I recently finished reading the excellent book ‘What Technology Wants’ by the editor of Wired Magazine, Kevin Kelly. It was a fascinating read but I was particularly struck by the chapter about the Amish…

Kelly’s thesis is along the lines that although the Amish community is often painted and stereotyped as anti-technology, the reality could not be further from the truth.

They are in fact incredibly innovative and entrepreneurial, but are also much more thoughtful in the adoption of the new.

Here are the 4 principles they work to, and with my agents hat on, I am pretty sure I have failed one or all of these questions many times in my pursuit of the next shiny object!

1. They are selective.
They know how to say no and are not afraid to to refuse new things. I often look back over the last 20 years in agency and although everything has changed… nothing has changed. Fear of missing out and chasing shiny objects can in reality often move us further from the path than we had hoped.

2. They evaluate new things by experience instead of by theory.
The Amish are happy to let the early adopters get their jollies by pioneering new stuff under watchful eyes. In our industry we often hear about ‘game changers’ and ‘you just need one more sale’. No harm in waiting 12 months to see if the hype settles down and you are able to get a more balanced view.

3. They have a criteria by which to make choices
The Amish believe that technologies must enhance family and communities. If we were critical of our industry, whilst I am adamant that the best agents have got better, the ‘average agent’ is now far worse. Technology is perhaps a bit of a double edged sword and has undoubtedly played a role in this.

4. The choices are not individual but communal
The Amish community shapes and and enforces technological direction. How often have we as agents brought something in only for it to be rejected by they guys and girls who actually have to use it. Getting a group buy in can save a fortune in time, money and effort!

Click here to book a time in my diary to chat about this further.

Best,

Mike