Leadership Development: How Good Leaders Deliver Bad News During Tough Times

In today's challenging economy, businesses are faced with falling profits resulting in budget cuts, layoffs, salary decreases, benefit reductions and never-ending bad news from Wall Street and leaders are faced with the immense challenge of navigating their organization and team through these unchartered waters.

It is more important now than ever to create a corporate culture that embraces camaraderie, loyalty, organizational unity and a system that celebrates successes both large and small. Those businesses that have and can maintain a strong corporate culture will sustain their businesses and be set up for even greater success when times change.

Good leaders master the ability to deliver bad news while still motivating their employees to provide exceptional customer service and increase sales.

Jason Lindstrom, CEO of Rapport Leadership International, a leadership training organization that delivers intensive leadership classes for an enhanced workplace, recommends honesty, compassion and decisive action to create a positive workplace environment.

1. Be honest: Share the company's financial and strategic plans with every one of your team members and open your books and budgets to take away the fear and allow team members to clearly see the vision of the company. Empower each of them to identify where they get to make an impact on the profitability and future success of the company.

Honest communication allows strong leaders to embark on a journey with their team that encompasses a clear direction and vision for the future.

2. Be decisive and consistent: Hard decisions are a reality for today's business leaders. Strong leadership involves focusing on taking the necessary steps to ensure the company's viability, then making those decisions quickly and delivering the news with the same levels of passion and confidence with which positive news is conveyed in times of prosperity.

Decisiveness and consistency of message during difficult and uncertain times inspires confidence in your team, who in turn will vest into your vision and perform at higher levels of efficiency.

We must master the ability to focus and take intentional action. When we do, we achieve our greatest, most fulfilling accomplishments.

3. Take feedback and apply it: Top performers of any organization have an intentional focus, a purposeful action, and allow themselves to be accountable. This combination drives them toward results that many people only dream of achieving.

Inspire others to find their voices. Empower team members to become part of the company's solution to the challenges the market presents. Ask for feedback. . .and use it.

In a changing and challenging environment, the word "collaboration" has taken on new meaning and significance. No longer does it simply mean working together. Instead, it means leveraging the talents, resources, and ideas of many to become and to stay competitive. It means working as a team to execute a vision and competing as a team to win.

4. Celebrate successes: Create an environment that overcomes the negativity of today's headlines. Remember the power of fun.

Quickly find a success to celebrate after difficult decisions have been made. While goals may not be as lofty as in the past, your company and your team are working hard and even the smallest amount of recognition will create a positive momentum in the office.

SOURCE: Rapport Leadership International.