MyPunchblog

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had a few spirited debates with some of my most trusted advisers. In each of the conversations, we had substantially opposing points of view. I’m surrounded with some *very* smart people, so any point of view that’s presented is usually very well thought out and stems from years of experience. However, when two smart people debate, there is often disagreement. As the CEO of a startup, it’s really important for me to listen to the opinions of those around me. But at the end of the discussion and debate, I have to make a decision — and I want to make sure that the entire company is behind me. So what happens when we don’t agree?

In these situations, I’ve found that there is really only one solution. It may sound trite, but it’s an important concept: you simply have to agree to disagree. What does that mean and what should you do? Here’s my list of the things to do when you agree to disagree:

1. First, and most importantly, you have to end the discussion. When the discussion gets to an impasse, it doesn’t help to keep debating. Agree to disagree and then move on quickly.
2. Make sure the other person feels like they have been heard. Say things like, “I hear your point of view, and I see your logic.” That will go a long way to helping everyone move on after the conversation has ended.
3. Show respect for the other person. Say “I really respect the time and energy that you’ve put into this discussion, but let’s agree to disagree.
4. Don’t revisit the topic again: it’s unlikely that a new discussion will result in a different outcome, so don’t enter into another debate about the same topic. Agree to disagree and move on.
5. Document both points of view shortly after the discussion ends. Whether you jot down notes or send a follow-up email, it’s important to try to capture the salient points of each person in the conversation
6. Admit when you’re wrong: if you agree to disagree and then later figure out that the other person was right, it’s important to admit that your point of view was wrong or flawed. This builds trust and better understanding — which is very important in any relationship.
7. Use humor: at the end of a debate it’s important to try and clear the air. I’ve always found that humor can help in these situations. Use wit and humor to help move the conversation to another topic.

What did I miss? Do you agree with my list? If not, let’s agree to disagree - and please post your thoughts in the comments.

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There’s been a steady increase of Punchbowler dogs that hang out at the office with us these days. First there was Mozart, the dog of our landlord Steve. Then there was Ollie, brought to us by our newest developer Aaron.

In the last two weeks, we’ve had a few new dogs join the Punchbowlers. Our new tech support person, Colin brought us Jordy (who enjoyed lying on his back and pretending he was swimming). And today we have Pippy Louise, brought in by our new marketing contractor, Scott.

I don’t have a dog at home (we have two cats), so I’m always happy when we’re visited by our canine friends. Usually the dog finds a spot in the office to quietly hang out — in this case, Pippy Louise is spending this morning eating a bagel:

While it’s not a requirement to have a dog in order to get hired at Punchbowl, it sure is a nice bonus. So if you’re on a call with someone from Punchbowl and you hear barking in the background, now you’ll know why.

Well, technically… happy belated birthday.

Yesterday our landlord (aka “slumlord”) celebrated his birthday. Steve is the owner of our building, and he graciously leases out space to us at startup rates. We share a bunch of common areas with Steve, and he’s around more days than not. The Punchbowl team really enjoys having him around, and he’s even recently taken to our Roaring Lion drinking competition.

When we made the decision to get an office, we couldn’t have asked for a better situation. Our office is a relaxed and fun environment and Steve adds some color to our team everyday. Just this week, we’ve been graced by the presence of guinea pigs — apparently thanks to a pregnant guinea pig that Steve had at home. Steve named him “Punchy” in honor of his best tenants.

By the way, if you’re looking for a great lawyer in the Metrowest area of Boston, I would highly recommend Steve Meltzer. He can help with corporation paperwork, real-estate transactions, and run of the mill legal disputes. The best part: he won’t charge you the over-priced Boston lawyer rates.

Here’s a picture of Steve Meltzer with a signed can of Roaring Lion (hand signed by the team) and some celebratory cupcakes (thanks Margery!). Happy Birthday Steve!

A handful of months ago, we were fortunate to be featured in INC Magazine. It was a one page article, all about Punchbowl Software. INC Magazine has pretty good national circulation (a few million) so we got lots of inbound inquiries and notes of congratulations. One in particular stood out — from a company that we had never heard of called “Roaring Lion Energy Drink.”

Sean Hackney of Roaring Lion wrote: “Matt & Sean - I saw your article in INC & thought you might need some energy to put you over the top of your investment goal. Very best of luck. We know your struggle - started with $62K and now are #2 behind Red Bull in Bar & Nightclub sales. Stay at it. Cheers!” You can’t imagine my surprise when I picked up the box that was delivered by UPS – Roaring Lion had sent us AN ENTIRE CASE of Roaring Lion energy drink.

