Your Most Valuable Asset
Have you seen the car commercial where the guy answers his friend's text in person?
He drives to his friend's house to say, "Not much. How about you?" Amused, his friend responds, "lol, come on in."
I love it!
The commercial made me smile. It offers a solution to a problem we all see: technology isolates us and pulls us away from the ones we love. That fear is real (though a car isn't the solution). Loss of connection can impact your outlook, your stress level, and your health. Real, authentic connection, on the other hand, can make you wealthier.
photo credit: bigstockphoto
In other words, your phone is making your poorer, conning you out of your most valuable asset (time). If you aren't sure if that's true, try deleting the social media app that you use the most for one week.
I hope you're ready to do this little experiment to reclaim your time. If not, that's OK, too. Can I ask you to take a moment to consider how you felt when you read my proposal?
Did you sweat a little?
Get a little defensive?
Did you start explaining to yourself why you couldn't go a week without Instagram or Facebook?
If you depend on your phone to keep you "connected," it may sound painful to go on a one-week break from social media. You may worry about feeling disconnected or fear that you will miss out on important stuff. But the opposite is usually true.
This one simple move can save you hours in your day, freeing up time that you can use to connect with the people who really matter.
photo credit: Rachael Crowe/unsplash
MY CONFESSION: How I waste time online
Twitter is my go-to app for losing track of time. MY RATIONALIZATION: I do it all for you. Two examples:
When I was scanning Twitter yesterday, I came across a futuristic Audi commercial. The main character was looking back from a future where self-driving cars and robots took care of his every need. He was nostalgic for a time (2019) when driving was fun and empowering.
I know it seems like I watch a lot of car commercials. You probably do too, if you spend any time in front of a screen. (And, yes, that's what MY BEING DEFENSIVE sounds like!)
The theme of both of these ads caught my attention: the fear that technology interferes with our relationships, keeping us from connecting.
The woman who tweeted the Audi spot, Aisha Hakim, called it "her" commercial. I became curious. Scanning her profile, I learned that she is the Senior Art Director for an advertising firm in San Francisco.
At the top of her Twitter feed, Ms. Hakim pitched a new offering for women executives in the advertising industry, stating that "only 54% of women report having access to relatable mentors in their respective field." The more I read the sales pitch, the more I nodded my head in agreement. She billed this program as "The first woman-to-woman professional community in advertising."
It made sense. Here was an ad executive who made a commercial about returning to our senses and feeling connected. And she was fighting against the impact of tech. She was bringing women leaders together. Or so I thought.
I am always inspired to find ways to connect female leaders with mentors. I previously lauded my friend Stacy Cassio's Pink Mentor Network for providing the support that women need to grow their careers and extend their reach.
I was also a little jealous as I read on because Ms. Hakim's offering complements my new program super.BUILD. Seeing her program was both intimidating and also confirmed that I'm on the right track. With her access to data and focus groups, she is seeing the same issue that I see: we need to support the growth of female leadership. We need more Emotional Intelligence in our decision-making. And we need places for leaders to share best practices.
I smiled wider as I read more: "When women support women, we can together fill leadership positions and occupy executive suites." Then... my heart dropped.
SPOILER ALERT: They are selling an app.
Why?!
I mean, I know why. People like me who want to build communities are tempted by the draw of cheap, easy connection online. We rationalize that no one has time to get together in person. It takes little effort to use technology to establish a network of superficial online friends. But... we are in a Connection Economy, folks. We can't afford to settle for plentiful, superficial online friends.
We need real, in-person connection.
photo credit: Priscilla du Preez/unsplash
If we are going to build the support team that will help us make better decisions, we need to employ ALL of our senses. Think about the sense of awe you get when you watch a baby learn how to master something new. The physical reassurance of a warm smile and a hug. The smell of freshly-cut grass. The silence of early morning.
To quote a killer twitter thread from last week:
Instagram gives us an incomplete picture of the meaning of friendship. We see pictures of friends at fancy events & birthdays & music festivals and assume those types of experiences are the only ones that will fulfill us in our friendships bc that’s ALL WE SEE. But they won’t...
Life throws challenges at all of us—failure, loss, sickness—most of which are painful and heart-wrenching. True friends can sit with you in your pain and find creative ways to work through your challenges. Surprise: Friends aren’t props for social media posts. Don’t be fooled.
When you take your full, abundant potential and limit it to one-and-a-half senses (vision and sometimes hearing), you leave out the best parts of yourself. You play the game that is dictated by technology and advertising executives.
I've seen it happen when you put in labor to form a team. That's why I started super.BUILD. Together we can build the support team that will amplify your message. It doesn't matter if you are looking for a new job, want to start a new business, or need feedback from people who "get it."
In my experience, smart decisions require more than IQ. Professionals with higher Emotional Intelligence (EQ) tend to make decisions with more humanity and empathy.
Now imagine having
a whole TEAM with high EQ...
Oh, the places we can go!