“Being busy means doing stuff, but being productive means getting stuff done.” Wiser words may never have been spoken, despite the anonymous origins of that inspirational quote. As a leader, I believe it more than ever—although I did not fully understand it early in my career. In fact, I spent years trying different strategies aimed at maximizing my productivity. And I continue to learn more; it’s been a lifelong experiment.

I’ve looked high and low for answers, but a key solution was literally right in front of me: My desk was a mess. That matters because not only do you lose time sorting through clutter, but an unorganized space creates negative energy. Sure, I got things done, and I continued to learn and grow in my career, but it wasn’t until I was in my 40s that I finally figured out what works in regard to maximizing my workspace.

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Now that I’ve fully implemented the formula, I’m much happier and infinitely more productive. My desk is now my oasis. Adopting these seven habits made all the difference:

1. Clean up your space.

Simplifying often means cleaning up. Some people are naturally more orderly, but research makes it clear that a tidy, simplified workspace promotes productivity for everyone. It also impacts your relationship with co-workers, as many people assume co-workers with cluttered or dirty work areas are lazy or unorganized.

Think about first impressions you’ve had. When you walk into a clean restaurant, hotel, restroom or store, you notice. And, consciously or not, you believe that the establishment cares about the details and takes pride in the work. I’ve always felt that taking a few minutes to make sure your workspace is neat and tidy will allow you to focus on the bigger things and will make you look more competent in the process.

2. Create the right energy.

Your workspace reflects who you are, so make it welcoming, calming and focused. The formula is fluid, but incorporating a few personal touches—a picture or two, a small potted plant, a Rubik’s cube—with a lot of open desk space will do wonders for your mental focus. Quality lighting that’s not too glaring and not too dim is also vital for optimum productivity.

I prefer minimalism when I organize my workspace—free from distraction. And I believe positive energy makes you more productive. It’s hard to describe, but you know it when you feel it; it’s definitely not the same for everyone. But it’s important that you surround yourself with the pieces, furniture and people that create positive energy for you. For me, that means neutral colors, great lighting, plants, access to natural light and (of course) amazing co-workers in my coworking space.

3. Turn off your notifications.

You’re watching someone give a presentation, and alerts keep popping up on their screen. They act like it’s not a distraction, but they have to pause and close the notification before moving on. We’ve all seen it; it happens all the time. Chances are, it’s happening at your desk, too.

One of the best things I’ve done for my productivity was to shut off my notifications. Absolutely nothing pops up on my computer screen, and no one buzzes through on my phone except my family. The idea that being constantly available makes you a better worker is a myth. Shut off your alerts, establish time blocks for checking messages, and watch your productivity surge.

4. Cut down on paper.

Clutter on your desk and in your workspace slows you down, distracts you and increases your stress. You probably don’t need most of the stuff on your desk, and any papers you may need later can be filed away. Overall, though, searching through electronically stored documents is far more efficient than digging through mounds of paperwork.

5. Make a stack.

I admit it—I’m a stacker. As clear as I keep my work area, I always have a single stack of papers on one corner of my desk, ready for my attention. I make my stack throughout the day and clear it before the end of the day or first thing in the morning. I also cover my stack so I am not distracted by what’s on top. This way, I know what needs my immediate attention and can stay focused on more timely tasks.

6. Keep a notebook.

It may seem archaic, but research has shown that writing notes by hand creates better retention. Scribbling down a list or agenda each day allows you to sort and prioritize activities in your head, so that you enter your day with more clarity and focus. I always keep a notebook open on my desk, beside my paper stack, and take it to all my meetings.

The idea was validated when I read that Sir Richard Branson has years’ worth of notebooks filled with countless ideas and thoughts. I’ve tried lots of notebooks over the years. For me, it’s blank white pages without lines. This simple, clean layout allows me to sketch an idea, write some words, make a list, etc. It’s free flowing, which works for me.

7. Plan people time.

Every job requires face time with colleagues and vendors. Whether it’s checking on employees you supervise, answering customer emails or listening to calls about your product, people take time. I used to overlook this, back when I scheduled tasks to fill every minute of my workday.

Now, I try to save roughly 30 percent of my time at the office for people-related tasks. Knowing that I have that time set aside allows me to be present with them. I’m not supposed to be doing anything else with those minutes—and knowing that makes a huge difference.

In school, it was taught as MBWA: management by walking around. As a kid working in my mom’s hair salon, it was watching her take care of her personal clients, but also watching her mentor fellow cosmetologists and talk with their clients. As a waiter in college, it was observing all the moving parts. Here at VARIDESK, it allows me to fly at 30,000 feet while also experiencing what’s going on with my team on the battlefield of business.

Credit: Jason McCann
Website: www.success.com

With a coworking space on seemingly every corner, it’s not always easy to know which is the best option for your company. But as Shark Tank star Daymond John reassures entrepreneurs, there’s a perfect fit for everyone.

The secret, according to John, is to spend as much time as possible in the spaces you’re considering before you commit. Watch this short video as John, who recently opened coworking space Blueprint + Co, shares the red flags to watch out for to ensure you stay both productive and happy.

