BSBLDR602 Provide leadership across the organisation Assignment

BSBLDR602 Provide leadership across the organisation

Version Control

Unit code	Document version	Release date	Comments/actions
BSBMGT605	1.0	30.11.2017	First draft
BSBMGT605	2.0	25.10.2018	Second draft
BSBMGT605	3.0	05.03.2019	Third draft

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Table of contents

Chapter 1: Communicate organisational mission and goals. 5

1.1 Clarify objectives, values and standards in accordance with organisations strategic direction 6

1.2 Establish linkages between organisational objectives, values and standards and the responsibilities of relevant groups and individuals. 10

1.3 Ensure media and language used is appropriate to individuals and group circumstances. 11

1.4 State clear expectations of internal groups and individuals and explain in a manner which builds commitment to the organisation. 12

1.5 Address expectations of the organisation. 14

1.6 Investigate incidents promptly and communicate results clearly to relevant groups and individuals 16

CHAPTER 2: Influence groups and individuals. 18

2.1 Build trust, confidence and respect of diverse groups and individuals through positive role modelling and effective communication and consultation. 19

2.2 Embrace, resource and effectively implement improvements to organisational and workplace culture 21

2.3 Demonstrate understanding of the global environment and new technology in work activities 24

2.4 Ensure actions convey flexibility and adaptability to change and accessibility. 26

2.5 Ensure consultation and participation in decision making occurs with relevant groups and individuals where appropriate. 27

2.6 Ensure decision making takes into account needs and expectations of both internal and external groups 32

2.7 Ensure decision making occurs in accordance with risk management plans for all options, and within appropriate timeframes. 35

2.8 Ensure that the organisation is represented positively in the media and community. 40

Chapter 3: Build and support teams. 41

3.1 Assignaccountabilities and responsibilitiesto teams consistent with their competencies and operational plans 42

3.2 Ensure teams are resourced to allow them to achieve their objectives. 46

3.3 Empower teams and individuals through effective delegation and support for their initiatives 52

3.4 Create and maintaina positive work environment. 53

3.5 Encourage teams and individuals to develop innovative approaches to the performance of work 55

Chapter 4: Demonstrate personal and professional competence. 56

4.1 Model ethical conduct in all areas of work and encourage others to adopt business ethics 57

4.2 Adapt appropriate interpersonal and leadership styles to meet particular circumstances and situations 59

4.3 Set and achieve personal objectives and work program outcomes. 62

4.4 Ensure self-performance and professional competence is continuously improved through engagement in a range of professional development activities. 64

4.5 Participate regularly in industry/professional networks and groups. 67

Bibliography. 68

Chapter 1: Communicate organisational mission and goals

1.1 Clarify objectives, values and standards in accordance with organisations strategic direction

1.2 Establish linkages between organisational objectives, values and standards and the responsibilities of relevant groups and individuals

1.3 Ensure media and language used is appropriate to individuals and group circumstances

1.4 State clear expectations of internal groups and individuals and explain in a manner which builds commitment to the organisation

1.5 Address expectations of the organisation

1.6 Investigate incidents promptly and communicate results clearly to relevant groups and individuals

1.1 Clarify objectives, values and standards in accordance with organisations strategic direction

What are organisational objectives?

The overall goals, purpose and mission of a business that have been established by its management and communicated to its employees. The organisational objectives of a company typically focus on its long-range intentions for operating and its overall business philosophy that can provide useful guidance for employees seeking to please their managers.

How corporate compliance supports stakeholder value

When considering the competitive nature of business, stakeholders want evidence of activities that boost the organisation's competitive position. They also want initiatives that reduce risks while also increasing performance and profitability. Finally, they want evidence that the organisation is "playing by the rules" and maintaining best practices.

Let's consider one example. Suppose there are two competing manufacturing firms with an equal amount of market share. One firm decides to obtainISO 9001 accreditation, which denotes a companywide commitment to quality processes. Does this mean the other firm is less productive or provides a lower-quality product? Not at all, but displaying graphics indicating ISO 9001 compliance demonstrates that the one firm is confident enough in its processes that it is willing to be evaluated against a very rigorous worldwide standard.

Would the ISO 9001 firm's stakeholders be pleased about this? Quite likely, although being compliant doesn't necessarily translate into market leadership, sales success or revenue growth. ISO 9001 compliance indicates that the organisation has decided it will conform to accepted practices, regulations or standards. It does this to:

• Demonstrate to stakeholders that the business is run effectively and in accordance with established best practices, standards and regulations;

• Ensure that the firm is continually improving and refining its business operations, such as staff performance, commitment and motivation;

• Improve overall performance, remove uncertainties and expand market opportunities;

• Prove to its customers that the firm can be trusted to deliver on promises;

• Reduce the likelihood of potential internal and external audits from key customers, suppliers and other stakeholders; and

• Satisfy requirements from major customers that need evidence of competent performance.

Strategic direction of an organisation

Strategy is a word of military origin and now refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked. Strategy is a certain course of action to meet designed goals and objectives, generally supposed to remain unchanged for a long time period as the change in strategy may further lead to unnecessary expenses of both money and effort.

The term strategy has got its long history attached with mankind though its origin is from the warfare literature or battlefield. Even if rules are changed, the strategy may remain the same.

'A company's strategy is management's action plan for running the business and conducting operations.'

"Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations".

How to effectively communicate the objectives, values and standards of the strategic plan to employees

Youve developed your objectives and identified the key elements of your strategic plan. But can you communicate it properly throughout your organisation?

The key to developing this understanding at all levels of an organisation is effective strategic planning communication. When implementing any type of strategic plan, the scope of an organisations internal communication strategy can make or break the efforts.

With communication being such a prominent driver of strategic success, some organisations may find it helpful to develop a communication plan. A solid communication plan ensures information is being disseminated effectively at all levels.

Common objectives for a strategic plan

• Build awareness of the strategic plan, at all levels of the organisation

• Provide education on the concepts to all audiences

• Generate the engagement and commitment of key stakeholders in the project

• Encourage participation in the process

• Generate enthusiasm for the strategic plan

• Ensure that team results are disseminated rapidly and effectively.

Key elements for the strategic plan

When formulating a communication plan, the W5 approach is recommended to determine the key elements of the plan: who, why, what, when, and where.

Whorefers to both the target audience and the communicator. Depending on the scope of your implementation, you should define the appropriate groups to be involved in the process. These groups make up your target audience. After the target audience has been specified, a communicator should be assigned to each group with the task of effectively disseminating the message.

The why and whatin this equation can be understood as the purpose or message. The communication plans purpose is to convey the original objective behind implementing the plan. This could take the form of a common objective listed above, such as generate the engagement and commitment of key stakeholders in the project. What are we doing and why? We are implementing the communication plan to generate engagement and commitment from key stakeholders.

Whenshould you communicate the message? The needs of your target audience will determine the necessary frequency of communication. If you are unsure about the amount of communication needed, it is always better to err on the side of too much

Where and howare you supposed to communicate? Effective communication often takes a large amount of effort and, more often than not, the message needs to be repeated several times. In order for employees to fully understand the strategy and the ways in which they contribute to success. This might mean making use of brochures, speeches, newsletters, videos, company website or intranet, workshops, etc. Any channel that has the ability to reach the target audience could be used; it could even take the form of internal blog posts at your organisation.

1.2 Establish linkages between organisational objectives, values and standards and the responsibilities of relevant groups and individuals

Linkages between organisational objectives, values and standards to the responsibilities of relevant groups and individuals when setting goals in the organisation

Managers, team leaders and team members need to know and understand the organisations mission, vision, values and objectives to work towards meeting organisational objectives. The tone and language used by the leader is also very important and must be adapted according to the objective of the message.

A leader must be able to establish linkages between organisational objectives, values and standards and the responsibilities of relevant groups and individuals in order for them to understand their role in the achievement of the new vision.

In addition, the leader must be able to state clear expectations of internal groups and individuals and explain in a manner which builds commitment to the organisation and to the tasks at hand. Alignment between organisational strategy, group and individual goals is necessary to ensure that individuals can see how their individual effort and performance contribute to the attainment of organisational goals. Employee motivation is likely to be enhanced where employees can clearly see how their work contributes to broader organisational goals: it demonstrates how they are making a difference.

Alignment between organisational strategy, group and individual goals is necessary to ensure that individuals can see how their individual effort and performance contribute to the attainment of organisational and governmental goals. When alignment is successfully achieved, clear goals are evident at the top of the organisation/group and are clearly communicated at all hierarchical levels.

Employee motivation is likely to be enhanced where employees can clearly see how their work contributes to broader organisational goals: it demonstrates how they are making a difference. It is critical for employees to understand the broader context, the interdependencies which exist within and across organisations, and why it is important for them to achieve particular performance standards. When employees at all hierarchical levels have a clearer understanding of performance expectations this is likely to lead to improved performance.

Performance agreements have the potential to enhance employees understanding of performance expectations; they can foster a clear line of sight between the performance of individual employees, the groups they work with and the achievement of organisational goals. Ideally these agreements begin with the clear articulation of organisational goals in high-level plans, which are then cascaded through the various layers of the organisation, to ensure that performance expectations for employees at all hierarchical levels are clearly aligned with these goals.

Senior managers play a critical role in establishing connections between the different parts of the organisation. This involves communicating organisational goals to employees and translating these goals into group and individual level plans.

1.3 Ensure media and language used is appropriate to individuals and group circumstances

Relationship between media and language used when communicating organisational mission

Language and media used must be appropriate to the message being delivered. An effective leader must be a good communicator. A leader can communicate to staff in a variety of ways using different communication mediums such as the use of telephone, video conferencing, memos, reports, emails and face-to- face conversations. The leader must ensure that the media used is appropriate to individuals and group circumstances. For example, if the recipients of the message are dispersed in various geographical locations, a leader might decide to use memos and/or email in order to communicate to everyone efficiently. A leader may also be communicating messages in a non-verbal way.

The message has to be clearly understood by the target audience we are trying to reach. For example, a company might decide to move to a new strategic direction. The best way to move forward is to involve everyone in developing the vision right from the start. This can be done in a variety of ways such as question and answer sessions, team meetings and one-to-one communication.

Communication is a two-way street, so dont forget to ask for feedback from others and to provide it as well. Remember, communicate effectively and communicate often.

4 lessons for better strategic communication

Lesson #1: Dont rely on written communication alone.

Present the strategic plan in many different ways.

Your employees all absorb information differently. So, for example, if you only use posters to convey your communication strategy and have some employees who arent visual learners, those employees wont be affected. Or, if you only send an email out explaining the strategy in a long, drawn-out way, employees who routinely ignore long emails wont be affected. Be sure you present your strategic plan in many different ways.

There are 7 types of learning styles;

• Visual (Spatial) ...

• Aural (Auditory-Musical) ...

• Verbal (Linguistic) ...

• Physical (Kinesthetic) ...

• Logical (Mathematical) ...

• Social (Interpersonal) ...

• Solitary (Intrapersonal

Try to think of different ways you can convey your message to all employees in the organisation and use a mix of video, audio, visual, and written strategy communication to employees so everyone can learn about the plan in the way that is best for them.

Lesson #2: Make your message clear and relevant.

Define your strategic terms and use crystal-clear language.

For example, if customer is one of the key terms in your strategy, consider defining it outright. In other words, dont assume your employees know exactly who your customers are and why youre targeting them.

Using industry-specific acronyms may seem smarter or easierbut it is actually just the opposite. Additionally, try to cut out any useless, jargon-laden phrases like leveraging talent or optimising strategy.

Lesson #3: Keep communication flowing in both directions.

Develop venues for bottom-up communication.

Do your employees know youwantthem to provide you with feedback? If you dont have any defined venues for this bottom-up strategic planning communication, they probably dont. Or, at the very least, they dont know how to go about providing you with that feedback. Consider the best avenue for constructive feedback based on your organisational structure and put it into place as soon as possible.

Lesson #4: Tap into the workforces vision.

Be open to suggestions from the workforce.

Its one thing to have a strategic planand another thing entirely to find out how that plan is affecting your employees. If the leadership team is able to put themselves in the shoes of all employees and see the strategy at work from their perspective, the leadership will be more willing to consider new and updated solutions to problems.

Be flexible.

After you set your strategic plan, you need to be willing to make adjustments when necessary. Be sure to stay in tune with what is and isnt working properly and realise that you may need to step back and alter your strategic plan based on the feedback youre getting

In Conclusion

All of these suggestions can be described in a word:transparency.If you make it easy for your employees to both access the strategic plan information and provide you with constructive feedback, youre going to see far more strategic success.

