Empathy goes a long way

What's your projection for the completion of your turnaround - three months, three years? Turnarounds can be short and swift or long and consuming, but whatever it is, it's important for you to take notice of the challenges faced by those you have chosen to lead along side you, and acknowledge where they are. Empathy can go a long way when keeping your team motivated to continue to move forward.

During my first turnaround experience I remember being about six months into the engagement when my leader put his arm around my shoulder and said, “you are in a valley of despair right now but keep pushing, you’ll come out of it soon." My immediate reaction, was, "how did he know?" But of course he knew, he had been in my shoes several times before. I immediately shared what he said with my colleague, who was also facing his own set of challenges, and he said, "wow, he said something similar to me last week." The fact that our leader had been so intuitive about where we were was encouraging, and gave us the strength we needed to come back and fight through the problems one more day.

Understanding that because everything in your organization requires fixing - the people, processes and equipment - the turnaround will be an arduous journey, be it three months or three years. One of the best things you can do to help turn your organization around then is to know who labors among you and show some empathy from time to time, by telling your leadership team, "you're in a hard place right now but keep up the good work."

What's The Rush?

Two weeks into the engagement, a know it all, who I had inherited with the department, asked me, “so what are you going to do?” My response, "nothing, at the moment." She was aghast! Not in that, the clouds parted the sky, a rainbow appeared in all of its brilliant colors and the sound of angels singing a chorus of "Ahhhhhhs" kind of way, but with that appalled, I can't believe you're not going to do anything, attitude. She frowned. I smirked.

It’s not unusual for new managers to come into an organization and immediately begin making changes before they have a full understanding of what's going on. However, I had decided to watch and learn, prior to making any major changes. Oh, there were processes that needed to be put in place right away, such as instituting robust, and consistent, documentation practices so that training and other procedural tasks could be recorded and tracked. However, the system was already broken, and nothing was going to change overnight - which is a completely different topic, so observing for four weeks wasn’t going to worsen the situation.

Taking time for an assessment, during a change effort, is essential, and it happens infrequently at best. But being able to assess the situation is invaluable. It is just the opportunity needed to get to know the shop floor employees. Taking the time to engage employees in conversation about their daily grind propels me light years ahead. And the knowledge gained gives me a better idea of where the gaps are and what measures should be put in place to begin closing them. Remember, the goal is to turn the organization around, which means you want progression, even if it’s just a few steps at a time. Taking your time, and not rushing into the matter will assist you in making strides in the right direction.

If you’re in the midst of a turnaround, do yourself a favor and take the time to assess your threats and opportunities by getting to know your employees. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll learn.