The Problem
You need to make a difficult decision. One of those decisions may have been to downsize. This is a difficult decision because it is not only tough on the people you have to let go and tough on you, but especially tough on the people you keep. Not only do they wonder if they are next, they are concerned about who picks up the work that was being done by their former co-workers.
• What about all of the changes that were being made?
• Do they still need to be made or do we stop?
• How important are these changes, now?
While these people consider these questions, as individuals, and with their co-workers, their productivity suffers. These are natural, normal and logical questions. Unfortunately, you need these people, your "keepers," to be running at their peak performance levels and focused on what you need them to do, not left to wonder what to do, or worse looking for jobs, because they are not being communicated with in ways that are helpful, by the right people.
Ultimately, you need to communicate with the people who still work for you. Answer their questions, if you know what those questions are, in ways that will help them. Answer in terms they understand and that relate to their perspectives, not just yours.
• Have your vision, your priorities, or expectations changed?
• How do these changes impact the retained workers?
• How does this downsizing affect the organization and their daily work and priorities?
• What do these people do if they have additional questions or concerns?
• Do they just talk with their peers, or is there a safe way to express them?
• Are they chastised for communicating, or are they encouraged to appropriately share their concerns?
Some tips
First, understand their questions. Create, a safe way to collect their questions; a survey, anonymous email, walk the line, whatever works in your culture. Second, determine what your priorities really are. Recognize that if you don't have your priorities clearly defined and communicated, your people will make their own decisions, and you may not agree with the answers. Your priorities will be driven by your business objectives, constraints, prerequisites, and dependencies. Your attainment of those high priority objectives will be limited by your resources, (time, money and people) capacities, and any barriers that lie in the way. Communicate your priorities and insist that your management staff do so as well, and so on, down the line and let them know how you are responding to their concerns. Provide them the learning they need and most importantly, ensure that the consequences are clearly communicated and implemented consistently.
Speaking Topics:
Bob’s recent and planned speaking topics include:
• Financials, Strategic Thinking and Change Management
• Maximize the results of your Consulting by Managing the Resistance to Change!
• Managing People’s Acceptance, Adoption, and Sustainment of Change
• Developing and Implementing Strategic Ideas; From Seeds to Harvested Results
• The Critical Requirement for Leading, as well Managing, Change
Bob Dodge can be reached at 303 550-0101
bdodge@expertchangemanagement.com
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