Yesterday we looked at goals – have you decided what yours is yet?  Once you have a goal in place it i important to “get it out there” so that people can help you achieve it.  SHould you develop a networking strategy?  What exactly is a networking strategy? Why do you need one? Is networking really that important?

 

Consider these two scenarios and tomorrow we’ll :look at the strategy behind effective networking:

 

Sally has just started her own business. She is convinced that she is too busy to network. She spends her time working in the business, not on the business – an age-old problem – and networking gets pushed to the bottom of her ‘to do’ list.

 

She finally makes time to go along to the local Chamber of Commerce function – just to show her face. She arrives late and flustered, in time to hear the speaker being introduced, and sits at the back of the room. After the event, aware that she only has a limited amount of time to network, she races around introducing herself to as many people as possible. The next day she spends a demoralising session cold-calling potential clients; and she never again hears from any of the people she met the previous evening.

 

Olivia manages a department within a large company and is well aware that networking has been critical to her success. She has been attending two networking events regularly and knows the hosts of each quite well. She chose her networking groups carefully, researching the events and the calibre of people who attend them.

 

One morning she arrived at a breakfast event early and met Jenny, a ‘first-timer’, over coffee as guests were registering. The two women spent quality time getting to know each other: Olivia learnt that Jenny had recently started her own executive coaching company and although she had no use for a coach (her company offers a coaching and mentoring program) she listened with great interest to Jenny’s story and took Jenny under her wing for the duration of the event. Olivia introduced herself and Jenny to the guests at her table and initiated a discussion on a news article she had read the previous day.  

 

At the end of the event, the host introduced another person, Karen, to Olivia. Karen had been attending for a while and the host had just learnt that Karen was in a complementary industry to Olivia and thought the two should meet. Olivia, Karen and Jenny had a great chat over coffee in a nearby café after the breakfast and agreed to meet up again at the next month’s event. 

 

The following day, Olivia received a call from Jenny to thank her for making the event so comfortable and enjoyable. Jenny mentioned that she had been speaking to a number of people about the great time she had at the breakfast and that many of them were interested in coming along to the next one. Olivia told Jenny that while she was speaking to her husband about the new friend she met at the breakfast, she discovered that his company is looking for a coach to head up a training program and asked whether Jenny would be interested in pitching for the business. 

 

The following month, Olivia, Karen and Jenny met at the breakfast along with Jenny’s four new guests. Over time, Karen and Olivia became alliance partners and grew each other’s businesses substantially. Jenny became an advocate for Olivia’s business and referred numerous potential clients. Jenny, Karen and Olivia continue to meet many new people at the breakfast events; business referrals bounce around between the three women and their contacts – and their contact’s contacts – on a regular basis. Olivia has not had the need to cold call a client in months.

 

Which scenario would you prefer? 

A friend asked me a pertinent question the other day.  She asked, “what is your number one goal this year?”.  After fumbling around for some profound statement I realised I didn’t really have any this year.  I was too busy getting through the day to day stuff that I hadn’t allowed myself time to create meaningful goals for the future. This got me thinking…

 

How many of us wander around and aimlessly network without really knowing what we are networking for?  Sure, all of us know that we want to expand our realm of contacts, unearth amazing people and expand our businesses or careers but how many of us are absolutely clear on where our path is headed?

 

We have all heard about the law of attraction and many of us have experienced the uncanny phenomenon of running into that person we were just thinking about, or as soon as something is top of mind we see it all the time – even though we never used to (think cars for an example).  Surely this idea could apply to networking too?  If we are rock solid in our goal and vision then surely we would attract the people and opportunities that would help realise that vision? 

 

The first step in creating a rock solid goal is to think of one – but don’t just pluck one out of the air – spend some time to really think about where you want to be and what you want to do.  Maybe take yourself away from the normal grind and give your future the time and space it deserves.  Whether this is to a coffee shop, the back yard or to a Health Spa, just give yourself space, stillness and beauty.

