Phillip Van Hooser - Transformational Leadership

I was recently asked my one of my readers, “What advice are you giving to the unemployed or those about to be laid off?”

This is a great, and timely question. My advice to those currently experiencing some measure of professional upheaval in their lives is simple, yet it can be revolutionary. Take this opportunity to step back and reevaluate 1) who you are, 2) where you are, and 3) where you ultimately want to be.

First, who you are. Please don’t get sucked into the emotional abyss that tempts you to define yourself by your current professional woes. The economy, be it good or bad, should not define you. Your employer and the actions that it might be forced to take should not define you. You are the only one that can or should define who you are. Granted this is an unwelcome and somewhat stressful circumstance, but reframe it as an opportunity to take inventory of the unique talents, skills and experiences you possess. Be honest with yourself. What is it that makes you special? Make a list. I’ll bet it’s longer than you expected.

Second, where you are. Sometimes, unwanted and unplanned change can serve as a needed personal and professional jump start. Like it or not, when most of us become comfortable, we tend to relax and stop pushing purposefully toward the future. In other words, we coast. Unexpected change can be a rude awakening, but it also can awaken us to opportunities we would never have seen otherwise. Over the years, I have heard many people say to me that the “shake up at work” or “getting laid off” ended up being the “best thing that ever happened to me.” How can that be? I think the answer resides in my third point.

Third, where you ultimately want to be. Do I believe there is an absolutely perfect job out there for each of us? Call me a dreamer, a hopeless romantic, but, yes I do. In fact, there may be many perfect jobs just waiting for you. Your job is to take that list you made when you reviewing exactly who you are and overlay it with the opportunities that exist around us.

Okay, so what to do today? My advise is that you take the balance of today and feel sorry for yourself. Seriously. Go ahead and get it out of the way. Get a large bag of Cheetos (my vice of choice) and knock yourself out wallowing in your misery. Do it, but do it alone. Don’t drag others into your self-imposed misery. They don’t deserve that and you’re not going to be in this state very long anyway. Then the first thing tomorrow morning begin the process of reshaping the rest of your life, starting with the suggestions I have already offered. Moving purposefully forward trumps staring wistfully backwards every time.

I hope my thoughts on this are helpful.

Phillip Van Hooser
Leadership Expert, Author & Keynote Speaker
phil@vanhooser.com

It’s a fair question. One that organizational leaders in a broad range of industries are asking these days.

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Bill Adelman, General Manager at Hopkins County Coal, a division of Alliance Resource Partners, for his views on why a commitment to training supervisors and managers is so critical in his industry these days. 

Bill also shares the qualities to look for in a supervisory candidate, the biggest mistake supervisors often make and the one characteristic that makes supervisors and managers excel.

Great advice from someone on the front lines of leadership! Watch Bill Adelman here. 

Phillip Van Hooser
Leadership Expert, Author & Keynote Speaker
phil@vanhooser.com

We all know that times are tough. Bad economic news bombards us 24/7.
I graduated college in 1979 with a business degree. I was an enthusiastic, though still wet-behind-the-ears, future manager. I pranced out of the hallowed halls of academia and plunged chest deep into the murky waters of recession: circa 1980. Not since the early 1930s had America experienced such economic woe, evidenced by lost homes and businesses, plant closings, layoffs, high unemployment and double digit interest rates.
Fast forward to the 21st Century. As Yogi Berra so famously said, “It’s déjà vu all over again,” with the exception of the high interest rates, anyway.
So what strategic counter measures did I (and those of my generation) learn from our bosses of decades and recessions past? What tricks of the trade did our managers teach us?
Unfortunately, they must have taught us the bad tricks of balancing a budget. I’m sorry to say, they were too busy foolishly doing what too many of their modern day contemporaries are tempted to do today. They focused on indiscriminately slashing all “unnecessary” costs, including leadership training programs, in an effort to “right the ship.” In budget meetings they screamed, “Look at what those training programs are costing us!” in an attempt to justify their shortsighted views. Few stopped to consider or calculate the future peril-and heavy cost-that a lack of trained leaders might ultimately yield.
Now, back to the future. We find ourselves at that critical juncture again.
In a recent Wall Street Journal article by Dana Mattioli (“Despite Cutbacks, Firms Invest in Developing Leaders: Companies Renew Focus on Employee Training, Betting That Strong Managers Will Help Through the Recovery,” we’re told:
…a December (2008) survey of 117 large U.S. companies by Watson Wyatt Worldwide Inc. found 23% of respondents had recently cut training programs, and another 18% planned to do so this year.

Almost 40% have made, or are preparing to make the same mistakes, as their predecessors? Incredible!
Hold on, not so fast. Happily, there’s more to this story. There seems to be at least a glimmer of hope that 21st Century decision makers may be a bit more prescient than we initially give them credit for being. This WSJ article goes on to report:
…Despite layoffs and recession-starved budgets, many employers are investing in leadership-development programs, hoping not to be caught short of strong managers when the economy recovers…”Identifying and grooming leaders is important in good times,” says Bret Furio, senior vice president of consumer lifestyle for Philips Electronics North America. “In times of crisis when the economy is struggling,” he adds, “it’s imperative.”

And Yaarit Silverstone, global managing director for the organizational-effectiveness practice at consulting firm Accenture Ltd., reiterated in the article what many forward-thinking decision makers already knew:
…companies historically cut leadership-development programs during downturns, but the moves backfired, prompting midlevel managers and top performers to leave when the economy recovered. Now, she says, executives believe that without capable managers, “their ability to come through [the recession] in a healthy fashion is diminished.”

So what’s a manager to do in tough times such as these? To train or not to train, is no longer the question. Hopefully, we’re well past that. We surely know better.
Tough minded decision makers today will resist doing what weak minded decision makers of times past did too readily. They will resist jeopardizing the future of their organization by depriving it of its very lifeblood-effective, well-trained leaders. They will now and forever see the preparation of leaders through focused training exactly for what it is-an investment in the future, not a simply an easy cost to be eliminated.

Phillip Van Hooser
Leadership Expert, Author & Keynote Speaker
phil@vanhooser.com