In 2009 Forrester Research predicted that more than half the workforce would be teleworking by 2016:

"Fueled by broadband adoption, better collaboration tools, and growing management experience, the U.S. telecommuting ranks will swell to 63 million by 2016. Those 29 million new telecommuters lined up five abreast would stretch from New York to LA! Leading the surge are occasional telecommuters and regular telecommuters who work from home between one and four days a week."

Lots of other respected organizations have made similar projections.

Well, call me a skeptic, but while I'd love nothing better than to see an end to traffic jams, I just don't see it happening any time soon.

For those of us who are lucky enough to work where and when we want, it's easy to forget that the majority of the workforce doesn't. They're bound to the cubicle farm with tethers that date back to the days of sweatshops and typing pools. Those tethers, a.k.a. managers, simply can't imagine not being able to see the backs of their employee's heads from 9 to 5 each day.

My organization, the Telework Research Network, just completed a study that looked at telework trends over the past five years. Sponsored by Citrix Online, our summary report, The State of Telework in the U.S., reveals who's really teleworking, what they're doing, and where they're doing it. We even dared to make a prediction of our own--but it's one that's sure to disappoint the true believers, advocates, and companies hoping to cash in on the trend.

First for the good news. Telework is growing. In fact, based on U.S. Census data 61% more employees considered home their primary place of work in 2009 than in 2005, despite the recession. While the full story on the impact of the recession won't be known until 2010 Census data is available, private sector survey data just released by WorldatWork, suggests that while the overall number of teleworkers declined between 2008 and 2010, the frequency of telework increased.

Now the bad news. Census data shows that only 2.9 million employees work from home more than half the time (not including the self-employed). That's only 2.3% of the workforce. So while 61% growth sounds impressive, it has more to do with how low the number was five years ago than any kind of a wholesale change in the way we work.

How can it be that while 80% of Fortune Magazine's "100 Best Companies To Work For" already offer telecommuting, so few people are doing it on a regular basis? Again, I say, if you're lucky enough to workshift regularly, count your blessings. While a majority of large companies say they offer telework, it's largely granted as an occasional accommodation for only a handful of employees. Our study in fact showed that over 75% of employees who work from home earn over $65,000 per year, putting them in the upper 80 percentile of the workforce.

Employees want to telework-- according to WorldatWork, almost 80% of would do so at least part of the time if allowed. The tools and technologies to support it are widely available, inexpensive, and easy to use. But most companies simply don't have the culture of trust that comes from measuring performance by what people do rather than when, where, or how they do it.

In his bestselling book, Drive, Dan Pink observes "...despite four decades of scientific research on human motivation, there's an immense mismatch between what science knows and what management does."

He goes on to say, "...while the carrots and sticks worked successfully in the 20th century, it's precisely the wrong way to motivate people today."

It's time for managers to wake up from their "management by walking around" stupor. Fact is, their employees have already left the building. According to a recent DEGW survey of 60,000 worldwide employees, knowledge workers are not at their desk 65% of the time. So how's that whole management by walking around thing working? Not so good, I'd guess. If fact, as Pink and the majority of management gurus have been telling us for years, it really never did.

What employees of all age groups want is the flexibility to determine for themselves where, when, and how they work.

They want to be trusted.

They want to do their best and feel that they're a part of greater whole.

They want to be treated like adults.

And if they can't get what they want, they'll go somewhere else or venture out on their own.

This is not your grandfather's workforce.

You can download a copy of The State of Telework in the U.S. report here.

Photo Credit: TylerIngram

In a perfect world, we would pull together a team of people, schedule a meeting, and brainstorm solutions to problems. But when you work "on your own" or "on the go," being able to problem solve by yourself is critical. Workshifting means being able to figure out challenges without conference rooms and lots of people.

In the first part of this post series on problem solving, we talked about - analyzing the situation and identifying a goal for fixing the problem. Now that we've got that high level overview of looking at problems, let's dig into the details.

