Being Open Minded

I have worked in technology for 22 years. One of the things I have learned is that you can not be closed minded. Let me re-phrase that you can be but being close minded is not good for yourself or good for your clients. Let me explain why.

The first thing being closed minded does is it creates tunnel vision. By this I mean you no longer look at the big picture but just the piece of the world that you know. The problem with this approach especially in the field of technology is that the technology will change and you will not adapt. As a result you will be left further behind instead of being knowledgeable in the current trends.

Being open minded does not mean that you do the best for your client. An example of this is my main expertise is the Microsoft world. I have a client who wanted a system for video editing. I did the best thing for him – I recommended a Mac and Final Cut Pro. For this client it was the best solution for what he wanted to do.

One thing being open minded has allowed me to do is to learn more. Because I do not close down, I am more likely to learn more current technologies and expand my horizons. That is what I like most about this business and closing my mind means closing myself to the ability to learn.

I am more accepting of other people’s view points. If someone tries to explain their way of doing things or thinks that they have a better way of doing the task at hand I listen. By listening I can refine the way I do things and be more productive. If I was close minded I would not listen at all and keep on doing it the same old way. I would never increase my productivity.

By being open minded I have learned that the conventional way is not always the best way. An example of this is I no longer have a traditional land line for phone use. I have gone to a Magic Jack based line which has saved me about $1000 a year. So being open minded in this case has benefited me financially.

I love to engage and get to know people. I have long accepted in this world every body is different. Can you imagine 50 of me being around you every day? I do not think that would be a good idea. The world would become a very boring place very soon if we were all the same – almost like robots. By being open minded and accepting people for who they are, we create a world with diverse values and cultures. Think about how rich that really is. It is amazing when you think about it!

Think about it ? Would you really like to make Technology and the world a better place? Do you want to improve your knowledge base? I would suggest being more open minded in technology and life but when it comes down to it the choice is yours.

Do you consider yourself open minded? Please share with us if you do and why.