BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Building Trust

Successful business requires collaboration and teamwork. For team relationships to work well, we need high levels of trust. But how we build trust can differ from person to person, culture to culture. Becoming aware of this can help us see how to improve trust with the people we work with.
When Valeria first met her international clients, she tried to bond with them by telling them about her family and her parenting style. She showed them photos of her children on her phone. Her clients felt that her behaviour was unprofessional and it was difficult for them to trust her.
During a team-building exercise, employees at a British firm were asked to share some personal facts. Kelly wanted to make a good impression on her new colleagues. She talked about how she was the top student of her year at high school and how she won a scholarship to university. The following day her colleagues spoke to each other about how uncomfortable they felt about her boasting.
On the first day of a course, trainer David aimed to reassure his new trainees that they were in good hands. He talked enthusiastically about the big corporations he had previously worked in and the famous clients he had trained. He mentioned the good feedback he’d received and showed the results he was able to provide for his clients. The participants on the training course found this information boring and irrelevant. They wanted him to begin the training and not waste time talking about his previous achievements. Why did this happen?
There are many ways of building trust, and the approach we choose might depend on the relationship we are building, the culture we are used to and our personal preferences. However, if the methods we choose do not match the expectations of the people around us, it can lead to misunderstandings and negative assessments.
Let’s consider different approaches to building trust. Author and speaker Richard Barrett suggests that there are two main components of trust: character and competence. One way of building trust is to show that we are caring, fair, open and honest human beings. In other words, we can build trust by showing our character. Another way to build trust is by letting others know that we are capable, experienced and have achieved excellent results. This way of building trust emphasises our competence.
It can be a useful exercise to analyse specific work relationships in terms of the character/competence model. You might think about the type of trust your relationship has and the type of trust your relationship lacks, in order to see how you can develop. Many of us use both approaches, depending on the context. For example, in a job interview, we might focus on establishing trust by demonstrating our competence through work experience.
When we are working within a team, we might prioritise showing our character to form close professional relationships. By becoming aware of the context and how our conversation partners are responding to our trust-building efforts, we can adapt the way we build trust to better suit them.
When working at new professional relationships, it is important to remember that there is no one correct way to build trust. Making quick judgements about the speaker, like Valeria’s clients, Kelly’s new colleagues and David’s trainees did, could stop trust developing and damage our chances of forming positive relationships. Instead, if we assume the best intentions behind what is being said and are generous in our judgements of other people, we create positive conditions for building trust at work.

Coaching

Coaching is about making positive changes in your life. A coach helps you identify your goals and become your own expert in how to achieve them.
Coaching is a useful tool in today’s challenging world of business. Companies are merging and restructuring and people change jobs far more than before. Our work has changed and we might feel less prepared or demotivated, unsure if what we have been doing is the right way forward. So we might consider hiring a professional business coach to help us get where we want to be and feel happier at work.
A coach is sometimes compared to a mentor and a consultant. However, unlike having a mentor, working with a coach is normally for a short, specified amount of time. A coach is also quite different to a consultant, who looks at the whole team or company and how it does things. In addition, mentors and consultants often give advice – something a coach doesn’t normally do. So what does a coach do? Here are five things.

1. A coach allows the individual to determine the direction of their conversation.
When the coachee meets the coach for a session, the coach doesn’t come with a fixed plan. It is the individual that leads the conversation; the coach observes and listens. As the coach
starts to understand the individual’s context, they might ask more questions and talk about their observations. This helps the individual see the situation clearly, as if the coach is holding up a mirror.

2. A coach helps the coachee to identify goals and prioritise them. Before we can decide on our path to development, we need to first understand what our desired destination might be. A coach can help the individual link their business goals with their personal plans and dreams. And in doing so, they can improve motivation and focus. The coach then helps the individual identify the practical steps they need to take.

3. A coach asks questions to guide the individual and help them understand the issues they’re facing. By asking the right questions, a coach can help the individual to focus the conversation and truly explore the relevant issues. However, a good coach does not ask leading questions that suggest a particular answer, for example, Do you think x might be a better idea? or How do you feel about doing it this way instead? Good coaching questions do not tell the coachee what to do. Instead, they help them to reflect, see things clearly and discover their own way forward. A coach might ask, for example, What is your biggest challenge at the moment? What would be a successful outcome for you here? or What could you do now that would be a step forward?

4. A coach notices the emotions behind the issues and helps the individual understand them.
In a coaching conversation, hidden emotions often come to the surface. A good coach would help the individual become aware of their emotions and allow them to explore their feelings when needed.

5. A coach guides the individual to move forward, taking them from where they are now to where they want to be. Many coaches set the coachee tasks to complete in between sessions. Over a series of sessions, the coach helps motivate the coachee to follow steps towards success, tracks the coachee’s progress and keeps them focused on the end goal. The coach does not do the work for the coachee, nor do they advise them. They act as a guide to help the individual find the appropriate strategies in reaching their goals.

There are many benefits to employing an external business coach, like their objectivity and fresh perspective. But business leaders and managers have also discovered that if they acquire coaching skills themselves, this can help them improve the performance of their teams. Managers are now taking coaching training in order to have internal coaching
conversations with team members who might be having difficulties, and many are now seeing the power of coaching as a way to help their businesses grow and ensure their staff are happy and motivated.

