Archive for the ‘Free Resources’ Category

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Ferdinandi, the brilliant mind behind the RenegadeHR blog, about the results-only work environment (ROWE) movement. Chris recorded our conversation and has made the podcast available on his website (you can listen here).

Chris asked some good questions about ROWEs and we covered a lot of ground. Here’s a preview of the topics we talked about:

• Overview of ROWE and its importance
• Interdependent team work in a ROWE
• Increasing productivity
• Maintaining organizational culture in a ROWE
• Managerial results
• Unethical behavior in a ROWE

Have a listen and let me know if I can answer any other questions you may have about ROWEs.

During our fourth and final call in the Flexible Work Summit, Blake Leath of The Blake Leath Group, Ryan Healy, co-founder of Brazen Careerist, and Kyra Cavanaugh, owner of Life Meets Work, shared “Strategies for Stretching Leaders and Teams.”

During today’s call we talked about ways to successfully implement change within your organization, how Generation Y is changing work and leadership, and tips for managing flexible performance. Here are a few of my personal notes from the call:

• Resilience is paramount in a changing work environment and can show up 4 different ways: in individuals, in behaviors (e.g., it can be practiced and learned; meaning & engagement are important), in experiences (e.g., emotional echoes), and in leadership (be engaged, accessible, and get some wins).
• The One Degree Assessment: Look for the right one degree of difference—one thing you could change and do really well, that would make a world of difference within your organization.
• Gen Y employees, despite the common perception that they are disloyal job hoppers, are actually extremely loyal to their team.
• When leading Millennial employees, take extra time to provide clear direction, fully explain expectations, and provide plenty of feedback. It’s also important to provide opportunities for leaders to emerge from groups and teams.
• Want to start a flex work policy in your organization? Take first steps by co-creating a flexible work agreement with your employees. Lay out all the expectations and set a time to revisit and revise after a trial period.
• Which side of the management style continuum are you on? Controlling or Trusting? 
• Work-life balance doesn’t have to be perceived as a “soft” benefit. You can, and should, tie flexibility to profits and productivity—especially in this economy.

If you’d like access to the full recording of the fourth session, head over to www.FlexibleWorkSummit.com and register for the entire teleseminar series (the recording is available until Friday afternoon). 

If you missed any part of the Flexible Work Summit and want to grab the recordings, transcripts, and action guides for the entire series, you can do so here. There is a Home Study version with binder and CDs, as well as a Digital Version with MP3s and PDFs. These packages are available at a discounted price for the next few days.

Finally, I’m offering $100 off of the upcoming Flexible Work Bootcamp until Friday, May 22nd. As a member of the Bootcamp you’ll receive 12-week s of in-depth and personalized training and coaching, along with a lot of extra resources to help you implement flexibility within your organization. We’re keeping the size of the group small so you and your team can get the personal attention you need to implement a customized flexible work solution within your organization. You can find the full details about the program and reserve your spot at the discounted rate at www.FlexibleWorkBootcamp.com.

During our third call in the Flexible Work Summit, Scot Herrick, founder of CubeRules.com, Andrea Emerson, founder of EspressoShots.com, and I shared “Strategies for Stretching HOW You Work.”

During today’s call we talked about results-only work environments (ROWEs), SMART goals, and ways to increase performance and drive results. Here are a few of my personal notes from the call:

• Results-Only Work Environments require 2 components: A relentless focus on results and complete schedule control. You can’t have one without the other.
• There are 4 different types of jobs: automated, boring, convoluted, and dynamic. By increasing control, a ROWE creates dynamic jobs where employees can freely meet the demands of their job how, when, and where they see fit. 
• Setting SMART goals in highly flexible work environments helps get rid of many excuses against increasing flexibility. When results are clear, face time, physical presence, and clock watching become less important. 
• Don’t neglect setting individual goals for high-performers. Individual goals (in addition to department and team goals) allow high-performers the ability to distinguish themselves.
• Servant leadership: put people over profits and you’ll increase your influence as well as increase your profit. This gets easier to do when the focus is more on results, and less on being the hall monitor.
• Don’t wait to confront non-performance. Avoiding conflict, performance issues, interpersonal problems, etc., gets worse quickly in a flexible work environment. You must be proactive to manage non-performance.

If you’d like access to the full recording of the third session, head over to www.FlexibleWorkSummit.com and register for the entire teleseminar series. During tomorrow’s session we’ll be talking about “Strategies for Stretching Leaders and Teams” by focusing on how to make organizational change successful, the ways in which Generation Y is changing the workplace, and we’ll share some final tips for managing performance in a flexible workplace. 

