To make the most of wildlife in your garden, you need to encourage the good and manage the bad, rather than eliminate it, says Paul Richens, official Worm Guru and owner of Blue Dome Synergies. If you were to completely clear out all those pesky slugs, for example, you would also lose lots of other useful creatures that help keep your garden fertile.

Networks are ecologies of people after all – so how do you encourage the useful dynamics and curb the frustrating ones? Let’s take a look at Capital Growth and the great job they continue to do as ‘network gardeners’. Here are some of the key networks tips and tricks we can take away from their ‘Dig In’ event.  

(1) Plan for serendipity: get the logistics right

Dig In was a seriously well-timed and organised event. Delicious food was available right at the beginning, so that network members old and new had time to meet and mingle before the event kicked off. This is often where people say the ‘magic’ of networks happens – in those serendipitous interactions as you’re spooning hummus onto a plate and chat to someone who might become a future project partner, colleague or volunteer.

But these things don’t just ‘happen’. The Capital Growth team had clearly put a lot of effort into planning out different spaces and times for people to interact ‘organically’ and others  for structured skill-sharing and updates. The result was a great mix of stimulating discussion, listening and reflection time.

(2) Spread out the leadership roles

To get the logistics right, you need someone behind the scenes who is prepared to do all the hard work of drafting newsletters, booking catering, managing mailing lists… Let’s take a moment to appreciate all the ‘network guardians’ out there! But as skilled network leaders, the Capital Growth team were careful to step back when needed. Workshops around wildlife, engaging volunteers and advanced growing were led by expert network members, and London Grows hub leaders had a chance to update us and ask for support with their exciting projects. Just like an ecology of species in a garden, different network members had a chance to contribute their skills and knowledge at various points in the event.

(3) Knit the network tight - but not too tight

As I was queueing for more delicious food, Natalie from Living Under One Sun stopped me: “I recognise your face! Were you at Land for What?” One of the beauties of tight-knit networks is that they create an atmosphere of immediate trust and connection with people who share values and experiences. The challenge is that they run the risk of excluding people or groups who may feel like the boundaries of that network are not ‘permeable’ enough for them to join in. Capital Growth is actively encouraging its members to get new people to participate in their training – just like in any thriving ecosystem, with greater diversity, resilience and new collaborations can emerge.

A big thanks to Capital Growth for hosting a great event and for lots of valuable network insights! Join them for the Big Dig on 22nd April.

Make sure you don’t miss out on our latest network-related events and resources on Unlocking Networks.