Situation: A company is encouraged by signs of a strengthening economy. They want to encourage their staff to prepare for growth and new opportunities. The CEO is curious about what other companies are doing to prepare their staff so that they emerge from the recession stronger than they were in 2008. How do you emerge from the recession stronger than you were before it began?
Advice from the CEOs:
- One company is organizing company meetings at each site to outline their high level plans so that all managers know the plan and vision:
o General company direction
o Market and opportunity
o The plan – where they are, what they’re going to do by when
- Another company conducts a general employee meeting every two months. At the last meeting:
o They cancelled the 20th day off without pay – and celebrated!
o They compared revenue growth now versus last year, focusing on the positive upside and company’s potential.
o They explained why they are now recruiting, and reinforced their business model.
o They had kept up marketing and sales during recession and these are now paying off.
- Another is reinforcing the belief that they will stay lean and mean.
- Another is Increasing update communication frequency and assuring that managers are updating their teams. This maintains the soft reasons for people to stay onboard, and to stay excited.
- What not to do: do NOT allow cuts that were made to survive destroy the long-term workable business model.
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