Re: The telecommuting myth

[Tim Altom <taltom -at- SIMPLYWRITTEN -dot- COM>]

Actually, I think we're talking about two separate concepts. You're talking
about the mechanical process of documenting stuff. I'm talking about human
interactions that drive a competitive yet cooperative spirit, that inspire,
coach, and give meaning to the mechanics. Most contractors have no intrinsic
loyalty to a product; they'll document your stuff, or your competitor's
stuff. Good enough for cash money, I suppose, but hardly what memories are
made of.

It's my opinion that the best materials, like the best products, are
produced by a team that likes and respects its products and its coworkers.
I've been a team member, and a hired gun, and I much prefer being a team
member. On a good team synergy takes off and the glow envelopes the whole
crew. The members are inspired to do great things because they don't want to
let their own professionalism seem lacking. Vision and leadership make the
workday more than clacking keys and putting in billable hours. Work
shouldn't be a way to siphon money from some corp or another. It should have
meaning, the way that family time has meaning. I truly feel that Simply
Written has a vision and purpose, and it's a lot more than cranking out
materials. I can find key-clackers, and good ones, too. What I can't find as
often are the true pros who love to be around other pros, and who feed off
of the energy that's generated.

If you're unfortunate enough to work in a Dilbertesque cube farm, that
doesn't invalidate what I'm saying; in fact, it only confirms it. The book
"Built to Last" expresses my views of corporate life. I wish I'd written it.
A mechanical work life is no more satisfying than intellectual love. It's
not a matter of didaining "corporate games", because "games" are part of the
human existence, too. It all matters. When games become more important than
the purpose, then the company is in trouble, but that's the fault of
management and not an intrinsic flaw in teams.

I want people in our company who really love to excel and who bounce ideas
down the hallway like rubber balls. We had an employee today who came up
with a tremendously clever idea. Interestingly, she got it while she was
with us in the office, not at home. We took it and fleshed it out, and it
became a Simply Written idea. That's the human spirit at play. That's when
work is more than documentation.


>You enjoy hanging around the office.  I don't.  I think that's the real
>issue here.  Some people like corporate life.  For those of us who have
>little tolerance for corporate games, telecommuting at least allows us to
>work at something we like without having to waste a significant part of our
>life driving to work or sitting in a stiffling cubicle.

Tim Altom
Simply Written, Inc.
Featuring FrameMaker and the Clustar Method(TM)
"Better communication is a service to mankind."
317.562.9298
http://www.simplywritten.com

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