Talent in a Time of Crisis

We have been or are in a time of crisis and depending on your industry this is a different experience. One this is for sure there is instability in crisis and below I have put down some ideas about managing your teams during crisis.

Accept and Respond

Ok first things first. Don't ignore it. You need to say you know what's happening and how you as a person and as a team can best respond. This will mean having at least the skeleton of a plan based on what things are necessary and essential to do, how you will change the way you do them and who is going to be doing what. Add certainty.

Be Transparent

Your business might not be in great shape but the team might think it's on the brink of collapse. It helps to tell the team the headlines of business position the financial outcomes needed and how that ties into the plans to stabilise and recover. The more you do this the more trust you build and this forms the basis for a stealth team knowing their efforts are critical to success. Add Trust in you.

Try to Win (not survive)

Many things you have to do to just to survive are not very motivating. Try to think of the have to do's in different ways - for example you might have to call customers to chase invoice payment, but if you do that with a mind to increasing your understanding of their business with a mind to developing future projects it's forward looking.

Try to position every activity in the crisis as a foundation for a good peace time practise too. If you stop doing things in crisis and the business is not harmed that's great to - make it clear to the team that crisis is the best time to get rid of old and inefficient processes and to blueprint the future. They are part of the business design of a successful future. Build for tomorrow.

Change Your Expectations

You have to support yourself and your team. Clearly communicate how your will change your modus operandi and tell the team how their performance will be assessed and that you are flexible in how everyone meets their objectives.

Its critical to let everyone know that you understand that life is tough but also that they have a job and you expect them to do it. This is hugely important as everyone needs to know they are adding value especially in a time of crisis. Work obligations add certainty - just make sure you are flexible on the how (not on the what). You trust them.

Stay Connected

While everything is going crazy try to maintain critical comms. Use the phone, use messenger, open up your life a bit more to be available and be aware that teams have a tendency to support each other but sometimes need s bit of motivation. I have seen some great bonding done around weekly food deliveries, online zoom-ercising and just end of week chats. We are natural communicators so support it don;t force it. Be available.

Cuts Are Painful (Uncertainty is Stressful)

If you know that there is no way to avoid reducing resources, cutting salaries or even letting people go just be honest and be quick. If you have done everything above your team members understand and you have done everything possible but in order to increase the chances of success these changes have to be made. These are truly horrible conversations to have and decisions to make but when done honestly and clearly with a view to the future of the business they will be understood in time. Be honest.

Everyone has a Future - Support It.

Finally whether people leave to secure a more certain future elsewhere or you had to let them go for business survival make 100% sure that the only things you say, do, write or reference are positive. It is your job as a future manager, current manager and past manager to find, motivate, develop and support your team. You can sometimes do this even better after they leave. Be there.

Hope this helps! https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/jamesient/