Listen up, consultants and solopreneurs. It's time you learned to carefully, thoughtfully say No.

That's right. In this economy, when the cost of gas is up and hourly rates are down and the check isn't quite in the mail as promised, you need to learn to say No.

On the cheap

Erika Napoletano (aka Readhead Writing) covered part of my meaning in her recent post about the C-word. She addresses the stunning paradox between the less tangible soft services those of us in the communications/web space provide and the more concrete services delivered by a surgeon or dentist. And while we'll moan from the anesthesia and the bill, we won't quibble with the doc. His bill is his bill, and we know darn well we have to pay it (after all, we went to the best guy we could afford - who do you want working on your body, eh?).

So why the heck do prospective clients quibble with our proposals or say things like, "That shouldn't take long, right? You can still do it within your allotted hours." Sure shooting they don't say to the surgeon "You can do a little nip/tuck while you're in there, can't you?"

Who's zooming who?

Someone in the SoloPR LinkedIn group started a thread the other day about a client of hers pushing boundaries in just this manner. Seeking the advice of fellow solo practitioners, the consultant described a situation where her client keeps asking for more and more work but is closed-minded to adjusting the monthly retainer to accommodate the additional tasks. In fact, the client takes umbrage at the idea, despite the pro's meticulous itemization of tasks and requisite hours. The edge of the sword - the client remits payment on time, and for this the consultant is grateful, making her reluctant to push the issue to square up scope with compensation.

What kind of situation are we in when we can't present a well-considered case to a client? Especially, as with the case with this consultant, a client of 2 years? A bedrock of trust and respect should be poured by that time. Furthermore, where does gratitude enter the equation with timely payment? For services rendered throughout the month, isn't timely payment a fair shake? If there are questions, shouldn't it be on an item level rather than a broad stroke shortchanging of time requirements?

Enough already

Say it with me, kids. No.

No to the price-minded, unless you're ready to let that price become your standard rate for that client and those they may refer to you. I'm not suggesting that you leave good judgment at the door or practice price gouging - on the contrary. Just be aware that if you discount your hourly rate by 15% to land the project, it could be very difficult to get the client to see you as worthy of full price, no matter what the results are.

No to the manipulative, assuming narcissists who may draw you in with a seemingly defined project, to then put you through your paces with add-ons and extra stipulations (and drama!) while denying you a fair right to re-estimation. These are usually the ones that offer up assurances of repeat business right off the bat, at first handshake. The carrot before the stick. Only their kind of business will end up costing you time you can't recoup and keep you running like a hamster on a wheel.

Keep your dignity and sanity when you smell this type of situation brewing. Some opportunities are worth the risk in order to gain exposure to a new pool of prospects, nab a portfolio-worthy piece, or fill in gaps between assignments. Other opportunities are just plain risk with no reward.

Photo Credit: AshtonPal

"The most expensive thing you will ever own is your ego."

These wise words were spoken to me several years ago by one of my mentors. Workshifting doesn't exempt us from working with others and in many cases places a premium on our ability to build relationships in non-traditional work environments.

One of the biggest hurdles to working with others is ego. I have seen more than one business fail because the owners, employees, or customers had ego problems. Small things that could have been remedied with a little humility and perspective cost them everything. Here are four indicators of an unhealthy ego. Learning how to spot these things will save time, money, and most of all, relationships.

1. Me-monster - I borrowed this term from Brian Regan. If a person's ego is bloated, they will talk about themselves too much. We've all seen that guy that turns every conversation into a story about him. Healthy egos listen more than they talk. Go [here] to listen to Brian talk about me-monsters.
   
   
2. Resent other peoples' recognition - Unhealthy ego's hate it when others get the recognition it feels like it deserves. Resentment and hurt is felt instead of congratulations. Healthy egos do the right thing and don't care who gets the credit.
   