Coworking is often considered a millennial venture — strictly for those who are young, starting out and crave the unstructured work environment.

While coworking may have begun in this demographic, this is less and less true as coworking becomes increasingly popular. All kinds of workers are realizing they can have a flexible and diverse working environment without sacrificing the professionalism of the office.

Our most recent member survey demonstrated that this is definitely not the case. Of those surveyed:

• Only 50 percent self-identified as individual workers (consultants, freelancers, or telecommuters)
• 40 percent categorized themselves as employees (people who work for an employer at a coworking space)
• 10 percent classified themselves as employers (business owners or business unit managers who had employees)

Enterprise is making a showing in co-working.

Larger corporations are increasingly making use of co-working. Gone are the days of co-working spaces filled with companies you have never heard of. Corporations have been finding value in coworking spaces for different reasons, including improving recruitment efforts, lowering real estate costs, gaining flexibility and boosting employee satisfaction.

Everyone finds success differently, whether it’s by pulling bootstraps a little tighter or knowing the right people at the right time. In my case, I found success only after doing something I typically dread: networking. But after moving to a new Jersey city—where I knew no one, and no one knew me—I didn’t really have a choice. If I wanted to get somewhere, connecting with people was the key.

Over time, dread turned to desire, and I not only started to benefit from networking, but I started to enjoy it. So I began helping others connect within the community, too, attending lunches and speaking at networking events. And now, eight years later, I’ve found a full-time career I love, one I started from scratch. But this didn’t happen overnight. It took proactivity and a willingness to connect. It meant getting out of my comfort zone, confronting my fear and putting myself out there.

Often, we get stuck in analysis paralysis, believing we are “too young for this” and “there aren’t enough opportunities for that” instead of simply getting started where we are. Put that thinking aside and use the following tips that will help you make connections today for success tomorrow:

1. Be curious. You’ll find all types of people this way.

I think people struggle to reach their true potential because they’re quick to make comparisons—and comparison is the thief of joy, after all. When you shift your mindset and approach opportunities or new challenges from a state of curiosity, you open doors you didn’t know existed (and meet people you’d never dream of meeting). Stay curious and open minded, ditch the need to compare old opportunities with new ones, and find new worlds.

My motto? Channel the curious kid in you, and your creative dreams will come true. Growing up, I dabbled in just about everything—from band and choir to basketball and acting—because I needed to know more about all the things life offered. This increased my energy, fueled my creativity and had long-lasting effects on my emotional well-being. Above all, curiosity put me in environments among people with whom I likely never would’ve crossed paths; I even made a few lifelong friends along the way.

So even today, I play. I regularly channel my inner curious kid by trying one new thing every month: rock climbing, sky diving, simulated flying lessons. You name it, I’ll test it. And by dabbling in new things, I inevitably make new connections. If you do the same, know this: A handful of these connections will, in fact, serve as influencers who will undoubtedly push you in the right (and most successful) directions.

2. Be coachable.

Being coached isn’t easy; I get it. It can feel a lot like criticism, and criticism can feel cold, especially when it’s coming from someone you don’t know. But when you’re coachable, it can be the very thing that leads you to your next opportunity. You don’t always have to agree, but if you’re merely open to learning, coachability will take you a long way. In my experience, coachability will help build bridges and connections far quicker than anything else.

I learned to be coachable in my time as an eighth grade science teacher. If it has to be said, eighth graders have no filter, and everything is fair game. Your teaching methods, your clothes, the booger in your nose during allergy season—all of it. After two years of daily feedback (or criticism, however you prefer to look at it), I had to choose between feeling insecure by their comments or discovering how they made me coachable. By seeking coachability opportunities like teaching, I’ve met some amazing people who are now mentors and mentees and constantly help move me forward.

Coachability comes with practice. Additionally, it involves getting to the root of your fears: Are you afraid of being wrong? Losing control? For me, it was fear of vulnerability, so I made it a point to let my guard down as a teacher. For instance, in class, I’d share anecdotes about me that made me feel vulnerable, thereby leaving me open to feedback (warranted or not), but also helping me buck up and mold the person I wanted to be.

3. Be willing to connect.

Fact: No one likes to network, and I mean no one. Most often, it’s because it feels purely transactional and even superficial. Even if you’re the bubbliest person in the room, networking can still be difficult to navigate. But to find success, I strongly encourage embracing the willingness to connect. Try to suspend your ideas about a person and his or her motivations. Be willing to talk and make new connections without those preconceptions hanging in the air.

