From the Ask Tom mailbag:
Question:
I’m from China and manager of our sales department. The global financial crisis is hitting everyone in the world and China is not an exception. Among my staff, some people fear being laid off with little enthusiasm to work while others are even more negative about the future.
My question is how we can motivate people and how to relieve them from their worries, and rebuild hope for the future, though no one can predict what will happen.
Response:
The value most often cited for effective leadership is honesty. We seek leaders with integrity. These should be your guiding lights.
Unfortunately, you may not know what the honest answer is, so your response may sound hollow. When, in fact, you may not know what the future holds for your team or for your company.
What do we know? We know that this economic crisis will pass and that the world will get along. Life, goes on. In this case, not quickly. My advisors (Ecotrends.org) tell us not to look for relief until the summer of 2010, and even then, we may only see the first signs of spring.
That means things are going to be tough and uncertain.
In all of this however, there will still be opportunity. And that opportunity will only come to those organizations that are aggressive in finding and capitalizing on those opportunities. Even if the world’s economy is reduced by 40 percent, there is still 60 percent left. The question, for your team, is which group they want to be in, the 40 percent or the 60 percent. It is really a choice.
Having lived through several deep recessions in the U.S. I found that there are still rewards to be obtained even when you have to redefine your traditional concept of productivity:
Spend your free time wisely. Focus on EDUCATION–learn a useful skill; learn a new language; read things that you previously ignored; reach higher than you thought possible when you were busy with the work that has now fallen by the wayside. Be PATIENT. Think long term. This situation did not happen suddenly and it will not be cured suddenly. Focus your energies on WELLNESS. Depression and anxiety sicken and kill. Adopt a new regimen of exercise, fitness and healthy food. Grow your own; you have the time. Focus on SPIRITUAL enrichment. Spend time being involved with and reaching out to those whose lot in life is worse than yours. All the things that abundant work denied you, due to too busy a schedule, will now be possible. REINVENT YOURSELF so that when global circumstances improve you will be ready to prosper.