The home office is a beautiful thing and has many, many benefits. And, by using technology like video chatting, instant messaging, and email; you can really do quite well.

But it’s hard to replace regular face-to-face contact. Some of you may be saying “Geez, I’d love to replace my face-to-face contact with some peace and quiet!” I understand.

But, as someone who was to help develop the agency both in terms of new business and internally by developing our staff, it was extremely difficult to do that solely over iChat, email, and phone.

As I wrapped up my work with Morsekode, I finished a couple projects for one of our large global clients. The team on the client side was entirely distributed. Some in the UK, some spread throughout the US, and some in Germany. Some of the meetings we had were quite good, but none as good as when we all got together in one room for 2 days and hashed out what really needed to happen.

Technology can do many things. And, do many things well.

But I don’t think it can completely replace the experience of working together in person.

Not yet anyway.

Goodbye home office. I’ll visit from time to time, but, for now, I’m leaving you for the old-school-gotta-face-the-commute-office-with-a-desk-and-actual-people-downtown.

A friend of mine had a VW and came across a small repair shop on the east side of Madison, WI that specializes in VW.

It’s basically a one-man shop. I think Tim is his name – I’ll find out for sure when I go back to get my work finished up (it needed a part specific to my vehicle identification number, which meant ordering from Germany).

UPDATE: His name is Dave.

It’s not exactly as convenient to go there as it would be to go to the big auto monopoly in our area, but my friend said this guy was great – and reasonably priced. So, I was prepared to like him before I met him.

When I picked up my car, I asked Tim about his training on VW, and how it came to be that he specialized in VW. It turns out that he has a Computer Science degree. He had worked in another shop in Milwaukee and decided he just really enjoyed working on cars. He said, “it’s all problem solving, so it’s not really different from what I might have done with computers.”

[As a side note, I did find it interesting to see a mechanic all tech-geeked out with a Bluetooth wireless headset, working on his computer when I came to pick up the car.]

As to how he came to specialize in VW? He said that basically it was customer demand. He had started as serving all brands, then imports, and then finally VW. Why? Because the business was steady and reliable and he could really focus work on the things he knew about (from simply having a lot of experience).

There’s two lessons here, I think:

• Even though he was pointed in a specific direction, he chose to simply do what he really enjoyed doing – and more than likely at a loss of potential income.
• Focus – Business books like Jim Collins’ Good to Great talk about focus. I like how Tim specialized and was able to be successful because of that.

I’m reading a book by one of my old bosses – Lawler Kang. Lawler’s book is called Passion at Work. Lawler takes a very methodical view at turning your work into a something that specifically fits who you are and what you are passionate about. I’ll post more on this later as I go, but I think Tim is a good example of that.

And it’s always inspiring to me to see people living life on their own terms as Lawler writes about. Maybe this is somehow inspiring to you, too.

A couple days ago, I spoke with a client in Austria. I had a great conversation. This guy was calling me at around 11pm at night his time. He was funny, interesting, personable – (maybe he was drunk? – no, just kidding!)

It’s good conversations and interactions with people like that that energize me. Even though I had a tough time traveling last week, I met about 8 people last week that I wouldn’t have otherwise met – and they were all interesting people. (Their jobs might bore me to tears, but they were interesting people.)

For me, it’s about people.

Helping those people. People like you and I that are asking some of the same questions we are asking about our own lives. People who have families and stories and lives that mean so much more than their role at a big corporate entity. Sure we run into people that define themselves by the role they play in their company or career, but even those people have something to offer (once you can dig down and get to the real person).

I have to truly be thankful for the opportunities that my work has given me to meet great people.

Have you ever thought about how many cool people your work has introduced to you?

I arrived in the Chicago area 2 hours earlier than I needed. I parked at my brother-in-law’s house, took a cab to the airport.

Isn’t it interesting that even though you know your flight is delayed, they still expect you to be there as if it’s an “on-time” departure?

I think my flight finally left approximately 3-4 hours after its scheduled time.

Did I mention that I have a cold? My head is completely congested.

My flight was actually excellent. I read, worked, and listened to music. It was really quite nice. The flight attendant even helpfully stopped by to ask the person pouring into my seat from his (slightly large, shall we say?) whether he might be more comfortable in a seat behind me. This was great! And, I had even resolved that I would be positive about his invasion of my personal space.