When I moved to a new Jersey city, I forced myself out of my comfort zone, electing to meet 100 people in 100 days. Here are a few ways I pulled it off (and inevitably found professional and personal success) that you can use, too:

• First, I had regular one-on-ones. I met people in person, whether it involved grabbing coffee, eating lunch at a new deli in town, or having dinner at an old neighborhood standby. To this day, I do this almost weekly. I start with those I know (professionally or personally), and then I ask them to recommend other folks. And just like that, my connections grow exponentially.
• Second, I started volunteering. It’s one of the fastest and most rewarding ways to meet new people, many of whom are highly influential. Join a committee, serve as a camp counselor, participate in non-profit clubs, volunteer at local churches, or host a charity event. The volunteer possibilities are endless, as are the list of connections you’ll make along the way.
• Finally, I became a mentor, but I was always willing to be the mentee, too. The term “mentor” has become synonymous with “time commitment” — this occasionally deters people. But mentorship can be whatever both parties decide it should be. It can be a quick cup of coffee here or a half-hour phone call there; it can be a weekly, monthly or even quarterly check-in. The insights a mentor can provide to her mentee—and the other way around—are boundless (and so are the benefits). Make a mentor-mentee relationship what works for you, time wise and otherwise.

Perhaps selfishly, our motivation to network may come solely from the desire to be successful. But remember: Others out there are going after it, too, so help them find connections. Be the person who introduces Evelyn to Jaime because you know an unbelievable partnership can flourish. It benefits you, too—they’ll remember you for it, and a relationship with them will bloom as well.

Credit: Keisha Mabry
Website: www.success.com

WeWork, the industry leader in the coworking and shared office space made two acquisitions:

Credit TechCrunch.com

The company recently acquired:

1. Teem
2. Euclid

What is Teem

Teem is a "The Workplace Experience Platform". The technology brings the power of sensing, analytics, tools to manage workspaces. Wework paid $100m for this application developer.

What is Euclid

Euclid creates an efficient, relevant and compelling experiences in the physical world. According to leadership at WeWork, this two acquisition will enable companies to WeEork-ify their offices.I believe these two acquisitions are brilliant and while WorkSocial will not weworkify its offices - these technologies will help us become more aware of our client needs and optimize the WorkSocial experience.This is also showing a shift in the investment strategy of WeWork. I am extremely impressed with their decision to serve not just the coworking community but also creating opportunities to companies to embrace exponential technologies.

For so many people today, no fear is quite as overwhelming, stressful, or anxiety-producing as the fear of public speaking. However, there are many people with a genuine fear of public speaking who must still face the music, get up in front of groups of people, and speak to their audience.

For many people, ranging from educators to religious figures, public speaking in an inevitable part of the job, but it doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as it seems. They just need a few public speaking tips, is all.

Some people with a fear of public speaking simply feel uncomfortable with the concept. There are even more people, however, who wish they could hone their skills to be better at speaking in front of others, but don’t have the opportunity to practice. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, and whether or not public speaking is a fear or a passion, there are ways that you can completely change the way you look at speaking in public; that way, you can improve your skills and become a more seasoned, comfortable, and professional-sounding public speaker.

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9 Game-Changing Public Speaking Tips

These nine public speaking tips will change everything you feel and know about speaking in public and give you a fresh perspective on this art form.

1. Focus More on The Voice Instead of the Message

There are so many public speakers that focus all of their attention on crafting the right message and making certain they are delivering new, fresh, and exciting content to their audience. However, the truth of the matter is, there is very little “new” advice that one person can give another.

Instead of focusing on the novelty of the message, focus on your voice and what makes you unique. Look for ways to draw upon and relay insights from your own experience, instead on the message alone. This will let your message shine through and help it resonate with your audience.

2. View Public Speaking as the Performance It is

When it comes down to it, public speaking is just a performance, no real different than when an actor steps onto the stage. If you are having trouble mustering up the confidence you need to speak in public, make sure that you are viewing your speech as the performance that it is. You can pretend to be someone else on stage when you speak; you can pretend to be someone who is more poised and confident— someone who thrives while speaking in public.

Think of the last time you dressed up as someone else. Being someone else, even if it only for a costume party, has a certain liberating feeling. It helps you let your guard down. That same feeling can be applied to your speech if you just put yourself in the right mindset. You can even go as far as creating a new name or persona for your public speaking self. Beyonce did it when she went on stage as Sasha Fierce (but has since been able to grow beyond Sasha), and you can do it, too.

3. Keep It Simple

There are so many public speakers that attempt to cram so much into each individual presentation. This often causes speakers to speed up, rush, and try to get everything out in a timely manner. Slow down, and keep your message simple. It is better to deliver less information that people can actually follow and understand than to try to put as much content as possible into a shorter time frame

If you are already feeling nervous about public speaking, trying to do too much at once will only make it worse.

4. Look at it From the Audience’s Perspective

If you are one of those people who take public speaking very seriously, whether it is because it is part of your profession, or just because it makes you nervous, it can cause you to think about speaking only from your perspective. This is a mistake.

It can be easy to think “how will this make me look?” or “what can I do better?” Public speaking is not about you. It is about your audience.

Instead of thinking how you will look and sound, or making your speech about you, make it about your audience. Think about who is in your crowd. Put yourself in their shoes and determine what you would want to hear if you were them. It will not only make your speech better but it will also give you confidence knowing you are delivering a message people want to hear.

