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August 12, 2009

We're lucky at Hammock Inc. We're surrounded by colleagues who are creative, supportive and -- though it may sound cliche' -- very much like family. So when I saw this article about coworker complaints in the Phoenix Business Journal this morning, I just had to laugh.

CareerBuilder released the highlights of a recent survey of more than 2,600 hiring managers, and it included some very interesting complaints. My personal favorites:

• Employee has big hair
• Employee is so polite, it's infuriating
• Employee eats all the good cookies

It's nice to work with a team that shares our cookies. And I don't think anyone here is a pimp.

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July 21, 2009

I'd love to go into the office this afternoon, but it's 1,000 miles away. I try get to Nashville a few times a year and do actually work in the office with my colleagues, but the rest of the time I'm working remotely -- alone -- in Austin, Texas.

But don't believe for a second that being out of sight means that I'm out of mind. Nor does it mean that the rest of the Hammock team isn't on my radar.

Hammock is a big believer in embracing the technology and tools that bring people together, so on a daily basis we use an arsenal of those tools to stay connected across the miles. Some employers might wince at the idea of opening networks -- and thus the lines of communication -- to such ideas. But I for one can tell you that doing so is a must if you want to cultivate the relationships you have with remote employees.

Here are just a few of the things that make me feel like I'm right there in the office with the rest of the team every day:

• The phone. (Of course.) Every Monday morning the Hammock staff gets together in the conference room to go over production deadlines for the week, project updates, who'll be out of the office, and what movie recommendations we have from the weekend. My phone rings around 9:30 so that I can join in on the conversation. I'm also able to follow along on the agenda and see any Web page that they may open by tapping into screen-sharing between here and there.
• Instant messaging. Everyone at Hammock is on iChat. If I have a grammar quandary to debate with Emily or a headline-writing question for Bill, IMing them to chat for a moment is a perfect option. It's faster than email, it's a real-time conversation, and it keeps me connected to all of them as individuals.
• Yammer. We use Yammer internally like a private Twitter or a group iChat. Again, it's real-time, can be used between any number of employees at one company, and we can create and join different groups for specific projects so that chatter about one project doesn't become noise to someone not involved in it.
• Flickr. Although we have a group presence on Flickr, many of us also have personal photostreams. While that may not sound like it keeps us connected and productive for work, it does help me to feel personally tied to my coworkers. I learn things through Flickr that I simply don't learn during our Monday-morning phone calls: the crazy antics of Megan's cats, how many tomatoes have been harvested in Rex's backyard and what Ben wore to a recent concert.
• Google Docs. In a word: fabulous. Google Docs allows us to all work from one document -- and we can all view it at the same time -- without emailing it back and forth and wondering who has the latest and greatest version. From text documents to spreadsheets to website wireframes, Google Docs allows us to all stay on the same page.
• Twitter. Ahh, Twitter. It's entertaining. It's silly. It's helpful. And it's a great tool for helping me feel connected across the miles. From finding sources for stories to taking quick polls to sharing ideas, we use Twitter for a variety of reasons. But for me personally, it's just one more way that I can stay connected to coworkers in Nashville.

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May 11, 2009

How We Collaborate Through Brainstorming

I don't play an instrument. I sing, but only in the shower. I've never really had any musical ability at all. So when I got the opportunity Thursday to sit in on a recording session with a singer/songwriter friend, I jumped on the chance to see true talent in such a raw form. Little did I know I would be able to apply what I saw to my own work.

There were six musicians in the studio that day: Robyn and her acoustic guitar, and a drummer, pianist, bass player and two electric guitarists. Robyn had a song in her mind complete with the verses, chorus and her acoustic take on it. It was lyrically complete. She played it for the five other musicians in the room who had never heard it before, and the magic started to happen.

All of their heads started moving to the beat. The drummer started softly tapping the high hat to try to find a groove. The pianist added a very 1970s-feel tickle of the ivories. And the two guys with the electric guitars whispered a bit before adding some riffs into the background. Not everything they tried worked, but they kept on trying and offering their musical input until a magical thing happened. Within an hour, the record button was on and the full track was being laid down.

So, what did I learn from their musical collaboration that I can apply to my work here at Hammock?

1. No matter how small or fresh an idea is, getting others to offer their input will allow an idea to grow and blossom.
2. I'm surrounded by smart and talented people who are more than happy to offer their thoughts. We should always allow each other to share our strengths and talents, knowing that something amazing will always result.
3. We all dance to a different beat -- writers, editors and designers -- and we all want our ideas to be heard. Even if my ideas aren't chosen, somewhere along the way we always find an idea that we can all agree on and work on together.
4. No one "wins" or "loses" when brainstorming great ideas for a magazine feature or online article. If my idea gets tweaked or if it spurs someone else to think of an even greater idea, we all win!