   
3. Unteachable - One of the first signs of a hazardous ego is when people stop learning. When you become unteachable you stop growing and think there is nothing new to learn. Learning is a sign of humility, which is a cornerstone of a properly aligned ego.
   
   
4. Critical of others - De-edifying and criticizing people instead of complementing and encouraging is a sure symptom. Tearing down of others happens because inflated egos like to judge people and their actions. Being secure in one's identity removes the need to compare yourself to others.

Successful workshifting is dependent on strong relationships among all the parties involved and great relationships hinge upon healthy egos. Have you dealt with any unhealthy egos in your organization? How did you remedy them?

Photo Credit: marioanima

I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but at some point it became OK not to show up or respond to electronic invitations for meetings, parties, events...

Admittedly, there is a high volume of electronic invitations sent to workshifters. The very nature of our work and the tools we use gives rise to the culture of evites. The real question is, other than spam, how often do you let people know that you are or are not coming?

Death of the RSVP

I think we take for granted that most invitations are deliberate and thoughtful. Lets take the case of a webinar. In most cases, if 40 out of 100 people who raised their hand and said YES, actually show up, that's considered a huge success. We tend to take invitations for online events not very seriously; including the ones we say yes to. I have to admit, I make this mistake too.

There seems to be a sliding scale in terms of obligation to RSVP:

Online event: Low
Meetup/Tweetup: Moderate
Dinner party: High

In the real world, when we get invited to an event it's generally rude not to RSVP. So why is that? Consequence! If you responded "yes" to a dinner invite and didn't show up, you'd be an outcast. They held a seat for you, prepared a wonderful meal that cost expense and time, may have hired a baby sitter, a bartender, and more. Lastly, you'd have to face them, for real, and for real life.

Now, lets replace the words "dinner party" with "webinar". They held a seat for you, prepared amazing (it better be) and compelling content which comes with expense and time, may have hired a moderator, database services, and more. Many similarities to the time and expense of hosting a dinner party, less the food.

We know what the right thing to do is, but we let it slip because it seemingly has no consequence. In a world where our personal brand and electronic credibility are front and center, I think it wise to bring real world thoughtfulness, respect and responsibility to the world we share online.

What say you?

Photo Credit: Jeff Wheeler

Before my flight to Chicago took off the other day, the woman in 3C was talking business on her mobile. She was suggesting that her caller contact John Doe, who was a good employee but a tad indiscreet. And to stay away from Jane Deere, because she couldn't be trusted with confidential information. Yup, she named names (not these names)--first, last, everything.

This happens all too often. From client strategy to personnel changes to office gossip, people are sharing competitive intelligence without any regard as to whether you just might know who or what they're talking about or can track it down with a few clicks of a mouse. A couple of times, in fact, I've been tempted to thank someone for the useful business leads just to make a point.

Workshifting is great, but it means we're often conducting business in public spaces. That puts the onus on us to be careful about what we say, what we're working on, and what papers are spread out around us. Three things to consider:

1. What's on your computer? The netbook that leaves my home office, for example, has no financial data on it. Not a single invoice nor reference to my social security number or EIN, nor a login to online banking. I'm so careful that I once saved confidential client files to an external hard drive so no data breach would come from me.
   
   
2. What's on your mobile? Sure our phones are smart, but they're not idiot proof. It's inconvenient to lock down your phone, so most of us don't bother. I don't, but I don't have anything stored on there that might be bad for business (or embarrassing) if it fell into the wrong hands.
   
   
3. 
Who's sitting around you? It's hard to work without spreading out papers or opening multiple windows online. But what happens if you're working on a budget, researching the competition, or brainstorming new product ideas for your business? Sometimes it pays not only to know who's listening but also who can see your office paraphernalia. I used to know a woman who could read upside down, a great skill for a negotiator or a curious workshifter across from you at a big shared table.

I haven't hit the mother lode yet, but one day a total stranger is going to say something that has big giant dots I can connect. Not sure what, if anything, I'd do with that (whole different column on the ethics of trading in stupidity). But why would you take the chance?

