Beyond Recession

We’re all painfully aware of the recession around us: we hear about it on the news, see the results in our businesses and personal savings plans and feel it in the moods of the people around us.  While we might not be able to sway international economics, we are able to control how we react while this is happening around us.  In fact, why not plan ahead to ensure that we are prepared for when this recession’s grasp is weakened and our economy strengthens?  Here are some handy tips to do just that:    

1. Revisit your “raison d’être”:
• Is the vision for your organization clear?  Is it relevant in today’s market?  Does it fit with the needs of your customer base?  What are your key values and how do they match the values of your target markets?  What is your core business?  How does it meet the needs of a post-recession marketplace?  
2. Plan beyond the next quarter:
• Look ahead to the next 3 years: turn your post-recession vision into a strategic plan.  Take the time to study your customers’ needs and develop a forward-thinking market plan; this market plan will allow you to understand your operational needs and will feed your sales plan.  Take your planning to the next level by creating a personal performance plan for each employee that is directly linked to your company’s strategy.  Employees will feel more responsible for the results if they see how their work is linked to the company’s vision.      
3. Invest in your team:
• Are all employees in the roles they need to be in to be most effective at delivering your strategic plan?  Do they have the necessary skills to deliver the results expected from their performance plans?  Help each team member uncover the skills they need to acquire and build a personal development plan.  Invest in training; employees draw confidence from new knowledge.  The energy normally wasted in fear (of failure, of layoff) can be transformed into increased efficiency and effectiveness.  
4. Become efficient in all that you do:
• Look at every important process in your organization.  Make sure that they are as efficient as possible; are you using all your resources (people, technology, materials, time, intelligence, talent, energy) to their ultimate efficiency?  Eliminate all waste, including the processes that are not critical to your operation.     
5. Communicate:
• ...with your customers, your colleagues, your employees, your competitors; communicate honestly, efficiently and positively.  Acknowledge what you don’t know, but then move on to what you do know.  Talk about the long-term and help your team and your customers see beyond the current crisis.  Your ability to inspire will help others move more confidently towards a stronger future.