The Key to Facing Threats to Business: If You Are Calm, They Will Be Calm
Just listen…
The howling winds of news and business chatter are filled with storm warnings of inflation and recession relentlessly hurled in our direction as if by a menacing hurricane. It is this constant cadence of negative, crisis messaging that often magnifies our reflex to pull back and dwell upon all the fear factors that are threats to business while we lose our focus on growth and development.
The HR Professionals of Achilles Group encourage you to invest in your leaders, keep a balance of optimism and realism and avoid fear-based decisions. If you are calm, they will be calm even in the face of a storm. That’s why the first step in working through large scale threats to your business is to recognize that there is a great difference between media magnified fear factors and an actual Cat 5 Hurricane tracking at speed with a 24-hour ETA that puts the eye of the storm directly over your house. When you face that kind of storm you must make provisions to survive. Sounds like motivation to focus and be decisive.
To be sure we are wrestling with two years of pandemic, political hysterics, governments printing money, war, supply chain issues and needlessly high gas prices. To move past such challenges, you need leaders that don’t get caught up in the noise and fear factors and instead embrace reality, adapt quickly, and understand the pain of discipline is less than the pain of procrastination and regret.
In a presentation by Sequoia Capital to their founders in May, 2022, their team discussed the current market conditions, how it developed, and what it can mean for the road ahead.
They note that with the rise in the cost of capital – every dollar is more precious than it was. And this will affect your business and how you make decisions. They noted that the outline for success is to be adaptable, move quickly, and prepare to not just survive but to thrive.
In other words, respond to the risks of the approaching storm not just as a threat but as an opportunity to be better now.
Start with your leadership team when facing threats to business
- Have you equipped your leaders to make smart people decisions that drive profitable outcomes?
- Can you provide tools and technique to ensure your leaders are able to build on strengths and expand team competencies?
- Are your leaders clear on how their role is designed and positioned to contribute to long-term success?
- Do your Leaders earn authority based on competency, connection, and accountability?
- Does your leadership team routinely achieve a clarity of messaging that cascades the “what” and the “why it matters” to all levels?
- Have you constructed and updated your approach to base and variable pay to ensure it truly incentivizes your leaders to drive priority outcomes?
The HR Team at Achilles Group understands firsthand that in stormy times the pain is very real especially when your imagination joins with fear. There is good news though, because no matter what the circumstances, if you prepare and build a savvy leadership team, your ability to stay calm, weather the storm, adapt and excel are magnified.
