Growing Remote...

Here is the story of a child discovering IT and developing into a fully-remote enabled grown curious child ;)

1981 – I’m 4yo, my father buy an IBM PC for the factory, and let me touch the keyboard when it’s shut (I still use daily that very keyboard on my workstation ...) – I dream to be able to use it !

1986 – I learn BASIC on an Olivetti M28 – my first remote connection, I send data over a 30m serial cable to a CNC machine on the factory floor. WoW , remote programming!

1991 – I’m 14yo, I buy a 2400bps modem, my first BBS connection: chats, file exchanges, fidonet messages. I can converse with people on the other side of the country

1994 – I’m 17yo, I now help small businesses with their PC problems. I get contracted to remotely manage an LED-based Advertising Bill Board, it has a PC and I can connect to remotely manage and download/program new ads. I feel powerful to be able to control something that is far away and under the rain.

1996 – I’m 19yo, I work part-time for a computer shop, a customer buys a PCMCIA GSM modem 9600bps, it’s a cash-management security company and they want to use it to connect to their internal CCTV to remotely observe employee in the money-management room. Remote video 320x200pixel – that’s quite a project.

1999 – I’m 21yo, I move to France – remote managing my parents’ PCs. My job is now Help Desk Technician for a large OEM on Enterprise-grade products. I get to fix computers over the phone, people on the other side of the phone become my eyes and hands.

2000 – The Millennium Bug is just passed, a new service is launched for out of hours support. I become the first to “man” the service from home. My first foray in “Flexible Work Solutions” , I perform helpdesk support from an evening beach party for an Italian bank with a failed hard drive.

2002 – I’m now technical trainer/coach – I sign for an experimental “flexible work” contract, can now decide 1 day a week to work from home …

2005 – I’m the training/coaching manager – My entire team (5 trainers + 16 coaches) goes “flexible work”, they don’t have any more desk, can work from home as they need. I ramp my remote manager skills. A lot of WebEx, Conference Call bridges and Mobile Phones usage

2006 - I meet my future wife on the web on a dating site, she is Belorussian, I'm Italian, she is in Paris, I'm in Montpellier, we speak English. Could not have been otherwise.

2007 – I’m now regional training/coaching manager – We have migrated a number of training classes to be webinars – we scale our training team working across sites and driving up efficiencies. We introduce Questionmark-based assessment to manage remotely workforce skill levels & certifications. We move to Skype, New BT conference bridges and messenger chats

2009 – I’m now product manager/business development manager – my team and my direct reports are spread across the world. I am the only one in France for my organization. Work from home most time, go to the office (30Km from where I live) once every 3 months at best. I start a new team of senior program/product managers … We celebrate Christmas with a?VIRTUAL PARTY via Lync Video Conferencing, it’s a real “aha moment”

2010 – My daughter is 3 years old. I’m returning from 2 weeks in India for a business trip. We regularly skype. I open the house door, she is in front of me – has a puzzled face, turn toward the kitchen table where the notebook with webcam is, then turn to me again, and ask “How did you come from there here so quickly ?” … I understand the new generation will have a different perception of “face to face”

2012 – I decide to enrol in Executive MBA at HEC. It’s a part-time program, loads of elearnings and a team project with alumni across the world … I realize my remote management skills are special, I am as efficient in person than remotely.

The rest, as they say, is history ...

Webex, TeamViewer, VNC, skype, Lync, Zoom, Teams you name it , I’ve used any and every tool over the last 30 years of growing remote.

It’s not the tool that creates effectiveness, it’s attitude and skills – we are not born remote communicators, we become remote social beings.

I see what is happening these days, and while on one side I enjoy seeing many more discover the benefits and quality of flexible work solutions, and remote communication tools – on the other end I realize it’s an unnatural process, it took me many years to master it, not a few day sprints.

But it's so worth it.

and my phone ringtone reminds me daily Pshhhkkkkkkrrrr kakingkakingkakingtsh chchchchchchchcch *ding*ding*ding*

(USR 56K handshaking)