Tag Archives: Character-based Leadership

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Leading in the Midst of Downsizing

Taking Care of People, Performance and You!

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A little over a month ago I spoke to a group of senior level business leaders. Toward the end of our time together, one man said his wife was working for an organization that has downsized several times in the past 12 months, the workload is increasing and morale is tanking. He wanted to know how to support her at a higher level.

Two weeks ago I watched another leader navigate the 4th layoff this year.

  • He shared how one man cried, how some sat in surprised silence and how others expressed anger.
  • He shared how the rest of team that loves and trusts him – couldn’t look him in the eye.
  • And then shared how decisions have been based almost entirely on cost savings – not about who is needed to cover all of the job functions, who is the most dedicated or the best team player or who they will need to reinvent the future.
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Truth, Freedom, and People – Need You!

A Call to Action from Our Shaking World

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Do you care deeply about truth, freedom and people from all nations races, and religions?  Do the debates about what the world should and should not be doing for refugees, about how to deal with the threat of terrorism without hating and fearing others, about the right to bear arms and the need for gun control – make your head spin?

We have a crisis of leadership and a need to personally be involved in changing the world of leadership for the better.  ~Mike Henry Sr.

Like many of you, I am deeply concerned about truth, freedom, people, and the state of leadership in my home country and in our world. And the more I read, listen and observe, the more I’m aware of:

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Uncomfortable Questions and Leadership…

Do you encourage them, consider them and ask them?

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I was leading a small team in a culturally diverse city in the U.S. when two of my employees asked why all the titled leaders on our leadership team were white.

I was raised in a part of the country that was not culturally diverse, today – nearly a decade after their question 89% of the population in my home state is white and 95% of the county that surrounded the town I grew up in was white.  As a result, it was a question I didn’t see coming and one I did not have a good answer for.

[Tweet “If you seek to lead well… You will consider uncomfortable questions.”]

My reactions:

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Why you should hire “Diamonds in the Rough”

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For years I’ve been asking executives and hiring managers what their biggest challenge is. At least 90% of the time I get the same answer: “People.” That comment is quickly followed by an explanation about how hard it is to find enough qualified and caring people to do the work.

It is interesting to note that some titled leaders are so desperate for people that they hire anyone that can “fog a mirror” which often results in skill gaps and behavioral issues that can damage their culture and reputation and stunt their growth.

Other titled leaders hold so tightly to a specific checklist of requirements that they miss hiring a stronger applicant that has the passion, drive and emotional intelligence to take their department and organization to the next level.

Often their decision to wait a long time to fill a needed position adds stress to their teams, and doesn’t guarantee a cultural fit, the drive or the fresh perspective that instigate growth.

If your organization is struggling to find smart, caring, committed people that will improve your culture, your service and your reputation then consider this.

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Your Organization: A Reflection of What YOU Create & Allow

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Several years ago I was asked to serve on a Board that was responsible for overseeing resources from the federal, state and local area.

To learn more, I did a lot of research and then decided to drive to the locations that provided those services.

I found the first location with no problem.

But when I followed my GPS to the second location. I found a police station. Then drove up and down the street and around in circles.

I tried to call but a recording made it impossible to reach a live person. …When I finally asked a police officer, he had no idea where the place was.

Eventually I drove down a little alley. Parked my car and walked into a building – that was right next door to the police station, with old lettering on it that read, “Community Center”. Inside a bunch of cubicles filled a large area that had at one time been used for community gatherings.

It was indeed the location I was looking for.