More on the Concept of "Work Without Walls"

No, Mike and his Co-Conspirator (remember, we don't use the term Employee) don't actually work like this, wherein they have their desks outside in the middle of the backyard, with all the office trimmings like the phone and laptop interspersed with objects of play like a margarita and badmitton racquet. And wouldn't life be grand (as a healthy lusty male leastwise or other beauty appreciator) if a supermodelesque girl in abbreviated attire took dictation while sitting atop your desk!... What this photo is meant to illustrate is the following:

Principles for a New Order

1. There should be a balance struck between work and play. After all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so "they" say.

2. Tear down the cubicle. While Mike and CC do often work outside, they do it a little more practically, like at a patio table, in an Adirondack chair, at a local cafe or the beach. The point is, unless you're in a position where you have to facilitate a specific transactional function that demands a face-to-face setting, there is no reason you should be parked in a cubicle all day like a rental car in an airport space. Today's technology allows most work to be conducted whenever and wherever a person wants to conduct it via the use of laptops, PDAs, iPhones, Wi-Fi hubs, etc. When Mike drove around the country back in 2003 on his life-changing "Chasing Charley" re-creation of John Steinbeck's classic 1960 "Travels with Charley" trek, he was actually an independent promotion consultant working from the road facilitating projects for 3-4 different clients. There was nothing he couldn't handle in this way.

3. Eliminate the hierarchy! You could argue that CC (the "E" word) is being objectified here, but her purposeful positioning in a stance that is literally above Mike (the "B" word) is meant to show that support people should command equal if not greater share of voice in the workplace as they are the cogs in the engine and most knowledgeable about what is working and what's not working. In fact, support people need to be encouraged to be leaders and prolific contributors. "Why hire a dog and bark yourself?" someone once said. In Mike's Office Without Walls environment, everyone has an equal share of voice.

4. Have more fun at work. "Work" has traditionally been called that because it is just that -- work. Mike and CC don't go to work. They go to play, to be Adults At Play. And if you're not having fun, not playing in the workplace, then you're not in the right environment and you need to immediately extricate yourself. In Mike's Office Without Walls, Adult Playtime consists of reading entertainment magazines, creating some new dish from scratch and sampling it, mixing up interestingly flavored fruit drinks, talking about something that stood out as remarkable, reading each other's writing, going local for soup or a coffee or a grilled cheese sandwich... maybe even going out in the backyard and working in the garden. Spreading mulch is a terrific offset for a cluttered mind!

5. Find your comfort zone! Mike has known a lot of empty suits in his time -- people with big credentials who can't effectively get a job done. It's not the suit or outer shell that should impress but the person himself. It shouldn't matter if that person is wearing a three-piece suit and checked silk tie... or a tank top, boarding shorts and surfer shoes. Mike is a believer in comfort and has adopted that policy in his Office Without Walls. Often, he pads around his Space of Inspiration with flip-flops, shorts (on the hotter days) and a tee (or a sweatshirt if chilly). CC follows suit (if you'll pardon the expression). Free from the stress caused by the whole process of dressing up (matching shoes and other accessories with suit color, making sure everything is crisply ironed and polished, bringing change of shoes (one for walking around a city area and another to change into for the office), people in Office Without Walls environments can focus on the more important areas of productivity and taking ideas from paper into action.

6. Don't be afraid to like and care about each other. Traditional workplaces have long frowned on relationships between co-workers, sometimes even the most platonic, and in many cases tout policies that threaten termination for such fraternization. This has left people skittish about engaging each other -- which is exactly the opposite of what you want to encourage in a business environment that needs to be cooperative and team-based. As Mike has mentioned in his Writer's Workshop Manifesto, each day begins and ends with a hug. A hug is a simple but meaningful way of expressing to someone that you are glad to see them, you appreciate their efforts and you care about them personally. Medical research also shows that hugs are good for the soul and actually contribute to a person's greater happiness and health. Mike also expresses this open gesture of "like" by doing something unexpectedly "nice" as a token of appreciation -- be that footing the bill for a meal/snack, a gift card for personal items, tickets to a ballgame, etc. Co-workers (or Co-Conspirators as they're called in Mike's Office Without Walls) should like each other first before all else. Without common like and respect as a foundation from which to go forward, there can only be eventual disloyalty, grudging cooperation and crippled productivity.

