LEADERSHIP: MULTI-TASKING THROUGH THE DOWNTURN

Published: 2009-05-11   please add a comment below

Hands up anyone who wants to be a business leader today!  No-one?  I'm not surprised.  If you run a big organisation (particularly in financial services), you're clearly a crook.  If it's a small business, the banks won't roll your loans.  And in between, you're still a dirty capitalist; and, surrounded by staff fearful for their jobs; and, with customers who've probably already opened the window and jumped.  So, what's your leadership strategy going to be?

As a CEO in better times, you could schedule things: focus this month on getting the vision clear; next month work with your team converting this into a plan.  And, so on.  Obviously, other things didn't stand still - and there was lots of parallel working.  However, topics had their season.  And, there was time for thinking; and time for doing.

Not today.  Now, you have to make six-part harmony day in, day out.  Let's take a look at six key dimensions across which you'll need to address the concerns of your people: those you need to support the business and follow you, as their leader.

• Where the hell are we going?  With declining sales, narrowing margins and so on, what are our new six-month goals?  What's our plan?  The old one's clearly caput.
• Do you really believe we can do what's needed?  The targets may be lower but we have 30% fewer staff and little resourcing.  These days, work's not much fun frankly.
• What sort of culture are we going to have?  You say we must "want to win" and have to "be accountable".  Well, that all very nice, but we're shredded.
• What are the new output requirements?  How are we going to maintain profits and also excel on technical delivery for customers, as we have in the past?
• Who's going to be doing what?  With all the changes and lay-offs, no-one's sure what their responsibilities are; or, who they report to.
• What happens when the business suffers further setbacks?  Who in hell knows where the industry's going, let alone us?  And, how will we change the business model?

Not bad questions.  And, as their leader, you're the one, who has to answer them - or work with your team to do so.  No answers, then no focus, no energy, no morale and no business.

Going forward, you'll be working across all these dimensions at once: cutting costs, meeting customers, negotiating with banks, encouraging staff, setting goals, trialling new ideas.  It's a big ask.  And, a steep learning-curve for those who've enjoyed a structured, serial way of working - more common in larger companies.  In these times, smaller more nimble and adaptive businesses have a chance to get ahead.  But, the buck still stops with you.

So how do you make harmony across the six dimensions?  Define your immediate priorities and make a plan.  Take charge and drive it forward.  And, keep updating the plan as you progress and conditions change.  That way you'll avoid being a cowboy toting a six-gun, who tries to fire all the bullets at once, which means five didn't go down the barrel!  "Blazing Saddles" instead of "High Noon".

Dr. Timothy Pascoe AM
PhD (Cambridge), MBA (Harvard), BE & BEc (Adelaide)
Creator, V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership^®