1.4 State clear expectations of internal groups and individuals and explain in a manner which builds commitment to the organisation

Setting clear expectations

As a leader,Setting Clear Expectationsis critical to making sure your team understandwhat is required of them. Of course, this applies to all of the basics like annual leave, working hours, meal breaks and personal leave among others. But even more importantly, it also applies to what is required of different tasks and goal-setting.

There are 3 areas where providing clear expectations of yourstaff will have a profound impact on your ability to get the very best from these people over the short and long term. To lay the foundations for ahigh performing workplace, managers need to ensure they aresetting clear expectationsaround:

Direction Where are we going?

This includes the Vision and Strategy of the organisation (or team).

Values Who are we?

Values are shared Standards and Behaviours that contribute to the organisational culture and answer the question Who are we and what do we stand for?

Roles and Responsibilities What is my contribution?

This includes inputs and outputs, goals and timeframes and answers the question Whats my contribution to the performance of the business?

Direction

Foreveryone in an organisation to see clearly whats ahead of them, leaders must have and convey a Vision, Direction or Focus.

Visions are the first step in the goal setting and planning process. A Vision represents what the organisation wants to become and sets the direction for the future. To achieve the organisations Vision and strategic intent, the high-level strategic objectives and measures need to be translated into plans and actions that each business unit and individual can take.

The high-level goals in the strategic plan need to be cascaded through the organisation firstly into the goals for each unit and then the work plans and KPIs for individuals. It is important that each individual understands what is expected of them and thecontributionthey make to the organisations goals.

Values

Values clarifyhowan organisation will conduct its activities to achieve the Vision. They represent the core principles and behaviours that are important.

Values exist in every workplace whether they are written down or not. Your organisations culture is partially the outward demonstration of the values currently existing in your workplace. The question you need to ask is whether these existing values are creating the workplace you desire.

An organisation will have functioning values and standards only to the extent that it has an effective management system (and skilful managers) that willnot toleratedeviations from those values. Intolerance is about responding quickly toany and everyinstance of non-compliance with set values. This takes a lot of courage (and skill).

It is worth noting that a weak or non-existent value system requires a lot more management time than an effective value system. A value system that is a living part of the culture takes very little effort to sustain.

Roles and Responsibilities

Clear Roles and Responsibilities come from a position description/job statement and work plan so that each employee knows what their contribution is to the overall goals of the business. It also comes from a manager providing clear instructions about tasks and clear outcomes required, with regular progress updates.

A great manager will let staff know how their performance will be measured and whatsuccesslooks like for them. This is described clearly up front rather than at an annual or bi-annual performance review, and feedback is givenregularlyabout whether expectations are being met.

Organisational Commitment

Organisational commitment is the individuals psychological attachment to an organisation.

Usually organisational commitment and job satisfaction are closely correlated together with lower levels of intention to leave the organisation.

3 types of organisational commitment

Researchers have identified three types of organisational commitment:

1. Affective commitment: Affective commitment where the employee has an emotional bond with the organisation. They want to be there.
2. Continuance commitment: Continuance commitment refers to the situation where an individual feel that they will lose more by leaving than they will gain. In effect continuance commitment is a fear of loss if they left. The loss can be in any domain such as prestige, income, friendships or social loss
3. Normative commitment: This is where an individual feels they should stay for some reason. Usually this is because of a sense of obligation to the organisation. This sense of obligation can stem from the moral (working for a charity that is doing important work), ethical, because the organisation spent time and money training you or paying professional development course fees etc.

1.5 Address expectations of the organisation

An employee needs to know: their role, required capabilities, responsibilities and contribution within the team and theorganisation. what they are accountable for and expected to deliver to their team andorganisation'smission and goals.

Set and clarify expectations

Whats involved

An employee needs to know:

• their role, required capabilities, responsibilities and contribution within the team and the organisation

• what they are accountable for and expected to deliver to their team and organisations mission and goals

• expectations around ethics, values and behaviour

• how their performance will be measured and assessed.

You should discuss these expectations clearly and openly with each employee, making sure that you both have a shared understanding of each others responsibilities and accountabilities.

Performance expectations should be based on the capabilities the employee needs to carry out the role effectively. They should also be derived from the core values and directly relate to your organisations mission and goals. Performance expectations must describe acceptable behaviours and actions expected and define work outputs required.

You should develop these expectations collaboratively with each employee (except for legislated or mandatory corporate requirements or objectives) to ensure you both understand what is required.

Once you have established expectations, you should continuously monitor your employees performance, provide feedback to reinforce their performance and clarify expectations on an ongoing basis.

When to set or clarify expectations

You should set and clarify expectations on an ongoing basis, but particularly when a new employee starts work, an existing employee takes on a new role or their responsibilities change, and when you take on a new team or the teams responsibilities change. Doing this will help employees clarify their responsibilities and realign their performance.

Failing to set clear standards of performance and behaviour can cause employee confusion or misunderstanding, leaving employees unable to perform their role even if they are capable of doing so.

While it is important to set and clarify expectations for employees individually, it is equally important to do this for the whole team.

Setting expectations for your team

Teams are diverse, with different dynamics, cultures and people. Change whether within the team or in the environment it operates in can create uncertainty.

One of the most important steps in building a high-performing team is to set or clarify expectations. This gives the team an opportunity to discuss their expectations before working together.

Whats involved

When setting and clarifying expectations for your team, discuss shared goals and values, and how they relate to those of the organisation. Ask your team to consider its role within the organisation and what it is expected to deliver.

Its important to determine the key roles and responsibilities within the team and how decisions will be made. To ensure good working relationships, establish how team members are expected to behave and conduct themselves at work, and with other team members; and what behaviours will not be accepted, such as bullying or harassment. Lastly, set the performance standards they are expected to meet, and how these will be measured and assessed.

When to set or clarify expectations

You should set, or clarify and discuss expectations with a team when:

• you start to lead a new team, or a new employee joins the team

• the teams responsibilities change, or team member responsibilities need to be clarified

• workplace or organisational policies that guide employee conduct and behaviours are introduced or changed.

Setting expectations and regularly clarifying and reinforcing them on an ongoing basis will avoid misunderstandings, conflict and disagreements within the team.

1.6 Investigate incidents promptly and communicate results clearly to relevant groups and individuals

Unfortunately, from time to time, organisations can be faced with unexpected incidents. These may be events like the death of a client ; the suicide of a staff member; or a significant workplace accident or near-miss, or a major and public rift between staff members.

Your staff will likely feel shocked, shaken and devastated by the incident. It can be difficult to know what to do next and how best to respond in the aftermath, particularly when emotions are raw and there are possibly serious and long-term consequences for the organisation, and the individuals involved.

As a leader there are a number of key questions you need to consider and actions to take to address what has occurred and manage the risks of something like this happening in future. Some of these need to happen immediately, and others in the following months.

1. Manage theimmediate response

a.Prioritise the welfare of your staff

Staff who were present when the incident occurred, and those who directly worked in the area or with the person affected, may suffer shock in the immediate aftermath. They may also experience ongoing trauma or blame themselves for what has occurred. In some cases, the incident leads to a crisis of confidence for the staff: they may question whether they should continue to work in the field or for the organisation.

In the first instance, contact a psychologist or your Employee Assistance Program provider, to seek professional advice in managing your employees emotional well-being and responses to the event. You might also engage them directly to come to the workplace to meet with affected staff, individually and collectively.

In some circumstances, staff who were involved or nearby may fear that they have done the wrong thing or failed to prevent the incident. If its apparent from the outset that that those staff will not face any disciplinary outcomes as a result of the incident (for example its clear that there was no breach of policy or procedure), tell them straight away. This will be very reassuring for them and will help alleviate some their anxiety. Also, they will be better able to participate in any review of the incident that you conduct, and respond honestly and openly, when they are not concerned about possible consequences for their employment.

b. Understand your reporting obligations

Depending on the nature of the organisations work, whether it is a public institution, and whether there were any OHS consequences for a staff member, client or visitor, the organisation may need to report the incidentwithin a specified timeframeto:

• A government body or regulatory authority which is a contract partner or has oversight of service delivery or the industry;

• A state or federal ombudsman, or industry ombudsman;

• WorkSafe (or the equivalent OHS regular in your state) note that you may be obliged to report to WorkSafe even if a staff member was not injured;

• The police, if the matter involves a potential crime; and

• Other regulators in your industry.

There may be other stakeholders whom you should notify, such as contract partners or unions. To ensure that youre fully abreast of these reporting obligations, consider seeking legal advice.

c. Manage reputational risk

As part of managing reputational risk, be aware of the possibility of media scrutiny. At this point, it may also be worthwhile considering whether you should engage the services of a specialist communications consultant. Alternatively, if managing the matter internally, appoint one person as the central point of contact and spokesperson, and ensure they are clear on the talking points and what they should and should not say.

d. Secure all relevant evidence

It is essential that in the immediate aftermath of an incident that the integrity of all evidence is maintained. If there has been negligence or breach of policies and procedures, people sometimes try to destroy the files or interfere with their content, so that their conduct is hidden or viewed more favourably. Security camera records, emails and swipe card data are good examples of important evidence that can be easily deleted.

It is imperative that you take steps to ensure that this does not occur. Strictly limit access to all relevant records or files and save copies of digital evidence. You should also secure the site of the incident or a specific piece of machinery.

e. Communicate with your staff about the incident and your expectations of them

It is important that relevant staff members are informed of the incident and what action will follow, for example that there will be an immediate review undertaken into the relevant circumstances. In the absence of information, theres more scope for there to be speculation and gossip and for anxiety to develop.

If you require strict confidentiality around the incident, make this clear to your staff and explain the reasons for this. For example, to ensure the integrity of the review or investigation process, advise staff of what they can and cannot discuss with each other.

You should also encourage staff to come forward if they have relevant information and advise them of your expectations that they do so to assist with any review.

CHAPTER 2: Influence groups and individuals

In this chapter, you will learn about the following:

2.1 Build trust, confidence and respect of diverse groups and individuals through positive role modelling and effective communication and consultation

2.2 Embrace, resource and effectively implement improvements to organisational and workplace culture2.3 Develop change management project plan

2.3 Demonstrate understanding of the global environment and new technology in work activities

2.4 Ensure actions convey flexibility and adaptability to change and accessibility

2.5 Ensure consultation and participation in decision making occurs with relevant groups and individuals where appropriate

2.6 Ensure decision making takes into account needs and expectations of both internal and external groups

2.7 Ensure decision making occurs in accordance with risk management plans for all options, and within appropriate timeframes

2.8 Ensure that the organisation is represented positively in the media and community

2.1 Build trust, confidence and respect of diverse groups and individuals through positive role modelling and effective communication and consultation

Encourage trust and confidence

Treat people with integrity, respect and empathy. Encourage relationships with the framework of the organisations social, ethical and business standards. Gain the trust and confidence of colleagues, customers and suppliers and maintained it through competent performance. Adjust interpersonal styles and methods to the organisation's social and cultural environment

As humans, we are complex and may have experienced difficult and painful relationships, thus making it difficult for us to trust other people in our lives. If there is trust, relationships are affirming and good. It often takes a time to develop trust in other people.

Ways to build trust:
Ways to build trust	Example of what this includes
Being consistent	This includes keeping promises.
Focus on shared goals, not just goals that will benefit you	This means considering the interests of everyone, not just yourself. This is what teamwork is about. Share your knowledge and skills with your colleagueshelp them if they dont know how to perform a task.
Sharing information and being truthful	This includes sharing your knowledge and skills your colleagues to help them do their job. On the other hand, if you really do not know, then its important to say so rather than give the impression that you do.
Consulting with others	This includes tapping into your colleagues ideas, knowledge and skills. It also includes telling others about what you plan to do, especially if its going to affect them.
Being ethicaldoing what is right.	This means making sure your actions do not hurt your colleagues or you organisation needlesslybut at the same time tell the truth and doing what is ethical. It also means not only keeping promises and always telling the truth, but taking responsibility for your mistakes, no matter how difficult it might be. Make integrity your normal way of behaving.
Being fair and treating everyone with respect	This means being respectful to everyone, regardless of whether they are different from you or what their position is in the organisation.

Role modelling understanding and effective communication

At its core, all businesses are just people carrying out an idea. Its never the other way around there is no idea so big that it doesnt need people to make it succeed.

