Telecommuting: a Yes or No for you?

I remember when working from home office was becoming more and more popular. In the 90's with the rising cost of downtown real estate in Calgary, Shell Canada at the time was sending quite a few people to work from home. Excited about the prospects of a 4 step walk in the mornings with my cup of coffee down to my computer, I raced into my boss's office and cried out "Send me Home!"

His response: "When hell freezes over Dave."

Not the response I expected to hear!

He went on to say: "Dave, you give energy to this place and you get energy from this place. I like your performance. If i sent you home to four walls, a computer/phone and a dog: your performance and motivation would die."

He was right. Telecommuting can be a great solution for the right person and the right circumstance but there are a few factors that as a leader, you want to consider before making the decision to move someone to work from home.

Here are a couple:

1) Character Type: Employees whose personality is affiliative by nature may not be a good fit. I did give and get energy from the office environment. As an affiliative natured person it was a great environment to encourage my success. The more isolated environment would have quickly brought my motivation down.


2) Commute: In larger centres if someone is commuting 2 plus hours a day alone then regaining that time with family and for relaxation can give that employee increased energy and motivation for the job.

Here are links to a couple other blogs on the topic:

Blog 1

Blog 2
Contact David today to bring powerful Leadership training to your team! david@marketbeamer.com www.marketbeamer.com

A Monday Power Tip: Use Reflection to become an Effective Listener

Listening is one of those skills you can never be too good at.

If I asked each of you to quantify the cost that miscommunications drive in your company I know I would get back some very large numbers!

You can start an effective listening revolution in your company. Follow the link below to a short clip on Youtube of me presenting in Missouri for Rockhurst University around the power of reflection in helping you listen for understanding and all the benefits that brings with it. Listening Skills are a big part of the two day Leadership Boot Camps I run for First Time Managers looking for a Great Start and/or Experienced Managers looking for a Fresh Start.

Click Here for a 3 minute training clip on Effective Listening

David Benjatschek is a professional speaker/workshop facilitator in the areas of Leadership & Communication. He brings powerful training workshops to companies that set up New Managers/Supervisors for a Great Start and helps experienced Managers/Supervisors get a Fresh Start.
Contact David more info: web - www.marketbeamer.com or email: david@marketbeamer.com

2011: The Year of Choice

This is your opportunity to make 2011 the Year of Choice.

One principle I've learnt over the years is this:

EVERYTHING in life will be managed.

If I don't manage something then there are hundreds & thousands of people/things that will manage it for me.

If I don't cut my lawn , the City of Calgary will eventually cut it for me (at the small fee of $250)

If I don't manage my budget, my bank will offer to "tide me over" with the credit card they sent me. (at 28 percent interest)

If I don't manage the use of my time, the great news is there are a multitude of people out there who will. (I'll meet their goals, not necessarily mine)



The lesson is that many of us are paying a heavy emotional & financial price for not addressing the choices we need to make in life.

The beginning of a New Year represents an awesome opportunity to starting making choices in those areas of our job/life that remain unresolved. It is our chance to manage something positively before it will be managed by someone else at a high cost.

From a leadership perspective I've narrowed it down to 5 choices we all need to make to become effective leaders. Stay tuned for much more information on my book "A Game of Choice: 5 Choices to Effective Leadership" and the workshop that follows.

Happy New Year! I wish all of you every success in 2011.

Some Workshop Reviews from my recent Jasper Workshops:

"Very Informative Course filled with good help suggestions to aid supervisors to improve overall productivity & staff relations. Honest. Passionate. Very Encouraging!"

"I leave with a very positive outlook on the changes I can/will implement at my workplace from this course. Changes in me that will make a huge difference to my team."

If you have any questions about bringing powerful training to your team in 2011, call me at (403) 874-1044 or email me at david@marketbeamer.com.

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