What Really Makes a Difference?

I’d love to be more original in my sharing of what I’m learning but why when someone you know says it so well. So once again I’m going to share a portion of my friend, Arlin’s morning e-mail. First, I think you’ll find his answer to his question what are “10 Things I Accidentally Learned Along the Way” of 25 years in the technology business. Arlin’s business is successful and growing so I find his thoughts very interesting. See what you think.

“After catching up some of the desk items that piled up the last couple weeks, it was time to work on finalizing some of my presentations for the big shows – and the main focus was on the deck I am presenting for the ConnectWise Partner Summit which follows our HTG event immediately in the same hotel.  As I worked to reduce the content I had pulled together it occurred to me that much has changed in the 25 years I have worked in IT.  My topic for two breakout sessions I am leading is “10 Things I Accidentally Learned Along the Way”.  It is the top ten list of learning’s I have had leading a company the past quarter century.  Remember that we are a technology company – have always been one – and as I pondered and prayed about what ten things mattered it was a bit shocking.  Not one of the top ten things I have learned really has anything to do with technology at all.  Over the last 25 years I have spent thousands of hours learning speeds and feeds, sat through hundreds of presentations on the latest and coolest gadgets and hardware, seen the development of things like the Internet, mobile phones, notebook computers, PDA’s and dozens of really useful and cool technologies.  But when I boiled down the things that really matter – technology didn’t even make the list.  I am not sure it would even make the list in the top twenty things I have learned. 
So what did?  In a word – every learning that really makes a difference has to do with people.  That caught me a bit off guard.  The keys to success and growth have not been about chasing the latest cool and shiny objects – it has been around taking care of business which inevitably means people stuff.  I expected that the top items would focus that way – but never expected all ten of my top learning’s would be about everything except technology.  It will be interesting to see what the response is to my presentation.  It is a technology event after all, and attendees may expect some words around that topic.  But the reality is that we live and serve people and the technology is just a tool to get that job done.

1.     Our relationship with God
2.     Our relationship with our spouse
3.     Our relationship with our kids