All of us are feeling the stresses of hard economic times. Our people wonder when we plan to furlough them, lay them off or cut their hours. Our vendors are concerned that we can pay their bills. Our families are concerned that our jobs, and their livelihood, may be on the chopping block.
This is no time to be wimpy. True leadership is a lifeboat in stormy seas. This year we had to let go three full-time employees and cut our freelancers pay. That's no fun.
Our daily competitor just cut another 12 jobs in his newsroom. His paper is growing thinner than ours. His detractors are, of course, delighted.
I can't join their glee. I know him and this is not something I would wish on anyone.
We must maintain an optimistic attitude. We also must be realistic and candid with our team.
When a new publisher brought me to the Philadelphia Bulletin, he told me a horror story. The former owners were in deep financial trouble but they lied to their staff. They told them time and again that the paper was doing well when it wasn't. The new publisher, Buddy Hayden, practiced an open book management. There were some months it hurt him to post the numbers but he did. He was optimistic that we would prevail. The truth is, we lasted another year.
But by being honest, he earned the trust of people who had been badly shaken by management lies. Why is trust and confidence in us as leaders so vital in times like this?
Listen to what my friend Tom Stevens, a business leader and mayor of his town, says:
"If you engender high levels of trust as a leader, you get the benefit of the doubt.
"People carry on with their efforts, look beyond mistakes, and work around inconveniences.
"On the other hand, if trust is low or absent, people will question everything.
"They won't believe information you provide and will ascribe negative intention to your actions."
Tom's right. We must be honest and straight with everybody. And we must do it with a cheerful nature.
That's a real high wire to walk.
Here are seven strategies you use to keep trust on your team.
1. Make sure you know what the truth is.
And when you have it, share it with your people.
It's no surprise that sales are down and costs are up. But how much? And what are we doing about it? If your boss is playing games, you're going to have trouble convincing others that you're truthful. If you have any doubts, talk privately with the boss. Let him know what your employees' concerns are. Have your questions ready before you sit down to talk.
2. Be available.
Walk the walk.
And always listen to what's on your people's minds. Research shows that people trust their immediate supervisors far more than senior management. Personal contact matters. Listen fully and speak truthfully. Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault of France and Nissan of Japan, always walked the shop floors. He would take off his coat, loosen his tie and go out to hear what the "real people" had to say.
3. Stand for what you believe in.
Practice the four Cs: Consistent, congruent, coherent and courageous.
- Consistent means being predictable. No unpleasant surprises. Everyone knows what to expect.
- Congruent means doing what you say you'll do—no matter what,
- Coherent means you're clear about what you expect of your people. Strive to understand, Steven Covey wrote, as well as to be understood.
- Courageous means to stand tall. Be like Alabama coach Bear Bryant.
Take the blame when things go wrong and give the credit to others when they go right.
4. Make your intentions clear.
Let your people know that your job and theirs is to take care of the company's customers.
Don't say it once and figure everybody knows it. Repeat it as often as possible. I worked with a chief photographer who told me: "Nobody here cares about the reader."
It was not a mild criticism. Our mantra became: "The reader comes first." Also let them know that we have two kinds of customers: Internal and external. We are all each other's customers. Just because someone is in another department, be cooperative. Help them achieve their goals and meet their deadlines and we all win.
When I went to work at a family-owned Pennsylvania newspaper years ago, I met each department head. I asked them how we could help them. The circulation manager said, "Just be on time." The news department had a reputation for missing deadlines. Of course, that created big problems for him. I told the staff we would meet our deadlines every night from here out. I would be there to see that it happened. We missed only one deadline. That was the night a presidential election vote count ran into the wee hours. The publisher was in the composing room with me. He was the one who held the press run.
5. Hide nothing.
That's hard. Sometimes it seems darned near impossible.
But think of Buddy Hayden who had the guts to post the numbers no matter what they showed. Encourage your people to ask questions.
Teach them to learn as much about the company, its customers and its competitors as possible.
Teach them also to share what they hear, see, learn or suspect with you.
The rumor mill works overtime. And it is often dead wrong. If you don't hear the latest rumors, you have no chance to expose them to the truth.
6. Be accountable.
Show you're accountable to them and let them know you expect them to be accountable to you.
Our people respect being held accountable—even when it's uncomfortable. They have to report their sales numbers to me every Monday. On bad weeks, it's no fun for them to look me in the eye and tell me their sales are down. But it gives us a chance to talk about what went wrong and what we can do about it.
7. Support them in their work.
There are some CEOs I can reach that they can't.
They know a call from me will filter down to the ad buyer and the sale will be closed. They also know I will go with them on demanding calls and help them close the sale. Be the kind of leader your people can count on to go the extra mile with them—every time.
Takeaway thought... If you and your people are having a struggle with costs and revenues, you may be interested in my two new team-study courses, "Cut Your Costs Without Cutting Your Throat" and "Boost Your Sales and Profits Today and Every Day". For details on how these five-month courses will improve numbers and your bottom line, email me at JerryBellune@yahoo.com