7. No one should act like a dictator. In the staged shot above, Mike does appear to be dictating and CC certainly seems to be taking copious notes, but in reality he's guiding her on a doodle she was idly sketching. Mike has seen his share of Napoleans and Hitlers and Mussolinis in the traditional workplace -- out of which he recently tunneled -- and these types of so-called leaders should not be tolerated. Dictators shall be known by their use of expressions like "I sign your paychecks!", "I'm your boss! Get on my page!", "You want to argue with me?" and "Don't you see...?" Mike has actually seen fellow female co-workers in senior management positions driven to tears by bellowing, screaming, top-blowing so-called executives in more superior positions of authority than themselves.

Driving work product out of a person via a campaign of shouting, bullying, prodding, threatening, debasing, insulting and manipulating is a strategy doomed for failure and, potentially, could result in a violent reaction (can you say Going Postal?). How many times have we read about the disgruntled employee who returns to the workplace after being terminated or slighted and makes Swiss cheese out of his co-workers, filling them with enough holes to fill the Albert Hall? The only constructive way to work is to inspire, either with thought or action, and create a forum wherein all new ideas are embraced and discussed; people are taught and allowed to make mistakes instead of presumed to know everything and chastised for their mistakes to the extent that they become gun-shy; and collaboration is the rule of the day.

8. Overstep some boundaries. Though not illustrated in the above photo, a word or seven should be devoted to the idea of not only caring about your Co-Conspirator in the workplace but also about their personal happiness outside of the workplace. Take time to get to know that person beside you with whom you spend more time than anyone else in your life. Think about it: Out of a 168-hour week, on average we spend 56 hours sleeping (based on 8hrs/night), 2.5 hours commuting (if you're lucky), 5.25 hours eating (.75/day), 35 hours (5 hrs/day) with family and 29.25 hours on miscellaneous activities. At minimum in most cases, you spend a full 4o hours per week with your co-worker, the largest time block per week besides sleeping. Try as people do, it is very hard to disconnect oneself in the workplace from personal issues at home. People need a release, a sounding board, a caring ear, sometimes even a shoulder or hug. While a journey, life can also be a struggle and we're all in the same boat, trying to get through every day the best we can. Sometimes life comes at us real hard and we need a hand up or a pep talk or some reassurance that we're not alone and that there's someone to count on. Why can't that person be the same one with whom you spend most of your time each week?

Stay tuned to Writer/Author Mike Lauterborn Live's Blog Site for more insights on how to rethink your workplace and your life.

Creating Good Chi in Your Spaces of Inspiration

Mike's most excellent assistant expressed earlier tonight what seemed at first to be a random, alternate-state-of-consciousness-driven desire for two things for our Office Without Walls: (1) a Koi Pond so we can watch the coy swim and (2) an Incubator so we can watch baby chicks hatch.

Both reco's are pictured here for reference.

Now, being the good Co-Conspirator (not the "B" word) that he is, Mike takes all fellow Co-Conspirator recommendations very seriously,

applying utmost respect and attention in the Idea Offerer's direction... but especially with CC. Mike

pays extra attention as there is usually some hidden connection or deep meaning to her thoughts that bears understanding and appreciation. With CC, there are no random thoughts. So, applying this filter, Mike looked at what these two bio-organic elements had in common and what they represented in a larger sense with application to our Office Without Walls.

These are his conclusions:

1. Both are wondrous expressions of life. To have these exposures in your personal space is to have God sitting in your lap. The perfection of these creatures, their innocent demeanors, the fragility of their eco-systems and often dependence on man who has domesticated them. Office Without Walls Application: You should be inspired by something every day.

2. They are like children, so command extra care, guidance and responsibility. Office Without Walls Application: Like these living, breathing creatures, our ideas born of our Spaces of Inspiration are like children. And like children, we must help show our ideas the right path, often take them by the hand, nurture them and help them evolve and, eventually, when they are as big as they can be let them stand on their own, encourage them to play with others (nicely we hope), as often one good idea begets another and together they become more powerful (as in the expression "two heads are better than one").

