Leading Through Change

It may be a few years since the crash of 2008, but that doesn’t mean layoffs are no longer a reality. Everywhere we look there are redundancies here and downsizing measures there. Organisations are always changing, and with change comes cuts.

In times of flux, it often feels most comfortable to focus on costs because they are easier to manage and have tangible outcomes. People, on the other hand, can be more channelling. Unfortunately, losing people to save costs, and making sure those left behind stay motivated, are equally important. Many employees have friends and colleagues lose their jobs, when one day they are working right next to them, the next they’re not. Not only is this traumatic for those that leave, and need to find work elsewhere, it’s equally distressing for those left behind.

Why do those left have a rough deal?

1. Although a full role for the person made redundant may no longer exist, often there are remnants of a role that those left behind need to take on board. This means employee workloads change and often increase, and those left have to prioritise differently to adapt.

2. People feel a sense of loss for their fellow employees, and for the culture, process and role changes that come with people leaving the organisation.

3. When people join an organisation, they join a group and they feel accepted and needed by that group. When they see that group can easily expel others, they feel the psychological contract (the unwritten rule of loyalty and trust made between organisation and employee when they join) is broken. This brings unease and concern for their future and puts any trust built up over the length of their time at the organisation into jeopardy.

4. When employee's friends and colleagues are let go, people fear that if others are expendable then they may be too. Of course, this is always possible in today’s working world so we can’t eliminate such fears completely. However, we can help people to know that if they do the best they can, meet, and where possible exceed, the requirements of their role, they should stay in a positive position. 

So what can we do to cushion the blow to employees we've chosen to take us forward in our business?

Well, it's quite simple; treat people as you would want to be treated and you'd be surprised how receptive they can be, even in difficult situations.

Expecting people to carry on as normal, or even exceed expectations during layoffs, due to fear of what will happen if they don’t, could be shortsighted. It is likely to thwart their creativity and their work will suffer. Of course, you could make others redundant too but think of the costs of rehire, retraining, and adapting to culture this involves. Keeping good people is always the best option.

Communicate, set them at ease, and make them feel valued.

Take those left in your team out for lunch, talk to them, reassure them their jobs are safe. Or, if their jobs are not safe, or you're unsure at this stage, reassure them that you’re working to get as much information as you can as quickly as you can. It’s not recommended to do this in big groups otherwise employees can feel like a number rather than an individual. Aim to talk to people in small groups to ensure each and every person feels a valued member of the team.

It is also a great idea to take people out of the office because it gets them away from the stress going on in the workplace and prevents discussions from feeling so formal. It allows people to be in an environment where they can see the bigger picture, and it can dispel some of the concern and worries people have.

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I recently read a quote from True Compass that I believe drives home what an organisation should be trying to achieve after downsizing: 

“The extra attention you pay those employees left behind will pay off in reduced loss in production and a more dedicated and loyal staff. You know you have reached your goal when you consistently hear your employees say, “The Company had to make a hard, but necessary decision regarding those lay offs, and now is the time we all pull together and turn this situation around.””

Employees are human, just like you and I, and humans have feelings, emotions and needs. Making sure people know you care can do wonders for their motivation, engagement in their work and the future of your business. Get everyone moving in the same direction and you'll be surprised what you can achieve.

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Of course, there are lots of ways to lead through downsizing in organisations. Over to you! What are your thoughts on managing employee morale post redundancies in teams? I'd love to hear how you've managed similar situations, or how you might manage such issues in the future. 

I'm hungry, are you?

We're all hungry.  Hungry for information, data, updates, something to inspire and excite us... it's an epidemic.

In today's technological world, it's so easy to find your latest fix. We only have to pick up a mobile phone and we're greeted with a world of knowledge, where we can find out anything about everything.

How many times have you been in a conversation with someone and they say "hang on, let me just Google it." It happens everywhere; we're hungry and thirsty for any soundbite we can get our fingers on.

"So if we're so hungry why is it so difficult to get people to engage in your content?"

If you want people to read what you want to share the information needs to be:

• Relevant
• Interesting
• Delivered by someone who inspires the reader 
• About a topic the reader needs / wants to know
• Short and to the point - with regular headings / subheadings / breaks and interludes. 

"As a writer it's easy to get lost in the art of writing what I want to write; the goal is writing what your audience wants to read." 

In organisations, we experience a similar problem. 

We often misjudge how much information we need to give employees when changes are afoot. The message has always been 'communicate, communicate again and then communicate some more.' This is true, it is vital to keep people informed if you want to keep them engaged, but if you want them to absorb the information, make sure your message is succinct.

Ask yourself:

• Who do people want to hear from?
• What do they want to hear? 
• Do they really need to hear it?
• How succinctly can I say it?
• Will an image say it better?

Communicate well and your few words will tell a much bigger story. 

Are some people just unable to change?