So, what characteristics and actions do a leader display? Here are seven frequently mentioned qualities that staff members would like to see in their manager:

1. Demonstration of confidence and leadership. A good role model is someone who is always positive, calm, and confident in themselves. You dont want someone who is down or tries to bring you down. Everyone likes a person who is happy with their achievements but continues to strive for bigger and better objectives.
2. Not afraid to be unique.Whatever you choose to do with your life, be proud of the person youve become, even if that means accepting some ridicule. You want role models who wont pretend to be someone they are not and wont be fake just to suit other people.
3. Communicates and interacts with everyone.Good communication means listening as well as talking. People are energised by leaders who explain why and where they are going. Great role models know they have to have a consistent message andbusiness plan, and repeat it over and over again until everyone understands.
4. Shows respect and concern for others.You may be driven, successful, and smart, but whether you choose to show respect or not speaks volumes about how other people see you. Everyone notices if you are taking people for granted, not showing gratitude, or stepping on others to get ahead.
5. Knowledgeable and well rounded.Great role models arent just teachers. They are constant learners, challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zones, and surround themselves with smarter people. When team members see that their role model can be many things, they will learn to stretch themselves in order to be successful.
6. Have humility and willingness to admit mistakes. Nobody is perfect. When you make a bad decision, let those who are watching and learning from you know that you made a mistake and how you plan to correct it. By apologizing, accepting accountability, and correcting course, you will be demonstrating an often-overlooked part of being a role model.
7. Do good things outside the job.People who do the work, yet find time for good causes outside of work, such as raising money for charity, saving lives, and helping people in need get extra credit. Commitment to a good cause implies a strong commitment to the business.

2.2 Embrace, resource and effectively implement improvements to organisational and workplace culture

Build a Positive Workplace Culture

Creating a positive workplace culture is often considered expensive, time consuming, and a drain on company resources. It doesnt have to be.

It is a myth that all organisational cultures change slowly. Cultures change slowly when initiatives are ineffective, introduced slowly, or when staff loose trust and confidence in their leadership.

Cultural change can happen quickly when the opposite is true. Effective initiatives and leaders that instil trust and confidence in their staff can bring about fast change.

The speed of cultural change is directly related to the speed at which company leaders demonstrably get on board and support the change in their own and their teams daily behaviours.

One of the main reasons cultural change programs fail or are slow to take effect in some organisations is that leaders are not consistently demonstrating the new behaviours. This leads to some staff adopting the attitude, why do I have to do it if she / he doesnt do it?

Aside from the attitude of leaders and the effectiveness of initiatives, how you reward change, and the size of the organisation, can affect the speed of cultural change.

In some cases, organisational cultural change can be immediate. It depends on how you measure it, what you are looking for, and what you see. For example, small changes can occur immediately through increased discussion and demonstration of the new cultural behaviours. Sometimes those measuring the change do not notice the subtle yet significant changes, which need to be nurtured to grow.

For some people merely shining a light on values and behaviours can lead to immediate changes. The difficulty can be in sustaining these behaviours.

Great leadership is the key to sustained positive cultural change. Leaders who build trusting environments, communicate effectively, are consistent in their behaviours, and role-model desired behaviours, create sustained positive cultural change.

What do positive workplace cultures involve?

Leaders who meet the identified the needs of their staff can bring about huge changes very quickly, building a trusted and reliable positive workplace culture.

One of the most effective ways of creating positive workplace culture is through fulfilling human needs. Like any relationship when our needs are met by those around us we feel comfortable, confident, and motivated to stay in the relationship, and do what we can for our relational counterparts.

7 Keys to positive workplace culture

There are 7 keys to positive workplace culture.

1. People Matter

The most important part of any organisation is its people. Getting the right people is essential to positive workplace culture. Thats why successful companies spend so much time and money on attracting, retaining, and developing people with the right values, cultural fit, and attitude.

Organisations that focus on people create positive workplace cultures effortlessly. Think of organisations like Google, which pride themselves on the creative workplace environments, their free food, health and dental, even haircuts and dry cleaning, on-site gyms, swimming pools and gaming areas. Google even employs people whose sole responsibility is to keep people happy and productive.

People with aligned values and behaviours create positive workplace cultures.

2. Positive communication

Consistent positive messages can change organisational culture quickly, particularly if employees trust their leaders to bring about the promised changes.

Research conducted in 2010 showed that participants changed the way they responded to workplace scenarios after hearing a little over a minute of a monologue about compassionate behaviour (compared with the control group who didnt hear any monologue). This research indicates that in as little as one minute, organisational leaders can positively influence workplace behaviour.

Communication is an essential human need. When we communicate effectively, we build strong, supportive relationships that can thrive in challenging circumstances, creating positive workplace cultures.

3. Employee feedback

One of the most effective ways of changing organisational culture is by implementing an employee feedback system, where all employees are able to provide feedback to the organisations leadership team. The feedback is heard, acknowledged, and responded to.

Two of the most important human needs are to feel heard and understood. Employee feedback systems meet both of these needs quickly and effectively.

4. Showing you care in all actions

When people know you care, they are likely to go out of their way to also show care in what they do. Caring involves thought, foresight, and consistency. Companies all too often implement token changes that do not get to the heart of what employees really want and need.

Caring involves lifestyle, an integrated approach to health (involving physical well-being, as well as relationships inside and outside of the workplace) and treating employees as individuals, meeting their individual (as much as possible) and collective human needs.

5. Purpose, vision, and each knowing their part

Purpose or meaning is a fundamental human need. Contribution is also a human need. When people feel they are serving others or contributing to a meaningful goal, they feel happier, more positive, and satisfied with their lives.

Leaders who understand, engage in, and effectively communicate a shared vision build positive workplace cultures whereemployees know why they are turning up to work every day, and what their role is in the shared vision.

6. Showing appreciation

People want to feel appreciated when they come to work. People spend long hours at work, forgoing time with their families and friends, or doing activities they enjoy. When they feel recognised, and appreciated for what they do at work, workers are more inclined to feel satisfied at work, and more motivated and engaged to work harder.

Appreciation can be shown in many ways through awards, promotions, pay increases, and internal communications. These formal ways of showing appreciation are important. They cannot, however, replace daily acts of gratitude and appreciation from leaders. A regular and sincere Thank you creates positive relationships and cultures within the workplace.

7. Humour

Workplaces that involve fun and humour are more productive. Staff that spent time laughing and interacting were found to create quality work in a fraction of the time it took others who were not taking time to laugh and interact with co-workers.

This makes sense. Positive emotions tend to increase creativity and innovation and facilitate the development of relationships. When people laugh and joke, they build relationships. Positive workplace relationships promote positive workplace behaviours such as knowledge sharing, informal training, and empathy in times of need.

The benefits of creating a positive organisational culture in your workplace

There are numerous benefits of positive workplace cultures. Here are a few:

1. Employees can get on with their jobs, improving productivity, rather than focus on what is going wrong with the organisation, and the leadership team
2. Employees are proud to work for positive organisations and share their experience with their social networks, enhancing your company brand
3. Knowledge and experience is shared between employees which improves efficiency, productivity, and performance
4. People enjoy coming to work and are more committed to your organisation, reducing the huge costs of turnover
5. Employees go home happier and more satisfied, and this impacts their families and friends and spreads to others, and you have a positive impact on society.

2.3 Demonstrate understanding of the global environment and new technology in work activities

Global Environment

Imagine that you are managing an internationally famous chocolate factory. The ability of the business to import essential production items, make sweets, and sell to local and international buyers is dependent on theglobal environment, which consists of the international interactions out of a company's control that influence how a business operates. For example, the global environment includes trade laws that can influence the business ability to import necessary ingredients, like cocoa from various countries.

Engaging in the global environment can be highly beneficial for a company, and it can also be extremely risky. Because changes that occur in the global environment can both assist and hinder a business's ability to operate, your business and all other companies must be prepared for these changes and willing to alter their approach in response.

The risks and benefits associated with the global environment can best be understood by breaking it down into two interconnected environments: the task environment and the general environment. Each aspect of the global environment presents the chocolate factory with unique challenges that can influence its daily operations.

The Task Environment

Imagine that the business is trying to buy sugar, but the global supplier has undergone a management change and no longer wants to honour the price previously agreed on. This interaction is occurring within the task environment, which includes the business ability to obtain the items necessary to manufacture its products and its ability to deliver or export its goods.

Atask environmentis the specific environment in which a company operates that affects how that company completes specific tasks essential to buying, selling, and delivering their products and services.

Your task environment is made up of suppliers, customers, distributors, and competitors:

• Asupplieris someone that provides the business with ingredients or packaging essential to making their treats. Suppliers affect the business ability to obtain products necessary for manufacturing their chocolate.

• Customersare the companies or persons who buys the products and can influence the sale and production of chocolate. Because what Australians like in their chocolate may be different than what the Americans like, it is important for the company to be aware of their customers' needs and interests.

• Distributorsare in charge of delivering the business products to their customers, and thus influence the business ability to get their goods out. Because a distributor is essential to getting the products where they need to be, changes to a distributor's business and differences between global distribution laws and processes may affect how the business operates.

• Competitorsare other companies selling products similar to the business who are interested in the same customers. More competitors can affect how much product the business sells. In the global environment, businesses need to be aware of both their local and international competitors.

How does technology help in the workplace?

New technical, information and communication technologies and the workforce changes associated with them can support and drive innovative work practice, improve care processes, and impact on efficiency and productivity.

At its most basic level, technology allows you and your employees to be more productive and efficient. Whether youre using a word processing program that allows you to edit with ease or an electronic bookkeeping system that pulls data at the touch of a keystroke, technology makes life easier. You can schedule sales calls and appointments, track employee time, and perform many tedious tasks that once took hours in only minutes.

Whatever product or service you provide, you need to compete. Your competitors use technology, so you need to as well. The internet allows you to do more than just stay neck and neck with other businesses; it can push you ahead. Digital marketing can promote your company and online sales tools to sell across the street and across the globe. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems that allows you to track what your customers do and like. Wouldnt it be great if you could target the right customer at the right time in the consumer journey, so they turn to you instead of a competitor? You can with technology.

Regardless of your industry or profession, there is technology honed to make what you do easier. If you work in health care, there are countless technologies that save lives, protect patient privacy rights, and make sure providers get paid through insurance. If youre a farmer, engineering marvels and robotics will help you maintain crops and improve yield. For a composer, theres Pro Tools, a digital audio recording system. A teacher who is looking to impact the next generation of great thinkers wont be able to do it without technology.

Whether you instant message with a co-worker across the hall or Skype with clients across the ocean, technology has made connecting in real time easier than ever. Follow up that voice or FaceTime call with an email to recap and clarify. Connect on LinkedIn to network interoffice and interindustry. Use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to communicate directly with your customers. Create and promote your brand and get your message directly to the consumer.

2.4 Ensure actions convey flexibility and adaptability to change and accessibility

Adaptability and flexibility

Even experienced leaders can overlook important nuances that come with adaptability and need a refresher from time to time. In the business sense of the word, adaptability entails being open to new ideas and concepts, being able to work on an independent basis or with a team as the situation demands and juggling multiple projects without getting stressed and upset when conditions abruptly change. The ability or degree of willingness to which one adapts in such situations essentially determines ones level of flexibility and possibly the heights they will achieve in the future.

Take a look at four skills to nurture as you embark on developing your teams ability to adapt:

1. Think creatively

Your team should be encouraged to explore different avenues for fostering creativity and accomplishing work goals with a new mindset. Those who tend to stick to the same tried-and-true methods are likely to have decreased flexibility and will resist change. Be prepared to give your team a little extra effort.

2. Embrace ambiguity

It is key for companies to encourage an environment where change is embraced, even when ambiguity is involved. Traditionally, companies tend to cut down on innovation when uncertainty is present; instead, it needs to be welcomed. A conscious effort should be made to maintain a positive mindset and to come up with new ways of seeing and doing things.

3. Exercise emotional intelligence

A much-discussed focus of self-management skills courses, particularly those offered in graduate business programs, emotional intelligence means controlling and filtering ones emotions in a constructive manner. This leads to easier adaptation when working with new teams and developing a better rapport with colleagues.

4. Shift focus

The ability to maintain or shift focus in accordance with an organisations changing priorities is another critical skill that indicates higher levels of adaptability and flexibility in employees. Those who maintain consistent focus on individual- and team-based operational goals while using creative and critical thinking processes to solve challenges are critical in a dynamic environment.

These are some of the top elements for building a workforce that is adaptable and flexible.

As an emerging leader, likely you are aware of them on a subconscious level and employ them personally. However, when you're ready to nurture these traits at an organisational level, be sure to outline your approach properly and form a quantitative plan to increase change tolerance levels in your company.

Like a workout at the gym, theres a right way and a wrong way to build flexibility, and a careful plan is always the right way.

2.5 Ensure consultation and participation in decision making occurs with relevant groups and individuals where appropriate

Consultation enables us to identify and monitor trends, challenges and perceptions over time with specific groups of stakeholders. It therefore helps us to:

• Identify and track needs and expectations

• Identify and track perceptions and attitudes

• Provide feedback on specific planned developments

• Evaluate implementations and actions

• Establish the brand values and positioning of the corporation as seen by others

• The internal and external stakeholder contribution can be vital to the effective allocation of resources, the success of individual developments, and the longer-term success and direction of the corporation.

