Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal of giving.
Speaker 1: This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Speaker 1: Paul Fellowledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode six point thirty one. Let me ask you something.
Speaker 2: How many times today did you touch your phone? How
Speaker 2: many times did you check your email? How many times
Speaker 2: did a notification interrupt your thinking? Technology is not neutral.
Speaker 2: It either sharpens you or it dulls you. And as
Speaker 2: a leader, your tech habits are shaping your performance more
Speaker 2: than you realize. You don't need more apps, you need
Speaker 2: better discipline. Today, I want to walk you through the
Speaker 2: tech habits that actually make you a better leader, not
Speaker 2: a distracted one. The first habit control notifications, or they
Speaker 2: will control you. If every buzz ding and banner owns
Speaker 2: your attention, you're not leading, You are reacting. Leadership requires
Speaker 2: deep thinking. Strategy does not happen in fragments. In aviation.
Speaker 2: When I'm in the cockpit, I cannot afford random interruptions
Speaker 2: during a critical phase of flight, takeoff and landing. Demand
Speaker 2: focus leadership has similar phases budget planning, performance reviews, crisis communication.
Speaker 2: If your phone is lighting up during those moments you
Speaker 2: are flying distracted, turn off non essential notifications. Batch your responses,
Speaker 2: create protected windows of focus, and you will be shocked
Speaker 2: how much clearer you think. The second habit treat email
Speaker 2: like a task list, not a social feed. Too many
Speaker 2: leaders refresh email like its breaking news. It's not. It
Speaker 2: is someone else's to do list being delivered to you.
Speaker 2: When you open email with no plan, you surrender your day.
Speaker 2: Instead open it with purpose. What must be answered, what
Speaker 2: can be delegated? What can wait? What does not deserve
Speaker 2: a response at all. Leaders who dominate email dominate their schedule.
Speaker 2: Leaders who let email dominate them become administrators, not decision makers.
Speaker 2: The third habit audit your digital footprint. Everything you post, like,
Speaker 2: comment on, or a screenshot can become public. As an
Speaker 2: EMS chief, I am always aware that credibility is currency.
Speaker 2: The same applies in corporate leadership, small business, public safety,
Speaker 2: or even the nonprofit world. Before you hit send, ask yourself,
Speaker 2: would I stand behind this if it were projected on
Speaker 2: a screen at my next board meeting? Technology amplifies character,
Speaker 2: it does not hide it. The fourth habit use AI
Speaker 2: as a tool, not a crutch. We are living in
Speaker 2: an era where artificial intelligence can draft your emails, outline
Speaker 2: your strategy, and summarize your meetings. And that's powerful. It
Speaker 2: is also dangerous if you let it replace your judgment.
Speaker 2: AI can give you options, it cannot give you wisdom.
Speaker 2: It can draft language. It cannot read the room. It
Speaker 2: can analyze data. It cannot feel tension in a leadership meeting.
Speaker 2: Use it to sharpen your thinking, not outsource it. The
Speaker 2: fifth habit schedule tech free leadership time, and this one
Speaker 2: makes people uncomfortable, especially today. Put your phone down during
Speaker 2: one on one conversations, close your laptop during performance reviews.
Speaker 2: Make eye contact during difficult conversations. I've said for years
Speaker 2: that leadership is visible. If your team feels like they
Speaker 2: are competing with your screen, they will stop bringing you
Speaker 2: important issues. In scuba diving, when you're underwater, your awareness
Speaker 2: keeps everyone safe. You are scanned engages, watching your partner
Speaker 2: reading the environment. Leadership is the same. You cannot scan
Speaker 2: your environment if you're staring at a device. The sixth
Speaker 2: habit protect your data like you protect your reputation. Cybersecurity
Speaker 2: is not an IT department issue. It is a leadership
Speaker 2: issue week passwords, shared logins, unsecured Wi Fi networks. These
Speaker 2: are small cracks that lead to large breaches. One careless
Speaker 2: click can cost your organization credibility, money and trust. Leaders
Speaker 2: model discipline. If you reuse passwords and ignore updates, your
Speaker 2: team will too. The seventh habit use technology to reinforce culture.
Speaker 2: Technology can isolate teams, or it can unify them. How
Speaker 2: you use it matters. Do you use group messages only
Speaker 2: when there is a problem, or do you use them
Speaker 2: to recognize wins. Do you hide behind email when something
Speaker 2: is uncomfortable, or do you walk down the hall and
Speaker 2: have a conversation. Technology should accelerate clarity, not replace courage.
Speaker 2: The eighth habit create digital boundaries. If your team expects
Speaker 2: you to respond at midnight, that is not a badge
Speaker 2: of honor. It's a culture problem. When you answer emails
Speaker 2: at all hours, you are teaching your team that constant
Speaker 2: availability equals commitment that leads to burnout. Set expectations, model
Speaker 2: healthy response times. Protect your own mental health so you
Speaker 2: can lead with strengths. Now let me tie this all together.
Speaker 2: Technology is not the enemy. Undisciplined use of technology is
Speaker 2: the leader who checks their phone every five minutes feels busy.
Speaker 2: The leader who schedules intentional blocks of focus becomes effective.
Speaker 2: The leader who hides behind long emails feels productive. The
Speaker 2: leader who walks into a room and has a direct
Speaker 2: conversation builds trust. Your tech habits reveal your leadership maturity.
Speaker 2: So here's your seven minute challenge this week. Audit your notifications,
Speaker 2: track how often you check email, look at your screen
Speaker 2: time report, and ask yourself is this supporting my leadership
Speaker 2: or sabotaging it? Remember, leadership is built in moments. Seven
Speaker 2: intentional minutes a day can reshape how you use technology.
Speaker 2: Small shifts compound over time, so technology will continue to evolve.
Speaker 2: AI will get smarter, platforms will change, devices will become faster.
Speaker 2: None of that replaces judgment, character, or accountability. You are
Speaker 2: the constant in the system. Lead your technology, but do
Speaker 2: not let it lead you. This has been the seven
Speaker 2: minute Leadership podcast, and I thank you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more, Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.