Conflict Management

Knowing how to handle conflict is an important professional skill. Conflict at work can affect the motivation and well-being of staff and create unnecessary distractions and stress. People with conflict management skills resolve disagreements quickly and effectively, enabling effective teamwork and maximum productivity. Successful conflict management also helps to create an atmosphere in which individuals can learn from others, develop their talents and think creatively. Conflict management can be challenging, but people who do it well are highly valued by their colleagues and companies.

Fight or flight
When conflict arises, we can often see nature’s fight-or-flight response – either attacking the enemy or running away. The ‘fight’ reaction is when people start to prepare themselves for an argument. But by getting aggressive, they might not only damage their relationships but also miss the chance of growing through constructive feedback.
The ‘flight’ response involves ignoring the issue altogether. People suppress their feelings, hide disagreements and pretend that everything is fine when it is not. However, the conflict remains unresolved and the problem gets worse.
So how can we go beyond our immediate reactions to make conflict a source of trust-building and development? Here are eight tips to help us manage conflict successfully.

1. Consider the best time and place for the conversation.
While it is important to talk about the issue, doing it in the wrong place and in front of the wrong people can result in embarrassment and an inability to truly listen. If possible, make an appointment to sit down and talk through the issue with the people involved.

2. Assume positive intentions.
If you walk into a conversation assuming that you’re not liked or that you’re going to be attacked, you’ll most likely spend that time defending yourself and feeling angry and hurt. Remember that you’re going through this process because people want to resolve the issue and get along. So start by assuming that their intentions are positive and that the things they are going to say are for the good of the team. This will allow for an open conversation that aims to improve the situation rather than make it worse.

3. Make sure it’s a two-way conversation.
A conversation is not a monologue. It is not a chance for one party to list all the things they are angry and unhappy about without letting the other person react. A real conversation allows all parties to share their perspectives and collaborate to find a satisfactory way forward. If you find yourself in a monologue, stop and ask some questions.

4. Listen and be open to change.
Many of us think we listen but instead are simply waiting for our chance to respond. Put your thoughts aside for the moment and truly listen when the other person is speaking. Growth and development are only possible if you allow their words to change you.

5. Be specific about the issue and the impact.
It’s easy to generalise and make broad accusations, for example using statements such as You always ... or You never ... However, this often results in a defensive response. Instead, be specific about what the issue is, give examples and be clear about the impact of the problem. Be as objective as you can and avoid personal attacks.

6. Don’t bring up the past.
Some of us feel the need to bring up less relevant past events to gain an advantage over our conversation partner. This can make people feel defensive and distract everyone from the main point of the conversation. Try to focus on the main issue and how to make things better.

7. Take responsibility for your part in the problem.
We are not perfect and we make mistakes. Consider how you might have contributed to the problem and take responsibility for it. This not only demonstrates your desire to work as a team but also shows that you are not just looking for an opportunity to blame the other party.

8. Focus on the future.
Conversations about conflict are often focused on what shouldn’t have been and what could have been done. Instead, focus on the future. What steps can you take to resolve the problem? How can you avoid this happening again?

With careful management, conflicts can help us make the most of our differences and find a way of working together successfully.

Effective Collaboration

Collaboration means two or more people working together to achieve a goal. Studies have found that working together makes people more motivated and helps them perform much better. People who are collaborating on tasks stay interested for longer, feel less tired and get better results than people who are working alone.
Working together as a team allows people to achieve things that could never be done by just one person. What’s more, the communication needed in order for team members to share goals and explain ideas is part of a process that improves the quality of everyone’s thinking and contributions.
Here are five tips for effective collaboration and strong teamwork that will improve productivity and get better results.

1. Creating a culture of co-operation
To achieve their goals effectively, team members need to co-operate and be generous with their resources, including their own talents. When people get to know the strengths of their individual team members, they can use the different skills and expertise in the team to their advantage.
Team leaders can create a culture of co-operation by setting an example that includes spending time talking to and supporting individuals, and sharing their knowledge and resources with their team. If we see our team leaders being open and welcoming different ideas, we are more likely to do the same.

2. Having clear goals and clear roles
Working in a team without clear goals is like running in a race without a finish line. In order for team collaboration to be successful, members need to have clear goals and know their individual responsibilities. This not only helps them to stay focused and motivated, but it also helps them to understand how they can play their part in the team’s success.

3. Leaders – focusing on tasks and relationships
Objectives are important, but we mustn’t forget that a team is made up of people and their relationships to each other. The stronger those relationships are, the more likely the team is to be effective.
A report by Harvard Business Review found that the most productive and innovative teams often have leaders with a flexible leadership style. They might start a project being task-focused and deciding the goals and roles in a team. But during the project, they might switch to a more relationship-oriented style, focusing on team-building and creating an environment of friendliness and trust.

4. Having open communication lines
If we want our team members to work well together, communication is the key. We need to provide effective channels of communication and encourage people to share what they’re doing. Simply meeting once a week for updates is not enough. There are many project management tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack that provide a regular and open channel of communication with everyone. Another option could be creating a group on messaging apps like WhatsApp or LINE to offer team members a chance to informally communicate with others.

5. Encouraging a spirit of community
Companies often organise social events because they know the importance of creating a sense of community. The activity could be anything from a weekly lunchtime food share to a quiz afternoon. Or you can start with simple, everyday things like having coffee breaks together or creating a space to share books. Ideas like these all encourage collaboration by bringing people together and helping them bond with their colleagues.