Consultation usually takes on two forms:

• Consultation on specific developments, projects, ventures

• Ongoing consultation to track and monitor stakeholder perceptions within the broader operating environment

• Specific project-based consultation is widely used for both commercial and social projects. In the public sector, it is often termed public engagement or public consultation and is usually related to local service developments within specific communities, and policy development at all levels.

• In the commercial sphere, it is commonly used for development of new products and services. A company may consult with its customers to establish future needs and ensure these are incorporated into the development of new products and services. Customers are also likely to presentrelativeperceptions i.e. in the competitive market providing valuable input about competitor activity. In addition, this can be followed up by feedback on prototypes, blueprints, etc. before the final products are presented to market.

• Ongoing consultation is adopted to ensure buy-in from stakeholders and to ensure the corporation is not moving away from the expectations and needs of those who have an interest in its affairs. It is often related to company or brand positioning, competitive positioning, company mission or direction. It can be a metric in the evaluation of the trajectory towards a particular goal, or the anticipation of reactions towards a change in a corporations direction or branding. As such, it is used widely in both the public and private sector. Political affiliations use it as a barometer of support. In all cases, it is a way of mitigating risk, especially if the corporation is dependent upon its stakeholders to provide funding. For example, a University with significant funding from its Alumni may engage in a regular programme of tracking stakeholder perceptions to ensure it does not jeopardise its position, and to anticipate communications required about any change in policy or position. This type of stakeholder consultation can also have a good PR spin-off as it affords the opportunity to present new positions or remind of existing positions.

Benefits of consultation

Whatever the reason for conducting stakeholder research, there are some clear benefits for the organisation:

• Firstly,decision making will be more informedand in tune with those who the actions will affect.

• Secondly, there will begreater satisfaction from stakeholders with the outcome. Through the engagement process, those who decisions will affect will feel they have inputted into the final outcome and that everyones views have been taken into account. Depending on the method of consultation, they will also understand that their perspective may not be shared by all and that there is a need for compromise.

• This in turn will lead to agreater chance of a successful implementationof the initiative. Stakeholders will feel ownership of the venture and are therefore more likely to want the venture to succeed.

• Finally, consulting with people who will be affected by a development is an example ofbest practice. It represents good governance and transparency, demonstrates a desire to engage in meaningful two-way communication, and recognises the important contribution stakeholders at all levels can make to future changes which will directly or indirectly affect them.

The Consultation Process

A corporations consultation process is an opportunity for stakeholders to get information as well as give feedback. Stakeholders can use the opportunity to educate the corporation about the local context in which a project will take place, to raise issues and concerns, ask questions, and potentially help shape the project by making suggestions for the corporation to consider and respond to. Therefore, a planned process for consultation needs to be in place, commencing with clear objectives about what is to be achieved.

The process generally involves five steps to successful execution. It can be ongoing and iterative, a one-off consultation related to a specific discrete issue, or a series of consultations related to a particular project. Either way, the process will generally involve four steps (the 4 Ps), as shown in Figure 1.

In theplanningstage, the aims and objectives need to be clarified, along with identification of the usefulness of the process, i.e. the likelihood that stakeholder views will be incorporated into strategic planning. The availability of resources to carry out the process will need to be established and a method of consultation designed that is reflective of this. Consideration will need to be given as to whether any pre-release information is required e.g. about a project design, brief, plans, strategic positions, etc.

After establishing the aims and objectives, the actual process of consultation will need to be planned, i.e.:

• Who are the key stakeholder groups?

• How accessible are they?

• Are there any hard-to-reach groups?

• How can their co-operation and engagement be gained?

• What is the best method of consulting with the groups?

• What do they need to see beforehand?

• How can this be disseminated?

• Will any pre-consultation be required to prepare stakeholders for the exercise?

The method of consultation will need to be identified, balancing the resources available and the level of feedback required.

Theprocessstage is the doing stage; this involves carrying out the consultation. Good planning will ensure this stage runs smoothly. Considerations in this stage mainly centre on developing effective relationships with stakeholders and facilitating open and honest sharing of views, and accurate recording of the process and the data.

The next stage presentation is concerned with the analysis and the reporting of the data. The data will need to be analysed and reporting prepared for the relevant audiences i.e. back to the corporation, to policy makers, etc. but also feedback to those who have engaged in the process and taken part. The form of reporting will need to take into account audiences and ensure the highest possibility of actions as a result of the consultation.

The final stage relates to actions as a result of the consultation; the promise. Part of the process of engaging with stakeholders is the investment in a longer-term relationship of mutual benefit and trust. Without demonstrable use of stakeholder feedback in resultant action, this can be damaged. The final stage, therefore, has an element of PR contained within it; communications about resultant actions need to be carefully considered to reach stakeholder audiences.

Methods of stakeholder consultation

Consultation with stakeholders involves using methods commonly employed by market and academic researchers. Key issues of consideration when deciding on the methods are whether the consultation requires depth or breadth of knowledge (or a combination of the two).

The former calls for largelyqualitativeresearch approaches. These are approaches which use open styles of discussion and debate. It is the facilitators job to tease out views and perceptions which are truly held by the stakeholder. The focus group, individual depth interviews, and observation are the most common methods used.

If breadth is required, approaches reaching larger numbers of people and using more standardised measurement tools are required i.e.quantitativemethods such as surveys, short street interviews, e-surveys, etc. These methods will reach wider audiences but are restricted to largely closed questions and rating scales. The data is numerical and statistical analysis is used to demonstrate the generalist viewpoint. Some methods straddle these two poles and have the ability to gain both depth and breadth, such as the large public meeting and online open debate consultation tools now available to us through the digital media.

Each of these methods has its strengths and its weaknesses. The method or combination of methods selected should be reflective of the aims of the consultation process. The chart below demonstrates where the strengths of the common approaches lie.

The Longer-Term View

Stakeholder research has become increasingly popular, as both the public and the private sector apply principles of good governance to the way they operate. There is recognition that in order to maximise an organisation or a companys success, it needs to look both inward and outward at those who are affected by the decisions it takes and the products it develops.

Many projects involve revisiting stakeholders after a period of time, using the relationship to maximum value to evaluate reactions to actions and to track perceptions. Corporations following this pattern are more likely to operate in harmony with those who are affected by their actions or who have a vested interest in their success.

Stakeholder consultation is therefore important insurance for the long-term effectiveness of an organisation, enabling it to build sustainable new directions and carry its audiences with it. It generally makes for a more informed, reflexive organisation, responsive to the needs of its users and in tune with prevailing perceptions.

2.6 Ensure decision making takes into account needs and expectations of both internal and external groups

Stakeholder Theory

Organisational management is largely influenced by the opinions and perspectives of internal and external stakeholders. A stakeholder is any group, individual, or community that is impacted by the operations of the organisation, and therefore must be granted a voice in how the organisation functions. External stakeholders have no financial stake in the organisation but are indirectly influenced by the organisations operations.

Internal Stakeholders

Internal stakeholders are individuals or groups who are directly and/or financially involved in the operational process. This includes employees, owners, and managers. Each of these groups is potentially rewarded directly for the success of the firm.

Employees

Employees are primary internal stakeholders. Employees have significant financial and time investments in the organisation, and play a defining role in the strategy, tactics, and operations the organisation carries out. Well run organisations take into account employee opinions, concerns, and values in shaping the strategy, vision, and mission of the firm.

Managers

Managers play a substantial role in determining the strategy of the organisation, and a significant voice in operational decisions. Managers are also accountable for the decisions made, and act as a point of contact between shareholders, the board of directors, and the organisation itself.

Owners

Owners (who in publicly traded organisations can include shareholders) are the individuals who hold significant shares of the firm. Owners are liable for the impacts the organisation has and have a significant role in strategy. Owners often make substantial decisions regarding both internal and external stakeholders.

External Stakeholders

There are quite a few external stakeholders for businesses to keep in mind when making decisions and carrying out operations. These include but are not limited to customers, suppliers, creditors, communities, governments, and society at large:

Customers

The primary purpose of providing goods and services is to fill needs. Understanding the needs of an organisations core customer base, and optimizing operations to best fill those needs, is therefore a significant part of managing a business. Interacting with customers through social media, emails, storefronts, user testing groups, and the delivery of services and goods is an important aspect of maintaining a strong community (and a strong sense of what customers want from the organisation).

Nowadays, big data plays a significant role in determining what users want. By understanding trends, habits, and trajectories in user data, organisations can anticipate the needs of users and refine their value proposition.

Suppliers

Suppliers and other strategic alliances are interdependent, where the success of one will impact the success of another. As a result, suppliers are closely related to organisations as key external stakeholders. Timely payments, shipments, communication, and operational processes are key to maintaining a strong relationship with this stakeholder group.

Local community

A business can be a great benefit to a community, providing tax money, local access to unique goods and services, jobs, and community development programs. However, a business can also be a drain on a community by increasing traffic, creating pollution, hurting small businesses, and altering real estate prices. As a result, businesses must look at the needs of the community, and ensure that negative repercussions are minimized while community engagement is maximized.

Government

Governments tax businesses, and therefore have a firm stake in their success. Governments can in fact be considered primary stakeholders, considering the profit motive involved. Governments also provide regulatory oversight, ensuring that accounting procedures, ethical practices, and legal concerns are being handled responsibly by business representatives.

Broader Society

As a result of the digital and global economy, a business can have a significant impact on society at large. Companies such as Airbnb and Uber have transformed entire industries, creating dynamically different economies with a wider variety of participants than ever. Walmart has substantially impacted the viability of small businesses in many regions. The food that is sold at fast food chains has huge impacts on global health. Manufacturing facilities in developing nations are transforming entire ecosystems. Social networks are collecting vast amounts of data. All of these concepts arent intrinsically good or bad but managing them to ensure outcomes are positive for society as a whole is a critical responsibility.

Other

While other stakeholder groups could be discussed at length, these are a few of the key pillars in stakeholder theory.

2.7 Ensure decision making occurs in accordance with risk management plans for all options, and within appropriate timeframes

Risk Management process

Risk Management is a five-step process:

Step 1 Establish the context

Step 2 Identify the risks

Step 3 Analyse the risks

Step 4 Evaluate the risks

Step 5 Treat the risks

Throughout each step it is essential that there is consultation and communication with everyone in your organisations functions, activities and events (refer to diagram).

Step 1 Establish the context

Before risk can be clearly understood and dealt with, it is important to understand the context in which it exists. You should define the relationship between your organisation and the environment that it operates in so that the boundaries for dealing with risk are clear.

Establish the content by considering:

The strategic context the environment within which the organisation operates

The organisational context the objectives, core activities and operations of the business

Step 2 Identify the risks

The purpose of this step is to identify what could go wrong (likelihood) and what is the consequence (loss or damage) of it occurring.

Key questions to ask include:

What can happen? List risks, incidents or accidents that might happen by systematically working through each competition, activity or stage of your event to identify what might happen at each stage.

How and why it can happen? List the possible causes and scenarios or description of the risk, incident or accident.

What is the likelihood of them happening?

What will be the consequences if they do happen?

Risks can be physical, financial, ethical or legal.Physical risks are those involving personal injuries, environmental and weather conditions and the physical assets of the organisation such as property, buildings, equipment, vehicles, stock and grounds.

Financial risks are those that involve the assets of the organisation and include theft, fraud, loans, license fees, attendances, membership fees, insurance costs, lease payments, pay-out of damages claims or penalties and fines by the government.

Ethical risks involve actual or potential harm to the reputation or beliefs of your business, while legal risks consist of responsibilities imposed on employees, stakeholders, visitors and clients arising from laws made by federal, state and local government authorities.

Step 3 Analyse and evaluate the risks

This involves analysing the likelihood and consequences of each identified risk and deciding which risk factors will potentially have the greatest effect and should, therefore, receive priority with regard to how they will be managed.

The level of risk is analysed by combining estimates of likelihood and consequences, to determine the priority level of the risk.

It is important to consider the consequences and the likelihood of risk in the context of the activity, the nature of your business and any other factors that may alter the consequences of likelihood of risk.

Risk evaluation involves comparing the level of risk found during the analysis process with previously established risk criteria and deciding whether risks can be accepted.

If the risk falls into the low or acceptable categories, they may be accepted with minimal further treatment. These risks should be monitored and periodically reviewed to ensure they remain acceptable. If risks do not fall into the low or acceptable category, they should be treated using one or more of the treatment options.

The criteria for evaluating the risks at your business are shown below:

Table 1 Likelihood scale

Question what is the likelihood of the risk event occurring?

