“Tough times never last, but tough people do.”– Robert H Schuller.
Every time the world experienced a crisis be it financial (like recessions) or world events (like natural calamities, wars etc) people have shown extreme resilience in the face of adversity and have come together to rebuild their lives and help each other. At the helm of this resilience, we have always found strong leaders guiding and encouraging their people through these difficult times. These leaders understood the uncertainty and fear prevalent among their people and addressed these fears by providing the right information at regular intervals, while being honest the leaders also conveyed the message that they were going to overcome the crisis together. This encouraged the people to rally around their leaders and work together to overcome the challenges.
These global crises have also had a major impact on the business world at large and impacted growth, jobs, profits etc. As an integral part of the business community, it is essential than you are prepared for any current or future world crisis that will impact your organisation. Your employees will be looking at you during such times of adversity as a source of reassurance and information, so let us look at a few guidelines on how you can lead by example. Your calm demeanour and your timely and honest communication will go a long way in reassuring your employees and guiding them through times of adversity.
Communication is Key
In times of crisis there will be a climate of uncertainty among people from all walks of life. Your employees will also be worried about numerous issues among which will be the worry about whether the organisation and their jobs will be affected. So it is important that you as a leader keep your employees informed of the progression of events as they unfold. As we saw above the right information at regular intervals is necessary to allay your employees’ fears. Here are a few guidelines you can follow:
- During your regular updates be honest while ensuring you refrain from being too negative. Also avoid painting too rosy a picture. Find the middle ground where you are open and honest in your communication while also empathising with your employees. Your genuine empathy and openness will definitely go a long way in reassuring your employees.
- During your update session set aside some time for questions. Once you have given your updates, encourage your employees to voice their concerns. Having their concerns heard and answered will also reassure your employees.
- When answering these questions, again honesty is important. If you do not have enough information to answer a particular question, let your employees know this (while assuring them that you will make all attempts to find out the facts). Your employees will also not expect you to have all the answers, but will in fact appreciate you more for your honesty.
Calm and Reassuring Demeanour
Always keep in mind that the prevalent crisis was not of your making, but what matters is how you respond to the situation. In addition to being open and empathetic it is also important you are a source of strength for your employees. As we mentioned, don’t be too hard on yourself, you will also be experiencing uncertainty about what the future holds. First reassure yourself and look at measures you can undertake to mitigate the situation and ensure both your organisation and employees are safe. Once you have done this you will feel more confident and this confidence will reflect in your demeanour when addressing your employees. Assure them that you’ll are in it together and will work together as a team to overcome the challenges.
Follow these guidelines in times of crisis and you will see how your employees will rally around you and work with you to overcome all odds. For as the quote rightly says while tough times never last long, tough people certainly do.