Identify the causes of the problem

On the surface, it seems very obvious that we need to identify the causes of the problem before we can actually move toward fixing it. But my guess is you've also seen people jump to a solution (i.e. "Here's what we need to do.") without taking the time to analyze why the situation exists in the first place.

If you're trying to identify the causes of the problem, one way is to think of other similar situations and use that as a frame of reference. There are four different types of situations you can use for comparison:

1. A situation that's exactly the same as the one you're facing. Maybe a recurring problem with the same person.
   
   
2. A situation that's the same, but without the problem part. An example would be an identical project where the problem you're facing didn't occur.
   
   
3. A situation with the same problem, but(maybe not as severe. For instance, a similar project with the same challenge on a different scale/magnitude.
   
   
4. A situation that's exactly like the outcome you're trying to achieve. You've been able to achieve the result before under different circumstances.

Once you've identified a similar circumstance, compare the who, what, where, when, and patterns of the two situations to determine the differences and similarities. It will help you realize where the causes lie.

Generate proposals for solving the problem

The key to finding good solutions is to understand all the options available. I know sometimes we like to think there's only one solution when in reality there could be more. We have to open our minds to all of the possibilities and generate as many ideas as possible. During this step, it could be valuable to brainstorm ideas with others or find a colleague that will challenge your thought processes. If that's not possible, stepping away from the problem for a few hours (or days) can offer some fresh perspective.

When I'm trying to work through a problem, I will have identified my goal and then made up my mind there's only one way to achieve it. When truth be told, there are probably a dozen ways to get the same outcome.

Or there are times I'm convinced someone will react a certain way. Have you ever heard, "Oh, I know they won't do it. No sense in asking." In the end, the person gets the answer they wanted and says, "I was convinced they would say no." We have to remove those mental blocks that keep us from generating ideas.

Select one or more ideas for implementation

After generating a list of proposed solutions, now's the time to pick one. You may also want to select a backup plan. When considering which option might be best, there are a few things to think about:

• Appropriateness - Does the solution fix the problem? Sometimes our solutions, as good as we think they may be, really don't fix the issue. Or they create new problems.
  
  
• Attainability - Are you able to implement the solution? We might not have the resources (time, money, etc.) for some solutions.
  
  
• Attractiveness - Will people do it? If the people who need to be part of the solution won't embrace it, then you're doomed before you start.

• Adaptability - Can the solution be altered if conditions change? Even the best solutions get impacted by external factors. Consider how much flexibility the solution has if conditions change.

Plan and implement the selected proposal

Once the solution is determined, you can use the who, what, where, when, and how often questions to develop a implementation strategy. For example:

• Who needs to be involved?
• What steps need to be taken?
• Where will the action steps take place?
• When is each step scheduled to happen?
• How often should progress be monitored?

This model for problem solving works for both process challenges as well as people ones. Thinking through each step will give you the perspective to develop a solid solution. . . usually all by yourself.

Photo Credit: Tomasz Stasiuk

Sometimes it's hard for me to believe I've been workshifting for almost ten years. That's how long I've had my consulting business. For me, work happens in many different places: home, airports, hotels, coffee shops, and sometimes client sites. One thing I learned early in my consulting life, which still holds true today, is that workshifting is about problem solving.

I'm not talking about the problem solving I do for clients (although that's certainly a type); I'm talking about the everyday problem solving that impacts me. Things like:

• I'm spending a lot of time on accounting and administrative work and not enough time on marketing and sales.
  
  
• I'd like to save more of my revenue for retirement.
  
  
• I need to find more time to read articles relevant to my business and my own professional development.
  
  
• There's a challenge working with [Insert name of person here] that's keeping me from doing my best work.

As much as we may not like to admit it, these problems exist all the time. And in order for us to resolve them, we must problem solve. For those in the workshifting world, the distance often means we have to figure out these matters on our own or reach out to a trusted friend or colleague for advice.

But regardless of whether we handle it alone or with the help of others, we have to know the steps for problem solving in order to manage the process correctly. Over the next two posts, I'll cover the six steps to effective problem solving. Today, let's talk about the first two, which deal with gathering information.