Collaboration is an opportunity to learn from each other and encourage fresh thinking, as well as a source of energy, strength and continued effort. As the saying goes, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’

Environmental Impact of Online Shopping

In the past few decades, the way we shop has changed dramatically. We used to buy our goods in traditional shops, on the high street or in department stores. Now, customers are increasingly buying online, where they can order whatever they want directly to their door with the click of a mouse. One in seven sales are now made online and studies suggest that by 2021, global online retail will reach an enormous US$4.8 trillion. As companies race to improve their internet shopping experience, the trend towards shopping online is predicted to continue.
But what is the impact of all this online shopping on the environment? You might think that online shopping is greener than in-store shopping. After all, an online store does not use the electricity that a traditional store might use and it doesn’t require the customer to drive anywhere. Items are often delivered to several homes at once, so you would think the carbon savings must be significant. Take the typical home delivery round in the UK, for example. Supermarket drivers often do 120 deliveries on an 80-kilometre round, producing 20 kilograms of CO2 in total. In contrast, a 21-kilometre drive to the store and back for one household would generate 24 times more CO2!
However, the reality is slightly more complex than that. Many home deliveries fail the first time and the driver has to make a second or third attempt to deliver the purchase. Customers who choose speedy delivery or those who buy single items from different places also contribute towards increasing the carbon footprint.
The carbon footprint also goes up if the customer chooses to return the item. A study in Germany showed that as many as one in three online purchases are returned. According to another study, merchandise worth nearly US$326 million is returned each year in the USA. Two billion kilograms of this ends up in landfill, leading to 13 tonnes of CO2 being released.
Clothing is one product that has high return rates. Unlike in a walk-in store, the online shopper can’t try things on before buying. So, companies offer free returns to make it easier for shoppers to purchase the same item of clothing in different sizes and colours. Customers try them at home, keep one and return the rest of them. However, when clothes are returned, they are not always cleaned and put back for sale. This is because many companies have found it cheaper to simply throw away the returned items than to pay someone to sort the damaged goods from the unwanted ones. In these cases, the returned clothes, which might be in perfect condition, end up in landfills or burnt.
When we take all these factors into consideration, we realise that online shopping isn’t necessarily as green as people might think. That last kilometre to your door is costly, for companies and for the environment. There is some positive news, as various online retailers are starting to lower their carbon footprint by investing in electric delivery vehicles. However, the question of how to deal with returns efficiently and without waste is a challenge that many companies have not wanted to face. As online shoppers become aware of what companies are doing, and campaign groups demand urgent action in the face of the climate and ecological emergency, there is increasing pressure for companies to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their activities.

Five Essential Marketing Trends

The marketing world moves fast. Technology has changed the way we live and the way we promote and sell products. In the last ten years, increasing use of social media, online shopping and platforms like YouTube and Netflix have allowed companies to connect with customers in new ways. The number of people who go online every day is still increasing, and the marketing trends you need to know about right now are digital.
Here are five essential marketing trends that companies must take note of in order to move with the times.

1. Shopping on social media
Forbes reports that 72 per cent of Instagram users have bought something when using the app and 70 per cent of Pinterest users use the platform to find new and interesting products. Companies can now create posts that allow users to shop directly on social media instead of companies’ own websites. This allows retailers to reach their customers more quickly and easily.

2. Focus on customer experience
When a customer comes to your company, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to find what they need and buy your products. PricewaterhouseCoopers reports that 73 per cent of people say that customer experience is an important factor when making a buying decision. And when they say ‘customer experience’, they most value efficiency, friendly and knowledgeable customer service and easy payment options. Companies that can provide a good customer experience keep their customers and attract new ones.

3. Personalisation
There are so many marketing messages around us every day that people are very good at ignoring them, especially ones about products they’re not interested in. So, in order to target the right kind of customer and connect with them, companies are personalising their marketing content. This is made possible by the data that people generate through their internet searches, online shopping habits and social media use. Online product recommendations, adverts and even the design of the marketing message itself is adapted to the interests and preferences of individual consumers.
According to a report, although 86 per cent of people were concerned about privacy issues, 90 per cent were happy to share data about their behaviour if it meant an easier and cheaper shopping experience. In the same survey, 72 per cent of consumers said they would only engage with marketing messages that are personalised according to their interests.

4. Video content
According to Forbes, 91 per cent of consumers say they prefer watching interactive and visual content to reading a traditional piece of information about a product. And consumers are 85 per cent more likely to buy your product after watching a video about it.
If an advertisement is interesting, amusing or unique, people will search for it online and share it with their friends. Live videos on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are also known to attract large audiences and get people interacting with companies in the comments, where they can give feedback and ask questions about the products.

5. SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation – the strategies companies use to get themselves high up in the results lists of search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo and others. As the internet plays an increasingly central role in marketing and selling, it is vital for your company to appear in the search results when someone does a related search. For example, if you sell coffee machines, you want your website to appear when someone searches for the best coffee machines or even ways of making coffee.

There is no doubt that the trend of digital marketing and an increased focus on individual customers is set to continue. Companies hoping to gain a larger market share should constantly update their marketing strategies to get ahead of the game.

