There is no doubt that business development is an investment; it requires particular skill sets, resources and a support system in order to reach the goals that you are after. Yet, I have to wonder whether businesses know what they are committing to and if they are honest about the commitment that is required.

There are 4 key elements to the entire process and we are going to explore them here.

Sand in the hourglass,

Time.  No matter how hard we try, we cannot escape the seconds or the minutes in any particular task; as a result, we either underestimate, overestimate or even worse we become so obsessed with the time that we cut out elements or people from our lives because it is important to be within the time frame which we either set for ourselves or others have set for us.

The result is we don’t fully comprehend how much time we need to dedicate to business development. This is especially true when visiting or taking part in networking events or organisations. Of course, the product or services you are providing also relate to this. For example, the more complicated and costly the product or services are, the more time you will need to invest.

Business development is about being committed to the time that is needed to build relationships, and relationships are all about trust. Building trust needs to be nurtured. This doesn’t happen overnight and if there is no trust, how can people believe in you or your business.

It’s all about people

There is no doubt, business development is about investing in people. When we invest in people, we need to initiate, formalise and foster those relationships. This is a journey. The first is likeability, yes, it’s like being back on the school grounds. Is there something about you they like? Then, as mentioned above, it’s followed by creating trust. Can they rely on you? Will you deliver?  Can others endorse you? etc. Next comes respect and, as we all know, this needs to be earned.

Investing in people requires that commitment and, as you potentially score at each goal post, you are not just winning them over; you are winning over each contact that they have and are ready to refer to you when the time comes.

If only I can clone myself

There is no need to clone yourself or cut yourself in half; as long as you build an impressive network of connections that is built on people, then they can scale your business for you. A good business development strategy built on referral marketing will ensure you won’t have to put too much focus on prospecting. As long as you continue to invest the time and you replicate building good strong relationships, the referrals will continue to flow.

Investments are volatile

In investment you will experience some volatility.  There will be peaks and lows and you need to understand your relationships and the people you have invested in. As long as you maintain your relationship, look after them and add value by meeting their values, your network will have stability.

Because the core of your strategy is putting people first, they will come to value you because for you it is more than just business and they will see that. As for those who don’t… this exposes two streams, either you didn’t understand the relationship, or they were never a good fit for your values. So this will then give you the opportunity to reinvest and explore in those relationships that do.

The last word,

Business development is about making a genuine commitment to your team and about your willingness to allow them to make the investment in creating and sustaining long-term relationships that will in the long run be more profitable.

What to read more about networking and how to fine-tune your investment?  Then I suggest you read What is your agenda? Tips to networking successfully

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Looking to make a change of diversity and inclusion for the neurodiverse in your company?  then click here for a consultations

Listen to this topic and others like it on my podcast Take A Leap & Transform: A Neurodiversity Journey

Recently I was listening to a podcast called “Influence & Impact For Female Leaders,” hosted by Carla Miller. The entire topic of conversation was with Neurodiversity expert Professor Amanda Kirby. Many of the points Professor Kirby presents are matters that I have covered in my previous post and that my Skills Development Programs teach.

It is because of this I want to highlight some of the key points that came out of the interview, along with my own insights.

Break out of the single-minded viewpoint

Professor Kirby starts off by explaining that Neurodiversity is about breaking the viewpoint that we all have Neurotypical brains when in reality we are all different. We are wired differently;  this means that it is not just about having a different viewpoint.  The truth is we all have different brain chemistry so we think and do things differently.

The result is that we have a diversity of people who see the world differently and this presents itself in Autism, Dyslexia, ADHD or Dyscalculia. What needs to happen now is to respect, value and utilize those differences.

Restructure and incorporate Universal Design

By definition, Universal Design is about creating structures, environments, products and servers which are accessible to all people despite age, gender, disability, etc. By doing this, we change the mindset and culture of inclusion and diversity. We design and set workplace policies with all people in mind. When we do this, we ensure that workplace onboarding and accommodations for the Neurodiverse are at the forefront of our minds.

Leaders at all levels must remove labels and instead think about people. When we change our perception and language, we start to look at how we can support each other by ensuring that team members have what they need to succeed.

