Mentor Liderlik Danışmanlık

The British human resources foundation CIPD releases a series of research every year. One of this year’s is called “Leadership at uncertain times”. What could be more up to date?

Former FED chairman Alan Greenspan says, the crisis USA is facing today is the most challenging situation after the 2nd World War. And the Financial Times economics editor Martin Wolf states that the rise of China and India is the most important case of our century and the crisis in the West points a very important turning point in the world. Changes in the capital movements is one of the reasons for this financial crisis but the other demographic facts continue making economies more fragile. Mass immigrations, environmental crisis, the rapid exhaustion of natural resources, international terror are some we can state.

When this kind of hard situations are triggered, usually the business world panics and shoots itself in the foot, first declaring a stagnation, then a crisis. Stops recruitment, cuts back development expenses and then comes the dismissals. Lots of companies across the globe are standing at the threshold of this panic right now and doesn’t know what to do. But there’s something we could learn from the 2000 crisis. When you see people as an asset you can dismiss and put them at the top of your “first things to give up” list, after the crisis you can’t find them where you left them. Talent is not something to be found easily and not something to be developed easily once you’ve found it. In the information economy we’re going through right now, you reach the competitive advantage with the talent you have and today, at every sector scale’s high performance edge there’s still need for talent.

Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs said, “When the dot-com balloon went off we were about to invest in our talent and the R & D operations; we didn’t change our plans and we did that. We see the benefits today. We’ll do the same again, tomorrow.”

If we’re facing a crisis and you try to overcome it by dismissals you might save your “today” but it won’t be easy to go back to your successful days without having your talents, tomorrow.

The world is changing, leaders have to change rapidly, too. The old management models don’t work in today’s world. What brings high performance and makes the employees work harder for their company in its hard times is leadership. There is the post-Enron effect, of course. What companies do is not what only matters but how they do it, as well.

Today, the people’s buying pattern is even effected by how a product is produced. Does it harm the environment? Do they use child labor? Does it effect my health? Brands are more important than ever; people buy because of the values they represent. And the “employee brand” of a company is as important as the brands. What kind of a contract do they have with their employees? Is it a company people want to work for? As you can see, when you seek a fine talent, it would never be enough to have money, or being able to afford the fee; and it would be even harder if they were the first ones to dismiss in times of crisis.

Times of crisis are the times leadership is needed more. In times of crisis, firms need leaders that would keep the people, the talents together; won’t let them loose their performance focus, keep the integrity and help through this difficult times. It is only by this way they can overcome the crisis without downsizing and getting harm. One thing is for sure, the bigger the crisis there will be more need for people.