Since starting at Citrix 5 years ago, I've internalized the company motto: "Work with anyone from anywhere." Although we've been using this saying for a long time, mobile technology has only recently caught up. I can still picture an image we used to use for marketing that showed someone working on a beach with a laptop, and I always wondered how many people actually got Wi-Fi access on the beach.

Fast-forward to today when tablets and smart phones are so prevalent that many of us carry 2 to 3 devices (I currently carry 3: iPhone, iPad, IBM ThinkPad). How do we stay connected when we're so distributed now? Mobile collaboration, or the ability to connect and collaborate anywhere, will become even more important over the next few years. Distributed work is not new, but these powerful electronics are increasingly pressuring us to communicate and make decisions at a distance. How do we adjust?

We recently announced that anyone can attend a GoToMeeting session from an Android device or iPhone. The whole process of launching these products got me thinking about how the way we interact will change, a realization that really hit me when I attended a GoToMeeting session from the dog park a few weeks ago.

First, we have to challenge our assumptions. Our communications are very unstructured, thanks in large part to email. We bounce ideas, send messages and make calls, but we've forgotten how to set up an agenda and bring people together for a successful meeting. I recommend you look through a new book titled Read This Before Our Next Meeting by Al Pittampalli, published through Seth Godin's Domino Project, to learn more about how we've lost sight of efficient meetings. We need to get back in the habit of structuring collaboration around outcomes. Mobile work styles are great at creating flexibility for the employee, but not for agendas or results. We must define our interactions and what we want to get out of them.

A bigger theme we see with mobility is the idea of choice - you can choose where and what devices you want to work from. But choice must also extend to when you work. Some people assume the new mobile technologies mean employees can now work 24/7, but we must fight this assumption. Why do we like to be mobile? Because it gives us the freedom to control our lives. We can meet from a park, work on a business trip or share slides with someone in a different country.

Our challenge here is to set boundaries and stick to them. Use mobile collaboration tools to be more effective, to work from anywhere life takes you - but set a schedule of availability and abide by it.

Photo Credit: guiguis

This week my company, Citrix Online, launched HDFaces, which is high-definition group video conferencing, integrated simply with GoToMeeting. We've done everything possible to bring a telepresence-like experience to everyone. But it's not all about the technology, I could talk all day about HDFaces, that's not the point of this post. The point of this post is to discuss inhibitors to video usage and how we move past these to change the way we work for the better. How can you leverage video to be more effective? What behavioral changes are needed when shifting to video?

First, you have to pay attention again. I know, it sounds awful right? You mean I can't multitask on conferencing calls? I would argue that this is actually a positive thing. The problem with conference calls is that people invite everyone they can with the assumption that people can tune out if it's not relevant. With video, we're forced to think about who we invite to our meetings. This should be a positive for any organization. Less time spent in irrelevant meetings.

Secondly, commitments seem less meaningful at a distance. Any good salesperson knows that a handshake in person is worth 10 times as many commitments via email. Humans are social beings and make decisions based on trust. Video enables us to build trust from a distance. Whether a coaching conversation with a boss, a client meeting or a project team meeting, people make more honest commitments when they can see each other.

I've always talked about how online meetings reduce travel. It's still the #1 reason anyone chooses an online meeting solution. But video conferencing calls ALL travel into question. Over the past year, I've cancelled travel for board meetings, client visits and conferences and replaced them with video conferencing.

Historically, technology has also inhibited the adoption of video conferencing. Telepresence has been reserved for the few within enterprises, while consumer solutions like Skype leave much to be desired in terms of quality, usability and group collaboration features.

Expectations are high for video conferencing in the coming year. I can tell you personally that the use of video has changed the way I work. I've added personal connections to all business interactions, made stronger commitments and eliminated useless travel. To take a line from our new TV campaign: "Simple, high definition group video conferencing will change the way you work and possibly a whole lot more..."

Photo Credit: Citrix Online

I'm not your typical home-based worker. What do you imagine when you think of a home-based worker? I used to think of a work-at-home mother, because my mom worked from home through most of my childhood. Times have changed since then. Younger people are working from home and you no longer have to rewind a movie. Yes, I'm not very old, but I'm at least old enough to remember VHS.