3. Every good company (and this is not the old Company with an initial capital "C" as in "he's a Company man" but a new definition of company as in the company you keep) should have a few specific charges/responsibilities. That is, we individuals who have agreed to collaborate to chase our dreams (pausing occasionally to bake cookies and play Frisbee), should have to have responsibility over some aspect of life that has bearing on the collective good. So, in our Office Without Walls space our charges are koi and baby chicks. If something happens to our charges while in our care, you might as well damn the lot of us, for we have not done our part as a member of the collective whole.

Stay Tuned and come back to "Writer/Author Mike Lauterborn Live" Blog Site for more of Mike's Deep Thoughts with regard to reinventing how we think about work, where we do or do not conduct it and how we interract within these collaborative communities.

Just Say Cheese

By Mike Lauterborn

2010. All Rights Reserved.

3/20/10

There was no green beer being served here but there were a few green spots on a round of Bonne Bouche cheese.

On Wednesday, March 17th (St. Patty's Day), the Fairfield Cheese Company in Fairfield, CT, co-owned by Laura Downey and Chris Palumbo (pictured far left and far right in the adjacent photo), hosted Allison Hooper (center in photo), owner of Vermont Creamery and author of "In a Cheesemaker's Kitchen". Hooper came down from the Creamery's Websterville, VT offices to provide a tasting of a few of the Creamery's leading cheeses and promote her book. The latter celebrates the Creamery's 25 years of artisanal cheesemaking and cooking. Harry's Wine & Liquor Market supported the event with a couple bottles of white Loire wine, which tastefully complemented the spread.

In addition to the wine and cheese, there was a 3-tier plate tower offering slivers of goat cheese crostini with grilled vegetables Palumbo had prepared. The crostini recipe is included in Hooper's book and was a key driver of book purchases.

Though the two-hour event competed with the Irish holiday, a steady stream of folks, who had received advance email notices, circled through. Almost invariably, each attendee purchased cheese and/or a book. The event seemed a good fit with the demanding palette of a well-heeled Fairfield crowd that quickly recognizes quality and fine taste. As one sharply dressed mom, with two children in tow sporting green for the holiday, stepped up and made a quick selection and purchase, Hooper said, "That was easy. That's how it's done!"

One attendee, Christine Mangone, was particularly enthused to be there and meet Hooper. "We love your products!" she gushed to the cheesemaker/author. Mangone is an account executive for a New Jersey-based fine foods distributor, Harry Wils & Co. and manages the pipelining of products to retail and restaurant accounts in Connecticut. She applauded Hooper's product line as really meeting the needs of today's consumer. "People want local products. It's a trend. They want to know where they are grown, what the cows are eating, dietary info... what they're feeding their kids." Mangone is also a chef who was CIA (Culinary Institute of America) and ICE (Institute of Culinary Education) trained, so is an appropriately qualified person to make this assessment.

Featured on the tasting table, book-ended between a vase of tulips and tray of lillies, was a stack of Hooper's books, baskets of Whitney's Castleton crackers (made by a friend of Hooper's) and several rounds of varied cheese. Among the latter was Coupole aged goat cheese, the aforementioned Bonne Bouche and cute little pods of Bijou aged goat cheese. There were also several tubs of creamy goat cheese in flavors that included olive & herb, classic and roasted red pepper.

"Am I too early?" asked a stylishly attired elder woman stepping up to the tasting area. Hooper assured her that she wasn't and detected a love of goat cheese. As she explained the varieties to the visitor, you could hear an adoration for cheese in her voice. She made an instant fan of the woman after only a few quickly enjoyed samples.

"Congratulations, I would love a copy of your book," yet another enthusiastic cheese sampler declared, extending a warm greeting to Hooper. The author was only too happy to accommodate, penning her John Hancock inside her book's front cover.