Flexible Working

Fred works for a traditional company that expects him to start at 8.30 a.m. and leave at 5.30 p.m. or later every day. Most of his work is done on a project basis and, as a manager, he is responsible for the quality of work that is produced and for meeting deadlines. On most days of the week, there is often extra work to be done on a project, and Fred stays late in the office or brings his work home. Occasionally, when he finishes all his work before 5.30 p.m., he finds himself hanging around, chatting with colleagues and waiting for the time he can officially leave.
With two small children at school, Fred has to use up his annual leave in order to take time off when his children are ill, when he wants to attend their sports day or any time the kids have a half-day at school. Fred also lives an hour’s drive from his office and therefore spends two hours a day commuting.
In the interest of increasing productivity and making better use of his time, Fred suggested the idea of flexible working to his director. His director, however, rejected his suggestion, saying that he saw flexible working as problematic for the company.
Fred’s director isn’t alone in this thinking. In many organisations, there is still a culture in which the employee who arrives the earliest and leaves the latest is considered the most hard-working, and many bosses still believe that they can’t trust their employees to work remotely. They worry that there are too many distractions for workers at home or that team working and communication won’t be as good if workers are physically disconnected from each other. Some employers think management is about the close supervision of employees to direct and control not just what is done but also exactly how it is done.
However, the nature of a lot of work today involves meeting deadlines, achieving certain objectives and hitting targets. As most people who’ve worked in these kinds of environments know, productivity is less about how many hours you spend in the office and more about how well you meet those goals. Even though they’re outside the office, the remote worker who is not meeting targets is quickly noticed. Micromanaging bosses don’t help productivity either. In fact, research shows that controlling bosses can have a negative effect on their employees’ performance.
In contrast, giving employees the freedom to organise their working schedule to fit with their personal life means they are working when they are best able to engage fully with their work and are therefore more efficient and productive. Having choices in their working environment and timetable creates responsible and motivated workers who are likely to get better results, knowing they can meet the demands of both their job and their personal life.
Whether it is giving employees the right to work remotely, offering job sharing or part-time working, or allowing non-fixed start and finish times, flexible working is not just about practical working arrangements but also about a culture and a mindset. For example, many remote workers find themselves working past their working hours, partly because there is no commuting to mark the boundaries between work and personal life, making it hard to switch off from work. Companies might need to consider training both workers and management staff to help them better understand what flexible working is, how to implement it and how to encourage a results-driven approach. Only then can flexible working truly result in happier employees, increased productivity and better employee retention.

Influencing Across Cultures

The ability to persuade other people is a vital business skill that will get you the support you need to go forward with your ideas. However, as Erin Meyer argues in The Culture Map, the art of persuasion is not universal. Different cultures can have different preferences for styles of persuasion. Choosing the right approach could make all the difference to the success of your presentation.
Let’s imagine you sell chairs that can help people with back problems. Tomorrow, you’ve got a presentation where you’re going to persuade the managers of a large company to buy your chairs for all their employees. How would you do it?

Presentation A
You start with the practicalities and go straight to real-life examples. You present some case studies of people who developed back pain from sitting in uncomfortable chairs at work and were no longer able to come to work. You show how they and their companies benefited from buying your chair. Using those examples, you apply this to your audience and you tell them that because your chair helped your previous clients and saved their company money, it will help your audience too. You conclude that they should buy your chair.

Presentation B
You start with a theory: the theory that your chair can save the company money. You use research and statistics to support your argument, showing how employees’ back problems cost the company money and explaining how your chair can solve those problems. You take listeners through the process of how you arrived at your conclusions, and you finish with the recommendation that they buy your chair.

So, which presentation style do you prefer? If you chose Presentation A, then you prefer inductive reasoning. You go to real-life examples, rather than theory, to persuade people of your message. If you chose Presentation B, then you prefer deductive reasoning. You start with the theory before the practical situation. You persuade people by taking them through how you arrive at your conclusions.
In The Culture Map, Meyer suggests that Anglo-Saxon cultures like the US, Canada, Australia and the UK prefer an inductive style of reasoning, while she connects deductive reasoning to countries like Italy, France, Spain and Russia. Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Sweden fall in the middle of the two. Meyer also explains that Asian cultures tend towards ‘big picture’ thinking, which requires a different approach entirely.

It is important to remember that your preferred influencing style might not be the same as your audience’s preferred style. For best results, try to find out as much as possible about your audience and get to know their preferences. If possible, ask an ‘insider’ – someone who knows the culture and company you’re dealing with well – for more information about how they do things. If you’re not sure whether to choose an inductive or deductive approach, do both! Explain the theory and give an example at the same time. Finally, be ready to respond quickly to the audience’s reaction and try a different way of doing things if what you planned doesn’t seem to be working.

Job Interviews

Job interviews can be a nerve-racking experience, especially when you don’t feel prepared for them. And with the variety of interview questions that can be asked these days, it’s hard to know what type of questions you should prepare for.
Here are three types of interview questions that you should practise answering before that important job interview.

1. Common interview questions
Tell us about yourself.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Why do you want to leave your current job?
These questions are for the interviewer to get to know you and to see if you’re the best person for the job. Don’t simply list things like your hobbies, your strengths or your work experience. Instead, give examples and use them to show your personality and the characteristics you have that make you perfect for the job. Your interviewer may want to ask questions about certain areas of your CV, so use this opportunity to link your experience to the job you’re applying for.
Avoid: Giving a detailed life history or telling long stories that are irrelevant to the job or to the company.

2. Competency questions
Tell me about a time you had to work as a team.
Tell me about a time you had to use your creativity to solve a problem.
Tell me about a time when you experienced conflict with a colleague and how you handled that situation.
Here, the candidate is asked questions about situations they have faced in the past that can demonstrate a particular skill they have. These could include skills like critical thinking, influencing, problem solving or flexibility. Interviewers often want to hear about challenges you’ve had, not just about times when everything went smoothly, so be ready with examples such as how you resolved conflict in your team or dealt with someone who was not working well. This will demonstrate that you can handle difficult situations.
When preparing for the job interview, read the job description carefully for the required skills and abilities and try to recall situations where you had to use these skills. Then use the STAR technique when talking about these examples:
• Situation – Give details about the context of your example and what you were trying to
do.

