I was talking to a captain of British industry last week and it was a doleful dialogue. His glass was definitely half empty. He didn’t believe the economic forecasters’ growth story and saw the economy flat; he saw the low interest rate economy as a charade as he paid the bank seven times Bank Base rate for the money he borrowed; his customers were continuously demanding price cuts but taking 70 days to pay his invoices; his workers were disengaged as they had not had a pay increase for three years and he couldn’t see one on the horizon. But demand for his product was growing.
My advice was to be courageous and take the actions which would make your company more successful. So what advice is available to help business leaders to be more courageous? Well plenty really.
Above all courageous leaders let their principles guide them. They have to make difficult decisions and stand by them (think of George Osborne and his Plan A) whatever the consequences. But they also need to pick their battles carefully: you can’t win everything and sometimes leaders need to give in especially in doing so as it will assist in achieving longer term goals. Courage also requires emotional stability which means dealing with feelings in a balanced way, namely you can’t suppress them but at the same time you can’t get carried away – my tip when feelings are starting to run away is to take a break by adjourning a meeting and re-balancing yourself (‘phone a friend’ may be helpful). But such an approach should not inhibit saying what you mean otherwise people will never understand your point as it will never be made.
Courageous leaders challenge norms. Remember the old cliché “if you always do what you always did you always get what you always got”. In reality organisations that don’t make change are often found going backwards as competitors find more effective ways of improving their businesses. Finally stand tall! Too often leaders look for consensus, if you are convinced you are right then take decisive action and get the rest of the team to follow. When the successes happen communicate them widely, thank all those involved (a pat on the shoulder, a bonus, a pay rise or whatever works in your culture), remind them that more change is on the way and create an environment where change becomes the norm. Captain courageous will then become the architect of the continuously improving business.
Dr Hugh Billot, Deputy Chairman
HR GO Group of Recruitment Companies
HR GO Recruitment offers solutions to all your staffing needs, temporary and permanent, please call 0845 130 7000
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