If you find yourself tensing when there's a knock on the door, postponing meetings with employees, or thinking of credible ways to feign illness to avoid the office altogether, something's wrong.
When things aren't going so well with your business, you have to take the bull by the horns and deliver the bad news to your employees. However, the good news is that it's not all bad news. It's also all about building morale and helping the whole team turn things around.
Here's how to bring out the best in your employees when business isn't so good and not only boost the bottom line but also boost employee morale.
1. Active Office
If you're so upset you can't sit still, don't. Take your employees to the gym--or, heack, set up some sort of exercise space in the gym. An obstacle course could suffice--be sure to create teams and create prizes for the winner. This will activate adrenaline, serotonin, and oxytocin, putting your team in the right mindset.
2. Be Creative
Creativity inspires, builds emotional commitment, and can promote optimism when business isn't so good.
Creativity exercises involve conversations, which are likely to have more brand impact than marketing campaigns. There's also creative art. Have your team members take notes with markers, have them sketch out ideas, create vision boards, and redefine your company culture.
Employee engagement is key, and creative types of engagement are the best kinds at times when morale is low. While creativity is important at all times, it's your best tool when times are hard, since its morale-building effects are nearly certain.
3. Be Consistent
Consistency and the trust it builds is very important for potential tough times. Sticking to your guns, following through with certain core principles is crucial. It's true that you will have to adjust to tough circumstances, and some of the creativity measures mentioned above are new and different. But that doesn't constitute coming across as wishy-washy or susceptible to panic.
4. Be Social
Encourage your team members to collaborate with you in networking, community, or charity events. One of the greatest facets of running a business is the opportunity lead and encourage others to tap into their full potential and maximize their performance. One of the character growth components of this is that it causes you to put your employees, and customers' needs over your own by truly getting to know them.
5. Simplify
Overthinking and introducing complications, more procedures, etc. , in the face of bad business will only frustrate employees. Simplicity can be defined as smarter streamlined innovation, collaboration.
6. Encourage Learning
As with creativity, encouraging learning amounts to trying to take active steps to get out of trouble. It's not about waiting for the market to change or hoping for better luck. While some of the gains your organization will make from new skills or abilities your employees take on might be tangential, the effort itself is an end unto itself and will have effects on morale.
Always remember the most successful leaders build a competitive, creative, social environment where credibility thrives. Leadership means understanding how to cope with hard times as well as smooth sailing.