Last week I attended a seminar arranged by RogenSi on ‘Leadership in Challenging Times” – and it was good. It was a timely reminder on what is needed to drive a business/team or division forward when all around things are looking a bit gloomy or shaky.
One phrase that struck the right note: “When times are tough it is not good enough to be good, you have to be great. Your achievements have to be extraordinary”.
So sitting there I realised that this is a time where wisdom and experience speak volumes.
I have been committed to the recruitment industry for over 21 years. (Yes, time flies…) and I have seen challenging times before. I remembered back to 1990 post ‘crash’, and the impact was still being felt. It is hard to forget the panicked calls we received from people who were absolutely desperate for work.
At that time we had a cupboard that was stacked neatly with glass vases and bowls that were the farewell presents for the colleagues we too, had to say good bye to. We literally shut the doors of the Auckland South Branch, locked up and let the dust settle quietly until the operation had turned a corner and we were able to reopen it some many months later. They were sobering days.
On a personal note, it was at this time, that out of the blue, a baby arrived into our lives. I still recall the shock that her arrival caused! (But what a glorious shock!) I had 7 days off work and returned back on reduced hours working 3 or 4 days a week, determined to try and pull a ‘rabbit out of the hat’ because it was clear that the crash was creating havoc. It was a time of great learning.
So back to the RogenSi seminar listening to the master trainer (with a lovely Irish accent) – in a packed room where a few people were in my ‘baby boomer category’ and the rest all Gen Y or X, it was like déjà vu. Up popped some of the lessons once learned but had been neatly tucked away for tough times:
- Resilience is essential
- Hard decisions cannot be delayed
- Planning and communication are vital
- Short term thinking has an important place
- Encouraging people to stretch is key because to be good is not good enough, you have to be great.
