The power of peer networks

Networking has informed individual and collective decision-making for centuries - as far back as the times when the citizens of ancient Athens would gather in the agora to discuss politics, culture and economics with influential thinkers such as Socrates and Plato.

It continues to be important today when it comes to exerting influence, sharing ideas and making progress and is essential for all leaders in children's and youth services.

Networking is vital for any leader when it comes to developing new relationships to feed and explore their emerging capabilities. It facilitates strong personal contacts at the same time as providing support mechanisms, valuable insight, intelligence, resources and information.

In my case, the peer network established during my time with the Clore6: Youth programme run by Clore Social Leadership for emerging leaders in the youth sector has provided a safe space to identify and contemplate shared barriers and explore potential innovative solutions.

1: Be strategic to enhance your chances of being part of an effective peer network. By far the biggest benefit of participating in Clore6 was the 20-plus experts I built relationships with over the course of the six-month programme. I chose to take part in a programme specifically for youth sector leaders because I knew I would meet individuals who shared similar goals, challenges, priorities and values. Adopting a tactical approach to networking in this way accelerated the process, and enhanced the prospects of building relationships with people I could support and who could support me. It has also provided the predicted return on investment for me and my organisation.

2: Compassion is key to success when it comes to communication and support. Walking in someone else's shoes and not imposing your perspective on a colleague or peer is something I battle with day in day out. If we are honest, we all do. However, the ability to be compassionate, to take a step back and understand where the other person is coming from is essential to the quality of support you provide and receive through a peer network. It facilitates an environment where ultimately individuals find their own solution to a problem, with the support of the group through thought- provoking, probing questioning. This style is infinitely more effective than imposing your own views on someone else's problem.

3: Nurture relationships to get the most out of peer networks. Generosity is another important attribute to employ in this environment. The best networks I'm involved with create an environment of giving without the expectation of receiving in return. Although this may sound a romantic notion, it is founded in rational thinking.

For the last 12 years, I have been participating in a network made up of chief executives from voluntary youth organisations in the South West. We are all aware of the turbulent environment these organisations currently operate in. However, these seven organisations have successfully navigated choppy waters and seem to be thriving, despite the uncertainty and instability. In my opinion, the mutual support provided through the peer network, which is grounded in trust, compassion and generosity, has strengthened the resilience of each of the individual organisations, as well as that of the network. Their approach has facilitated collaboration, collective wisdom, shared services and a support mechanism beyond that which can be provided by employees and trustees.

4: Collective wisdom is the greatest benefit of a peer network. The power of peer networking is the collective wisdom to solve problems, identify and target opportunities, and to explore how we can provide better outcomes more effectively for the organisations in which we work, and ultimately, for children and young people. The creativity and productivity that can be generated by a high-functioning peer network is more than the sum of its parts. This is often quoted when referencing high-functioning teams such as the 2015/16 Premier League winning Leicester City football squad.

5: Use peer networks to help keep you informed, on the front foot and to achieve specific goals. The ever-changing environment in which we operate as leaders of services for children and young people requires us to keep abreast of many fluctuating priorities. Peer networking benefits both the individual, and the organisation the individual represents, by tapping into a reservoir of collective wisdom, allowing for broader, more innovative thinking. This enhances children's service leaders' ability to inform their own organisation of the shifts in the wider sector, helping them anticipate, navigate and respond to risk and opportunities.

The additional benefit for individual leaders engaged in networking is that they tend to be more successful in their own careers than those who fail to develop external relationships beyond those needed to fulfil their role.

• Clore Social Leadership will run another Clore6: Youth programme in early 2018 www.cloresocialleadership.org.uk
  
  
• Barry Williams is director of strategy at Brook