by Leon Noone
http://www.leonnoone.com
©
2009 Your employees are human. In a recession they worry
about their jobs. They're concerned about the future of the business too. And
the doom and gloom merchants don't help. Their negativity can hurt your business.
Take the lead and create positive expectations. - Be Positive.
If
you feel negative about your business, staff will know. They'll notice your body
language, your tone of voice and general demeanour. Keep calm and, as the old
song says, "accentuate the positive".
- Be Honest. Tell
the truth.
Tell your staff exactly how you believe your business could be
affected by the recession. Don't gild the lily. But make sure you point out how
you can limit the effects of the recession on your business and the opportunities
it offers to staff. Ask them how they believe they can help.
-
Set Specific Priorities And Targets.
Tell your staff what you're trying to
achieve and how it will be measured. Include short, medium and long term goals.
Make sure that priorities are crystal clear to staff so they stay very focused.
-
Have A Positive Plan And Share It.
Explain to your people what you propose
to do and why to achieve your targets. Explain how they'll be involved, how it
will affect their jobs and the broad adjustments they'll have to make.
-
Structure Input.
Participation and Co-operation. The important word is "structure".
It's not enough to seek employee help. Take the lead. Put in place systems and
processes that require their input and participation. Show that you value their
inputs. Look for ways to eliminate friction, real or imagined, between different
areas of your business.
- Have Staff "Own" Changes.
Structuring
participation and co-operation is just the start. To survive a recession, staff
need to feel that they own what they're doing to help the business survive short
term and prevail long term. Offer rewards to staff who are successful And make
sure their successes are publicly acknowledged.
- Review And Reveal.
Establish a regular review schedule to check the success of your combined
efforts. Ensure your staff know what it says. Be open. Set up some way of publicly
monitoring progress. Institute a ?warning system? so staff can inform you of potential
problems. Be prepared to change if you're failing to progress adequately.
Conclusion.
Firm and decisive leadership is essential in a recession. Only you can provide
it. But only your staff can create real benefits from such leadership. The positive
expectations you create will help that to occur.
Credit:
About the Author: If you've enjoyed
this article, you might like to read my FREE, 42 page Special Report, "5
Proven Methods For Improving Employee Performance On The Job". It's yours
to keep. You'll also get a free bonus eBook about setting Performance Standards
for employees. Just go to http://www.leonnoone.com
and they're yours. I work with small-medium business managers to improve on job
staff performance without using training.
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