Analyze the situation

Ask yourself the following questions about the problem:

• Who is involved?
  
  
• What exactly is wrong?
  
  
• When did the problem first start happening?
  
  
• Where is the problem taking place?
  
  
• Is there a pattern to the problem?

To use the professional development example above, I have to determine if I'm the only person involved or if there are other people/responsibilities keeping me from reading more. I also have to be honest with myself and determine if this is a time or a motivation issue. It's important to decide if this problem is related to a change in the travel schedule--less travel time means less time to read in airports and elsewhere--or if it's something else. The solution is not as simple as just saying "read more." Figuring out the details about the situation will help move you closer to solving the problem.

Identify your goal for fixing the problem

Paint a picture of what things would look like if the problem were corrected. Ask yourself another set of questions to help formulate your goal:

• What would look different?
  
  
• What would feel different?
  
  
• What would be different?
  
  
• When is this happening?
  
  
• Where is it happening?

Let's use a different example: spending too much time on accounting and not enough on business. The best-case scenario might involve less paperwork, better time management when bills are due, and less stress about ensuring invoices are sent.

Asking yourself targeted questions and being honest with them will produce the answers you need for the next four steps, which involve developing and implementing a plan to correct the problem. I've always found these first two steps to be the most difficult. Sometimes I'm not ready to talk about the problem; other times I just don't want to deal with what's going on.

But once I'm ready, I've sometimes faced situations where the only thing I wanted was to just not deal with the problem anymore. Obviously, that's not good enough. I need to have some sort of goal for fixing the problem.

So the next time you've got a problem that's bothering you, don't just rush to do something. Take a moment to think about the situation and what you'd like to see happen. This creates the foundation for actually solving the problem.

Photo Credit: themanikone

Could you work in an office? Not your office, but the kind that requires you to be somewhere else from 9 to 5. With people tracking your comings and goings, your lunch breaks, and how often you appear to be on a tweetchat or otherwise surfing the Web. You know. Office Space. The Office.

One of my immutable business principles is that I don't take on clients that want me to be onsite. The main reason, of course, is that I'm a business owner and not a freelancer. I have multiple clients, and I need the flexibility to schedule both client work and all the other activities that come with running a business. I might work a lot of hours, but they're my hours.

But there's a second reason: I just don't want to be in an office all day.

This question arose recently because I went in to talk with a prospect about some potential work. The client and I clicked. The project was interesting. I could easily have managed much of it offsite, coming in as needed for meetings and to touch base with people--and spending more hours onsite as the project hit crunch time. But they really wanted someone they could see every day.

Could you work in an office? I don't mean if the alternative were bankruptcy or being dragged over hot coals. But whether it's a viable option for you. If your answer is NO, then is that the measure of a true workshifter?

Photo Credit: walknboston

Workshifting requires regular doses of inspiration. This year, I was fortunate to find great inspiration. I thought it would be nice to share some of the names of the people that made me better. A better writer, a better listener, better wine drinker, better father, more patient, more giving, more focused, less inhibited, and just plain made me stand up and pay attention. My hope is that they will do the same for you.

This list isn't exhaustive, and they aren't in any particular order, but I wanted to pass their names along simply to shine a light on some people that deserve to be recognized. Some I know personally, some I don't know at all. Some are recognizable, some are not. People tend to think that the recognizable don't need more recognition. To that, I say we all need to be inspired, and sometimes, a simple thank you may be all the inspiration that's needed.

Phil Terry

Alex Beauchamp

Youngme Moon

Amanda Rose

AJ Leon

Melissa Leon

Scott Harrison

Lynn Koves

Chris Brogan

Georges-Edouard Dias

Terri Holley

Tony Porter

Keith Saarloos

Amber Naslund

Dad-O-Matic

TED Blog

Justin Levy

Budi Kazali

Tim Hayden

Jessica Randazza

Jim Long

Salman Khan

All the best in 2011!