Rating	LIKELIHOOD The potential for problems to occur in a year
5	ALMOST CERTAIN: will probably occur, could occur several times per year
4	LIKELY: high probability, likely to arise once per year
3	POSSIBLE: reasonable likelihood that it may arise over a five-year period
2	UNLIKELY: plausible, could occur over a five to ten-year period
1	RARE: very unlikely but not impossible, unlikely over a ten-year period

Table 2 Loss or damage impact scale

Question: what is the loss or damage impact if the risk event occurred (severity?)

Rating	POTENTIAL IMPACT In terms of the objectives of the business
5	CATASTROPHIC: most objectives may not be achieved, or several severely affected
4	MAJOR: most objectives threatened, or one severely affected
3	MODERATE: some objectives affected, considerable effort to rectify i.e. requires medical attention and has some impact on production and/or other activity
2	MINOR: easily remedied, with some effort the objectives can be achieved
1	NEGLIGIBLE: very small impact, rectified by normal processes

Risk priority

The risk priority scale determines the nature of the risk and the action required. They are indicators to assist in the decision making of what action is warranted for the risks.

Question: what is the risk priority?

Table 3 Risk priority scale

IMPACT

	5 Catastrophic		4 Major		3 Moderate		2 Minor		1 Negligible
5 L I K E L I H O O D Almost certain		Extreme (1)		Extreme (1)		Major (2)		Major (2)		Medium (3)
4 Likely		Extreme (1)		Extreme (1)		Major (2)		Medium (3)		Minor (4)
3 Possible		Extreme (1)		Major (2)		Major (2)		Medium (3)		Minor (4)
2 Unlikely		Major (2)		Major (2)		Medium (3)		Minor (4)		Minor (4)
1 Rare		Medium (3)		Medium (3)		Minor (4)		Minor (4)		Minor (4)

Step 4 Treat the risks

Risk treatment involves identifying the range of options for treating the risk, evaluating those options, preparing the risk treatment plans and implementing those plans. It is about considering the options for treatment and selecting the most appropriate method to achieve the desired outcome.

Options for treatment need to be proportionate to the significance of the risk, and the cost of treatment commensurate with the potential benefits of treatment.

Accepting the risk

Step 5 Monitor and review

As with communication and consultation, monitoring and review is an ongoing part of risk management that is integral to every step of the process. It is also the part of risk management that is most often given inadequate focus, and as a result the risk management programs of many organisations become irrelevant and ineffective over time. Monitoring and review ensure that the important information generated by the risk management process is captured, used and maintained.

Few risks remain static. Factors that may affect the likelihood and consequences of an outcome may change, as may the factors that affect the suitability or cost of the various treatment options. Review is an integral part of the risk management treatment plan.

Risk management is an integral part of all core business functions, and it should be seen and treated as such. Risk management should be fully incorporated into the operational and management processes at every level of the organisation and should be driven from the top down

2.8 Ensure that the organisation is represented positively in the media and community

Why is the Media Important?

It gets your message across to a wider audience.

The various forms of media social media, television, newspapers and radio spread and disseminate information. Getting your information into the media will spread your organisation's story further than it could be spread without media coverage.

It can help you target your message to the people you want to hear it.

Readers, listeners and viewers who find out about something or read/hear/see something in the media automatically place a greater level of credibility to it than if they saw it in a paid ad. the attitude of most media consumers is: if the story is gets into the pages of the newspaper, on the air or on TV, then it is "important" and worth taking notice of. So, if your story is among those that make the grade, then it is "important" enough to be on the news and therefore worth taking notice of.

It can increase your profile among the general public.

Media coverage can build your profile in the community, which means may be able to attract more customers, job seekers, supporters, helpers, etc. Not only this, but a raised profile through media exposure will also shore-up and strengthen the support you already have among existing employees, their families, stakeholders, customers, etc. It also builds brand definition for you setting your business apart from other businesses operating in the same space.

It increases your profile among decision makers and VIPs.

Having a media profile not only gets you noticed by the general public, but also among decision makers, VIPs and government. Those decision makers and VIPs can be peak bodies in your area of interest, grant makers and philanthropic organisations, and others with influence or power. Those in government that could notice you can be at a local, State or Federal level or a combination of all three. Because of this, those decision makers or levels of government could become more likely to ask for your organisation's input or opinion on matters relevant to you.

It can sway opinions.

One of the most significant powers the media has is that of being able to shape opinions.
For your organisation, this presents great opportunities to get more people thinking positively about you after hearing positive news coverage. Because of this, your business should actively seek out positive publicity through positive media coverage. But you should also remember that any positive opinions generated from positive media coverage can be blunted or reversed by negative opinions generated through negative media coverage.

Chapter 3: Build and support teams

3.1. Assign accountabilities and responsibilities to teams consistent with their competencies and operational plans

3.2. Ensure teams are resourced to allow them to achieve their objectives

3.3. Empower teams and individuals through effective delegation and support for their initiatives

3.4. Create and maintaina positive work environment

3.5. Encourage teams and individuals to develop innovative approaches to the performance of work

3.1 Assignaccountabilities and responsibilitiesto teams consistent with their competencies and operational plans

Accountability in the workplace

Accountability is about follow through and getting done what you said youd get done. Its recognising that other team members are dependent on the results of your work. Its about open, proactive communication to keep team members informed of the status of your commitments because it has a direct impact on their ability to achieve their own commitments.

Taking ownership at workis about taking initiative and doing the right thing for the business. Its about taking responsibility for results and not assuming its someone elses responsibility. Its the opposite of passing the buck.

Ultimately, when team members consistently demonstrate ownership and accountability, trust is formed.You trust someone will do the right thing and trust that theyll do what they said theyd do. Trust is the backbone of high-performing teams.

How to make accountability a core part of your culture

The two biggest reasons that we resist holding other people accountable are because were uncomfortable doing it and because we forget to do it. So, lets tackle these issues.

1. Work on your feedback skills

Giving tough feedback isnt easy, but you can get better at it. Not only that, but one of the most important things you do as a manager is provide feedback because not giving feedback is one of the most demotivating things you can do to your employees. Even negative feedback is better than being ignored. When you regularly give feedback (including positive feedback), it makes tough feedback much easier.

At its heart, good feedback comes from a place of genuinely wanting to help. You need to give a damn. The second part of it is to be clear and direct. Feedback should not be ambiguous.

2. Recognise that procrastinating feedback only makes things worse

As uncomfortable as it is, when we procrastinate providing feedback, we only make matters worse. Issues very rarely resolve themselves and just turn into bigger issues. Eventually, you have to deal with it. Its easier to deal with the issue as soon as possible for you, for the person youre providing the feedback to and for the rest of the team. Remind yourself of this often.

3. Make accountability a habit

Setting up a reminder to give (and solicit) feedback will help ensure that feedback flows consistently. One-on-oneandteam meetingsare great opportunities to build a habit around accountability.

Here are a few suggestions of questions that managers can add to their one-on-ones to make accountability a habit:

• Is there anything we should START doing as a team?

• Would you like more or less direction from me on your work?

• Do you feel youre getting enough feedback on your work? If not, where would you like more feedback?

• Is there an aspect of your job where you would like more help or coaching?

• How could we improve the ways our team works together?

4. Keep track of your commitments and hold each other accountable

If you make a promise to provide more positive feedback, make sure you add that as a future agenda item to check in to hold yourself accountable. If your employee commits to providing a work back schedule for a project by such and such a date, make sure you have a way to check-in on that day.

Ways to Encourage Responsibility

When team members don't take responsibility for their actions, some managers may just hope that the problem goes away. Others may try to remove these people from their teams completely.

Neither of these approaches is ideal the situation is likely to get worse if you just leave it alone; while dismissing employees should be a last resort, especially if you're dealing with people who have the potential to be effective team members.

Instead, your aim should be to provide your people with the skills and resources needed to do their jobs, and then to create an environment where it's easy for them to take responsibility for their decisions and actions.

And yes, sometimes you'll need to be firm and courageous, and sometimes your actions will cause conflict.

We'll now explore a variety of strategies and tools that you can use to get people to take responsibility.

Start by Talking

Your first step is to talk to the individuals concerned. Find out if there are circumstances that are contributing to the situation, or if there are problems that you can deal with. After all, bad things can happen in people's lives, and this can clearly affect their behavior at work.

Then provide feedback, so that the individuals know that their behavior needs to change. The GROW MODEL may be useful, and, depending on the circumstances, you may need to provide appropriate support.

What you learn in your discussion provides the context for the next actions that you take.

Ensure Adequate Resources

A sensible early action is to ensure that your people have the resources they neew to do the job. This might include providing training, equipment, and access to mentorsand coaches.

This is a key step in helping people take responsibility for their work if they don't have the "tools" needed to do their jobs, it's easy to shun responsibility!

Communicate Roles, Responsibilities, and Objectives

Your people also need to know clearly what their job roles and responsibilities are.

Make sure that you have an up-to-datejob descriptionfor each team member, and be as detailed as possible about every responsibility that they have.

When working with your team on a project, use aResponsibility Assignment Matrixto help keep assignments and responsibilities clear. You may also want to use aTeam Charterto define everyone's roles and responsibilities within the team.

Sometimes, people don't take responsibility because they feel apathetic about their work. They can't see how their efforts tie into the "bigger picture." So, make sure that they understand how their work ties into the largergoals of the organisation. Highlight the importance of what they're doing, and also paint a picture that details the unpleasant direct and indirect consequences that happen when they don't do their work properly.

Re-Engage People

This then leads on to re-engagement. Think about how you, yourself, feel when you're doing work that you love or care deeply about.

You take responsibility for your actions, simply because you have a deep sense of pride in what you're doing. The same will likely hold true for your people: by working onre-engaging them, you can lead your people down the path towards personal responsibility.

Help the person to take control

Sometimes, people feel that they have no control over their lives. To them, it doesn't matter what they do or how hard they work, nothing makes much of a difference.

People who believe that outside forces constantly influence their life are said to have an "external focus of control," while those who believe that their actions shape events, have an internal one.

If you discover that people have an external focus of control, help them overcome this. Set modest goals so that they can achieve somequick wins; and then help thembuild their self-confidence. Also, remind them of their strengths and past successes, and teach them how tothink positively, instead of engaging in damaging, negative self-talk. You can also break up any large tasks or projects into smaller goals or steps. A huge project or goal will make people feel overwhelmed, and, instead of being accountable for their work, they're far more likely to shun their responsibilities.

Don't Micromanage

If you're having problems with members of your team not taking responsibility, it's also worth taking a freshlook at your own management style. Perhaps you aren't delegating clearly, or you're micromanaging them if you hover over their shoulder and second-guess their every action, they're going to be reluctant to do anything without you in the background.

So, learn the art ofdelegation, andavoid micromanagement. Give your people the freedom they need to make their own decisions but be ready to guide them in the right direction if required. If they're able to make decisions on their own, they'll start to realise that their efforts really do make a difference.

People who don't take responsibility for their work or actions are likely to have a negative impact on their team. Look for apathy, finger pointing, missed deadlines, or phrases like "It's not my fault" to spot team members who are avoiding accountability.

To help people take more responsibility for their work, provide them with the skills and resources to actually do their job. Then, set up an environment that makes it easy for them to change, and help them to take responsibility for their decisions and actions

3.2 Ensure teams are resourced to allow them to achieve their objectives

What is a team?

The label is often used interchangeably with 'group' and yet team as we understand it has a very specific meaning. The difference very largely lies in the direction of action. A group can exist and yet not achieve much. A team, on the other hand, is action orientated. It has a clear purpose and it is a purpose which is shared by its members.

There are a number of features of a team which make it different from a group:

1. In an effective team, members share a high level of commitment to achieving the common objective.
2. Members of an effective team experience a high level of satisfaction from being part of and working with the team.
3. In an effective team, members work well together in an integrated way, with a high level of awareness and appreciation of each others strengths.
4. An effective team shows a high capability for solving its own problems. The skills exist and there is a willingness to act.
5. Most important from the organisations point of view is that an effective team is one producing high quality results. High quality results, it could be reasonably argued, are the outcome from the other characteristics of the effective team.

The qualities of an effective work team are, therefore, identifiable, quite specific and measurable. Although any group can possess any or all these characteristics, an effective team must display them all.

What conditions make a team effective?

Clear Objectives:The team's overall objective needs to be identified and defined in terms which allow each member to understand the same goal. The leader has an important role in communicating a clear picture of what the organisation expects from the team. A style which encourages a questioning approach is likely to reveal any members' doubts, misunderstandings or resistances which need to be positively managed.

Appropriate Leadership:Leadership is a shared function based on the need of the task rather than through consideration of formal role or position-based power. This requires considerable flexibility in recognizing and allowing other team members to exercise real leadership when a member's skills are more appropriate to the team at that time. There is an important leadership function. It is one of using skills to develop the team and making sure that time is allocated appropriately for team-building activities.

