Adrian Gostick

Something primeval happens to the human body when we are faced with the uncertainty of a tough economy … what will happen to my company, my job, my work friends, my future? It’s a little like walking into a dark alley and suddenly facing a man with a gun. Forget fight or flight, most of us simply become paralyzed by fear.

As managers, we must understand that extended periods of fear and insecurity can lead to negative behaviors in our employees: 1) a gradual slowing of action until employees are unproductive, or 2) an excess of “busy” actions that are not helpful to the organization. Those frenzied behaviors can include an inordinate amount of time spent complaining to each other, a penchant for choosing to perform simple tasks that are familiar while avoiding harder but necessary jobs, Twittering or checking Facebook obsessively, eating more, and becoming more anxious and nervous in the office and at home.
Fear is not our enemy. It certainly can give us energy to drive harder toward a better future. But strong leadership is required to help direct energy toward positive behaviors that further company goals. Employees need to be given clear directions regularly, they need to feel their leaders are communicating all the news that affects them as soon as they know it, and they need to feel trust in management and fellow workers.
Here are some ways to help the situation.
First, walk around. Spend a few minutes every day talking to your employees in their work spaces. A few simple questions will get the conversations rolling: Do you have any questions about the company’s direction right now? Is there anything you are working on that I can help with? What have you been most proud to accomplish at work over the past few weeks?
Second, ramp up recognition. In these turbulent times, people need to be shown a better way. You can talk until you are blue in the face about innovation, customer service, teamwork, ownership, or other values. But if you want to really get employees’ attention, let them see their peers getting awards for living these values.

Do you want to know what your boss thinks of you? Chester and I sent out our monthly newsletter yesterday and shared insights into what your boss is thinking when you do certain things, like bring her a cup of coffee in the morning or don’t speak up in a meeting. We’ve added some questions since Chester discussed this topic with ABC News in a recent interview. There are also some great ideas for summertime Carrots and ways to keep a team motivated through the hot vacation season. To view the August issue, click here.

We received some frightening responses to our recent request for your recognition horror stories. Here’s a humorous one that many of you have probably seen played out at some point in your career:

I work for an insurance company in the Boston area.  I recently attended a department meeting with about 75 or so fellow employees. A presentation regarding upcoming proposals, changes, and an outlook on how the company was doing was followed by an awards presentation for certain employees who had worked here for 30, 25, and 10 years. They each received some sort of arrangement of flowers in a decorative vase and were called up individually to receive their award. However, the presentation consisted of calling out each employee’s name, a handshake from management, and the word “Congratulations.“  No mention of who these people were, what they did at the company, or any tribute to their dedication and devotion to the company. I half expected management to call out—“Here’s yer flowers…see you in another 30 years.“

A few weeks later, a memo was sent around saying that our company was entered in a newspapers’ “Top 100 Places to Work” in the state, and that we would all be asked to anonymously answer surveys.  I can only imagine how the award recipients, and others who witnessed the event, will respond to the survey!  It seems we’d be more likely to win “Top 100 Places to Get Away from Before You Spend The Rest of Your Lives There Underappreciated!“

-Brent in Boston

Good luck, Brent. I suggest you send a copy of The Carrot Principle to your upper management before the next awards presentation. You never know…

As leaders, we can learn much from Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals, which details how President Abraham Lincoln formed a team of cabinet members who preserved a nation and freed the country from slavery.

It’s important to note that “prairie lawyer” Lincoln was not the front runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 1860. Most pundits predicted a veteran politician such as William Henry Seward, Salmon Chase or Edward Bates would receive the nod. When Lincoln was selected by the delegates and then eventually elected President, he chose each of these rivals to be on his cabinet, believing he “had no right to deprive the country of these great men.” In fact, he created a cabinet comprised of radicals, moderates and conservatives, arguing that a team with just one philosophy might as well be made up of just one person. Lincoln’s brilliant leadership enabled him to herd these cats and keep them focused through one of the most difficult times in American history.

So how did he do it? First, Lincoln was steadfast in his purpose. He gave his team a vision of their goal that was unchanging, but he was utterly respectful of the opinions of those on his cabinet in how each of them would accomplish their parts. Next, he had a superb ability to communicate with all levels of people, from his colleagues to the general public—his Gettysburg Address, for example remains, one of the most poignant speeches ever given, and it was but two minutes long. And finally, he had a tremendous ability to ignore personal slights and continue to work with those of different ideologies.

As leaders, what can we take away from Lincoln’s legacy? Our vision should be clear and inspiring to our people, our communication must be succinct and open, and our skin should be thick as we welcome divergent ideas and opinions.

In this economy, we are spending more hours on the job than ever before. Faced with a shortage of good jobs, increased competition, demanding executives, layoffs and off-shoring, most of us are plugged into work at all hours through laptops, wireless connections, cell phones, and other digital devices. In fact, some 25 million U.S. workers today report working an average of more than 50 hours a week, with 40 percent of those workaholics logging more than 60 hours a week. An average American or Canadian worker puts in a full month of hours (160 to be precise) more each year than a generation ago, more than the citizens of any other Western/European country, and even longer hours than medieval peasants did in servitude.

In the 1990s, many employees looked at hard work as a means to an early retirement with appreciating stock options, bulging 401(k) accounts, or big cash rewards from impending IPOs. Then came the startling realities of the dot-com crash, 9/11, and the recent economic collapse. All of which leaves many employees disillusioned, doubting the dream of any out—let alone an early one. In this month’s edition of HR Magazine, the Society for Human Resource Management says wage loses from this meltdown may be long lasting. In fact SHRM predicts some of us may not recover in time for retirement. Gulp.

Here’s the bottom line: our people are nervous and overworked. As managers we must learn from these macro trends and be sensitive to the pressures and attitudes of those who serve our customers. Employee engagement is paramount to our teams and our organizational ability to survive, and it is more important now than it has ever been before. A new approach is urgently needed. It’s time to gather your people together to assess where you stand and set clear goals. Communicate openly and honestly. Is this the time to foster a “need to know” communication policy? Only if you want to lose the trust and commitment of your people.

And don’t forget to appreciate when you see great work. Most of us who manage others are poor at recognition in our employees’ eyes, but recognition is the accelerator that will spur smart ideas, extra effort and greater teamwork.