Make Time To Develop Your People
When Will We Be There?
We took our boys down to North Carolina last summer to see their grandparents. We broke the drive into three days down and three days back and about 5-6 hour blocks. It was inevitable that we were going to hear the proverbial “when will we be there?” or “how much longer?” We of course had to answer in terms that a seven year old could understand. For example, fifteen minutes = one Sponge Bob episode, so two hours is eight Sponge Bob episodes and so on.
Right about now we are all asking the same questions about the recession. It seems like we were ramping up for it for two or three years and now that it’s arrived (and boy has it arrived) we hear mixed messages of a possible end in sight. So do we spend another 2-3 years ramping down? What a long trip.
It was easy for folks to jump on the poor recession bandwagon and you can tell they have. Spending is frozen on most developmental programs. Team building (the real stuff) and leadership development were almost non-existent in 2009.
Fortunately we were blessed. Our clients believe in what we do and agree that the best place for an investment right now is in the growth and health of the organization, especially improving the functioning of the executive team, and their clarification of and recommitment to the organization’s values and purpose.
Smart executive teams have taken the opportunity during slow times to build greater trust and a cohesive membership. This benefits the organization as it will reduce the uncertainty that causes distrust, especially during tough times, and it will promote better decisions about the future of the business. The strategy should be to emerge galvanized and stronger than ever when things turn and be that much further in the game than your competition.
Early in my career I was in Exercise Physiology, certified by the American College of Sports Medicine. That’s right, Nick Conner, fitness trainer to the rich and famous. I would always get a kick out of the people whose goals were to get in shape in order to look good enough to join a gym. I always thought the gym was for getting in shape.
My point is that developing effective leaders and a cohesive team at any level is a process, not an event. We shouldn’t wait until things are better then decide to make an effort to better ourselves.
So, are we there yet? There are positive economic signs around the world, but are we there yet? How many Sponge Bob episodes until we feel confident to invest in our people for the future of the organization? The time is now.