Essential Install May 2017 | Page 36

Essential Install | CEDIA
Time is sometimes the enemy , but making time to learn new things can deliver many benefits

Learning To Fly

Geoff Meads , managing director of Presto AV , highlights the importance and benefits home technology integrators can gain from spreading their wings and learning something new .
Google ’ s Adsense was born from staff taking time out from their normal routines to try new things
At the heart of any small business is the requirement to earn a living . As much as we love to follow our passions and enrich our lives , we , as humans , have basic needs to satisfy first . You know , stuff like putting food on the table and a roof over our heads . These primal needs are engrained in our physiology , so it ’ s little wonder that so many small business owners find themselves swamped in production work just to keep the invoices going out and the money coming in .
The home technology industry moves way too fast to stagnate so continual learning is a must . Yet the constant cycle of ‘ sell , build , bill ’ leaves little or no time for ‘ nonessential ’ tasks like learning . In the end , we ’ re left with just two options ; learn on the job or become stale .
But what if we take a different approach ? What if we put time aside to ‘ play ’, to be creative with our technology or with our business procedures ? What if we spent some time with our team outside the workplace and got to know each other a little more ?
Even better , what if we took time out each week to learn something new ? Google do this . Employees are given ‘ 20 % time ’ in which to explore , be creative and work on things that would ‘ most benefit Google ’. It ’ s been a pretty darn successful policy resulting in products like Gmail , Google News and Adsense .
Make A Commitment
So , I made a commitment to myself this year to learn a new range of skills and put them into practice . Some of those new skills relate directly to the work I do and keeping up with technology , some relate to running my business and some are just for fun . As a matter of fact , the process has already started .
Just last week I took a day out and spent some time with Rako at their HQ in Kent to learn something new – lighting control . I ’ ve wanted to know more about this subject for a while as it ’ s outside of my normal comfort zone . My business doesn ’ t install lighting , but I do plan to install some in my
home one day . No matter what I do with the knowledge I ’ ve gained , having a greater understanding of the subject has already changed the way I think about lighting in the smart home industry , not to mention in my own house !
The experience has also had a positive effect on my mindset , not just because of what I ’ ve learned , but because I ’ ve stretched my brain in a positive way and succeeded in doing something I promised myself to do . I can ’ t wait to experience the next new thing now !
So , what ’ s stopping you learning something new ? Why not make some time for your own development each week and learn a new skill or two ? Enroll on a course or visit some colleagues you admire . See how they do things and use their experiences to make a few changes within your own work . After all , learning is a life-long endeavor !
For more information on joining CEDIA , visit the association ’ s website at www . cedia . co . uk . Follow @ CEDIA _ EMEA on Twitter , find CEDIA on Facebook at www . facebook . com / CEDIA . EMEA or join the CEDIA group on LinkedIn .
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