Introducing Lucille “Lucy” Rose Rhinesmith!
Lucy was born on March 6, 2010 at 8:34 PM, weighing in at 6 pounds 2 ounces and 18 1/2 inches. We are smitten with our newest addition!
To fully enjoy every moment I will be on maternity leave from all social networks (other than to gush over life as a new parent) and freelance work until early April.
In the meantime, please feel free to check out past posts here at Left Behind Bottle Caps or contact me via DM or email to connect this spring.
Oh come on, we’ve all been there. You know, in one of those situations where you’re not quite on the same page as your client regarding next steps, a particular item and/or the way to achieve the primary project objectives. It happens to all of us.
So once it’s been determined that you and your client disagree, how do you move forward? Do you:
a.) Simply appease the client
b.) Stand your ground
c.) Find a happy medium
d.) End the project
e.) None of the above
Before reading any further, you have to understand that I am not of the school of thinking that the client is always right. However, I am not so vain to assume that I am always right, because I’m not. I’m of the frame of mind that successful relationships are rooted in how we choose to navigate these types of situations. They can be incredibly empowering and valuable to everyone involved.
Eye on the prize. What’s the end goal or intended outcome? Sometimes we get so caught up in how we’re going to get there that we fail to remember where we’re going. Refocusing on the end goal (or goals) can open the door to solutions or paths that we never even imagined. Being too focused on the “how” right up front can be incredibly harmful and misleading to a project. It causes us to unintentionally narrow our scope of thought and fail to identify all the factors that can cause change throughout the process.
Pick your battles wisely. There are times when you simply won’t agree with the client. Is it a small issue or a big one? Put the item in question into perspective. If it’s something small with minimal impact, then it may not be worth the headache. However, if it’s something big that could throw off the trajectory of the entire project, then it may be well worth digging in. Therefore, decide when it’s critical to not back down – and please make sure it’s always for the betterment of the project, and not your ego.
Mutual achievement and focus. Remember, beyond the actual end goal of the project, your client wants to succeed in an area where you can offer insight – and (I’m assuming) you want to see that client thrive as well. Even at the most frustrating and trying moments of a working relationship you have to take a step back and remember that you’re both focused on mutual gain. Therefore, work together to remain focused and achieve that mutual outcome.
Walk in their shoes. How you look at a particular item or problem may not be how your client sees that same situation. Take the time to ask questions and understand where their perceptions are coming from. Industry norms and corporate culture can play a huge role here. Being able to understand the ecosystem where your client works can foster a solution that takes into account other factors and preferences that scale well beyond your control.
Keep the lines of communication open. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, be sure to grab face time or pick up the phone. This is especially critical when you’ve found yourself in a disagreement with a client. Don’t go back and forth via email. Being aware of a brewing situation, taking the time to acknowledge the point of disagreement, and working towards a solution is incredibly poignant. Employing the tips above can further assist you in having a productive conversation with invaluable results.
My last word to the wise is – do your homework. Client unrest is normal, but make sure that you’re up front before they’ve become your client. Granted, we don’t always have a choice, but in cases when you do make sure to clarify expectations right from the get go. This will enable you to more effectively manage expectations throughout the relationship. The result is a healthier working relationship that can proactively manage disagreements and collectively work towards powerful solutions.
Image: Dimbola Walk 004 Boat courtesy of Auntie P, Flickr]
Whether you’re a freelancer, contractor or simply work remotely it can be both convenient and uniquely challenging to work in an nontraditional office. My “office” has been anywhere from the Cambridge Public Library to my current location, the dining room table.
The perks of a nontraditional workspace seem almost endless – no cubicles, tea at the ready and flexible work hours. Though it also requires major self discipline and means holding yourself accountable by developing a workflow that’s flexible, productive and motivating.
Up and at ‘em. Each morning, I tackle the day as if I am in fact heading out the door to an office. None of this working in my bunny slippers stuff. It’s the same deal each day: up no later than 7AM, shower, breakfast, a large pot of tea and an outfit to promote productivity. Dressing for success doesn’t necessarily require you to go anywhere (but you’re ready if you do). You never know when an impromptu meeting or lunch will present itself.
The perfect spot. Usually, I’m not one for working all day from home. Circumstance and limited mobility has resulted in me converting my dining room into the ideal workspace. I’ve reworked the space so I can spread out, be comfortable, productive and most importantly minimize the distractions of being at home. It’s important to know where you work best. Is it one location – or a variety throughout the week or even day.
Routines that work. Find a routine that works for you. Identify what makes you most productive and motivated, then go from there. For me, I know I need to take the time to breakdown tasks, tackling the most important ones during my most productive peaks and making sure I have some form of daily social stimulation. The primary thing I miss about being in an office is the people. I love a good sounding board. Therefore, I leverage networks daily to ensure that I am able to stay connected and challenged.
