5. Make the two weeks “off” the most productive period you’ve ever had at work. 6. Show your boss the quantifiable results upon returning, and tell him or her that—without all the distractions, commute, etc.—you can get twice as much done. Suggest two or three days at home per week as a trial for two weeks. 7. Make those remote days ultraproductive. 8. Suggest only one or two days in the office per week. 9. Make those days the least productive of the week. 10. Suggest complete mobility —the boss will go for it. => Q&A: QUESTIONS AND ACTIONS Recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him. — THOMAS J. WATSON, founder of IBM Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it. — GEORGE BERNARD SHAW y hile entrepreneurs have the most trouble with Automation, since they fear giving up control, employees get stuck on Liberation because they fear taking control. Resolve to grab the reins—the rest of your life depends on it. The following questions and actions will help you to replace presence-based work with performance- based freedom. 1. If you had a heart attack, and assuming your boss were sympathetic, how could you work remotely for four weeks? If you hit a brick wall with a task that doesn’t seem remote-compatible or if you predict resistance from your boss, ask the following: o» What are you accomplishing with this task—what is the purpose? o » If you had to find other ways to accomplish the same—if your life depended on it—how would you do it? Remote conferencing? Video conferencing? GoToMeeting, GoToMyPC, DimDim.com (Mac), or related services? o» Why would your boss resist remote work? What is the HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_013944