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Discover
the genius within your organization: the benefits of
personality assessment tools - Community
Oncology, Vol. 1 Number 3 (September/October 2004) -
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The recent downturn in the economy
has announced that the “fasten your seatbelts”
sign is now turned on. Shivers of fear resonate through
our businesses and our communities. While prophets of
doom suggest that we had better foam the runway in preparation
for a crash landing, visionary leaders see the strategic
advantages that exist when chaos disarms the competition.
Is it possible for leaders to inspire their employees
to “feats of greatness” during times of upheaval
and uncertainty? Absolutely!
Great leaders know that the most
important ingredient in a successful enterprise or endeavor
is its human capital. The philosopher Goethe wisely
noted: “Treat your people as if they were what
they ought to be, and you help them to become what they
are capable of being.” That means treating each
individual as a valued contributor to your success.
While this may sound simple, it’s not easy. Yet
by applying four basic principles, every leader will
rise to greatness and inspire others to new heights
of achievement and contribution.
Four practices shared by successful
leaders are: Communication, Compassion, Planning and
Positive Intent.
Communication:
As any organization faces uncertainty
and change, effective communication becomes essential.
If leaders do not communicate clearly and openly, that
vacuum will be filled. The question then becomes, do
you want your people listening to the leadership team
or reacting to the misinformation that is distributed
at the water cooler?
The simplest way to create a process
for effective communication is to set a specific time
and method for interaction every week. This can be a
10-minute staff meeting, an email to all employees,
or a posted update on a central bulletin board. The
secret to success in this area is consistency and clarity.
Communication must occur even if the message is “no
news this week”.
Weekly team meetings should be organized
by each department or business unit. Every team must
be assigned a mentor from the leadership team, who attends
these sessions. For example, at an Avery Dennison plant
that I once managed, we experienced threats of violence
when plant downsizing plans and potential closure were
rumored. Therefore, our first priority was help employees
shift their focus from fear of the future to achieving
the best they could in the present. Each week we reviewed
the prior week’s goals and objectives, discussing
any barriers to success and inviting suggestions for
improvement. The mentor prepared an update on the status
of the plant so that everyone received the same information
at every meeting.
The results were almost miraculous.
Once the employees knew that they would be included
in the communication and problem solving process, their
energy could be refocused on doing their job. Additionally,
their self-esteem was raised because they felt valued.
This actually contributed to greater productivity and
cooperation during the transition.
Compassion:
Some managers may think that compassion is not a valuable
commodity in business. However, when facing unpredictable,
often chaotic change, it is compassion that unites people
as human beings. If employees know that the leadership
team feels the same pain that they do, it will be much
easier to re-focus on business objectives.
One way we facilitated compassionate
communication was through a brief weekly employee newsletter.
This became a vehicle for communication, as well as
a way to identify our similarities vs. our differences.
For example, each issue would publish key measures for
safety, service, productivity, and quality. We also
focused on one group of people within the organization.
Our goal was to profile a team. We shared personal information
about our families, hobbies and outside activities.
This provided a platform for more intimate connection
and removed the barriers to open communication. First
and foremost, it made us all aware of our common bond
– our humanity.
It is also important to help people
recognize and identify the marketable new job skills
they have gained while employed by the company. At Avery
Dennison, we focused on the many transferable job skills
and knowledge that had been gained by each employee.
Many had acquired their GED, which made them more marketable.
Other skills that were acquired included plant safety
certification, ergonomics training, along with many
valuable suggestions from employees, which helped improve
efficiency and operations. By acknowledging the contributions
and competencies of each worker, they could take pride
in their achievements and recognize their value to a
future employer.
Planning:
An essential part of the process
is planning. Change is inevitable. Planning for change
can give your team a substantial competitive advantage.
Anticipate how your workforce can be encouraged and
supported while the changes are occurring. When Avery
Dennison needed to tighten security on its premises,
it was a response to a request from an employee who
had received death threats. Our increased security measures
were seen as a humane and responsible way to ensure
the safety of all of our workers and our environment.
The psychological well being of employees
as people must also be considered. As conditions became
more stressful, we began having a counselor attend the
weekly team meetings to provide professional support
and guidance. This gave people permission to admit that
it was acceptable to be feeling frightened, angry and
alone. We also provided time for employees to have private
sessions with the counselor. The management team took
advantage of this opportunity as well, demonstrating
that they, too, needed emotional support.
Positive
Intent: Finally, the concept of positive intent
rounds out the recipe for success. By expecting the
best from your employees, you will find that they will
feel that respect and will rise to the occasion with
you. An atmosphere of trust is built through the clearly
demonstrated positive intent of the leadership team.
It creates an emotionally safe environment that allows
people to navigate smoothly through uncertainty and
turbulence.
Mastering change means shifting our
focus from problems to opportunities. By embracing and
deploying the four principles outlined above, any organization
can develop the resilience to thrive during times of
crisis and change. While change is often seen as something
from the outside, effective leadership recognizes that
real change is an inside job. Effective leaders and
teams continually flow and grow. In the words of Aldus
Huxley: “Experience is not what happens to a man;
it is what a man does with what happens to him.”
Start by changing yourself, then go out and change the
world. You can do it!
© June,
2003 Tina Carey and Associates, Inc.
To request
permission to reprint contact: Annemarie Osborne, 949-786-8327
Previous Articles:
Turbulence.
Uncertainty, Chaos:
How Visionary Leaders Inspire Others to Discover New
Possibilities
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