Work from anywhere...?

A couple of months ago I was feeling really stuck. Months and months of lock down had left me confined to my home office and unable to meet with my partners or my customers. On a personal level it had also prevented me from taking my family out to all the things we love. The gym, family vacation, The Perot Museum, The Zoo, Mena’s Tex Mex, etc., etc.  Life as we know it had come to a halt and it stayed there, stuck. I was determined to shake off that feeling of being stuck, so I decided to take action and I invited people to follow along on my journey to see what it would be like to just go...  To unshackle the work from home chains and hit the road. What I have found is that whether you can or can’t "work from anywhere", it won’t be the technology that prevents it.  

Before we get into the “can you” conversation, I think it is important to point out what I would suggest is the more interesting question. Should you go remote? We live in an achiever society where “getting it done” gets the glory so there are no doubt thousands of quotes readily available about how you can do anything you put your mind to. I am going to agree with that but also suggest that jumping straight to action might not serve us well. 

A prudent question is one-half of wisdom – Francis Bacon

 I think most people could agree that with a big enough “why” there is almost no “what” or “how” that cannot be accomplished.  In my case, Covid-19 had locked me down and I felt stuck. But even without something like Covid we can all feel “stuck” one way or another. Maybe you want to live out in the country. Maybe you love the mountains. Maybe you want to live closer to loved ones. Maybe it’s the beach. The list goes on and on but “Quality of Life” seems to be an idea that encapsulates a lot of our “why” questions. How can I be closest to the people, places, and things that fill me up and make me happy?  My “why” in this instance was twofold.  To break free from the home office for my own sanity and to show people that you don’t have to be stuck. That you can do whatever you want so long as you actually DO IT.  As you think through whether or not you can work from anywhere, I encourage you to ask yourself if you should. If the answer is "yes", then think big and GO FOR IT. As I mentioned already... it won’t be the technology that prevents you from living your best life.  

Can you work from anywhere?  Assuming you don’t need to be live with your team or your customers with consistent high frequency, then yes, you can work from anywhere. There are very few places where the lack of available technology would prevent you from working from wherever you want.  I met a really nice family in Jackson WY while our kids and their kids were becoming “best friends” at a park.  Long story short is that while we had been on the road for a couple weeks, they were entering into their 8th week on the road.  I’m going to miss the exact quote, but it was something like this. “My boss said he doesn’t care where I am, so long as I am logged in when I am supposed to be.”  There were several similar conversations with other people throughout the trip.  From the Rocky Mountains to Yellowstone, to the head waters of the Mississippi, I and many others could log in and be online just about everywhere. There were of course some technical challenges but nothing that I could not work around or work through. If anyone wants to get into the weeds on my technical experience, I’m happy to have those conversations.  That said, my biggest take away was not some revelation about the capabilities of remote work. What I did come to realize is that not everyone should be remote. With today’s technology everyone could leave the office and never go back, but if doing so has a negative impact on the macro results, then it is no longer a question of “could”. The better question is “should” we go remote.

So… should you?  This answer will be different for everyone, but I will share some thoughts from my position. For those who know me, or know the industry that I’m in, then you know that a HUGE part of what we do is relationship based.  I know most people say that about their work, and maybe it’s true, but Technology Channel Sales is at the top of the list, if not THE top of the list, in this category.  Personally, I don’t know that I could work from anywhere as a normal practice, not without making some big changes. I’ve never been that guy who calls “just to check in" or “just to make sure your thinking about us”.  I crave the social interaction. I want to see you. I want to build a relationship. I want to DO SOMETHING with you. Golf, Target Practice, Table Tennis, Fishing, Go Karts, Wine Tasting, I really don’t care what it is as long as there is an EXPERIENCE to have together. I want to share some spicy hot wings, or eat some delectable sashimi. I want to raise a glass and make a toast. I want to make a memory. Maybe this is a “me” thing, but I tend to think that we are all happier and more fulfilled when we are connecting with others in person. This is hard to do when you are working remote.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVED this trip. Going remote was awesome. Adventure, open road, the truly awe-inspiring landscapes… it was amazing, and it filled me up. After spending just shy of a month packed into an RV, it also gave me a new appreciation for what I have.  A tangible sense of gratitude when I walked into my house for the first time since having left it in the rear view. I just can’t see it being a full-time thing for me, or anyone who professionally thrives on relationships. What I can say after all of this is that getting out of your routine is crucial. Getting a fresh perspective on what or who is important to you can be incredibly energizing and not doing so on a regular basis is a disservice to ourselves.  Beautiful things are inspired by beautiful places, so too then will beautiful work be inspired by beautiful adventures. Tony Robbins has said that success is doing what you want, when you want, where you want, with whom you want, as much as you want. Such a good reminder for me and for all of us who are chasing after success. If where we are isn’t where we want to be, it doesn’t matter how much money we make or what title we have, we're not really successful. If what we are doing doesn’t make us happy… if we don’t get to spend time with the ones we love… if we are a slave to the clock… if we only get little bits and pieces of fun when we can squeeze it into our busy work schedules… maybe it’s time to redefine what success means to us.

Working from anywhere is absolutely possible. How to maintain relationships, or build new ones, remotely is a whole different conversation. Further, how to build, maintain, or grow culture in a remote work environment is another conversation that will be at the forefront for the foreseeable future.  I don’t have all the answers, but I have tons of questions.  What I do know is this… You must choose the life you live. You must show up for your own life. If you feel stuck, do something about it. If you think the tech is the long pole in the tent, call me and we can solve that part together.

Special shout out to my amazing wife Suzanne Hammer for supporting my crazy ideas and to BigLeaf Networks for the tech that really made it possible.