 

Once you have determined what your number one goal actually is then imagine what life would be like when that goal as been achieved.  Then live, think and network as though you have already achieved it.  Think of a time where your purpose was all you could think about – it could have been getting through an exam, building your first lego spaceship or achieving recognition at your first job.  As life goes on we get complacent at time and too caught up in  day to day life that we forget to remember or passion and purpose.  Maybe now is the time…

Who has time to network?  Between rushing the kids around, working like crazy and managing a very busy home and family, networking is the last thing on your mind, right?  What if effective networking could help you uncover new opportunities, assist in your family’s growth and save you time?  Would you look at it differently?

What is Networking?  Networking is really just a fancy term for making friends and putting yourself in places where you can meet like-minded people.  How can this help you?  By surrounding yourself with like-minded people and nurturing those connections you create a forum for exchange of ideas, support when you need it and a consistent flow of information and opportunities – very useful where your children and/or your working life are concerned.  If your concern is finding time to network for business then ignoring your social and parental networks can be a fatal mistake.  Many referrals come from very obscure sources! 

So dig out that address book and try these tips for your own “personal network audit”

Organise your contacts – maybe use different colours in your address book for your different networks – for example your inner circle (those who you would comfortably have over to your house for dinner) and extended network (those you know but not so well such as school, activity or business contacts). 

Prioritise your goals and your vision – find contacts or join groups in areas that interest you.

Collect people who you like and who inspire you – enjoy your network.  If a person is hard work, move on discreetly.  Networking should never feel contrived or forced.

Use a family diary – paper, wall calendar, PC – whatever works for you and your family.  Keep it current, visible and neat. 

Join one or two networks only and schedule time to go as regularly as you can – join only those you can manage and that interest you. 

Respect your children’s friendship networks – these networks are important to your children and important to you to hear valuable information about them.  Form a small but trusted school parents network and help each other with pick ups and drop offs etc. 

Communicate with your network in a time efficient way – plan a regular catch up time with various groups. Invite contacts to networking functions. Send a quick email.  Make a quick phone call while cooking dinner. Post articles of interest. Allow yourself an adult get together once in a while!

Listen completely to the person you are speaking to.  Even if you have a million other things in your head at the time.  Not only will you remember the conversation and give the other person the respect they deserve, you won’t miss an opportunity. 

In the networking world, quality is certainly better than quantity.  Although your busy life is already stretched to the limit, an honest audit of who you know and connect with can be invaluable.  Organise your networks, nurture those contacts and help each other.  You never know where the next referral, job or family opportunity will come from.  What have you got to lose?

We have looked at Breakfasts and lunches – now Cocktails.  Cocktail functions have a different feel about them than other business networking events.  The atmosphere is relaxed and more social than strictly business.   This, however, does not mean that standard business etiquette should go out the window.  Here are some tips to help you get the most out of this type of event.

1. Enjoy the event

Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation – people really do enjoy being spoken to!  If you need help, read the newspapers and a few business magazines to develop a bank of conversation topics, but steer clear of religion, politics and other potentially controversial subjects. You could even create an “oh really?” file with interesting stories about business, science and general interest. Look for articles that people will enjoy hearing or be fascinated by and want to tell others. The occasional (clean) joke never goes astray either!

Aim to make one or two great contacts at each event, anything more than that is a bonus.  Networking is like making friends – relax and enjoy meeting new people, the business will flow later.  As Stephen Covey says “Seek first to understand and then to be understood”

Bring people with you – invite new contacts from other sources as a guest to your network’s events. If they enjoy the event they will always remember you and may even invite other colleagues who they will introduce to you.

2. Know what it is you actually do!

This may sound silly but at a cocktail function conversations are mostly short and sometimes difficult to hear.  Understand how to describe yourself, your business or position in a brief, concise statement – this is sometimes called an ‘elevator statement’ because it is short and concise enough for you to deliver between floors in an elevator. Memorise your ‘elevator statement’ so that when that all-important question arises, “So, what do you do?” – you are armed and ready. 