What say you?

Photo Credit: allienato

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

Some people workshift because they can.  Some view workshifting as a triumph of technology, others a triumph of humanity.  At my company, we workshift deliberately.  We believe that it empowers our staff as well as ourselves to add value and remain creative.  We believe that people work differently, and they should be able to decide how and where to do it.  We view work as "art", and artists always have distinct methods of extracting their best.  

If you are a small business owner and you workshift deliberately it's important to be able to articulate why you workshift  as you begin working with larger and more traditional clients.  

The reason is simple.  If you don't have a good answer, it just might make you look small.  But if you do have a good answer, it just might make you look innovative.

What do you think?

We all think we know how to communicate, right? As children, we learn how to talk; as adults our vocabularies increase as does our knowledge of both verbal and non-verbal queues. To borrow from an overused cliche: "It's not only what you say, but how you say it..." Wellllll...maybe, yes, ok. But what about when you say it, how much of it you say and to whom it's said?

In the world at large, communication (much like knowledge) IS power - when invoked. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, are key to the management of many of life's issues as well as professional advancement.  And, although the communicator may depend heavily on there being information at hand, it is his/her dissemination of that information to the right people at right time which results in the greatest benefit.

In the world of project management, communication is KEY. It's so key in fact, it's one of the Project Management Institute's nine knowledge areas. And, as any well-seasoned project manager knows - and as any new PM will soon find out - communication breakdowns can spell a project's certain demise. My mantra has always been, "when in doubt, OVERcommunicate." We all have too many emails in our inboxes anyway; leave it to the recipient to decide if they need the information or not.

If there is relevant and timely information which pertains to a project, disseminate it!!! I have never had a stakeholder nor project resource tell me to stop bombarding them with emails about a project, but I have certainly been involved in instances whereby a simple FYI would have gone a long way toward keeping stakeholder's anxieties at bay and resources and schedules on track.

In particular, if a project has met with any type of constraint ( be it a resource, budget or scheduling constraint) or dependencies are preventing a milestone from being met - communicating potential roadblocks will help a PM avoid having to ask forgiveness at best or admit project failure at worst. Although you do not want to instill unnecessary concerns or "cry wolf" if you will, when there is the definite potential for adjustments or parallel pathing, your stakeholders need to know.

Effectively, the art of project management involves delicately balancing a defined scope with identified deliverables, the resources involved in managing these deliverables, in order to ultimately reach milestones within an acceptable timeframe and budget. If any of these items stand to be affected, the three 'Cs' are your best friends: Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. Remember - one of the distinct advantages of being a project manager is the implicit trust you earn from those relying on you to steer a project to success; embedded in that trust is a willingness for your voice to be heard - so don't be afraid to use it. It's your "responsibility" !!!

At the same time, use the tools which have been created just for your project management pleasure  - tools such as MS Project and Visio are invaluable visuals which can communicate the progress of your project and any changes therein. I vividly recall managing a dual datacenter build for a methodical Japanese client (who also happened to be the parent company!), and when faced with project roadblocks for which I could neither excuse nor prevent, my constant Visio timeline updates won me all the brownie points that I needed to overcome an inevitable shift in delivery date. If you're not a techie, which I certainly am not, there are numerous tutorials and resources available to learn how to use these tools.

We all take comfort when uncertainties are minimized, and there is no better way to ensure that those who need to know are in the know than by communicating. And whether you are a professional project manager or managing a life project such as a new home purchase or renovation or enrolling in a new school, the same rules apply.

A...B...C is for COMMUNICATION. You would not settle for mis-information so don't settle for a lack thereof either


What do you think?



Photo Credit: Phantom of the Flicks

Aside from the latest iPhone or gossip magazine, Millennials need instant information, instant communication, and of course instant stimulation.

