Coloring outside the lines of entrepreneurship, tech, and social impact
A more productive and engaged version of you.
While exchanging emails with Adam Walker, a fellow Atlanta entrepreneur and friend, I noticed a message on the footer of his emails.
Adam’s message circa 2017:
Having batched email communication for years, this seemed like a thoughtful solution to the fervent-mailers who expect a reply within hours or minutes. If nothing else, it properly sets expectations and outlines personal rules of engagement.
New Story is giving away our donation software to a few nonprofits. It’s FREE. No contracts, no annual commitments, and no string attached. It’s brand new and within a few weeks has helped us raise over $500k. We’re keeping a copy of the code and handing a version to others.
• No, there aren’t subscription costs.
• No, there are no transaction costs.
• No, you don’t owe us development fees.
• Yes, you’ll really own the code.
• Yes, it’s SLICK!
• Yes, it’s actually FREE!
Checkout the flow (and maybe support some local families while you’re at it): https://donate.newstorycharity.org/
We are not charging for software development costs OR the costs of configuring for selected organizations. Organizations will be responsible of covering third-party costs associated with CRM, email marketing providers, hosting, etc.
There is plenty of flexibility here to reduce costs but New Story spends around $100/m for these associated expenses. We’ve found the value to greatly exceed the costs.
If you, or someone you know is interested, I’d love to hear from you. Complete the form and a member of our team will be in touch soon:
Working from home provides tremendous flexibility. Unfortunately, it also begins to blur the lines between areas of life that were once separate. Because you’re working and living from the same space, it can feel like one flows seamlessly into the other. This can lead to depriving yourself of a true rest and separation from ‘always being on’.
I’ve found a few rituals to be specially useful in signaling to your mind that it’s time to switch gears. These work for me, but I’d love to hear other suggestions.
When most interaction involves being on-screen, it’s tempting to only ‘prepare’ for what people see (ie nice shirt and jacket, no pants). Changing into a complete outfit for work (shoes too) and changing out of it when you’re done is powerful. It signals to your body/mind whether it’s go-time or not. Our physical world often drives our mental state. The ceremony behind ‘getting ready for work’ is about way more than how you look.
Literally exit work programs on your computer (command + q on a mac). Because computers get used for work and recreation, you need to remove programs from sight.
Slack, email, calendar, asana, text editor (for software engineers), and more. Exit the program.
If you use Chrome, use the ‘people’ function. Most people don’t notice it along the top menu. This allows you to isolate work and personal sessions and web history. Not only is it a great privacy feature, it’ll be especially useful if you’re a ‘tab-junky’.
Remove email, slack, and other work related apps from your phone completely. You run the risk of being too digitally connected, not disconnected.
While you are at it, you can delete social media apps too. It probably won’t help transition away from work but could address anxiety issues or wasted time.
Schedule an alarm to start and end your day (and probably one for waking up, if that’s not typically your speed). Evergreen alarms are a great tool during normal work situation but especially when working from home. You set it, and forget it.
Load and unload your work equipment. Having kids is a great forcing function for this (but your don’t need to endure that amount of pain, frustration, and financial burden to gain these benefits).
Churches and Congregations are essentially event-based organizations. Many of these groups are likely experiencing availability due to events while also struggling to keep up with the needs in their community. Their day to day work looks drastically different.
I put together ideas for inspiration for churches and congregations. Hopefully it prompts some outside-the-box thinking and provides new ways to stay inspired.
Local business is hit hardest during economic downturn. Combined with social distancing, gyms and personal trainers are especially impacted. As members consider cancelling, it’s important that these groups get creative about driving attention and sales to their business by providing unique value to their members. I’ve put together ideas for inspiration for gyms and personal trainers. It’s not much, but hopefully it prompts some level of outside-the-box thinking.
Local business is hit hardest during economic downturn. Restaurants have a unique opportunity to get creative about driving attention and sales to their business. I’ve put together ideas for inspiration for Local Restaurants. It’s not much, but hopefully it prompts creativity.
Meetings can be an important part of work life. They bring people together. At their best, they facilitate meaningful interactions and fuel progress. The time and energy invests produces outsized returns.
Advocating for better meetings, the Meeting Manifesto serves as a litmus test. A few critical elements shape an effective meeting. By communicating and championing each expectation, meetings will improve.
Simplicity is not the absence of clutter, it’s the presence of only what (or who) is essential.
Was everyone present and ready to begin?
It’s not just about the clock or the people, it’s about preparedness. Attendees should be present and ready to begin. Starting a meeting at the agreed upon time shows respect for others’ time and primes attendees to take the meeting more seriously.
Starting late eliminates time for rapport building and can produces a feeling of hurry. Also, meetings that start late typically end late too.
Was everything resolved before the scheduled end-time?
Much like starting on time, ending a meeting on time (or early) is a sign of respect for everyone involved. Meetings that end late create new problems for each attendee. They risk being late to their next meeting, cutting into planned activities, or jeopardize their other commitments.
Honoring the end-time is also a healthy constraint that ensures the intended purpose is accomplished. Electing a timekeeper is a great way to stay on track and finishing on time.
