In these times when companies are making staff reductions, leaders have to make their employees understand that they are more than an equation on a balance sheet, according to an expert on leadership.
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Consultant Jim Clemmer believes employers can avoid the crippling effects of post-downsizing blues by following three simple steps that encourage communication and engagement.
- Speak from the heart. Highly effective leaders transfer their energy and passion to the people they're trying to mobilize with words that paint exciting pictures, ring true, fire the imagination, or touch the spirit. Like the leader, their words are charged with energy. Employees need to understand that layoffs were a last resort after other strategies failed.
- Be open and honest. Leading successfully in tough times calls for openness, a willingness to outline the difficult situations clearly, as well as an ability to express your own pain. Successful leaders then communicate, communicate and communicate some more. It's almost impossible to tell people too much about what's going on and why.
- Create a powerful team and organizational vision. Employees need to know that the leadership has a vision that provides an overarching "big picture" direction, focus, and passion. This comes well ahead of strategies, budgets, plans, systems, processes, and technological change. This will help to counterbalance the pain, suffering, and helplessness that downsizing and layoffs inevitably bring.
Mr. Clemmer's company, The Clemmer Group, is headquartered in Toronto. To read his articles and watch related videos on this subject go to