5. Study Great Speeches

If you have ever heard a speech that moved you before or if you have heard of someone else enjoying a particular speech, get the transcript. You can learn so much from studying the transcript of a speech. Look at the construction of the speech and the set up. How does it open? How does it flow through the body? What is the closing like? What did the speaker do to engage their audience?

If you need some inspiration, here is a list of some of the greatest speeches of all time.

For most people, public speaking isn’t just a skill they were born with. It is something that they learn and acquire over time.

6. Film Yourself

The first thing to remember about practicing public speaking is that you can’t just practice in your head. As well, reading your speech aloud is not the same thing as practicing it in person.

If you really want to improve your skills so you feel more confident in your public speaking abilities, then film yourself while you are speaking.

This way you can re-watch yourself, look at your eye contact, really listen to your pacing, and tweak how you deliver your speech from there. This is one step above practicing in the mirror, and there is no better way to truly hone your skills so you can get better.

7. Be Realistic About Your Weaknesses and Highlight Your Strengths

No public speaker is perfect. Not even the professionals.

If you want to change your attitude about public speaking and change your approach, then you need to be realistic with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. Know what your strengths are, and accentuate and highlight those strengths when you deliver your speech. If you are great at stories—use them! If you having great comedic timing—use it!

You also need to be realistic about your weaknesses and do your best to avoid the things that take away from your speech. If you aren’t funny, don’t try to be. Just because you like someone else’s speaking style, it doesn’t mean that it will work for you. Know what you’re good at and stick to it.

8.) Just Smile

There is nothing as powerful as a smile and nothing as simple either. Smile before you head on stage. Smile as your audience filters into the room and smile during your speech. When you take a moment to smile, it naturally brings a feeling of confidence and relaxation over your entire body

Smiling at someone in your audience can help you feel calmer, and less nervous, while helping you feel more connected to the audience that you are speaking to. It is really that simple—so give it a try

9. Be Realistic About Your Expectations

One of the biggest reasons people get disappointed with their public speaking engagements is because they are unrealistic about how it will go. Before you ever step in front of an audience, you need to be realistic about what to expect from your crowd and what your crowd expects from you. This will help you be more confident after your speech ends and you can use this for your next engagement.

For example, if you are giving a presentation on stock numbers in front of your fellow employees, chances are it isn’t going to be the type of motivating speech that brings people to tears and renders a standing ovation. You may not even get a clap, and that is alright. Know what to expect so that you can feel better about the outcome in the end.

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So, now you have some great tips try, what will your next public speech be about?

Let us know in the comments below!

Credit:
Website: www.mindvalley.com

Why do some people seem more persuasive than others? The ability to gain influence in a negotiation doesn’t have to do with your personality or how naturally charismatic you are. The secret to getting what you want goes far beyond your height, complexion, or number of degrees. Improving influence surpasses book knowledge and IQ. Reading the circumstance below the surface is key. Here lies 5 examples of how to get better at using methods of persuasion.

1. Be Mindful of Sequence

Effective negotiation occurs in three phases. The first phase is all about gathering information and building a relationship. It revolves around establishing an understanding and earning your counterpart’s trust. The second phase involves taking what you’ve learned and managing their perceptions of loss and fairness. It isn’t until the third phase when a deal finally begins to take shape. In phase three, your primary focus should be on implementation.

Too often, we forget that this process is sequential. We’re so focused on proving our value that we blindly skip ahead to stage three without first building a relationship, demonstrating an understanding and addressing the pictures in our counterpart’s head. In other words, we don’t create the foundation for influence.

It’s almost impossible to persuade someone to change their mind or alter their behavior if you haven’t first made them feel understood. And you can’t truly understand someone if you haven’t taken the time to sound them out, listening to all the information they’re giving you (both verbal and nonverbal). What is your intuition telling you?

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2. Gather Information and Build Trust

As a rule, people aren’t inclined to trust when they’re being talked at. Rather than launching into a monologue about your ideal solution, your challenges, or the value you think you can provide, shift your attention to the relationship at hand. At its core, negotiation is an exercise in relationship building. In phase one of that process, focus on answering two questions:

1. How can you get your counterpart to think about out loud in front of you?
2. How can you earn their trust and convince them to meet with you again?

Using a mirror is a great way to encourage your counterpart to expand on what they’ve said and show that you’ve been paying attention. In addition to mirrors, use labels and summaries to demonstrate your understanding and nurture trust. As you attempt to uncover your counterpart’s perceptions, expectations, and past experiences, avoid the impulse to ask “why” questions. Despite your best intentions, asking “why” (as opposed to “how” or “what”) can come off as an attack.

3. Understand and Manage Loss

Every human decision can be broken down into perceived risk versus opportunity, loss versus gain. Everyone is scared of losing something, and that fear of loss tends to overshadow the potential benefits.

To influence a negotiation, you need to know what loss looks like for your counterpart. Employ tactical empathy, use labels, and try to paint an accurate picture of your counterpart’s perspective. When you get a “that’s right” response, you’ll know you’ve hit the nail on the head—and any resistance your counterpart has been harboring will melt away.

