I don’t know the origin of the term “all hands meeting.” Sometimes people refer to it by the acronym AHM.  Just a little advice — AHM can also refer to:

• Automated Hacking Machines
• Adaptive Handoff Management
• Airline History Museum
• Airport Handling Manual
• Anterior Hyaloid Membrane

…and over a dozen other terms, so personally I would avoid it.  Could be confusing.  As acronyms usually are.

Anyway, I would venture the All Hand Meeting term originated with the maritime phrase “all hands on deck.”  Picture the ship captain (that’s YOU!  Or the EXECUTIVE TEAM!), charting a course (the BUSINESS STRATEGY), and then calling the crew (EMPLOYEES) up top for a hearty kick in the wooly britches.  The captain urges the swashbucklers to toughen up for the voyage (NEXT QUARTER), brace for the next storm (STRUGGLING GLOBAL ECONOMY, NEW COMPETITIVE CHALLENGES), and fortify themselves for a long stretch without provisions (BUDGET CUTS), not to mention and stingy meals of stale bread and water (LOUSY RAISES AND BONUSES).   Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! 

Ah! The All Hands Meeting.  What will you say when you get up to speak about the state of the organization?  How will you stand and deliver a talk that perfectly frames the current issues, challenging people to move forward and redouble their efforts?  

The purpose of the all hands meeting is quite simple.  Think of it as the President’s State of the Union Address.  You may not get 40 standing ovations on live TV, but your talk should stir genuine emotion from your employees.  Strive to speak eloquently, succinctly and clearly about the current and future state of the enterprise.  Paint a vision of where you have been and where you are going.  Get out the compass, set a course, and tell us how we get to that distant shore.

So, your AHM is coming up soon.  Where should you begin?

May I suggest that the first step is NOT to pull out the musty, old slide deck from the LAST quarter’s all hands meeting.  Think about starting from scratch, and preparing a fresh, new, “killer” presentation.  

What you say matters.  Every word.  Take time to make it great.  Getting people together isn’t logistically easy, and it’s expensive.  And your own professional reputation is riding on this.  You’re evaluated as a leader every time you get up to speak.  Make it count. 

One thing about this fall that’s worth noting - people are still feeling “at sea” because of economic uncertainty.  You would think they would be more motivated to work hard.  But people are actually  paralyzed by fear.  Clear the log jam and get that ship sailing.  

I do everything in my power to shut out the drumbeat of negative economic news, as I know you do.  But  most people don’t.  So it takes a toll.  They need leaders who will stand up and lead. People are only human; they’ve been resourceful for a long time, projects are demanding, and they are tired.  They need to be inspired.

My advice? To inspire, you have to BE inspired.   Ask yourself these questions and then answer them for your team: 

1.        Where are we going? And why is it the right course?  How do you know?

2.       What makes you believe it can be done?  

3.       How do you know that our team can do this?  

4.       Where can we course-correct?   

5.       How do you know we can do it? 

6.       What’s cool about our company? (Tell them how brilliant they are)  

7.       How will we know when we’ve arrived?   

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Leadership guy Jon Gordon is writing about a timely topic. The author of  Playing to Win, What the Best do Better Than Everyone Else, and Training Camp, Ten Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and team with Positive Energy, writes this week that “There was a time in most of our lives when we had no fear-that feeling when we jumped from the jungle gym and slammed our little bodies to the ground.”  He says we “felt there was nothing we couldn’t do.”  Yet somewhere along the way Gordon notes that we start to understand what it means to be fearful, and “let fear into our lives.”  And this of course, changes the way we approach our careers and our lives.

This is a timely message.  Even the most intrepid, courageous leader has been battered by tough economic times.  No question that the downturn has helped us focus on the highest priorites, improve efficiency, and execute with fewer resources.  Yet now is not the time to operate in fear. It’s time to screw up our courage, dive in the pool, and encourage our teams to do the same.  We’ve need to break away from the negative energy that is feeing our fears and insecurities; stop listening to the inner voice that says we shouldn’t or can’t.  As Gordon says, “go after our dreams.”  What’s at stake is not just the opportunity in front of us.  Living in fear can become a habit that keeps us stuck for the rest of our lives.

