How Smart is Your Phone?

Devices that we now call Smartphones have been around for more than ten years. These once bulky and heavy devices were designed to simplify our lives and help us to become untethered. Certainly in the beginning that is what they did. When combined with mobile email and mobile telephone service it was as though we were free to roam as far away from our desk and offices as our needs or desires would take us. This new found freedom would allow us to be in touch with the office while also being out and about. Smartphones opened up a world of possibilities that had never before been imagined by the knowledge worker.

Today Smartphones are ubiquitous. They are not just in the hands of busy corporate executives, but they are carried by soccer moms, college students and the very fortunate High School students that are lucky enough to have an iPhone or a BlackBerry. With such an explosion of these devices, one would believe that the masses have been finally released to fulfill their potential. Having been freed from their desk and offices, people could live their dreams, and perhaps achieve their highest priorities. Unfortunately, this is not how the story goes.

Smartphones have actually become invasive. Families have set up rules for when the devices may be used in the home; couples have worked through major misunderstandings when their BlackBerry has been closer than a lover. Traffic laws have been created to prevent drivers from typing while driving and rarely a day goes by that you don’t see someone walking the street while reading or texting on a device but not paying attention as they walk. There is little wonder that BlackBerry devices are also referred to as “CrackBerries”.

It seems that Smartphones are not living up to their intended purpose which was to free our lives. These devices were intended to help us to become more productive and to save us time. Today the average user is actually less productive as a result of falling victim to excessive multi-tasking and responding to the many distractions that the devices bring into their day. One could argue that our Smartphones are not making us any smarter, and perhaps are even making us dumber. We are not achieving our full potential with these devices and we are not maximizing the potential of these powerful tools as they were intended.

We must begin to see our Smartphones as productivity tools. These are modern versions of the paper datebook or planner. Those wonderful tools that were extremely popular in the 70s and 80s really did work effectively. As we have moved to a more electronic society we have moved away from paper seeing it as outdated and inefficient. Despite this many Smartphone users also use paper tools in a variety of ways many of which are redundant thereby further reducing their intended productivity. The solution in my opinion is to maximize the use of our electronic tools and use paper in a way that blends the best of both worlds. I often reflect on one of Stephen Covey’s quotes “Technology and tools are useful and powerful when they are your servant and not your master”. I have learned that too many of us are spending time serving our technology and tools rather than having those tools serve us. Most Smartphones today come with minimal instructions beyond how to set up the device to send and receive messages. The result of this limited information is that most people have minimal knowledge about how to effectively use their device. There is certainly a need for further instruction.

Smartphones today have the capacity to access useful tools beyond email. There are GPS functions, Instant Messaging capacity, web browsing, social networking, and RSS feeds to name just a few. Add to these advanced voice mail functionality and online access to your email, and the devices we carry around are really portals to a vast world of greater productivity. How do we learn to really use these devices? You could access any number of web pages which demonstrate the many tips and tricks available, but a more comprehensive solution seems to be missing.

Last year I began to wonder how I could use my BlackBerry Bold in a powerful and more productive way. I recognized that even though I considered myself a “techie” I was probably only using my BlackBerry in limited ways. I tinkered with what a few of my colleagues now refer to as the “Harvey System” which combines paper planning tools with my BlackBerry in a way that was not redundant. But even that seemed not to really address my needs as a mobile professional. As I observed others and began asking questions I found that most people were having similar experiences. This led to the development of a program that we now call Time Management for BlackBerry. This program uses FranklinCovey’s LiveClicks portal to teach BlackBerry users to use their BlackBerry as their primary tool for Time Management. The program is designed for those that own the BlackBerry Curve, Bold, 8900 Curve, Storm, and even the new BlackBerry Tour. The concepts are simple yet in less than two hours users learn how to maximize the functionality of their devices and build systems that can save up to two hours each day.

