The Coworking Effect.... I like it. Thanks for persisting. Jacob
--- Office Nomads - Individuality without Isolation http://www.officenomads.com - (206) 323-6500 On Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 11:50 AM, Alex Hillman <dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com > wrote: > No, no - you missed my point. I'm talking longer-term. > > I'm not asking a current exec to try out a coworking space. For a day, or > ever. > > I'm talking about the fact that one of the hundreds of people who work at > Indy Hall might run one of the most powerful companies in the world someday. > 10 years from now. 20 years from now. Whatever. > > I believe that the experience they have today at Indy Hall changes the path > to being that person, and what they do in that position. > > -Alex > > /ah > indyhall.org > coworking in philadelphia > > > On Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 2:36 PM, Jacob Sayles <ja...@officenomads.com>wrote: > >> Corporate execs trying out coworking spaces... I like the idea and add >> the caveat that they can't just spend a day in a space... passing time in a >> coworking space in the customer/renter/outsider mentality won't get anyone >> very far. Understanding that very line, the one between customer and >> member, is at the heart of what makes coworking what it is as opposed to a >> business center. >> >> I'm looking for ways to best message this distinction to potential new >> people so everyone knows as quickly as possible what it is we are doing >> here. In the early days, this poured out of both Susan and I in everything >> we did and our ever presence ensured the message got around. Four years in >> and things work a little differently now as Susan's original message >> illustrates. >> >> I love customer/member... sounds less derogatory then renter/member... I'm >> never a fan of any us/them type wording as it shuts out folks that really >> want to be members but need a little help getting there. >> >> Jacob >> >> --- >> Office Nomads - Individuality without Isolation >> http://www.officenomads.com - (206) 323-6500 >> >> >> On Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 7:21 AM, Alex Hillman < >> dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> I'm glad to say that some of our dearest members first come to us as >>>> mere consumers of space. It's all they know. But at some point they >>>> have a conversion. I haven't figured out what the magic moment is, the >>>> words that are spoken, that causes the change of heart, but it's good >>>> to keep in mind that it's always possible. >>> >>> >>> Agreed. It is possible. >>> >>> I had an awesome conversation with one of our members who is working on >>> an article for a magazine about coworking in the context of intentional >>> communities <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intentional_community> and she >>> said, quite simply: "working at Indy Hall changes you". >>> >>> This falls in line with my personal mission for Indy Hall and for >>> coworking in general: if the future executives of the biggest companies in >>> the world worked from a coworking space sometime in their career, no matter >>> how long before they were the executive of the biggest company in the world, >>> their perspective on how they run that company, interact with their >>> colleagues and the world around them, would be fundamentally different from >>> the fact that they coworked at Indy Hall. That's not just improving one >>> persons' day in the short term, that's potentially improving THOUSANDS of >>> peoples' days in the long term. >>> >>> Just by creating the right experience for one person. >>> >>> That's our job. Creating that right experience. Everything else "just >>> happens". >>> >>> -Alex >>> >>> /ah >>> indyhall.org >>> coworking in philadelphia >>> >>> >>> On Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 10:15 AM, d...@cocomsp.com <d...@cocomsp.com>wrote: >>> >>>> Best line in here: "This cost us some more existing and potential >>>> members, to be sure, but they >>>> were the kind who breeze in on clicky heels, march into a conference >>>> room to >>>> meet with clients for three hours, and march out without saying howdy- >>>> do to >>>> anyone." >>>> >>>> Yes, we know those breezy, clicky heels very well. >>>> >>>> I call them" customers" because unlike members, they don't come with >>>> the intention of belonging, but rather to consume services and be >>>> waited on. I've noticed that people with the customer mentality don't >>>> cope well with the inevitable disruptions you're going to get in a >>>> shared work setting. In fact, we had one fellow ask us if we'd >>>> compensate him for his downtime when we had an internet outage. For >>>> the first time, we began entertaining the idea of breaking up with a >>>> member. "I'm sorry, it's not us, it's you." >>>> >>>> I'm glad to say that some of our dearest members first come to us as >>>> mere consumers of space. It's all they know. But at some point they >>>> have a conversion. I haven't figured out what the magic moment is, the >>>> words that are spoken, that causes the change of heart, but it's good >>>> to keep in mind that it's always possible. >>>> >>>> Trek, your story was super helpful and inspiring. Reminds me of what >>>> an Open Space facilitator once told me: that she wasn't responsible >>>> for people's experience at, say, an unconference, but that the >>>> participants were responsible for their *own* experience. I feel like >>>> we're talking about much the same thing... >>>> >>>> Thanks, all! >>>> >>>> d. >>>> >>>> Don Ball >>>> CoCo coworking and collaborative space >>>> Minneapolis & St. Paul >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "Coworking" group. >>>> To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. >>>> >>>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "Coworking" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. >>> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Coworking" group. >> To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. 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