David Goldsmith - Leveraging Technology: Paid to Think

What you should know about your Paid to THINK Single

Here are a couple of tips you should know now about the Paid to THINK Single. The Paid to THINK Single is being offered to decision makers as an educational tool, designed from a long history of people seeking to use portions of content in their quests to do their jobs better. Over the years, countless leaders have received and utilized single chapters from Paid to THINK effectively to solve certain challenges and create opportunities, and now they are available to you, too.

Although each Paid to THINK Single stands on its own as a proven educational resource, be aware that within the content of certain Paid to THINK Single books, you may come across references to other Paid to THINK Singles or to the full edition of Paid to THINK. In these instances, you may want a full edition of Paid to THINK on hand to clarify terminology and concepts not fully described in this particular Paid to THINK Single.

Regardless, leaders and managers have used Paid to THINK Singles as cost-effective means of sharing information with other leaders and/or stakeholders. For instance, if you want to get six managers and 34 group members up to speed on a particular topic rapidly, you dont have to purchase 40 copies of Paid to THINK and ask everyone to read only one chapter within the larger book. Instead, you can economically teach your people by simply securing six copies of Paid to THINK for your leadership team and 34 copies of a Paid to THINK Single and achieve the same outcome!

Paid to THINK Singles offer additional value to people working in NGOs (non-governmental organizations), NPOs (non-profit organizations), and in emerging markets where the need for leadership information is great but where budgets may not be ample enough to cover pricey educational tools and methods. Luckily, Paid to THINK Single gives more people the opportunity to learn and develop..

Paid to THINK Singles make great gifts, and theyre convenient for those who dont want a full book. Whatever your purpose in choosing a Paid to THINK Single, youll find it to be an economical and easy way to learn.

This book is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information about business and leadership. Neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services, by publishing this book. If any such assistance is required, the services of a qualified financial professional should be sought. The author and publisher will not be responsible for any liability, loss, or risk incurred as a result of the use and application of any information contained in this book.

This book contained single-subject material from the book Paid to THINK. Content within this Paid to THINK Single, therefore, does not necessarily cover all the terminology or descriptive material referenced within that pertains to the comprehensive resource Paid to THINK.

Copyright 2012 by David Goldsmith

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this title.

978-1-937856-48-9

Editing by Lorrie Goldsmith

Copyediting by Shannon Kelly

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AFTER PRESENTING A KEYNOTE ADDRESS to the California League of Food Processors, I was approached by one of its members, Chris Rufer, the president of the Woodland, Californiabased cutting-edge tomato processor, the Morning Star Company, which handles close to 30% of global tomato production. Youve probably consumed one of Rufers products on your last slice of pizza, spaghetti dinner, or ketchup-topped burger. Rufer, an innovative thinker, made an interesting statement: People say that humans have changed over time, but I dont believe this is true. Weve needed food, water, shelter, transportation, communication, and entertainment throughout history. Today, we still have these needs. So can you tell me what has changed? After some thought, I realized Rufer had an excellent point. Our needs havent changed at all; the only change that has occurred is how weve applied technology to those needs!

Citizens of industrialized societies grow, harvest, store, and retrieve food using more technologically advanced methods than their global neighbors residing in lesser-developed societies. Think about how technology has transformed shelter from simple huts to skyscrapers, and transportation from foot or canoe to automobiles and jets. Even entertainment has evolved from fireside stories to motion pictures to make-your-own movies for YouTube.

As a leader, you must look for ways that you can leverage technology so that you can maximize your organizations potential today and move it successfully into tomorrow.

We have become so interwoven with and surrounded by technology that we dont always realize the enormous role it plays in our lives. Typically, were reminded of this reality when technology fails to produce the outcomes weve grown so accustomed to receiving from it. Try getting to work on time when your car doesnt start or making a presentation when your computer wont link up to the Wi-Fi you need. Yet despite the pervasiveness of technology in our personal and professional lives, its been my experience that the majority of leaders have a narrow-minded view of technology in terms of what it is and what it can do for their organizations. As a result of not seeing the vast potential technologies have to sprout and support limitless opportunities, these leaders unknowingly rob their organizations of chances to grow and advance.

If you find yourself (or other colleagues) making statements like, We already have state-of-the-art equipment throughout our organization or Were a service organization, so we dont use technology the way that a manufacturer does, start becoming aware that you are most likely not seeing a big enough or encompassing enough picture on the topic. Further clues that leaderships understanding may be too limited are references to technology that focus only on electronics or advancements items. Technology involves much, much more, and the ways in which you leverage it should involve cross-utilized, integrative, and innovative measures that both empower your people to do their jobs better and solve daily challenges.

Before we get into the meat of the chapter, lets lay the groundwork for new learning by expanding your definition of technology and exploring some self-limiting thinking you might have. As you read through this chapter, keep in mind that the activity of leveraging technology is not simply about technology; it is about how you as a leader can use technology in nontraditional and better ways to create more and better opportunities.