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April 14, 2009

Despite the fact that she's 900 miles away, I work closest with Conversational Media Director (and talented photographer) Summer Huggins. Thanks to IM, it's like she's at the desk right beside me! (Except she can't chide me for eating candy all day.) I caught up with Summer to ask her a few questions about a typical day for her, and have to admit working from home sounds like a sweet gig. Even if she does still have to get out of bed in the morning.

What's your favorite non-electric tool you use for work?
It has to be my FranklinCovey day planner. I've relied on it for several years now. If it's not written in there, it just isn't going to happen! Also, purchasing my inserts for the following year is always a scheduled shopping trip I make during a visit to Nashville. I know I can buy them online, but doing it just down the street from the office feels so official to me.

Which meal fuels you better for the day: Breakfast or lunch?
I eat all day long. All day long. I'm a grazer. But I have to say, without that kick-start from breakfast, I'm a shaking, drowsy mess. So breakfast definitely gets me ready to work (and snack) for the rest of the day.

How do you refocus if you're having trouble concentrating or getting the creativity flowing?
A couple of things actually: 30 seconds on the back porch to take in some sun and fresh air does wonders for my brain. And a quick IM session with a coworker will get the creative juices flowing again. Chatting with someone energizes me and helps me to brainstorm and move forward.

What's your favorite on-the-job responsibility?
Oh, that's a tough one. I think it's a tie really: I really love getting to talk with client contacts all over the country. And when I say all over the country, I mean I have someone in all 50 states on my speed dial. It's really cool to talk to someone in Florida, Hawaii and Iowa all in one day. That and the freedom we have with new and social media. It's great to get to dive into the deep end of the Internet and social media pool to soak up and learn all that I can, and then get to share those lessons and our expertise with clients.

What do you like best about working from home? What do you like the least?
Best? The productivity. Without the distractions of people in and out of my office, fire drills and the noise of printers going crazy, I get to buckle down and work. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. I've heard from many people that they just wouldn't be able to concentrate and be productive. For me, a quiet home office is the perfect place for getting projects knocked out.

Least? I miss my coworkers! Working from home, I don't get to go out to lunch with the Megans or shoe-shopping with Lena or Jamie. I normally have three snoring dogs around me and sometimes I found myself talking to them as if they are coworkers. I definitely miss the social aspects of working there in Nashville.

And sometimes I only comb my hair about once a week, but I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

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April 2, 2009

I got to bust out my mad photography skillz yesterday at a photo shoot for a client. It was a beautiful day for it: blue skies, a slight breeze and temperatures in the low 70s.

The group I was photographing was a family of four and included a very energetic five-year-old boy. He taught me a thing or two (well, five) about photographing children during our time together:

1. Get kids in their element. If I told him to smile, he showed me his teeth. Most kids will do the same and you won't get a genuine smile. But watch for their eyes to light up while doing a puzzle, playing a game or listening to a joke – things they like to do that don't include posing for you. That's when you'll get the best natural smile.
2. Have some shots in mind. Have some thoughts about what you want to see through your lens before you even go into the shoot. Do you want them outside kicking a ball, inside eating a snack or maybe during the peaceful quiet of naptime? Be prepared with a ball, a snack or scheduling during that naptime to get the most of your time and your photo goals.
3. Have a joke or two ready. It's a good distraction, plus the faces that a child will make while he's concentrating and really laughing are great for candid shots. Here is one that I used yesterday (hat tip to my seven-year-old friend Thomas): Why do skeletons like milk? Because it's good for their bones! It got me a great silly smile.
4. Let them direct the shoot. But just for a minute. There were a couple of times yesterday that the little guy wanted me to take a picture of him or of an airplane flying overhead. I did. He enjoyed looking at them on my digital display, and then we were back to the business at hand.
5. Snap, snap and keep snapping. You never know what a kid is going to do, how his expression is going to change or what (or who) else might come into the frame. I took 271 pictures during this shoot, but not all were perfect. I was able to delete the ones with closed eyes or those that turned out blurry or overexposed. That's one of the many beauties of digital cameras: Keep the best, delete the rest!

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February 18, 2009

Why It's Important to Always Keep Your Readers in Mind

The talented designers, writers, editors and business gurus at Hammock work hand-in-hand with our clients on a daily basis. The relationships that we have built with these clients and the media we create for them allow us to be part of a great team for communicating with their members and readers.

Although we work for our clients, their members and readers make up the audience we keep in mind every day as we write, research and design. Our goal is to make our clients happy, but we know that connecting with our clients' members and readers is the key to our success. We work daily with them constantly in mind.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit and have lunch with 285 members of that ultimate audience at NFIB/Texas' Small Business Day at the Capitol. (Hammock works with the staff of NFIB in managing NFIB.com and publishing MyBusiness magazine.) NFIB members from all across the state took the time away from their businesses to hear about legislation important to the way they run their businesses, meet with their lawmakers, and share stories of challenges and victories with their fellow small business owners. It was a great chance to get face-to-face with some of the folks that we strive to keep top-of-mind every day.