My head remained comfortable as I blew through half a box of tissues. Not so comfortable upon landing.

I got into Phoenix around midnight. Unfortunately, I was headed to Los Angeles. And my connecting flight had left 1 hour earlier.

Hello Hotel. By the time I get luggage, catch shuttle, send emails written on plane – 4 hours sleep. Head still completely clogged, ears never opened up upon landing.

Catch 7am shuttle for 8:23 flight – I thought “should be plenty of time.”

Wrong. Shuttle was 10 minutes late. The line for check in was longer than any line I’ve ever seen at Frankfurt International (and those lines are HUGE!). And, I failed to see the sign (which you really cannot see until it’s too late) that reads, “Passengers must be checked in 45 minutes before scheduled departure.” I checked in 43 minutes before departure.

Now I’m on stand-by for a later flight.

But you know what? It wouldn’t have mattered.

After standing in the security line for 30 minutes while a TSA employee sang out what’s allowed and not allowed, I found out I had been selected for “additional security screening.”
I enjoyed my “special search” and walked casually to my gate.

I’m out of cash and the one ATM in my terminal didn’t work. Here’s to the cashless society.

One more decongestant to pop and I should be ready. If I make the stand by short list.

Oh, and why am I on my way to Los Angeles? Only the most important meeting my small agency has ever had with one of the largest high-tech companies in the world. It’s at 2pm this afternoon and I still need to iron my shirt and change (budget hotels don’t supply ironing boards).

Will I make it? Who knows?

[time passes]

My flight finishes boarding. I’m called as the last stand-by passanger. I’m on the plane. Just settled, when. . .you guessed it, some other passenger makes it to the gate and I, Mr. Standby, get to deplane.

According to the gate agent, the next available flight would get me to LA somewhere after 2pm. Obviously, not a good situation.

So, while I’m standing in front of the gate agent, I decide to check reality. One call to my travel agent had me on another plane with a guaranteed seat. Why is it that I have to call someone to help me when I’m standing in the middle of the flippin’ airport?

The gate agent offered to work out the credit (for some reason, I had to purchase the ticket to LA from Phoenix). I thought this was very cool.

I got to LA, changed in the airport bathroom, (obviously, my shirt never got ironed, but oh well) and we headed off to our meeting. The week was actually terrific for meetings. Every single meeting went really well. This was huge.

And then I got ready to return.

Remember how cool I thought it was that the gate agent was going to credit my account for the flight I got bumped from? Yeah, well, it appears she cancelled my return flight while she did that. Problem is, it’s Pacific time and after hours in the Midwest – my travel agent isn’t going to be able to resolve this for me on the fly. Pull out the credit card for the nice “sock it to ya” one-way ticket home – at least I got a seat (many flights were being cancelled because of weather in the Midwest – what a week of weather!).

This time I wasn’t as lucky with my seating. Middle seat. Guy in front of me insisted on taking full advantage of his recline feature. Woman to left is dancing in her seat to Nelly while secretively writing furiously in a notebook. A writer? I don’t know. Man to left pulled out his ginormous 32-inch wide screen laptop (yes, that is exaggeration) and begins watching a movie. No worries. I down a drink and sleep.

I finally arrive in Chicago, pick up my bags, and call the suburban taxi company for a lift. Only, there are no cabs available anywhere near the airport. Nice.

Taxi line.

Outside.

Chicago Winter Cold.

45 minutes.

I landed at 11:10pm and arrived (about 10 miles) at my brother-in-law’s at about 1 a.m. – that was after the little taxi driver yelled at me for using the taxi line when I wasn’t going downtown. Man was he grumpy. I’d describe him in more detail except I fear someone would feel I was picking on his ethnicity, so we’ll forget that whole drama.

I slept in, rolled out of bed and got on the road for my 3-hour drive home.

As I sit here and do my expenses, I can see that my cheaper, connecting flight approach appears to have cost me (at least right now, before any credits we may be able to finagle) about 539 USD beyond the original ticket price of 380.

I think I’ll be less cost conscious next time.

Oh, and I have to say that I think I will avoid both Phoenix and USAir for the rest of my life (if possible).

