You got a pet baby dragon! How cute! Look at its little wing flaps and fire burps! Adorable. It’s got some tricks that are truly impressive.

But, hmm, one question for you. What are you going to do when it’s full grown?

Technology is a baby dragon. And it’s going to grow up. 

If you can tame it and harness it, it’s going to be one heck of a powerful weapon on your side. Imagine what you can do with a full grown dragon!! The possibilities are endless. You’re going to start winning a lot more than you’re losing.

On the other hand, what if you don’t invest the time and effort to train it? What if you think “I’m not really a dragon person” and you just try to ignore the dragon growing up in the basement? What if, instead of seeing it for its great possibilities, you treat it as a nuisance, giving it the minimum attention and nourishment possible as it grows ever stronger and fiercer?

In that case it’s going to burn your house down. That’s what. 

Technology is the same. You can’t opt out. You have to make a choice. Simply look around and witness the scars of burned houses and villages everywhere. 

Ignoring your technology is no longer a viable option. You’re probably using technology for everything you do, or at least it’s connecting and cataloguing everything valuable you do. Under-resourcing your technology is no longer a viable option, you’ll make everything worse and more tangled than it was. Half paying attention is no longer a viable option, you simply won’t be able to keep up.

But if you put focus and care into your technology…. If you feed it and nourish it and pay attention…. If you get smart people on the case whose job it is to solve high value problems for your organization… If you put real healthy budgets into it in recognition of the significant ROI it will bring back…. 

If you do those things, you end up on an entirely new level. Now you’re flying above the rooftops. Now you’re vanquishing your enemies. Now you’re making the most of your assets. Now you are a force to be reckoned with.

The baby dragon is going to grow up. Your only choice is whether it becomes your greatest ally or your greatest obstacle.