A team apart
For about two weeks, ending about two weeks ago, we had a full house of current employees at the SynthaSite offices in Cape Town - which has allowed everyone to get to know everyone else both at work and at play. Over the past two weeks and continuing for another week or so, people have been heading back to the US office or heading to work from there for the known future.
The time together was great and necessary, and the time apart is necessary also, but it's hard to not want to see my new and old friends at the office. The offices feel too quiet (although we've got new friends starting next week).
It is early days yet, but I know from previous experience how distance can allow one to treat people unfairly - it is easier to disappoint and easier to pretend to forget and easier to believe that the other is being stupid or lazy when you don't see each other regularly. Yes, even geeks.
I'm quite interested in the challenge of making this not happen, and I'm hoping to see how our experiments in project management and communication and structure turn out.
I identified tools, process and people as our main strengths that will help us get through this new period, and then realised they were also our greatest challenges. It's amazing how much your outlook can affect how you feel about a prospect like this. If you start out, like I did, with "We've always been good with tools, but...", it leaves you feeling like you're entering a big unknown without much help. But if you say "This might mean having to retool somewhat, but we've learned a lot about getting tools right", it makes you feel up for the fight.
I'll try write up my observations as they happen - although this recent three week break wasn't for lack of things to write but more for lack of the energy to write. (I'll try catch up, but no promises...)
Syndicated 2008-04-30 08:56:55 from Cosmic Seriosity Balance