Work hard. Everyone knows it. You must work hard in order to be successful. And while it’s certainly true, since when does working hard solely mean one should be cooped up in their office, chained to that desk and computer, focused like crazy on the business at hand?
Like many of you out there, I can find it a little hard to tear myself away from my office. One thing after another piles up on the agenda, and if there’s one second of free time threatening to take my mind elsewhere, I go ahead and almost desperately pile on more work.
As people in business, it is understandable that we pour our efforts into the work. We focus and focus, that is until we can’t see anything else. I’m talking about seeing those surrounding us, those populating our business and the businesses around us. Not only can stepping out of your little world be beneficial for business, it can save you from the office cabin fever that creeps up without you even noticing.
Once in a while, turn that computer off, put that pen down, get off that chair, and step out onto the floor. I don’t mean to go out and simply say hi to your employees, I mean go out there, take a seat with them and really get to know them. Find out what it is they are into, what their current work issues are, what’s stressing them, what plans they have. It’s as simple as grabbing that wrap you were going to quickly chow down in the office and eating it out there among your colleagues, the ones helping you drive the business forward.
Don’t assume all things of importance will come your way. You’ll be surprised to find just how many work-related matters you would not have known about without getting out there on the floor. Employees don’t always know certain things are of utmost importance and sometimes they plainly do not want to worry you. They will respect you for making an effort and you will have a better chance at turning those employees into friends.
How many times do we hear about how important networking is? It’s almost exhausting. We hear about it so much, some of us may actually be convinced we do it. There seems to always be an invite coming through. An invite for drinks here, a coffee catch-up request there. It is way too easy to scroll past them, jumping to that one thought: “I don’t have the time.”
The simple fact is you should make the right time for the right people. What if you denied the invite to that one event with your dream client in attendance? Have that coffee, attend that party, go to that lunch. Don’t get me wrong, accepting and attending everything will end up leaving little time for your business, but going through invites carefully can provide you with gems of opportunities.
Stepping out from within those four walls isn’t easy, I know. It is all too easy to forget those out there working hard with us and to forget the possibilities that can arise from meeting the right person. Go on, get out there.
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About the Author:
Colin Porter is the publisher of Dynamic Business and the founder and MD of credit reporting bureau,CreditorWatch. He has over 20 years experience as a business owner, specialising in general small/medium business issues, cashflow, credit management and online business. Follow CreditorWatch on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