• Task – Describe your responsibilities and the challenges you faced.
• Action – Describe what steps you took to deal with the situation.
• Result – Talk about the end result and how you contributed to this outcome.
Avoid: Going in unprepared and having to think up examples, or saying you’ve never faced any challenges at work.

3. Hypothetical questions
What would you do if you had a different opinion from your boss about how to do something?
How would you deal with a large volume of work with several staff members off work?
What would you do if you had to introduce a new policy that you knew was going to be unpopular in your team?
Hypothetical interview questions are similar to competency questions except that instead of asking you to talk about an experience you’ve had in the past, they present you with an imaginary situation that you might face in your new job.
This might seem difficult to prepare for, but remember that your answers are meant to demonstrate the skills needed for the job. When preparing for the interview, consider the qualities that the interviewer might be looking for, qualities like conflict management, time management or people skills. Then think about how you can demonstrate those qualities in a range of situations. Start with situations that you’ve experienced and move on to other possible situations that you might encounter in the role you’re applying for.
Avoid: Going off-topic, changing the subject and not answering the original question.

Whatever type of questions they ask, interviewers want to find the right person and are keen to give you the opportunity to demonstrate what you can do. With some preparation, you can show them that you’re the perfect fit for the job.

Managing Up

Your boss, and your relationship with them, has a big impact on your working environment and sense of job satisfaction. But although learning how to manage your boss is an important professional skill, it is one that is not often discussed. This article explains what managing up means, what the benefits are and how to do it.
Nicole loves many things about her job – she loves the responsibilities she has, she gets on well with the members of the team she is leading, and she appreciates the working environment she has. The only thing that keeps her awake at night is worrying about her boss, Peter.
Peter joined the company as manager of Nicole’s department only four months ago. He had previously been working as a manager in a different industry and is less familiar with his new business environment. Methods that he used before are not going down well with members of this new department and an atmosphere of resentment is building in the team. Nicole feels Peter is not getting the best out of his team and thinks his lack of background knowledge about the business is leading to poor decisions.
So what could Nicole do? She could:
(a) join in the gossip against Peter,
(b) complain about Peter to his managers,
(c) do nothing and hope that
(d) manage up.
Options (a) and (b) might create more tension and build an even more negative working atmosphere, and option (c) is likely to cause Nicole to feel frustrated and dislike her job. Fortunately, there is a proactive option that Nicole can take: she can choose to manage up.
Managing up is the process of managing your manager. It involves learning how to work well with your manager and developing a positive relationship with them. It does not mean falsely flattering your boss or manipulating them to do what you want. It is more about putting yourself in their position, understanding their needs and then using the skills of a good manager to help support them.
Author of Managing Up, Mary Abbajay, suggests that people with difficult bosses first need to let go of the anger and replace it with empathy and understanding. By trying to put ourselves in our bosses’ shoes, we are able to better understand their challenges and their choices. Then from a place of calm, we can try to identify and prioritise the problems. What skills do they lack as a manager? How could they make better decisions? Are there differences in working styles and how do they affect the team?
Once we understand the issues, we can then think of strategies to manage up. For Nicole, this might involve finding the right way to communicate these problems to Peter. Or it could mean providing him with the information he needs and helping him to see the talents of the people in the team. Managing up could also mean adapting her working style slightly to fit her manager’s. And in some cases, it might even involve taking on more responsibilities and covering for the manager in areas that they need help with.
Most importantly, the skill of managing up is about developing a healthy and positive relationship with your boss. Not only will this allow you to better understand their values, their goals and their point of view, but it will also open up communication channels so that they feel like they’re able to come to you for support. You’re not just helping your boss by doing this. You’re also developing important professional skills, creating a more positive working environment and taking positive steps for your own job satisfaction and career.
Nicole’s story reflects many of our realities. In fact, one study showed that 65 per cent of workers would choose a new boss over a pay rise. However, with the skill of managing up, we can all try to make our workplace a more satisfying and enjoyable one. What’s more, it’s a good opportunity to improve our own management skills and career prospects in the process.

Managing Meetings

We’ve all been in badly managed meetings: meetings that seem to go round in circles without any decisions being made; meetings that are dominated by the same few voices; meetings where people talk and talk with no clear purpose; meetings that seem to go on forever...
A European survey found that the typical staff member spends 187 hours a year in meetings. The report suggested that 56 per cent of those meetings were considered unproductive. In a survey of office workers across the UK, it was found that each employee cost their company an average of £38.50 for every meeting they attended.
So how can we have more efficient, effective and even inspiring meetings? Here are six tips.

1. Set a clear agenda.
An agenda is a list of points to be dealt with at the meeting, in the order in which they will be discussed. If you have a long list of bullet points, consider prioritising the items and breaking each topic down into its key issues.
Indicate on your agenda how much time you’ll be spending on each topic, who will be presenting or leading it and whether a decision or some kind of solution will be needed. Also, remember to send out the agenda a few days before the meeting so that participants have time to prepare.

2. Review the attendee list.
When we are busy, the last thing we need is an invitation to a meeting we don’t really need to attend. So, consider carefully who needs to be there. Invite someone to a meeting if:
• the points on the agenda are relevant and the decisions will affect them
• they have expertise to contribute
• they have the authority to make the decisions required.

