By: Robert F. Abbott

I've just watched, again, an episode in Back to Floor television series, which aired on BBC (United Kingdom) and PBS (United States). Once more, communication turned out to be a key issue, as it often does in business stories.

If you're not familiar with series, it features real-life CEOs who leave their comfortable offices (well sort of comfortable, these days) and go work on front lines of their organizations for a week. Cameras follow CEOs and record their interactions with staff, and their responses to those interactions.

In this episode, managing director of London's Heathrow Airport took plunge and worked in customer service for five days. That meant facing customers and dealing with their problems, including problems created by airport.

Once more, we saw a CEO suffer slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, so to speak. This CEO was rebuked by employees on front lines, as well as customers. Employees tried to convey to him difficulties they experience because no one at head office listens to them.

And, that's a fairly constant refrain in all episodes, as one CEO after another finds out he or she doesn't know much about what happens when organization comes face-to-face with real customers and their needs.

As most of us know, this is no anomaly. In many organizations, employees feel management doesn't know what's going on in real world, and perhaps what's worse, feel that management doesn't care.

Managing Your Department During a Corporate Crisis Sheri Callahan Horizon Consulting Group, LLC 803-606-3650 Training, Keynote Addresses, and Performance Consulting www.onthehorizon.net

It is 11 pm; you have finally put up your feet and turned on nightly news. The first words you hear are painful concerns of hundreds of employees, as they are laid off in yet another corporate crisis. Do thoughts of relief flood your mind that at least it is not your company? What about subsequent anxiety that will interrupt your sleep? What will happen to your career path, benefits, and your daily bread? Will you be next? Is this what corporate America will continue to put on plates of our nation’s employees?

Unfortunately, answer appears to be a resounding, “Yes”. How do we attempt to prepare for such events? Can we prepare? The answer also appears to be, “Yes”. Imagine that day comes and within a five minute, closed-door conference, you discover your entire department has been eliminated. The higher-ups are sorry, but it is out of their hands. You head to your car with a panic attack, tears streaming down your face and wondering how you will tell your staff of 35 employees that there are no more paychecks. By that point, you will have already needed tools of corporate crisis management 101.

The first management lesson is to recognize that as a manager your first priority should rest with assisting your staff with transition process. In doing this, you will additionally be taking steps to ensure your own future success. Keep in mind that a corporate crisis will be a significant learning experience for a manager and if handled effectively will increase your own value and marketability.

These five critical steps will enable a smooth and successful transition for both you and your staff.