Whether they be marines, small business owners or descendants of Revolutionary Patriots, keeping our clients' members at the forefront of our minds drives us to do our best. Every day.

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February 3, 2009

I love watching Gordon Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen." So when the new season started last week, I was sure to tune in. As they usually do during the first episode, the teams were sent off to brainstorm their new team names. Lacey -- who I really hope is kicked out of Hell's Kitchen really soon, really -- was telling the camera how "stupid" some of her teammates' ideas for team names were.

My mind immediately thought of brainstorming with my teammates here at Hammock where we don't believe ideas are "stupid." One person's silly or outlandish or this-will-never-work suggestion might just be exactly what the next person needs to hear to come up with an award-winning idea. Our team is cool like that.

So, I conducted a little roundtable experiment. With no goal at all in mind, I sent a phrase -- purple monkeys make the best pets -- to one of my awesome colleagues and asked her to add the very first thing that came to mind, then send it on to another colleague for the same. I just wanted to see where our collective thoughts might go. Here's where the train took us:

• "Monkeys and all other primates are the most frightening animals on the planet."
• "The cutest Persian cat named Oscar was in the paper this weekend—I haven't been able to get him off my mind!"
• "Cats freak me out. They're always looking at you like they know something you don't."
• "I like dogs better than cats; I am in the process of trying to adopt a 5- to 7-year-old medium-sized dog."
• "I like adopting dogs, and the Middle Tennessee Golden Retriever Rescue has 15 that need homes (some are older and some are puppies)."
• "Cats are awesome because they don't take **** off anyone, and they are super intelligent and intuitive."

So, we talked about the color purple, primates, fear, cats, dogs, adoption, newspapers and intuition all in a span of just minutes. My point: Don't discount the ideas of the folks around you. Although one idea may not be the best, it may be the perfect jumping-off point for another one that is!

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December 30, 2008

I can't believe the year is almost over. What a great year it has been, in both the personal and professional aspects of my life. And like most of the world, I'll be resolving to eat better and exercise more in the new year. Boring.

But I'll also be working on some professional resolutions that I'm making for myself:

1. I'd like to use the phone more and email less. Email is a great way to keep a record of a discussion, but picking up the phone is so much more personal.
2. I hope to enhance my writing skills. I've always thought of myself as an editor, not a writer, but 2008 afforded me the opportunity for much more writing. And I actually enjoyed it! I hope for even more with the new year.
3. I need to read more, particularly about things specific to our industry.
4. I want to become a better photographer. I was like a proud schoolgirl bringing home my first valentine this year when my first two photographs ever were published in client magazines. I'd like to improve to the point of being considered the in-house photographer.
5. I need to be more flexible. I'm a structured, scheduled, punctual kinda girl. Not everyone else in the world is, and I need to learn to let changes and shifts happen around me. I need to go with the flow.

Oh, and I'd like to win the lottery.

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December 5, 2008

Many people may think telecommuting (as I do) is glamorous: all bon-bons and soap operas and hunky UPS deliverymen. In reality, working away from the rest of the pack can be very lonely (yet extremely productive). But there are a few things that help me get through the workday that I've actually learned from the lazy and crazy pets around me.

1. Keep it clean. There have been days where I've been so busy that I look down at 3 p.m. only to realize I still have on the t-shirt that I slept in. Augie reminds me that bathing daily -- even if I never see another living person -- is a very good thing.
2. Eat well. Bugsy could never make it through the day without his noontime treat. Although grabbing a sandwich at my desk would be easy, it's good for all of us to take some time away from the computer to fuel our bodies for the rest of the day.
3. Get some fresh air. There are days when I don't ever leave the house/office. But Thunder has shown me that just the simple act of stepping outside and into the sun for a couple of minutes can be energizing and invigorating.
4. Stretch. Getting up from my desk for a simple stretch and a deep breath is very relaxing. T.J. can stretch to about twice his body's normal length and always looks content when he does.
5. Make some noise. C.J. loves nothing more than to be noticed a couple of times throughout the day with constant meowing. She has taught me that when I need attention or to be in contact with someone in Hammock's Nashville office, I need to do nothing more than let my fingers do the walking. A great conversation with coworkers is only an IM or phone call away.

Now if only I could figure out how to work that two-hour afternoon nap in...

Pictured, top to bottom: Augie, Bugsy, Thunder, T.J., C.J.

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June 20, 2008

Bugsy works on keeping my chair warm while T.J. does some blogging and Thunder chases cats away. It's Take Your Dog to Work Day!

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Summer Huggins

Conversational Media Director

o: 615.690.3428

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