Shew, when you think you have seen it all!
Maneuvering through the uncertainty of today's business world can be scary, stressful and confusing. So, imagine what your employees are feeling. They are experiencing many of the same emotions, coupled with the fear of losing their job and income. While I am not suggesting there is a perfect or easier way to navigate these issues, I do believe there are two words that can help give you daily direction.
The two words are reassure and reassess.
Each day we must do our best to reassure our employees. I do not believe they expect us to sugar coat the situation. They can handle more than we give them credit for most times, but they do deserve to be talked to honestly and with a calm reassurance. They will have more anxiety if we as leaders show too much anxiety. They will be more unsure if we appear unsure. It is the job of today's leader to reassure our employees that we are doing everything we can to make all of this work. Be honest. Be transparent. And reassure!
Next, we must reassess each day as well. It seems the landscape today changes hourly. A decision we make one minute does not feel proper the next. We cannot expect to successfully steer the ship if we are not constantly reassessing the direction we are heading and how we are approaching the issues.
You are going to get through this! We are going to get through this! However, the way we lead and manage teams has never been more important. Remember, a smooth sea never made a skillful sailor. We will be better and stronger than ever before because of it.
Reassure and reassess! Swagger On friends!
This was written by Derron Steenbergen
The Swagger Institute is a business development company specializing in sales and leadership training, motivational speaking, customer service training and organizational development.