Welcome to Dr. Linne Bourget for Positive Leaders in Crisis and (yes)Turnarounds! What You Say Is What You Get® Blog April 2020
Hello Leaders,
Crisis and loss all around us due to the COVID-19 virus and many negative media
messages, spread fear along with information. Physical distancing, loss of regular
work relationships and social connections.
(Thanks to the Dean of the Boston University School of Public Health for saying
physical distancing instead of social distancing, more accurate and supportive.)
--Having to lay off employees, guilty and upset about losing them and revenue,
missing working with them, grief and loss, working at home.
--Having to re-hire them for Payment Protection Program funds.
--Having to plow through the just-forming government support programs.
--Worry about your company, large or small, can you stay afloat?
I have never seen a greater temptation to sail into negative leadership waters.
But here’s the thing....if you model negative leadership, you will make things
worse for employees and your firm, now and for the future.
Still Traumatized After All These Years--True Client Story
A client CFO in a large East Coast organization had me interview his major internal
customers about their IT needs. I reported back after my interviews and his
IT group developed a better system using customers’ needs.
Roll-out was going great except for one important technology group,
not in my interview set, who gave no co-operation despite requests
rom my client’s IT team. Puzzled, he asked me to find out why.
When I talked with the non-responsive group, I found them wounded,
traumatized and angry.
Why? Eight years before, their boss had betrayed them, and they had never healed!
They were still stuck after 8 years, and could not work with my client! No one had
helped them. When I told my client, he was amazed.
When I asked him if he would approve and pay for my helping them heal,
as that is an area of my expertise, he immediately said, yes, please go!
Only after meeting with them in a professional organizational healing process
could they move forward and accept my client’s new system. Complaining to
each other for 8 years just made things worse, as venting usually does
without professional skills to help clients resolve trauma.
Don’t allow this to happen to your company!
How Can You Lead Through Crisis and Trauma to Turnaround?
This may seem overwhelming, but skills make this possible!
Three Keys:
1. Acknowledge the negative realities but don’t live there, just visit...
let your teams know you care and it is hard for you to lay them off,
lose revenue and have uncertainty about the future. Do your planning
as much as you can, knowing it will shift, to have something to tell them.
2. Do not let the negative emotions and circumstances take center stage.
Be sure to state something positive, your commitment, your plans,
re-assurance about the future, that this is temporary, we will get through it,
Even more important now: Manage your and your company’s psychology
to stay positive. Positive leaders know they must manage their own psychology
and the psychology of their employees to survive and keep the ship steady.
Fear destroys revenue. Confidence builds it. Keep the vision alive that your
firm will succeed, this is just temporary and it will pass. Don’t let the crisis
be bigger than your vision, make the vision bigger than the crisis!
3. Provide positive leadership communication for yourself and your teams.
3A. For yourself:
Remind yourself of your strengths and successes, your company’s mission.
Crises do not take those away from you. Stand on those to respect your strength
and confidence. Meditate, pray, breathe, stay calm, stand on affirmations,
scripture, values, positive quotes that steady you, talk to those with a positive
perspective to keep your emotional balance. Avoid fear-mongers
as much as possible. Others are looking to you for guidance. Inner discipline is key.
“Without full knowledge of your best,
you have only half the truth - the worst half.”
Dr. Linne’s Positive Power Quote
3B For your employees:
If you had to lay people off, or re-hire them, appreciate them in their teams
for their contribution and strengths.
Work with your executive team and employees reminding them of their strengths and
successes and the importance of your business and their contribution.
Look for new opportunities in the crisis.
If I interviewed your employees, how would they rate you on keeping a
positive atmosphere during tough times? We can help if you wish.
As an Economist, I see great things are possible with great leadership. When the COVID-19 virus happened, our economy was super strong with
the lowest unemployment in half a century, and for minorities,
the lowest ever. More jobs will be created in the U.S. as we withdraw
some from China. Our economy will re-bound with huge pent-up demand.
If you need help leading through this trauma and recovering,
my positive approach to trauma and turnarounds has a strong track record.
I care about clients and am passionate about their success and healing,
based on unleashing their strengths, so let me know if you need consulting help.
As a wellness educator, from the many medical webinars I have attended with expert
M.D.s and N.D.s, they recommend more Vit. C, D, zinc and probiotics, an anti-inflammatory diet, mostly plant-based, organic food, no white flour or sugar,
or alcohol. If ill, large dosage Vit. C intravenously has proven successful
in more than one study. Be safe and stay well. I am fine, as that is how I have lived
for decades.
Wishing you a Happy and Blessed Easter--God is bigger than the problems.
After the Cross, A Resurrection will come.
I appreciate your Positive Leadership in tough times!
Peace, health and prosperity,
Dr. Linne
"Build on Your Best" Giving you the power to predict, profit, & protect
Dr. Linne Bourget M.A. M.B.A. Ph. D
www.oldpowernewpower.com www.whatyousayiswhatyouget.com
Pioneer, strengths-based leadership, Master Intuition System
Founder/CEO 480-767-1717 Institute for Transformation Leaders& Consultants
Strategist, Consultant, Speaker, Author of From Old Power to New Power – Which Leaders Will Survive? Co-author with Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, Amazon #1Bestseller, Wake Up, Live the Life You Love - Finding Personal Freedom
Author, What You Say Is What You Get® Series: The Secret Language of Great Business Results Dr. Linne's Leadership Guides Series Positive Quotient ® PQ Questionnaire, Appreciative Quotient ® AQ Questionnaire, Secrets of Powerful Appreciation for Parents and Children, 2 CD Audio by "Dr. Appreciation" Appreciation: The Secret Key to Magical Marriage. Power Course on Intuition for Business Leaders! "The greatest challenge is taking complete responsibility for your own greatness." Dr. Linne Copyright 2005-2020. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Linne Bourget, M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D.
