Meeting and networking with new people can be a great benefit to business professionals at nearly any stage in a career and in any industry. But it’s also important when you’re a business leader. Did you know that a strong business network has been linked to a host of benefits, such as better company performance, higher firm value, greater innovation and even more favorable financing terms? It’s true.

Are you effectively growing and leveraging your business network? Here are five great ways to use networking as a business and career development tool:

We all want to be more efficient, right? Yet research shows that many business leaders are going about it the wrong way. Here are some ways that research suggests can help us be more efficient at the office.

Focus on one thing at a time. You may think that multitasking will make you more productive, but it rarely does. The research is clear: Our brains simply weren’t designed for effectively doing more than one task at a time. Focusing on one task — giving it your full attention — can produce better results than trying to get more than one thing done at a time. It’s important to give your employees your full attention when you meet with them. It signals that they are important to you and that what they have to say is important to you. both of which can results in more productive and loyal employees.

A quick Google search will confirm what you probably already know: When it comes to finding ways to make a workplace more environmentally friendly, there are more ideas than any one company could possibly implement in a week, or even a month.

In other words, greening the workplace is a marathon, not a sprint.

Starting today, we’re going to use this blog space to periodically zero in on a few ideas at a time. Today’s installment focuses on three S’s: stationery, screensavers and suits. Disparate elements, yes, but with two things in common: better environmental practice and savings.