Part of this process is the removal of any stigma people may feel or be made to feel. When we create a fair inclusion and diverse culture, team members who are Neurodiverse will be open about their diversity, they will ask for the support they require and they will have their strengths promoted versus being ridiculed for their challenges.

 

Know their superpowers and create a balanced team 

Their focus should be on individual strengths.  Leading team members need to bear in mind that there is no single ‘one size fits all approach. When formalising your team members, structure for a balanced approach: focus on a Neurodiverse strength and allow them to delegate other tasks to colleagues.

Too often, especially from a bottom-up structure, businesses expect employees to do everything and then some. Worst of all, managers punish them because they focus on their challenges rather than their strengths.

 

Professor Kirby suggests that when you create a balanced team where one handles the other’s weak areas you see several things occur, such as an increase in self-confidence, better work ethic and improved productivity, to name a few.

A balanced team is about building a team where people are welcomed and supported.

Acceptance, no more training

I would like to add an additional point to the above; all too often the belief from managers, human resources and employers that all they need is “more training,” as if that additional training will stomp away one’s Neurodiversity.

Training is a two-edged sword. I am all for training and I welcome it.  Managers, employers and human resources also need training to understand what Neurodiversity is, how this affects that team member and what they can do to support them.  It will also give them insight into how to assist their superpower along with which team members can aid them in other areas.

Recruitment and & On-boarding 

Here I would like to quote Professor Kirby as I feel it very important perspective and I couldn’t agree more; 

“CV’s is a document of privilege.” End quote.

Why would she say this? To start, CV’s are very one dimensional and do not give you the entire picture of a person. You require a skill set to compose a successful two page CV or you need to get someone else to create the document. 

What if there are short durations in a job history or there is a long haul of time between jobs? This could be related to a lack of understanding and inclusion with a particular manager and employer.

Prior to the interview, why not send them a list of questions that would be asked and let them know who will conduct the interview. Give them an opportunity to prepare, feel comfortable and practice. Too often we judge on memory, whether the answers given are in a quick enough fashion or in the manner we expect. What if that person has a slower learning process and needs time process before they can answer?

During the interview, we give too much attention towards presentation skills, such as eye contact and how they’re able to perform an entire sonnet (just a little sarcasm) when the interview should be based on their skillset and whether they can perform what is required.

Welcoming them to the team 

Much of this we have touched upon, such as universal design and focus on strengths. Most of all, it is about creating a culture of acceptance and inclusion. Employees need to feel safe, supported, able to open up about their Neurodiversity and whether they will be disciplined or excluded.

There are many ways this can be accomplished, such as team-building exercises, mentor programs and leadership development for managers.

The investment you do now will generate tenfold in confidence and productivity of your team in your company.

 

If you want to read more about neurodiversity then take a moment and read: Neurodiversity: The Dangers of Labelling People

 

Special Thanks and reference to:

Carla Miller – Host of “Influence & Impact For Female Leaders”

and

Her guest Professor Amanda Kirby

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Looking to make a change of diversity and inclusion for the neurodiverse in your company?  then click here for a consultations

Listen to this topic and others like it on my podcast Take A Leap & Transform: A Neurodiversity Journey

I love it when I hear one person perk themself up in conversations or in debates and say “You have an agenda.” It’s like a gotcha moment, caught red-handed in committing something devious.

This is funny because everyone has an agenda, including the person calling out the other. There is nothing wrong with having an agenda. What is at the core is whether you agree with his or her agenda and if not, whether you find common ground.

Now, why is this important to networking? Because this principle also applies to your business development. Create your agenda and find a common link to build a relationship.

Why are Agendas Important?

Plenty of research and proven strategy has shown that when you have an agenda, the more likely to are to experience success in the outcome.

Creating your agenda

In my previous post, I had suggested sitting down with management or the business owner to help develop a strategy and a metric. You should apply the same suggestion to creating your plan.

In your agenda outline you should:

• Define your objectives.
• Identify the outcome you want to produce
• Establish who, either persons or professions, you are trying to target
• The expectations you want to set out at that networking event
• The actions and next steps to be reached at the event

Keep the agenda in your head

Remember, you’re going to a networking event; it would be silly to present an agenda to every person you encounter. The point of this exercise is to get you into the habit of generating that plan that will get your foot in the door and start building the foundation for the relationships you are trying to build.