Photo credit: Kicki

"Hi. My name is Heather. I'm a marketing consultant, and I'm self-employed."

You're familiar with the scene, the one with anxious-looking people sitting in chairs cast in a circle. They each take turns introducing themselves, then follow with the statement that balances any socio-economic inequity and forces attention on the common thread tying them all together. Each person's individual story will vary - how they came to be in the room - but the fact remains, they all need support and an outlet in order to be successful.

I have the support of a great tribe of people, and my work is both my creative outlet and my means of earning a living.

But I'm new to self-employment. As in, still-rubbing-grit-out-of-my-eyes type new. I may be a veteran in my field - 18 years now - but am a rookie at running the entire show myself. All the talent and skills in the world won't help me if I can't establish an operational foundation and a recursive loop of lead development.

So what does one do when they need to hit the ground running? When they have the skills but are lost in a new environment? They call on their network, of course.

Everyone has a network of friends and acquaintances, previous co-workers and friends-of-a-friend and even family. When you're shingle is so new it shines, it's crucial to tap into the tribe of who you know to find out what you need to learn. And there's sure to be a lot to learn.

The Trailblazer

One of the first things I did was have lunch with someone who's "been there, done that." This good friend leads an agency of 10 since striking out on her own 5 years ago, shirking the protective cloak provided by a larger, well-steeped institution. She passed along valuable nuggets of advice about finding the right sized CPA firm and how to handle the client who haggles. Her experiences will be invaluable, saving me both time and potential missteps.

The Inside Man

I spent an hour with a well-connected friend, one who recruits talent and advises businesses on training issues. She helped me learn a bit about the mindset of businesses today to help formulate my approach to fresh prospects. She also passed along the contact info for a great resource at the local small business development center. It seems the center has the means to support entrepreneurs like me get set up with an attorney at little to no cost.

The Coach

For a few years, I've had the privilege of meeting with a fantastic professional coach in an on-again, off-again fashion. She's counseled me through some challenging interpersonal issues and helped me learn more about myself through some strengths testing. It can be difficult to explain the benefits a coach can offer because in many ways they're intangible until the individual begins to apply the lessons and practice them each day. Trust me when I say that an objective, professional opinion and advice will be the best money you ever spend provided you're committed to learning how to be the best you can be.

The Posse

Ahhh, the people who love you. Like a cup of hot chocolate, there's comfort in reconnecting with those who want to see you succeed. In my group, there's a designer and photographer, some web developers, copywriters, and an SEO or two. I've found that they're each happy to pitch in their talents to see that I have nicely designed collateral, a few custom hacks to my web site, and more. I'm conscientious of the time they spend and try to give very clear requests at the start to minimize any revisions. Also, I'm trying to feed paying freelance work their way to help offset the time they spend on my own stuff.

These and many more generous, talented people are helping me navigate the early stages of entrepreneurship, for which I'm very thankful. What types would you add to the list? The Voice Of Reason, The Cheerleader, The Little Engine? Let us know who you'd add and why.

Photo Credit: jimmediaart

Being a workshifter involves doing a lot of things independently - resolving your own conflicts, figuring out the solutions to your own problems and creating your own work. It also involves thinking about your own future and generating your professional development plan.

In a traditional office environment, your boss might tell you what skills to develop. When the boss doesn't see you all the time, they might - scratch that - they will rely upon you for input. That's where knowing yourself comes into play. You want to be confident in the things you do well and have specific examples of when you've used that skill.

Be prepared to discuss what skills you'd like to develop. It might be something that will help you do your work easier, better or faster. It could also be a skill you would like to acquire for the future.

Once you agree on that skill or quality you want to develop, think about how you want to go about learning it. We all have preferred methods of learning. Have you ever heard someone come back from a workshop only to say they could have learned everything they needed to know by reading the book? This is why understanding how you like to learn will be very valuable to you.

Audio learners like to learn by listening. This could be at a lecture or podcast.

Visual learners want to see to gain understanding. Charts, graphs, diagrams, pictures, films are all visual learning mediums. Visual learners might also like to learn via books.

