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Principles of being productive in networking activities

(adapted from the experience of members of Russian Association of Psychology Students):

1. Be present in the process, don’t disappear:

Inform! "inform - with any opportunity pass on the information! with any opportunity inform about something new. with any opportunity give feedback. inform me if you got my letter about getting the glue? don't be silent. give feedback, for example "ok, I'll do it in 5 days" - then everyone is happy: me, since "my letter didn't go into the emptiness" and you - since you have a plan of what to do and it is fixed on a paper or a file". this metaphor was later transformed into one of principles of being productive:  
"to answer fully or to inform about receiving the letter, to turn on auto response if you're away"

2. say “thank you!” when a person did something he\she promised instead of being upset when he\she didn’t to it

3. if you’re getting late – inform other participants of the process as soon as you understood that you’re getting late (it applies both to the meetings or something that one promised to do for the project or some kind of a deadline)

4. once you announced that you’re doing something – keep your promise and complete the task or find someone who will be able to do it instead

Principles of building a live process in a project

(adapted from the experience of members of a group “Beyond Professional Education”)

Main principle: “A manager is one who reduces the uncertainty”

1. “Don’t blow out an impulse”

Whatever comes to your mind or heart – don’t “blow out”, share it with other people. Become clear, transparent for your own thoughts, feelings, actions. Become more courageous, and self-directed. A correct action is a clear action.

2. A speeded conduction of information without deformation

If something happened – tell it to everyone, if there’s something you want to do – tell what, if someone asked to pass on something – pass it “as is”, exactly to the last comma; if someone asked to do something – find out all the details and do exactly what was needed.

There must be a continuous flow of information – everyone should know who and what is doing. If you feel that you lack some information – immediately say “I don’t have enough information because of that and that…” If you need help – ask for it immediately. If something bothers – share it immediately. Any living process is such because someone will say: “that’s enough of talking, let’s do all of it now!” J

3. Complete loyalty or principle of “not thinking bad”

“If we decided to work together, then we don’t doubt each other, even in the thoughts. I promise we will have lots of opportunities for disappointment in each other – there will be a thousand of situations when expectations and an image about his \ her personal or professional qualities will not correspond to his \ her real capabilities. It is normal and it is not important.

The only key to make this project (any project) successful – is the atmosphere of trust within the team. What is the difference who can do what or can’t do it, if the people already made a decision about the joint work? The only thing that should be important – is the movement forward. We are going somewhere where not many people went before us and we will run against novel, not-known and difficult - in other words, we will make masses of mistakes. To go through these masses and find a good road is possible only in the atmosphere of total loyalty to each other. Mistakes in such a process is a norm. if you see that your expertise in something is deeper – great, tell others, show it, teach others. The team will become stronger, and we’ll go further.”

4. “We don’t have someone else’s tasks”

The complete responsibility of each participant for the whole process, or principle we don’t have someone else’s tasks”. If you meet an evident mishmash or just something strange, don’t wave it away, try to disentangle it, put in order and do it is ASAP, or put in TODO list. To everything have an attitude like it is yours. If you see someone is sad, low-spirited, lost, tense – come over and propose to deal with it together. Don’t wait for a request or question – it is very easy to get lost in something that even the thought of asking for help will not come. Don’t be a “miser”, get involved in “someone else’s” task – we don’t have someone else’s tasks.

5. Do not create uncertainty

“From your emails I understood only that you at least get my emails, but what’s next? I waited for clearness in solving one question, a small little question, nothing really serious actually. For example, the money will come on… or I’ll contact you on Wednesday and will let you know what’s happening; the client hasn’t paid, so this amount will be our debt to you… The mistake is when I don’t get the information I don’t pass anything both to you and other people. For example you didn’t get the financial information – there is none. But this itself is information already – send it further. Give it a necessary form and pass it. With this you pass on the clearness, the certainty. With this you strengthen the clearness and certainty around you, your own processes. And the decision about working with you next time I’ll be making based on this, of course the precision in task description, terms of its realization and the money I earn – all of it good, but as you can see, no the most important!”