Suitable membership: For a team to be able to work productively, its members must display the range of skills, knowledge and experience and the right 'mix' of these for the task it is undertaking. Members are valued for what they can contribute and are encouraged to develop. Little time is wasted on considerations of what members cannot do. The emphasis is on strengths, on the positive.

Commitment to the team: Team members experience real strength from their membership and the sharing of goals. They are willing to invest considerable energy in the interests of the team. Membership is highly valued and member behavior is strongly influenced by considerations of team success. This is very different from the rather simple and (from the work effectiveness point of view) rather unproductive 'WE' feeling that is part of the experience of simply being with a group of people who get on well together and enjoy each others company.

A supportive team climate: The order of the day is participation and personal responsibility. Members are trusted to contribute in a mature fashion. Self-control replaces imposed control. Responsibility is widely shared throughout the team on a rational basis, given the skills and other strengths among members. Members are encouraged to contribute ideas, take risks and question the team and its activities openly without fear of censorship, disapproval or reprimand. The only condition is that the members' behavior is with the best interest of the team and its performance at heart.

Getting things done: The successful team not only knows where it is going, it knows when it has arrived. It sets performance targets and milestones and establishes ways in which the team's movement toward achieving the targets can be measured. It is important that performance targets are ones that represent something of a challenge to the team and its members without being unrealistic and consequently demoralizing. When the right performance standards are set, the team's energy is directed towards achieving results. Team performance is constantly being appraised, in order to identify any problems in the team's path or being experienced by members. This is an important responsibility for the team leader.

Working techniques: The team needs to invest time and effort into developing working techniques, methods, procedures and ground rules to move the team toward its goal in the most efficient way consistent with preserving those other qualities associated with effective teams. These include techniques for making decisions, solving problems and generally coping with anything which gets in the way of progress.

Learning:The team and its members learn from their experiences, including their mistakes. Mistakes made in good faith do not lead to heavy penalties but are incorporated into expectations about the team and its members maturing over time.

Problems are analysed for what they can contribute to the individual and collective maturing process. Constructive criticism based on logic and rationality and intended to help the team and its members grow in competence is welcomed. These places a premium on fact-to-face skills associated with coaching and giving feedback. They will be particularly highly valued skills when used effectively by the team leader.

New members: New team members are quickly integrated into the team, their strengths identified, and contribution defined. Every effort is made to help the new member prove his/her value to the team quickly.

Managing the group: An effective work team recognises the importance of monitoring the team itself and the way in which it is working. Understanding something of 'group dynamics' is an area of knowledge and skills which is highly developed in effective teams. Allocating time and energy to understanding and managing relationships is an important investment. The team leader should be able to display considerable competence in this respect. Responsibility for monitoring events is not invested in the team leader alone. It is shared among members, although some will be more competent than others and show preferences in the direction of 'team maintenance'.

Relationships with other teams: An effective team also invests time and energy into developing ground rules for managing its relationships with other teams in a positive and productive way. This includes identifying areas of work where collaboration would clearly help one or both teams achieve results more efficiently or effectively. It includes maintaining open contact and frequently reviewing tasks priorities. Resources are shared where this will help progress toward a broader, but understood and shared, organisational objective. Joint problem solving is widely adopted and the tendency to 'blame others' is replaced in effective team working with a direction of effort toward understanding problems and finding solutions.

Success:The effectiveness of a team grows. All the conditions set out above develop more extensively and readily to the extent that the team meets with early, continued and acknowledged success. The clich, "Nothing succeeds like success," is entirely applicable to the development of effective teams and in the process of developing and reinforcing the conditions underpinning demonstrated effectiveness. Two possible problems exist for very successful teams. First, they may be seen as so competent that they attract more work than they are able to handle resulting in overload and decline in performance. They may have to learn to say "no". Even if they attract more resources of money and people to handle the extra work, they may suffer from problems of "bigness" and will almost certainly need to restructure into smaller satellites if they are to continue successfully.

The second problem for the successful group is one of complacency. They can become fat cats. Their very success and cohesion become their own worst enemy, and they find it difficult to respond to new circumstances. Some groups guard against this by ensuring that they get a fairly regular turnover of people to keep them on their toes.

Team leadership /what makes an effective team leader?

Although it is likely that the leadership role will shift one team member to another, determined by task demands on skills and other resources, the fact remains that there is normally a team leader designated by the organisation and considered responsible for the outcomes from his/her team's performance.

Setting values: The effective team leader is instrumental in establishing a set of values from which standards of performance, acceptable methods and member behavior emerge in a consistent way.

Clarifying objectives: The team leader is in a crucial listening role and communicating between the organisation and the rest of the team. An important factor in the link man role is that of helping team members understand expectations held by the organisation concerning the team's goals. This will often require the translation of ideas into operationally useful information.

Provide a model: In many respects, especially in managing relationships and setting the kind of group climate conductive to meeting many of the conditions already discussed, members will regard the leader's own behavior as an appropriate model. The effective team leader is a trend setter in relation to many of those behaviors which effective team members display.

Identifying members' strengths: The effective team leader has considerable responsibility for ensuring optimum use of resources. This includes knowledge of individual member's strengths, and ensuring opportunities are made available for their use.

Delegation:A key characteristic of the effective team leader is a willingness to genuinely delegate. The delegate trusts the people he is delegating to and encourages team members to push existing skills on further and to take reasonable risks in doing so. The team leader is a front runner in providing a supportive, positive, building climate within which team members can experience maximum personal achievement, growth and contribution to the team.

Getting help:The leader knows when the team needs help from outside and communicates the group's needs to those who can provide the appropriate resources. This means being aware of realistic limits to existing team competences and recognizing that seeking help under the right conditions is a sign of strength rather than weakness.

Flexibility of approach: Different styles suit different task conditions. Given an atmosphere of participation and personal responsibility, team members will look for a leadership style that 'fits' the prevailing circumstances. It is perfectly reasonable for an effective team-leader to be highly controlling and autocratic under difficult or critical circumstances where a quick response is essential. Team members will not only accept it but expect it.

Represent the team: In managing its affairs with other teams and other parts of the organisation, the team leader is a front runner. The team leader operates in this respect from a consideration of the team's objectives, standards, resources and the importance of maintaining a mutual respect and collaborative climate between teams, protects team members against unjustified or irrational attack, ensures that outside influences do not impose unreasonable or excessive demands on the team or its members, negotiates with outside bodies on behalf of the team and with the interest of performance paramount. The team leader also develops and encourages his/her members to develop a wide network of useful contacts both within and without the organisation.

Develops team members: Makes sure that team members experience opportunities for achievement through personal growth. This requires special skills from the team leader, especially in coaching (identifying performance-related and development needs and helping team members identify means of satisfying them). Counselling skills to deal with performance related problems is another crucial skill area.

Feedback: The team leader is one of the most important and credible sources of feedback to the team and its members on performance. The emphasis should be on positive feedback. Even when performance related problems occur, the emphasis is on seeking solutions rather than witch hunting.

Is available: The team leader is there to collect ideas and information and to sell ideas and influence people. He is also there to involve people, where realistic, in decision making, especially that relating to decisions likely to influence the team's goals, methods or performance targets/standards. The effective leader also encourages feedback from the team as the basis for monitoring personal effectiveness.

The team types

Implementer, coordinator, shape, plant, resource investigator, monitor-evaluator, team worker, completer finisher, specialist.A brief description of each role in a team is as follows:

Coordinator(was chairman) - Critical thinking only just above average. A relaxed but fairly strong and dominant character who is non-aggressive but be assertive. Has a good deal of trust and belief in people. Sees talents as resources rather than as a competitive threat. Outwardly enthusiastic, but inwardly more reserved and objective. More concerned with practicalities than creativity. Does not over-react to pressure. High concern for duty and doing things properly.

Shape- Leads from front with 'all guns blazing'. Likes action, quick results and willing followers. Pushes himself and others to get the job done as the main priority. Not always popular, but more often than not, gets results. Usually very assertive, can be aggressive. High degree of nervous energy and relentless tension rather than self-assurance. Hates to be constrained by rules and regulations. Often a sceptic and quick to criticise and judge. Unduly sensitive to criticism and can be impatient. Invariably competitive, intolerant and probably compulsive about work and other things of importance.

Plant(Ideas Man) - Advances new thoughts very often independent of own specialism. Usually high intelligence. Has self-confidence but often with uninhibited self-expression. Ideas often come before people. Radical views may override pragmatic considerations. Can opt out if ideas not accepted. May find routine of organisational life hard to take.

Monitor-Evaluator- Good critical thinker and evaluator of ideas. Serious attitude, cautious, usually objective and very perceptive. A strategist who may require input of ideas and knowledge from others before shows his/her best. Very self-critical and may be seen as negative with low persuasive and motivational powers. Enjoys knocking others' ideas down. Identifies key issues that could and would go wrong with a project. May feel intellectually superior to group and show it. Can stifle debate if he/she does not control over zealous, if correct, criticism.

Implementor - Usually accepts rules and conventions of the organisation. Works to do a good job within the system. Makes things happen by translating general concepts and plans into practical working brief. Thorough, determined and full of common-sense working on practical level. Dislike too much theory and ideas. Unhappy in situations requiring lots of flexibility, adaptability and expediency where quick changes required. Scores high on sincerity, integrity, self-discipline, conscientiousness and strength of character. Often likes leadership position but may have problems in unstable situations requiring vision. Basically conservative, solid, reliable completer of tasks requiring a logical approach.

Team worker- Perceives feelings, needs and concerns of the people in the group. Observant of people's strengths and weaknesses. Can hold team together in a quiet way with concern for others. Usually stable but not over-competitive. May be seen as low in decisiveness and toughness. Puts emphasis on understanding others, situations and self. Can delegate well if given a senior position. Develops staff well. Often behind the scenes helper. May not get credit for good results. May go for cosy atmosphere rather than face conflict. Overall, seeks harmony and co-operation.

Resource investigator- People orientated team member. Usually restless, enquiring attitude to life. A driving force and always going out to find new things and ideas - has a wide range of contacts. Within team, helps people, encourages, and is a positive influence for developing others. Usually cheerful, but may lack self-discipline, being somewhat impulsive. Will drop one task in favor of another if it interests him/her more. Needs constant variety, challenge, stimulation. Does not raise ideas in self so much as raise them in others. Helps team look outwards, but needs to be focused, otherwise wastes time on too many things.

Completer/finisher- Often tense, sometimes anxious and has a compulsive concern to finish. High nervous energy put to productive use. Translates worries and fears into energy for getting jobs done on time to a standard. Good on detail. Known to nag colleagues. Brings sense of urgency to the team. Has sense of purpose, is self-controlled. Often hard to live with. May get bogged down in detail. Can irritate people with his/her rigour. Does not allow procrastination, carelessness, over-confidence or slackness.

Specialist- Typically dedicated individuals who pride themselves on acquiring technical skills and specialised knowledge. Show great pride in their own subject but often lack interest in other peoples'. Mainly interested in furthering their own field. Usually self-starters who are quite single minded. However, will usually only contribute on a very narrow front

Team development

Groups go through various stages as they develop to effective team working. A common model used to track the development of groups was suggested by B W Tuckman and outlines four stages of team development.

Forming- Characterised by polite and manner able greeting. Members also check out their feelings regarding membership of the group, what roles they may take and what the purpose of the group is.

Storming- Typically this can be an uncomfortable time for groups where members are often testing the limits and exploring what is possible Rebelliousness, competition and the setting up of cliques are all features of this stage.

Norming- At this stage the group is beginning to work through its conflicts and agree on ways of functioning towards effective performance.

Performing- Now the team is working together towards a common goal.

All teams will develop at different speeds and some may get stuck in one of the phases. The important thing is to be aware of the subtle and intricate dynamics of the group development process.

Task and relationship functions

When working in a team certain functions or behaviors contribute to either the task in hand or the relationship between the team members. A balanced mix of both task and relationship functions are necessary for effective team performance.

3.3 Empower teams and individuals through effective delegation and support for their initiatives

Empowering your employees to empower themselves

As a manager or leader, do you let your people assume more responsibility when they are able? Do you know when that is, or do you keep telling yourself that they arent ready yet?

There once was a CEO who was the leader of one of the worlds largest global organisations. He received feedback that he was too stubborn and opinionated. He learned that he needed to do a better job of letting others to make decisions and to focus less on being right himself. He practiced this simple technique for one year: before speaking, he would take a breath and ask himself, Is it worth it? He learned that 50% of the time his comments may have been right on, but they werent worth it. He quickly began focusing more on empowering others and letting them take ownership and commitment for decisions, and less on his own need to add value. Your employees understand their jobs. They know their tasks, roles, and functions within the organisation, and its time for you to let them do what they need to do to get the job done. But there is a critical point that is often missed: It isnt possible for a leader to empower someone to be accountable and make good decisions. People have to empower themselves. Your role is to encourage and support the decision-making environment, and to give employees the tools and knowledge they need to make and act upon their own decisions. By doing this, you help your employees reach an empowered state.

