With all the turmoil in the markets this last week we started talking with some of our clients about how it’s affecting their businesses.  Stocks continued to decline today on news of the clash in Washington between the Bush administration, Republican John McCain and Democrat Baraq Obama.  http://www.boston.com/business/markets/articles/2008/09/26/wall_street_points_lower_after_gdp_revision/Our

Our firm got together yesterday afternoon to discuss what our role should be– in helping clients who are handling difficult communications with their employees, customers, analysts and the media. 

One of our clients told us yesterday that she has prepared the talking points– but isn’t at all confident her leadership can deliver the messages effectively.   Another said they have been inundated by calls and emails from concerned employees.  They are naturally anxious about the impact of the market swings and government bail-out talks; they know it may hit home in their 401 K plans, their jobs, and even the future of the company. 

With that in mind, I thought just to check in with any of you reading the blog and say if we can be helpful, let us know.  It can be pretty lonely to be a leader during times like these, and many leaders are feeling vulnerable themselves; you are not alone as you deal with the pressures of communicating in tough times with employees, customers, vendors, analysts and media outlets.

What you are dealing with is people’s feelings of vulnerability; you need to communicate very effectively to get people focused, motivated and energized, so they keep their companies moving forward. 

By the way there is a school of thought that volatility is a good thing for “value creation.”  If you want to look at the bright side, check out the article in Fast Company: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/36/ideazone.html 

However, while we wait to see how this all shakes out, we have to keep our companies in the black and moving forward.  One of the most important things leaders can do in these times is to remind people what their real purpose is, why it matters, and what they can do to keep the company on solid financial footing.  Leaders who are highly motivated by purpose themselves create positive momentum by attracting others who want to work with purpose and contribute to the solution.  When you have people working “on purpose” you don’t have to work so hard to manage them.  They are far less distracted by little bumps; when faced with bigger bumps they meet them head-on, knowing how important their work is to the enterprise.

Right now, I’m putting together an advance excerpt of the 8 principles of motivating people with communication, from my upcoming book, Motivate Like a CEO, Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act! (McGraw Hill 2009).  I feel these ideas are important to share right now as companies are being buffeted by bad news. 

If you would like a PDF copy of this article please email Meredith O’Connor, our Marketing and Communications Director, moconnor@bates-communications.com and we’ll forward it immediately.