Once you understand your counterpart’s perception of loss, you can begin to manage how it affects the deal at hand. That said, addressing loss in the wrong way can come off as a threat or an attack on your counterpart’s autonomy (their most prized possession). So how do you inject the realization of loss into a conversation without destroying trust

The most effective way to address loss is by asking calibrated and no-oriented questions.

» What happens if you don’t improve?
» How long are you willing to accept the status quo in the position you’re in now?
» Is it out of line to say that your team could use x?
» Would you disagree with x?

After summarizing your counterpart’s response back to them, round it out with another no-oriented question.

» Did I miss something?
» Did I get that wrong?
» Would you disagree?

When it comes to talking about loss, no-oriented questions are exceptionally effective. By inviting correction, you make it easier for your counterpart to maintain their autonomy and answer honestly. In contrast, fishing for a “yes” (by asking a question like, “Do I have that correct?”) can make your counterpart feel trapped and lead to a “counterfeit yes”—an insincere agreement meant to get you off their back.

Finally, avoid using your understanding of loss to make threats or set ultimatums. If you try to manage loss with threats, it will come back to bite you later.

4. Address Fairness

Like loss, our perceptions of fairness directly influence our ability to trust someone and hear them out. The desire to be treated fairly—and the fear of being treated unfairly—is central to negotiations. To influence your counterpart’s perceptions, you must manage fairness in relation to perceived loss and opportunity.

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The best way to address fairness is by leading with it. Consider the following statement:

I want to make sure that you’re being treated fairly at all times. When you’re not, say something so that we can back up to the point where the unfairness occurred and work from there.

This approach creates a collaborative environment and prevents your counterpart from using fairness as an accusation down the road (e.g., “we’re not being given a fair deal”).

5. Tackle Implementation

If you’ve done all your work correctly, you won’t be met with resistance or counter offers in stage three. In fact, you shouldn’t need to do any persuading at all. Instead, you should spend the final phase of your negotiation addressing implementation and encouraging your counterpart to engage with the solution. Doing so will create buy-in and preemptively solve problems.

The best way to make your counterpart feel connected to the solution is by transforming them into a problem-solver. Make note of the vision they brought to the table, then make sure to address that vision and tie specific problems they’ve identified to the solution at hand. Rather than telling them that the contract should be six months long, lead them to that solution by asking, “How do you make sure you don’t regress?” and, “What are we going to put in place so that we know you’re improving?”

Asking calibrated questions can also help bring behind-the-scenes deal-killers to the negotiation table and encourage all those involved to think beyond the present moment. By asking “If … then?” or “When … what?” questions, you’ll force your counterpart to look to the future and problem-solve with you.

For more strategies and tips to get what you want out of a negotiation, download our latest e-book below.

Credit:
Post Author: Brandon Voss
Website: https://blog.blackswanltd.com

Over the past few years, design thinking has quickly gained momentum in the business world. Some of the world’s leading brands—the likes of Apple, Google, HBO, Samsung, World Bank, and General Electric, many of whom have also gone towards having coworking spaces to create those design ideas—have embraced design thinking as a means of optimizing product innovation. At its core, design thinking is a methodology for creative problem solving. In stark contrast to analytical thinking, which involves the breaking down of ideas, design thinking involves the building up of ideas.

While design thinking has firmly implanted itself across product development teams, it has not secured a stronghold across sales teams—yet. Characterized by routinized activities, traditional sales methodologies tend to be at odds with the iterative methodology that underpins design thinking.

Times are changing. The sales cycle is becoming increasingly complex and customers are demanding a more personalized experience. If you’re a sales rep, you know you need to up your game and become more innovative. Sales teams are recognizing the value of incorporating a design thinking approach into their daily activities. Salesforce’s sales team, for example, has embraced design thinking in its sales discovery process and has realized a 100% increase in revenue growth as a result. It’s time sales teams more broadly recognize the value of design thinking.
The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University, commonly known as the d.school, is a premier design thinking institute that has birthed such gems as The Pulse News Reader, a news aggregator that has inked a position in Apple’s App Hall of Fame. The d.school’s five-stage model of design thinking is directly applicable to sales teams:

1. Empathize

‍Empathy is at the core of design thinking. Empathy involves both a cognitive dimension—an ability to look at a situation from another person’s perspective—as well as an affective dimension—an ability to relate to relate to a person and develop an emotional bond with them.
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he importance of empathy in sales cannot be overstated. Empathy is a key predictor of sales success. A groundbreaking study published in The Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice found that there is a strong positive relationship between empathy and a buyer’s level of trust, as well as his/her level of satisfaction. In our current sales landscape where a mere 3% of buyers trust reps—the only professions with less credibility include car sales, politics, and lobbying— seller trust is in short supply and high demand.

Empathy is especially valuable in the sales process because it encourages information sharing. Research has found that, according to buyers, the number one way for salespeople to create a positive sales experience is to listen to their needs. When we’re armed with so much information and data and a slew of AI and machine learning solutions, it’s easy to assume we know everything about the buyer. It’s important to first step inside the shoes of your customers and listen to what really matters to them and what is top-of-mind.