Try to phrase your ‘elevator statement’ in terms of what benefit you deliver – rather than just what you do: for example, Susan manages the sales department of an office machine company. Instead of simply saying, “I manage the sales department of an office machine company”, she might instead say, “I am responsible for providing time-saving solutions for small and medium businesses,” or, “My team and I are responsible for saving our clients time through automation and systems” – certainly has a different ring to it, doesn’t it? A benefit-focused statement such as this also encourages further conversation and prompts the obvious next response, “Really, tell me more about that…”

3. Learn how to move on politely

Know when to back off with integrity. Follow your instinct – if you meet someone who doesn’t ‘feel right’ to you, politely excuse yourself and move on. Networking is about creating valuable, meaningful and honest associations, don’t force yourself to make friends with someone you don’t like or trust. There is no need to share your opinion of that person with others – just move on discretely.

If you need to exit a situation you can do so politely and respectfully by saying thank you to that person for a great conversation and that you don’t want to take up any more of their time at the event.  Then shake their hand confidently and move on.  Alternatively you can simply mention that you need to speak to a few more people before you leave and thank them for their time.  Ask for business cards if you really want to stay in contact, don’t wait for an offer and only ask if you intend on staying in touch. 

Follow up and always deliver what you promise. If you promised to let a new contact know about a particular website, a good book or to send them some information, do it immediately after the event. If you didn’t promise anything then a ‘pleasure to meet you’ note immediately after the event is a great idea to reinforce the connection.  Just make sure you do this straight away so people don’t forget where they met you.

4. Respect the network and the speaker

During my career as an event manager I have seen more drunk people at events than I care to remember.  It is never a good look.  Having too much to drink at an event can not only damage your reputation – it can damage your business.  People rarely forget and will not only never deal with you again, they will tell everyone they know never to deal with you again either.

Stick with the orange juice or “sit” on one glass of champagne (or mineral water in a champagne glass) and use the social, easy atmosphere of the cocktail function to really connect with people on both a business and a social level.

Listen to the speaker if there is one and if you have a question don’t be afraid to ask it. Everyone in the room will see you and if you say your name and company name before you ask the question they will also know who you are. If there is no opportunity for questions, approach the speaker personally after the presentation. Speakers are just people too and they are usually very approachable and grateful for feedback.

5. Know when to leave

Keep an eye on the time and leave at the time that the event is scheduled to finish.  Offer to help the organisers move stragglers to the bar area – I am sure they will be eternally grateful and will remember who you are which is always a good thing.  The organiser is the pivotal point of contact for the network.  Send the organiser a thank you note the next day and your contact details for future events.

I have just spent a good hour in the car travelling from one end of the city to the other on various errands and meetings.  During that time I have let countless other motorists in front of me and battled the ever-increasing number of buses, bikes, vans, 4WD’s, cars and pedestrians who share the road.  I also navigated the incredible amount of people who work in the city centre which was an incredibly stressful challenge in itself!

It became apparent after a while that we have become too busy and too stressed to observe common human courtesy and manners.  While there were some extremely courteous and lovely people and motorists out there, there were an equal or greater number who just couldn’t be bothered to be polite. 

How hard is it to say “excuse me” when walking or give a wave when a fellow driver slows down to let you pass?  Have we forgotten one of the basic rules of living in a society?  Sometimes we need to get back to basics and remember that the people around us are human beings too. 

Maybe we could encourage a whole new generation of courteous, stress-free drivers?  Wouldn’t that be cool…

Yesterday we looked at lunches – today it’s breakfast time…

You have invested time and money to register for and attend a breakfast event with the purpose of gaining knowledge and networking for business. It makes sense that you should leverage that investment by making the most out of the event opportunity.  Here are a few tips to help you do just that.