Kinesthetic learners prefer to have a hands-on learning experience. They enjoy the opportunity to practice the activity, conduct an experiment or maybe even role play.

No style of learning is better or worse. It's understanding the best style for you that makes the difference. For instance, if you're a visual learner then the last thing that might interest you is attending a lecture. To the point, if you did attend the lecture, you might not learn anything.

You might also find that you gravitate toward different learning styles depending upon the subject. An example might be learning how to create a spreadsheet pivot table (by doing it which is kinesthetic) versus learning the history of blogging via a lecture.

Being in tune with not only the subjects you want to learn but your preferred learning style creates greater opportunities for you. It allows you to allocate your resources (time, money, etc.) toward those experiences that will help you learn the most.

In today's work environment, it's important to understand that we as individuals are in control of our professional development. And what better way to drive your career than by establishing your own development plan on your terms.

Photo credit: Wesley Fryer

Today's post is from Maren Kate, an entrepreneur who blogs about starting a small business, living extraordinarily and escaping the 9 to 5.

I always hear the stand by "You shouldn't live to work, instead work to live". It's true, I guess, but it always confused me because I truly love what I do, so I have no interest in just working to live, instead I love to work. Now to some this is a sign of workaholicism - but I disagree. I feel like calling productivity a disease is kind of silly in the first place - I mean if you love what you do, are happy and not only aren't hurting anyone but you're adding to the world - how can that be wrong? It's like saying that Mother Teresa was a compassionaholic or that someone who loves to write day in and day out is a proseaholic. So loving-work-aholics, unite, it's our time to shine and to show the world that work doesn't always have to be tedious and with a little creativity & persistence it can actually be one of the best parts of your life.

How to Love What You Do

1. Do you do what you love?

It's a basic concept. If you hate numbers and you work as an accountant you're going to hate your job and most probably your life. If you love writing and you work as a blogger you're going to enjoy life and feel as if you're job adds value to your overall existence. So ask yourself, if I could do anything in the world & get paid a decent wage for it - what would I do? Then figure out a way, come hell or high water, to do just that.

2. Don't get mired in the things you hate within your business.

Too often entrepreneurs start a business based around what they love, but within a few months are hating their lives. The problem is that instead of doing what they love in their business they've tried to become everything to everyone. Thus the artist starts balancing the books, making sales calls and learning HTML when all she wanted to do was paint. Make sure that when you start a business you either A. love the admin side of things or B. find someone who can do that for you while you focus on what you love and are great at.

3. Love where you work.

I had a job as a receptionist over summer break when I was 18. It wasn't a hard job and for the most part I liked the answering phones and filing a bit, but I went home every night crying. Why? Because I hated (with a capital H) where I worked. It was a window-less, cubicle, cell of death, nothing but white walls surrounded me and the horrible lights above me made me literally ill. If I had been doing that same job next to a bright open window, with warm wood walls and a cool summer breeze blowing in - I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have minded it at all. Loving where you work is incredibly important, especially when you are work shifting from a typical 9 to 5 into a career or business where you have freedom of location. Choose wisely, pay attention to your inner aesthetic needs and you'll find yourself 100 times more productive and happy at work.

Making the shift

Shifting from living to work to loving to work isn't an easy one, that's why so few people do it. Most people won't leave their comfort zones or force themselves to truly consider what they would be happy doing. Call it fear, call it negative self image, call it whatever you want - the point is that it's prevalent in our society. So to be different, will be difficult. But the pay off is oh, so worth it. Think of it this way - if you love to work you'll be 5 to 10 times more productive, easily. So you could cut your 8 hour work day into a few hours and still have the same results when you start loving your work vs. when you live to work you'll try to put off your work as long as possible. So you can slave away in a 9 to 5 for the next 30 years, living to work and not be very happy - or you could take a year to figure out what would really make you love to work and do that for a fraction of the time for probably the same, or more financial reward. When you love your work your whole world gets better!

