Insight & Advice on Hiring, Managing, Cultivating your people to be their best
Ten and twenty years from now some of us will look back on this event as the catalyst for huge life changes - health, family, societal, our life purpose - some discovered, others permanently altered or rapidly accelerated. As business leaders, we can be a positive catalyst for our People - employees, customers, prospective customers, partners, vendors, investors. Some practical tips you might be doing already or worth considering. 1. Show Calm, Empathy, build Resilience In the face of uncertainty and disruption, you don't have to have all the answers. Focus on the known, not the models. The future will reveal itself daily (or hourly as the case may be). Fearful and anxious people want to feel certainty and control. Employees want to know that their job is safe - for a period of time. Many are unaware of their abilities to adapt and be resilient; you can guide them and encourage them to push through their fear.
2. Re-evaluate Anything If you've felt that a system, process, cohort was sub-optimal or broken before, this is the time to scrutinize, reassess and re-tool. Now, more than ever, your people will be very open-minded and less territorial or resistant to big changes. Especially if they understand the logic and know it is necessary for the company/departmental to survive or thrive. From work assignments, to pay plans, to silos, informal orgs, WFH, nearly everyone is willing to wear more hats, rethink, and pitch in to help others. 3. Have Plans As of this writing, the outcome and timing of recovery is unclear. Therefore, the importance of creating multiple plans, or What-If scenarios. You’ll want to evaluate the new health of your market – your clients’ individual industry, prospects, persona, competitors, suppliers, employees. Does this reshaped marketplace really need your product or service? Should you or can you pivot into a new product-market? What will your financial condition allow, and how can it be improved? This is not a static exercise; it will be evolving in real-time and so you want to consider new data as it arrives. Stay laser focused on your micro-economy, rather than the overall economy. We know recoveries are usually spotty, not evenly distributed. 4. Talk, Talk, Talk to Key People Leaders, Customers, Key Staff, Investors, Industry Influencers - are more available and accessible now than ever, (as long as you aren’t bothered by babies, dogs, bedhead and other WFH realities). Customers and prospects will appreciate a collaborative, in-the-foxhole approach. Board members, Industry leaders and others are more open to sharing ideas, identifying opportunities, offering introductions and other tangible support. For us WFH experts and veteran managers of remote teams, your expertise and management tips could be valuable to your peer department heads and customers who are newbies adjusting to their newly decentralized teams. 5. Keep them Busy Most employees still desire the routine and rewards of accomplishing work, almost secondary in some cases to getting paid. Your WFH staff can be highly productive given cloud-enabled apps. The pivots or re-tooling options mentioned above can be delegated right now. Salespeople: can reassess territory plans, clean up their Salesforce, rehearse product presentations (Zoom video competition, anyone?). Marketers can research new markets, enhance and better-segment their ABM systems, redesign messaging and branding to acknowledge The Crisis. Product management can build and catch up on enhancing product. Employees are now extra-motivated to show value to their organization. They know there could be job cuts, and a job market recovery could be delayed. See who rises up, takes initiative and shows exceptional leadership qualities. A McKinsey study shows the value of a Network of Teams approach with specific behaviors and mindsets. Lean on your go-to leaders. Share as much as possible and encourage your teams to do so. Final words Adversity reveals one’s true character, including your own. Let it blossom this spring. This might sound premature, but I’ll say it anyway: For the bold believers, this Crisis or Pause will serve as a gigantic reset button, allowing them to leapfrog competitors, gobble up market share and execute game-changing new strategies, products, services. The World's game board has been reshuffled - stake your claim. The past means nothing. Today it’s all about the future. How many Recession Inventions (i.e. iPod after 9/11) will we be talking about years from now? Most importantly, may your family, those important to you, and our fellow humanity be healthy, strong and safe as possible through this unique time in history. -Mike Perry
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Author: Mike PerrySharing information on finding, hiring, and retaining the people your business needs to succeed. Archives
March 2021
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ProSource Management is a boutique headhunting and talent procurement agency focused in enterprise software, Cybersecurity, SaaS and Big Data Services.
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