I've spent the last eight months working from home on the East Coast for a company on the West Coast and it's been really tough. I'm moving back to the West Coast in May, so I started thinking about what I can take away from this experience. What has workshifting taught me? And probably more important to this post specifically, how did I progress my career while I was in my 20s and almost 3,000 miles from company headquarters? Here's what I've learned so far about workshifting your way up in a big company:

1. Over-communicate even at the risk of being annoying.
   
   This one was tough for me. I'm the type of person who only sends or presents material when I think it's perfect. But that doesn't work remotely. People don't ask for your opinion as often as they would have when you're across the country. I found that some people within the company were duplicating my efforts because I was waiting to share my vision for something. Every morning I think about the projects I'm working on and then immediately think about who I need to touch base with for those projects. Set up weekly meetings even if you don't have a formal agenda every time. Open communication inspires new ideas and different perspectives. Without proactive communication from home, you're likely to get only two perspectives: yours and your dog's.
   
   
2. You need at least one hour each day without interruption.
   
   I assume many people would say you need more but let's start with just one. In the corporate office, I would move from meeting to meeting with very little time in-between to spend working on my initiatives alone. The move to the East Coast changed this dramatically. My West Coast coworkers aren't in until 8:30 AM (PDT), and that's on a good day. In the mornings, I get almost all of my action items taken care of before I even start a meeting. This helps not only by increasing my productivity but also by allowing me to focus during meetings without a laundry list of items spinning in my head. You're never too busy to sacrifice one hour for no interruptions.
   
   
3. Find sponsors within the company and find reasons to work with them.
   
   There are a handful of people within my company that I regularly connect with on a deeper level beyond the scope of my day-to-day work. These people become critical to your success when you go remote. I work with people like this for a few reasons. First, they make my job more enjoyable. You miss the personal connections when you work from home. Working with people that take a genuine interest in you and your development can make even a phone call more engaging and delightful. Second, these people sing your praises. When you're not in the office every day, you need advocates who think of you, drop your name in conversation, and elicit your feedback when they're working on something tough.
   
   
4. Make more presentations.
   
   Yes, I get paid to say this, but I truly believe it. Being remote does not mean you can't present your ideas. In fact, it's meant the opposite for me. One realization I had immediately after I left the corporate headquarters was that I didn't have to be in the same room as someone nor schedule a special meeting to deliver my ideas. I actually presented a project to our executive staff over an online meeting during my first month in DC, and that project has since become one of my most successful to date.

The world has changed. Ideas and results are clearly a priority over face time now. What's holding you back from your next promotion? Working from home is no longer an excuse.

Photo Credit: Citrix Online

In case you haven't heard, this week is like a national holiday for folks like me. It's Telework Week, a nationwide effort dedicated to encouraging organizations and individuals to pledge to telework. I'm one of the over 36,500+ people who have raised my hand and will be workshifting this entire week. In fact, after living in Santa Barbara for 10 years and working at Citrix Online for 4 years, I relocated to the Washington, D.C. area about 7 months ago so that my fiancé could attend nursing school. Instead of being faced with the decision of whether to change jobs or be separated from my fiancé, I was able to keep the job that I love and be with the person I love.

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, here's my workshifting love story:

Do you have a similar story? If so, share your story in the comments below.

Note: This is one of 5 real-life workshifting stories that we're sharing as part of Telework Week. If you enjoyed this story, make sure you check out the other stories.

I Google myself. If you're reading this blog, you probably Google yourself too. And if you're like me you may even have a Google alert set up for your full name. Ok, maybe you don't go that far. Over half (57%) of adult internet users have Googled their name to check on their online reputation, according to a recent study by Pew Research Center called "Reputation Management and Social Media." The study goes on to talk about reputation management as a defining feature of online life. This research also signifies a broader acceptance of the workshifting culture as we try to build reputations and connections with people around the world in a remote way.

Reputation used to be all about shaking hands and kissing babies. And although in person engagements and interactions are still crucial, online presence is becoming more and more important. When you apply for job, HR is going to Google your name. According to the Pew Research study, young adults are more likely to restrict or censor what they share than older internet users. It appears that younger adults are more active in managing online reputation.  

