Elisabet Hearn and I wrote this article for 2020visionleader.com
Your peers are a crucial stakeholder group to manage with care. You need each other and the more you can have a great impact with them, the better you will do.
Here are 3 quick impact hacks to consider, to connect and collaborate better with your peers, and jointly deliver with more impact for the organisation overall.
SEE THEM AS CUSTOMERS
Imagine that they are someone that you can be of service to, someone you can help and want to do good things for. Impact starts in your mind, the way you think about someone drives your impact. If you don’t like them or if you see them as a competitor, it will drive certain behaviours in you, which will likely reduce your positive impact.
PRAISE, DON’T BLAME
Take personal responsibility by focusing on solutions rather than blame if something goes wrong. And recognise the good things your peers do, give credit where credit is due. Be confident enough to lift others up and let them shine.
BE POLITICALLY AWARE
Develop your system thinking, to understand the ‘system’ you’re in. An organisation is an internal system, with all its interrelated and interdependent parts; processes, people, procedures. The more you understand that system, the dynamics, the culture: implicit and explicit expectations– the greater impact you can have.
Have your radar on to pick up on the intricacies of who knows who, who’s connected with who. Who’s collaborating and who’s maybe competing with you? This is particularly pertinent when it comes to peers, where collaboration and healthy competition is a must for continuous creative challenge and growth.
