People absorb information in different ways, and considering different learning methods can help you determine how best to commit things to memory. Whether you are a business leader, the CEO of a company, or an individual contributor, you can use this approach to do the same. Over the years, I have developed a strategy that has helped me limit my reliance on technology and continue to develop the strong, active memory I rely on daily. I needed my memory to keep my business running before the pandemic. By making sure I can show the people around me that I value and remember them, I’ve been able to stay connected with agents in more than 1,000 offices in 72 countries. As president and CEO of Sotheby’s International Realty, the power of recall has been key to building and sustaining a business that hinges on relationships - you can’t succeed in real estate without showing people that they matter to you. I can speak to this because it is a challenge I face daily. In a state of emergency, technology will only get you so far. Remembering their individual circumstances will help you adjust your communications and expectations around each person’s situation. This is especially true during times of crisis when people are looking to you for comfort and support. Whether it’s calling someone by the wrong name, mistaking their title, or overlooking a meeting invite, forgetting small details can cause major rifts. In fact, feeling forgotten has been proven to do major interpersonal damage.įor leaders, this kind of attrition quickly adds up: When you forget small details about your customers and teams, you send the message that you aren’t interested in them as people or invested in your relationships. Forgetfulness is the erosion that eats away at those ties. While it is vital to establish yourself as reliable and trustworthy, memory is even more important for creating and maintaining the foundation of any successful business: relationships - with team members, customers, and clients. Your memory is perhaps one of the most valuable assets you can build, and not for the reason you may think.

If you are a leader, these findings are worth your attention. Rather, you are training it to rely on external tools that can do so for you. You are not training your memory to recall information. This explains why, despite having visited your favorite restaurant several times, you might still rely on Google maps to get you there. In short, the research says that when people rely on devices to remember things, they often fail to actually learn them. Smartphones have been shown to harm the brain’s ability to retain important details, according to one review from Oxford, King’s College London, Harvard, and Western Sydney University. Unfortunately, when it comes to your memory, it’s often the latter. But when it comes to growing and developing our memories, is technology helping or hurting us? Smartphones organize our days, keep us updated on the news, and allow us to communicate with people out of our physical reach. Worldwide, millions rely on the little computers in their palms to do everything from look up directions to recall important information like birthdays, deadlines, and to-do lists.įor the most part, this is helpful.

When was the last time you looked at your smartphone? Was it within the last 30 seconds? The last minute? On average, Americans open their phones 58 times a day and spend three and a half hours online.

Creating memories worth repeating