If you “play to lose,” and communicate this to others, then everyone in your organization will do the same.  That’s why everytime you speak with your direct reports, your teams, and your organization you need to get focused and feel the courage. People aren’t just listening to the words, they are reading between the lines.  You can’t fool them.  Take charge of your emotional state before you speak.  Communicate wih confidence. Invite others to make courageous decisions.  Make them believe in themselves.  Encourage them to lose the fear. 

As I’ve discussed in Motivate Like a CEO, leaders are the keepers of the emotional life of their organizations.  In challenging times, they must take control of their emotions and lead the way.  If you are a leader, now is the time to take an emotional inventory, before you stand up to speak.  Get in touch with your own courage, and then, light a fire; make them believe. If you live and work with zeal and act with courage they will do the same. As Gordon puts it, “overcome fear and adopt a play to win mindset.”   

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The turnaround is coming.  You may already feel it.  The phone is starting to ring. Customers are coming out of their caves.  They’re talking about new projects and purchases they’ve been putting off, things that they just don’t want to delay any more.  Yes, budgets are tight, but you sense things beginning to happen.  It’s in the air.  And, you may think you’re more than ready– it’s been a long, cold winter.  But is your organization ready for the upturn?  Are your leaders ready to lead in this new world?   

Let me give you an example of where some companies may get tripped up.  Let’s say you’ve completed anticipated layoffs but the restructuring is midstream; there is still a lot of confusion within businesses or groups, as people try to figure out roles, responsibilities and priorities.  Leaders who are new in their roles are just locking in on strategic objectives and have not yet communicated those to their teams.  

A round of musical chairs at the top – with new people in key positions, creates a tremendous amount of uncertainty.  If they were promoted from the ranks to take their boss’s place, they may have the raw talent, but lack the preparation and training.  Sure you can watch them sink or swim, but you need everybody swimming right now.  They have to be effective immediately.  This means learning to think and act strategically, and also being able to effectively communicate a plan and get people moving in one direction.

A leader’s role is really not to do the work, but to motivate and inspire others to do the work of the enterprise.  And these workers have been through the ringer over the past 12 to 17 months.   Many employees are still stressed out.  Their spouses may still be unemployed, they’ve taken pay cuts, their former colleagues and friends may still be out of work, and they may not be certain the other shoe isn’t about to drop. 

This means your leaders must manage the emotional side of their organizations, create a positive, productive atmosphere.  They need to listen well and develop a strong feedback loop so they know what’s really going on deep in their organizations, where the creativity lives.  They need to be able to cull the best ideas and energize their teams to innovate and find solutions.  This requires a level of communication skill that many leaders have not yet developed.  They’re excellent technically and have good business minds, but now they need to communicate as leaders.

In addition, there’s the issue of attracting and retaining the best talent.  If your company grew leaner over the last six months, that’s probably a good thing; however, if you had cut with an ax instead of a scalpel, you’ve had some brain drain.  This may leaves gaping holes that you need to fill – talent you need to hire.  That’s exciting.  But also daunting. 

One secret to attracting new talent is to have leaders in place who are known for their ability to develop people.  Talented young people want to go to work for leaders they admire and respect.  Knowledge workers and high potentials are looking for a boss who appreciates them, engages them and understands their value.  So getting ready for the upturn is something your organization needs to take seriously.  In the new world, leaders have to be very good at connecting top talent to the organization and creating a strong culture.  

We’re not there yet.  We’re poised for the return of the buyer.  The Business Roundtable First Quarter 2009 CEO Economic Outlook Survey found CEOs actually expect a decrease in sales, capital expenditures and employment.  However, it’s coming soon.  Harold McGraw Hill III, Chairman of the group, as well as Chairman, President and CEO Of the McGraw-Hill Companies, said, “Fortunately, both U.S. and foreign governments have recognized this need (for economic stimulus) and taken significant steps to spark demand. And while recently implemented Administration policies will take time to have an impact, they already have begun to restore confidence in our markets, which is a critical first step.”

