Managing People During Difficult Times Economic Recovery: Planning for a Strong Rebound William Tell Holiday Inn, Coun

1. Managing People During Difficult TimesEconomic Recovery: Planning for a Strong ReboundWilliam Tell Holiday Inn, Countryside, IL June 23, 2010 Presenter: Becky J. Frederick, President, Workplace Strategy

2. What will we discuss today? How do you manage people during difficult and turbulent times? � How do you develop and execute people practices that continuously engage employees?� How do you prepare for the rebound?

3. What are YOUR current HR concerns or issues? What are you experiencing right now? What are you most worried about?

4. Every crisis offers you extra desired power . - William Moulton Marston

5. Managing People in Difficult Times Know what is happening �out there� Be a change agent Set clear direction for your organization and employees Be an effective leader Communicate, communicate, communicate Develop strong team skills Create a positive work environment Retain the right people Counsel poor performers

6. Know what is happening �out there� What do you know? How do you know it? How do you share information? Do you set aside time to �strategically think�?

7. Be a change agent Acknowledge and live the change Be vulnerable and open Ask lots of questions Listen AND hear what is really being said

8. Set clear direction for your organization and its employees Decisive short-term action balanced with strategic, long-term initiatives The power of �and� Tough � and thoughtful - decisions

9. Be a thoughtful and deliberate leader Strong presence increases engagement Effective decision making - conserve cash AND invest in tools, resources, talent Visibility and communication Encourage and develop talent

10. Communicate, communicate, communicate Inconsistency and mixed messages There is nothing to hide If there is a vacuum, we make up our own story Different methods in different ways, but always direct and honest

11. Develop strong team skills What are your current team strengths? Where are the gaps? How can you involve employees in new ways that offer professional development and fill those gaps?

12. Create a positive work environment Reward achievements and high performance Encourage growth opportunities Collaborate toward solutions Highlight lessons learned

13. Retain the right people What do you need to do and deliver in the next 1-3 years? Who has the skills, experiences, relationships to do this critical work? What is your process for looking at your critical needs and matching resources? Who are your top performers?

14. Counsel your poor performers What is poor performance? Consistent and fair process Documentation and continuous feedback

15. How do you prepare for the rebound? Look at your relationships Evaluate your resources Take calculated risks with human (and other) resources Understand the effect of your current actions on the future Set aside time to think and reflect

16. Thinking is the place where intelligent actions begin. We pause long enough to look more carefully at a situation, to see more of its character, to think about why it's happening, to notice how it's affecting us and others.  - Margaret J. Wheatley

17. Do you have more questions? Becky J. Frederick, President Workplace Strategy, Chicago, IL bjf@workplacestrategy.com