If you have any questions you’d like addressed during the final day of the Summit, leave me a comment below.

During our second call in the Flexible Work Summit, Chip Kohrman, founder of Telesaur.com, Brad Garland, CEO of The Garland Group, and Phil Montero, creator of YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com shared some amazing “Strategies for Stretching WHERE You Work.”

The focus of today’s call was telecommuting, virtual teams, and how to use technology to revolutionize your business. Here are a few of my personal notes and biggest takeaways from the call:

• During the recession, consider alternatives to layoffs. Telecommuting has been proven to increase productivity, boost morale, and decrease costs.
• By getting clear on results and communicating expectations effectively, you can “get rid of the drama” as Brad Garland says in many work environments.
• Purposefully look at the type of communication that needs to happen internally and externally and create a plan to accomplish your goals. Tip: Look at needs for instant communication, transfer of knowledge, and collaborative efficiency.
• Informal communication is still important for virtual work. Even though there’s no physical water cooler, create opportunities for team members to connect. As Phil shared, virtual work is still a human process—we need to know, like, and trust our coworkers and clients—even if we’re never physically in the same place.

If you’d like access to the full recording of the second session, head over to www.FlexibleWorkSummit.com and register for the entire teleseminar series. During tomorrow’s session we’ll be talking about Strategies for Stretching HOW You Work, and will be discussing results-only work environments (ROWEs), SMART goals, and sharing tips for increasing performance and driving results.

If you have any questions you’d like addressed during the Summit, leave me a comment below.

Today was the first call in the Flexible Work Summit featuring Leanne Chase from CareerLifeConnection.com, Mike Owcarz from Main Sequence Technologies, Karen Corday from the Sloan Work & Family Research Network, and Phyllis Mufson, Coach & Career Consultant.

The focus of today’s call was about work-life balance and how the desire for flexibility in the workplace isn’t just about mommies—it’s actually a cross-generational, gender-neutral desire. Here are a few of my personal notes from the call:

• Tools for making flexibility easier: VoIP, online access to email, web-based collaboration software, a disciplined schedule (especially if working from home).
• A huge driver of Generation Y engagement is access to flexibility.
• ROI: 73% of employees with high flexibility plan to stay with their employers for the next year (less turnover, decreased cost of training new employees).
• Research shows flexibility has a positive effect on reaching business goals.
• Just having flexible work policies isn’t enough – organizations must create a culture that’s supportive of flexibility, encourages it, and doesn’t punish those opting to work flexibly.
• Companies like Home Depot and Borders are offering great alternatives for Boomer’s not quite ready for full retirement: work part of the year in your home town, then work the winter in Florida—it’s the Snowbird program.
• During negotiation, remember that flexibility isn’t all about you. It’s a two way street and you need to highlight the benefits of flexible work for the organization as well.
• If your boss is skeptical or uncertain, propose a trial period with a definite end date to evaluate results.
• Business size can make a big difference. Negotiating flexibility may not be as difficult in a small business, but as the number of employees grows, consider finding like-minded individuals that all want flexible work and take your request to HR together.

If you’d like access to the full recording of the first session, head over to www.FlexibleWorkSummit.com and register for the entire teleseminar series. During tomorrow’s session we’ll be talking about Strategies for Stretching WHERE You Work, and will be discussing telecommuting, virtual teams, and how to use technology to revolutionize your business. 

If you have any questions you’d like addressed during the Summit, leave me a comment below.

As work increasingly becomes something you do, not somewhere you go, you won’t be able to count on all of your employees, colleagues, or clients working in the same place or at the same time. One big challenge we’ll face as the workplace becomes more virtual is tracking people, projects, and client work in a simple new way. 

One way technology is increasing workplace flexibility is by offering us a variety of online collaboration tools. An online collaboration tool, also known as group collaboration software, “provides tools for groups of people or organizations to share information and coordinate activities” (Wikipedia). The key word being “online,” so that any employee, anywhere in the world, can access the system at any time of day and be connected with the latest and most current business information.

There are many different types of online collaboration tools and today I want to focus on those that help with project management. What can you do with these online project management tools? 

• Project planning and coordination
• Task management
• Document and file sharing
• Contact management
• Communicate with your team
• Create reports
• Send notifications
• Sync calendars

Here are 5 group collaboration tools worth checking out. In addition to the many features listed above, I’ve included some unique capabilities, along with pricing, below:

1.  

