At the company, I founded and managed as CEO for 20 years, we used, and perhaps coined, the phrase \u201cWorking naked\u201d. It was an amalgamation of our values statement which focuses on individual freedom and responsibility along with our unique work-life experience which included<\/p>\n
Our value statement is at the bottom but the 6 key points are as follows<\/p>\n
These values accentuate independence, initiative and freedom \u2026 ala working naked<\/p>\n
Freedom is just a word unless you back it up with how you treat people in the work place<\/p>\n
There is no true freedom if<\/p>\n
Instead offer \u2026<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not that hard to implement and it will be the single, biggest and most impactful thing you do for work place morale, motivation and productivity. Here are 3 simple steps<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t know how to manage remote workers effectively, you will need to learn. Enterprise SCRUM and other AGILE approaches will help you<\/p>\n
I was working as a consultant at Bank Boston in the late 90\u2019s. During my tenure, Bank Boston was acquired by Fleet and they began laying everyone off. Despite my temporary work status I was the single remaining person on the floor on my last day. They had cut the air conditioning, earlier in the week, and it was quite hot. I remember saying, \u201cHell, I could work naked and nobody would even know!\u201d. Whether I ever acted on that impulse or not will not be disclosed lest I be accused of over-sharing \u2026\u00a0 but I thought to myself, \u201cWow, wouldn\u2019t it be cool if I could be at a job where I COULD?\u201d. Thus, the seed of this concept was planted in my head<\/p>\n
I had already created some software, that in its nascent form, would go on to become some of the first ApexSQL tools. I still had 3 years left of consulting, though, before I would create my company and give myself, and later my team, the work-life freedoms that I had dreamed of in that hot, empty floor in a downtown Boston skyscraper.<\/p>\n
Many and soon most companies will offer these same benefits. If you don\u2019t work for one, quit and go work for the ones who do.<\/p>\n
If you are reading this from Serbia, apply for a job at ApexSQL\/Quest. These freedoms are still being offered and in some ways, even accentuated. For example, they purchased everyone a top of the line, Dell laptop to allow people to work anywhere they want<\/em>. Vrlo dobro!<\/p>\n We are all knowledge workers. Our primary tool is our brain and the power of our thought drives our actions and produces results. Don\u2019t look to \u201cbosses\u201d to think for you; think for yourself; think outside of the box to achieve the best results. Think critically, objectively and with full information before you answer, act or deliver. Lack of thinking blinds us to obvious problems. Critical thought allows us to bake elegance and simplicity into everything we do<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n We are all leaders of the company, of our team, of ourselves and of our tasks. Proactively identify problems and solve them. Don\u2019t ask questions but make recommendations. Perform duties with minimal supervision. Don\u2019t just worry about issues or ignore them, but express your concern through direct action. Ensure you are aligned with goals of the company and your team at all times and your actions promote tangible and measurable progress towards those goals<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Professional development is a cornerstone to our success. Constantly work to increase your knowledge, skills and efficiency. Don\u2019t wait to be told to learn or grow; make it a daily habit. Don\u2019t seek to learn by asking questions. Become an expert in your competency and share with others; add value to our processes and organization via actionable, well researched, and informed recommendations<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Recognize that empathy and a desire to serve are the foundations for a stellar customer experience. Proactively engage your customers to seek their feedback, take personal ownership of their issues and dedicate yourself to making sure it is resolved. Treat everyone as a customer, internal or external, and make responsiveness part of your personal brand. Build effective working relationships with a focus on being positive, informative, actionable, and helpful. Prioritize team success over personal achievement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Communicate widely and effectively to the team, customers and community; educate your customers, peers and product owners. Volunteer self-criticism for failures proactively and be thankful for feedback, positive or negative. Mentor, advise and help others as they seek to grow and develop. Project value beyond your personal contribution by empowering others with your knowledge and experience<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/h3>\n
Working naked values statement<\/h3>\n