THE IMPORTANCE OF FACE TIME

Thursday, April 29, 2010

THE IMPORTANCE OF FACE TIME

Wandering without an office

Jason Calacanis wrote a great lesson for startup employees that has me thinking about our organization at a time of geographic disruption.

One week ago, we had to vacate our office. For the past week, we’ve been homeless while we negotiate our new lease in the Flatiron District. As a result, my colleagues and I have been shuffling between my apartment, the Ace Hotel (kind of a cliche), other homes and an assortment of coffee establishments. BTW, we’re probably another week or two from moving in so if you have any ideas in manhattan that we could crash at let my main guy Matt Lehrer know.

This first week has been just ok. At one level, the quiet makes me feel immensely more productive. It’s probably no accident that this geographical dissonance has led to some new blog entries. I feel the productivity of less distraction. On the other hand, I miss the continuity and camaraderie established by physical space.

This liminal period raised my awareness of the my distance from our Israeli team. I’ve struggled to get there this spring for some personal reasons and I can feel less of a connection.

I had such a great call with them today, but you just don’t get the spontaneity with the time difference and we only share 4 of the 5 work days together. The overseas relationships need structured management proceseses and that means adhering to a consistent schedule. That doesn’t jive with a startup that is opportunistic about meetings, traveling a lot, and trying to be very open to partner schedules.

Obviously, in this modern, global economy. People are going to work all over the world in different environments. Some work is better completed on Amtrak or my living room sofa than in my office. I feel deeply liberated and grateful for the digital productivity tools from email to mifi.

However, Our community should not underestimate how important human connections and face time can be. People are more likely to find meaning in their work if they treasure the relationships they form inside a company. Happy people and employees generally emphasize the people they work with more than the money they make or the work they do.

Ask yourself how many of your friends say, “I love my job because I make so much money.” How many investment bankers give up because the work is boring or the people are unpleasant? How many waiters and retail salespeople quit for the same reasons? Money is why you accept. People are why you stay.

In this sense, our corporate well-being and my own personal happiness could correlate with signing a lease. Who knew real estate brokers and therapists had so much in common?