Be enthusiastic

Call the organiser in advance and offer your services on the day.  Maybe you could help with the registration desk, handing out flyers or setting up for the event.  Whatever you do, the organiser will be extremely grateful and will remember you.  Don’t forget that the organiser is the key contact within the network.  Further, you will have the opportunity to meet others involved with the event and also be the first guest to arrive!

If you can’t help at the event then make sure you arrive early and awake.  If that requires four coffees and a run around the block before you arrive then do it.  Don’t bother attending the event if you are unhappy about being there at an early hour!  If you are alert, awake and excited about the event and the company around you then you will genuinely have a good time and will attract great people.  Who would you rather meet – a bright, happy and inspiring person with a smile on their face or a gloomy, dreary person propping up the furniture?

Be real

Everyone knows the avid “networker” who rushes from person to person at an event blindly shoving cards into the hands of terrified guests.  They have hardly had the time to utter “Hi, my name is Joe, here is my card” before they are on to the next victim!  A true master networker is interested in the person they meet, not what the person can do for them or buy from them.  It is only when you understand the person you are speaking to and where they fit in their world that the opportunities between the two of you manifest.

It is much better to make two or three quality contacts than collect twenty business cards and follow up later.  For starters, the “cards” you follow up with will be too busy to give you the time of day, won’t remember who you are and will throw anything you send them straight in the bin.  On the other hand if you are genuinely interested in meeting the person you are speaking to, and interested in hearing what they have to say then the relationship stands a much greater chance.

A note of warning here – genuine interest is never contrived.  If you really don’t like meeting people you have two choices – either don’t network or start training yourself by trying to see something positive in every person.  Truly listen to people and their stories, you will be amazed how interesting they can be when given the chance to shine!

Maximise your opportunities

Where are the networking opportunities at the event you are attending?  Most breakfast events have different “stages” where it is appropriate to move on and meet some different people.  For each stage you can spend a good 20 minutes or so getting to know someone and have time to arrange a future coffee and then politely move on to the next stage.  For example, pre-event coffee in the foyer where you can speak to various guests or seated at the breakfast table where you can meet an entire table of inspiring new people.

Listen, listen and then listen some more! Treat everyone you meet with respect and integrity. Listen to the conversation and focus completely on that person. You may think that the person you are speaking with is not appropriate for your business and cannot give you anything, but who knows who that person will meet in the coming months, or who they are married to, related to, or work with? Every contact is valuable and should be treated as such. At the very least you may unearth a great person who is wonderful company!

Follow up

All too often we go to a networking event, meet great people, collect lots of cards and store them neatly in a drawer to gather dust.  Organise your existing and new contacts and get in touch with the people you meet who you genuinely like and who inspire you.  Don’t bother trying to create a fake friendship with someone who rubs you up the wrong way – it really does no-one any favours.  Invite your contact to coffee to discuss how you can help each other or invite them to another networking event.   

Unless you have a failsafe memory, it is beneficial to have a system for keeping track of where and when you met people as well as a record of conversations and follow up between you. There are many database software programs available which allow you to track all relevant information and comments – try Act!, Access or Filemaker Pro. You can track where you met each person and use this information to look up your contacts and refresh your memory before you go to the next networking event. If you have been especially diligent about recording details in a comments field, you can make a powerful impression by picking up on conversations where you left off!  An organised database is also invaluable when referring your contacts to each other – which everyone appreciates.

In August Network Central will start running lunches again, in addition to our breakfasts - our first will be held at the Atlantis Restaurant in North Ryde on August 21st.  Come along for some relaxed networking, a glass of wine and some first class information on how to build wealth in uncertain times.  Check out www.networkcentral.com.au for info on all our events.  As far as networking goes, are there things you would expect to do differently at a lunch to a breakfast?  Mostly the differences are obvious but it doesn’t hurt to revisit these.  Let’s discuss some ways to network at a lunch – tomorrow we’ll do breakfast.

So what is different about a luncheon?  There may be no difference to the type of speaker or the network in general but the guests attending will most certainly have other factors impacting on their attendance.  The key for this type of event is to be organised, clear and open to new connections.

