Last week I was in Ireland working for a couple of clients and on Wednesday I needed to pick up a hire car and drive from Dublin to a hotel in Sligo. I had prepared for the journey, taken my sat nav and had the hotel details so just had to put the post code in and off we went, or NOT!
The post code was not recognised and neither was the addressed, my, normally reliable sat nav, was having none of it. Fortunately for me I had a back up, with the address on my phone so I clicked it, was taken to maps and followed the directions to the hotel.
I have become totally reliant on technology now, it’s appalling. In the past I would have used a map and planned my route in advance. I actually had a brief panic moment sat in the car, thinking “I have no idea where this hotel is”
I appreciate that modern technology is something to be embraced and things are changing everywhere, when it comes to making things easier for ourselves, but what happens if it lets us down? What would I have done if I couldn’t get a signal and connect my phone?
There are many skills, that I had when I was younger, that are obsolete now – map reading is just one of them, but I think that keeping a map in the car may still be a good idea!
I am happy to let go of things, often too quickly at times to then suddenly realise the new way is not quite as good as I thought. Then there are times I try to hold on to the old way, the comfortable known things that I am familiar with, and that, in itself, causes pain and I eventually get dragged into the future, kicking and screaming.
When you hear of companies, like Thomas Cook, going into liquidation you know that some advancements have been progressive, some have been immediate but someone needs to keep an eye on the ball. Looking in from a neutral position, it’s easy to make a judgement and say the writing was on the wall, but they held on to the emotional attachment to the old ways and someone didn’t want to let go.
It wasn’t because they didn’t care, it’s probably because they cared too much and didn’t want to make shop closures or create redundancies by embracing new ways, systems or technologies.
Unfortunately that is the reason (among many others) they are no longer trading and produced exactly what they were trying to prevent. A brand and memories can build nostalgia and loyalty but only to a certain point. Fit for purpose, modern and a great experience is also vital in world where customers demand more and more and where our competitors are embracing change.
What do you need to let go of and what new things do you need to embrace? How can you make your business more resilient?