When you are faced with the task of keeping your business profitable in challenging economic conditions, the first and last thing you need to do in think out of the box. Leadership in business means you think and behave as a leader. Others should look up to you for their survival and growth.

Here are a few things that would not only keep you afloat, but also ensure you make profits where others stagnate or close down.

1. Be a Path Breaker – following the crowd will not help you at this time, most business leaders panic and go into hibernation mode. Hence you should provide leadership through innovation and calculated risk taking plans. Innovative thinking does not mean spending more, but spending wisely.
2. Retain and Tempt the Best Brains/ Hands in the Industry – recessions may be terrible for most; but not for you. Leadership in business means you see opportunity in every difficulty. Here, you can seize the opportunity to tempt into your employment some of the best talent available. When other companies fire their employees to stay afloat, you use the opportunity to get the best talent on board.
3. Connect With And Reassure Your Customers – your customers will be confused and worried. They are seeing business going under every day. Let them know that you are as strong as ever and that you are counting on them as they count on you. Do not stop communicating with your customer through any and all possible means you have. Leadership in business means knowing what your priorities are – and connection with your customers should be one of your top priorities.
4. Develop a Unique Approach – this may not be the right time for launching new products or services, but this is the best time for developing unique and innovative approaches in delivery and promotion of your products/ services. Leadership in business means a high and innate ability to adapt. Just like evolution helps survival of life forms, adaptation helps business survive and even grow in tough economic conditions.
5. Make coalitions/ build strategic partnerships – it is true that there is strength in numbers. Leadership in business means that you know when to build your strength with new partnerships or coalitions. Seek out business that complement yours and work out arrangements that will ensure growth for both.

1. Passion about what you are doing – people will never be sold on anything until they feel your passion in whatever you are selling. You should fully believe in what you are doing. This attribute always works wonders for passion inspires enthusiasm and trust. Whether you are asking for a promotion, selling a product, or promoting a service your passion would be the strongest convincing factor.

2. Confidence and humility – have you ever seen a ‘know-all’ salesperson? Would you like to dialogue with such a person? Of course not – for it is quite irritating to have someone condescending talking to you. At the same time, you would not entertain someone timid either. You need to strike a balance here where you come across as a confident person, yet humble enough to listen to what the other person says. A confident person inspires trust while humility builds relationships – both invaluable traits in professional associations.

3. Ability to swim against the current – very often, certain concepts are not immediately accepted and recognized for their intrinsic value. In such cases, you are faced with strong opposition or worse various levels of threat. An excellent sales trait here is the ability to swim against the current sometimes, until you are able to get your point across. You need to be able to believe in yourself when all others around you – and often these are people who matter – say you are wrong.

4. Perseverance – history is witness that many good ideas failed miserably in the beginning. Perseverance is another golden attribute that changes failure into success. You should develop a ‘never give up’ attitude, which is highly infectious in the long run, and which is bound to build a long list of admirers and followers.

5. Bonding – inter-personal relationships, networking, team building are all different types of bonding. This is a trait that should be cultivated carefully for bonding is what will promote you when you are at the peak or at the bottom.

1. Change the internal culture – a good leader will know that when things go wrong in a company, the first thing consideration is to change the internal culture. Stop people from saying ‘This is the way we do things around here’ and get them to ask, ‘Okay; we understand there is a problem. What needs to be done to bring about a solution?’

2. Leadership as a tool for participatory approach – a good leader will use his best communication skills to temper the sense of urgency with that of hope and guide the employees to seek solutions and face realty without aggravating the crisis.

3. Neutralize the denial and resistance to change – one of the most challenging tasks of good leadership skills, which will control the decline of a company, is to neutralize the internal denial about how bad things are in reality. Unless this is combated employees would tend to look away rather than look out for solutions. Out of fear and anxiety they will avoid the realty and refuse efforts to ameliorate the situation.

