Bossing it: Gather and radiate

One of my co-founders, in an agency that'd grown to have offices in multiple countries, prided himself on the speed with which he could be in and out of each city for our board meetings.

Meanwhile, I'd add an overnight stop and have at least half a day free just hanging out and working from any spare desk in the office.

I'd wander round, stop for a coffee, share lunch and just chat. What're you working on? How's it going? Any current pet projects? What do you want to be working on? What do I need to know? Anything bugging you? And so on.

I would always learn some pure gold in these chats, make useful connections between people and projects in different countries, and gain vital knowledge to feed into our strategy and planning.

And I'd generally be able to share back a bit about what was going on elsewhere and what the agency's plans were, too.

I didn't need to dash back to my office to get on with my work because, as the boss, talking with people was my work.

An agency, more than any other kind of business, is all about what's in people's heads.

Ways of working? Priorities? Culture? Strategy? Knowledge about clients, the market, new technology?

It's there, in people's heads.

But also, it's slightly different things in each head. And that's how problems begin.

So one of the key parts of stepping up to be the boss is becoming a mindful and proactive communicator. Actively receiving and transmitting. Spreading ideas and knowledge around.

By gathering and radiating in this way you get better information to lead with, and nurture alignment in the agency.

What time and opportunities can you create this week to just stop by and chat with people?

Gather and radiate.