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or professional organizations as well. Many of these provide courses in technologies that are
essential to particular roles. Check into your organization’s training resources. Ask around. What
have people found useful? Where did they go to get help? For current technologies, choose courses
that emphasize application and do-it-now tips. That provide hands-on experience and lots of practice
with the technologies you need to excel in your role. Don’t just focus on current state. Take classes or
attend seminars on new digital innovations that are on the horizon. Don’t just aim to learn about
what’s top of mind now. Find out what’s coming and learn about it before you need to.

6. Too busy? Find time to play. Building tech savvy doesn’t need to be an ordeal. It doesn’t need to be
a source of anxiety and stress. Instead, it’s a skill that can grow naturally if you have fun with it.
Consider another area that people frequently find very challenging: public speaking. It’s not
uncommon for people to build this capability, not through making formal speeches, but by joining
improv comedy groups or amateur dramatics companies. Performing on stage can take away the fear
and make them more accomplished public speakers. They lose their self-consciousness and gain
confidence in front of audiences. Tech savvy can grow much the same way. Find things you enjoy
about technology—video games, entertaining websites, cool new gadgets, music-making software.
Spend time unwinding with them. When you have fun with technology, you train your brain to accept
and adopt new tools.

Want to learn more? Take a deep dive…
Haggerty, N. (2012, July/August). On becoming an IT savvy CEO. Ivey Business Journal.
Nisen, M. (2012, November 14). There’s a big misconception about how companies become tech
savvy. Business Insider.
Smoot, N. (2013, March 28). 3 Free apps to make you a tech-savvy business professional. The
Huffington Post.

7. Want to stay ahead of the curve? Become an early adopter. Tech savvy people don’t simply
adjust to change. They actively seek out the new, the improved, the cutting edge. Be an early tester
of new and emerging technology. Don’t wait until you have to hurry and catch up. Whenever a new
technology surfaces, volunteer to learn and try it first. That gives you a head start and allows you to
stumble a bit because you are the first. You may discover glitches. You might struggle with some
aspects of it. Dealing with the risk that it might not work and facing the uncertainty that comes with
being an amateur are all part of the process.

8. Hoarding your knowledge? Advocate and educate. Think about how you can use your growing
tech savvy to support the aims of your organization. If you encounter a new application or innovation
that could add value, encourage others to adopt it. Make the case for the benefits it can bring.
Demonstrate the value it can add. Present the business case for purchasing it and deploying it widely.
Teach others how to use it, and serve as the organization’s go-to expert for the new technology.

9. Facing skepticism about new technologies? Empathize with concerns about innovation.
People resist technology for a wide variety of reasons. Some don’t want to learn new things. Others
have had bad experiences in the past. A few may be wary of how much of modern life is influenced
by the digital age. If you understand the source of both your own and other people’s concerns, you
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