Revenues Declining!
Margins Evaporating!!
Lions and Tigers and Bears – Oh My!!!
Yes, it’s a tough time for many businesses. Many are on the same economic roller coaster as the global economy. An analyst downgrades your company. The stock price fluctuates. Cost-cutting cancels some projects and friends are laid off.
What to do?
Focus. No matter what your job is, you need to show up every day and do it. Block out rumors and negativism. Walk away from hallway discussions about “how bad things are” or “how good things used to be.” It’s not about being oblivious to problems. They’re real. But don’t contribute to making things worse by lowering your productivity or that of your co-workers by losing focus on the important work you have to get done for that day.
Organize. Plan your day. Prioritize your tasks and get at least one really important thing done before lunch each day. Set up your calendar for the remainder of the week, scheduling the high-priority tasks for the morning when your energy is high and the long-term and “easy” stuff for the latter portion of the day.
Communicate. Pay attention to how you communicate. If the risk management slide has been creeping too far forward in your presentations, consider putting the “Accomplished Milestones” page ahead of it again. Nothing wrong with communicating the successful aspects of any project you’re involved with. Examine your wording. A lot can be said (and inferred) with your choice of wording. Compare these two statements:
“The project faces continuing schedule challenges due to the reduction of resources in the QA department.”
“The project team has adopted peer code review and more frequent walkthroughs to offset the reduction of resources in the QA department.”
Both statements convey the same problem but the second one also demonstrates that the team (under your masterful leadership) has adapted to and is overcoming the QA resource shortage. As a manager, which statement would make you feel better about the person managing that project?
Lead. You don’t need to be a CEO, Vice President or Director to be a leader. You can lead by example by maintaining the quality and timeliness of your work. You can lead by projecting a positive attitude. You can lead by helping others focus on “doing” instead of “blaming.” You can remember to smile when you pass colleagues in the hallway. You can take the team to lunch. Pay for it on your own dime if you have to – let them know that you value their efforts.
Stay Calm. Heed the lesson of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the USAir pilot who landed his powerless Airbus jet in New York’s Hudson River after losing both engines shortly after takeoff. Imagine what it felt like to hold your own life and 154 others in your hands, knowing that only your skill, experience, leadership and staying calm and focused will save the day.
Your job may not involve life and death decisions, but how well you perform on a daily basis in the face of adversity will determine how strongly you are valued by your peers and managers and how likely you are to survive in this uncertain environment.