"So, you have our own goats?" visitor Karen Stansbury Esq. asked Hooper, selecting some Bonne Bouche and butter to purchase. "We used to," Hooper replied, "Now we buy the milk." The customer pressed, "I have one horse and it kills me," to which Hooper playfully chided, "I have three boys and they kill me!" Stansbury kept the banter going: "I've been thinking of getting a goat or two to keep my horse company. Would she kill them?" Hooper: "No, but then I don't know your horse." Cheesy humor one might say.

Event attendees, many tanned from the recent spate of warmer southwestern Connecticut weather that had followed an aggressive storm system, continued to pop in and out. Observing them, Hooper chirped, "Everyone looks tan but me. I'm a Vermonter." Then, when another attendee pointed out that the Coupole cheese looked like a brain, without missing a beat Hooper said, "James Michener grew up on it. It looks a little scary, but it's excellent."

Downey and Palumbo were glad to have Hooper onsite to draw attention to their fledgling business, a cornerstone in Fairfield after only 10 months. The duo has forged a partnership that is flourishing. Palumbo's wife Leigh, who also works in the shop, pointed out that the Fairfield Cheese Company's presence adds to the growing mix of retailers in town offering European-style fare, like baguettes, wine and now cheese. "It's all part of the green movement," she noted.

Cheese... it's the bee's knees... and it is sure to please.

Visit the Fairfield Cheese Company at 2090 Post Road, Fairfield. 203-292-8194 www.fairfieldcheese.com

OK Blog Visitors: Mike Wants To See Your Feedback

OK fans of Mike's Blog. This is your mission:

1. If you're not already registered as a Follower, do it today so you can stay on top of the wave of blogs that get pumped out on a daily basis and can stay posted on Mike's next crazy activity. Think of it as "Where's Waldo"... "Where's Mike and What's He Up To Now?"

2. If you've visited Mike's Blog but have not left a comment on any posting, you need to immediately do so, so Mike can know how you feel about, address any questions, expand on an idea, etc.

3. Indicate your likelihood of attending a book signing and buying a copy of "Chasing Charley" at such time as it is released.

4. Bookmark Mike's Blog so and make it a part of your daily constitution to check it out. Mike promises to make it entertaining, with diverse topics, fun experiences, wild thoughts, out-of-the-toybox plans, amusing photography and, of course, updates on all his various projects.

If you can do these three things, Mike will be very impressed and shower you with praise.

Thanks for visiting!

My Amazing Co-Conspirator

Since he first spoke with her at the checkout counter of the retail shop where she worked, Mike was impressed with CC's approachability, easy manner and friendly way. As he got to know her better, he also realized she was incredibly deep, smart and creative. Mike was so impressed and inspired by CC, in fact, that he up and asked her to come work for him. Mike had so many projects going on -- some in development, others evolving and in a pitching stage -- that he needed someone to help him keep focused on priorities, manage some of the growing details, guide his web forays and feed off and help grow his ideas.

Initially, her schedule was to be two days a week -- the days in which she was not already working at her retail job, which fluctuated week to week. Mike was ok with that, as CC's role was still evolving. But it quickly became clear that Mike really almost needed someone the whole week long each week.

The duo discussed an expanded working schedule when CC realized she needed to leave her retail job. She was unhappy there, unappreciated and not really doing what she wanted to do. Sounded familiar, Mike thought, her feelings identical to those Mike had before leaving his own unfulfilling job.

Mike suggested she tell her boss her intentions as soon as possible and, on Thursday, March 18 -- henceforth known as CC's Personal Independence Day -- she gave notice. Upon hearing the news, Mike sent the following congratulatory message, in 48-point type no less:

WELCOME TO THE FREE WORLD! I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU! WE ARE GOING TO ROCK LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW! I'M REALLY PROUD OF YOU! LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR BLOG. BIG HUGS... MIKE

CC committed to Mike a full 5-day-a-week schedule. At that juncture and now officially her new employer, Mike felt a power rush and immediately laid down some stringent new rules. This guiding document would be called the WRITER'S WORKSHOP MANIFESTO, dictating how work was to be performed and the guidelines to be followed. It was going to be Mike's Way Or The Highway. The founding statutes of the Manifesto are outlined below:

WRITER'S WORKSHOP MANIFESTO

1. Upon the start and conclusion of a work day, hugs must be exchanged.

2. Flip-flops will be standard attire.

3. Mi casa es su casa.

4. CC must try at least one different meal each working day to expand her culinary horizons.

5. On nice days, work will be conducted on the patio (with Smoothies). On inclement days, work will revert indoors (with chunky soup to quell any chills).

