corporation, you’re personally invited right now to become this expert. It’s for you, and anyone else willing to do the work.
What’s this new expert like? This person has all the usual, expected traits: They are current on global tech trends, are very tool-savvy, have tons of great experience, and are active in the tech community. They might even be brilliant at these things, but there is something else very different about this person.
The new tech expert regularly practices being mindful. Daily, they carve time out of their packed calendars to stop, clear out the noise, and reflect. They know that technology has its place, and that time completely away from it is just as valuable as time with it.
Busyness is not glorified by the new tech expert, so you won’t hear this person say, “I’ve got so much going on. You know me, always really busy.” Life is not whipping them around by the tail, because they work to make time to be mindful.
Not impressed?
Time and again, studies prove that people who regularly practice being mindful can maximize their creativity and problem-solving, heads and shoulders above those who don’t. They are the ones who are continuously learning and improving, and who can quickly cut through the noise and get to the root cause of the problem. In fact, they never use an emergency as an excuse. Finally, the new tech expert will say they will think about it, and then they actually make time to do just that.
The results? Innovation. Delighting your customers. Strong teams who regularly deliver value. We can do this now, but the new tech expert will raise the bar on all of it. They will innovate more, delight in creative, unexpected ways, and have the emotional intelligence to lead and grow strong teams to new levels of job satisfaction and productivity.
Keeping things simple can be very complicated. You can try an app, hold a weekly meeting, or read a book, but most of those approaches will yield minimal results. Or you can try my open invitation to venture into mindfulness and begin working on going to the next level. But you must be willing to practice and do the work. There is always work involved with being exceptional.
Francie Van Wirkus is presenting the session Become a Mindful Tester: Eliminate the Clutter, Weather Any Storm at STARWEST 2016, October 2–7 in Anaheim, California.
