Boost your career

Getting to the top of your field is easier with a strong peer network. A group of trusted colleagues can provide feedback, share insights and support you when you need it most. Here’s how to create one:

Decide who you want in it. It can be a mix of professions or people from the same industry. More diversity will make the group more valuable. But vet candidates carefully — ‘firing’ someone once they’re a member can be awkward.

Set ground rules. Be clear about the group’s goals and values. For example, decide whether discussions are confidential and whether referral fees are appropriate when members send each other new business.

Develop a structure. How often will you meet? How will you communicate? And when is a break from your structure warranted? In situations like a new job opportunity or a family crisis, the entire conversation can be used to provide invaluable support.

(Adapted from Create a Mastermind Group to Help Your Career, by Dorie Clark)

Don’t be afraid of managing smart people

The best managers hire smart people to work for them. But what if your direct reports are smarter than you? How do you manage people who have more experience or knowledge?

Consider whether your fears are based in reality. Insecurity can affect your interactions with your team, so don’t ignore feelings of self-doubt.

Reach out to other managers for advice. Share your concerns and ask how they’ve handled similar situations.

Give, and take, feedback. Don’t try to evaluate your direct reports on areas where you have no knowledge — stick to areas where you have authority. And tell your employees that you’re comfortable receiving feedback from them.

(Adapted from How to Manage People Who Are Smarter than You, by Rebecca Knight)

Know which skills you can take to a new career

One of the hardest parts of switching careers is knowing which of your skills can be applied in a new way. The good news is many industries may value your talents as much as your current one does. Here’s how to identify your transplantable core skills:

Tap other re-inventers. Consult with people who have already transitioned from your industry to a different career. Discuss what core skills you might be overlooking and how they could apply outside.

Confer with outsiders. Talk with a wide range of folks outside your industry. Ask them about your core skills: How you should market them? What are less-obvious functions or organisations looking for such skills?

(Adapted from Identifying the Skills That Can Help You Change Careers, by Christopher Bowe)

Help your team feel open to receiving feedback

Feedback is only useful if the receiver actually uses it. But for the message to be received, the person getting feedback has to feel safe. Feeling psychologically safe helps us hear, absorb and reflect on feedback; feeling unsafe can make feedback sound like a personal attack. To help your employees feel ready to receive feedback:

Get your intention right first. Make sure your goal is to help the other person grow. If he’s let you down or performed poorly, deal with any feelings of anger or resentment before delivering feedback.

Ask permission. Control is central to safety, so don’t give feedback unless it’s invited. Ask permission by saying something like, “Can I offer you feedback on your presentation?”

Share your intent. People become defensive less because of what you’re saying than why they think you’re saying it. Before giving feedback, make sure the person understands your positive intentions.

(Adapted from The Key to Giving and Receiving Negative Feedback, by Joseph Grenny)

Looking at nature can help your productivity

We all want to be productive, but figuring out how to do it can be challenging. One simple way is to spend time looking at nature on your next break at work. Research has found that gazing at something green — through a window, on a walk outside or even on a screen saver — can help improve attention and performance in the workplace. Because nature captures our attention without requiring us to focus on it, looking at natural environments lets us replenish our stores of attention control. And because our attention is a limited resource that we’re constantly tapping, letting it recharge is essential.

(Adapted from Gazing at Nature Makes You More Productive: An Interview With Kate Lee, by Nicole Torres)

Published in Dawn, Business & Finance weekly, November 30th, 2015