2. Define

The objective of the define stage is to craft a problem statement or, in design thinking speak, a point of view. So often salespeople define the problem before developing an empathetic understanding of a buyer’s needs. The result is solution selling. Solution selling has long past its expiration date. At least 50% of sales reps’ prospects are not good fits for their offering. Only by defining the buyer’s problem can salespeople determine whether there is a lucrative fit.

The define stage involves asking a lot of questions. Perhaps contrary to popular belief, this focus on questioning does not impair sales conversation, but rather enhances it. According to one analysis of 519,000 discovery calls, there’s a clear relationship between the number of questions a sales rep asks a buyer and his/her likelihood of success.

3. Ideate

The ideate stage unlocks the true potential of design thinking, especially in the context of sales. This is when the focus shifts from problem identification to solution generation. And it’s all about quantity—about generating a wide range of possible solutions, not necessarily the final solution. It involves thinking beyond the obvious and necessarily entails significant creativity. How can I craft an offering that is uniquely suited to my buyer?

While often pushed under the carpet in sales, creativity is essential to sales and a key predictor of success. Research from the Aston Business School, a highly-regarded business school in Europe, revealed that sales professionals who were more creative generated higher sales than their less creative counterparts. Another study by Adobe found that companies that foster creativity are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers in terms of revenue growth.

When crafting solutions to customers’ problems, sales reps must dig deep for their creative juices. How can you craft a sales pitch that strikes a strong emotional chord with the customer? Which decision makers, in and beyond the C-Suite, should you involve? If the customer sells a free or inexpensive product or service, take it for a test run. Read through customer community forums and reviews. Don’t let up in terms of stepping inside the shoes of your customer. Only by embracing these type of activities can ideation by optimized. Being in a coworking and shared office environment will get you connected to many different types of sales reps, many who could share their insights on how creativity can boost revenue.

4. Prototype

The fourth stage of the design thinking process is prototyping—developing more fleshed-out and scaled solutions. Prototyping shouldn’t be done in a black box—otherwise you are sure to lose momentum. Prototyping is an opportunity to have a more directed conversation with your customer after the discovery calls. The most effective sales reps will involve champions and other affiliates from the customer’s organization in the prototyping process and vet ideas with them. Involving tangential stakeholders in the solution process goes a long way in terms of making them feel valued and invested in the final solution.

5. Test

The final stage of the design thinking process is to test the final offering. This necessarily involves unveiling the fully fleshed-out pitch to all key stakeholders. During the test phase, salespeople need to be strategic and see themselves on the same team as the customer. They should use collaborative words and phrases—words like “we” and “together”. The “you versus us” mentality is dangerous. Not surprisingly, research has revealed that top-performing salespeople are up to 10 times likelier to use collaborative words and phrases, as compared to their low-performing counterparts.

Forrester predicts that one million US B2B sales reps will be out of a job by 2020. Salespeople can no longer afford to rely on so-called tried and true approaches. Nearly six in 10 salespeople say that when they figure out what works for them, they don’t change it. In a world where each customer yearns personalized selling wants, this mindset is problematic. Design thinking—which is especially well suited for solving ambiguously defined problems—is key to establishing a genuine connection with customers and engaging them throughout the sales process. It’s key to sales success.

Credit:
Post Author: Falon Fatemi
Website: www.forbes.com

75% of employees believe wellness programs have a positive impact on their productivity and performance.

• Wellness has moved to the center of discussions around the future of work
• It helps operators create a unique workplace experience and differentiate their offering
• In 2019 we expect to see greater emphasis on health and wellbeing at work, along with increased data usage to better understand and adapt to occupiers’ needs

Wellness has weaved itself into the center of workplace-related discussions. A survey from 2017 found that 78% of employees believed a company’s wellness program had a positive impact on their health. Additionally, 75% of them believed wellness programs had a positive impact on productivity and performance.

A research conducted by Optum earlier this year found that companies are now offering more wellness programs to promote productivity, improve moral, and aid in recruiting and retaining workers.

This year, Allwork.Space predicted that wellness would be a key workplace trend as more companies would adopt and implement wellness programs. We were right, and next year will be no different. As more companies seek to offer a unique workplace experience, many are using wellness as a way to stand out and ensure people feel their best.

What’s in Store for Wellness in 2019

• Wellness goes beyond Physical Health

The definition of wellness and health has gone far beyond physical health and we will begin to see more programs that focus on mental and spiritual wellbeing. While in the past most workplace wellness programs have focused on physical health, such as weight loss and becoming more physically active, we are seeing more companies shifting their focus to total wellbeing. Talk of mental health started to garner strength this year (2018) and it will continue on an upwards trend in 2019. Next year, you can expect to see an increase in the number of companies that adopt wellness programs that focus on mental, emotional, financial, intellectual, social, and spiritual wellness. These might take the form of meditation rooms, napping pods, stress management, going sans alcohol in events, hosting workshops, etc.

