Debate: Pro Bono Work

Posted by Dan Zubrzycki   |   14, May, 2012

Pro Bono, a Latin Phrase which translates to “for the good,” implies working for free.  Frequently, lawyers are required to perform a certain amount of pro bono work per year.  The idea ensures that those who otherwise cannot afford top-notch legal representation can still have some chance of getting it.

In business, we’ve re-purposed the idea of pro bono work.  Not everyone agrees on it’s efficacy, particularly for start ups and consultants.  Both camps have their merits, let’s explore them.

Pro Pro-Bono

Those in favor of engaging free work from time to time list a number of credible reasons.

1. Ethical:  By offering Pro-Bono work, you may be able to help Non-Profits or charitable organizations with high-end skills that they wouldn’t be able to access otherwise.  Beyond the squeaky clean feeling of doing good works, this positively influences your personal and professional brand.
2. Branding:  Again, gaining a reputation for occasionally doing free work may – counter intuitively – drive some business your way.  People may come to you, knowing you sometimes offer free work giving you an option to up-sell to a fee.  Once they realize the value of your services, they may be willing to pay.
3. Experience:  If you’re just starting out, offering to do some free work might just be the ultimate form of hustle.  You show you are competent and up sell the next project.  Follow the Pareto principal and find a way to gain a little extra on the completed project.

Against Pro-Bono

There are those, however, who disagree with them.  Here are some of their thoughts.

1. Ethical:  Some would posit that ethics don’t have to be the concern of companies, or that they can find ways to leverage their company in a profitable way and still remain ethical.  Some businesses might actually do more good if they can find ways to make it profitable.   Incentives can drive ethics.
2. Branding:  On the other hand, showing that you give away free work might start to build a reputation for…doing just that.  Free work limits business.  You could be doing something more useful with your time like trying to obtain new clients or even taking some time off.
3. Experience:  Of course you can’t deny that free work gains you experience.  The American industry of Interns exploits that every day.  But Experience can also mean getting used by someone who has no intention of following through on other projects.

In the end, no one is 100% right.  It comes down to your personal perception, since we can always find ways to justify any behavior.  Go ahead and choose a side, or change your opinion on a case by case basis.

Thoughts?  Who has experience with Pro Bono work?  Who refuses to do it?

Never Work Again

Posted by Dan Zubrzycki   |   11, May, 2012

Some people claim to never want to work again.  Anyone who is out of work would pretty much immediately tell you how absurd that sounds to them.  Sigmund Freud believed we all need two things – work and love.  Something that fills our time and energy and something that fills our heart.  If you’re one of those few who wants to never work another day in their life, I have all of the advice you need.

We’ll start by assuming you work now.  Your goal now is to not work, to avoid productivity.

Step 1: Eliminate Productivity

First and foremost, you must make sure no-one will ever assume you are a competent manager of your own time.  Make sure they see that you are so utterly incompetent that you are no longer asked to take on any extraneous projects.  This way, you have time to focus on not completing your own work.  Collaboration breeds creativity which might create some kind of drive or motivation, even pride in your work, we don’t want that, now do we?

Step 2:  Limit Your Network

This step is particularly important for the consultant or contractor or anyone who is independently employed.  Don’t allow yourself to hang around innovators, progressives, socialites, forward thinking business owners, or any other of those foolish and ambitious ne’er-do-wells.  If you expand your network, you might find new opportunities waiting for you and – gosh – who wants that?

Step 3:  Destroy Personal Progress

Here’s the thing: when you spend time developing your intellect, your character, your body, you are just asking for potential.  Potential – I’ve heard it said – comes from a word which means “You ain’t done a thing.”  So keep it that way!  Don’t improve yourself, you’ll just find yourself busy and internally rewarded.  That helps no-one except for everyone including yourself.

Obviously I’m aiming at a bit of humor.  This is just a hyperbole of how so many people undercut their personal potential by missing simple ways they can improve.  Oddly, business and success ends up being rather easy, we just overlook the basics that help us succeed.

Rewarding Yourself

Posted by Dan Zubrzycki   |   07, May, 2012

We slog through every day, working in the fast-paced field of IT consulting, development.  Finding new clients, fixing problems, maintaining contacts, each and every day can become a tiring process.  Particularly when you’re just starting out, the path before you can seem very intimidating.  While hard work and dedication can definitely pay off, you also have to keep in mind you’ll never get there if you continue through in a thankless way.  You’ve got to be sure to manage the way you treat yourself.  As odd as it sounds, many people are rather terrible at this, mistreating themselves and maintaining unrealistic expectations.