As a Millennial, I had my first AOL Instant Messenger chat at 11, created my first blog at 15, and downloaded thousands of free songs from Napster (which wasted thousands of hours with my 56K connection) in high school.  My young adult life was filled with navigating the Internet for information I wanted, whether that involved making plans with friends or getting band recommendations from a music Website.  It was singular as well as collaborative, but it all involved the Web and technology.

My mouse-click away mentality shaped my perspective on how to get things done in the workplace and how to communicate with others.

I believe this is the case for most Millennials (those born between 1977 and1996).  We've taken our technology upbringing into the workplace as we balance cubicle life and social interactions.  Most of us work with our Facebook accounts open, Google Chats visible, Pandora stations playing, and Outlook emails flowing.  It's a multi-tasking, multi-browsing business world, and this is how we roll.

A study by Mr Youth and Intrepid, "What your company will look like when Millennials call the shots," highlights the distinctive work style and digital dynamic that my generation brings to the future of business. Key aspects include:

• Saying goodbye to the boardroom - Millennials choose a roundtable environment versus an authoritative approach.  Over half of Millennials surveyed said that decisions should be made by consensus.  Open meetings can be held through an online meeting platform or in-person, as both allow for flowing communication and the ability to share documents and information freely and in real time.
• Technology has feelings too - The integration of technology and human interaction has changed the way Millennials communicate.  Think about it: as a Millennial, what was the last interaction you had with your best friend?  Was it a text, an email, a Facebook message?  And for those older than the Millennials, what was the last form of communication you received from a Millennial?
• Conversations are not one-way - No one likes to be talked down to, and for Millennials this means no one likes to be talked at.  Since the inception of instant messenger, blogs, and other social networking sites, the style of communication and selling has changed.  Marketing a product is no longer done by holding up a sign; it involves a social strategy that will initiate and influence a conversation to engage a response.  Millennials understand this innately.
• Move or be smushed - In the world of technology and business, nothing stays the same.  Workers are more mobile than ever, with 75% of the U.S. workforce projected to be working outside of the office by 2013 (IDC).  With this forward momentum, companies need to move - movement in the type of technology they employ and movement in the way they think about business strategy and processes.  Technology like GoToMyPC allows access anywhere, which fosters agility and forward-thinking.

Work and technology evolve just like the latest shoe fashion.  The penny loafers of the past will soon be the Converses of the future.  It's not about the style, it's about the utility and ability to keep moving forward

What do you think?


Photo Credit: Vancouver Film School

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

First and last is just fine when you're renting an apartment, but not when you are a company's first full-time workshifter. Someone has to be first, of course. You just don't want to mess things up so badly that you are also the company's last full-time remote employee.

I know the thrill of being first. It's exhilarating. It's liberating. It's what I'd been dreaming of for years. In the interest of full disclosure, I wasn't completely green at workshifting. I won't speak for all writers, but I've always had the ability to work (and sleep, incidentally) anywhere. I'd enjoyed project-based freelance writing gigs for years. Full-time workshifting was a first for me though. And a first for my company.

It just so happened that the year I relocated 2,000 miles across the country to embark on a new journey, the country was celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The parallels between the famous expedition and my own lesser known one were not lost on me. I felt like an explorer for my company--breaking out of the traditional office to see what was beyond the four walls I'd painted industrial green to encourage productivity.

Being first also made me nervous because I knew the task ahead of me was more than just doing my job remotely. I was setting out to prove that workshifting full-time could actually be done and that it could be beneficial for both me and my company. The journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition document important discoveries made along the way. Similarly, I knew that decision-makers at my company were documenting discoveries made during my workshifting journey. If I failed, it meant that colleagues would likely not be able to workshift full-time in the future. It was an enormous responsibility, and I took it very seriously.

