Ahoy ye mateys! Today be the 10th anniversary of International Talk Like a Pirate Day. And in that honor, we be bringing you the lessons we can learn from one of the most well-known pirates of the past decade, Captain Jack Sparrow. We’ll be tellin’ how these here lessons apply to our own lives, espcially this here tech industry. Yar!
1) “The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do, and what a man can’t do.”
Lesson: Know when you don’t know- especially when it comes to your IT.
When there is a problem with a computer, most of the time people are inclined to try and fix the issue themselves. To a certain extent, this is great. But after you’ve rebooted the computer and unplugged and re-plugged in all the cables you can find, there does come a point where you have to admit you don’t know something, and call in the professionals. If you continue to try and fix it yourself, 99% of the time you will just make the problem worse.
2) “Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.”
Lesson: Your data is a prized possession. Take care to guard it.
Information and data have become a new type of currency. All of the information stored in your network has to be thought of as being as valuable as a chest of gold, but much easier to steal. Make sure you have good anti-virus programs and spam filters, and make sure all of your employees follow best practices for keeping your network safe. We have a number of resources that can help, including this blog post on how to keep your password secure, and this free e-book on how to surf the internet safely.
3) “I think we’ve all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically.”
Lesson: Enjoy the amazing technological advancements that are being made.
It is a really exciting time in the tech industry. Cloud computing and virtualization are basically standard practices, and new developments are taking place at an incredible speed. Phones are getting smarter and smaller, robots are starting to think, cars are starting to fly, there’s even an elevator being built to space! Take a step back from the day-to-day frustrations every so often and spend a moment just being amazed at what we are creating.
4) “Pirate is in your blood boy, so you’ll have to square with that someday.”
Lesson: You need to embrace today’s technology.
Technology is a part of our every day lives. And the advancements being made are quickly becoming standard practice. Cloud computing, social media, mobile optimization…you can fight it all you want but at the end of the day, for your business to succeed in today’s world, you need to keep your technology and business practices current.