No More Mr. Nice Guy
(Extract from www. gantthead.com)
Exhibiting leadership skills during lean times is difficult. You are caught up performing additional work because of staff cuts or financial constraints. There’s no time to get your thoughts together to decide what to say, the best way to say it, what to do or the best way to do it. You can’t get ahead of the curve as leaders need to do.
All is not lost, however. The good news is that the global economic downturn will last a long time. Okay, maybe that doesn’t sound like good news, but it does give you ample time to show off special leadership skills that will make a difference in your organization–a difference that should be noticed by those who make the decision to keep you around.
Obtain a Crucial Level of Trust
When the economy is in the tank and news from your industry and company is bad, your workers will be looking to you to see certain behaviors that will tip them off to whether they should trust you during this period. If they do not trust you, they will not put forth their best effort. They will not be committed to the results you support. They will not give that extra energy to complete critical jobs. They will keep alive rumors—like that you are planning to lay off large numbers. Nor will they defend your deadlines and priorities when interacting with other groups and stakeholders.
These problems will have a deleterious effect on your career at a particularly scary point. But there is good news: You can build trust and maintain performance despite budget constraints. The bad news? You have to use the correct tactics to gain and gain and build trust:
Describe the true affects on your company/project. Workers like to know that they are getting the inside scoop. During industry downturns, they depend on you to tell them the truth about the project and their jobs. If you are not forthcoming, you will be labeled as untrustworthy–and by extension, someone who is not worth committing. For example, if you hear there is another organizational cost-cutting initiative, alert your workforce right away. Be the source of this type of information. To do this most effectively, you will have to get a trusted source of information yourself.
Quash rumors. You will not only need to speak the truth, but confidently counter any false or misleading rumors. Become the source of accurate information.
Keep only secrets that are required by your organization. You will have to keep confidential information. This is usually clearly identified when you receive it. For example, you will not be able to pass on planning details for workforce cuts.
Prepare workers for what’s next. As a project manager, you have a very practical role in helping the workforce adjust to the realities of the current workplace. For example, you can clearly describe what is expected as far as changes in scope of work and schedule, communicate the latest priorities and prepare the existing workforce for the type and amount of issues that will arise
Exhibit positive coping skills. Your ability to cope well in the constraint-heavy environment improves your workforce’s ability to cope. Coping well is not a natural skill for everyone, but there are traits that will be noticed by workers and organizational leaders:
- Constructive (if not gleeful) reactions to bad news or changes
- Efficient adaptation to change through rescheduling, collaboration with stakeholders, etc.
- Ability to assist workers through communications and interactions to maintain performance
It’s Good to Be the Bearer of Bad News
It is not easy to be a project manager through a global economic crisis unseen since the Great Depression. If it’s not new announcements of financial surprises, it’s announcements of workforce reductions. And, by the way, who in your organization is helping you cope? Who is motivating you? Who can you trust?
Yet it is possible for you rise above these problems and build the trust you need by paradoxically being the bearer of bad news. If you then walk the walk of coping, you can get the responsive, well-performing workforce you need. And that is what organizational leaders are valuing now.
