The Gatherer Vol 11

So here’s my challenge for you: pick someone who you rarely have time for. Perhaps it’s a colleague that always gets a ‘sorry this report is late’ email. Or a teammate that always gets the crappy jobs. Whomever it is, set aside five minutes to connect with them on something THEY care about that isn’t work- related. – Turn your phone on silent, and keep it out of sight. – Listen, ask questions and go into the experience with a sense of curiosity. – Don’t expect anything out of it. Yes, that’s it. At the end of the day, it’s not about having time. It’s about making time.

It was this feedback that catalysed the introduction of our weekly ‘Hunger Games’. Here’s how it works: – We create a list of our team members in alphabetical order. – Each Monday, the scheduled team member selects their choice of cuisine for take out, and the menu is circulated. – Each member chooses their meal and the order is placed to arrive each Wednesday at noon. – No matter what is happening that day, we convene as a group, without technology at our fingertips, to enjoy a meal and some seriously funny banter (while our office chihuahua mascots, Eszie and Eddie, pull out the puppy dog eyes and work the room). Scientists and researchers long classified interpersonal energy as ‘woo-woo’ and eye-roll worthy, yet this simple experience would make anyone a believer. Our office is now a place of electric energy. Most importantly, creativity, collaboration and production levels have flourished. Soul ful solut ions Perhaps food isn’t your thing. Or perhaps, a little virus has got in the way of in-person connection. As such, here are three ways for you to show your corporate colleagues that you care, while creating a magnetic culture: Ask, don’t presume Rather than jump on the money bandwagon, have a conversation to better understand what makes a person tick. For one of our team members, the thought of a brand new Xbox is the equivalent of winning the lottery. Another example, a company I know (and respect!) buys a wheelchair for a child in need when certain team goals are met. Authent ic care isn’t hard

Think outside the box During my Master’s degree, we held weekly “journal club” sessions, where one lab member would select a cool (albeit nerdy to some) scientific study in a slightly different area than ours. The purpose was simple: to get us thinking outside the box. Our team does something similar: lunch ‘n’ learn sessions on every subject imaginable. For many people, including myself, learning new things is worth its weight in gold and the ‘donation’ of time during work can be an extremely fulfilling, intrinsic motivator. Br inging i t home If you’re sceptical of the above suggestions, join the line. It’s hard to see how a group lunch or a ‘just because’ email is important for effective business growth. However, research (particularly notable are studies by John Kotter) demonstrates that investing in company culture can:

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Great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people.

– Increase revenue up to four times faster. – Increase stock prices 12 times faster. – Increase profits up to 750% faster.

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WHO IS DR KATHERINE?

S T E V E J O B S

Dr Katherine Iscoe is the Director of the Dr Katherine brand and Co-Founder and Director of Corporate Health & Wellness for Advanced Human Imaging Limited - an ASX-listed company with a multi-million-dollar market capitalisation. Dr Katherine personally understands how life’s ups and downs can create a conflicted mindset, preventing us from reaching our goals. And as a co-founder (and former CEO) of a fast-growing tech company, Katherine observed how individual mindsets can act as either an accelerator, or a handbrake, to team performance. It is for this reason that Katherine developed her science-based approach to team development, allowing individuals to ‘hack’ their mindset to bring out the best in themselves and each other.

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I recently had a bout of low blood pressure, one day being so bad I had to go home and rest. Out of the blue, I received an email from our CTO simply saying “I heard you weren’t feeling well, hope you feel better soon”. That was it. Eleven words that likely took all of 20 seconds to write and send. It was not required, and therefore far from expected, which made it all the more special. Summary: small things to you are often the most significant to someone else.

DR KATHERINE ISCOE Director of the Dr Katherine brand

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