Lack of Technical Knowlege Can Be Harmful to Business Owners

I know it may seem I am banging this gong over and over again, but just this week, I have had issues with a couple of customers for whom the lack of technical knowledge has come back to bite them hard from a business and financial perspective.

Regardless of the field endeavor, knowledge is a powerful tool. It can help you navigate the morass of so-called information spewing forth from "those in the know". For one client, taking the time to educate themselves has meant a sense of freedom from medically imposed restrictions and suddenly, by learning how to leverage technology properly, a world of possibilities has opened up before them.

This is powerful stuff and none of us can afford to be left behind. New technology is not a reason to be fearful, nor is it the work of the devil come to make our lives more difficult. It is merely the on-going application of the results of decades of research and development that are coming to fruition.

Ask yourself.... what are your feelings around technology? Why do you feel the way you do? These are important questions as the 21st Century will demand a higher and higher level of technical understanding from the individual business owner. You will eventually have to come to grips with the fact that running a business today requires the application of technology and if you are going to make smart business decisions, you have to have a frame of reference from which to make those decisions.

There are many sources of good information on the web these days. A short list includes the following luminaries:

• Google
• Wikipedia (use with some caution)
• Engadget
• CNet
• Petri IT Knowledge Base (from Italy)

Do yourself and your company a favor and carve out time every week to sit and read and learn. You and your business will benefit....I promise!

More later.

What does it all mean? IT and Technology in an Exponential World

Where we came from:

It is very often that as IT professionals we encounter end-users (many of them business owners) who are either technophobes or simply cannot bring themselves to be bothered with how technology impacts their daily lives or the health and longevity of their businesses.

There was a time in our society when people could take their own sweet time adopting new technologies as things did not change very often and when they did, they did so in very small increments, thus making it easier to get "caught up".

In the mid 1990's, the advent of the internet and all of its associated infrastructure brought about a level of technological acceleration, heretofore unmatched in human history. Once Logarithmic advances in technology rapidly began to turn exponential in nature.

This acceleration of technology brought with it a rapid decline in the cost of manufactured technology products, thus ushering in an era of increased adoption of new technologies by companies around the globe.

The curve had turned very steep indeed.

Where we are today:

In recent years, technology has gone from being a "nice-to-have" or novelty item to a requisite component in the formation, growth and success of any company. The problem here is that business owners (many of whom were used to being able to largely ignore technology and its inexorable march forward) are suddenly realizing that they are being rapidly left behind.

The resultant environment is that many business owners don't know what they don't know and most are afraid to make any move at all, as they don't understand the potential ramifications for their businesses if they do.

The question thus becomes, how do you keep/catch up? The only real solution to this problem is for business owners to proactively find reliable sources of information and education that they can leverage to their benefit, thus allowing them to make better, more informed strategic technological decisions for their companies.

Having said that, it is well known that the biggest complaint about most educational program regarding technology in business, assume you arrive with a certain level of knowledge and understanding and the teaching begins there.

The problem of-course is that most folks attending these classes are not anywhere near as informed/educated regarding technology as they should be and as such they leave the classes completely frustrated at the perceived waste of time, energy and money.

The educational gap, therefore, widens even more.

The Effects of the Educational Gap

The Educational Gap quickly becomes a self-feeding, recursive loop that begins to affect a given company at its very core. The effects of the Educational Gap are as follows:

• Reduced efficiency
• Reduced contact with the broader existing and potential customer base
• Reduced credibility vis-a-vis the customer base
• Reduced ability to respond to opportunities in a timely manner
  
• Reduced ability to compete in the broader market-place
• Reduce ability to compete in the global market-place
• Less Fun!

Solutions

The only way to really fix this problem, as a forward thinking, proactive business owner is as follows:

1. Find a trusted resource (eg. IT company, Technology class provider, etc.)
2. Ask lots of questions!
3. Read everything you can get your hands on
4. Ask more questions
5. Ask the most important question: "What can this technology do for me and my business?"
6. Join and start using Face Book and LinkedIn as a means of getting yourself and your company name out there.
   
7. Join the Rhino Network Solutions Face Book Discussion Group. We're waiting for you!

This is how the 21st century business environment is shaping up. This is how people are going to communicate going forward. Are you ready to step out and take the technology bull by the horns and make it work for you?

I hope so. Your business depends on it.