Four Tips to Motivate Employees When You’re Facing Adversity
Effective bosses have antennas to alert them over looming challenges. If they don’t have such an antenna, it’s important for them to develop one for multiple credibility reasons.
Even the bosses of small companies can suffer from image problems externally and internally. Either one or both will adversely affect profits. An inordinate number of in internal financial challenges impeding the control of costs often indicate the need to implement a cultural change for profits.
In the minds of employees and sometimes customers, bosses lacking an image of leadership become synonymous with the problems. That’s true whether it’s a matter of performance, productivity, bad PR, costs, turnover or an uncomfortable break-even point.
Every company and adversity is different, but for most situations here are the basics:
Be mindful of red flags. To be effective, it’s important to maintain an image of leadership by being alert to red flags. Hone your instincts. Don’t act like a novice manager doomed to failure.
Look first at your internal situation. Are you partnering with your employees for high performance? If not, power your brand with employee empowerment.
Use three time-proven, simple strategies to deal with the big picture. For emerging challenges, take the right approach by putting into practice problem-solving’s three As: Awareness, acceptance and action.
A sharp, honest eye at the situation is required. Acceptance means keeping an open mind and considering solutions. Then, taking action is having the audacity to take charge and implement them to alleviate uncertainty in business.
Employees who are fearful about their jobs will love it.
Elevate Communication with Employees. Start a program of employee engagement.
Don’t rely on e-mail, especially if serious problems break out. Take responsibility in tough communications. Do it personally.
Don’t delegate important communications. Employees will want to know that you’re on the firing lines.
Be transparent. Demonstrate how you feel about coping with adversity. Your employees will appreciate it.
Here are strategies for productive meetings to improve your company’s performance.
Employees will also appreciate knowing the company has a viable plan to deal with the adversity.
Document everything for your paper trail. If you really want to be good, learn the 10 key differences between leaders and managers.
Profit from Adverse Situations. Not only do you want to overcome adversity, you and your employees need to take steps to learn from it.
Consider adversity to be an opportunity – for growth. You can and will bounce back from adversity, if you accelerate positive change.
First decide whether you want to be the obstacle or solution.
From the Coach’s Corner, if marketing is a question mark, consider:
- 10 Best Marketing Tips for Growth on a Tight Budget
- Tips To Get Top Results From Your Marketing Plan
“Adversity is a stimulus.”
-James Broughton
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
Business Problem Solving Often Means Compartmentalizing
When a businessperson has challenges, it can be overwhelming. If you chat with some businesspeople, they believe they have challenges that no one else has. Because they haven’t experienced the new challenges before or haven’t heard about the problems elsewhere in their industry.
But that doesn’t mean the problems are terminally unique to the person’s industry or business.
If it’s any consolation, no matter what the problem, it’s nothing new. Not to oversimplify, but somebody, somewhere has experienced the same dilemmas. That’s why there are business processes and problem-solving approaches. So part of the solution is to compartmentalize the problems.
Compartmentalizing is a simple process for a businessperson with multiple headaches. A compartment for a problem might be in personnel issues, poor sales or product complaints. So break complex problems down into manageable situations or compartments. In order of priority, tackle issues — first things first.
It’s best to start in the first hour of a business day. On the left side of a page, write the problem. On the right side, write the aspects of the problem – including the contributing factors – starting with the major points down to the minor.
What problems do you have?
Compartmentalizing helps in these typical challenges:
Culture issues. In unhealthy companies, it’s possible to read the room – see the problems – usually without even seeing the books to understand the problems and anticipate the appropriate solutions. If a company is lacking in teamwork, morale is poor and profits are weak, chances are a culture change is needed. Changing a culture is a monumental chore. Six steps are required to implement a cultural change for profits.
Financials. Of course, it is important to get to the financials. That includes having a grasp on the costs or knowing how to determine the crucial break-even point. Or, the problems lie either in pricing or in an undiscovered embezzlement.
Human resources. Other internal challenges affecting the control of costs involve personnel and operations. The problems can be widespread – from a lack of employee empowerment to a lack of employee respect for leadership. Others include the link between financial performance and succession planning, and risk management.
Manufacturing. It might be a manufacturer isn’t up-to-date on developing trends and solutions for manufacturing success. Many businesses love cutting waste and costs for profits by using lean manufacturing principles, but many global manufacturers aren’t getting lean results, according to a study of why lean manufacturing principles often don’t work.
Innovation. Some businesses fail to change or recognize when offerings reach their end of product life cycle. The solution is to become an innovator.
Marketing. The dangers lie in not understanding marketing plan essentials for best results or the secrets to success in recessions.
Turnaround situations. If problems aren’t solved, a company will face bankruptcy for not implementing a turnaround. For a successful turnaround, new management strategies are vital. Often, 13 steps will suffice for overcoming obstacles. A financial turnaround requires step-by-step solutions.
So don’t get overwhelmed – compartmentalize for profits.
From the Coach’s Corner, here are profit-making marketing and sales tips:
- The Six Secrets of Becoming a Winning Sales Organization
- Profits: How and Why to Align Marketing with Sales
“You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.”
— Edwin Louis Cole
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.