R. Attri Professional Effectiveness Series, Paper No.

2, Oct 2009


Copyrights 2009 V. Sriman / R.K. Attri
Managers Tool-Box:
Tips to Manage effectively through tough
times

Venkatesan Sriman, Raman K. Attri

Yes, these are tough times. The darkest downturn in the history - jobs are scarce, morale is
low. Yet, there are a few strategies that can help you as a manager to make the most of the
downturn and emerge stronger.

1. Do not add to the panic. Stay calm;
maintain your composure and
professionalism. A distraught manager
is the last thing a company would want
in times like these. A manager who
preserves his cool will have a soothing
effect on his team and will
tremendously increase his stature as a
leader.
2. Have a list of backup projects ready: A
downturn is usually a period of reduced
activity and use these slack times to get
those done. Employees might be fearful
of losing their jobs and sincerity might
come naturally to them, so it is a good
idea to make use of the fear factor in a
positive manner. Also, keeping your
team busy serves another purpose it
prevents them from spending too much
time on worrying and spreading rumors.
An idle mind is indeed the devils
workshop. A recession is certainly a
time of great uncertainty. However,
even in very uncertain times, there will
be certain activities that are clearly
defined. Focus your teams efforts on
such tasks that are clearly cut out.
3. Sternly discourage spreading of
rumors. An employee who indulges in
rumor and speculation affects
productivity in two ways one, he/she
is wasting precious work time and two,
rumors can spread and affect the
productivity of the entire team. This can
be catastrophic for morale. Make it clear
that such things are unacceptable. Also,
encourage employees to approach you
fearlessly for any information. Rumors
cannot thrive in a culture of
transparency and forthrightness.
4. Develop team-building rituals. Crisis
often has a bonding effect on people.
Use this bonding power to create a loyal
and cohesive team. A team building
activity need not necessarily be an
expensive outing at a posh resort or
five-star hotel. Even a simple thing like
having coffee together at the pantry one
evening every week can be an excellent
team building activity. Dont discuss
work during these informal gatherings.
5. Talk to your team regularly. At this
tough time, the team members,
especially working under you expect
R. Attri Professional Effectiveness Series, Paper No. 2, Oct 2009


Copyrights 2009 V. Sriman / R.K. Attri
regular updates and probe more into
affairs. Encourage, reassure and
motivate. But at the same time, resist the
temptation to paint a rosy picture when
things are not good. It is a tough
balancing act, but has to be done.

6. Help employees to manage their fears
and get things in perspective. For
example, one of every eight persons dies
of cancer. Even if a company lays off
10% of its workforce, the risk is still less
than dying of cancer and a layoff is not
fatal.

7. Maintain transparency about the
retrenchment process. In the event that
you have to let go of people, do it in a
humane, professional and decent
manner. Explain the rationale behind
the decision to the remaining employees.

8. Document the lessons you learn in a
downturn. Encourage your team to
document their activities and
accomplishments. This can help them to
have a sense of fulfillment about their
work and this documentation will also
help you present your teams
achievements to your higher
management. Meticulous
documentation of accomplishments and
activities is always good, especially in a
downturn.

9. Preserve your own work-life balance
and encourage employees to do the
same. After all, it is not the end of the
world. Humankind has weathered
many a storm and life will go on.

In the future, talk about how we faced
the tough times together.

If you are a HR manager, this is a good time
to make an indelible mark. It is a sad fact
that, in many companies, a HR
management team is actually a HR admin
team in disguise. A recession is a wonderful
opportunity for a HR management team to
actually live up to its name. HR should not
shy away from motivating people.

In summary, a recession like the current
one is a terrific opportunity for a manager
to demonstrate value to his/her
organization. It is a good idea to visualize a
recession as a shake-up that allows the
mentally strong to gravitate to the top.

Authors:
Venkatesan Sriman is training professional with
over 4 years of industry experience. Raman
Attri is Certified Management Consultant and
Training management professional with over 15
years of industry experience. Contact:
rkattri@rediffmail.com.