Bringing Social Back Into the Physical Realm through Co-Working

Online social networking has become all the rage in recent years as a way to build brands and communities and to engage on pretty much any topic you can imagine, from dating to radio, enthusiast groups, religion, politics, customer forums, etc.

The corporate office setup has become more virtual as well, with more progressive companies recognizing that they can eliminate geographic barriers and hire wherever the talent resides simply by adding “strong ability to work effectively on remote teams” to their list of desired skill sets. 

The remote workforce is a win-win endeavor. It saves the company in operational expense and ease recruiting challenges through access to a broader applicant pool, and it adds convenience, balance, and flexibility for the employee. Both enjoy the added productivity that comes with having upwards of 2 hours or more in commuting time each day re-allocated to work, networking, etc. 

But what about the employees who thrive on in-person office structures? Are they out of luck? Not at all. Co-Working facilities, such as Cambridge Co-Working Center earn their profits by facilitating the collaboration and camaraderie that many relish from sharing ideas in-person. This concept is not new, but it has traditionally been limited to people working for the same employer. Co-working in 2012 brings together entrepreneurs, engineers, artists, etc from different industries and companies to inspire and motivate one another. Many employees choose to split their time between co-working  locations and their home offices.

And of course, it didn’t take long for clever people to merge online social networks with in-person co-working. Meetup  groups have been emerging in various cities, including New York, Boston, LA, and Chicago, which gather people together for co-working opportunities that they create themselves. So now, freelancers and other self-employed professionals are taking advantage of co-working. 

The bottom line is that people are most productive, happy, and creative when they can work in the manner and style to which they can achieve the greatest success. Carry on.

Photo Credit: http://bit.ly/ORAwyR

Social Networking Lessons From Grade School Children and Their Teachers

No more pencils, no more books....OK, that little sing-song is revealing just how long it’s been since I was in school. And another academic year comes to a close. Over the past year, I’ve spent the majority of my free time in the company of grammar school teachers, and have drawn some key lessons about social media from them and from their students that I apply to my dual professions- integrated marketing and fitness/lifestyle. 

Social Media Lessons For Corporate and Fitness/Lifestyle Marketers From Schoolchildren and Teachers:

• It’s not about having the most toys or even the most expensive toys; it’s about having the best toys and convincing everyone else to want them.
• It’s not about having the most friends (or customers or fans or followers); it’s about devoting your energy to those who are most relevant to you.
• There are many ways to share what you’ve learned. The best way is to tell people with a few clear words and a loud voice.
• If you boast about something great you can do (i.e. on the playground, bench press, or in a data security algorithm), be prepared to deliver or you will be like the boy who cried wolf.
• Digital media is great but it doesn’t replace the ability to see, touch, hear, taste, and smell simultaneously. Play to all the senses.
• You never know what a child (or customer, or training client) is dealing with outside the classroom. Be gentle. 
• You may be good at baseball but fall short in gymnastics. Ask someone who is talented in gymnastics to help you. And then you help him in baseball. You both improve. That’s how it works.
• If your parents do your homework for you, how will you ever learn? 
• Your idea of “good” or “better” may be different from someone else’s. Understand what your students, teachers, clients, managers, etc. think is “great.” Perception is reality.
• If you offend someone, say you’re sorry. If someone offends you, accept her apology. We’re all human.
• Social forums are not just for complaints. If you like something, tell everyone you know. You may even wish to draw a picture. 
• We can measure a lot of things: grades, revenue, member retention, etc. But some things--such as true causality for a purchase decision or enjoyment of phys ed and music classes--do not have established metrics. Yet, their benefits are substantial and lasting.
• Misunderstandings and miscommunications happen despite our best efforts to avoid them. We’re human. It’s never just one person’s fault. Hug it out and move on. 
• Share your snacks. You may be hungry yourself someday. 
• You can succeed without someone else having to fail. We’re all better off if we just help each other. 
• If you focus on the task at hand, you can complete all the major work before 2:00PM. 
• If you hear it as a song, you’re more likely to remember it.
• Along with titles such as Classroom Monitor, Prefect, Vice President of Marketing, and Personal Trainer come great responsibility across the entire matrix. Don’t just manage up. 
• A group of like-minded people uniting for a common goal is extremely powerful. Want to know just how powerful? Ask any teacher who has tried to keep 32 second graders calm on a field trip. 
• We are always learning, always growing, always improving. Enjoy the process.

And to all my teacher friends--any chance you could use your social media influence to convince corporations around the world of the value in having summers off? My thanks in advance. Oh, and one more thing--I really need a new sing-song. 

Photo credit: http://frontier3.wordpress.com/

Etiquette Snafus- From the Office to the Gym

As over 1/3 of US adults are obese*, more and more companies are allocating funds to wellness programs and health education to prevent illness that can result in high costs associated with absences and reduced productivity, not to mention increasing health insurance costs. These companies encourage--and some even fund--employees’ efforts to work fitness into their daily routines.

We’ve seen articles about office etiquette don’ts and a whole slew of pet peeves at the gym. And naturally, as more office dwellers are permeating the fitness clubs, there will be some commonalities. Just a few consistent sore spots:

-Cell phone use - People answering and actually taking calls during meetings, in the locker room, and on the treadmill. I actually witnessed someone have an entire conversation on a mobile phone in the middle of a group yoga teacher training workshop. Even my loudest “Ommmm” didn’t drown out the sound.

-Failing to clean up your messes- There’s nothing like climbing onto a step machine and placing your hand into a pool of sweat. Wipe down the machines. And when you inadvertently leave someone off a meeting invitation or throw someone under the bus in a widespread email distribution (I’m sure you’d never do it intentionally), correct the error and offer a genuine apology.

-Loud or strong-smelling food- Chomping on gum, crunching on chips, and exposing people to the smell of tuna fish or egg salad in any close-quarters environment is in poor taste. And yes, people have been spotted doing this at the gym as well.

-Unruly children- While it may seem to you to be a child’s dream come true to sit quietly in the guest chair at your office for 8 hours or on a bench in the locker room while you shower, change, and chat with your friends, it’s not. Ask your kids. And when kids are bored, they find ways to entertain themselves, which are often disruptive to others. Can’t blame the kids.

-Temper tantrums- No, this one is not about the kids. Stressful situations occur all the time- sales and revenue take a downturn, the club makes an error in billing your dues, office politics become problematic, you have to wait to get onto a cardio machine. How you behave in these moments can be very telling of your character.

There’s nothing wrong with holding people to basic rules of common courtesy. And you will get the best results if you do so with compassion and understanding--we all have bad days. Try a simple “excuse me, could you take that call outside please?” or even a comical (but not sarcastic) quip that pokes fun of the situation, not the person (i.e. “Carol Brady made it look so easy but she had a full time nanny”). And keep pumping iron. A fit and healthy lifestyle has been known to improve mood and ability to manage stress.


Photo Credit: Pure Mobile
*Source: http://www.downtoearth.org/health/nutrition/obesity-america