Information technology (IT) is a topic that seems hard because it can be confusing.
But it’s not. (at least not for the right technology vendor)
Business owners and professionals often view technology in terms of things like hardware, software, networks, and data. They also view IT as the people who shame them when their corporate email goes down and the people who set up your technology infrastructure, but don’t determine how to use it.
However, this mindset is a flawed one because the technology inside your business is about understanding processes, systems, and designing an IT environment which makes the best use of your resources, workflows, and your specific line-of-business applications.
What happens when your system lets your IT down?
Quick story…in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, 2013, Target fell victim to one of the biggest retail security breaches in U.S. history.
As a result, hackers were able to steal millions of credit card numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, and other pieces of private information from Target customers. It took Target two weeks to notice the breach, and the resulting cleanup, legal payments, and security upgrades cost them millions.
And that’s even before you add in their lost sales.
The irony is that, by all accounts, Target’s security technology was top-notch. They were, in fact, hoping to get ahead of the curve among other retail chains in protecting customer data. And their system worked perfectly! Their software spotted the hack and notified the Bangalore-based team whose job it was to monitor the system. In turn, they dutifully reported the breach to Target’s security operations center in Minneapolis. But then the team in Minneapolis who were supposed to handle the threat did nothing.
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The alarms sounded, but nobody responded. This is the kind of human error that even the best systems can’t protect against. And it delivers an excellent case study on why your IT upgrades have to include training as well as technology.
Do you currently follow IT best practices?
Before you spend a lot of capital on upgrading your systems, consider whether you’re getting the most out of your current setup.
If not, an investment in training might be a better use of your resources. Here are a few IT best practices you might consider:
- How well do your staff comply with your current security protocols?
- Do they know what they should be doing, and do they understand why it’s important? (like the Target scenario, the best security system in the world won’t save you if no one uses it.)
- How does your business backup and store data?
- Does your current system require users to manually backup their hard drives, or does it run automatically?
- Do you store your data on cloud servers, and if so, do all your employees use them properly?
- Or, do they still handle important work document on local storage? (investing in a system no one uses will only bring a false sense of security.)
- Are you making best use of your current network resources? Or does your system contain inefficiencies which are holding you back? Before you upgrade to newer technology, conduct an assessment to be sure you’re getting the most out of what you already have.
Best practices beat best products.
The bottom line is this: save some of your capital for ensuring IT best practices are followed in your business.
Bringing your staff up to speed takes time, and that time will eat up a certain portion of your IT resources. However, without ensuring your team can follow through on the various procedures your IT upgrade is designed to enable, the money you invest in new tech goes to waste. Or in other words: best practices beat best products.
Here’s what some of your peers are saying about how THEY implemented best practices and the results they got.
Logicspeak understood us
“I needed an IT company that understood the challenges that we face as an engineering company. Logic Speak is that company! Now I don’t have to think about technology; I can devote time to our clients and projects knowing that they have everything under control!” – Jill Gilbert, Holt Consulting Company
We trust Logicspeak
“We’ve worked with Logic Speak for more than 5 years and they’ve grown to part of our organization. I trust the guys at Logic Speak. I know that they stand behind their word and will do whatever it takes to make our systems run as smoothly as possible.” – Doug Fisher, Fisher Engineering
Keep us running
“If things are not working properly, then we are generally in crisis mode. I get concerned when folks cannot use the tools that I pay for, and I feel like I am just flushing money. Our business is deadline driven (permits, construction schedules) where there are major dollar implications if we do not meet our obligations. Logic Speak helps us stay on top of things and keep us up and running.” – Bill Peltier, William J. Peltier and Associates
Technology can be messy. Let us take it off your hands, so you can do what you do best in running your company. Fill out the form on this page to schedule time with us.
At Logic Speak, our core values shape how we lead, how we work, and how we serve our clients. They’re not words on a wall, they’re filters for decisions and expectations for how we show up every day.
But here’s something we’ve learned the hard way: even good values have a shadow side.
Values, when taken too far or applied without self‑awareness, can create unintended consequences. What starts as a strength can quietly become a blind spot. And if we’re not careful, the very things we pride ourselves on can work against us.
So today, we want to talk honestly about our values, not just the best of them, but the risks of overusing them.
We Care for You
The strength:
Caring for others is foundational to who we are. It means treating people with dignity, empathy, and kindness. It means remembering that coworkers, clients, and partners are humans first, not just roles or tickets or invoices.
The shadow side:
When care goes unchecked, it can turn into avoidance. We may hesitate to give hard feedback because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. We may tolerate behaviors longer than we should because we empathize deeply with circumstances. Over time, clarity suffers, and ironically, so does trust.
Care without courage isn’t actually care.
We Lean In
The strength:
We lean in when there’s a need. We take ownership. We step up when things are unclear or uncomfortable. This value fuels responsibility, initiative, and teamwork.
The shadow side:
Leaning in too much can become overfunctioning. We jump in to fix things that aren’t ours to fix. We take on too much instead of letting others wrestle and grow. Eventually, this can lead to burnout, resentment, or invisible bottlenecks where “that person always handles it.”
Sometimes the most responsible thing to do is not lean in, but step back.
We Love Our Craft
The strength:
We take pride in doing things well. We pay attention to details. We care about quality, process, and doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
The shadow side:
At its extreme, loving our craft can turn into perfectionism. We may over‑engineer solutions, delay decisions, or become critical when others don’t meet our internal standards. What was meant to produce excellence can unintentionally slow momentum or make collaboration harder.
Excellence should serve the outcome, not replace it.
We Keep Improving
The strength:
Growth matters here. We believe learning never stops and that feedback, when handled well, is a gift. This value keeps us curious, hungry, and moving forward.
The shadow side:
Constant improvement can quietly create the feeling that “where we are is never enough.” Wins may go uncelebrated because we’re already focused on what’s next. People may feel like they’re always being evaluated instead of occasionally being affirmed.
Improvement without appreciation can feel exhausting.
Why This Matters: Blind Spots Are Part of Being Human
None of these shadow sides mean our values are flawed. They mean we’re human.
Every person, every team, and every organization has blind spots. Often, they’re not found in our weaknesses, but in our strengths, overused or unexamined. The danger isn’t having blind spots, it’s assuming we don’t.
That’s why self‑awareness matters so deeply to us. It’s why feedback matters. It’s why we believe asking questions like “How is this landing?” and “What might I be missing?” is a leadership responsibility, not a sign of insecurity.
Living Our Values With Humility
Our goal isn’t to live our values perfectly. It’s to live them thoughtfully.
That means holding our values firmly, but ourselves humbly. It means inviting perspective, welcoming challenge, and remembering that good intentions don’t eliminate unintended impact.
When we name the shadow side, we don’t weaken our culture, we strengthen it.
Because the best teams aren’t made of people without blind spots.
They’re made of people willing to look for them.