Communication: Management's Responsibility

Written by Robert F. Abbott


Communication: Management's Responsibility

By: Robert F. Abbott

I've just watched, again, an episode inrepparttar Back torepparttar 105237 Floor television series, which aired onrepparttar 105238 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 withrepparttar 105239 series, it features real-life CEOs who leave their comfortable offices (well sort of comfortable, these days) and go work onrepparttar 105240 front lines of their organizations for a week. Cameras followrepparttar 105241 CEOs and record their interactions with staff, and their responses to those interactions.

In this episode,repparttar 105242 managing director of London's Heathrow Airport tookrepparttar 105243 plunge and worked in customer service for five days. That meant facing customers and dealing with their problems, including problems created byrepparttar 105244 airport.

Once more, we saw a CEO sufferrepparttar 105245 slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, so to speak. This CEO was rebuked by employees onrepparttar 105246 front lines, as well as customers. Employees tried to convey to himrepparttar 105247 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 whenrepparttar 105248 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 inrepparttar 105249 real world, and perhaps what's worse, feel that management doesn't care.

In some senses, this perception reflects a divide inrepparttar 105250 abstract-concrete spectrum. Workers deal in very concrete situations and matters; management deals in abstractions. That's both logical and appropriate, even if it does keep each side from understandingrepparttar 105251 other.

Managing Your Department During a Coprporate Crisis

Written by Sheri A. Callahan


Published Article 2002

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 onrepparttar nightly news. The first words you hear arerepparttar 105234 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 aboutrepparttar 105235 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 onrepparttar 105236 plates of our nation’s employees?

Unfortunately,repparttar 105237 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 thatrepparttar 105238 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 neededrepparttar 105239 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 withrepparttar 105240 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.

Book of contacts. Build a book of professional and personal contacts that will help as you network for a new career opportunity. Encourage your staff to dorepparttar 105241 same. The content should include contact names, phone numbers, physical addresses, e-mail addresses, companies and titles. This resource should be a staple throughout your career, not only in a time of crisis. Periodically touch base with these contacts.

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