Manager's Tool Box- Manage During Tough Times

R. Attri Professional Effectiveness Series, Paper No. 2, Oct 2009

Manager’s Tool-Box: Tips to Manage effectively through tough times Venkatesan Sriman, Raman K. Attri Yes, these are tough times. The darkest downturn in the history - jobs are scarce, morale is low. Yet, there are a few strategies that can help you as a manager to make the most of the downturn and emerge stronger.

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Do not add to the panic. Stay calm; maintain your composure and professionalism. A distraught manager is the last thing a company would want in times like these. A manager who preserves his cool will have a soothing effect on his team and will tremendously increase his stature as a leader. Have a list of backup projects ready: A downturn is usually a period of reduced activity and use these slack times to get those done. Employees might be fearful of losing their jobs and sincerity might come naturally to them, so it is a good idea to make use of the fear factor in a positive manner. Also, keeping your team busy serves another purpose – it prevents them from spending too much time on worrying and spreading rumors. An idle mind is indeed the devil’s workshop. A recession is certainly a time of great uncertainty. However, even in very uncertain times, there will be certain activities that are clearly defined. Focus your team’s efforts on such tasks that are clearly cut out.

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Sternly discourage spreading of rumors. An employee who indulges in rumor and speculation affects productivity in two ways – one, he/she is wasting precious work time and two, rumors can spread and affect the productivity of the entire team. This can be catastrophic for morale. Make it clear that such things are unacceptable. Also, encourage employees to approach you fearlessly for any information. Rumors cannot thrive in a culture of transparency and forthrightness. Develop team-building rituals. Crisis often has a bonding effect on people. Use this bonding power to create a loyal and cohesive team. A team building activity need not necessarily be an expensive outing at a posh resort or five-star hotel. Even a simple thing like having coffee together at the pantry one evening every week can be an excellent team building activity. Don’t discuss work during these informal gatherings. Talk to your team regularly. At this tough time, the team members, especially working under you expect

Copyrights © 2009 V. Sriman / R.K. Attri

R. Attri Professional Effectiveness Series, Paper No. 2, Oct 2009

regular updates and probe more into affairs. Encourage, reassure and motivate. But at the same time, resist the temptation to paint a rosy picture when things are not good. It is a tough balancing act, but has to be done.

world. Humankind has weathered many a storm and life will go on. In the future, talk about “how we faced the tough times together”.

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Help employees to manage their fears and get things in perspective. For example, one of every eight persons dies of cancer. Even if a company lays off 10% of its workforce, the risk is still less than dying of cancer – and a layoff is not fatal.

If you are a HR manager, this is a good time to make an indelible mark. It is a sad fact that, in many companies, a HR management team is actually a HR admin team in disguise. A recession is a wonderful opportunity for a HR management team to actually live up to its name. HR should not shy away from motivating people.

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Maintain transparency about the retrenchment process. In the event that you have to let go of people, do it in a humane, professional and decent manner. Explain the rationale behind the decision to the remaining employees.

In summary, a recession like the current one is a terrific opportunity for a manager to demonstrate value to his/her organization. It is a good idea to visualize a recession as a shake-up that allows the mentally strong to gravitate to the top.

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Document the lessons you learn in a downturn. Encourage your team to document their activities and accomplishments. This can help them to have a sense of fulfillment about their work and this documentation will also help you present your team’s achievements to your higher management. Meticulous documentation of accomplishments and activities is always good, especially in a downturn.

Authors:

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Venkatesan Sriman is training professional with over 4 years of industry experience. Raman Attri is Certified Management Consultant and Training management professional with over 15 years

of

industry

[email protected].

Preserve your own work-life balance and encourage employees to do the same. After all, it is not the end of the Copyrights © 2009 V. Sriman / R.K. Attri

experience.

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