April 2008

 

Given the rise in public disclosures of moral and ethical failures among key leaders, more organizations are facing the challenge of recovering from these difficult and often untimely revelations. Employees often learn of these events in the news headlines and become caught up in an unwanted public drama that causes them to question the mission and values that attracted them to the organization and plays a significant role in their continued contribution and commitment. 

Organizational leadership during these intense times tends to center around external damage control with stakeholders, customers, and constituents. However, the lack of an effective internal leadership response to employees can be as counter-productive to the organization as a poorly executed external communication strategy. This is more than mere public relations work; it is tending to the culture, heart and soul of the organization.  How do leaders help the workforce recover from a crisis in confidence evoked by these troubling disclosures? From our coaching experience, effective leaders reach out to employees in four significant ways.

1.   Perspective.  Leadership requires offering perspectives that prevent the impact of these events from becoming the dominant view of the organization. Employees need to hear that the passion and dedication to the mission and values are in tact, the board and senior leadership team are working to address key concerns, and the organization will make the necessary adjustments and become stronger for it.

2.   Acknowledgement. Key leaders recognize that employees have dealt with their own shock and disappointment. Leaders move quickly to address the public disclosures with employees, acknowledge the stress this creates for them, and enlist their support in working through the unexpected challenges that have surfaced.

3.   Transparency. For the next several weeks, credible and informed leaders have regular briefings with employees to update them on relevant findings, initiatives, and changes as a result of the disclosure. Frequent briefings are critical to rebuilding and retaining employee trust across the organization.

4.   Relief. Experienced leaders recognize that they move more quickly to a solution mindset than the rest of the organization. Employees further down in the organization may need additional assistance to process their own reactions. Relief for them may involve forums where they can verbalize their frustrations and concerns or restructuring work priorities in recognition of the dip in productivity that accompanies these situations.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Public memory regarding accusations of leadership misconduct is often short-lived. However, institutional memory regarding these embarrassing indictments lives on in the hearts and minds of employees. Staff remembers how they were valued in the midst of the stormy controversy. Leaders who attend to both the external and internal needs for information, communication, and attention create a more resilient organization, one where employees still give the organization the benefit of the doubt when unexpected change surfaces in the future.

Call us, we can help.

Personal Service.  Consistently Delivered.  Worldwide.    
When You Need Us. . . We’ll Be Here. 

Phone:  952.525.1475            
            
Email:  Organizational-Innovations@oipartners.net