February 2010
Mary Hanson

Most New Year resolutions are broken by 3 January, reports MIND mental health charity.  MIND are pressing for us to focus on positive changes we can make.  So what are the positive changes that you and your organizations can make in 2010?  Here are some ideas:

• Re-energise your strategy.  This is not about change for changes sake but in light of the current economic conditions, everyone should be reviewing their strategy to ensure it is still focusing on the right track and meets the needs of their customers.
  
• Identify, assess and motivate your key talent - Economic lifecycles and talent pipelines operate on different timescales. Review your talent pipeline, identify, discuss, and deliver ways in which key talent can be stretched, motivated and rewarded, in both financial and non financial ways.
  
• Equip managers with change and crisis management skills - Crisis management requires fast action.  To help take people with you, planning effective communication and identification of quick wins are key.   Adapt your leadership style and communication methods to each individual.  All of us have a unique perception and interpretation of events and communication due to different past experiences and the ways our brains our hardwired, so follow up on communications with one to one discussion to ensure clarity and understanding.  Identify what tools you have that you can use to help you take the right course of action. 
• Do more with less - Like weight loss, organisations have been trying to cut the “fat” out of the organization and training and development budgets may have been slashed.  Utilise internal skills and expertise and innovate ways in which to share knowledge.
• Support your “Survivors”.  Many employees have been left behind post job cuts.  They will have endured a range of emotions (positive and negative).   Review your internal and external communication strategy. Use communication channels appropriate for the demographics of your workforce and customer base.  Share your vision for the future of the business and involve employees in how efficiencies and improvements can be made.
• Be Bold - Ethical risk taking, making a difference, seeking opportunities and adapting leadership style accordingly are some of the skills needed for the future learnt from experiences of 2009.
• Manage performance -  complete appraisals on time utilizing a quality two-way discussion to gain and give feedback.   Say thank you/well done to each team member once a week; spend time with colleagues and customers, asking them what is going well; what could be going better for them.   Tackle those underperfomers in a constructive way and identify is it a will or skill issue that is at the source of the problem?

What are your new year’s resolutions going to be?...

  If this is useful to you and your organisation, and you would like more information then Please Contact Us, we would be delighted to hear from you