Helping companies thrive through tough times

In the face of the current economic downturn, companies today are adopting a variety of cost-cutting measures. From recruitment freezes, cutting employee benefits and layoffs to reducing usage of air conditioners and elevators.

It's a desperate all-hands-on-deck approach to stay afloat in

these troubled waters. But, while these responses are appropriate for short-term cash flow or profitability issues, they are not really viable over the 18+ month period the current recession is expected to last for.

To thrive in a recession, companies need to offer a better value proposition to their customers, in order to convince them to part with their hard-earned cash.

This requires breakthrough thinking, either in the end value offered to the customer, or the value stream that creates it.

Short-term cost-cutting initiatives may save some money here and there, but this is at the cost of diverting the managers' leadership energy away from where it is needed most, optimizing the value stream by which the company creates value.

Two of the key input strategies that can help here are reducing leadership under performance and venturing to the experimental domain. leadership under performance is a result of leaders at different levels not delivering appropriate leadership behaviours, but presenting instead leadership behaviours more appropriate to their subordinates.

The pressure to find a quick solution to the crisis results in people seeking 'fixes' in solutions that they have seen before.

The weakness in this approach is that it doesn't deliver much competitive advantage, the competitors also know these ideas and are putting them in place.

To take a risk of trying an unknown solution - requires leadership energy to be invested in creating a conducive climate.

Unleash Talent Inc, a team of passionate change agents who help individuals, organizations and communities unleash true potential and live with inspiration, recently launched a training cum consulting intervention titled the Yellow Bridge, which offers these, and more, solutions to help companies thrive even in tough times by enabling their managers to create exponential value on a daily basis.