There is little question that Smartphones are an important part of everyday life. However, they tend to generate more distraction rather than lend themselves to increased productivity. In order to effectively harness the full power of your BlackBerry you must learn to combine proven concepts for effectively managing tasks, processing messages, and planning your weeks and days. It is a worthwhile investment of less than two hours of your time to learn to be more productive using your BlackBerry. For further information go to: http://www.franklincovey.com/tc/events/liveclicks

 

The Red Card

One of the great joys of my job is that I often have the opportunity to speak with leaders both one-on-one and sometimes in large groups.  A few weeks ago I was making a presentation on the subject of leadership to a group of leaders in Virginia.  The company I was working with that day is a science and applications company that does a great deal of work for the United States military.  The group I was meeting with had been identified as high potential future leaders of the organization.  I was their speaker for the final day of a one year program to develop their leadership skills.  The majority of the people in my audience had prior military experience and had graduated from some of the finest institutions in the country.  I was honored to have been chosen to present to this group on the last day of their program.

As I do most days I arrived early to set up for my presentation.  Typically this allows me about an hour to meet the participants as they arrive and to engage in small conversations.  I observed that this group was a bit older than typical groups of this type that I meet.  It is not uncommon in my business when someone says “High Potential” that is usually synonymous with “Young.”  This is was not exclusively the case with this group.  While there were some younger men and women in the audience, many were in their late 30’s and perhaps 40’s. 

One of the great things about working in the Leadership Practice with FranklinCovey is that I have instant credibility with most groups.  This is by no means due to my own work but rather to the great work that was done before by Dr. Stephen Covey.  As a Consultant, I have the privilege of presenting his work to groups around the world and that is truly an honor.  It is not at all uncommon to meet someone that is an admirer of Stephen’s work and often times just their admiration of him creates some connection with me.  When presenting to large groups this connection is most helpful.  On this day there were a couple of people that I met before my program began that held Stephen Covey in high regard.

Just prior to beginning the day I met a man named James Cole.  He mentioned to me that he had read several of the books written by Stephen and that he had been looking forward to the program.  James indicated that he had served in the Marine Corps and was now in his civilian work still working with Marines.  His job is that he trains Marines to recognize and reduce the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).  He said that he feels that he continues to serve our country by serving and working with Marines every day.  In our brief conversation we also talked about things like faith and family and I knew from that brief conversation that he was sincere and committed.

The program I presented to the group is a one-day overview of what we refer to as the Four Imperatives of Great Leaders.  I enjoy this work because the concepts really resonate with me at a deeper level.  The Four Imperatives are: Clarify Purpose, Align Systems, Unleash Talent, and Inspire Trust.  In this program I share one of my favorite quotes by Stephen Covey which is “Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves.”  This quote for me sums up the overall responsibility of every leader at every level.  This is true whether you are leading a company, a family, or a squad of Marines in a combat zone.

At the end of my day as participants were heading out the door to attend a ceremony celebrating their completion of the program, James Cole stepped up to thank me for the day.  He indicated that he found the information that I presented both helpful and immediately useful.  I love to hear that from participants as it means that they view their time as having been well spent.  We shook hands and James turned to leave the room.  Seconds later he turned back and pulled out his wallet and said “I feel led to give you this.”  He handed to me a red card that had the words Honor, Courage, and Commitment on the front.  Each word had a definition for the actions a Marine should carry out to honor the words.  The words were written over the symbol of the United States Marine Corps.  The back of the card which was signed by James reflected eight things that Marines do.  When I looked at the card it appeared worn and in fact had a small crack near the middle.  James told me that he had been carrying that card for eleven years and that it was given to him when he was commissioned as an officer.  He had carried this card in Iraq during his tour of duty there and though when we met he was no longer serving on active duty he continued to carry that card as he said that he will always be a Marine.  Although he knew that I was not a Marine, James said that he felt that I should now have this card.