3. Keep the meeting focused on the agenda.
Follow the agenda and politely redirect participants back to it if you find that they have gone off-topic. Introduce the idea of ‘parking’ ideas and discussions that are not strictly relevant or urgent. This gives you the chance to acknowledge ideas and issues that might be important to the participants but which are not a priority right now. You can then follow up by including ‘parked’ ideas in the meeting minutes and exploring them at a different time.

4. Encourage participation and be sensitive.
The most vocal participants might not be the ones with the best ideas. Give everyone a chance to speak and encourage participation from quieter colleagues. However, avoid putting anyone on the spot. Also, be sensitive to underlying issues and emotions and help the group deal with conflict in a productive way.

5. Clarify, check and record.
Don’t assume that everyone understands each other, especially when the meeting language isn’t everyone’s first language. Ask for clarification, summarise each time a point is made, check that the participants agree and ensure that decisions are made. Ask someone to take notes of what is being discussed and ensure that action points – tasks to be done and who will do them – are recorded in the minutes.

6. End the meeting on time.
Meetings that don’t end on time can leave participants feeling tired, frustrated and stressed. So, assure your participants that the meeting will end on time and set the timer on your phone to ring about five to ten minutes before the end. Use the last five to ten minutes to summarise and bring the meeting to a close.

If we all make an effort to make every meeting we attend an efficient and effective one, meetings can help us communicate well and be part of a productive team.

Mindfulness at Work

Have you ever missed important information in a meeting because you were thinking about something else? Or eaten your lunch at your desk without even noticing what it tasted like?
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Research has shown that 47 per cent of the time, people are thinking about something other than what they’re doing. People’s minds wander, whether they are trying to read important emails, speaking to clients, updating the sales figures, or talking to colleagues. Interestingly, it was also found that people were less happy when their minds were wandering than when they were not. Being mindful and paying attention to the present can not only improve our focus, but it can also help us reduce stress, improve relationships and allow us to feel more connected with the present moment. But what exactly is mindfulness?
According to Psychology Today, mindfulness is a state of active, open attention to the present. When one is mindful, one observes one’s feelings and thoughts from a distance without judging them as good or bad. Being mindful means living in the moment and actually experiencing what life has to offer. There are different ways that we can train our minds to do this. One easy and effective way is through meditation and mindfulness exercises. So, how can we learn to be more mindful at work?

1. Make time for short mindfulness exercises.
You might not have time to sit down to do long mindfulness meditations every day, but you can take a moment to focus on your breathing and become conscious of your senses. In A Monk’s Guide to Happiness, Gelong Thubten recommends practising micro moments of mindfulness. One way to do this is by sitting with a good posture and becoming aware of the sounds you can hear. Through exercises such as this one, you can learn to focus your attention and train yourself to become more mindful.

2. Be aware of what you’re doing.
Mindfulness is about being present and consciously experiencing every moment. When you’re talking to your colleagues, pay attention to their body language, their intonation and what they’re really saying. When you’re sitting at your desk, be aware of the sensation of contact between your body and the chair. If you find your mind wandering from what you’re doing, notice those thoughts and bring your attention back to the present.

3. Make a list of things you are grateful for.
In our busy day-to-day lives, it’s easy to only focus on things that have gone wrong and be negative about the people and the things around us. By making a list of things we’re thankful for, we can have a more balanced view of our reality. Being mindful of the things that are going well can also help improve our motivation, creativity and productivity.

4. Avoid multitasking.
Do you sometimes try to reply to emails while attending a meeting? Or look through your work chats while having your lunch? Doing multiple things at a time might make you feel more productive, but it often means you are not concentrating fully on any of the things you are trying to do. This makes you inefficient, more likely to make mistakes and worse at ignoring things that are not important. It can also make you unhappier as you lose connection with the present moment. So the next time you find yourself shifting your attention between multiple things, allow yourself a moment to decide what you really need to focus on and try to give that your full attention.

The more we practise doing these four things regularly, the more we can train ourselves to be more mindful at work and the more we see its benefits. So, bring your mind back from whatever you’re thinking about and turn your attention to the here and now.

Negotiating

Whether you’re negotiating a multimillion dollar deal, agreeing on your role in a project or simply persuading your colleagues to go for Chinese food for lunch, effective negotiation skills can help you to motivate other people, get the best results and improve profitability.
There is often a misconception that negotiating is about insisting on our point of view to get our own way. Conversely, others assume that negotiation is all about compromise and that we have to be ready to forget 50 per cent of what we want.
But thinking of negotiating as either insisting or compromising can damage relationships and leave both sides feeling as if they’ve lost. According to Fisher and Ury in their best-selling book Getting to Yes, there is another way. They argue that collaboration is the key to negotiating successfully, and they illustrate this by telling the story of the Orange Quarrel. It goes like this:
Joey and Jenny are arguing over an orange. In a win–lose situation, Joey might simply take the orange from Jenny. Joey would then be satisfied but Jenny would be upset and frustrated. Alternatively, Joey might find dishonest ways of convincing Jenny that she didn’t want that orange after all. Using this method, Joey might get his way, but he might damage their relationship in the long run.
If they focus on compromise, Joey and Jenny might decide to cut the orange in half. Their effort to share means that each of them now has half of what they wanted but neither of them is fully satisfied.
However, if Joey and Jenny spent some time talking to each other, they might find out that Jenny in fact wants the orange peel to make a cake. Joey, on the other hand, loves eating oranges and doesn’t want the peel. In this collaborative scenario, Joey and Jenny are both able to achieve 100 per cent satisfaction when they realise that Jenny can have all the peel and Joey all the fruit. Yet, according to Fisher and Ury, too many negotiations end up with half an orange for each side instead of the whole fruit for one and the whole peel for the other.
The first step to understanding the role of collaboration in negotiations is to realise that it is not always a competitive situation. One person’s ‘win’ doesn’t have to equal another person’s loss. Exploring the interests and needs of both parties can help us see solutions we didn’t consider before. Here are five things we can do to collaborate when negotiating.