The process does take longer employees will only believe they are empowered when they are left alone to accomplish results over a period of time but its effective and worth the time. If a company has a history of shutting down or letting go of initiators, for instance, the leader cant just tell employees, You are empowered to make decisions.

Part of building an empowering environment is dependent on the leaders ability to run interference on behalf of the team. The leader needs to make sure people are safe doing their jobs. To make sure this happens, an ongoing discussion of the needs, opportunities, tasks, obstacles, projects, what is working and what is not working is absolutely critical to the development and maintenance of a safe working environment. You are likely to spend a lot of time in dialogue with other leaders, employees, team members, and peers.

Following are a few things leaders can do to build an environment that empowers people.

1. Give power to those who have demonstrated the capacity to handle the responsibility.
2. Create a favourable environment in which people are encouraged to grow their skills.
3. Dont second-guess others decisions and ideas unless its absolutely necessary. This only undermines their confidence and keeps them from sharing future ideas with you.
4. Give people discretionand autonomy over their tasks and resources.

Successful leaders and managers today are willing to exercise their leadership in such a way that their people are empowered to make decisions, share information, and try new things. Most employees (future leaders) see the value in finding empowerment and are willing to take on the responsibilities that come with it. If future leaders have the wisdom to learn from the experience of present leaders, and if present leaders have the wisdom to build an environment that empowers people, both will share in the benefits.

There are many more things that leaders can do to build and environment that empowers people. Please send any ideas you have. I would love to hear them

3.4 Create and maintaina positive work environment

To get the most out of your employees, you have to create a positive work environment for the entire team. When people feel encouraged, accepted and happy, they become more motivated and perform better. Isnt that a nice formula?

Yes, it takes time out of your day, but the process of creating a joyous workplace brings a sense of purpose to your work and results in dedicated performances. Plus, managers are responsible for nurturing their team, not just producing great project outcomes no matter the cost. All aboard?

Here are five tips to create a positive environment for your team:

1. Engage in meaningful (in-person) dialog

When you make the effort to connect with your team members in personindividually and as a groupyoure establishing a position of caring that motivates individuals in all sorts of crazy-good ways. Its easy to send short messages in emails, and then rely on these small exchanges for most of your communication. Or, you can focus on what needs to get done next and forget to take a breath, look around, and get to know your employees. Dont fall into this rut. Instead, ask your team members about their immediate goals and project interests as well as their career objectives.

Also, remember: Were all human, and most humans respond well to the real thingin-person communication that says, you matter.

2. Show your appreciation

One of the biggest complaints from employees is that they dont feel appreciated. The second someone gives us a nice job or you made a difference on this project, we feel like we matter in a way that gives our work a sense of purpose. If youre not so inclined to give out verbal gold stars, an easy place to start is with a simple thank you.

The next step is to give meaningful appreciation. Thread the high-fives and nice jobs with a more detailed picture behind your acknowledgment. This way, your employees can understand what theyre doing well, and do more of it. Also, detailed praise shows youre paying attention and not throwing around empty phrases. When people feel like theyre doing good work, they want to rise to the occasion even more.

3. Listen to everyones ideas

Your entire team has great ideas. Theyre in the trenches all day, bringing their own experience and perspectives to the part of the project theyre focused on. For example, if theres a way to make spreadsheets more efficient or cold-calls more productive, the team members know how. Its tempting to stick with protocol because you know that works well. But these days the world moves so fast nobody can afford to stay with a status quo for too long. So instead, make it a policy to listen to new ideas (you could structure appropriate time periods for this, too), and this will tell everyone theyre a valuable part of the team. Give the good ideas a try; you never know what might happenother than the team becomes more invested in their work and the project outcome, for starters.

4. Trust your team members

This is a harder rule to practice for some morethan others. So, try to default to the assumption that your team is made up of adult, responsibility-taking, competent workers that dont need to be treated like children. (In the end, people act the way theyre treated.) In action terms, this means that when you delegate, really let go and let the individual own the task you gave them. You can also communicate trust by asking team members to make decisions for their part of the project, like:

• Suggesting when and if meetings should happen

• Anticipating road blocks and communicate those to the group

• Assumingthat your team wants the best for the project. And if you sense the beginnings of some negative juju kicking up, invite discussions about office policy; see what the majority thinks.

5. Be spontaneous and have a little fun

Everyone wants to have fun at workeven though everyone defines fun a little differently. Still, if you can keep the previous four tips in action, thenfunor a sense of enjoyment and being able to be yourself at workbecomes a more natural part of everyones job. Fun happens when people feel well-connected with a team where theres mutual respect, open communication, acceptance of who people are and everyones collaborating and working toward the same goal. When teams are working well together, it makes it easier to be spontaneous and have some fun whether its a last-minute Football Friday party after a project launch, or a brief pause in the afternoon to tell stories and have a few laughs over topics that have nothing to do about work.

Sometimes we all need a break from the seriousness of business.

And rememberwhether youre a team leader or team member, everyone plays a role in contributing to your work environment.

3.5 Encourage teams and individuals to develop innovative approaches to the performance of work

Here are 10 ways to encourage innovation at your workplace as advised by experts:

1. Involve your employees: The fact is, if people arent feeling connected to your company, theres little incentive for them to be innovative. Make sure your employees are in the loop on your firms strategies and challenges and invite their input. Employees who are involved early on in processes and plans will be motivated to see them through to completion. Their active participation will fuel more ideas than if they learn of initiatives firsthand.
2. Make innovation important: Ensure all your employees know that you want to hear their ideas. Unless they understand how innovating your business processes can keep your firm competitive, your efforts at encouraging creative thinking risk falling flat.
3. Encourage brainstorming: Allocate time for new ideas to emerge. For example, set aside time for brainstorming, hold regular group workshops and arrange team days out. A team involved in a brainstorming session is likely to be more effective than the sum of its parts. You can also place suggestion boxes around the workplace, appeal for new ideas to solve particular problems and always keep your door open to new ideas.
4. Train your staff: Your staff may be able to bounce an idea around but be unfamiliar with the skills involved in creative problem-solving. You may find training sessions in formal techniques such as lateral thinking and mind-mapping worthwhile.
5. Encouragechange: Broadening peoples experiences can be a great way to spark ideas. Short-term job swaps can introduce a fresh perspective to job roles. Encourage people to look at how other businesses do things, even those in other sectors, and consider how they can be adapted or improved.
6. Look at new ways to do things: Encourage employees to keep looking anew at the way they approach their work. Ask people whether they have considered alternative ways of working and what might be achieved by doing things differently.
7. Dont discourage: Respond enthusiastically to all ideas and never make someone offering an idea feel foolish. Give even the most apparently eccentric of ideas a chance to be aired.
8. Be tolerant: A certain amount of risk-taking is inevitable with innovation. Allow people to learn from their mistakes. Never put off the creative flow by penalising those whose ideas dont work out.
9. Reward ideation and innovation: Motivate individuals or teams who come up with winning ideas by actively recognising innovation, for example through an awards scheme. You could even demonstrate your recognition that not all ideas work out by rewarding those who just have a rich flow of suggestions, regardless of whether they are put into action at work.
10. Implement strategy to execution:Remember, innovation is only worthwhile if it results in action. Provide the time and resources to develop and implement those ideas worth acting upon. Failure to do so not only means your firm will fail to benefit from innovation, but flow of ideas may well dry up if employees feel the process is pointless.

Chapter 4: Demonstrate personal and professional competence

4.1. Model ethical conduct in all areas of work and encourage others to adopt business ethics

4.2. Adapt appropriate interpersonal and leadership styles to meet particular circumstances and situations

4.3. Set and achieve personal objectives and work program outcomes

4.4. Ensure self-performance and professional competence is continuously improved through engagement in a range of professional development activities

4.5. Participate regularly in industry/professional networks and groups

4.1 Model ethical conduct in all areas of work and encourage others to adopt business ethics

MODEL ETHICAL CONDUCT IN THE WORKPLACE

Unethical behavior in the workplace has been present since man built the first office building. This doesn't mean you have to accept it on your team or in your company, however. A company's ethical climate, goals and policies can all have a significant impact on employee behavior. You can help your employees to behave ethically by aligning your company's management practices with your expectations.

Generally speaking, employees know that they should never do certain things at work. Not every situation is so clear-cut, however, which is why it's important for employers to implement ethical codes of conduct. Although not all-inclusive, these codes will guide employees through the many "gray areas" of working life as they come up. The result is a consistent promotion of accountability, honesty, integrity and open communication, which are the key values of a healthy workplace

Accountability and Follow-up

A healthy workplace culture sets codes and standards for acceptable behavior, which managers reinforce through all levels of the organisation. For new hires, the first exposure to the company's core values might come at orientation. To ensure that employees connect words and deeds, proactive companies implement follow-up procedures -- such as codes of conduct -- that outline the consequences for any violations. Managers should train employees to report unethical behavior and follow up promptly when complaints surface.

Fair Allocation of Resources

Companies need to establish a link between ethical behavior and appropriate use of resources. Executive leaders have five key resources at their disposal: capital assets, information, money, people and time. Depending on how managers allocate these resources, different perceptions of equity and fairness may arise. Managers who make a point of trying to distribute all resources fairly are more likely to inspire appropriate ethical behavior among employees than those who pay lip service to the concept.

Open Communication

In a model ethical culture, managers expect employees to put what's right above their own interests and promote an atmosphere that encourages tolerance for people's views. The organisation places a premium on open communication to accomplish its goals. Companies also emphasize that any self-serving actions -- such as intimidating employees from reporting ethical lapses to management -- won't be accepted. Failure to check these tendencies creates a divisive atmosphere that destroys trust and internal relationships.

Protecting Company Assets

An ethical workplace encourages employees to take a consistent line on protecting company assets, whether it's office supplies or an expense account that you're supposed to fill out honestly. When you see unethical actions, such as supply thefts, you feel empowered to report them -- because such behavior isn't tolerated. Rather than writing off such lapses as the cost of doing business, your employer shows that everyone will be held to the same standard.

Respecting Company Time

Respect is a two-way street, particularly when it comes to your employer's time. You shouldn't need a reminder that any personal Internet surfing at work is an ethics violation. Most employers have some type of policy to prevent an addiction to gambling, news or social networking sites from disrupting the workplace. You also accept that updating personal blogs, websites and social media accounts isn't sanctioned, unless it relates to your job.

Rewards

Catch employees doing something right and reward ethical behavior. For example, you might implement a system in which people can submit anonymous tips telling about employees behaving in a particularly honest way. Show gratitude when someone "blows the whistle" on a practice that could potentially hurt customers or stakeholders. Incorporate ethical standards into employee performance reviews. Encouraging ethical behavior is always easier than confronting unethical behavior.

Expectations

Ensure that your company states its values in the employee handbook and that these values are talked about and implemented in everyday business matters by all employees in a supervisory capacity. It is recommended that companies adopt a number of values that result in an ethical business climate. These values are self-control, wisdom, justice, transcendence, kindness and integrity. For example, the value of self-control can result in the behavior of doing what is right regardless of personal motivations.

Training

Through training, explicitly teach your employees how to behave in an ethical manner. Discuss ethically questionable situations and how to respond to them. Discuss the ramifications in both the personal and professional arenas of failing to behave ethically. Emphasize the benefits of ethical behavior and point out how employees expect others to treat them fairly and with honesty. Training is most effective when role play is a part of the instructions.

Policies

Sometimes implementing a policy to prevent unethical behavior is the best option. For example, if workers regularly use the copy machine to make personal copies or steal supplies from the storeroom, you can require a code for the copier and ask the administrator to distribute office supplies as requested.

Such policies result in employees not having to put their personal integrity to the test. Consider incorporating ethical behaviors into company policy as well. For example, confidentiality is required of healthcare workers, and breaching it can be grounds for termination. The same can hold true in your company for ethical standards that are essential to a productive work environment.

4.2 Adapt appropriate interpersonal and leadership styles to meet particular circumstances and situations

What does it mean to be an adaptive leader?

Traditionally, leaders could choose from three leadership styles to adapt to situations: authoritative, democratic, and delegating. There is also a new style of leadership that is emerging - a coaching style. A leader may call on all four styles but generally, fall back on one style under pressure. The skill is for a leader to know when each style and the corresponding behaviour is called for in particular situations. The more flexible and adaptive you are, the more effective you will be.

The four leadership styles

Authoritative leaders

Authoritative leaders operate alone and like to make quick decisions that are then communicated downward. They get things done but do not think through what the impact will be on anyone affected. Their decisiveness and task focus get great short-term results. The harm done to relationships and trust could hurt results in the long run.

