[Note: This article was available free on the blog through December 4, 2009. It has now been abbreviated, and the full version is available to Members of our Library. Learn more about becoming a member here.]
We are living in quieter times.
Seventy-five percent of us know someone who’s been laid off during the Great Recession.
Those company foosball tables that were supposed to attract next-gen
workers? Sold on e’Bay as the office down-sized to accommodate a
smaller staff.
And yet those of us who are still employed are working at a feverish pace. Worker productivity is up
despite a lack of certainty about the future. Leaders and managers are
rightly wondering “How do we boost morale in uncertain times?”
Here are a few ideas to help you pull up your big girl - or big boy - pants, and act the role of a leader. Your employees need you to get on with it, so that they can get on with it, too. (Read: Three Reasons Your Leadership is Needed for the Next Generation.)
1. Be grateful. Your team has contributed thousands of dollars of cost-saving ideas, taken excellent care of current clients, rallied to develop new business, watched many of their colleagues get laid off, withstood salary reductions and furloughs, and have done nearly anything that’s been asked of them to pull together for the good of the organization.* So, pull out a fresh sheet of paper and take a few minutes to jot down all the names of people who’ve done something specific to help your organization weather this economic crap-sandwich. Then, get out your stationary (remember that stuff?) or fire up your email…and thank them. Be specific. Bonus: when you show gratitude for others, your own mood lifts.
* If this doesn’t describe your team, maybe you need to upgrade your leadership and communication skills? (Read: You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Til It’s Gone.)
2. Stop hoping, and start telling the truth. It’s exhausting to live in fantasy’land. If you find yourself using expressions like, “When things get back to normal,” you may think you’re lifting your team’s spirits, but you’re really coming across as a delusional boob. Employees know in their guts that things may not be “normal” for a long, long time so when you say it, they question your instincts. So stop talking about what was, and start dealing with reality. What’s your real cash flow? What’s really happening in the sales department? What are realistic goals for the next quarter? Tell the truth; it’s liberating for everyone, and rebuilds a critical ingredient in your team: Trust. (Read “Building Trust - One Call at a Time .”)
3. Communicate carefully. Your annual meeting and
staff meetings are powerful venues to communicate with employees. Every
verbal and visual cue you send is being watched more carefully than
ever. Here are some ideas to keep in mind before you start talking:
- Plan what you’re going to say. What do you want people to think, feel, and do as a result of your communication? If you want people to THINK they have a good leader, FEEL reassured about the future, and DO their best at work, then you need to say things that will impart those responses. (Read “Five Tools to Help You Build More Engaging Presentations.”)
- Name the emotion. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” was a powerful statement, because it looked the country’s prevailing emotion (fear) square in the eyes, and gave it a name. A leader we know recently talked with his 200+ employees about the road from Fear to Hope. Can you communicate that journey to your team?
- Timeless
wisdom tells us that “Honesty is the best policy” and “It’s wrong to
string people along.” But sometimes as leaders, we forget this
time-tested wisdom. We don’t want to be the bearers of bad news, so we
either sugarcoat it, or “hunker and bunker,” avoiding forums where
we’ll be asked tough questions.
- Talk like a leader. Times like these are not for wimps! So pull up your big girl - or big boy - pants and:
- Respect your employees; treat them like the adults they are.
- Tell the truth. Don’t sugarcoat.
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