Plan your time

For so many reasons, and not just for networking, a good diary system is essential.  Success, more often than not, comes from planning, organisation and clear, determined goals and vision. 

Plan the time in your diary when you book for the luncheon. Allow time for travel to and from the venue to ensure that you arrive early and have time to continue good discussions at the end of the event.  On the day of the event set your alarm on your mobile phone to remind you to leave and then make sure you do!  It is very easy to get caught up in the day’s activities and be late to the event, therefore wasting a very valuable opportunity. 

Realise how important it is to attend each event in a positive frame of mind. If you know you will need ‘wind-down’ time between work and the luncheon then allow for this in your diary and de-stress with a meditation CD in the car on the way there or make time for a solo coffee beforehand.

After each event, diarise follow up calls, reminders and advance notes about who to catch up with at the next event. There’s nothing more embarrassing or damaging to new relationships than to make a connection with a fellow guest at one event and forget their name at the next!

Know why you are networking

When is the last time you really sat down and articulated your goals – on paper, visually and verbally?  If you are like me this is one thing that is always put in the too hard basket and one that does not appear to service the business immediately and therefore gets pushed to the bottom of the to do list.  I used to struggle with this until a good friend said “make an appointment with yourself and give yourself the same credit you give to your clients”.  It was then that I realized that I was my most important client because it was me that kept my business going.  Now I schedule time regularly to consider my goals, congratulate myself for what I have achieved (usually involving a very good bottle of wine or a very big block of chocolate!), and set timelines for what I want to achieve in the future. 

So what is the benefit of this to a networker?  Knowing where you are headed brings a certain confidence and energy that others really do pick up on and somehow you seem to attract what you are looking for.  It also means that you are clear on what you’re trying to achieve when you are talking to other guests.  People can’t help you unless they know what you need!

Involve others

Don’t be afraid to say hello to a stranger – that is, after all, why you are there!  It is also likely that the person you meet is just as nervous as you are! If you see someone standing alone looking like a nervous first-timer make the effort to draw them into your conversation and they will be thankful for the helping hand. 

At sit-down events with open seating, try to sit with people you haven’t met before and invite the person you met in the foyer to join you if he or she is alone.  Try to get the whole table involved in a discussion rather than just the person next to you.  Robyn Henderson, a master networker, says to “act like the host” and invite those at the table to introduce themselves in turn.  You could begin by asking everyone what brought them to the luncheon that day. This is a great way to learn more about the motivation of each guest at your table and what they hope to achieve by attending. Take it a step further by asking what each person does – I guarantee there will be some form of synergy around the table between at least two of the guests. There really is just six degrees of separation!

Look before you lunch

Evaluate the opportunities for networking around you. Look at industry associations, business networking groups, special interest groups and so on. Also look at networking groups that your typical client may belong to.  The Internet is a great place to begin your search and the phone book also lists industry associations and networks.

Choose networks that fit with your interests and area of business. Create a short list of networks that you can attend regularly and that realistically fit into your monthly calendar. If your time is limited it is preferable to attend one network regularly, rather than try to spread yourself over a few networks every so often.

Remember that networking is not only about meeting people – by attending events with guest speakers you’ll get a regular motivational injection and learn something too. Networking events can also be a cost-effective and unusual way to reward your staff and thank your clients.

Follow up sooner rather than later

Use the afternoon to complete your follow up activity for guests you met at the luncheon.  Maybe even carry on for a coffee after the lunch with a few new contacts.  Guests leaving the function will go straight back to their daily activities and the normality of life and, unless you establish the connection, your foundation on which to build a relationship will be very weak.  Take the time to nurture your new contacts and who knows where they may lead?

What is your experience with lunches as opposed to breakfasts?  Do you prefer them or not?  Why?  What tips would you give others when they are networking, either with their team or without?

