Leadership in Crisis: Tips from a Guru
March 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under Getting Ahead
Everything must be removed from the cabinet to achieve goals, in order not to suffer loss or perhaps for a petition for bankruptcy. It’s not an easy task for executives.
Consultant and management guru Ram Charan is known for his advice to one billion companies like GE and DuPont. He is a somewhat strange guru: an unambiguous message that it is not for customers or readers of his books (his sixteenth just published). Ram Charan gives each organization a different opinion and he is a good question, saying its customers.
His latest book Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty refers to leadership in difficult times.
In an interview with the Harvard Business Review, the scientific journal of Harvard Business School, gives his opinions not only of interest for board presidents and government leaders, but for anyone who leads, at what level. A summary of his opinion:
- The most important thing you can do is to remain credible. Your employees are there anyway if you under false pretenses an unpopular measure tries to take. So talk with customers, employees and colleagues and involve them in your decision. If you must lay off personnel, be there and explain clearly why it is. Only a credible vision to give you, according to Ram Charan courage and optimism grow.
- Know what’s going on. According to the consultant change situations just so quick, you have to do your very best to keep. Behind your PC sitting rapportjes by and recommended distribution is not sufficient, he says: “You should know what day to day play and plans and processes necessary to adapt.”
- Respond quickly. Ram Charan used the example of chemical company DuPont. When the president realized that the crisis is not only limited to the financial sector, he immediately called the six top managers of the company together. After four days there was a plan: so much money as possible within the business. Within two weeks, all 60 thousand employees talk with their managers on the crisis. All three were asked to submit money in the company could hold
- Outline a worst case scenario and go from the negative. Nobody is like to take difficult decisions and many people make things so beautiful than they are. Be especially realistic.
- Work with colleagues and see your work as a sports game, who scored a point is not the most important, it’s whether you win or not.