• Wellness and Data Analytics Meet

Data has come to revolutionize (and maybe even simplify) the lives of people. Data already plays a key role in the workplace; it helps companies enhance their workplace experience by better understanding the way people interact with and use space. Similarly, data can help companies improve and customize their wellness programs; it can help them identify the programs that provide the best results, which programs are underutilized, and it can even help track an individual’s personal health. Using data in wellness programs can also make it easier to track and measure results, especially for programs that seek to improve productivity rates, stress management, prevent burnout, and improve engagement. Data can open a new world of wellness programs that companies hadn’t previously considered.

• The Built Environment Embraces Wellness

Companies are starting to use the built environment as an active tool to address and improve wellness. When designing or repurposing the workplace, companies are increasingly thinking about the materials they use and how much the workplace encourages movement and interactions. The Fitwel Rating and WELL Building Standard are two examples of how the built environment is changing to better cater to people’s wellbeing. The workplace is no longer a place where companies only want to maximize their use of square footage; they are thinking about how the workplace can actually improve a person’s personal and professional lives. Talk of workplace design today centers around air quality, access to water, stairs, temperature, natural light, and lighting.

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Post Author: Cecilia Amador
Website: https://allwork.space

Not sure what virtual coworking entails? Picture an online portal where people work from virtual spaces but can see those in their ‘space.’

It’s no secret that the entrepreneurship landscape is changing: In the United States alone, 24 percent of workers work from home, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 report. And the trend is increasing exponentially. Following — potentially leading — that trend are entrepreneurs, who, more than ever, either work from home or from shared office rental space around the world.

I was in India for three months, for example, and witnessed the opening of three new WeWork locations. Across India, WeWork went from zero location early last year, to a staggering 14 locations, as seen on the company’s website.

And, with internet speeds increasing dramatically year over year, more and more people have access to faster connections, opening up a world of otherwise impossible opportunities. According to Speedtest.net, the world’s internet speeds increased more than 30 percent just in 2017.

These factors have brought me and others to wonder what the near-future of entrepreneurs might look like. Here are some predictions:

From coworking to virtual coworking

I’m a firm believer in coworking spaces, having used them since 2014, starting with Project Spaces in downtown Toronto. But I’m certainly not the only entrepreneur using them. Jeffrey Howard, co-founder of Project Spaces, reported that over the past seven years, he’d seen his locations grow to 18,000 square feet of space across two locations. His company currently has 300 members across 200 companies. Overall, tmore than 1,000 companies call Project Spaces home.

The Living Room, voted the best coworking space in Málaga, in Spain, where I used to work from, had a similar expansion, growing to more than 100 members in less than three years. Then of course, there’s WeWork’s meteoric expansion.

What does this growth tell us entrepreneurs? That the trend is not going away any time soon.

However, I personally believe that in the very near future, we’ll see the rise of virtual coworking spaces. At its most basic, this will mean an online portal where people work from virtual rooms, meaning that members of a given “space” will have their cameras on, and be able to communicate with other members of the room, just as if they were together “for real.”

In fact, this already exists to some degree, and I’ve personally used one of these resources myself:

Complice.co released a feature it calls “rooms.” Anyone can create a room and make it public or private. Using rooms, you can simulate a virtual coworking space. When I couldn’t find a suitable coworking space in Spain, I gave this feature a try, and it worked well enough. I can’t imagine a near-future where entrepreneurs wouldn’t take advantage of that. Or, at the very least, you’d see current coworking spaces expanding to allow members access to the virtual component of their space.

Another alternative for now is My Work Hive. I haven’t tried it myself. But, going beyond simply turning on cameras, and given the increasing popularity of virtual reality, when you have this futuristic technology, I can’t imagine not taking advantage of it and creating complete office-style “worlds,” where you’ll be able to interact on a deeper level of realism. (Of course, I have not yet seen that happen.)

From coliving to purposeful coliving

My second area of interest here is coliving. Coliving has always been with us, mostly in expensive urban cities, but also in poor developing countries.

In New-York City, in Manhattan, the price of a one-bedroom apartment rarely falls below $2,500 per month, according to nyhabitat.com. And, a two-bedroom ranges between $2,800 and $5,000 (and the outer boroughs aren’t much better). Given that, a lot of people opt for coliving with others, mostly with strangers.

We’ve all heard horror stories about a friend’s roommate, or we have stories of our own. For some reason, we don’t give much thought to whom we want to live with, and may end up in a miserable situation. It doesn’t have to be that way.

One of the best experiences of my life was my time coworking and coliving at AngkorHub, in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I was living with like-minded, hard-working, high-achieving individuals. And it was there that I began to understand what is potentially the best lesson of my life:

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

I found that to be so true. It was during my time there that I started achieving more. Much more. I was working hard, but also working smart. And that was only because others around me were doing the same.

