Page 176 - Accelerating out of the Great Recession

A NEW MANAGERIAL MIND-SET

should hold team and one-on-one meetings to encourage
people to talk about what they are feeling (and should lis-
ten with empathy).
2. Set clear expectations. Employees respond more positively
if they have well-defined expectations. Leaders need to
establish the measures of success, both for the short term
and for the future. They need to provide clarity about
what is most important in this environment.
3. Mobilize the extended leadership team. Leaders should not
pilot through the difficult times on their own. They need
to bring in their broader leadership group, which will
provide complementary skills and multiply the personnel
power and brainpower available to tackle critical issues.
There is strength in numbers. Middle managers are fre-
quently the most important leaders in times like these.
They have sometimes been with the company longer
than more senior leaders, and they are typically closer to
the mass of employees. By respecting, trusting, and prop-
erly engaging these managers, leaders can set a positive
example for how managers should treat one another and
cascade the right messages and behaviors throughout the
company.
4. Keep it real. Employees want to know that their leaders
have a heart. People will rarely go the extra mile for
someone who is all logic and no emotion. Leaders should
be prepared to openly share what the new realities mean
for them personally. This requires a willingness—even
the courage—to let their guard down. Tone and delivery
can and will influence how people interpret and internal-
ize events, so it is important to pay attention to both the
content and the context of messages.

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