Six months is no time…in business … everybody knows you need to be ahead of the curve.  That means preparing your leaders to lead.  There is nothing more valuable than the ramp up time you have right now to develop their talents and skills.  When business returns, the companies that invested in their leaders will be the ones poised to seize the day.    

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Are the people who have kept their jobs after a layoff more stressed out than those who were shown the door?  Eben Harrell reported recently in Time Magazine’s online version Time.com that at a conference at the University of Cambridge researchers reported yes-they are.  Compared with people who are straight-up laid off, “those who keep their job but are under a constant threat of losing it suffer a greater decline in mental well-being.”

When you think about it, it makes sense.  If you lose your job, as stressful as it is, you have the opportunity to go through a grieving process, to start anew, and perhaps even find a better, more suitable opportunity.  As stressful as it is financially and emotionally to lose a job, you can focus on health, exercise, family, relationships and self care.   

Not that losing your job is a cakewalk, either, says Carl Schneider, a Cambridge-based career counselor and psychotherapist.  Today’s Boston.com quotes Schneider saying, “It helps people if they can remember that being laid off brings irritability and sleep problems,” he says. Expect to feel hurt, angry, rejected, even depressed. Remind your partner or your roommates you’re not going to be at your best. Cut yourself some slack.

But back to the research on those who remain on the job.  Brendan Burchell, a Cambridge sociologist, suggest that employed people who feel insecure in their job display similar levels of anxiety and depression as those who are unemployed. What’s fascinating is that a newly jobless person’s mental health may “bottom out” after about six months, and then even begin to improve.  However, the mental state of those who still have jobs, but are perpetually worried about losing them, “just continues to deteriorate, getting worse and worse,” Burchell says.

Furthermore, while workers may still be in a ’shock’ period,” after they endure the ongoing threat of being fired — they may begin to suffer severe symptoms of anxiety and depression, such as insomnia, substance abuse and lethargy.  All of this stems from the frustration of not being able to plan for their future or feel in control of their life.

How can leaders communicate with a stressed out workforce?  

• First, accept the issue of stress is real.  This doesn’t mean you need to coddle people - in fact quite the opposite.  You reduce stress by telling them what’s happening
• Communicate this “straight up” information on a regular basis, not just in a crisis meeting, so that people always know where things stand. 
• Remember, it’s not false comfort people are seeking, it’s to know what you know, when you know it.  They want the truth about the situation.  And they want to know how they can help.

If this research is correct, then not knowing is the most stressful part of being employed in uncertain times.  Therefore, as a leader you need to bring some measure of certainty about the facts as you know them today, even if you’re not sure what the future holds.  What I know from experience in working with executives is they tend to go behind closed doors, fret, and stew, and even try to “protect” people by keeping a lid on bad news and imminent risks. 

If employees know more, they can contribute more.  They will arguably be more productive, because they aren’t spending all their time worrying about things that may or may not happen.  Don’t sugar coat the news, but be optimistic about what they can do- in other words, tell them which parts they can control.  No leader has a crystall ball, but you do have a current picture of the business today.  Why not open up and share what is relevant with your employees?

When I started writing Motivate Like a CEO, times were better, and yet even then, our survey found that leaders could do a far better job keeping people in the loop.  Here’s a sample of what they said:

“I need my company’s leadership to communicate to me and my colleagues to provide a context for our work and a purpose for our everyday contributions”

“I feel like I need that high-level, overarching vision to motivate me t6o do my best work and to focus my work toward what helps the company bottom line.”

“Employees are not mind readers.  It’s important that they stay connected to a vision larger than their own to succeed personally and help their company succeed.”

“If employees understand why they are doing certain things and what the ultimate goal is, they will be more enthusiastic and take ownership.”

Employees long to be part of a greater purpose and want their leaders to communicate with them and tell them how they can do so.  What greater purpose exists right now for them than to marshall all of their creativity and energy to helping their own companies survive and thrive?   

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