We react to the economic crisis with layoffs, travel restrictions, forced leave, reductions, cutbacks, pointing fingers…(you fill in the blank). Bad strategies? Maybe not. Some of these responses may be warranted in the short run, but if you are concerned with measuring success by long term results, then these solutions alone aren’t enough.

It seems we love to place blame by pointing at events, corporations, and people…sub-prime lending, Enron (remember?), the auto industry, Bernie Madoff, banking executives and their huge bonuses. And we’ll probably sign into more legislations like Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), although signing that in 2002 didn’t keep what happened in 2008-2009 from happening. Why do shareholders (by the way that’s us) demand short-term results and LOVE layoffs and cutbacks? It’s because someone is doing something… Hooray!!!! (more…)

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Fear – it’s a topic that always comes up in Fierce Conversations. No doubt, Fierce Conversations often happen out on a limb. People call those limbs CLMs (career limiting moves). Sometimes they are CLMs, and other times they are CEMs (career enhancing moves). We don’t necessarily know if a particular conversation is going to be a CLM or CEM. In an abundant economy, people seemed more willing to take the risk and enter into the conversation. In a down economy such as the one that we are in now, I see an epidemic of people pulling back into their shells out of fear (i.e. job security). The problem is that now is when organizations need their people’s very best thinking, innovation, feedback and pushback.

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