A couple of days ago I came across a mini-film about a guy who used to be in the RAF. After many years serving he injured an injury that doctors said had left him permanently disabled. He was told he would never walk unaided again. He was obese and chronically depressed; there seemed to be no hope. The film showed his search for a yoga teacher who would take on his plight and help him to walk again. The film finished with him running in his local park. Somehow, he managed to turn his life around.

As I watched the video, I couldn't help wonder where he got his strength, both physical and mental. I wondered what made some people fight towards a goal and others give up and accept defeat.

I started to think about the things that stand in the way of us making changes in our lives; things like:

• Finances
• Education
• Confidence in yourself and your goal
• Support from those around you
• Environment - where you live or work.

There are likely many more reasons you or I could come up with, and every one of them would be a valid reason. 

The man in the film I described above had many obstacles in the way of his goal - to walk again - the major one being doctors telling him it was medically impossible. Somehow he overcame these obstacles. 

So what got him there? 

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When I was a student, I remember a tutor of mine saying to me "change isn't hard." I questioned him and said that change was hard and how could he think it wasn't? In organisations, we often see resistance to change and many times we struggle to help the people around us get past such resistance. 

He said to me: "it's not change per se that is hard, it's a particular element of change that is hard for that person." He meant that if we bundle all changes into one phenomenon we lose the nuances of what is actually causing the resistance to change. For example; an employee may have a resistance to using a new system in the workplace for many reasons:

• They don't know how to use the new system
• They have a fear of using particular parts of a system - perhaps a certain spreadsheet or application
• Changing their routine takes effort, and people don't see a value in why they need to change
• Changing means, they lose something they had by doing it the 'old way.

The point is, it's the detail about why the person is resistant to change that provides the insight into helping them get to the new destination. 

Think about a time when someone told you to change something, or you told yourself to make a change "I need to go to the gym more." When you told yourself to do these things was there an intrinsic reason attached to why you needed to change? Did you know how to make the change? E.g. what classes to take, or exercises to use? Did you feel sad when you thought about the time you'd lose with friends because three nights a week would be spent in the gym? 

All of these factors influence your motivation to change. If you have a goal in mind that makes your change effort worthwhile (and you gain the necessary skills to make the change possible) the change suddenly becomes a lot easier - and more enjoyable - to implement. 

The guy from the film so desperately wanted to walk again that he refused to accept his fate; he found a person to help him develop the skills he needed and his goal was so vitally important to him personally that he couldn't let it go. He had a sense of purpose.  

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In organisations, people often don't understand why change will benefit them, and often managers don't think about communicating the need for people to change in a way that brings them some sense of satisfaction. We all need to feel the effort we expend is giving us some sense of reward, and intrinsic rewards, namely: 

• Feeling they are committing to a broader meaningful purpose and
• Feeling that they are competent at their work, but are also significantly challenged for their ability,

 will always achieve longer lasting results and more satisfied employees. 

6 Atypical Ways to Get & Keep New Hires

There's always one. That person in your team who makes it difficult for everyone else. They are the ones that turn up late, have a bad attitude, are negative towards the rest of the team, and consistently look like they'd rather be at home in bed than at work.

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You've tried everything. Weekly check-in meetings, the option to work from home once a week, and countless 'thank you, you did a great job' emails. Nothing works. Joe has been with the company for six months and, despite his glowing CV and track record in the field, you think you made a bad choice bringing him into the team.

So what went wrong? 

Unfortunately, when you get a new person into a role you barely know them from Adam. Going through the 'interview process', it's easy to forget that we are dealing with real people. Even the labels we use in recruitment evoke distance and detachment between the company hiring and the individual being hired.

How can we know who we're really hiring? 

Unfortunately, people often come to a new role to escape something; they: 

• were a bad fit for a team
• didn't feel challenged
• didn't get along with their boss
• had outgrown the role
• wanted a higher salary for their efforts
• or, they were in a bad place in life, and they thought a new job would be the answer.

With all of this going on, it becomes rare that a new role will meet all of the person's expectations. 

So what's the answer?

The hiring processes used in today's workplaces are designed to help us know as much as we can in a short period and a cost effective manner. This means making drastic changes to hiring to allow us to spend quality time with future employees before they join the organisations is, in most cases, not possible. 

"We can't ever truly know who we're hiring, but we can get a positive and honest culture in place right from the outset."

Here are six great ways to get and keep the right new hires:

1. Ask them to be completely honest with you in an interview. 

Sometimes people arrive at your organisation just because they need a job. When this is the case, they are keen to say anything, or claim they will do anything in a role, even if its not their strength. Be sure to ask people what they love most at work. You'll see their face light up when they are being really honest, and it will help you to know if they are really right for the role. 

2. Try the informal approach:

Take your new starter out of the office for a coffee. Being in an informal setting can help people to be more open and honest with you about how they are settling in, and they will be more likely to share what's working and what's not. 

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3. Ask the questions you don't want to know the answers to:

Try not to ignore the situation when people are difficult, there's always a reason people are challenging. Work with them as much as you can and be sure to ask the tough questions; "you seem down, is there something going on at work or home that we can help with?"

