Yesterday afternoon I was shown up by a seven-year-old...

As I sat on the crowded train during my commute home, I marveled as the child sitting across from me operated an iPhone with nimble, almost automated fingers. I can barely use the touch-screens of today’s cellular devices (heck, sometimes I get confused while operating my “wildly old-school” flip-phone with the sometimes-functioning buttons) and here this youngin’ was, playing with this phone like it was just another toy. (Insert cliché “OMG I’m getting old” moment.)

It often amazes me at how technologically savvy this new generation is; it’s not uncommon for children to own their own cell phones or computers. I never used a cell phone until high school, and that was when I borrowed my Dad’s Nokia that was approximately the size and weight of a brick. These days, we’re glued to our cell phones, Crackberries, iPhones or PDA of choice, constantly making calls and emailing from any location we choose.

These technological advances have done marvelous things for the business world. Now we can email clients from a taxi, hold meetings via video-chat and work seamlessly with co-workers who live thousands of miles away. On the flip side, this heavy reliance on technology has also made things more impersonal. I’ve emailed business associates for months before I’ve met them in person. There are many I’ve NEVER met in person. It’s often easier to think of people as names in our inbox rather than real-live folks, and as a result, we run the risk of not forming those all-too-important bonds.

My cube-mates often call me the Queen of Random Phone Conversations. They’ll overhear me talking, and ask “Um, Anna, were you just talking about cheeseburgers and Beyonce with our client?” Yes, yes I was. Despite not always having the opportunity to meet these individuals in person, I like to try and get to know them as I would if we were interacting face-to-face. Preserving the “getting to know you” process is of utmost importance- even if it’s not easy to do so these days. Taking the time to hone these relationships (whether live or virtual) allows us to better serve our clients, and makes us more connected in an age where true personal interaction is disappearing.

That seven-year-old can keep his trendy iPhone. I’ll stick with my dinosaur flip phone- at least until the power button stops working.

Anna Boisvert