How to get your team to be more experimental

The most innovative companies encourage their employees to experiment. If you’d like to push your team to be more entrepreneurial, here are some things to try. Start by encouraging people to bring their outside interests to work. Ask your employees about their hobbies. What do they enjoy doing on weekends? What are they proud of outside of work? Employees who feel comfortable expressing their full, authentic selves are often better at coming up with new ideas. Creating a culture of experimentation also requires a fairly hands-off approach to leadership. Don’t be a micromanager. Instead, show employees that you trust them to get work done, even in ways that haven’t been tried before. When people have a sense of ownership, they feel more freedom to try something new. And finally, get comfortable with failure. People won’t take risks if they’re afraid of what will happen if a project doesn’t work out. Measure someone’s performance by his or her level of ingenuity, not the ability to play it safe.

(Adapted from “How to Encourage Entrepreneurial Thinking on Your Team,” by Sergei Revzin and Vadim Revzin.)

Do you know how much influence you have at work?

The amount of influence people have at work isn’t always determined by their job titles. To gauge your informal power, do a simple audit. Write down the top 10 people who help you get things done, and give each a score from one to 10 based on how much you depend on them. Think broadly about what they offer: career advice, emotional support, access to stakeholders? Next, assign yourself a score from their perspectives. Consider what you offer them and how difficult it would be to replace you. Finally, look for red flags: Do you add value mostly on one team? Do your contacts help you more than you help them? Do most of your contacts work in one function or business unit? If you’re not satisfied with your audit’s results, plan how you’ll improve them. This might mean contributing more across the company or spending more time with stakeholders. The more value you create, the more irreplaceable you’ll become.

(Adapted from “How to Figure Out How Much Influence You Have at Work,” by Maxim Sytch.)

How your organisation can support nursing employees

Nursing parents have particular needs, and it’s important that your company does what it can to meet them. After all, supporting new parents is good for retention and the firm’s reputation — and, in some cases, there can be legal consequences for companies that don’t. But doing what’s required by law isn’t enough. If you’re in a senior position, here are some ways your organisation can help nursing employees:

— Provide accommodations for pumping: These can include adequate break time; a clean, private room with a table, a chair and electrical outlets; and a refrigerator or cooler for storing milk.

— Raise awareness: Send the message that you and other leaders support nursing employees. Offering to sponsor a peer support programme, for example, can build a positive environment and help parents connect with each other.

And remember, if you aren’t sure what nursing employees need, ask.

(Adapted from “How Companies Can Support Breastfeeding Employees,” by Liz Morris et al.)

3 ways to become more optimistic

There are benefits to optimism. Some studies have found that feeling optimistic can help fight stress and improve health; others have found that optimists earn and save more money. To build your optimism, try a few things. For one, practice gratitude. When you wake up each morning, think of three things you’re thankful for. It only takes a minute, and it puts a positive spin on the day. (Also, resist the urge to immediately check the news, which often does the opposite.) Second, find ways to make progress toward your goals. Whether you want a new job or you’re launching a new project, taking even small steps forward can give you a larger sense of momentum. Third, prioritise connecting with others. Get lunch with friends you haven’t seen lately, or send a co-worker a note that you’re thankful for them. Social connection is one of the top predictors of happiness.

(Adapted from “The Financial Upside of Being an Optimist,” by Michelle Gielan.)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, June 24th, 2019