Simon Sinek did a talk a few years ago abut millennials and how they act in the workplace and issues they experience based in a large part on how they were raised.He also discussed the addiction to the cell phone and its impact on relationships. He described it as the dopamine affect.that reflects how many likes and comments they received. Because this generation seeks immediate gratification the cell phone enables them to achieve it based on likes, which has a major impact on the workplace, their self esteem and personal relationships.
I work with a lot of millennials as a consultant and as an instructor at UCLA. After listening to the talk I started observing. Much of what he says is true and not just millennials, I was at a recent small meeting with boomers and a millennial. The boomers put phones away, one person didn’t and it was distracting to develop the continuity of the discussion. I also found his follow through was lacking but that’s for another discussion.
It’s not just millennials that are addicted, many are. I have boomer and gen x clients that have to have the phone on the table as we discuss their business and needs to be addressed. Yes, cell phones are a major tool to help us, but the question is who is in charge. I know some people who can not go places that don’t have wi-fi. Many of these people are not good at conversations and personal interaction..This can affect how they are perceived in the workplace, promotions as well as developing and lasting friendships.
How many of you use the cell phone as an alarm? Is that really its purpose or are you afraid of missing out FOMO ( fear of missing out). Mel Robbins created a fantastic program a year ago called Mindset Reset where she helps people start their day in the right perspective and there is no phone cell or otherwise in the bedroom. Because she has kids away at school in an emergency, they call no texting and the phone is in the closet with the ringer on high just in case. Ironically, I was in an office today that had a TV talk show discussing poor sleep and why you should not have the cell in the bedroom if you want good sleep to perform better
I know some of you may say that’s not me, you can put away the cell phone. How about e-mail? Do you have sounds to tell you there is a new e-mail? or do you check it often? That is still the dopamine effect Sinek describes that gives you validation.
I encourage you to have free phone times to just see what and who is around you. Time to play,do hobbies,enjoy family and friends, meet new people and to appreciate who you are.
Interesting quote: “I fear the day that technology will surpass human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” Albert Einstein
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