7 things I’ve learned after 7 years in learning tech

Yesterday was my 7-year anniversary with Axonify .?

Here are 7 things I’ve learned after 7 years in learning tech - along with a few photos of my Axonify experience along the way.

The small stuff matters.

Tech companies like to talk about BIG new products and features - the kind of stuff you can wrap entire GTM initiatives around.?But it’s often the small, simple, subtle enhancements that make the BIGGEST difference for people using the technology every day.?

Tech is a big decision.?

Implementing enterprise tech isn’t like trying out a new smartphone app. It’s a change management initiative that requires time and effort from multitudes of stakeholders. People with the courage to take on these projects need lots of support, plenty of trust and a bit of appreciation to be successful.?

There’s a difference between complex and complicated.?

Every application has a lot going on under the hood. Features and UI and reporting and integrations and … Tech gets complicated fast as you grow. The real trick is building a powerful, complex solution while keeping your story and user experience as simple as possible.

Share. Don’t sell.?

There’s a vendor out there right now delivering what was advertised as an education session but is really a thinly veiled sales pitch. We’ve all had this experience. It just makes everyone’s jobs harder. Share proven, agnostic practices. Tell inspirational, real-world stories. Participate in your professional community with honesty and integrity. Connect instead of selling.

It’s about experience, not features.?

I’ve read plenty of RFPs over the past 7 years. I still can’t figure out what many organizations are trying to do with all of those buttons. The ones that do tech the best have a clear vision for the experience they’re trying to create and how that experience will facilitate the desired results for their businesses.?

It’s hard to stay plugged in.

It’s been 7 years since I managed an L&D function. That means my practical understanding of what it’s like to do this job lags by almost a decade. Or at least it would lag - if I didn’t spend a considerable chunk of my time immersed in the profession. It takes extra effort to understand how the job gets done when you aren’t the one doing the job.?

Tech is an enabler. Mindset is the solution.?

The technology is actually the easy part. Shifting people’s mindsets - how they believe things should work based on years of experience - is infinitely more difficult. I may work in tech, but I spend most of my time talking about the organizational mindset needed to make technology (and the people using it) as successful as possible.

Thanks to Carol Leaman and every member of the Axonify community - teammates, customers, partners - for your trust and support over the past 7 years.?