Bula! Wish You Were Here…
Bula, a Fijian noun that means life and is used as a “warm hello,” is my greeting for this post. You see, I’ve just returned from 15 days of sailing the turquoise waters and delicious pale seas of the South Pacific. What, you might ask, does this have to do with life in information, data, analytics, media, and the heady stuff that keeps CEOs up at night?
Well, several things, but let me just share a few:
1. The folks in my hometown will have you believe our lives revolve around iPhones, VR/AR headsets, and disruption. Let me share with you, there is a major portion of the world that doesn’t care in the least about any of this. There is something downright refreshing about villagers who still drink kava, make artisan works by hand, and fire walk. I am not judging whose life is better, but I’m reminded that most of what we think matters in the land of technology often doesn’t in the grand scheme of things.
2. Speaking of in the grand scheme of things: With lots of time spent bobbing around in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, it becomes clear that Mother Nature is pretty darn amazing and WAY bigger and more powerful than the technology that so many lives revolve around in my hometown. We sailed over 2,500 nautical miles. From Tahiti to Moorea, to Bora Bora, to Taha’u, outward into the Cooks Islands, and to the lovely lagoons of Aitutaki. We made our way to Vava’u Tonga, where the Tongans hold proudly to a legacy of having never been colonized. And to Fiji. Ah, beautiful Fiji. Traveling to four beautiful ports, receiving thousands of bulas from people of all generations and walks of life, sailing between islands for two days having never seen land in any direction, it’s quite an eye opener. Let’s just say, an iPhone isn’t going to help you if you are stuck in the water, swimming with the sharks, and in need of some fresh water and a spear or two.
3. Life is simpler and people are fine. There is poverty in this region of the world. There is poverty everywhere, but the islanders are warm, humane, and make a point about having no crime and feeling safe. Their communities are tight, villages discrete, with elders taking care of the young and families living in extended generations, feeling like it is normal, and not something to banish under the auspices of an “advanced” economy. Foods are fresh and ample. One Tongan said their food is organic because they can’t afford pesticides, and she said it with pride.
4. Technology matters but has its place. You see cell towers. People have cellphones, but no one must drive the latest S Series for fear of missing out on mapping technology. No one is bumping into people or cars on sidewalks because their heads are stuck in cellphones, whose screen world seems more important than the real world right in front of them.
5. It’s fine to unplug. In fact, it’s more than fine. It’s essential, even if you don’t think it’s possible. I have a mandate that all team members at Outsell must unplug on vacation. No emails to the office. No peeking to see what’s going on. No being reachable by cell “in an emergency.” Life or death maybe, but nothing else is an emergency, and from the time I get on the plane to the time I return, my e-mail button is switched to off on my phone and that is that.
I am often reminded by the hundreds of executives I serve that few will really allow themselves unplug time and insist that their team do, too. It is rejuvenating. It is restful. It is eye-opening. You realize how much goes on that you don’t need to respond to. You realize how equipped your team is, and if they are not, it’s good to know that. Busyness is a head-fake, and I’ve been writing about that, too. Give up busy, focus on productivity, and a couple of times a year be completely unproductive and unplug so that you are more focused and productive when you return.
So, whether it’s Fiji, your stay-cation, Antarctica, the Eiffel Tower, the Maldives, a safari, or the Great Wall, plan your upcoming summer holiday now and plan to unplug. Plan to write me about how it went or Ask Anthea, if you’re worried about actually doing it. Please, please, please, unplug. I promise, the perspective of no technology can be more powerful than being so heavily armed while thinking we are so advanced, so busy, so needed. Give it up for two weeks. You’ll be a new leader. I’ve been doing it for years, and it’s magic every time. So, please go and have fun this summer. Give yourself, your family, and your teams a break. Go unplug as you plan this summer’s time off, and let me be first to say bula!
Anthea C. Stratigos is Co-founder & CEO of Outsell, Inc., the leading research and advisory firm focused exclusively on data, media, information, and technology. Join our exclusive global community supporting over 3,000 executives and influencing billions of dollars in deals. Advance the business of data, see around the corner, grow revenue, and build truly meaningful relationships. Contact ustoday to start your journey!