What great leaders do in tough times

Over the past year we’ve been seeing news about company layoffs of 10% or more of their people.

There are various reasons why this is happening but I wanted to comment on what I believe good leadership looks like.

In Jim Collins book, Good to Great, he breaks down the difference between two comparable companies, ones that made the leap to become great and the comparison that didn’t.

“Six of the eleven good-to-great companies recorded zero layoffs from ten years before the breakthrough date all the way through 1998, and four others reported only one or two layoffs.

In contrast, we found layoffs used five times more frequently in the comparison companies than in the good-to-great companies.

Some of the comparison companies had an almost chronic addiction to layoffs and restructurings. It would be a mistake — a tragic mistake, indeed--to think that the way you ignite a transition from good to great is by wantonly swinging the ax on vast numbers of hardworking people. Endless restructuring and mindless hacking were never part of the good-to-great model.”

So what should a good CEO and leadership be doing? To me — focus on what’s vital. Optimize what you’re doing and get all hands on deck.

Internal communication is vital in tough times. Align everyone. Have clear directives and goals. Clear targets. Keep a steady stream of internal communication happening that is clear and transparent and ensure each area, each division and each role is contributing to the motion. Focus on expansion — not contraction.

Hammer sales and push marketing and win new and existing business. Put organizational vision and attention on growth and target attainment.

What’s your vision — values - organizational targets? Does everyone know them? Are there clear targets assigned to them?

It takes so much to find great people – it’s worth investing in them, training them, and committing to a culture of growth through thick and thin.

What do good CEO’s and leadership do in tough times?

1. Bring value
2. Deliver amazing customer service
3. Deliver stellar products
4. Level up your skill and competence
5. Be fast and lean in on speed
6. Work as a team
7. Eye on the mountain and vision and future
8. Innovate, think big and problem solve

How can you:

1. Optimize processes to do them better and faster
2. Cut waste
3. Increase sales
4. Innovate on products, services and strategies
5. Deliver a superior customer experience
6. Train the team to weather the storm
7. Tightly coordinate with leadership at all levels to ensure they are aligned with the vision, values and org targets and are executing

— Robert

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About Robert Cornish:?Robert Cornish founded?Richter ?in early 2008 to build an agency focused on communication strategies that support sales growth for business to business technology-related companies. Bootstrapped with zero capital in the middle of the financial meltdown, Richter went on to make the Inc 5000 list comprised of the fastest-growing companies in America five times.?Richter made the Silicon Valley Fast 50 four times and the Entrepreneur360 award two times.?Robert has been featured in Bloomberg Businessweek, Selling Power Magazine, Inc Magazine and IDEA magazine. He's been a guest speaker for ACG Los Angeles, IASA Summit, West Point and been interviewed for 33Voices,?EnTRUEpreneurship Podcast ?and?IDEA Magazine by Northwood University .?In 2012 Wiley & Sons published his book,?What Works , about the lessons he's learned while growing his agency from start-up navigating his way to a multi-million dollar agency. Robert currently owns five companies.

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