Leading During Tough Times

My good friend Clint Longenecker, author of the Two Minute Drill, sent me a copy of a study he recently did (shown below). It is pretty revealing in terms of what we can and should be doing when leading during tough times.

In an attempt to better understand what business leaders can, should and must do to help lead their organizations deal with an economic downturn we surveyed a sample of 243 senior business leaders with an average of over 27 years of experience in the manufacturing and service sectors. As part of a larger survey, we asked very basic and yet critically important question: “Based upon your experience as a business leader, what are the most important things you must do to help lead your organization through a business downturn?” The summary findings of this analysis are presented below with the percentage of participants mentioning each imperative attached.

TOP TEN LEADERSHIP IMPERATIVES IN TRYING ECONOMIC TIMES
Imperative #1: Stay Positive and Poised - 76%
Imperative #2: Get Yourself and Your People Re-Focused and Re-Prioritized – 67%
Imperative #3: Solve Problems and Make Changes Fast – 65%
Imperative #4: Look For Opportunities amidst the Gloom – 62%
Imperative #5: Take Control of What You Can Control – 60%
Imperative #6: Use Time Carefully With Exceptional Stewardship – 58%
Imperative #7: Develop Your Working Relationships and Teams – 49%
Imperative #8: Step Back and Review What You Are Doing and Why - 44%
Imperative #9: Make Coaching/People Development a Bigger Part of Your Job – 41%
Imperative #10: Think Beyond the Current Storm – 35%

(Source: Longenecker and Ariss, “LEADING IN TRYING ECONOMIC TIMES: IMPERATIVES FOR HANDLING THE HEAT,” Industrial Management, 2009)

The bottom line is that others will be looking to you. You have the ability to lead them somewhere. Your choice in how you decide to lead will go a long way toward determining if they go down the path of desperation and despair or toward determination and hope.