1. Know your objectives.
What are your interests in this? Make a list of the results you’d like to achieve. What are your priorities? Remember that maintaining a good relationship might be one of your objectives.

2. Separate the people from the issue.
Understand the difference between the content of the negotiation and the people who are negotiating. Try to be objective and manage your negative emotions.

3. Ask questions and listen.
Some people enter a negotiation prepared with a speech about what they want. But as seen in the Orange Quarrel, it is important to also understand your negotiation partner’s interests and objectives. So, ask questions, listen and get an overview of everyone’s situation.

4. Find shared interests.
How different are your interests from your negotiating partner’s? Get to know which interests clash and which ones are shared. An understanding of shared interests will help you see this as an opportunity to work together rather than a competitive situation.

5. Look at creative options.
The first solution you think of, for example splitting the orange in half, might not always be the best one. Think creatively and discuss different alternatives that might work for everyone.

Most people have positive intentions and they do want to get along, even in potentially tense situations. By showing that we are professionals capable of collaborating, we can not only please everyone involved but also set a strong foundation for future negotiations.

Resilience

Raul never seems to let difficulties in life worry him. When someone disagrees with him, he sees it as a chance to understand things from a different point of view. When he had too much work, he learnt to improve his time management skills. When he lost his job, he took an online course so he could apply for better jobs. To Raul’s friends, he’s the best example of resilience.
What is resilience? One definition of resilience is the ability to be happy or successful again after difficulties. But resilience isn’t just that. It is also the ability to adapt to challenging situations without feeling like it’s all too much for you. It means using difficult situations to grow and improve.
Some people might say Raul’s just lucky. They might think he never gets stressed and that things just don’t bother him. But they’re wrong. Resilient people do feel stress, emotional pain, disappointment and other negative emotions. But it’s what they do with those feelings that helps make them resilient. Resilience involves thoughts, behaviour and actions that we all can develop and strengthen. People are not born resilient – they learn resilience.
So what can we do to build resilience? Here are three tips.

1. Be aware of your reactions
When we think something is difficult or threatening, negative feelings and thoughts can lead to negative actions. By being aware of our feelings, we can learn to accept them and to deal with them better. Mindfulness activities like meditation can increase our awareness of our emotional state and help us calm negative thoughts.
Our brains often try to make sense of negative events by creating a story around the situation. For example, if Stella openly disagrees with us in a meeting, we might tell ourselves that she doesn’t like us and was looking for the opportunity to make us feel uncomfortable in front of the boss. We tell ourselves this story until it feels real, even though it’s likely that the reality is quite different.
Being aware that everybody has a tendency to create stories around events is the first step to managing our reactions. When we realise that our version of events is just one interpretation of things, the situation becomes less painful and we are more open to seeing things from different perspectives.

2. Use writing techniques to gain different perspectives
It is not easy to recognise and change the stories we tell ourselves but there are techniques that can help us. Greater Good Magazine from Berkeley, the University of

California, suggests expressive writing – writing freely about an issue for 20 minutes, putting your deepest thoughts and feelings on paper. As we write, the process forces us to face our thoughts honestly and helps us find new understanding.
Writing can also help us think more positively about difficult experiences. Once we have explored the negative side of something, another technique involves making a list of the positive aspects of the situation. For example, maybe Stella’s comments in the meeting forced you to make your original idea much better. Or what she said might have helped you
understand her point of view. A study found that people who did this ‘list the positives’ activity every day for three weeks felt more positive, particularly the negative thinkers, who reported feeling less depressed.

3. Be kind to yourself
It is important that we don’t judge ourselves for the negative feelings and thoughts that we have, and that we forgive ourselves for the mistakes we make. Talking to other kind and sympathetic individuals can help support us when we are experiencing difficulty. Sharing experiences with other people can help us become more aware of our feelings and offer us different perspectives. Whether these are our colleagues, our friends or people in other social groups we belong to, forming strong relationships helps us feel less alone.
Being kind to yourself is also about looking after your physical health. Making sure you get enough sleep, plenty of exercise and healthy food can help reduce the stress you’re feeling. The stress, worry and emotional pain that life brings can be challenging. But if we work on building our resilience and getting the support we need to do so, we can gradually learn to deal with these difficult circumstances and, in the process, become stronger.