4. Give people options:

Help them to feel that if this wasn't the right move for them, or you, that you will give them support to find what is. Perhaps help them to move to another part of the company if that's and option. 

5. Make sure they know the cooling off period is for them as well as you: 

Encourage people to consider that the first few months they are in a role is as much a time for reflection about whether it's what they want, as it is for you to decide if they are a good fit for the role. Giving people a sense of control - and allowing them to continue to go to interviews if either of you is unsure - is a good way to help people feel engaged and not trapped. 

6. Give people the opportunity to make a difference: Your new hire has fresh eyes into the business, and the freshness isn't there forever so use it wisely. Ask people to tell you what works well here and what doesn't, and listen to them! Listening to and acting on the views of your people is a great way to engage them. 

Learning to Fly

Last week while travelling on a BA flight from Venice to London I picked up a copy of the BA in-flight magazine 'business life, where next?'. I often pick up the in-flight magazines for something to entertain me while I fly, but I usually finish reading them before the engines start. The business life magazine offered a fresher, more upbeat read and I found some interesting work related titbits.

Many a time I've sat on a bus or tube and prayed that people wouldn't speak to me. I would know I had a mountain of work to do, or that I just felt like staring aimlessly out of the window and enjoying a few free minutes to myself. Then it comes, that fateful 'hello, how are you?' to which I answer 'fine thanks', being careful not to ask the same question back through fear of being held in conversation. It speaks again; 'so, where are you headed?' Damn, people are looking, expecting me to engage; the perpetrator is not going to give up. I'm hooked in. So the conversation continues. At first I resent my precious time being stolen, then, from somewhere, I find I'm beginning to enjoy the chat; hell, I'm even smiling!

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It's my stop; it came around quickly. I get off the Tube, and bizarrely I feel some sense of fulfilment. I smiled and made someone else smile. It feels good.

BA's research showed that people in such situations, who had impromptu interactions with other, had more positive travel experiences than those that didn't. So, if interactions make us feel so good, why do we avoid them? Should we give ourselves that little push to be more social animals, even when we don't feel like it? And if we do, what could we gain from it?

As humans we often fear the unknown; it's part of human nature. We don't know if we will like the other person, or if they will like us! So it's easier to avoid at all costs. But are we missing out?

BA are currently testing a new kind of seat on their aircrafts; 'Priority seats - for people who want to talk business.' These seats allow passengers to opt to sit in seats next to other people who have requested communication between passengers. The idea behind it is that after a good chat, and potentially picking up a business contact or two, people will feel more positive about their journey.

What do you think?

business life is available to download free from the App store. I found it an interesting read, perhaps you will too.

Listen to Your People and Save Your Business

This morning, to get a little light relief from ironing out the finer details of wedding planning, I decided to watch one of my favourite work-related shows, Undercover Boss. 

I've watched this show many times and each time I am amazed at how surprised the big boss is by their findings. So much so that it reminds me of why I started out in business on my own in the first place; my goal has always been and always will be:

'Give everyone in your organisation a voice. Only then will you get the best from your people.'

This week the focus of the show was Tower Hamlets Council and it saw the Chief Executive (CE) going undercover to work as one of the frontline workers. As the CE quoted: 

"Working undercover on the frontline you see it as it is rather than how they want you to see it. People put on a show when they know you are a more senior person."

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Council workers perform many essential services for the residents in a borough; from pest control and waste management to child protection services, from libraries and doctors surgeries to meals on wheels. However, many of these services have suffered in recent years due to budget cuts and massive strains on resources. 

Budget cuts are no new thing to local councils in the UK, and they are always fraught with dispute and despair whenever they arise. Unfortunately, they are often necessary; the real problems arise when the wrong cuts are made. 

One of the stops for the CE this week was accompanying a female care worker who'd been delivering meals on wheels to elderly patients for 33 years. She was an inspiration, showing the utmost care, respect and genuine concern for each and every patient she visited. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, the time she spent with her elderly clients was cut dramatically to meet demand for services. 

The CE recognised that the situation visibly pained the long-standing worker, and he noted that she did her best to arrange her deliveries to spend the longest time possible with the people who needed her most. His revelation was: 

“’Meals on Wheels’ is more than just delivering a meal and walking away.” 

To address the issue, the CE asked the care worker to join a new committee he had designed to ensure the care of clients was of top priority. He told the care worker that her insight was vital to making the project a success. 

We always need budget cuts; change occurs in organisations and money is frequently required elsewhere to meet the current internal or external needs of the company - it's a fact of life. However, by making blind choices about changes required in organisations without speaking to the frontline workers first, senior leaders are bound to make incorrect decisions. 

The most important thing to recognise in any organisation is the need to understand the consequences of our actions. Yes, we are running businesses, but in many cases, we are also providing services to those who need it most. 

There are too many companies that operate without talking to the people on the shop floor. In some ways, this is helpful because it takes the emotion out of business and allows us to make strong financial decisions, but is that what business should really be about? Are we saying, as a race, we value financial gain more than the needs of our own? 

Business is more than making money; business is about people. 

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