• Additional features: Manage multiple projects at a time with to-do lists, file sharing, chatting, messages, calendars, and time tracking. This is an offering from 37Signals and integrates with their other great services. There are a ton of add-ons and extras that integrate with BaseCamp as well.  
• Cost: 30-day free trial; Monthly plans range from $24-$149/month.

2. 

• Additional features: Sales and project collaboration, internal discussion forums, and a file repository.
• Cost: 30-day free trial; Price based on users: 1-3 users free; 4+ users $150 and up/month. 

3.  

• Additional features: Internal and private team blog, Twitter-like status updates, i-cal integration, project templates, and more. 
• Cost: Manage up to 3 projects for free; Monthly plans range from $10-$99/month. 
• Behind the scenes video tour of DeskAway.com: I recently recorded a video sharing a behind the scenes look at my DeskAway account so you can see all of the features for yourself. You can check it out here: DeskAway Video 

4.

• Additional features: Consists of a set of intuitive tools designed for optimizing collaboration on projects involving internal and external resources; to-do list, project planning, document sharing, and a wiki.
• Cost: 30-day free trial and free plan for 5 users; Monthly plans range from $13-$80+/month. 

5.

• Additional features: Manage private and shared tasks, turn emails into tasks, attach files and Google Docs to tasks and projects, integrates with Google calendar.
• Cost: Free

This is just a small sampling of what’s available, but it should help you get started. If you’re using another online collaboration tool that works well for managing your virtual team, let us know. 

And if you want to learn more about how technology can improve the flexibility of your workplace, join us next week at the Flexible Work Summit, where we have 3 amazing speakers lined up on Tuesday, May 12th to address Strategies for Stretching WHERE You Work. They’ll be discussing telecommuting, virtual teams, and how to harness the power of technology to revolutionize your business. Register for your free pass today!

I want to invite you to join me and 8 other experts as we reveal how to revolutionize your business by harnessing the power of workplace flexibility. Flexibility is a proven business strategy, not a passing fad! In this free virtual seminar series you will learn the insider secrets of increasing flexibility, productivity, and success! Sign up for your free pass now: FlexibleWorkSummit.com! 

Here’s an overview of the 4 sessions:

Strategies for Stretching WHEN You Work | Monday, May 11th, 2pm CST

• How to create a competitive edge in your business by harnessing work-life integration.
• Why work-life fit is more important than work-life balance.
• How workplace flexibility isn’t just about mommies (Secret: it’s actually a cross-generational and gender-neutral issue).

Strategies for Stretching WHERE You Work | Tuesday, May 12th, 2pm CST

• How to successfully implement telecommuting and remote working for your team.
• Tips and tricks for effectively managing a virtual team.
• How to harness technology to revolutionize your workplace.

Strategies for Stretching HOW You Work | Wednesday, May 13th, 2pm CST

• How to make work all about producing results (vs. putting in time, office politics, and face time).
• How to drive results for yourself and your employees by mastering the art of managing to SMART goals.
• Secrets for turning frustrated workers into high-impact performers.

Strategies for Stretching Leaders & Teams | Thursday, May 14th, 2pm CST

• How Generation Y is changing work and leadership—and why it’s a good thing!
• How leadership must evolve to support this new world of flexible work.
• Tips for implementing flexibility in a strategic way that improves team and leader performance.

I’m excited to announce the launch of our new newsletter, WorkStyle Weekly. If you’re looking for practical tools, tips, and resources to help you think bigger about how, when, and where you work, sign up below to begin receiving a copy. The content will be separate from what you get here on the blog and as subscribers, you’ll receive first notice on new products, services, and events as well as subscriber-only discounts. Put your name and email address in the box below and look for WorkStyle Weekly to appear in your inbox every Wednesday.

Here’s what others are saying about WorkStyle Weekly:

“Smart and savy! It’s a great, quick, and resourceful read.” 

~Layne Arnold, of Layne Arnold Productions, Dallas, TX

A big part of changing the way we work is shifting the way we lead others. If the future of work is results-only, we’re going to need strong forward thinking leaders who are ready and willing to challenge the status quo. 

Are you up to the job? Find out by taking our free Results-Only Leader Evaluation to assess your leadership style. You’ll receive your score along with a special report where you’ll discover: 

• Your natural leadership style and tendencies.
• The ROLE you’ve been playing in your team’s success (or failure).
• Questions you can ask yourself about your leadership style.
• Actions you can take to strengthen your skills as a results-only leader.

So what type of leader are you? Find out now at www.ResultsOnlyLeader.com.