Do you pay extra to avoid ads when streaming videos? Pity the poor business leader who doesn’t. After a busy day, they think, “I’ll catch up with that new box set”, only to be interrupted every few minutes by promises of amazing new tech tools to transform their businesses.
They were hoping to unwind for an hour after a hard day! Now they’ve got fear-of-missing-out on some shiny tool which will miraculously run (and grow!) their business for them, leaving smiling employees and customers to enjoy their lattes on their tidy desks.
“My office doesn’t look like that!” they think, desperately fumbling for the remote to press ‘Skip’.
They worry about missing out. But what if the risk isn’t too little technology: it’s too much faith in technology alone?
Tech optimism is easy. Tech wisdom is rare.
Remember the last time you confronted a chatbot with no escalation path? Companies in banking, telecoms, airlines and SaaS are particularly notorious for forcing customers through useless bots with no way to reach a human.
They’ve been seduced by the next tool, rather than asking what it actually does for customers and talent.
On the other hand, when I first ordered from online grocer Ocado (whose warehouse technology has spawned a global business far beyond the founders’ early expectations), the driver who delivered to me had both the personality and training to welcome me on board and make me feel like the company cared about my custom.
As incredible tech capability becomes ubiquitous, the real differentiator is the ability to make it serve people. And the only way to achieve that today is by creating genuine synergy between the people who understand business and customer needs, and those who can solve the technical challenges.
And not by forcing ‘Saviour’ tech solutions on leaders when they’re getting ready for bed.
Copyright 2025. Andrew Bass.