Here are a few lessons that stood out for me during my transition to full-time workshifting:

Stay calm during emergencies. I lose composure and my grasp on reality when I encounter a technical problem. Out of necessity, I've learned a few basic troubleshooting tricks over the years. But that doesn't prevent the immediate rise in blood pressure, creative strings of profanity and general mayhem that ensues when a glitch arises. This was especially true in my first few months 2,000 miles away from IT. As a workshifter, I learned how to take a deep breath, communicate problems better and recognize that the world was not ending. The use of remote-support technology helped me to let go and let IT do what it does best.

Get out of the house. Occasional workshifters might think that full-time workshifters experience that I'm-not-in-my-office-and-yet-I'm-working euphoria every single day. The novelty wears off after a while. And that's perfectly fine. Full-time workshifting means that day in and day out, workshifters workshift. I set up shop in my home office and became freakishly uptight about noise volume inside the house and also on the street. On more than one occasion, I hissed in my sleep: "SHHHH! I'm WORKING!" And with no official end-of-day departure after work, the lines of time blurred. A day of not leaving the house turned into a string of three days inside the house. Upon realizing this, I promptly left the house with no destination in mind except out.

Play by the rules. Being my company's first full-time workshifter made me feel like the official steward for all things workshifting. I was devoted to ensuring the stage was set properly for future workshifters. Soon after I went remote full-time, a few other employees were granted similar privileges. One colleague in particular drew my ire because she showed a complete disregard for the critical relationship between workshifter and HQ. She was difficult to track down during business hours, missed remote meetings, turned projects in late and was, generally speaking, a complete flake. Her unprofessional behavior wasn't just affecting her reputation at the company--it threatened to reflect poorly on her small tribe of fellow workshifters.

Deal with the 24/7 expectation. Truth be told, I was available 24/7, but that's not the point. It's just the way I'm wired. Inspiration strikes writers at unpredictable times. I was used to scribbling ideas at 3:25 AM in a bedside notebook. I had no qualms about working on the weekend. I longed for work while on vacation. But workshifting full-time wasn't about me as much as it was about nurturing a balanced relationship between me and my company. Every healthy relationship has boundaries. I had to guard my personal time carefully. I made sure colleagues knew my hours of availability and every possible way to contact me. I promptly answered email, IM and phone calls. To offset a two-hour time difference, I adjusted my workday to cover HQ's business hours.

Grieve a little. Even though I was already comfortable working alone, I missed my coworkers who were now 2,000 miles away. I also pined for the seaweedy smell of the air and dangerously close mountain views back at HQ. At first, it was hard to be so far away from everything I was used to seeing on a daily basis. (And to be honest, I shed a few tears on the company's dime.) I worked with some truly talented, fun folks who were also my friends. Not bumping into them in the kitchen, grabbing a quick lunch or staring at them across a conference table made for a difficult transition. The upside is that I also no longer saw the one or two folks who I considered, ahem, a tad challenging. Sure, I still worked with them, but I no longer had to endure the awkward chitchat in the HQ hallway.

Create a new routine. Within a few weeks, I found my rhythm. I worked through the separation anxiety. I adapted to my new surroundings. But most important, I was patient with myself and also my colleagues back at the office. We all came to the table (figuratively, of course) with a unique set of experiences and expectations about the working life. I wasn't the only one learning new ways of working--everyone back at the office was exploring new ways of interacting, collaborating and working with me, a full-time workshifter.

These days, occasional workshifting is commonplace and full-time workshifting is gaining ground quickly. Fewer people stare blankly at me when I explain what it is that I do and how I do it. We've all seen the IDC predictions about the mobile workforce. In case you haven't, here it is: "The world's mobile worker population will pass the one billion mark this year and grow to nearly 1.2 billion people - more than a third of the world's workforce - by 2013." (IDC) That's a whole lot of workshifters workshifting. I'd like to think I had some influence over the numbers, thanks to my efforts in setting the stage as the first full-time workshifter at my company, but that's just silly. The way we work has shifted. And I, for one, couldn't be happier to take part.


Photo Credit: Bob Travis