Quick Wins

Don’t ever go into a project with the only benchmark being “Finished product.”  I personally guarantee failure.  Many productivity coaches say that your first goal should be something so insanely simple that its almost a waste to write it.  ”Sit at desk.”  Whoa, you’ve already knocked one thing off the list.  It’s much the same with projects, you make a goal “create a folder and document for this project.”  Quick wins allow you to gain momentum quickly and continue to roll through the project with  a sense of accomplishment.

Eyes on the Horizon

Always look forward.  Contentment is a dangerous emotion, it can lead to your productivity dropping drastically.  Your ambitions falter when you feel like you’ve reached the horizon.  The beautiful thing about horizons is how they lack an end.  No matter how high you climb, you can only ever see further and further.  No matter how far you hike, it only ever expands before you.

Self Celebration

You’re doing bold things!  You’re completing projects and plowing through your to-do list.  You should be rewarded for that.  Be sure to pat yourself on the back from time to time.  Since you work for yourself, you may find that you’re the only one ever around to do that.  Make sure you treat yourself right.

Vacation Time

Posted by Dan Zubrzycki   |   04, May, 2012

The phone rings late at night, a client has an emergency and promises to reward you.  You get up and resolve the issue.  Soon you’re called more frequently for more projects, congratulations!  Your client tells everyone how stellar you are, how much hustle you show.  Everyone is a fan of your work and you soon develop an extensive client list.  Clients are readily available, life is good.

52 weeks later, you’re still bogged down.  52 weeks after that, you’re still slogging through an endless stream of client work.  The phone still rings late at night, your email is still full.

OR

Perhaps the other scenario is even more terrifying.  The phone doesn’t ring.  You find yourself hustling every day, sending emails, practically pleading for work.  The idea of a single week’s break terrifies you, what if your clients all move to another contractor?  What if your consulting work falls through?

How to Breathe

Take a step back, slow down, and take a vacation.

That’s right.  Take a break.  Summer is almost on us, everyone is thinking about time off, how they can unwind and maybe pick up some tan, spend a day taking a lovely walk.

All you need to do is plan ahead.

Manage expectations

Let your clients know well ahead of time.  If you’re working on a long-term project, detail how you’ll get ahead and catch up before and after.  If you’re working on a weekly project, note who will be assuming your duties for that week or that they wont be accomplished during your vacation.

Set the Budget

Simply put: just set the money aside.  Whether you’re drawing from savings, planning on paying with credit, or have saved up specifically for the trip, make sure your budget is well thought through.

Anchor Yourself

Set an anchor.  Pick a vacation dream, work to achieve it.  Put a down payment on the cruise, or the cabin.  Give yourself no excuse to back out.  By setting a goal, you’ll feel accomplished even by taking a break.  Win-win!

Leave it in the Office

Nope.  Drop your charger.  Drop your laptop.  Take. A. Break.  Don’t cheat yourself by checking your blackberry every morning.  Yes, you may miss some opportunities while you’re away, but don’t let that detract from your relaxation.  This is about you, not about business.  Money isn’t everything, remember?

–

Relaxation is as important as productivity.  We forget that taking care of ourselves is as important as expanding our client base or increasing our income.  None of that is worth anything if you are suffering.

Bring Your Family for the Ride

Posted by Dan Zubrzycki   |   03, May, 2012

When you’re getting ready to launch into the world of full-time consulting, you’re preparing to take some huge risks.  The finances are not as certain, your work is entirely on your shoulders.  You’re no longer able to shovel off responsibility.  With all of this comes the rewards of freedom, no ceiling, and a passionate pursuit of independence in your industry.  There are a few things to keep in mind as you’re launching into this endeavor.

One of the foremost ways to ensure the beginning of your consulting career goes easily is to enroll your family in your choices, your business, your joys, and your failures.

If you keep these things in mind, you’ll not only succeed – you may just do it happily.

You’re not alone:

When you jump off the traditional employment boat, you have to realize one impossibly important thing:  you’re not alone.  You bring your social groups with you, you bring your family with you.  It’s an adventure and you’ve got other’s fortunes to consider.  Your spouse or partner may not have thought about all of the late nights you’ll be doing or the frustrations your will take on.  Your children might not have thought that you’d miss dinners or that you’d be around more or less.  Your lifestyle will change, that is guaranteed.  You may go out with friends less, and people may wonder why you’re at social events less frequently as your work takes up more time.

How to Do it Happily:

Keep everyone in your family informed, enroll them in the work you do.  Tell them of your plans and what you anticipate the changes being.  Keep in mind, an outsider’s perspective can sometimes be a massive insight.  Ask your children what they think of your projects, not only do you challenge your children’s critical thinking ability, you also might be surprised what a young mind can come up with.