FAQ 7: How do I keep up-to-date with new technologies and innovation?

Lindsay Herbert, keynote speaker and author of the acclaimed book ‘Digital Transformation’ continues her series answering frequently asked questions on the subject of digital transformation.

Here Lindsay answers the question, “How do I keep up-to-date with new technologies and innovation?”

Transcript:

Hi, everyone, today’s Friday’s answered question is: “How do I keep up to date?”

So, the first thing I would recommend is figure out what your curiosities are and indulge them. Don’t wait for permission or specialized training. If you want to dabble in something or try something out, just go and do it. For example, I was curious about 3D printing, so I waited for a sale on 3D printers and I bought one. And I bought it knowing that the worst-case scenario is it would gather dust in my house, and I would at the very least have tried it and decided I didn’t like it.

As it was, I ended up using the thing loads. I still use it all the time, my husband uses it. He’s a professional musician as well, so it’s not like he has specialized training in 3D printing either. It’s incredible how much more accessible technologies are made today. If you don’t want to go and make the commitment to buy something, then you can always find workshops and spare co-working spaces that allow you to go in and dabble with different types of equipment.

So that’s the first thing. The second thing is stop waiting for permission or the sort of expertise to build up for you to feel like you deserve a seat at a table in your organization that’s working on something that might be new and radical. Ask to be a stakeholder involved in that project. You can be a test user, you can give input. There’s no reason that you have to be qualified in new technology before you can be a participant in that sort of way.

It may sound obvious, but I come across it all the time, especially in organizations where people have built up a huge amount of credibility in their own profession. They feel like they’re not allowed to participate in anything beyond the realm of their profession.

Give yourself permission to be a voice at that table, to get your hands dirty and to try something out that you’ve not used before. You have to play, and you have to experiment, and you’re going to learn from those experiments and then you never know you might actually become one of those experts down the road. Thanks!

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