The Case for the Technology Age. Can we learn to love it?

These damn millennials and their technology. …

I hear this countless times. As someone who has worked in age-diverse workforces, I find the older guys cant keep up with the ever-changing technology in business.

I don’t blame them. It is their generational stigma. Read books and newspapers not Instagram and youtube. These damn kids and their computers. Get out and play!

Where is the balance and where is the compromise?

I can tell you one thing. Technology is only getting more advanced. Either adapt or you will die. Not literally but maybe in business. In 10 years, it may be impossible to pay your bills over the phone (speaking with a human) or via mail.

It blows my mind. Technology is so scary and so fascinating at the same time.

When I obtained my Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, I became so fascinated with leadership traits that dealt with technology. So I wrote my capstone on multigenerational workplaces and the right leadership approach. I found that adaptive leadership was the right approach to deal with different types of generations working together. They are called either Digital Natives (those born into technology) and Digital Immigrants (those who lived before the tech boom). Now without getting too crazy into research, this branding does not always fit the bill.

But think of the Baby-boomers and Gen X as being the old guys for this point.

The old guys are dying out. They spend countless hours calculating things on paper, tracking, etc. In the business world, time is money. So save your money and become adaptive to the new age.

It’s not a bad idea and possibly safer. But automation is here my friend. Embrace it or move out of the way.

Disclaimer, so many people take arguments as literal or the one and only. I am not saying technology is the savior or Holy Grail. What I am saying is that technology has been introduced into the world and it’s not going away.

Either jump on aboard or get left behind. Don’t be that grandparent that joins facebook because your grandkids don’t know how to call a house phone. Do those even exist anymore?

The newer generations born after 1990’s have it made. We have the potential to be the smartest generation to date.

We have this online place that we can go and learn anything we want. For free. No formal education and student loans. It is called Youtube.com. There are many like it but a database like youtube nothing compares. Paying for college? I am sure I can find your professor teaching your class on youtube for free. As thing become monetized youtube may go away become a more business-like model making you pay for bandwidth at some point. They are trying this now with their own movies on Youtube Red.

Back to the point, don’t be that guy that bashes on technology. At one point, the wheel, hammer, and basket were all considered technology.

I have a thermostat that learns my preferences and saves me money without me doing anything. How is that not the coolest thing ever?

I just watched Ready Player One and I thought of the movie Wall-E where everyone is brainwashed by technology and use it to get away from reality.

Technology is a tool to become smarter and more efficient.

Don’t abuse it and learn to love it.