Enjoy your day…

Last Sunday was a beautiful sunny day.  My 4 and 6 year old children decided that they would love to ride their bikes up and down our street.  Our street is a cul-de-sac and pretty safe but I do like to put out a picnic blanket on the grass and watch them – just in case.  Both kids ran inside to get something and at that moment some neighbours from down the street drove past.  Winding down the window we made a joke out of the fact that I was sitting on my own on the side of the road – I looked like “Nigel no friends” having a picnic by myself – with no food.  We laughed, said goodbye and off they went.

Next thing I know, my neighbour is walking up the street with a plate of food and two glasses of red wine in her hand, closely followed by her husband with another two glasses and a determination to prevent my husband from mowing the lawn!

What ensued was a fabulous afternoon with great conversation, lots of laughter and half the residents of the street popping in from time to time.  Not to mention a few confused looks from passing motorists!

The fact that the afternoon was spontaneous and unexpected, not to mention a lot of fun, will make it a life long memory that will always bring me joy when I think of it.  I will also treasure the random act of kindness from my neighbours.

When was the last time you did anything spontaneous?  How did it make you feel?  How do you think your team/family/friendship group would react if you threw caution to the wind and just did something for fun?  Life is just a series of memories so we may as well make them good ones, huh? 

I raised this idea with a couple of my managerial colleagues and the response was that they were too busy to think of anything spontaneous to do!  I think the key here is to be open and aware enough to seize an opportunity that comes by.  We get so bogged down in our day to day life and “to do” list that we don’t “see” the beauty and the fun around us.  We also get too busy to listen sometimes - I mean really listen – as our next Businesswomen’s Breakfast Series speaker in Sydney, Helen Wiseman, will discuss.  We also have Sarah Cornally in Parramatta speaking about Courageous Conversations and Helen Mac in Melbourne discussing whether people will follow you where you lead.

I’d love to hear what you have done on a spontaneous whim that has created a lifelong memory for you – and it may just give others some ideas!  Post a comment and let us know!

I’ll sign off now, but don’t forget to look around you sometimes – it may just be a lot of fun!!

In a previous post I wrote about guilt and how it can take you away from achieving so many things.  It really is a debilitating emotion that doesn’t achieve anything except to make you feel terrible.  Here’s the first of some ideas to minimise guilt that work for me, centred around time management.  Running out of time to get everything done is a huge guilt trigger in my life so being organised helps immensely. 

 

1.  Create a goal list of everything you want to achieve for the year in all areas of your life.  Be realistic!  Try not to fill up the list with everything you can think of – just those ones that are most important to you and relevant to your life.  Recognise that you can’t do everything and that is perfectly OK.

 

2.  Create systems for everything and write a procedures manual.  If this seems like a mammoth task (which it is) break it down into smaller chunks and just do one at a time.  No need to rush – just do one a week and in a few months you will have made a huge impact into the organisation of your work environment.  Having effective procedures in place allows you to outsource sections of your work when required and save time training and explaining.  It also ensures standards are adhered to and work performed is consistent across the team.

 

3.  Find a task management system that allows you to be clear and ordered about what you need to get through each day.  You could buy a small “to do” book and write the dates at the top of each page.  This book should be small enough to go everywhere with you.  Books really are better here, rather than your PC as you can take it with you.  If you really want this on the PC then update to a pda or blackberry regularly so that your list is portable. Alternatively buy a weekly planner pad where the week is displayed on one page (Kikki K stock a great one) and leave it somewhere prominent so you look at it always.  For me it is easier to have a weekly goal list rather than a daily one but this is individual preference.  Whatever system you use it must work for you so you stick to it.  Don’t be afraid to try different systems until you find the one that works.

 

4. Prioritise everything you must get done that day and rank each task - check that each activity reflects your big picture goal list. Again, be realistic and only write what you can fit in to your day.  Anything else can be written in to future days.  Don’t waste time on irrelevant tasks that achieve nothing.

