The Leader and their gang
The new Leader didn’t so much fire the starting pistol as blast the organisation with a sawn off shotgun. This was a transition to a new more ruthless, more aggressive organisation, kicking off with high impact short term actions.The leader set the tone. Communication was forceful , blunt and to the point. Instructions were clear leaving no room for questions or dissent and certainly not up for discussion.They were scary and they were in charge.
The effect was traumatic. And no-one was more traumatised than HR. We were nolonger playing by the rules. In this situation you don’t argue . The initial instinct of a CE is to play along. Hence telling people to stay calm and cooperate. Give them what they want.
It’s a stressful situation. The questions flow. Is this how it’s going to be now? Was this a one off ? Will things settle back down or will things never be the same again? Will CE find a better way? Can moral and trust be restored ?
It’s uncertain. Then CE gets to work.
The task -to re introduce compassionate management, to have meaningful engagement with employees, to make the case for ethical business , to encourage a more open, transparent approach to making decisions. The priority- to demonstrate to the leader that organisations that adopt compassionate management and a strategic approach to HR are more agile and more resilient and therefore better equipped for an uncertain future.
Blair McPherson former director author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
