LEADERSHIP: LIFT YOUR GAME OR LOSE YOUR JOB

Published: 2009-02-02   please add a comment below

Do the math. Ericsson, Microsoft, UBS and BHP (to mention just four global companies) are each retrenching thousands of workers. Unemployment in New York is rising at the "fastest pace on record". Job losses in Singapore may "triple in 2009". Small businesses are closing in every Main Street. Across the globe, millions of people are losing their jobs. And, for every ten workers, one leadership position disappears as well. So, what are you doing to be sure you're not the next leader without a role?

A year ago, a friend moved to a new employer in the same town. And, today, her old job no longer exists - the whole plant having been mothballed! But, if we lack her foresight or luck, there's only one answer: improve your leadership performance and protect your job.

If your company needs to improve a product, it checks customer feedback, what the opposition offers, and analyses possibilities - and what they'll cost. Then goes through a cycle of improvements and testing. Improving your performance as a leader requires the same kind of effort.

Let me illustrate. In October 2008, a worried division head asked me to help him address a problem with his immediate team. They'd become demoralised and loathe to make decisions. In response to questioning, he explained that the company (and his division) had been hard hit by the downturn, and had had to lower its market aspirations and retrench staff.

I listed concerns his colleagues might have and he picked two. "Where are we going in 2009?" and "how do we all fit in?" Not surprising choices given the group's changed ambitions and the loss of people - and the risk of more to come if markets continued tough.

I then got him to select and embark on actions to address these issues. He involved his team in discussions around the new market, competitive and corporate realities. And, from this, worked with them to update goals and plans. Also, revising the structure and people's roles to align better with the new situation.

He pushed ahead in November, and when we met in early January he updated his action plan to address further issues. Surprisingly, after just two months, team morale was already higher. His colleagues had embraced the shared, more realistic commitments, and welcomed their clarified roles. Once again, they had a solid foundation of performance expectations and personal responsibilities, on which to base decisions.

The math (and speed) of job losses is real and frightening. Creating a Leadership Action Plan can help you to keep yours!

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