Virtual Teams, The Bare Necessities, and Free Technology

I've often thought that there's never been a better time to be alive. Yes, I tend to be an optimist. And there are tangible things that show we are living in an "age of abundance," a concept that emerged on my radar screen after reading Dan Pink's book, A Whole New Mind. 

The Wall Street Journal recently published an essay by Stephen Moore titled,

The Bare Necessities: A Generation Tries to Imagine Life Without iPods

Some choice excerpts:

"..new data from the Census Bureau reveal that Americans of all income groups have made enormous gains in their standard of living in recent decades. As late as 1970s, air conditioning, color TVs, washing machines, dryers and microwaves were considered luxuries. Today the vast majority of even poor families have these things in their homes.  Almost one in three "poor" families has not one but at least two cars.

Consumption in real per-capita terms has nearly doubled since 1970. The single largest increase in expenditures for low-income households over the past 20 years was for audio and visual entertainment systems--up 119%...Eating in restaurants used to be something the rich did regularly and the middle class did on special occasions. The average family now spends $2,700 a year dining out."

My husband likes this quote:

"A luxury once sampled has a tendency to become a necessity."

My 15-year-old thinks it's horrible that he doesn't have a cell phone.

We have lost our sense of perspective, in whining about about what we don't have. Or how screwed up the world is. Or how bad the economy is. Desperation and pessimism come from inside, not outside.

Chris Anderson, editor of Wired magazine, and author of The Long Tail, provides another perspective on abundance with his article: "Free! Why $0.00 is the Future of Business." It's an eye-opening piece about what happens when things that used to be expensive (think memory) are now abundant enough to be wasted.

I've been using Skype alot recently, to work with a virtual team of five, where one member is located in New Zealand. Skype isn't perfect AND a few years ago, I would never have imagined having regular international conference calls for free. I can have calls recorded in MP3 format and stored for free. I use project management software, for $12 a month, that allows us to stay on track, share files, work on documents together, chat online, and organize the many ideas emerging from our online conversations. 

The idea of working with a team of independent professionals spread across many time zones, who I never have met in person, but who have just the right expertise, would have been unthinkable a decade ago. I wouldn't have even attempted to cast such a wide net as to find someone on the other side of the world. While daffodils in my front yard are announcing the beginning of spring, I'm hearing about the cocooning that naturally occurs with the onset of fall.

Think about it. We all know that the Internet has provided a lifestyle where information is at our fingertips. Where I can tutor myself on the most obscure topic if I have the time to read blogs, join social networks, and do some basic searches. But now, it's possible to find exactly who I want, with the skill set or passion or interest or experience, that I'm seeking. It's not a slam dunk. But the likelihood has increased from a needle in a haystack to reasonable with a little work. That's what technology has done for us.

Stop focusing on the flaws and start seeing the opportunities.

Stop complaining and start being grateful.

Stop seeing what you don't have and start making use of what you do have--to learn, create, contribute, and connect. 

Truly, there's never been a better time to be alive.

Comments

[Sargi Mann]

Great Blog. Since you mentioned global conference calls for your work. You might want to try www.mobivox.com for even further simpler ways to conduct your activities WITHOUT having to be in front of a computer all the time. The best part is that its FREE as well.

[Carol Ross]

Thanks, Sargi. Appreciate the tip. I'm amazed at how much is out there that's free....