We’re not out of the woods yet….
Resources are stretched….

and a lot people are asking:

How do I get more out of what I’ve got and my team, hit my targets and still keep my job or grow my business?

If you are anybody’s boss, you’ve probably not been a fountain of good news lately and had to deal with redundancies, heavier workloads, budget cuts and an uncertain future.
How on earth are you supposed to get more out of the resources to hand, inspire your team, hit your targets and still keep your job or company going?
Here is some advice from from our experience of working with CEOs and entrepreneurs within companies of all sizes:

1. Stay Focused – To get through any downturn, rather than turning down the ‘intensity’ of planning, Directors and CEOs need to step up the “intensity” with which they manage. For instance, they should shred annual budgets and instead set targets on a quarterly or monthly basis while the economic uncertainty lasts. This will help keep them and their team keenly focused on the ‘right’ things to do.
2. Be Decisive – Even if you have to tell employees that aspects of your plan will not be pretty and will involve staff and budget cuts, it’s essential you let them know your strategy.
3. Be transparent and honest – Even if the plan includes difficult parts, give your team as much information as possible along the way. This will go along way towards preventing disaffected staff from jumping ship early.
4. Err on the side of too much information – When in doubt, over communicate. Rumours can be more damaging than bad news. In the absence of information, people make stuff up. Managers always tend not to want to give specifics, especially about cuts and redundancies. 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. In turn, leaders must remember how important it is to share information when the news starts improving. Once the market starts turning your way, you’ve got to make sure that you spread the good news as soon as possible.
5. Treat employees with respect – When companies hit rough waters and their workers get distracted, managers can find themselves chiding employees and ordering them to stay focused. But just telling people to get back to work is not treating them with respect. Instead, reassure them that you understand their concerns and that you’ll be sharing as much information as possible.
6. Take care of your remaining staff – Often in hard times, leaders and companies can tend to focus only on those that are being made redundant and lose sight of the remaining team members. These team members are the future of the company and leaders need to make sure that they knew how critical their work is and what they should be focusing on in the future.
7. Empathize – The people who work for you want to know that you feel their pain. Tell them you realize how distracted they are by all the bad news going around, what they read in the papers, hear on the news and offer to do whatever you can to help them focus. It’s also important, during hard times, for bosses themselves to show sacrifice. Whether it’s giving up a bonus, taking a pay cut, or relinquishing other privileges, sharing in your employees’ pain helps earn their trust. It’s critically important, if the messenger is to be credible. What not to do: tell employees they should feel good when they have every reason to feel bad. During a trying time you have to let people know you’re still human.
8. Develop a culture of optimism – However, whilst leaders need to be open and honest with their teams it is essential that they also build a sense of optimism in their firm as they look to the future. By optimism, we don’t mean ‘the glass is half full’ kind, but optimism as a strategy – as a way of dealing with difficulties and sensing opportunities. Succesfull leaders look on the brighter side of life and sense opportunities even in the face of adversity. They are resilient, can see the big picture and where they are going, and are able to focus on the possibilities of what can be achieved. Their teams will look to them too in these times for inspiration and guidance.

I hope that you find that list helpful and can start to put it to good use. Send me your comments or thoughts.