Where is the middle ground for Corporates in the current economic climate?

Here is an interesting thought for the corporate CEO out there today - which category does your company fall into?

A – Quick! We are in hunker-down mode. Let’s stop all the expansion, development and innovation initiatives and wait for the crisis to pass.

Or

B – There is a crisis. Let’s take the opportunity to change everything and see if we can be in a different place?

Your organisation’s loyal subjects, in the meantime, are confused by the sudden “brakes on” or “charge!” edicts coming down from on high. They are quietly becoming more and more frustrated. The organisation they joined now appears to be moving in a completely different direction. They can’t rationalise it and their voices go unheard along the glass and steel corridor.

I can’t tell you how many call-in conversations I’ve had this week from solid talent venting spleen about their frustrations. I’m hearing a resounding chorus of “WE ARE MISSING THE WAVE OF OPPORTUNITY”.

My advice to them, for what it’s worth, may sound clichéd but don’t jump from the frying pan into the fire. The grass is not always greener on the other side after all.

And for the CEOs - in order to keep your talent ensure you give them a voice – communication in these times is the key to keeping people motivated. These are the people you want to keep, given that you’ve no doubt streamlined recently. Attrition now is the last thing you want in your senior management teams.

That said, I’m very happy to be agony aunt in the short term to those of you with itchy feet and of course you’ll receive a discrete tap on the shoulder at an appropriate time in the future. Keep in touch with us.

By Debby Lloyd
Managing Director, EcoSearch