I think what this all means for workshifting is that the idea of virtual reputations and relationships is gaining more acceptance. The future will tell how "open" our sharing of information will be when it comes to online reputation (see Facebook's recent privacy settings change).  But for now the trend of online reputation management is a good sign for workshifting and shows a clear acknowledgement of the importance of virtual relationships and reputation.

What do you think?

Photo Credit: Manfrys

I'm dusting off my blogging shoes to share a personal story.  I admit I haven't written much lately but I'm back ... and I want to tell you about a recent workshifting  experience.

Life happens. When you're a twenty-something, things just seem to change every day. About 4 months ago my girlfriend began a nursing program in the Washington, DC area. Being a naïve young man, I was sure that I could do the long-distance thing and work remotely from DC every month or so. It didn't work - and I was left in a position trying to prioritize my personal and professional life. Not a fun place to be.

But what's different about my story is that I work for a company that totally supports workshifting. Citrix Online has developed a workshifting DNA. I believe this is far different than just saying employees can work remotely. A company that has a workshifting DNA makes a conscious effort to support remote people beyond just answering their calls. So fortunately, I'll be working from my new home in the DC area for the next year.

There are a few things that define a workshifting DNA, in my mind.  First, every in-person meeting hosted at Citrix Online includes a virtual meeting invitation. It's automatic. No questions, no second thoughts. If there's going to be an in-person meeting, you add a virtual meeting. Who knows who's going to be at home, on the road or working from Starbucks? Think about it. Who are you leaving out of your in-person meetings?

Second, we have an official remote work policy. This policy requires a signature all the way up to the Vice President. Why does this matter? Because it's an acknowledgment by the management team that they will support you remotely. Remote employees are often forgotten. This simple acknowledgment says, "we'll support you and your growth while you're remote."

And probably most important, goals are solidified before going remote. Without clearly understanding what is to be accomplished remotely, employees will soon be lost. Managers need to meet early and often to discuss key initiatives and goals with remote employees. This includes goals all the way out to 3 years.

Why does this matter and why should you care? As much as I like to think I'm unique, I'm not. There are millions of people who want to workshift. Some of these people are the most qualified for the jobs you're hiring for. And some of these people are working for you right now and are considering leaving. As a company strategy, talent should be prioritized over location. Companies with a workshifting DNA are like those early adopters of full 401k policies for all employees. And there is no doubt in my mind that like the 401k, workshifting will soon be available through all successful companies. Cheers to those companies who are on board with workshifting already, as it will pay off to their bottom line.

What do you think?


Photo Credit: Mark Cummins

Although slowed by the recession, executives are still watching closely the trends in the workshifting world. As we rebound many executives are being asked to answer the following question: How will we come out of the recession strong and how does flexible working play into our changing workforce definitions?

Clearly the demand for workshifting has been around for a while from the employee's perspective but the following 4 things are making it impossible for business executives to ignore the workshifting movement.

1. Womenomics
   
   I had the pleasure of speaking on a Webinar with Katty Kay, Washington Correspondent for BBC World News America. One of her newest projects with Claire Shipman is the book Womenomics which talks about the fact that women are demanding more flexibility in their work. Kay and Shipman go on to argue that women have more power than ever to demand this control over their schedules because companies that have proportionately more woman managers are also more profitable. Women want to work but gone are the days of 60 hour work weeks in the office, scrambling to find childcare and skipping the leisure time. The book offers many examples of how woman are leading this economy and to stay competitive and profitable, companies will need to offer woman the flexibility they are beginning to require.
   
   Katty and I cover this topic in a lot more detail in this Webinar recording.
   
   
2. Big Company Adoption
   
   Have you heard of ROWE? ROWE stands for "results-only work environment" and is Best Buy's workshifting program that says employees can work wherever they want, whenever they want, as long as they get their work done. This article in BusinessWeek does a great job of highlighting other big company's results from ROWE-type initiatives.
   
   IBM has about 40% of their workforce with not official corporate office and Sun Microsystems Inc. estimates that they save $400 million over six years in real estate costs by letting employees work from anywhere. The biggest driver for these large organizations out the gate is usually the facilities cost when they don't have to dedicate corporate space to each individual employee. But after rolling flexible working arrangements out, companies see the increased results because of higher job satisfaction.
   
