Wow! I read a piece by Daniel Miessler wherein he opined that people are going to the office, only then to sit on Zoom calls!
- Actually, if you're doing that, you can do it from home.
- But, if you're doing that ... if you have to do that ... hopefully the community advantage of going to the office to have face-to-face with colleagues, influencers, bosses, and others is also part of your day.
In fact, there are a lot of reasons to go to office, but to sit on a Zoom call should be low on the list, even if unavoidable. Probably on everybody's list are these:
- You have got to get out of the house or the coffee shop!
- You need, or want, the community of real people that you can't get even at the coffee shop
- There are tools and capabilities that are only accessible at the office
- The company culture may be shifting; you need to catch up on that
- There may be a science experiment in your old coffee cup if you didn't clean it really well
- Zoom works better from the office than from the home
And then there's office politics:
It helps to get close the flag pole if you want an opportunity for a seat at the table and a chance to be an influencer yourself. And by close, I mean: in the room, not on the screen, whenever possible.
But, if it's about a need for 'talking truth to power', person-person is the most influential way to do it. In the old days you might write a supporting memo; now: a supporting email. But never social media!
Influencer: Someone who is a respected expert; someone who is just a bit crazy and attracts attention with provocative speech or behavior; someone who can persuade others to a course of action
Of course, vacation requests and appeals for a better job or compensation all work better in person. On the other hand, we hear about people getting fired by email. Yuk! (If you are going to fire someone, go the office to do it!)
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