Finding Rewards in the Connected Workplace

Welcome to a brave new year in a brave new world. Whether it’s becoming technology-friendly or more personally engaged, home officers -- both entrepreneurs and teleworkers -- are finding more rewards in the connected workplace. But it’s not enough to sit home in the cocoon and play the recluse - no matter how "productive" you can be. You have to get out and meet people. Connected means different things to different people. In today’s common parlance, "connected" means to have technology and computers that are networked together, sharing information and generally being more communicative and efficient.

Connected also means to be personally engaged with others. To network, get out, schmooze, and meet people.

Case in point: My typical M.O. for doing business. I conduct the majority of my interviews via phone from my home office. It’s efficient and time-wise, but it’s not particularly engaging as a humanistic endeavor -- and doesn’t do much for building my Golden Rolodex. Besides, the more I leave the office, the less I can write, and like many service professionals, the more widgets I deliver, the more money I receive.

Still, I often find myself walking the halls of a social engagements or sports arena wondering how many people I would know if I got out to do my interviews -- instead of relying on the phone and email. (That’s NOT to say I welcome the arrival of wide-spread video conferencing and telephone and video over the Internet. Like many home officers, I worry that might be too intrusive and could scare away a few clients if they got a more vivid mental image of the attire some at-home workers wear to the "office.")

But networking, socializing and just getting out of the home office works wonders to boost social interaction and the warmth of a relationship. I interview dozens of people each month. But none of these new relationships are stronger than those fostered in a face-to-face setting.

I spent some time with Art Berg, a speaker and tech-savvy home officer from Utah. It was an engaging experience. While his home office is wired (or shall I say "wireless") with all the latest computer technology and wireless networking equipment, he travels light with a laptop, cell phone and a technological understanding that we all could take a few notes from.

We had a long talk about many topics. But once the tape recorder was off, we further built a relationship. I learned details that you don’t learn over the phone, where conversations tend to stay more focused and on-purpose. It not only adds to a more healthy story for my editors, having met Art -- or any "Art" whom you happen to meet outside the comfort of the home office -- broadens the value of your relationships.

Besides, I saw Art later that week on the sidelines as the Miami Dolphins played the Baltimore Ravens, a team for whom Art is a motivational speaker. Had we not met, I might not have noticed him on the sidelines.

So read your newspaper to find upcoming networking and socializing events. What symposiums are being held on topics where you can learn new ideas and meet new people? Talk to peers about what outings they’ll be attending, and hop on board. Gather your Mastermind Group to start re-examining your business and professional life and future. Get out and do something.

After all, technology may make us more efficient and productive. But nothing can improve the warmth of our relationships -- a defining quality that makes us human -- like spending time with other people. It’s good for your mind as well as your business.

So get out and network -- but back up the computer and lock up the home office before you leave. You’ll help your mind and your business -- and grow both in the processs.

Jeff Zbar, the ChiefHomeOfficer.com, is a speaker, writer and expert on alternative officing. He is the author of Teleworking & Telecommuting: Strategies for Remote Workers and Their Managers (Made E-Z Products, 2002); Safe@Home: Seven Keys to Home Office Security (FirstPublish 2001) and Your Profitable Home Business (on CD-ROM from Made E-Z Products). Visit his Web site to subscribe to Home Office Success Stories, his free electronic magazine on home business and teleworking.