   ROWE programs not only reduce costs but make for a more productive organization.
   
   
3. Gen Y
   
   I've talked about this before in a previous post so I'll just highlight briefly what's getting attention here. Whatever you choose to call the newest generation (Gen Y, Millenials, Screenagers, etc.), they all grew up with the internet. They're more comfortable with technology and less accepting of corporate norms like 9-5 or suit and ties. Gen Y has been struggling at the hands of this economy but coming on the rebound companies will have to employ flexible working arrangements in order to acquire and motivate this growing segment of the workforce. I'd also like to thank all of those who commented on my previous Gen Y post saying that this was an overall workforce trend (not just Gen Y). I agree that this demand comes from all the generations as technology becomes more intertwined with how we do business.
   
   
4. Social Media
   
   The power and growth of social media over the last couple years is astounding. Here's a fun little video showing the insane adoption and usage of social media from Socialnomics:
   
   
   
   
   The fact that so many of us are going to the Web to communicate and do business makes executives questions our traditional ways of doing business. We trust Wikipedia for information and use social media sites like Twitter to communicate as part of our jobs. This trend is only increasing and shows our acceptance of social media as a business communication tool.
   

So I'm not saying that all companies are going to have formal flexible working programs tomorrow. What I am saying is that the 4 items above are getting executive attention and companies will have to address workshifting in their workforce plans for the next 3 years. What else is getting executive attention from the workshifting world?

Photo by: AJ Leon

With flu season looming, large companies are ramping up to make sure they are equipped to handle a workplace disruption. Wikipedia's entry on Business Continuity can make the whole concept seem daunting for any IT director in a big company. It can take a lot of money and resources for a big company to set up a Business Continuity plan. But it seems necessary because the cost of taking hundreds of employees offline is so great.

I would argue that workshifters aren't worried about Business Continuity and that large companies can learn a great deal from their own workshifters. Here are a few things enterprises could learn from workshifters when thinking about their BC plan:

1. Think SaaS - When all your "stuff" is in the cloud, it doesn't matter where your employees are working from. Here's what I need to work outside the corporate office:

• Salesforce - Access to all client data
• Twitter - Network and communicate with a larger community
• iPhone - Get email, contacts and calendar anywhere
• GoToMeeting - Ability to work with anyone, from anywhere
• GoToMyPC - Ability to work on my office computer from anywhere
• Google Docs - Access documents from anywhere

I realize there are more technical jobs that require access to more complex software but most employees can use SaaS for almost everything they do. And using remote access can get you straight to the desktop where any non-SaaS apps live. Check out a previous post from AJ Leon on all the SaaS available.

2. Make Telework/ Web Commuting Part of Your Policy - Workshifters are flexible workers by nature. They are very comfortable working wherever they may be, but it wasn't always that way. Setting up shop for the first time in a coffeehouse is uncomfortable. Working at home is tough if you're used to spending 40 hours in the corporate office. We can talk technology all day but there's a learning curve to becoming a workshifter. By rolling out a formal telework/Web commuting plan within your company you're preparing employees for a workforce disruption. Employees will be more comfortable working outside the office if they've done it in the past.
 
3. Adopt and Advocate Informal Communication - When you work in the corporate office all day your communication can often be locked down to email and office phone systems. Workshifters are masters of informal communication. Using other communication tools like IM, text messages, and Twitter frees  your workforce to communicate wherever they may end up in a disruption. If employees aren't used to communicating in informal ways it may be hard when they're suddenly asked to work from home to avoid a disruption. Build policies within your company around the use of informal communication tools and advocate usage of these tools.  

I'd love to hear from the workshifting community. Why aren't you worried about Business Continutiy? What can corporations learn from the way you do business?

Photo by: Eric M. Martin

It used to be that office = work and everywhere else = life. I listened to lots of small business owners talk about work/life balance in a focus group recently. A theme that I heard repeatedly was that there's no line between work and life now.  Workshifters have anytime access to work and the people they work with. I couldn't help but ask myself, are we losing the "life" in work/life balance? Here are two different perspectives I heard from the small biz owners group:

Work and life should be more intertwined. The most passionate business owners are those that have made work an extension of their lives. I heard from architects to book store owners about the fact that their work isn't really "work." For these people work and life happen simultaneously where one minute you're drawing blueprints for a house and the next minute you're drawing artwork for your spouse (that wasn't intended to rhyme). You really have to love what you do for this philosophy or you will burn out quickly. But for those who have this nailed down, good for you.

