In the 80’s there was a popular book entitled, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” The premise being that the basics of life and conduct are the same from those early learnings. Lately, I am thinking that we don’t have to wait for our children to reach the ripe old age of kindergarten to get a lesson in how to apply advanced technology such as IoT, Augmented Reality and AI.
Breaking Down the Concept of “Baby Steps”
I think we can learn quite a bit from watching a toddler learn to walk. In the beginning, a toddler starts with simple steps, wobbling and stumbling as they explore their surroundings. However, a toddler rarely if ever looks at their feet. Their eyes are always on the destination, which might be the open arms of a parent or the promise of a cookie. Their vision is focused on where they are going and not on the mechanics of how to get there. The concept of “baby steps” might be true in terms of length of stride but not in the rapid acquisition of skills and goals.
Yes, there will be falls along the way. Toddlers have the great advantage of being close to the ground and being well padded on the bottom. Falls are rarely major setbacks. The toddler gets back up and again heads for the coveted cookie.
As a person of age, I can tell you that I sometimes find myself walking with significant focus on where my next step is going to land. I don’t know when my focus shifted from the goal to making sure that I incrementally avoid a stumble? Nearly all of us have significant spills and maybe their memories make us more cautious. We could argue that the focus on the next three feet on our journey is risk avoidance and eliminates disruptions. An extreme focus on the short term will no doubt decrease our ability to reach a goal that might be moving as well. We may look up and realize our cautious steps have been in the wrong direction and prolonged our journey.
Is Your Advanced Technology Engagement More Than Baby Steps?
In the last few years, I have observed some manufacturers engaging with advanced technology in what I believe is mislabeled as baby steps. Small, risk-averse pilots which deliver little ROI are small but don’t reflect a vision of what could be. We tell ourselves that when applying advanced technology, we should start with basic concepts and experiments to understand its capabilities and limitations.
I propose that now is the time to make bolder moves with advanced technology and stop looking so closely at our feet. The capability of modern tools have provided us with a level of bottom padding that makes mistakes less risky. We can’t let the past the scars of failed IT integrations and approaches that were technologically challenged keep us from looking up at the very real benefits that these newer technologies can bring. I do believe that we are in the era when failing fast and recovering with upside is finally upon us.
I personally have made a conscious effort to stop looking at my feet and to find ways to reach loftier goals and embrace new tools. I even asked ChatGBT to help with this blog and never looked at my feet once. Together I think we are going to get that cookie!
Looking for examples of fast moving technology options? Over the span of three months, an automotive company was able to put their procure-to-pay process in the fast lane, enabling the operational staff to monitor the paths of over 200,000 purchase orders and make adjustments to their automation parameters, saving them more than $12M.