The 'Peter Principle' postulates that in every hierarchy all employees tend to rise to their level of incompetence...seemingly ironic as that sounds, in its essence, the Peter Principle makes perfect sense. It holds that, in a hierarchy, members are promoted as long as they work competently; sooner or later, however, they are promoted to a position at which they are no longer competent!

Consider the model employee who consistently performs, exceeding expectations and pleasing clients and upper level management alike. Soon, our employee finds him/herself in the right place at the right time, and it's called a promotion.  Win-win, right? The employee is rewarded for hard work and feels smug in his/her just reward. Decision makers pat each other on the back and breathe a sigh of relief when the open position is filled by our employee - sitting contentedly on the theory that anything that works can be used in progressively more challenging applications until it fails. 

Although in the above scenario, it appears that hard-working employee (A) + acknowledging superiors (B) = justly deserved and appropriate promotion (C), the whole is not necessarily equal to the sum of its parts in all equations like this one.

It is management's responsibility to balance the roles which need to be filled with those individuals most suitable and most deserving of the opportunity. And that includes workshifters, who despite alternative geographical locations or flexible office hours, earn their keep as legitimately and sometimes more effectively than their 9 to 5 counterparts.

From Upper Management's perspective, when a position becomes open, there is a direct and sometimes desperate urge to fill it at any cost in order to avoid additional work and disruption to float upstream, regardless of if an employee is truly "management material." Dr. Peter put it best when he said, "There is much temptation to use what has worked before, even when it may exceed its effective scope." As the workplace continually re-defines itself in today's ever-changing economy, so, too, must the definition and vision of promotion-worthy individuals.

Many times, an employee's potential in his/her initial position may not translate into efficacy in the next. As any current or previous manager would know, a management job is different from any other job in which one may have previously excelled, and thus requires different skills of both an interpersonal and professional nature. By the same token, just because an individual's work schedule or structure changes, this does not directly translate into the inability to perform in a new or more responsible role.  

Many would-be workshifters would attest to being hesitant, apprehensive and even afraid of risking their position if they considered or requested the ability to workshift. However, many forward-thinking management teams now realize that, because the unique skillset of a good manager/employee is so difficult to manufacture, they are less willing to let that talent resign and more willing to accommodate, using technology and well-defined scope and responsibilities, to retain good managers/employees and eliminate promotion for promotion sake.

Progress takes time and patience and both parties must be willing to contribute 100% Management must be willing to place trust in the employee to whom they have given the ability to workshift. And, for the workshifter: to whom much is given, much is expected...and, from whom much is expected much should be given in return.

Given the advances in technology and the movement toward more flexibility in the workplace, there should be no questions asked when a valuable, driven employee becomes a workshifter. So whether you work 9 to 5 in a traditional office or 5 to 9 on a workshifting schedule, there should be no difference in perception nor output. Hard work, honest efforts and the right schedule and tools are the main ingredients needed to cook up success and ensure an organization succeeds.

What do you think?


Photo Credit: Jeff Hester

I came across this thought-provoking article on BNET the other day about the impact of gender on how men's brains and women's brains function--and the impact this has on how we work.

The article cites Sally Helgesen, co-author of The Female Vision: Women's Real Power at Work, who says that women are more skilled multitaskers while men are great at single-mindedly focusing on one thing for a long period of time. According to Helgesen, this tendency to multitask well is one reason women often over-commit.

Another difference:

One major difference between the sexes that really impacts managers is that women are (in general) more likely to speak up if they're unhappy about their immediate circumstances and environment, while men tend to suffer in silence. (Helgesen's term for it is "men will suck it up and tolerate a lot more for a lot longer.")

As a longtime workshifter, I've never really thought about the question of how gender might impact workshifting - who is likely to take to it, and what that means for teams of workshifters and those who manage them. But as more people shift out of office settings, it seems that figuring out some of this stuff will be very useful.

So I turn it to you. What's been your experience? Have you noticed any differences in work styles or approaches between the men and women you workshift with? If yes, what's your takeaway?


Photo Credit: OtisArchives2