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January 21, 2005
Wherever You Go?
Entrepreneur.com recently offered a guide to the myriad of technology that can link you and your employees to your business twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, and around the globe.
"From home offices to hotel rooms, technology is the wind beneath your business wings, the premium gasoline in your work tank, the foundation of your building-you get the idea. Slews of laptops, wireless solutions, remote software and cell phones await your use."
True. But, technology can also become the chains and shackles that make many entrepreneurs feel like slaves to their businesses. The very freedom that such technology can create also leads to resentment, burn-out, and fatigue in many entrepreneurs. For many, the only escape is when the flight attendant closes the airplane door for take-off. Alas, even that escape may soon be taken away if cell phones are allowed for use on commercial flights.
I would like to offer some possible "connection free" zones that entrepreneurs can create to restore a little sanity to this high-speed world:
-Church
-Your daughter's dance recital
-The bathroom
-The golf course
-Your son's choir concert
-Dinner our with your wife
-Family reunions
-Movie theaters
-The tennis court
-The dentist's office
-Family vacations
-Walking the dog
-Public rest rooms
-College campus visits with your teenagers
-Family dinner
Connectivity is an amazing tool that can allow businesses to grow more effectively. You can keep better communication and coordination with branch offices, traveling staff, customers and suppliers.
But, give yourself some time for family, for rest, and for leisure. Disconnect from the connected world. You, and your business, will be healthier.
Posted January 21, 2005 06:38 AM
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Comments
Dr. Jeff Cornwall,
Found your blog comment enlightening. Being "connected" in a high-speed, digitally-enhanced way is the way many of us live too much of the time.
However, my "connections" were pretty much limited for six days last week when my wife and I visited the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. I could gain access to the internet, but only when I actually went to our room or to the business center. My desire to stay connected was quite low during this time. And the experience was refreshing.
The most important connections in life are the ones you emphasized in your posting -- those connections with the ones we love, or even the time to be alone and "connected" with one'e self.
www.mercercapital.com
www.integratedtheory.com
Chris Mercer
Posted by: Chris Mercer at January 23, 2005 05:01 PM
at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. He consults with a variety of businesses on start-up and growth related issues, and with larger corporations on re-establishing entrepreneurial cultures within their organizations. Dr. Cornwall's current research interests include entrepreneurial finance and entrepreneurial ethics. He has authored or co-authored four books.