Working in a Remote Team

Aisha had been very successful managing her team in Edinburgh and was asked by the company to lead a remote team for an important two-year project. Keen to demonstrate her leadership abilities to the head office, Aisha got her team members together for a remote meeting. But right from that first meeting, she realised that this was going to be a different challenge.
For a start, Archie was late for the meeting by about 15 minutes because of ‘technical problems’. Lucia kept asking about really specific details, while Aisha was hoping to use the meeting to get to know the team members and identify priorities. Archie and Lucia kept accidentally talking at the same time, and when they didn’t speak, there was an uncomfortable silence. Valentina hardly said a word. No one had their cameras on, so there was none of the usual communication through body language or facial expressions. Without these visual clues, Aisha had no idea whether people were interested, lost, confused or bored.
By the end of the meeting, Aisha didn’t feel like she had achieved much of her agenda and wasn’t sure what people had understood. She wondered how she was going to build trust and encourage bonding in her team.
As companies continue to think globally, and as modern-day technology makes remote working easier, remote teams have become common. Instant messaging, videoconferencing and other web-based tools all help. But communication via modern technology is not without its problems. Meetings, essential for team bonding and working together effectively, can be particularly challenging online. Aside from having to coordinate people in different time zones and ensuring that no one is multitasking and getting distracted, meetings on virtual platforms are not always helpful for good communication. As seen from Aisha’s example, videoconferencing is often characterised by uncomfortable silences and people talking over each other.
So what can managers of remote teams do to improve meetings and encourage successful team bonding? Here are five tips.

1. Build trust quickly.
It can be hard to trust people you don’t know very well, so make sure the first meeting includes proper introductions, where members of the team are able to share information about themselves, their role and their context. Encourage people to have their camera on for conference calls right from the start so that team members can put a face to a name and build stronger relationships.

2. Discuss preferred communication styles and approaches to work.
Schedule some time during one of the initial meetings to talk about things like time-keeping, expected amount of participation, how closely members prefer to follow the agenda and so on. Talk about the challenges of online meeting platforms and how members can help make meetings more effective.

3. Discourage distractions.
Minimise the risk of people multitasking and not paying attention during meetings by creating a culture of calling with video on. Another way to ensure that people concentrate during meetings is to give each member a role, for example, someone to take the minutes, someone to notice problems and someone to offer ideas and alternatives.

4. Try to understand what silence means.
If someone is quiet for a while, it might mean ‘thinking time’, and that’s OK. But it might also mean lack of understanding or disagreement, so try to get more information from them. Ask for everyone’s point of view at the beginning of a new project and make regular opportunities to speak to team members individually. This will help you understand other people’s opinions on things and avoid misunderstandings.

5. Actively manage turn-taking and be careful not to let one person dominate the meeting.
If you notice that someone isn’t talking much, ask them for their opinions and bring them into the conversation, or speak to that person later individually to check everything is OK.

With team members located in different places, remote meetings are vital for team bonding and effective teamwork. By making an effort to build trust and encourage good communication, we can avoid common problems and find new ways of working that bring many advantages to the team.

Writing a Good CV

When you’re looking for work, you need an attractive, clear and memorable CV (curriculum vitae) that shows your potential employer all the skills and experience you have for the job.

What should you include in a CV?
This article mainly focuses on writing a UK-style CV. If you’re applying for a job internationally, be aware that the standard length, format and tone can vary from country to country. It’s a good idea to check the expected format in the country or company you’re applying to.

Contact details
Make sure the potential employer has a way of contacting you. Include your full name, telephone number and email address.

Photo
In many countries, employers expect to see a professional-looking photo on a CV. In others, like the UK, Canada and the USA, the law prohibits employers from asking for a photo, and it is better not to include one. Try to find out if it is usual to include a photo in the working environment you’re applying to.

Education
List and date the most important qualifications you have obtained, starting with the most recent. You can also include any professional qualifications you have.

Work experience
List and date the jobs you’ve had and the companies you’ve worked for, starting with the most recent. It’s usually enough to cover the last ten years of your work history. Include your job title, responsibilities and achievements in the job.
If you have a lot of work experience, give the job titles but be selective about which responsibilities and achievements you highlight. Reduce the detail about jobs that are less relevant to the role you’re applying for and draw attention to the most important experience you bring.

Skills
These could include the languages you speak, the computer programs you can use well, the class type of your driving licence and any other professional skills you might have that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Eight useful tips
Before you start getting ready to list your qualifications and work experience, here are eight useful tips to think about.

1. Keep it short... but not too short! Your CV should be one to two sides of A4 paper. If you find you’ve got too much information, summarise and select the most relevant points. If it’s shorter than a page, consider including more information about your skills and the responsibilities you had in your previous roles.
2. Use active verbs. When you describe what you have achieved in previous jobs, use active verbs for a strong positive effect on the reader. For example, to make a change from was responsible for, use verbs like led or managed (a team / a project); created or developed (a product / a positive atmosphere); delivered (results / training); and provided (support / training).
3. Fill in the gaps. Avoid leaving gaps in your employment history. If you were travelling the world, on maternity leave or looking after small children, include that in your CV.
4. Make sure it’s up to date. Always ensure your CV is up to date. Include your most recent experience at the top of each section.
5. Don’t exaggerate or lie. Your potential employer can easily check information about where you have studied and worked. Don’t be tempted to lie or exaggerate about your expertise, because sooner or later this will be discovered and may result in you losing the job.
6. Spend time on the layout. Make sure your CV is clear and easy to read. Use bullet points and appropriate spacing, keep your sentences short, line up your lists neatly and use a professional-looking font (e.g. Arial font size 12).
7. Check for mistakes. Mistakes on a CV create a bad impression. Use spell check, reread your CV and ask someone else to check it for you too before you send it.
8. Include a cover letter. When you send your CV to apply for a job, you should send it with a cover letter or email to introduce your application. The cover letter should show your personal interest in the role, highlight the skills and experience you bring and encourage the employer to read the attached CV.
Writing a good CV takes time and is hard work, but these tips and your effort will help you get the best possible start in your job search. Good luck!