Make it manageable. Make task lists (daily, weekly and monthly) and employ time management to keep you on track. Identify the priorities – and then break the day into manageable chunks based on client needs and your own. I always make sure to integrate time to write, research, listen and interact with others. The trick is to create a list that’s manageable. Think about what has to get done, considering each item in detail, then note realistic times for each. It’s amazing how quickly even eight to ten hours can be allocated – use them wisely.
Motivational milestones. Working solo means lots of self motivation, especially on tougher days. I thrive on goals. I like to be able to set a goal and work diligently to accomplish it. There’s nothing more motivating or rewarding. Goals come in all shapes and sizes. Set customizable goals weekly to foster not only productivity, but a sense of accomplishment. When setting goals, don’t forget to include ones specifically for you. If you’re a freelancer, make sure you make time to market and better yourself weekly.
Setting boundaries. Perhaps my own greatest challenge is knowing when it’s time to stop. It can be easy to work all day, but I don’t – and neither should you. To ensure maximum output and avoid burning out be sure to decide when you’ll be shutting down – and try to stick to it. Be flexible and let the day’s workload help you decide on that particular day’s length, but remember to be diligent in this practice. Otherwise, it will all just run into each other and the freedom, enjoyment and balance of freelancing dissolves – with work/life balance going out the window.
Flexible working is a great opportunity for many of us. It enables us to pick and choose the projects we are most passionate about, while being able to do so in a manner that’s conducive to our own lives. Though it’s up to us to toss out those fuzzy slippers and establish a workflow and community that maximizes productivity, quality and satisfaction, while fostering accountability and promoting balance.
[Image: Green Fuzzy Slippers courtesy of Jamiesrabbits, Flickr]
If you’re reading this post, then you probably came here via Twitter. You’re on Twitter, I’m on Twitter, but who isn’t on Twitter – or who’s on Twitter, but not really here (meaning inactive). This (slightly snarky) thought process was sparked by reading, 80%+ Twitter accounts inactive, but core users more committed, courtesy of dirkthecow via Social Media Today.
What about me. Twitter can be a great communications tool. It’s been great for me personally and professionally. Caveat: knowing that everyone’s not using Twitter. Knowing who’s using a tool is equally as important as knowing who’s not. Don’t forget who isn’t here to contribute to the conversation – they may have something amazing to contribute, but are voiceless.
And it’s not just Twitter. There are plenty of platforms and tools where folks are missing. For instance, Facebook, yes, there are millions upon millions of users, but who’s missing. For example, me. I don’t have a Facebook account (…really, I don’t). I might have something valuable to say.
Aligning audience and means of communication. Are there voices being left out of the conversation that could add exponential value to your organization, goal or community? Twitter can be used in the execution of a portfolio of communication means to tap into a range of audiences, but that should only happen once audiences have been identified. Have you taken a moment to determine who your audience is – and where they are?
Who’s making the decision. What happens when you don’t take the time to identify where your audience plays, well, you miss an opportunity. Someone misses the message, the chance to be engaged or an invitation to participate (either physically or virtually). Case and point, my ten year high school reunion, the reunion invitation was only sent via Facebook. As I said earlier, I’m not on Facebook. Meaning, I found out about the reunion only after it took place. The point isn’t that I missed the reunion, it’s that I never got a chance to decide for myself if I wanted to attend or not. The means of communication decided for me.
Take the time, do the work. Don’t let voices go unheard or leave communities ignored just because you missed the mark. Take time to understand your audience and then communicate to them in the space where they play. Why should they come to you? If they are that important, then you should go to them. In time, that may reverse, but you have to reach out and cultivate the relationship first.
Tools are going to change, audiences will change too – and where they intersect is going to change. What shouldn’t change is critical thinking around how best to link the two.
Remember, 80% of Twitter accounts are inactive. That’s whole a lot of people not paying attention to those thoughtful, value-filled, community building tweets you’re spending hours crafting. Make sure your audience is where you’re focusing your attention, before you start trying to get the attention of an audience that may not even be there in the first place.
[Image: The empty playground #1 courtesy of soulholder, Flickr]
It’s often more natural to assess and identify areas of improvement in others, especially when working with a client or if strategic assessments are part of your professional portfolio – but what about when it comes to you.
A personal heart-to-heart. Have you checked in with yourself lately to identify areas where you can improve? Taking a self inventory is incredibly empowering not too mention valuable to those you work with and support. Take a moment to ask yourself: What’s been added to my plate over the past few months? What activities have fallen off the radar – and gone incomplete? Are there areas of value that are no longer getting attention?
We’re always juggling something. 