Was the meeting schedule last minute or ‘day of’?
When meetings are scheduled far enough in advance, it’s more reasonable to assume that team members have considered if the meeting is necessary. They at least had the opportunity to plan their day around the meeting.
Last minute meetings disrupt schedules. By definition, they are reactionary and allow less time for attendees to come prepared.
A surplus of meetings scheduled last minute can cause a feel of “where did my day go?!” among team members. While everyone has the same number of hours in a day, I’d bet on the one with time to prepare.
What does success look like?
We’ve all been in meetings at seem to go nowhere. Undefined discussion or talking in circles. A clear agenda outlines the items to be discussed, the decisions to make, and a clear picture of success when the meeting is complete.
Using the ‘notes’ or ‘description’ section of a Calendar invite is a helpful way to distribute the agenda. Also, kicking off meetings with a brief review of the agenda is a great ritual that signals a meetings start. If the agenda takes more than 30 seconds to review, there is a chance you’re in for a long meeting or success isn’t well articulated.
Requiring an agenda is also a forcing function to ask, “Who is owning and running the meeting?” Having a clear owner empowers team members and increases focus.
Was the conversation moving forward and in the right direction?
Focused meetings reduce circular conversations or detours. Focus helps all attendees stay engaged and makes sure the agenda is accomplished in the time allocated.
Running over the scheduled time, needing to book an additional meeting, or not accomplishing the purpose are all symptoms of a poorly focused meeting.
Could the meeting have just been an email?
Meetings are great for activities that involve collaboration and creativity. They’re an opportunity to connect and interact. When meetings become status updates or one way knowledge transfer, they can feel unnecessary and wasteful.
The most common symptom of an unnecessary meeting is when one person does most of the talking or when attendees drift off into other activities without the distraction being noticed.
Is everyone in attendance necessary for success?
Simplicity is not the absence of clutter, it’s the presence of only what (or who) is essential. Keeping the number of attendees low ensures everyone has time and insight to make a valuable contribution.
Inviting too many people dampens discussion and risks people disconnecting. More often than not, the most generous act is excusing someone, or excusing yourself, when it becomes clear there time is better spent elsewhere.
Was the conferencing tool or other technology working like expected?
Technology should improve effectiveness. Unfortunately, situations arise where it becomes a frustration or a distraction. Investing more time earlier ensures the right tools are used and the barriers are reduced.
Time is wasted when slideshows won’t load, conferencing tools are glitchy, or “we don’t have a dongle for that computer”. When not promptly addressed, frustration begins to surface. Establishing organizational norms or enforcing preferred products can alleviate perpetual tensions.
Meetings are a tool. They are not the point. When meetings are thoughtfully constructed and consistently improved, organizations grow and thrive. These should accelerate our work, not impede it. Meetings conducted well leave attendees and team members feeling efficient, respected, and valued.
They might be inevitable, but they don’t have to be a source of tension. To help teams and leaders increase their awareness about meetings, we’ve built a simple tool to measure and improve meetings.
Meetings are expensive. With a greater emphasis on remote work, it’ll only become more important to save time and money while increasing results.
As times get hard, businesses need to get creative about driving attention and sales to their business. I’ve put together ideas for inspiration for Coffee Companies. It’s not much, but hopefully it prompts creativity.
There is no shortage of information about company culture. In practice however, there are few actionable resources that make an impact.
Surveying the team regularly helps determine what is working and what should improve. This survey is long and is probably most appropriate for annual reflections. A more frequent survey could be shorter and lean on questions that assess the current focus.
Keep in mind, it makes sense to add questions that assess the companies alignment with its values.
Enjoy.
I make meaningful progress every day.
I have opportunities to learn and grow.
I have a close friend at work.
My manager seems to care about me as a person.
What (if any) blocker(s) hold you back from ASKING for more feedback?
What (if any) blocker(s) hold you back from SHARING more feedback?
How would you score mastery in your role?
Mastery is the honing/sharpening of your craft and skills. More here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt5FKxwurjA
How would you score our Monday team meetings this quarter?
How could we improve our team meetings to score an A+?
How many 2 to 4 hour chunks of uninterrupted time do you have in an average week?
Are you feeling anxious about anything?
How would you score our cross-departmental communication this year?
How could we improve the score to an A+?
Overall as a team…
Our projects and docs for work feel…
If you could wave a magic wand and could change how we work as a company, what would you change?
What is your biggest concern about the organization this year?
What would you like to see the Executive team do better?
The executive team takes my opinions and feedback seriously.
Is there any kind of leadership style modeled at our organization that has a negative effect on the team?
I believe my compensation is fair relative to similar roles at other similar-sized organizations.
What is the most valuable thing our organization does to show you value as a team member?
What do you enjoy most about working here?
Does anything prevent you from doing your best work here?
If so, what could we do to address that?
What is one thing we could improve to build a better workplace?
Who else do we need on the team to build a world-class organization?
Hypothetically, if you were to leave our organization for one reason, what would that be?
What actions could we take to make you excited to work here for the next 5-10 years?
How would you rate our company culture?
On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend our organization to a friend?