 

5. Schedule in time for yourself throughout the day – do something every day that feeds your soul and refreshes your brain – you will think more clearly and actually achieve more in the long run.  Your brain is a muscle that needs rest just like the rest of your body. 

 

6. Eat well – you will zip through the day!  Don’t rely on coffee as a pick me up – it will only put you down later on.

 

7. Put an alarm clock in your office and use it.  If you allocate an hour for a task – stick to the hour.  If you need more time complete it later when you have taken care of other priorities.  Allocating a specific time will actually keep you focused and you will achieve more – try it, it works!

 

8. Create the right headspace for the task you are doing.  Allow yourself a few minutes to switch off from the last task by making a cup of tea or reading an article from a magazine

 

 

9. Seriously de-clutter your office and environment keep it as minimalist as possible – creative energy needs to be able to flow freely!  Keep this up on a monthly basis.

 

 10.  Constantly tell yourself that you have plenty of time and you will be amazed at what you can achieve when stress is out of the picture. 

 

 11. Don’t worry about what you are not doing – you will get to it in good time.  You need to train your brain to believe this.

  

12.  Handle everything only once – action it, toss it, forward it or file it but just do it!

 

13.  Answer emails twice per day and turn off other times if you can.  We were never available 24/7 before email and mobiles and the world didn’t stop spinning!  At the very least minimise your email window, set up an automatic response telling people when you will be back and disable that annoying little pop up!

 

14.  When you are working on a task ask yourself if what you are producing can be used anywhere else and think laterally

 

 15.  Get into nature and plant something.  Even if you are as horticulturally challenged as I am, connecting with the earth is a great way to boost your energy and switch off the ongoing chatter in your brain!  Very soothing and enjoyable – not to mention rewarding when you harvest your first tomato!

Last week at the Sydney Businesswomen’s Breakfast Series we were forunate enough to have Katharine McLennan speak to us about the Neuroscience of Leadership.  Katharine held that room in the palm of her hand with her researched, thoughtful and timely discussion.  There were some great pearls of wisdom delivered, and way too many to list here, but there are certainly some that can make a huge impact in the way we manage our staff – or even how we raise our kids!  I have listed a few below:

1. Slow down!  Katharine reminded us that our best creative thinking doesn’t happen at work – it usually happens in obscure places such as the shower, while walking or while relaxing.  Surely that tells us something!  If you want to be great leader who fosters innovation then give your staff space to think!

2. Status – we are constantly scanning our environment for status – we need to know where we are on the totem pole and how we compare to others.  We go into survival mode if we feel threatened which takes us away from our decision making.  So another tip?  Make your staff comfortable, appreciated and respected for the role they play in the organisation.

3. Certainty is another desired trait in the human psyche – we like to know what we are doing and what our routine should be – constant change makes most of us anxious.  Staff need to know they are a valued member of the organisation and that respect is constant.

4. Autonomy – we need to know we are in control of our environment.  Our decision making ability is nurtured by a degree of autonomy in making that decision.  This goes hand in hand with learning how to delegate as a manager and trusting your staff to do the job.

5. Relatedness – “they vs. us” – we are tribal human beings.  If we feel threatened – our decision making ability is affected.  Al the more reason to foster a cohesive workplace where departments interact smoothly.

6. Fairness –  For example, in an experiment, two people were given a percentage of a total – the first person was given $1 from $2 and was happy with the distribution.  Another person was given $10 from $30 but felt it was not a fair exchange so was disappointed.  It is not the amount that is important but the fairness of the exchange in the person’s eyes. 

Katharine has also provided us with a fabulous article where you can read more about the Neuroscience of Leadership. 

Setting a consistant standard and a nurturing culture for your team may just set you apart as a manager and make your team thrive – there is certainly more to gain for employees in being part of a cohesive team than simply throwing more money at them.  In times like these where staff retention is a critical issue – what have you got to lose?  What do you do to keep your staff focused, motivated and happy?  Leave a comment – we’d love to know!

Enjoy your week

Kim