(Time to read this Blog is about 3 1/2 minutes)

Before we get to the main topic, here are a few things to get you thinking or smiling:

1. My Biz Quote of the week:
   “We’re all in the hospitality business!  Whatever you sell, however you sell it, what are you doing to make your customers feel welcome, comfortable and appreciated?”   
   …Donald Cooper.
    
2. Quick Biz Tip:  
   How do you see your job?
    
   Is your job to come up with all the good ideas…or to mentor and encourage your Team to come up with great ideas and then empower and help them to implement their ideas? 

3. Danes sign petition to buy California. In a response to Trump’s wanting to buy Greenland from Denmark, this week 200,000 Danes signed a petition calling on Denmark to buy California.
    
4. Fun facts. There are more Texas-based companies listed on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) than any other state.  Corporate and Personal taxes and the cost of living are all lower…and business regulations are more relaxed.
    
   Over 300 firms have moved their headquarters to Texas in the past decade, including big names like Tesla, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, CBRE, Macey’s, Toyota, Caterpillar and Chevron.  The Texas economy is the eighth-largest economy among the nations of the world, larger than Russia, Canada or Italy.

5. Would you name your kid ‘X AE A-ii’? Elon Musk is a technology genius and the world’s richest person…but here’s an indication that he may be a little unhinged.  He named his son        ‘X AE A-ii’…or ‘X’ for short.  How do we even pronounce that?
    
   Musk brought adorable 4-year-old ‘X AE A-ii’ to a big meeting and Press Conference with President Trump in the Oval Office on Feb 11.  As 4-year-old boys love to do, X picked his nose during the Press Conference.  I love this kid!  

Now, to this week’s important topic:

 How many ‘Expert Technology Heroes’ do you need on your Team?

We all know that we can’t be cost-effective, operationally-efficient, customer-connected and profitable without the use of technology.  But, what many of us don’t realize is how many different ‘Expert Technology Heros’ we need to make that happen.  By the way, work with pros, not amateurs.  One of my more edgy insights is that, “Sex is usually best with an enthusiastic amateur…but everything else in life is better done by a pro!”

In medicine, we understand the need for specialists. You’d never get your dentist to do your heart transplant.  It’s the same with technology.  Below is my attempt to throw some light on the ‘Expert Technology Heroes’ that you likely need in your business. 

1. A ‘Social Media & Website Hero’. There’s some debate about whether this is actually a ‘Technology Hero’ or a ‘Marketing Hero’.  I think it’s a combination of both.  By the way, your 17-year-old niece is likely not the Social Media or Web Design expert that you need.
2. ‘Systems & Processes Software Heros’ who are expert in needs & possibilities analysis, software selection or creation, installation & integration and maintenance & updates.
   1. These systems and processes can be in budgeting & accounting, HR, design & development, purchasing, project management, production / robotics, inventory management, logistics, performance measurement, CRM, marketing, information management and systems security…which is why you may need more than one ‘Systems & Processes Hero’.
   2. There is industry-specific software for almost every industry, so be sure to work with ‘Systems & Processes Heroes’ who are expert in your specific field. For most small and medium sized businesses with $3 mil to $100 mil in sales, 80% to 90% of the software you need will be off-the-shelf, perhaps with some small customization.  Your ‘Systems & Processes Hero’ also needs to be capable and quickly available to update software and fix the ‘glitches’ that will occur along the way.
   3. AI will transform every aspect of business over the next few years. Be sure that your ‘Systems & Processes Heroes’ are AI savvy, or you’ll be left far behind.
   4. All of this wonderful software is useless without the proper and effective training for your Team as to how to operate it and how to use the info that it produces. Without the training, you have incurred a big expense with no benefit.  So, each of your ‘Systems & Process Software Heroes’ must include ongoing training in their package. 
3. A ‘Hardware Hero’. From laptops for your Team to mainframe computers for larger companies that run your systems and programs, you need a ‘Hardware Hero’ expert to guide you in the selection and integration of the most effective hardware to operate the software.  This Hero must also be an exert in Cloud computing and integration.
    
   Your ‘Hardware Hero’  must also be capable and quickly available to update hardware and fix the ‘glitches’ that will occur along the way.
4. As a small or medium sized business, you don’t need and can’t afford all these different ‘Technology Heros’ on a full-time basis. So, you must know who they are, build relationships with them and ‘rent’ them when you need them.

I’d love your thoughts and comments on this important topic…and also to hear about your experiences with various types of ‘technology heroes’, or your experience with Technology folks who let you down.

That’s it for this week…

Live brilliantly and be kind to each other!       

Donald Cooper 

Donald Cooper speaks and coaches internationally on management, marketing, and profitability.  He can be reached by email at donald@donaldcooper.com in Toronto, Canada.