Page 140 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

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▶ChApter sIx

Autonomy or not Autonomy?

that Is the Question

We are always working on several jobs at a time. It’s really important
to be able to—within a very tight time frame—deal with four, five, or
six client issues within a very tight time frame. The only way most of us
can pull it off is through all the devices we use—the ability to work from
home, a cab, the airport lounge, or client site.
—John Hale, managing partner, KPMG 1

Performance is getting things done.
For you as a manager, it doesn’t matter if your employees are
younger or older than you. It doesn’t matter if they share an office
with you or work halfway across the world, if they are executives or
entry-level employees, if they have a Cisco telepresence system or use
Morse code. It makes no difference whether they speak another lan-
guage or communicate by channeling, because your job—with one
caveat—is to do anything you can to get your employees to get the
most things and best things done.
The caveat is that whatever you do, it must be legal, moral, and
humane. If you want to achieve high performance for a long time,

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