I do consulting with businesses and groups, both small and large.\u00a0 And a common desire with many of my clients is that they want to work better\/smarter\/faster among themselves.\u00a0 Well, there are alot of hardware and software tools out there that would purport to meet that need, but I want to float some ideas to you that don’t focus on one particular tool, but rather, focus on a mindset…. a philosophy… a ‘secret ingredient’,\u00a0 if you will indulge me with that nebulous term.\u00a0 If you embrace this ‘secret ingredient’ to true collaboration, then you’ll find the tool that best fits your situation.\u00a0 But make no mistake, finding the tool isn’t the hard part…. the hard part is embracing the philosophy.<\/p>\n
So enough of the buildup… what is the ‘secret ingredient’?\u00a0 It is a concept called “presence’.\u00a0 For those who don’t know much about that concept, let me give you some examples of its practical use.<\/p>\n
One of the things that I hate the most is voicemail.\u00a0 Google Voice<\/a> has made dealing with my voicemail a revolutionized experience, but I still hate it.\u00a0 I also hate calling someone and hearing this message, which is probably the majority of voicemail messages you hear:\u00a0 “Thanks for calling.\u00a0 I am either away from my desk or out of the office.\u00a0 Leave a message and I’ll get back with you<\/em>.”\u00a0 Ok… so which is it?\u00a0 Are you in the office, or are you not??\u00a0 I mean, if I need something today from this person, I am screwed because I have no idea if they will get it today.\u00a0 Should I leave a message?\u00a0 Should I try walking over to their office to see if they are there?\u00a0 Should I call someone else to get the answer?\u00a0 Should I call someone in the cubicle next to them and see if they are here today?\u00a0 I tell you… it’s maddening.<\/p>\n This is the type of problem that the concept of “presence” addresses.\u00a0 People who work together in a group rely on each other and typically need to communicate on some level.\u00a0 If everyone working together is in the same room and can physically see each other, then that is the most basic form of “presence”.\u00a0 You just know when someone is there, when they are free, when they are on the phone, or when they are busy.<\/p>\n It is the same situation as what I am experiencing right now sitting in my office as I type this.\u00a0 I know that I can’t roll my chair back very far because I will run into the wall.\u00a0 But the wall is behind me and I am not looking at it right now.\u00a0 So how do I know that the wall is there?<\/p>\n Presence.<\/p>\n Here is another example.\u00a0 I am a regular Facebook <\/a>and Twitter <\/a>user.\u00a0 I am ‘friends’ \/ ‘follow’ a lot of different people, many of them my personal friends.\u00a0 One of the great things about these types of social media sites is the concept of ‘presence’.\u00a0 I don’t have to communicate directly with everyone or even be geographically present with them to know what is going on with them.\u00a0 For example, I have a friend who lives in Knoxville, TN, who is getting ready to make the move with their family to Florida.\u00a0 I know how their kids are handling the upcoming move.\u00a0 I know how the sale of their house is going.\u00a0 I also know that they just found a great house in their new town.\u00a0 I haven’t actually spoken to them about any of this.\u00a0 But because I am their friend in Facebook, I have a sense of ‘presence’ about what is going on in their life.\u00a0 So if I do actually speak to them in the near future, we already have a bunch of things to talk about.<\/p>\n That’s “presence”.\u00a0 And it can empower and transform a group of people.<\/p>\n Have you wondered why Facebook has become such a huge phenomenon?\u00a0 Easy…. “presence”.\u00a0 Being able to know what is going on with others.\u00a0 Why do young people today seem to have their cellphone almost permanently attached to their arm?\u00a0 Easy… they want to know what is going on with their peers at all times… they work hard at developing and maintaining that sense of ‘presence’ with those they care about.\u00a0 This is why new social media tools like Foursquare <\/a>and Gowalla <\/a>and Google Latitude<\/a> are growing so fast… it’s all about ‘presence’.<\/p>\n So finding the right tool to give them a sense of “presence” with each other can be the key to enabling a team to work together better\/smarter\/faster.\u00a0 Here at work we are getting ready to implement the Microsoft Office Communications Server<\/a> which will enable everyone in my organization to have a better sense of ‘presence’ about where everyone else is, what they are doing, etc.\u00a0 I’ll be able to sit at my desk and know by looking at my computer screen if that person I need to speak too is on the phone, at their desk, talking with someone else, out of the office, etc.<\/p>\n So if you want to embrace this concept, where should you start?\u00a0 Well, first of all, you need to decide if your team is ready to embrace it.\u00a0 If half of your team refuses to participate in whatever tool you choose, it won’t work.\u00a0 You have to have team members who are willing to be accessible and available to each other at all times, or at least during working hours.\u00a0 This is the wall that some of my clients usually hit.\u00a0 Key individuals or sub-groups of the team aren’t willing to embrace the new philosophy or the ‘new way of doing things’ and it never gets off the ground.\u00a0 So the key is getting everyone involved and ‘on board’, then go choose your tool.<\/p>\n Whether it’s Microsoft Office Communications Server<\/a> or Yammer<\/a>, or SocialText<\/a>, or something else… the concept of “presence” can transform the way you work together.\u00a0 And perhaps finally kill those awful voicemail messages altogether!<\/p>\n Well, you gotta have a dream, right?<\/p>\n