My wife, Carole, and I recently participated in the 16th Annual ILA (International Leadership Association) Global Conference. The theme was conscious leadership. At the conference, Meg Wheatley was given a Lifetime Achievement Award. That puts her in the company of Peter Drucker, Warren Bennis, and Henry Mintzberg, among others.
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In her brief remarks, Meg began with, “Turn off your smart phone. They are weapons of mass distraction!” She went on to describe how, when she arrived, she went to the Crab Shack for dinner alone and forgot her phone. She didn’t know what to do. Meg doesn’t even have a boss.
Most of the rest of us think we need to be available 24/7, 365 days a year for our boss—or any other of our colleagues and customers who may want to contact us. There may be some unforeseen movement somewhere in the world that might affect our job, our business, our family, our community, our nation, our world, or even our favorite athletic team. We need to stay connected. Our jobs and organizations, our very lives are at stake.
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With the phone off, the world can come in
Many people have seen Youtube videos of people using their phones while walking, and then tripping over something right in front of them. Smart phones are a great form of communication, but it limits personnel relationships to the ones that already exist. Sure, you can text or call people you know and work with, but you miss out on meeting someone new or seeing something other than the phone and your two thumbs. Turn off the phone and see the rest of the world.
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