10 Steps to Kill Recession (Part 2)

6. Identify Influencers to Solve Problems (For Mid Level Managers & Senior Managers)

Find the key employees who hold sway in their departments and get them to embrace and spread the change effort. These are the people who know how things really work (not just the way they’re supposed to work) and have a way of bringing together the right people to get things done.

Create groups around the influencers and motivate (rather than mandate) employees to identify what is slowing down business. Set a basic time-frame to achieve the targets, but let each group work at its own pace. Create opportunities for the influencers to schedule informal talks with the employees. Get insights from the influencers about roadblocks.

7. Unleash your TOP PERFORMERS (For Senior Managers & Management)

The upside of a downturn is that recruiting qualified employees becomes easier. With more candidates in the job market, it is the best time to find new talent. But managers shouldn’t forget about the top performers already on staff.

It is easy to think that employees are grateful to have jobs at all. But layoffs and budget cuts may cause good workers to look for better opportunities. Give them a reason to stay by making room for them to keep advancing their careers. Try to keep critical talent moving. If not necessarily up, but growing in experience, responsibility, money, or other tangible and intangible ways.

8. Recognize achievement, even if resources are scarce (For Mid Level Managers, Senior Managers & Management)

Employee bonuses and raises are among some of the first expenses that management cuts during a downturn. But even if extra compensation isn’t in the budget, that doesn’t excuse managements from rewarding employees. Lack of recognition, both financially and verbally, is one of the things that does the most damage.

Instead of quietly giving bonuses to overachievers, company needs to regularly single out the top 15 to 20 individuals and teams and reward them. The recognition not only motivates the performers, but it also helps the rest of the company understand what made these employees outstanding.

9. Feedback (For Mid Level Managers, Senior Managers & Management)

Usually management doesn’t know what employees complained about. Employees have no clue if their seniors thought that they were actually doing a good job, because seniors never spoke to them about it. Have constant feedback sessions. Exchange ideas and give feedback to employees about how to do a job in an effective manner.

10. No Fire and Forget Attitude (For Management)

Keep in mind that most of the downturn programs fail because management implements the initiative only halfway or let inefficiencies creep back after meeting short-term goals, which won’t sit well with employees. Adopt the changes wholesale or not at all.