• Try a new digital tool
• Play with it
• Read about it
• Talk about it
• Watch it being done
• ‘Show and Tell” it with peers

You don’t need to go out and implement fresh strategy every time you read a new blog post or editorial, but just integrate yourself into the conversation. You don’t need to read the whole instruction manual (unless you are a type A personality). Well designed and programed technology is user friendly and easy to pick up… the digital generation demands it. You know this generation; they have a strong  tendency to just jump right in as if they were a kid jumping into water. Maybe we should approach this digital stuff like a kid.

Just this past week, I was playing soccer with my 5 yr old nephew. He has great skills on the ball but he has never taken a shot from a pass. So I gave him a pass to kick into the net. He missed the ball and landed on his butt. He bounced right back up and tried again. On only his second try he put it in the net with perfect form.  Watch the little ones learn with eyes and minds wide open. The little ones make mistakes all the time without fear and learn from them. Their first step is to participate.

I personally have resisted cell phones. I find them very disruptive but… the  smartphones has become the Swiss Army knives of the digital age thanks in large part to the iPhone, introduced in 2007, and the App Store, which opened its doors last year. With 90,000 apps available and a lot of them free or a small fee, how can you not participate and stay connected.

It’s hard but try learning like a kid.

We live in an amazing time… participate in it!

1. Involve Your Team
2. Communicate Constantly
3. Plan Properly
4. Don’t let up