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How can we survive digital technology?
My son, Reuben, sounds like he has the answer. “Dad, these shoes are too slow!”
Reuben won’t budge from our car outside his baseball game. I want to give him the better technology he desires, but the emerald green shoes are the only ones we’ve got.
Eventually, I recognize the request for new shoes masks a human problem: Reuben’s fear of playing baseball. We agree to play as a team, and hold hands as we exit the car.
Later, as we run the bases still holding hands, I laugh. And the green shoes don’t slow us down one bit.
These green shoes run fast because of the boy wearing them.
We can learn from Reuben as we respond to today’s social problems. As technology allows the blind to see and the handicapped to walk, we are tempted to believe it is the solution for all ailments. Yet social problems such as rising depression and suicide, political gridlock, and obesity involve complex human decision-making. Technology can only support the collaborative, human problem-solving we need.
So take your first step towards solutions by focusing on people:
1. In your personal life, engage the people around you. Put the phone away. Don’t put it on the table, put it completely out of sight in your bag or pocket.
2. As a citizen, stay engaged and vote. Whether or not anyone is using high-tech approaches to influence a campaign, it’s still the votes that matter, and you control your own.
3. In business, search for #meaningfulprofit. As digital technology draws us increasingly into rapidly changing detail, take a step back to see the big picture. Find innovative approaches that help solve the social failures that surround you, and you’ll likely find an approach that also benefits you and your investors.
Eliminating our social problems requires new insights, tools, and strategies that shift our complex systems. Yet choosing a human, socially responsible, approach is a critical first step every leader can take.
When was the last time you spent a full day focused primarily on the people around you? Share your thoughts in the comments or by sending me an email: info@RodWallacePhD.Com.
Our society cannot just survive. For the sake of our children, it must thrive.
Rod
Dr. Rod Wallace is an economist, consultant, and speaker who helps businesses make more money by solving society’s problems. A Fulbright Fellow, he has led multi-organization billion-dollar initiatives worldwide and partnered with a Silicon Valley pioneer to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence on society.
Rod speaks about how to integrate social responsibility into business to maximize profit and purpose. He highlights digital technology’s impact on society and the strategies and tools with which business can solve our big, systemic problems.
Contact Rod at info@RodWallacePhD.com.