Isn’t it time to start preparing for the upturn?

Last week, we surveyed leaders from around the country who were gathered together via the Good Leadership Wednesday Webinars, and we learned some interesting information:

• 34% don’t believe their plans are “compelling” anymore. That’s significant – larger than a pandemic.
• 60% are not yet preparing their people for the “upturn. To which I ask: “What are we waiting for?”

Looking ahead

The subject of this week’s Wednesday Webinar is Getting ready for the upturn.  In building the content and discussion topics, I decided to Google the phrase, How to get ready for the upturn.  Surprisingly, there was only one reference to 2020. The dateline on all other entries were from 2008/2009. That’s got me thinking that our work on Wednesday is important!

The wisdom shared in these webinars has been coming from conversations with our clients. Last week I spoke with seven CEOs from healthcare, professional services, hospitality/entertainment and consumer foods. Each concluded that we’ve reached a “new normal” from an operating perspective. Basically, we’re “settling in” to new ways of working (some we like, and others we don’t) and accepting lower productivity.

So, now is the perfect time to create a picture of the future we want our employees and customers to see. It’s time to prepare people for the upturn.

What does that really mean?

Preparing the downturn is all about understanding cash flow, revenue projections, borrowing capacity, etc… And it’s about making decisions to lower business risk. Preparing for the upturn is about harnessing the collective positive power of hope, anticipation and possibility. The leaders who engage their people in identifying the early markers which signal an upturn, will come out of these doldrums with better results, faster. You can read about these strategies in the unstuck bright paper.

If you want tips for how to prepare your team for the upturn, register here for the Wednesday Webinar tomorrow.

FYI: much of the insight for the content comes from this fantastic little book I helped Jodi Harpstead write. It’s packed full of exceptional insights, and overflowing with positivity. Get your copy today.