poseycorp helps innovators become great communicators. (Sometimes by sending out helpful stuff in a newsletter.)
ISSUE 122
Charting a path forward
“It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.”
-- Theodore Roosevelt
Downturns are their own special brand of misery. And a profound communications challenge for every leader.
In the past several weeks there’s been great commentary on who did layoffs well and who didn’t. I’ve also seen so many people on LinkedIn reaching out to support and encourage the thousands of people who have lost their jobs, which is inspiring.
Today, though, I want to focus on the people who still have jobs. People struggling with survival guilt, questioning the company’s direction and their leaders’ judgment. If you are a leader, it is essential that you communicate immediately, transparently, and consistently to the team who will carry your company through the crisis to a new beachhead of stability and growth.
What must you do?
First, hold an All Hands. Apologize for the layoffs, empathize with everyone who lost colleagues, answer every question about your decision with patience and grace.
Then, with clarity and precision, outline the way forward. Explain to every team the vital role they have as part of the redesigned whole. Invite each person to join you in bringing the company’s new vision to life. This must be the call to action to end all calls to action!
Second, repeat, repeat, and repeat some more. Attend all levels of team meetings over the next several weeks. Recognize and thank employees for their contributions, ask for information on how the new direction is going. See and be seen.
Third, recognize your heroes. At each All Hands, shine a klieg light on a team member (or members) who embody your company’s values as their work builds the new vision. There is no better way to reinforce the behavior you want in all employees than to reward it in one. As publicly as possible. Cheer great work in public, on a regular cadence.
The resilient, determined, courageous employees that remain on your smaller team can achieve miracles if they know why they are making the effort, if they know where to focus their energy, and if they are celebrated for doing so.
Happy Holidays everyone! poseycorp’s newsletter will be back on January 10, 2023. Let’s create great things together in
2023!
“You were fantastic, Lisa!” said a surprised and delighted client.
If you’d like great results, schedule a conversation with me! It’s easy! Reach me at inquiries@poseycorp.com.
Your business must scale, and you must scale with it. Great communicators create the change they want to see in the world. poseycorp helps innovators build powerful messages and the skill to deliver them so they can break through the noise and be heard! Lisa Poulson, poseycorp’s principal, is expert at helping innovators scale by becoming great communicators.
Do you wish everyone around you had great communication skills? Share this link with them so they can learn too!