6. Music will be played and enjoyed every day.

7. Spontaneous dancing is allowed and even encouraged.

8. Ice cream will be sampled on Fridays.

9. The words "Boss" and "Employee" are prohibited; fellow "Co-Conspirators" is he preferred.

10. Grilled cheese is the company staple.

11. Any coincidences and weird ESP happenings must be immediately discussed and further analyzed to see if there's any deeper connection, which invariably there is, hence a company-encouraged session of Deep Thoughts.

12. New mantras are encouraged, e.g. Stimulate Your Own Economy.

13. We will effect a "Work Without Walls" (trademarked by Mike) environment.

14. CC may be utilized in an extracurricular fashion to include the spreading of mulch, tomato picking, pie-making and Corona runs.

15. Sleeping late is permitted. Naps and cartoon-watching on company time are also permitted.

16. There will be no official work hours but only timeframes of productivity that may fall at any time of day wherein there will be great inspiration, collaboration and baking of cookies.

17. We will only dress up for clients; otherwise the corporate uniform shall be shorts, t-shirt and the aforementioned flip-flops. Beach attire is also welcome, but only if paired with a company-sponsored visit to the beach.

18. Headlamps shall be affixed upon command and silly photos taken with them on.

19. Frisbee is the encouraged brainstorming activity.

20. All board meetings will be held in pajamas or comfortable loungewear, with glazed donuts provided as meeting accessories.

It was a cruel and thoughtless Manifesto to be sure, but someone had to make the hard decisions. These rigid policies had to be enforced lest there be slacking, disloyalty or disinterest in the obligations at hand.

Did CC have a sense of this New World Order? Well, not the complete extent Mike surmised. He'd forgotten to mention to her the free company Snuggie with embroidered name on the breast pocket and Macaroni & Cheese Tuesdays. :-)

Let Me Be Blunt... If You Know What I Mean

No two days should be the same is one of Mike's new mantras. And thus far, no two days have been the same. Take today. At one point, Mike was conducting research and interviews to write a piece about Assisted Suicide. At another point, he was making a Home Depot run and then replacing a mailbox at the front of his house. Then picking up a pizza for himself and his boys.... watching Family Guy... overseeing the launch of his new website...checking his younger son's homework.. and finally sharing Coronas around a firebowl with his assistant CC (white shorts, middle), her boyfriend Orlando ("O") and their long-legged Korean friend Liz.

The end-of-day group spoke of Puerto Rico, from where O's family hails. They realized Liz could not say marshmallow. Mike told the spooky, uproarious tale of The Whippet Bandit. They studied the cosmos. They formed a unique oneness... a collective spirit... particularly when they moved like a pack toward the kitchen, evil intent in mind. Pancakes, chicken chunks, stew... all were on the radar and happily consumed.

Ultimately, the night was capped in Mike's living room, wherein a mini film fest was created and the pack sat rapt watching Wallace & Grommit claymation shorts.

This is how a "work" day is meant to be spent.

Mike hatches Assisted Suicide article for Fairfield County Weekly

Mike submitted to the Fairfield County Weekly an 800-word article about how two CT physicians filed a lawsuit against the state with regard to a law that says if you help someone commit suicide then you are guilty of second-degree manslaughter. Doctors say they should be legally permitted to "aid in dying" if the patient is an adult, terminal, of sound mind and competent and has asked for this type of help. As it is at present, there are only 3 states that allow assisted suicide. Connecticut could be the fourth largely depending on the outcome of this case... This article submission was paid by the paper giving Mike more of the validation he seeks with regard to writing abilities. For your enjoyment, Mike has pasted it below. Enjoy this vigorous debate....

Physicians and State Go Toe-to-Toe in the Assisted Suicide Debate

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2010. All rights reserved.

