Change is Good—On Technology & Embracing Optimism
In this month’s issue of WIRED Magazine, founding editor Louis Rossetto published an article on “militant optimism.” His message was basically this: There’s more reason than ever to embrace optimism.
To build his argument, he highlights the ways in which our lives have become politicized. Every day, we’re inundated with troubling news and problems that don’t present easy solutions. Rossetto argues this creates an unease about the future. He calls it “unrelenting pessimism.”
However, he reminds us “…breakthroughs in the human condition happen outside of politics…Just think of the past 100 years: mass communication, penicillin, refrigerators, commercial air travel, the internet, smartphones—altogether producing more human freedom and wealth than wars or laws.” What he’s saying is that change is a necessary element of progress.
At the end of the day, change is good.
This article resonated with me because, in the technology and telecom industry especially, many business owners and decision makers are bogged down by negative beliefs of what could be for their organizations. I’ve heard concerns about the technology market at large—complaints that there are too many options, the product variances are minuscule, and everything is expensive. Decision makers also voice concerns that their teams lack the time and bandwidth to implement progressive technology initiatives.
In the face of these concerns, what could be called “pessimistic triggers,” I often give our clients three points of advice:
1. When you can’t see the solution, the problem fills your mind.
Identifying the problem is a necessary first step to finding a solution, but there’s no reason stop there and there’s no reason to wait to scale up. Sadly, there’s a common stigma that most providers don’t really care whether or not businesses succeed in their investments. And, unfortunately, many companies don’t have the option to affordably move in and out of different cloud or other digital solutions. To make matters worse, they’re often confronted by providers offering similar products at similar price points. Long story short, determining the “right fit” technology solution can be difficult.
2. Finding optimistic solutions often requires the right insight.
If you’re searching for a solution, it can be beneficial to get an outsider’s perspective. As long as you understand your needs, an objective advisor should be able to point you toward options that are actually going to work. Search for an advisor who doesn’t have any stake in the game, who ultimately doesn’t care which provider you choose as long as it’s going to meet your needs.
3. Innovation starts with the idea, “Yes, I can succeed.”
There‘s no good reason for organizations to stall innovation. In the technology space, I feel like we frequently see two patterns. The first is when new trends come along, we want them, we can’t imagine living without them and, after a while, the trend stops there. The second one is when we flippantly write off new innovations as bad or threatening.
Noam Chompsky famously said, “Unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.” Regardless of what misfortunes seem to be looming in the forecast, know that innovations are happening on the horizon, innovations that benefit the health of the economy and society at large.
On our blog, we’re constantly analyzing contemporary technology. If you’re interested in learning about technologies that pose a force for good, read our work and tell us what you think.
Also, if you’re interested in connecting with me directly, please send me a message. I’d love to hear your thoughts on embracing optimism during the digital revolution!