Product Hunt is a great resource for previewing what’s new in tech. Every day, dozens of apps are added or launch for the first time. I’ve pulled a list of the remote resources from the last few weeks.
Getting up to speed with remote work? We’ve gathered our best learnings, tips, tools, and templates gleaned from years of collaborating across multiple hubs. Good for managers and employees alike!10+ chapters in total (navigate using the TOC on the left)
A super huge collection of some of the best tips/hacks, resources and best practices shared by pro #WFH workers around the Internet 💻
Remote Makers is an online magazine where you will find awe-inspiring interviews with people working remotely. Our mission is to inspire and help those who want a similar lifestyle and career.
With Stories you can trains skills crucial for remote work. Remarkable features are: courses with an adaptable learning path and lessons in a short-story format; student motivation is based on gaming practices; a payout program with a referral bonus up to 30%.
Mindwave for Teams is a shared journal solution for accountability buddies who want to learn from the past, be present and improve the future together.
Working at home can be lonely and isolating these days.Meet smart like-minded relevant people over a virtual lunch and grow.It’s like a chat-roulette, but with verified people to grow your network and make meaningful connections over lunch.
A healthy work lifestyle is ignored by so many, especially if you are a remote worker or a digital nomad. We have picked & reviewed 118 apps across 16 categories to help you achieve work-life balance when working remotely. Go Remote. Work Healthy. Stay Well.
A free collection of resources to help you not just survive, but thrive as a remote sales team during this time of uncertainty. Get tips on how to sell during a crisis, how to lead a remote team effectively, tools and apps to use, and ways to your team during the coronavirus outbreak.
WFH? Donut makes it easy to build trust and relationships for remote teams. Launch virtual coffees or lunches, encourage peers to meet for learning opportunities, and build important networks for new hires—all right in Slack.
Questions about remote work? We’ve curated knowledge from the remote community to give you actionable answers to use right now. Content is sourced from key thought leaders, Arc’s 12,000+ remote developers, trending Twitter threads, and top-cited articles.
Company culture is a top focus at New Story. As a distributed team, we’ve had to get creative with ways to enrich company culture while team members aren’t in the same office.
I’ve pulled together a list of the most effective, actionable steps we’ve taken.
A weekly, 45 minute video call via Zoom.
The entire team joins a Zoom call and gets on the same page. The agenda is always evolving to accommodate shifting needs and priorities, but alignment and excitement is the goal.getting on the same page. One department shares an update each week. Celebration moments from last week are shared. Important highlights are shared for the week ahead.
A weekly, 30 minute call Friday afternoons.
The entire team joins on Zoom. Each person takes 20-30 seconds to publicly shoutout another team members they saw living-out a company value that week. This is an energy-fueled sendoff for the weekend and reinforces company values.
Disclaimer: If company values aren’t already defined and discussed, this will land flat. Start there.
A Slack channel named #values
The Values Channel is similar to Friday’s call but available throughout the week. Team members write-up brief shoutout and encouragement, framed by company values.
Important Note: Founders and leadership team member will have to lead by example to start but great once the ball is rolling. It’s worth the effort. Repeating the disclaimer here, if company values aren’t already defined and discussed, this will land flat. Start there.
10 minute video calls throughout the week, randomly assigned.
The Hang-10 is designed to be quick, pointed interactions with team members you might not typically interact with. We keep it casual and push to limit the time to 10 minutes. This forces people to jump right into catching up and removes the social pressure of ‘how to conclude politely’.
Slack (or whatever messaging tool your company uses) channels are cheap.
It’s helpful to push for clear, not clever names for channels. It should be obvious why that channel exists and it’s purpose protected.
Recently, we underwent an audit for a department. We standardized the name of each channel, actually wrote a description (‘purpose’), and communicated an owner for each.
More public Slack channels.
Over the years we have pushed the team to converse in public channels, reserving DMs for personal use. This provides a contextualized track record of the conversation. It also exists in a space that’s easier to invite others into the conversation and help them catchup.
Working in Public also allows managers to oversee progress without micro-managing.
There are gestures and inside jokes in every culture. We create custom emojis in slack so people can use to react to posts.
For example: In the tech community, there is a popular emoji called ‘Party Parrot‘. A few team members got together and created a version of the party parrot for each tech team member. These pop up regularly.
Zapier is a great tool for connecting tools. We’ve built a lot of integrations with Slack.
Pushing company activity into Slack shows the typically unseen moment across the organization. I prefer to have separate channels (and often mute them) to not clutter common feeds, but it equates to ‘office buzz’. A digital format is healthy, especially when people are hard at work. It also invites opportunities to shoutout team members.
For example:
When the deal is marked closed/won in HubSpot, it alerts our sales channel.
When code gets merged to master, it alerts our tech team.
When a contracts get signed, it alerts our operations team.
Highlighting wins is essential for a healthy company culture. Why not simplify the prompt to celebrate.
Every Monday, the team drops in their #1 focus for the week. People can react celebrate or ask questions. It’s simple and quick, but is a forcing function to be intentional, keeps others informed, and invites others to cheer you on your offer support.