For me, it’s several freelance projects and a baby on the way. It’s easy to get caught up in everything and simply look away from items that have gone ignored. However, being able to acknowledge where you can improve makes you better equipped to tackle whatever gets thrown your way. You’re aware and will be able to appropriately allocate yourself to the most important tasks. This type of self awareness is sometimes (and too often) misinterpreted as admitting weakness or failure. Wrong.
Self assessment is about being able to review all aspects of your working self – the good, the bad and the ugly – then doing something to improve the bad and the ugly.
Take manageable bites. Self improvement doesn’t require a complete overhaul, start small. For me, I know “blog commenting” has fallen to the wayside. For a while I was simply kicking myself (…so not a productive response). I read so many wonderful posts daily, but failed to truly contribute or participate in the conversation. It’s something I wanted to fix and focus on – right now.
No time like the present. Therefore each and every day I’ve added to my daily work list: comment on one blog post. Just one. This might seem like a marginal, arbitrary goal, but one is better than zero. One is manageable, I can take my time, be intentional in my contribution, and will enable me to set up a new daily routine. Will I increase this target number, probably, but not yet.
For now, it’s just one comment daily. It’s about identifying an area of improvement and setting up a realistic, non threatening goal to achieve in a sustainable way. From there, I’ll take stock and improve further. The constant self assessing results in an organic checks and balances system that will ensure I’m always learning and offering the best istrategies and solutions to my clients and contributions to my communities.
[Image: Work courtesy of alexanderljung, Flickr]
With all that tweeting, it’s easy to forget about email.
Email has become one of many communication options, but is still a primary mean leveraged by many, especially when it comes to project-oriented communication. More of us are working independently and remotely with email critical to our working relationships. I’m a believer that practice makes perfect, and it’s always good to revisit email best practice so to improve productivity, foster relationships and minimize frustration caused by miscommunication.
Don’t assume, ask. Taking a moment to ask someone how they prefer to be communicated with can go a long way. Not only does it remove any unnecessary frustration that could develop, but also shows commitment to the person, project and collective outcome.
Some questions to ask when identifying email preferences include:
Know your style. While flexibility is important when working with a client, it’s equally important to know your own preferences when it comes to email communication – or communication style overall. Being able to understand what maximizes your own productivity benefits everyone. The caveat being: make sure you voice your needs as well as acknowledge the preferences of others.
Don’t get lost in translation. Take a moment and reread your emails. Simple advice, but tone, context, urgency, next steps, and so much else can get lost in translation. Email has no 140 character limitation, but that doesn’t mean we should write rambling, unchecked notes. Take the time to ensure clear, concise meaning in order to prevent any unnecessary confusion and/or delays!
TIP. In regards to deadlines, I like to maximize the subject headings. If something’s urgent, then I note it right up front. If something needs to be reviewed and returned back to you by the end of the day make a note right in the subject heading. On a particularly busy day, the subject heading is all that someone may see. Therefore, make it count.
Check in early – and often. As noted it’s critical to have an “email check-in” as early into the working relationship as possible. When starting up a new working relationship, often the top agenda item on my list is “communication preference”. Though I am always mindful that projects, preferences and relationships change. Therefore it’s worth revisiting communication preferences again, especially if you notice a shift in response or behavior.
When it’s time to ditch email. People get busy, emails get lost, or perception of expectations gets convoluted. The phone is sometimes the easiest way to clarify and get answers in order to move forward. It’s also important to know when it’s time to get off email and enlist an additional option of communication, like the phone, Skype, or (if you’re geographically close enough) grab a cup of coffee. I’ve even used Twitter to tap a hard to reach individual. All of which help get quick answers while further strengthening the relationship.
What’s the value in all this attention on email and identifying communication/email preferences. For one, it shows commitment. It let’s others know that you are paying attention and value the relationship. Two, the relationship and tasks become more productive. Email and miscommunication can cause significant delays in projects, when the reality is they don’t need to. Taking the time to develop communication expectations and norms fosters a more productive (and healthy) remote working relationship that cultivates a successful project outcome and experience for all.
[Image: 107/365 - Flickr courtesy of RXAphotos, Flickr]
Sometimes time completely escapes me – and posts or items that I had every intention of sharing completely get missed. This is one such case. A couple of months ago I wrapped up a project for an outstanding nonprofit organization, Freedom States Alliance (FSA). Like many nonprofits, they were trying to navigate social media options and establish the best way to integrate it into their organization.
The result was the realization that social media was only one component of a much larger picture, a much greater need. The question that surfaced was where does social media fit within the organization’s strategy? Was it appropriate to develop a social media strategy, if other critical strategies hadn’t yet been pursued?
Sequence of Execution. Sequence of execution is an approach to strategy development that leads organizations through a hierarchy of strategy development. The result: a more successful and sustaining implementation. Furthermore, it puts social media into context. Meaning that it ensures that any social media strategy is integrated and derives its purpose from the organizations larger mission and goals.
