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Click Less . . . and Connect More
Exclusive for the Coach Darcy Community
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| Greetings! | 
The state of Georgia, here in the US where I live, recently banned texting and emailing while driving. That led a Facebook friend of mine to confess that she's created her own Pavolovian response to traffic signals, checking her Blackberry at every red light. No wonder traffic has been moving so slowly.
Don't get me wrong--I love our technology. It's amazing that during my recent trip to Budapest, I could text my Mom in 5000 miles away--and get her response in seconds. The ability to send a client a proposal instantly over email is a far cry from the 9 p.m. FedEx runs during my early career.
But as I watch the behaviors of my clients and colleagues, I keep asking: Are we're using technology, or is it using us?
That's why one of the ideas in my talk Communicating Your Value in the Workplace is to Click Less to Connect More. Read on to learn more and pick up some quick tips.
I'd love to hear your reactions, responses, and stories about what has--and hasn't--worked in your techno-charged life. Just email me, and thanks for being part of the Coach Darcy Community!
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| Click Less . . . and Connect More |
 I'll never forget the first time in my career when I saw a senior leader peeking at his Blackberry throughout an entire meeting. Ironically, he was trying to persuade the client to compromise on a sensitive matter. (The client declined.)
This scenario is all-too familiar in our workplaces, not to mention our homes. And we've accepted it as normal. In fact, I've heard arguments that our head-bowed, thumb-dancing behavior is the natural extension of our advanced society. . . that we have to grow up and adapt . . .and that asking for different behavior is a step backwards at best.
To that, I politely say "Bull."
Yes --our BlackBerrys, IPhones, and other technology tools have changed our lives for the better, arming us with more flexibility, information, and power than ever before.
And -- with great power comes great responsibility, as Spiderman says. Even though our use of these tools has exploded with unprecedented speed, no one has stopped to teach us how to integrate them into the work and life we want to have. When there are no rules, the technology rules us.
Why Should We Care?
 Letting technology rule might be fine--if everything else was working well. But it isn't. And we're missing something important in our professional and personal lives. We're missing connection.
"Connection?" you laugh at me, amazed. "Why, right now I'm connected to my 400 Twitter followers, 875 Facebook friends, and my email contact list in the thousands! I'm more connected than ever before!"
All true. You are connected. But are you connect-ing?
We're unintentionally replacing connecting with clicking. Connection is a basic human need--a longing, even. We want to connect. We know that workplaces where people connect work better, too. So you'd think we'd do whatever it takes to connect, right?
Well, something's not working. My clients, friends, and people in my speaking audiences tell me they're feeling:
- Less connected to their colleagues, even those just a floor away;
- More distant from their friends and family, and
- Even farther away from their own thoughts and voices because they're constantly responding to the adrenaline buzz of their device(s).
The sad part is that they tell me that's the way it has to be to be successful in a wired world. Again, I challenge, bull.
There's hope. We created informal, cultural, and habit-based rules that we've never challenged or rejected--and so now, we have the opportunity to design new rules and techniques that work to support our success. We can take control of these amazing, empowering tools--and with it, control of our worklives again.
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Need Your Help! Take the You & Your Workplace Survey --and WIN! |
I'm always listening for what's happening in the workplace with my clients, colleagues, and friends. Your experiences and ideas help me to focus my business so I can support your biggest needs and challenges.
Plus, you can WIN!!! Three people will be randomly drawn from all who complete the survey by July 31. They'll each win a copy of Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh's book Delivering Happiness--a fun and insightful read I highly recommend.
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| What's New with Darcy? |  Back in the summertime saddle after a wonderful trip to Budapest, Vienna and Prague with my dad! Thanks to all my wonderful clients and colleagues who helped me create a realxed and memorable time away!
After meeting former CNN anchor Judy Fortin at a speech I gave in May, I became an expert source certified through NewsCertified Exchange (NCE). Here's former CNN exec  producer Jerry Krieg teaching me the ins and outs of today's TV interview. NCE helps reporters, producers, editors and bookers quickly locate vetted, interview-ready experts--and I'm ready for my close-up! |
Missing the Fireworks in Your Job? It's Time to Explode Your Value!
| | There's nothing I hate more than hearing a talented person say "I'm stuck." What a waste--for themselves, their organization, and our world!
 That's why I created the Value Explosion Strategy Session. It's a highly personalized, time-efficient session focusing getting you unstuck and finding where you can shine. If you want to create practical actions to better understand, communicate and use your value, this is for you!
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Stay cool, and thanks for being part of the Coach Darcy Community!
Always,
Darcy Eikenberg, ACC
Coach Darcy LLC
P.S. If you enjoyed this article, it'd be my honor if you'd share it with friends or colleagues and encourage them to join my Community. It's easy to do--just use the button here--  |
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Association (GCA