What Sean H. doesn’t know is that his gift has become legend in the the land of Punchbowl. Our Director of Engineering is practically addicted to Roaring Lion — and sometimes gets a scary look in his eyes if he hasn’t had his fix. He’s been known to drink Roaring Lion in the morning, noon, and night, and he savors every last drop.

Thanks to Sean and the team at Roaring Lion for reaching out to us and sending such an awesome gift. We’re now loyal Roaring Lion drinkers and we’ll help spread the word in Boston.

But now we have a problem — we are out of Roaring Lion. PANIC! What should we do? How will we go on? Our productivity has slowed to a standstill and our energy is at an all-time low… it’s not clear where we can buy any of this amazing energy drink. HELP US ROARING LION! WON’T YOU SEND US ANOTHER CASE?

Here’s our Director of Engineering (Blake) enjoying some Roaring Lion and yours truly with the note they sent us.

Here’s Blake enjoying some RLED (Roaring Lion Energy Drink) with his feline friend:

Well, we know that we have some very loyal MyPunchbowl blog readers, but even we were surprised by the latest development….

Just yesterday I wrote “If you’re a friend of Punchbowl, we hope you’ll get a chance to come by and see our new digs at some point. But make sure you come with a plant or other foliage in hand– we could use some!” 

This afternoon, a beautiful plant showed up at our new HQ. I’ve been told that it is an “umbrella plant” which is apparently indestructable. This is a really good thing: not many people here at Punchbowl HQ are great with plants.

Our first greenery was sent by a person who mysteriously signed his name as “Dark.” I happen to know this person very well– and I know he would prefer to remain anonymous. But he’s got BIG new fans here at Punchbowl, and the plant really spices up the office. As one of my esteemed colleagues noted “it really pulls the room together”:

Dark: on behalf of the entire Punchbowl team, we really appreciate the new plant. It was very generous and thoughtful. We promise to take care of it as best as we can– and we look forward to showing it to you in our new office (and lunch is on us!)

So here’s the challenge to our other faithful MyPunchbowl blog readers: help us make our new office GREEN! If you’re an investor, partner, friend, relative or anonymous reader… please send plants! We like all plants, but preferably ones that won’t die easily.

Oh, our new HQ is located at 873 Concord Street, Framingham MA 01701 in case you need the address
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I was talking to a friend recently, and she was telling me about the culture at her work. Apparently, one of the employees was getting reprimanded for sending too many emails to family and friends during the work hours. How did they know? Apparently, they actually monitor your internet usage during the day. Yep, big brother is watching.

And that’s not all… during a recent snowstorm, one of the office workers was nervous about her commute home. She decided to leave at 3:30 while it was still light out. When she told her boss that she was leaving early, her boss told her that her pay that day would be cut by an hour and a half for leaving early.

These two examples remind me of how ineffective it is to manage your employees using fear. I’ve worked for bosses where it felt like they were watching my every move. In my opinion, a few things happen when you manage this way:

1) Employees become far less invested in the company’s goals and visions. Apathy sets in, and employees spend more time looking at the clock than actually doing work.

2) Employees learn to be dishonest. Do you really think this management style forces employees to act differently? No way– instead, they learn to work around the system and deceive their bosses. Heck, there are even web sites that offer a how-to guide of how to look like you are working without actually doing any work. If you work in a fear-based office, check it out for some great time-wasters!

3) It sets up a culture of “us” versus “them.” In any organization, there is a hierarchy. The difference in a fear-based management system is that there becomes a clear divide between those who manage and those who do the work. This naturally leads to more gossip and more separation between the worker-bees and management.

At Punchbowl Software, we try to take the opposite approach. We have a grueling interview process to try and hire only the best and brightest. Our culture *begins* with the assumption of trust. We know that you may have business to attend to during the day — from dealing with your car to going to the dentist — and yes, even online Christmas shopping. While we don’t encourage you to spend your day browsing Amazon, we know that there will be things during the week that you want/need to do. We ask for open lines of communication, and we expect that you will still get your job done. At the end of the day, every person of Punchbowl Software knows exactly what’s expected of him/her — the objective is to help the company succeed and reach our goals.

Do you manage with a culture of fear? If so, are you getting the most out of your employees? In my opinion, managing with fear hurts your organization. If you feel stuck in this management style, it’s time to take a new approach. Start fresh by announcing the change to your employees. Begin to treat your employees with trust and respect and they’ll give you far more than you ever expected.

Oh.. and if you are a Punchbowl employee and are still reading this… get back to work!

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