When James Cole handed the card to me I fought back tears.  As I write this and every time I tell this story I fight back tears.  I was then and continue to be overwhelmed by his gift.  To entrust me with something so personal means a great deal to me.  I immediately began to wonder how I could ever thank him for such a powerful gift.  It took some time but just this past week I realized what I could do to thank James Cole.

On a bookshelf in my office I had a copy of Stephen Covey’s book The 8^th Habit.  I had mentioned this book to James when we met and he indicated that he had not read it yet.  The copy on my bookshelf was signed by Stephen Covey and given to me by one of my work colleagues.  This copy is pristine, it is not at all like the copy I have previously read which is worn, marked up and highlighted.  But the fact that Stephen Covey had signed my copy made it valuable to me.  I realized that this might be valuable to James. 

On Friday I sent my signed copy of The 8^th Habit to James Cole.  I sent along a letter to thank him for his wonderful gift.  He won’t get the book before Monday but I believe that this book will be as valuable to him as it is to me.  Yet, I also recognize that my gift to James Cole really does pale in comparison to the gift that he has given to me. 

I have told the story of James Cole and his red card to friends, family members and to a number of the leaders that I have the privilege of working with.  I will continue to tell the story many times I am certain.  Yet, I write this story here because the card has been placed among pictures and certain important memories from my life.  Years from now it is possible that no one will know why the card is there.  I write this to make sure that someone perhaps in the future my own sons, will recognize both the significance of this gift, but also that someone will remember that the greatest gifts that we give to others are not always fancy cards, or expensive presents.  The greatest gifts we can give are the gifts that reflect our sacrifices, our commitment, and our sincerity.  That is the gift that James Cole gave to me on April 23^rd, 2009.

 

Energy Transference

A very good friend of mine is in Pittsburgh this weekend to run in the Pittsburgh Marathon.  Because he is someone I care about I committed to stand at a location in the race just to cheer him on.  My home is located right along the race route so I was able to tell him precisely where I would be standing.  My house is one block away from the six mile marker.  As I waited for Howard to run past my location I saw a number of faces that I knew well and others that I merely recognized.  As either they saw me or I saw them I shouted out encouragement and usually they shouted back.  I saw Tom Hardiman, the father of my son’s classmate as he ran by participating in a relay race, I saw Shannah Tharp-Taylor as she participated as a walker in the half-marathon, and I saw a local newscaster that I recognized but could not quite place (turned out it was Andy Sheehan).  There were lots of faces in the crowd.  Finally, I saw Howard.  He was dressed in black, and had his ever present smile.

As I saw Howard approaching I was impressed with how fit and strong he looked.  Certainly not the image of a gaunt runner but rather the image of a man that is taking excellent care of his body, but if you knew Howard you would also know that he is taking care of his mind and spirit as well.  As he passed by me I felt emotion welling up in me as I thought about the effort he was putting forth today.  I thought of the physical commitment to run the 26 miles, and the mental commitment to complete the race fighting off fatigue and all sorts of emotions.  This is not Howard’s first Marathon, but it is his first in Pittsburgh.  I can only wonder what he must feel as he runs through the streets in the area near where he grew up. 

As Howard passed me he raised his hand in a high five.  I raised mine and we slapped as hard as we could.  That is when I felt it.  When I touched Howard’s hand there was an energy transference that was instantaneous.  I felt in that moment his strength and my intention was to pass along mine.  I don’t think he needed it.  He seemed to posses all the power necessary to complete his race.  I know this because Howard is a runner and like runners do, he was running. 

Runners run.  This inspired me to remember that writers write, teachers teach, coaches coach, and leaders lead.  The point is that what you are should be reflected in what you do.  When we do what we do best we experience energy and that energy is transferable.  Right now as I write this Howard is still running.  He is approaching the 14.7 mile mark.  I am almost finished writing, but I will always remember that moment when we slapped our hands together.  It will be one of my favorite memories and I am certain it will be the precursor to a great day for Howard and his family.  Run Howard because that is what runners do.