Offer your help when networking

At the end of a networking meeting, it’s not uncommon to ask, “So how can I help you?” This is a nice gesture, but if you’ve requested the meeting, you should already come with an idea for how you might be able to help. Don’t make your colleague do the work. Before the meeting, think up a hypothesis for how you can be helpful. Throughout your conversation, test it with subtle questions. Then you can ask explicitly whether your idea would actually be useful. For instance, if you’re meeting an entrepreneur, they’re probably looking for new clients. So if you know someone who could use their product or services, they’d probably appreciate an introduction. Even small gestures, such as sharing their social media posts or commenting on their blogs, are thoughtful forms of giving that are likely to be noticed.

(Adapted from The Right (and Wrong) Way to Network, by Dorie Clark)

Follow the 8-18-1,800 rule for meetings

For a meeting to be useful, you have to have the right people — and only the right people — in the room. With too many attendees, you’ll have trouble focusing everyone’s time and attention and accomplishing anything; with too few, you might not have the right decision-makers or stakeholders in the room. Before your next meeting, think about the 8-18-1,800 rule:

• If you want to solve a problem or make a decision, invite no more than eight people.

• If you want to brainstorm, you can go up to 18 people.

• If the purpose of the meeting is for you to provide updates, invite however many people need to hear those updates. But if everyone will be giving updates, limit the number of participants to no more than 18.

• If the purpose of the meeting is for you to rally the troops, go for 1,800 — or more.

(Adapted from How to Know If There Are Too Many People in Your Meeting, by Harvard Business Review staff)

Get your staff on board with new technologies

Bringing new technology and tools into your organisation can increase productivity, boost sales and help you make better, faster decisions. But getting every employee on board is often a challenge. So first, state your case. You want to put forth a compelling vision for what the technology is and what it’s going to do. Help employees understand what’s in it for them. Will the new system help salespeople meet their quotas faster? Will it increase productivity and reduce weekend work? The best argument for a new technology is that it will make your life better. After pointing out the benefits, you can focus on training employees. You want to customise training — some might prefer an online training session while others will need more individual support — and lead by example. Show that you’re investing time in learning the new system and empathise with your team about the challenges you’re all facing.

(Adapted from Convincing Skeptical Employees to Adopt New Technology, by Rebecca Knight)

Work remotely

More organisations are starting to adopt a remote work culture. But how do managers stay in sync with what their teams are doing when they can’t see them? While it’s important to define clear goals early on, you should let remote teams decide on the best paths to reach those goals. Rather than dictating each specific task, give them a vision to work on. Let them hold each other accountable, and ask them to assign themselves daily goals and provide weekly reports. This level of responsibility helps remote workers learn on the job and stay motivated. But you should still hold specific people accountable for ensuring that tasks are completed on time.

(Adapted from 5 Basic Needs of Virtual Workforces, by Randy Rayess)

Don’t skip one-on-one meetings

When faced with an onslaught of meetings, many managers cancel their one-on-ones with their direct reports. While this might free up some time right away, it can actually cost you in the long run. Not having a predictable check-in schedule can lead to mistakes — that you’ll have to fix later — or a decrease in productivity because people are unclear about their priorities. And employees will often find other, less effective ways to connect with you. They may start sending you lots of emails or hovering outside your office to catch you in between meetings. You’ll be constantly distracted. To help reinstate a sense of predictability, get weekly or biweekly recurring meetings back in place. Make a commitment to do whatever possible to keep them, even if it means connecting for a shorter amount of time. And make sure they come prepared so no time is wasted.

(Adapted from Canceling One-on-One Meetings Destroys Your Productivity, by Elizabeth Grace Saunders)

Published in Dawn, Economic & Business, July 6th, 2015

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