In the near future, I can’t imagine entrepreneurs coliving together without there being a unifying purpose between the roommates. I imagine “themed” apartments — different creative-minds living together, high-performers living together., technology enthusiasts living together, etc. The result would go beyond living, and be more about sharing ideas and working together, on the same — or different — projects.

The near future: How near is near?

That’s hard to predict, but the motion has already begun. In this knowledge economy, learning, adapting and being productive are an entrepreneur’s top assets. In the past few years, coworking and coliving have proven to help with that. In fact, 74 percent of coworkers said in a survey that they were more productive.

With today’s internet speeds and accessibility, it won’t take long until virtual coworking happens. It will be more practical and cheaper, making it easier to become more widespread. Entrepreneurs of the near-future will take advantage of these advancements and thrive more than ever before.

So: Is that a future you’re looking forward to?

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Post Author: Danny Forest
Website: entrepreneur.com

Having trouble recruiting in this tight labor market? Your remote workers might be more inclined to work for you if you offer a coworking option.

If you picture “coworking” as a group of tech-startup millennials sitting around on second-hand furniture in a common space, think again. Today’s professional coworking sites attract a diverse array of companies and individuals as members. Most also provide chic environments with such amenities as 24/7 access, custom coffees and teas, honor bars and cafes, high-tech security, private offices, workout facilities, high-end furnishings, social and networking events, learning opportunities and much more.

“Coworking” is typically defined as membership-based workspaces where diverse groups of freelancers, remote workers, and other independent professionals work together in a shared, communal setting. As these alternative work settings have matured, they’ve begun to attract large enterprise clients who see these spaces as a solution to some of the tough challenges they face.

Thinking of getting in on the ownership or management side of this trend? We can share some of our experiences and the lessons we’ve derived as we’ve grown Gather, our own new network of coworking spaces.

You can recruit from diverse geographic locations

Sometimes, large organizations are unable, or don’t choose to, entice enough workers to work at their corporate-headquarter locations. But this no longer has to be a setback. Motivated by the tight labor market and enabled by technology, organizations are now recruiting talent from outside their (limited) backyards.

Professional coworking provides a home to many of these far-flung teams and individuals.

One reason why this works for remote workers is that they appreciate the more structured work setting which coworking provides. There are also studies that show that certain workers are more productive, happier and more creative in an office environment. These workers want to avoid the social isolation that can accompany working from one’s kitchen table. Finally, coworking provides the types of amenities these employees would find if they worked at a corporate headquarters.

For example, our Gather membership has included employees from Google, Citibank and International Paper, to name just a few.

You can fuel creativity.

Large organizations sometimes find that coworking’s collaborative environment boosts the creativity of its teams. Moving your development, research, marketing, design or other teams from a more bureaucratic corporate environment to a coworking culture can breathe new life into these creative types.

Additionally, collaborating with other coworkers from outside the corporate team can spark new ideas. Whether they’re making a permanent move or seeking an alternative space for meetings, events or an occasional day away, employees often find the change of environment energizing.

Gather often hosts meetings for our local Fortune 500 companies, universities and colleges and other large organizations. We also make a permanent home for creative teams from the likes of PRA, Red Hat and others.

You can provide client companies an easy means for expansion.

Larger organizations looking to expand into a new market often use coworking to assist in that leap. These large firms will make a temporary headquarters using coworking and focus on growth, leaving the minutiae of setting up an office to the coworking company.

Coworking also gives these rapidly expanding organizations the flexibility to take more space, as needed, until they reach a point where finding offices outside of coworking makes sense. These geographic moves often start with one person, then quickly grow into teams of five, ten or more.

Professional coworking can normally accommodate teams ranging from 1 to 20 or more. These types of members at our coworking locations include Hickok Cole, an architecture firm from Washington, D.C.; Diversant, an IT staffing company from New Jersey; and Accuvein, a medical technology company, from New York.

You can help companies be more cost-effective.

While, on average, coworking’s cost per square foot exceeds that of renting traditional office space, when you dig, the numbers make sense for many large organizations.

A typical commercial lease length is between three and five years. And that can help companies, which tend to have a hard time projecting exactly how much space they will need in the coming months or years.

Consequently, they’ll often take more space (at least initially) than is necessary. Coworking organizations can be more flexible. Membership agreements at most professional coworking organizations range in length between 30 days and one year. This gives corporate clients the flexibility they need to scale up or down, paying only for the space they need that month.

If employees are more productive, happier and retain longer in coworking environments, then the potential savings in hiring costs and the benefits of increased productivity add to the case for coworking. This is why we concur with one of our local economic development directors, Garret Hart, who recently said, in an address to our local business community, “Coworking is the way work is going.”

We concur even more with Bernice Boucher, managing director of workplace strategy at JLL. She said: “With a growing number of companies becoming curious about shared space, it’s only a matter of time before coworking becomes an integral part of the corporate real estate toolkit.”

For all these reasons, if you run a large organization, perhaps you too should take a hard look at the benefits that teaming up a professional coworking organization as a strategic partner can bring.

Credit:
Post Author: Doug and Polly Whit
Website: entrepreneur.com