This has not been a good year. Numbers aren’t looking good. Weakening demand. Customer churn. Reduction in force. Those who were not affected by layoffs will have a much heavier workload. With the amount of bad news, how does one inspire their workers?
According to staffing, career and crisis communications pros, openness, honesty and empathy are absolutely essential and go a long way.
Beth Banks Cohn, who runs a leadership and executive coaching firm in Manalapan, N.J., says you must be decisive about your company’s business plan and communicate that plan clearly to the staff. That’s especially important when the plan involves major staff and workload shifts.
At a pharmaceutical business where Cohn consulted, management abruptly split the research and development department into two pieces, hoping that would help development of a new drug to keep up with a competitor. But no one sat down with the staff and spelled out the reason for the split. Rather, management barreled ahead without communicating at all, and the two departments were soon duplicating each other’s work. “It wound up we had to undo the split,” Cohn recalls. “You always have to communicate your plan. Even if what you say is, ‘Part of this will be pretty, but part of it is going to be ugly.’”
Another reason for clear communication: “In the absence of information, people make stuff up,” Cohn observes. “Managers always tend not to want to give specifics, especially about downsizing. But information is an important part of getting people to understand and accept what’s happened. As a leader, you have to err on the side of giving more, rather than less, information.”
It is also important, during hard times, for bosses themselves to show sacrifice. Whether it’s giving up a bonus, taking a pay cut, or relinquishing the privilege of first-class travel, sharing in your employees’ pain helps earn their trust. It is critically important, if the messenger is to be credible.
Read the full article here.
Tags: Cost, leadership, management, strategy