Sequence of strategy execution:
Social media strategy is a powerful opportunity for an organization, but only when it’s been implemented in the right order. I am increasingly convinced that social media is not intended to live inside a vacuum, but rather as a piece of a much larger ecosystem. How can an organization implement social media tools, like Twitter and Facebook, if they don’t have a social media, communications, or organizational strategy to drive the success use of such platforms?
The actual deliverable offered to the FSA was a comprehensive presentation that included an in-depth needs assessment, recommended actions, training documentation, and best practices in communication and more specifically social media. Most importantly, the guide started with a step-by-step review of how to best develop an appropriate and effective strategy for the organization given their intended mission, audience, and goals – and later concluded with a look at social media integration.
Recently, Colin and I transformed the outcome of that project and took this same ideology to create something that could benefit an even greater community of nonprofits. The following presentation is the marriage of that work (no pun intended), which Colin offered to Cambridge area nonprofit organizations last week.
[Image: Jump on the social media bandwagon courtesy of matthamm, Flickr]
After many hours of thinking, planning and soul searching, I have made the decision to go freelance and Left Behind Bottle Caps is coming with me. I am proud to introduce a slightly updated blog and Left Behind Bottle Caps Communications.
The decision to make this blog more a professional think tank is in response to two previous posts “ambiguous clarity” and “the disruption of life, soul searching and career shifting.” The result is not only the transformation of Left Behind Bottle Caps, but also the creation of Lollipop.
Lollipop, offering sweet design treats for all, is a long overdue project that will serve as both a creative and personal playground. Due to launch in February, this new blog will serve up plenty of handmade treats, design centric elements, artist spotlights and a light-hearted space where reckless play is not only welcomed, but encouraged! Stay tuned for more on Lollipop and Left Behind Bottle Caps.
Yesterday was a big day in Massachusetts, but this isn’t a post about the outcome. Rather, it’s about a valuable reminder and lessons learned while chatting nervously on Twitter last night prior to the announcement of the election results.
Choosing to respond. The typical feeling in social media these days is that responding is better than not responding. When a customer mentions your product in a negative way the web grants a unique opportunity. You can engage openly. You can listen and learn from the individual or community. The result is the overwhelming potential for a productive dialogue and outcome to the initial criticism.
Reigning in instantaneous communication. Here’s the caveat. What happens when engaging results in something that isn’t productive? The web enables instantaneous responses, but that doesn’t mean we should respond instantly. This is where I found myself – I needed a reminder of the power of pause.
Opting out of the conversation. Twitter was a flurry of activity last night. I tweeted a few items that were reflective of my nervousness and unrest. I received a response. It wasn’t particularly negative, but it was in direct contrast to my particular political pursuations – and was intended to instigate. I took a moment before responding:
- What did I want to say? Would it be valuable or purely based in feelings?
- What was the intention of the responder in writing such an aggressive statement?
- What would be the potential outcome if I responded to the statement?
In my ears rang my mother, “…if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Granted, this wasn’t simply an instance of me not having anything nice to say. I have learned the value of thinking through my responses and self censorship when appropriate (especially in the context of a digital age). This was about someone on the other end wanting to instigate an unproductive conversation. I chose not to participate.
Lessons learned: First, I need to think about which topics I want to pursue digitally. Politics is not one of them. I keep away from it at larger social gatherings and I think it’s time to follow my personal rule of thumb on that for my social networks as well.
Secondly, there are instances when silence is an appropriate solution. If the result is an unproductive conversation and/or the intention of the provoker is an online altercation, then don’t respond. Find other ways to reflect and/or to address the situation, um, like blogging about your experience for instance.
[Twitter bird logo icon illustration courtesy of matthamm, Flickr]
This year has held moments of laughter, joy, tears, sorrow and so, so much more.
- I have learned that change is hard.
- Sometimes it is okay to walk away.
- Losing someone you love is never easy.
- Grieving is even harder.
- Old habits are hard to break.
If this year taught me anything, it taught me that I am harder on myself then anyone else could ever know (perhaps with the exception of Colin). Such severe perfectionism will only hold me back. It is time to be open to my own misgivings, mistakes and imperfections.
I have so much more to learn, but before I move into the new year I want to take some time to recharge and reflect. I am going to take this time to sip some tea and soak in all that 2009 has offered. I am going to relish in the moments past and learn to let go of all that holds me back.
It is time for a guilt-free hiatus. One where I can reflect and awaken to all the upcoming excitement, uncertainty and change. It is time to take a break from formal plans, Twitter, blogging, life planning – and take the time to write a love letter, give thanks, take a walk, paint, and simply take in the moment.
Here’s to reflecting, living and loving! See you in 2010.
[Photo courtesy of stillthedudeabides, Flickr]