Level Up your agenda at the follow-up

The networking event agenda is the icebreaker. When you meet them on a one and one basis, you can build that relationship further. So, at the follow-up, you need a different agenda. The structure is the same, except for the removal of who you are targeting.

What has changed are your expectations and the next step of actions. In your first agenda, it was all about getting this private meeting.  Now depending on how you presented this possibility, you may either decide to share your agenda or if the relationship has not yet arrived at that stage, you might prefer to keep it in your head.

You aim to continue to add value and to build a deeper connection. How you are going to this is the question, and this starts with the bond you had made and what value you presented when they agreed to meet with you.

Conclusion

Your agenda creation doesn’t stop there. Depending on how long it will take to develop this relationship, you will need to maintain, refine or expand your agenda until they have ripened for a business opportunity.

The agenda is the roadmap which will guide you.  It is also the measuring stick to your success. There isn’t enough emphasis on using an agenda and I hope from this post you will see the value and the need in using one regularly.

Need help in making your networking more successful?  Book a consultation with me and learn how I can help with your business development, click on the link below. 

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Looking to make a change of diversity and inclusion for the neurodiverse in your company?  then click here for a consultations

Listen to this topic and others like it on my podcast Take A Leap & Transform: A Neurodiversity Journey

When you have been the ‘odd’ one in classroom and then grown up to enter employment and told you are just not a good fit for the company because of values or work ethic, what does a Neurodiverse person do?

It is not surprising that many end up starting their own business;  quite a percentage excel at it for several reasons, in particular, because they do not ignore their strengths, which were overlooked by others who focused primarily on their difficulties.

The Neurodiverse are free to leverage those strengths to their advantage.

The constrained system of employment

The constrained system of employment hinders an employer’s freedom to look beyond the blinkers of the corporate structure; one should explore different types of intelligence, out-of-the-box thinking and skill sets. One should also bear in mind the tenacious work ethic that gives a hunger to excel despite the challenges they may face because of one’s neurodiversity.

When we review research conducted about innovation and entrepreneurship, we discover the 21st century wouldn’t entirely possible if it wasn’t for the Neurodiverse.  The subject of innovation is explored in the book Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention, by Sir Simon Philip Baron-Cohen, which examines how autistic people are intelligent, can spot patterns and be creative thinkers who develop new solutions.  Albert Einstein or Elon Musk are typical examples of the type of Neurodiversity discussed in the book.

In another study generated by BBC2 For Mind of Millionaire, not 5 or 10%, but in fact 40% of those studied, showed signs of dyslexia. That is 40% who were in employment, possibly not valued and possibly seen as not being the right fit. This is both a risk of not using the talent they have in their ranks as well as a potential loss of 40% of highly valued employees.

 

The challenges a Neurodiverse entrepreneur faces

The situation that a Neurodiverse entrepreneur faces is balancing the strengths they have in some areas with the struggle they have in others. A support system is needed; lack of resources may prevent that entrepreneur from hiring or outsourcing.  

Like other minority groups, there needs to be a system of support.  Resources should be made available to meet their needs and these needs may differ from one situation to another.  The support tools provided can vary from technology to accountancy. Another support tool could be a mentor program which would provide ‘one to one’ guidance.  Every entrepreneur needs counsel.

In a study compiled to identify what made several individual Neurodiverse entrepreneurs, such as Charles Schwab or Richard Branson, successful, it came down to two major factors: The first was that they focused on their strengths and the second that they received support in the areas in which they faced challenges.

Final thoughts

Neurodiverse individuals can achieve high levels of success as entrepreneurs, because they are free to explore and to develop their vision without their challenges being scrutinized.  As we have seen, they can reach higher levels when support is provided and accommodation made.

The more we understand the needs of the Neurodiverse, the more we can value their unique perspective and innovative problem solving skills.

If you want to read more about neurodiversity then take a moment and read: Neurodiverse: Do you know who you work with?

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Looking to make a change of diversity and inclusion for the neurodiverse in your company?  then click here for a consultations

Listen to this topic and others like it on my podcast Take A Leap & Transform: A Neurodiversity Journey