Emergency Preparedness FMJ Article

The day the world crumbled

How to keep your team energized and focused during times of crisis

Joyce Weiss

Employees across the United States, from New York, N. Y. to Los Angeles, Calif., and elsewhere around the world, are still in a state of disbelief after the Sept.11 terrorist attacks. The signs are obvious: wide, hollow stares, the inability to concentrate, a constant state of pessimism, and perhaps even outward signs of nervousness and irritability. People are still operating in shock mode and are fearful of how the events will continue to impact them.

Now is when companies must shift gears and take control of the situation. It’s during these times that employees need not only encouragement and motivation, but also understanding and compassion. As a business owner, corporate leader or manager, you have the responsibility to ease your employees’ fears and help them through this difficult time. When you enable your team to regain their enthusiasm for work and their ability to focus on the tasks at hand, your company will be better able to withstand the resulting economic fluctuations that come with any national disaster. Help your employees today and reap the benefits for years to come.

Guide your team to discovering opportunities for growth
When a challenge comes, whether in a professional or personal setting, people naturally want to focus on the negative event. They play it over and over again in their minds and are unable to let go of the hurt, pain or sorrow the event caused. This is when you need to help employees refocus their thinking so they can get back on track.

Whenever we are experiencing a challenge, we must take it and look at it a different way. Encourage people to look at the situation as if they were using a camera: change the focus and maybe a better picture will appear, or at least a more interesting one. Think of the challenges the recent events have caused your company. Are profits down? Is the threat of layoffs eminent? Has customer demand plummeted? Now, look at those scenarios from a different perspective. Play the “what if” game. What if you reorganized, introduced a new product, allocated funds differently, changed your marketing, or did any number of things differently? The more you rally the troops behind you to see the challenges in a new light, the more opportunities for growth your team will uncover.

Help minimize professional and personal stress
Many people waste precious time worrying about the future. During a time of crisis, that worry multiplies. People are so busy worrying about their jobs, the economy, their security, their family, and a host of other concerns that they’re unable to produce any meaningful kind of work. When this happens company-wide, profits naturally fall. Rather than let worrying cripple your company’s future, help your employees see the good that’s going on around them.

The first step is to allow employees to take time for themselves. This is not a luxury; it is a necessity. While making a living and business responsibilities are, indeed, vital parts of life, enjoying life and living with passion are equally important. Encourage employees to momentarily slow down, see the trees, smell the flowers and listen to the birds. Help them enjoy what is in front of them right now, both at work and at home. Allow them to pay more attention to family members during the day, as this is what they need now. True fulfillment comes when people feel a sense of balance in their lives. As long as they know they have the flexibility in their schedules to tend to their personal concerns, their sense of worry will diminish and their productivity will improve.

Let employees’ ideas lead your company to success
The most effective way to take action during any challenge is to make changes. Unfortunately, during a time of crisis, change is the last thing people want to experience. The fact is, though, that change forces you and your organization to grow. Your mployees may not like change, but history has proven that the high-achieving companies and people of the world are the ones who are resourceful and who learn to embrace change.

As a group, sit down and re-evaluate the company’s goals. The objectives that were appropriate six months ago may not seem important any longer. With your team, agree on what the company now needs to accomplish and how each person and department intends to contribute. This new future direction and resolve will unite your employees to pursue a greater purpose and reach new levels of success. No matter what is going on in the world, if you and your employees want something badly enough and work hard to get it, you can succeed.

In order to achieve these new objectives, encourage your team to make a “have to have it, can’t live without it” proposition, such as, “The only option is success.” When your team sees the revised big picture and how they are vital to making it happen, they will regain their enthusiasm to contribute to the goal.

How well your company operates during a time of crisis is the true indicator of your organization’s success. Take the steps to keep your employees energized and focused so no tragedy, large or small, can hinder your growth. Facing any challenge and overcoming it leads not only to greater profits and a larger market share, but also to a workforce that it motivated for long-term success.

FMJ
About the author: Joyce Weiss is known as the Corporate Energizer®. She is a corporate speaker and coach who works with people to renew their passion for life, to improve morale and increase the bottom line. She is the author of the books, “Full Speed Ahead: Become Driven by Change” and “Take the Ride of Your Life!” Weiss is an expert on turning negative behavior into positive action. You can reach to book her for your next meeting at 1-800-713-1926, JOYCE@JOYCEWEISS.com, or www.JOYCEWEISS.com.