Tough Time: Prepare your team

Change is only constant. We keep hearing the same and seen as well. Thanks to Elon Mask action on twitter, it triggered very different change, a long pending decision by many tech and other companies to go big bang on downsizing (or should I say right sizing) impacting large number of employees. Everyone around who are still there, are worried and concerned about what is next? As a Leader, you are looking ways,?about how to keep team continue to be motivated (and not worried) to deliver and let them be prepared for any difficult time ahead. ?

Here are my views on how a leader possibly can prepare team for such tough time.

Preparing members of your team for such tough times will involve several steps, such as:

1.?????Create a sense of purpose: Help team to understand how their work contributes to the company's overall mission and goals. This can help to motivate them and give them a sense of purpose during difficult times. They can focus on what needs to be done rather what has just happened.

2.?????Communicate, communicate, communicate: Keep team members informed about the challenges the company is facing and the actions that are being taken to address them. Rightsizing is just one of them. This helps to build trust and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Ensure you do this openly and honestly and ensure you walk the talk,

3.?????Establish clear roles and responsibility: While this was always a basic part of team management, the significance of this is more than ever. Make sure that there is clear roles and responsibilities for each of the team members and ensure that each one understand what is expected out of them. This can help to reduce confusion and uncertainty during challenging times.

4.?????Encourage flexibility: Encourage team members to be adaptable and open to change including mobility. This can help them to be more resilient when facing challenges and to quickly adjust to new circumstances and mentally ready to embrace the change as it comes.

5.?????Provide training and development opportunities: Another critical area where the focus can be more by most leaders. The idea hear must be to make team future ready and be ready to leave them should there is better opportunity internal or external to the organization. ??Invest in training and development opportunities for team members. This can help them to acquire new skills and knowledge that can be applied during difficult times and be future ready.

6.?????Spread Positivity: Encourage team members to maintain a positive attitude and to support one another. It’s the culture which you can build by providing ability to see opportunity in difficult time. This can help to create a sense of unity and can make it easier for team members to work together during tough times.

7.?????Keep providing support: Provide support to team members, whether it be psychological, financial, or other support. This can help them to cope with the challenges they are facing and to feel more secure.

By implementing these steps and focusing on what is under control, leaders can help to prepare team members for tough times ahead and to ensure that they are better prepared to handle challenges as they arise.?