Fly direct.

ductape

at first,
it was just a couple

strands

It wasn’t uncomfortable

Then I noticed
additional

layers

Thick, sticky
spaces filled quickly

panic

I cannot breathe
I am round, wound, wishing to be
unbound, free

I push, flex
but the strands surround

I cannot be found

slowly losing

breath

me

–
14 June 2004
1st comment explains what I was thinking

Discipline is doing things you know you should even when you don’t feel like it. Today it was negative 19 degrees Celsius at about the time I usually go for a run. I skipped yesterday for a number of reasons. (Ok, it was only actually one – I was grumpy.)

But today was different. I slept last night. A lot. I got up early. Had time to think – clearly.

My wife has told me – more than once – “You think too much. Stop thinking and start doing!” She’s probably right (most wives are, aren’t they?).

If you’re sort of joining me on this journey to being closer to who you were made to be; if you’re trying to move towards working in areas about which you are passionate; or if you are a creative type would like nothing more than to create, then here’s the deal: you’ve got to take steps in that direction. Regularly.

And sometimes that takes discipline.

Going for a run today reminded me of that. And it felt good.

I bet you’ll feel better the next time you do that thing you know you need to do, too.

Ambition seeks recognition.

Block suggests we need to lose our ambition. And do things that simply matter to us. Not do things that we think others will find interesting or approve of.

How many things are you working towards right now in an effort to gain recognition? It might be working extra hard at work in hopes of a promotion, raise, or some sort of “attaboy.” It might be trying to write a book or song that you feel could be a worldwide hit. It might be trying to gain a large audience in the blogosphere.

Block argues that all of those goals put others in control of our lives.

I cannot distill it well here in a short post (without much more thought and effort). But think about it: Are you doing things that you love to do – regardless of who might notice – or are you doing them to impress or seek recognition from someone else?

It’s a scary question to ask. But it might help you align your life with the things that are truly important to you.

What works?
and
What matters?

There’s something
- Right here
That matters

But what?

–
15 January 2007
1st comment explains what I was thinking.

After a clearing a small portion, however, this shiny new shovel was really disappointing. Sure, it’s got metal along the bottom, but it doesn’t seem to hit the pavement evenly. So, while fine for some types of snow, it wasn’t clearing my walk all that well. Looks great, but doesn’t really deliver.

I went back into my garage and grabbed an old, all metal scoop shovel that a retiring family gave to ours as they headed to Florida. This thing is old, orange, beat up, bent, rusty – some would look at it and simply put it out with the trash.

But this shovel worked perfectly. It cut right down to the pavement and performed exactly as I needed.

The shovel reassured me of something. So often I’m worried about improving myself, learning more, developing more, looking better or more impressive, or getting ready to – someday – be truly useful in this world. But my bent, rusty snow shovel shows me that sometimes the perfect tool for the job doesn’t look perfect at all.

Most of us don’t look perfect. But we wish we did. I love my bent, rusty snow shovel. It’s perfect for just the right job.

So are we. Right now. As we are.

One of my friends and I talked about this a bit recently. He is between jobs and trying to figure out the right next step. One step would involve going back to school to get an advanced degree in a discipline that he says he “could get excited about.”

But he’s got something else that burns within him already – music. My question to him was

“are you settling for good, when you should be shooting for great?”

Damn it’s hard to be a good guy (or gal) and try to make a living as a musician (artist, writer – fill in your own creative passion here).

Over my career, I made a lot of choices that led to more money, more resume clout, and more bragging rights. But none of those choices led me closer to my passions.

A lot of those moves led me to jobs where I was good – even really good – but never great.

Like Collins, I believe passion is one key ingredient that enables us to achieve greatness. Sure, we have to be skilled, work hard, etc., but without passion we’re just posers, faking our way through life. I realize that may sound a bit harsh.

I cannot tell my friend what he is passionate about. Nor can I tell him how to feed a family while working towards his passions. That’s the struggle for most of us creative types – finding that balance of moving in the right direction and taking care of our responsibilities at the same time.

I don’t really have the answers to this. Just a hypothesis. And I’m still trying to prove that myself. It’s really a lifelong experiment.

Without encouraging you to take harmful risks, allow me to suggest that shooting for great, while likely involving some risk and surely some challenges, is worth it.