Democratic leaders

Leaders who spend time listening to feedback and asking for participation in decision-making are primarily democratic. They feel everyone's ideas should be considered before decisions are made. They often use brainstorming and employee focus groups to implement new policies and procedures. People feel heard but sometimes the process is too slow. Also, democratic leaders may not count on and share their own wisdom enough.

Delegating leaders

These leaders are adept at giving tasks to different groups of people, while overseeing the overall work of the groups. The delegating leader doesn't usually participate in the decision making, and the team is left to work on their own without much oversight. This can help employees feel empowered. It can also leave them feeling overwhelmed and set up for failure if the leader doesn't pay enough attention to what the employees need to succeed.

Coaching leaders

The latest style to emerge is focused on using coaching skills. Coaching leaders are dedicated to helping people think more broadly for themselves. They ask questions with the intention of helping others come up with solutions on their own and to help them realise their full potential on the job and in life. Often, these leaders also delegate. Sometimes, people feel left out in the cold when they don't have enough knowledge, resources, or skills to think on their own. As with all the styles, the coach needs to discern what the person really needs to determine if this style is the best in the moment.

Effective leaders have good listening and observation skills, so they know how to adapt their style as necessary. They build good interpersonal relationships so they are able to foresee challenges and difficulties that may arise. And no matter what type of leader they are, they need to be open and honest while communicating with a variety of people and groups.

This means you should know how to develop and call on various styles and behaviors as needed for the situation. The more adaptive you are, the better you will be able to help your company build and maintain success well into the future.

Adapting leadership styles to individual circumstances

Your team is not a single entity. Each person that you lead will have different needs and your approach to them should be different to reflect that. Their needs will also differ across time and as they tackle new or unfamiliar roles. So, it is important to know where they are developmentally andapply the appropriate leadership style.

Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard, developer of the One Minute Manager series, created a model forSituational Leadershipin the late 1960s. It allows you to analyse the needs of the situation youre dealing with, and thenadopt the most appropriate leadership style. There arefour leadership stylesin Hersey and Blanchards model and four sets of circumstances. As with any model, this is highly granular and needs interpreting by the leader as they approach a given situation.

The approach of a team member (or follower) is represented by two factors, competence and commitment. The four combinations that the model suggests are important are

• D4 High Competence and High Commitment

Experienced at the job, and comfortable with their own ability to do it well. May even be more skilled than the leader.

• D3 High Competence and Variable Commitment

Experienced and capable, but may lack the confidence to do it alone, or the motivation to do it well/quickly

• D2 Some Competence and Low Commitment

May have some relevant skills but wont be able to do the job without help. The task or the situation may be new to them.

• D1 Low Competence and Low Commitment

Generally lacking the specific skills required for the job in hand and lacks any confidence and/or motivation to tackle it.

You may recognise that, as a leader, you also fall into one of these categories depending on the role you are playing. Some entrepreneurs who operate in D4 when doing deals, find themselves in D1 or D2 when it comes to administration or BAS returns, with the result that these are tasks that they, rightly in my view, delegate elsewhere. Delegation is one of the four leadership styles available

• Directing Leadersdefine the roles and tasks of the follower and supervise them closely. Decisions are made by the leader and announced, so communication is largely one-way.

• Coaching Leadersstill define roles and tasks but seeks ideas and suggestions from the follower. Decisions remain the leaders prerogative, but communication is much more two-way.

• Supporting Leaderspass day-to-day decisions, such as task allocation and processes, to the follower. The leader facilitates and takes part in decisions, but control is with the follower.

• Delegating Leadersare still involved in decisions and problem-solving, but control is with the follower. The follower decides when and how the leader will be involved.

Leaders need to develop the flexibility to operate in all of the four ways according to the situation of the follower.

The numbering system indicates the most appropriate combinations

• D4 High Competence and High Commitment is ideal for a Delegating style.

• D3 High Competence and Variable Commitment probably requires a Supporting style

• D2 Some Competence and Low Commitment indicates a need to develop both confidence and commitment and a Coaching style is the best fit for this.

• D1 Low Competence and Low Commitment is most often found amongst new employees and temporary staff. It is also found when employees find themselves in a new role and change from being very confident and motivated. The directive style is suggested by the model for this category, but leaders should move to a Coaching style just as soon as they can.

One of the most important presuppositions of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) suggests thatthe map is not the territory. It is true here. A model is only useful as a guideline and flexibility is the most important principle to apply.

People do not neatly fit into four boxes and their needs are never met simply by one of four approaches. Depending who the person is and what their personal circumstances are, you may see changes in their performance that require changes in your approach. However, having a model like this is a simple way to know where and how to start with theleadership of an individual team member and it reminds us all that to try and lead a team rather than individuals is a mistaken approach. Only when welead the individualsin an optimum way can a team begin to emerge.

4.3 Set and achieve personal objectives and work program outcomes

As business manager, its important that you take the time to set personal goals and review how they fit with the business as a whole.

The new year is a great opportunity to take some time out of your business to reflect and review. Not only can it help you evaluate the effectiveness of your strategies from the previous year, it can help you set your sights on new goals and objectives for the year ahead to help you set yourself up for business success

Before you start

Before you even begin to write down your goals, you need to know what areas you need to improve in, or could improve in. Although you may already have an idea of the key areas, its important to regularly step back and review your plan.

Setting goals

Setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely) goals can help you evaluate the goals you wish to set. Think about whether they are realistic. You should write down your goals to help keep you on track to achieve them.

Here are a few things to consider when setting your goals:

• Specific be clear about what you want to achieve

• Measurable make sure the goal can be measured, and you can recognise if youve achieved your goal

• Achievable- check that your goal is something you have the time, money and resources to meet

• Relevant ensure your goal is relevant to the direction you want to head in

• Timely- set a realistic deadline for completing the goal.

Example of a SMART goal

Overall goal:I want to grow my gardening business.

Specific:I will gain four new clients for my business.

Measurable:I will measure my progress by keeping track of how many new clients I gain while maintaining my current client base.

Achievable:I will gain four new clients as I currently have four available spaces in my fortnightly client scheduling diary.

Relevant:Adding clients to my customer base will allow me to grow my business and increase my income.

Timely:I will have four new clients within three months.

SMART Goal:I will gain four new clients for my gardening business within a three-month period filling my current available diary places. This will allow me to grow my business and increase my revenue.

Achieving your goals

Once youve got your list of goals, youll need to figure out how to achieve them. Be realistic in what you can achieve. It might be helpful to break down the steps into smaller chunks.

Heres a list of things to consider when planning your strategy to achieve your business goals:

• time frame how long do you expect a task will take to complete (include both a start and finish date)

• actions describe the actions you are going to take in detail

• responsibilities write down the person or people responsible for achieving each step

• resources details of any resources you will require to achieve your goals (training, professional development etc)

• the desired outcome describe what you expect from your actions and how youll know when the goal has been achieved.

If you havent done so already, make sure you update yourplanto reflect your new goals.

How do I know if Ive achieved my goals?

Put a system in place to help you measure your goals and keep you on track.

You can keep it simple, such as ticking off a completed task from a list or use more complex measurement processes if thats relevant for your business.

Dont forget to reward yourself when you achieve your business goals.

4.4 Ensure self-performance and professional competence is continuously improved through engagement in a range of professional development activities

Professional development is like a continuous improvement process. It is an ongoing program, whether formal or informal, undertaken to ensure that we as individuals have the skills and abilities to undertake our work in a professional, efficient and effective manner.

Organisations and businesses should be always seeking new and better processes.

Continuous improvement philosophies require constant attention to the task at hand. Everyone involved in a process should be evaluating and reviewing what they are doing, so if possible, improvements can be identified and implemented.

A continuous improvement approach and methodology should apply to individuals as well.

Informal and formal development

Informal development can occur through accessing newsletters, magazines, journals, books and other media. More formal development can occur through learning programs, whether self organised or organised by others - training courses, seminars, conferences being examples.

There are always developments in our fields of expertise. There are many ways to keep up-to-date, but it does take self-organisation. It has to be a planned, conscious approach. Neglect can have serious consequences, although they may be hidden. You may not realise that your knowledge is becoming out of date.

There are three basic parts of professional development:

• Keeping up-to-date - keeping current. For example; Income tax legislation changes - a tax accountant has to keep abreast of the changes.

• Expanding into related but new fields of operation. The impact of technology has meant that tax accountants have had to acquire a wide range of computer skills, including the proficient use of specialised software packages. .

• Growing the role - assuming greater responsibility, either in the same position or through promotion. As they become more senior, a tax accountant expands into the role of business advisor. This involves a whole new area of knowledge and skills.

Professional development is an important continuous improvement process.

Leaders need to continuously ask themselves - How do I measure up?

• Am I up-to-date?

• Is my professional knowledge growing every day?

• What mechanisms do I have in place to ensure that I am informed of the latest developments?

• Have I attended a formal training/professional development activity in the last three months?

• Am I investing 5% of my salary (or equivalent) in professional development?

• Am I spending 10 days (or equivalent) in professional development activities each year (inside or outside my working hours)?

• What is my current "special interest subject" - the topic I am investigating/researching on a consistent basis?

What is continuous learning?

Continues learning is your self-motivated persistence in acquiring knowledge and competencies in order to expand your skill set and develop future opportunities. It forms part of your personal and professional development in an effort to avoid stagnation and reach your full potential.

7 ways lifelong learning will benefit you

Knowledge is now at everyones fingertips. Those not making use of this opportunity will remain where they are, their capabilities diminishing in its importance. These seven benefits should be reason enough never to stop learning.

1. Remain relevant

Dont be left behind. Ensure you remain relevant to your industry by keeping up to date with trends and adapting your skill set. To function effectively amongst this rapidly changing world of technology, you need to learn new things to remain valuable.

2. Prepare for the unexpected

Lifelong learning will help you adapt to unexpected changes, for example, losing your job and having to depend on new skills to find work. By continuing to learn, youll more easily step out of your comfort zone and take on new job opportunities.

3. Boost you profile

When youre always learning, youll keep improving and grow in your career and start to receive recommendations from colleagues and managers. The chances are that youll switch jobs multiple times throughout your life, and you need to learn new skills to adapt accordingly.

4. Competence leads to confidence

Learning new things gives us a feeling of accomplishment, which in turn boosts our confidence in our own capabilities. Also, youll feel ready to take on challenges and explore new business ventures.

5. Sparks new ideas

Acquiring new skills will unveil new opportunities and help you find innovative solutions to problems. This could earn you more money.

6. Change your perspective

Continuous learning opens your mind and changes your attitude by building on what you already know. The more you learn, the better youll get at seeing more sides of the same situation, helping you understand more deeply.

7. Pay it forward

Continuous learning isnt just about you. Lifelong learning helps develop your leadership skills which then translates into fostering lifelong learning in other individuals, by encouraging them to pursue further education.

4.5 Participate regularly in industry/professional networks and groups

The importance of a professional network

As we climb up the professional ladder, we are encouraged to develop a network of contacts and engage with that network for professional opportunities. Once we reach the top of that ladder, it becomes easy to neglect that network, all the spare time for networking meetings and lunches seems to disappear.

Engaging with a professional network offers opportunities, camaraderie, business, friendship and reach among many other benefits. It is simple to build and engage with your network on LinkedIn and to set aside time each quarter for a networking event within your network. Here are some benefits of a professional network.

Your network travels with you throughout your career

As you develop your career, you create your resume and use it to promote yourself for job opportunities, but this is a document that highlights your past achievements and positions; it doesnt encompass your current projects and contacts. A professional network includes your past, present and future opportunities and achievements, these people dont leave you if you leave a job or if the company falls into receivership; your network is always with you.

A professional network is valuable (in dollar amounts)

Each person within your network is a potential client. Someone who may be a freelance journalist now might become the Editor in Chief of a major magazine in 10 years time and that magazine could become a future client as a result. Remember, not only is your career developing, everyone in your network is developing theirs too.

Professional networks promote collaboration and positive connections

Utilising social media professionally to connect with people from various industries ensures you are regularly seeing a variety of articles about ideas and practices outside of your organisation and industry. By widening your network and taking a genuine interest in a different industry and space, you are provided with opportunities to learn which you may not otherwise have. When you frequently connect with your network, youre sure to be engaging with people freely and happily.

Your network helps you find positions and candidates

Most people neglect their network until they need something and often by this stage, it is too late. It is important to foster healthy relationships within your network while you are safely and happily employed so that if times change, you have a safety net to provide you with options, rather than only reaching out to people in times of need. Additionally, networking sites such as LinkedIn are a great place to find and research candidates. How often have you wanted to recommend someone to a friends workplace and find that they arent recruiting? Including that person in your network and facilitating introductions could be their perfect career opportunity.

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