3/18/10

FAIRFIELD COUNTY WEEKLY, W/O MARCH 18

In the red corner, wearing white lab coats and carrying life ending doses of medication, the physicians. In the blue corner, wearing serious-looking corporate suits and carrying stacks of legal statutes, state legislators. The ref, in this case, a Connecticut state judge, calls the two sides to the middle of the canvas. They touch gloves and begin to spar.

It’s a match that’s been played over and over in legal arenas for more than four decades. The issue at hand: the argument that “aid in dying” is not assisted suicide. The undercard in the latest round is heavyweights Gary Blick, MD, an HIV/AIDS specialist in Greenwich, CT, and Ronald M. Levine, MD, an internist in Greenwich, CT. This past October, they took the latest swing, filing a legal challenge against Connecticut’s assisted-suicide statute. Only Oregon, Washington and Montana presently allow physician-assisted suicide so this is an important new frontier for proponents.

The statute states that a person is guilty of second-degree manslaughter if “he intentionally causes or aids another person, other than by force, duress or deception, to commit suicide.”

Over the past two decades, Blick and Levine have been approached by terminally ill patients – those with terrible, chronic pain and little quality of life but nonetheless mentally competent -- with the hope that the physicians could prescribe lethal doses of medication to end their suffering. While sympathetic, the duo has shunned the requests. To concede would be potentially committing manslaughter in the eyes of the law. They argue that the statute should be changed to accommodate methods of assisted dying, as physicians should not have to fear punishment, and that patients have a constitutional right to die with dignity in this manner.

A recent CPTV documentary titled “The Suicide Tourist”, addressed Americans’ challenges with getting access to physician-assisted end-of-life care. It chronicled the experience of Chicagoan Craig Ewert, who suffered from terminal Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Ewert had to travel to Switzerland to seek the aid of Dignitas, a non-profit that has helped over 1,000 people die in the past 12 years. With a known date and time for ending his life, it was easier for him and his family to prepare, enjoy final quality moments and put their house in order. The aid in dying was provided with dignity in a private, tranquil flat, with attendants that were reassuring and medications that made the process painless.

On March 8^th in Hartford Superior Court, the doctors’ case came before Judge Julia Aurigemma, with the state seeking dismissal. According to a spokesman for the doctors, Steve Hopcraft, founder of Stephen K. Hopcraft Communications Consulting, the judge has 120 days to rule on the state’s motion. Hopcraft felt confident about the case, saying, “We wouldn’t have brought it if there wasn’t a good chance to win.”

Besides the doctors, Hopcraft serves nonprofit and public interest organizations, like Denver-based Compassion & Choices, which has a strong interest in the outcome of the case. The group “uses the power of choice and comfort to restore hope to individuals and their loved ones at the end of life,” providing advance directives, local service referrals, and pain and symptom management. They also promote informed end-of-life decision making by educating the public and advising health care professionals.

Hopcraft says the most significant opposition proponents face is the Connecticut Catholic Conference of Bishops. “We’re not a big organization,” says Hopcraft, “while the church has lots of resources. We raise money and awareness as we go.”

He finds it outrageous that “the Pope’s interpretation of some biblical passage and that the council of one faith should presume to impose on anyone their will” and that the bishops are “out of step.” He summarizes that the Conference is essentially saying that knocking you out and starving you to death is all legal and holy… but an adult, terminally ill, mentally competent person with no signs of depression overriding their ability to make a decision and who wants to die in peace is illegal, immoral and unholy?”

How can Connecticut voters who support the doctors’ position help? Hopcraft suggests they give what they can to help groups like Compassion & Choices spread the word, initiate citizen referendums and get on ballots.

“Doctors Blick and Levine are people who deserve the support of all of us. People that feel strongly should join Compassion & Choices to try to change Connecticut law and help others that have been prosecuted for helping terminally ill patients,” advises Hopcraft.

In conclusion, he adds, “It’s only people with resources that have any real end-of-life choices,

like flying out of the country. Until there’s a better end-of-life solution, people need to get their personal health in order, make dying part of the dialog with their doctors and not wait until it’s too late.”