Set expectations and turn off. The other school of thought is that we need to keep work and life separate thus developing a balance. I fall into this group more than the other. I heard from one woman who tells her clients that she's not available on Monday or Tuesday after noon and Sunday altogether. If the client needs something they'll just have to wait. If this is your philosophy then you need to be able to turn off and hold strong. Your customers build expectations based on what you do, not what you say. If you say you don't work on Sundays then you better not answer work email on Sunday.

What do you think? What is work/life balance to you? Do you fit into either of these groups or do you have a different perspective?

Photo by: Kaitlin Shiner

In my last post I asked the question "what's holding you back from doing webinars?" The response from Leesa Watego and a few others was that a lack of knowledge about how to start was the top inhibiting factor.

The purpose of this post is not to be an all-inclusive guide to delivering webinars but rather some suggestions to consider as you begin your program. My hope is that these ideas will make the concept of webinars less daunting so you can start generating some great leads using webinars.

1. Pick a Compelling Topic or Series

What is the most compelling and interesting education that you can give your target audience? First off, it can't be exclusively about your product or service.  Who wants to attend "Come Here to learn How Awesome Our Widget 7 Is"? Pick a topic that relates to the product or service that you're marketing and build an outline. You might try setting up a series of three webinars. If I was marketing financial services right now (and I'm glad I'm not) I might do something like this:

     Topic #1: Why Economic Uncertainty is an Opportunity: How to Gain from the Downturn
     Topic #2: When to Hold 'Em and When to Fold 'Em: What to Buy and Sell Right Now
     Topic #3: Investments 101: Understanding your investment options

Think of webinars as an ongoing conversation with your prospects and develop a compelling series of educational topics before you start.

2. How will you get people to participate?

Your Email Database - What email addresses do you already have access to?
Social Media - Post links on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and anywhere else you have a following.    
Partners - Are there other companies or partners that have a common interest in reaching your audience?
Post on Your Website - Put a link right on your home page

3. Build a Team

Will you be able to handle all the responsibilities on your own? For the first few webinars, this may work but over time it might make sense to get some help. Here are the different roles and responsibilities for conducting a webinar:

Marketing - Handling all promotional material and campaigns to get people to attend - plus follow-up with registrants.
Content Management - Making sure the presentation is in line with the marketing message and quality for the audience.
Speaking - Presenting the actual content (this may be one or more people).
Live Q&A - Answering questions and comments during the session through text chat and aloud.

4. Attend Other Webinars and Read Up

Here are a few valuable resources I've come across and use:

Twitter Search
The Virtual Presenter
Webinar Wire


5. Prepare Your Team for Follow-up

Whoever follows up on the webinar leads needs to be prepared to discuss the topic (not just your product or service). You may elect to follow up via email and nurture the leads but if you follow up with phone calls be prepared to talk about the webinar topic. This is problematic if you have a sales team that isn't in tune with the webinar content. I suggest setting up a few questions and conversations points around the topic for your team. If I were following up with the financial topics above I'd likely want to ask "How do you feel about your financial portfolio right now?" And be prepared to discuss the content of the webinar in detail. Make sure you and your team understand the webinar topics and how to discuss them in follow-up.

6. Set Realistic Expectations

If you're expecting 500 live attendees for your first webinar then you're setting yourself up for failure. Your first webinar may have 3 people in it but that's 3 people you've established a relationship with that you wouldn't have otherwise. webinars take time...I've done hundreds of them over the last 3 years now and I learn something every time I do one.

So what does success look like for you on your first webinar? If you're able to get 1 new sales opportunity from the webinar then I'd consider that success.

These are all things you should consider before you pick the technology you're going to us. And I'm going to stay away from the technology considerations as I'm obviously partial to GoToWebinar ;)

Hope this helps. Reach out to me on Twitter if you have any more questions about getting started with webinars ... and good luck!

Photo by: sridgway