What impact will you have this year?
Author: Kerrie Sheaves
25 years ago I was a young an upcoming businessperson, striving to work my way to the top in the corporate Telco sector. I was the youngest of most of my colleagues by a few years, having started in corporates roles straight out of high school.
I realised quickly that building relationships with more senior people in the business is a great way to learn from others who’ve already walked the road you may want to go down. But it’s also a good way to be visible to those who will one day decide whether you’re the right person for that promotion or special project.
In an age when we are increasingly disconnected in our workplaces, remote working or phoning it in, may seem like a good idea to reduce travel time, but there are some real advantages you could be missing out on, from those connections you make in the office, or the co-working space, or the networking events you’re not attending regularly.
Remote working may be efficient, but is it effective?
As the young worker I had pleasure of working alongside some amazing people on a daily basis, and getting to observe and learn from them, and interact with people who were literally top of their game in the industry.
Whether it was the Receptionist, CEO, Sales Director or one of the Chief Engineers I took the time to build relationships and learn whatever I could about the industry and the business, and them as people. It paid off a short while later when I was given the opportunity to take on the senior role of National Billing Manager at the ripe old age of 23.
One of those people who had a big impact on me then is Suzanne Campbell one of our Guest Speakers at the Chambers upcoming, March 8th International Women’s Day Lunch event.
What struck me about Suzanne all those years ago was her steady calm, professional approach to business, her depth of knowledge of the sector we worked in (Telco) and her willingness to engage with and get to know all the staff regardless of their seniority in the business.
There was a moment when something she said to me changed the way I approached my career and has made me more intentional about every decision in business I’ve made since.
She probably didn’t think that she’d had such an impact on me. That’s why it’s so important that we consider what impact we want to personally have on those around us, and what impact we want our businesses to have on our customers, our staff, our fellow business leaders, and on our community.
Business Leaders should consider investing time in incidental mentoring and connection with younger generations of workers.
Formal vs. Incidental Mentoring
“While formal mentoring programs have their place, leaders can integrate mentoring into everyday management. Incidental mentoring is ad hoc on-the-spot mentoring that occurs spontaneously when the mentor observes a situation where the mentee could use guidance. It can be a short or quick comment or a longer two-way conversation.
This approach goes beyond the standard positive and corrective performance feedback. It involves seizing spontaneous moments to impart wisdom, share experiences, and offer guidance.” – Spiwe Jefferson
Developing your professional networking capability.
Younger generations of workers should be encouraged to seize the opportunity to intentionally participate in the businesses they work for, and their wider business community and sector. Being visible and curious and taking the initiative to connect with colleges, humbly seeking to learn from them is a great way to grow.
As we get older and we have more and more commitments from family to serve outside of the office, it becomes harder for us. When we’re young and aspiring to build our career or business is the time to develop your professional networking capability.
Building relationships is at the Heart of what we do.
As a Chamber relationship development and building is central to everything we do, and how we do it.
You can find out more about the full range of our activities for all business leaders in the region on our website: https://www.sydneyhillsbusiness.com.au/
One of the programs we run is for Women In Business.
International Women’s Day Lunch
The purpose of our International Women’s Day Lunch, and our bi-monthly Coffee Catchup program (proudly sponsored in 2024 by Digital Age Lawyers) is to encourage Women of all ages in our business community to invest in building relationships with each other that encourage, mentor, and support each other as business leaders.
As well as promote the important role our more senior and experienced women in business play in mentoring and nurturing our younger aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs.
The theme of International Women’s Day 2024 is focused on Financial Literacy for Women.
Being money savvy and financially confident is a challenge for many women of all ages and stages of life and their career, not just those in poverty.
We often don’t charge what we’re really worth for services, we choose businesses and careers that help people but can be uncomfortable in billing for those services or asking for more, or we allow others to manage our finances for us, abdicating ownership – rather than delegating tasks. We’ll be talking about this important topic as part our panel session.
If you want be part of the fantastic community of women in business thorough the Sydney Hills Business Chamber book yourself in to attend our March 8th event and invite your colleagues and friends to join you.