4. Help people gain a realistic assessment of their strengths and weaknesses – at times when the company is sliding, employees will be afraid to submit to appraisal or self-appraisals. They likely will be afraid to accept they have any (professional) weaknesses lest that would invite the ‘pink slip’. With good leadership skills, the leader would be able to encourage this self-assessment not as a fault finder, but as a tool for identifying areas where additional inputs would strengthen the company’s human resource assets.

5. Highlight the positive but do not underplay the negative – paint the correct picture to the employees and team members without causing panic and anxiety. This requires excellent communication skills to charge the employees to move towards positive change while at the same being aware of the weaknesses they have.

6. Empowers and encourages the employees –A good leader would find ways to motivate his team and empower them to deliver at their best of their ability.

7. Show empathy – a good leader does not demand change; he shows empathy. This does not mean they would accept complacency; it means that they understand how difficult it is to face the challenge of change and help them to overcome their fears and shortcomings.

Good leadership skills, hence does not mean only superlative communication skills, but also the ability of charting a new course while using the same crew to navigate the ship through it.

Assuming I am correct, how did we ever get the idea that when we speak words we are communicating? I looked up the definition of communication and what I found was interesting. Wikipedia defines communication as the activity of conveying meaningful information. The thesaurus provided synonyms such as to stay in touch, exchange a few words, speak, talk…no wonder we believe that speaking is communicating.

We don’t teach children to communicate; we teach them to speak a language. They learn to communicate their displeasure by throwing tantrums, and how do we respond? We ignore them, scold them, or give in to them. What did they learn? They learned that without speaking a word they got us to take an action.

How does this translate to the business world? Perhaps you have an employee who is habitually late. Sometimes we don’t confront them yet hope their behavior changes. Other times we may share our displeasure with them and give them the ‘shape up or ship out’ talk. And if they provide excuses and/or their behavior doesn’t change, we give in and let them come in late. What did they learn? We used words but often our actions speak louder than our words. We communicated through our actions, not our words.

Let’s take another example. You have a demanding, difficult customer. The decision is made to talk to the customer and tell them their demands are unreasonable. The conversation goes something like, “Mr. Customer, we have attempted to satisfy you but regardless of our actions you seem dissatisfied. I’m not sure what else we can do at this point.” Few of us would specifically tell a customer their demands are unreasonable. We’d dance around the topic, speak some words and then wonder why the outcome is not what we want.

Just because we speak does not mean we are communicating. Do your words match your actions? Are you clearly communicating what you want to say, or are you expecting someone to read between the lines? Next time you are dismayed with the outcome of your communication, ask yourself if you spoke words, or if you delivered a message that could be understood. Did you say one thing but mean something else? Were you hoping to not have to be direct but that the other party would still get the message? Confusing the speaking of words with the art of communicating will not get you the results you want.

© 2011 Incedo Group, LLC

Applying the same principle to communication, what if we took one aspect of our communication and practiced till it was perfect? I suspect that we would see a huge improvement in our business communication. What do you think?

Secondly, when a composer creates music they focus on how each note relates to the next note so that the end result is beautiful. Because they focus on making the music meaningful, each note becomes important to the outcome. As business communicators, if we paid attention to each word we used and how it connected to the next word, the message would likely be heard in a much different way than if we simple focused on speaking, with no regard for the words or how they related.

With music, not everyone likes the same types. You may enjoy jazz and new age but not opera or classical. And while you may not enjoy certain types of music, you can appreciate that others might, and you can respect the composers and musicians who create it. In business communication you may not always agree with the message, but you can still respect the person delivering it and perhaps, at times, even appreciate their point of view.

Music is meant to be heard and enjoyed. Whether you are a composer, musician or singer, you pour your heart and soul into making something beautiful that others will benefit from hearing. It helps soothe crying children and angry beasts, and often takes us to a place of peace and calm. Now, all communication cannot take us to a place of peacefulness, but if conversations are handled properly they can smooth over problems, remove frustration and anger, calm one’s emotions, and bring order to chaos.

And finally music considers the many instruments that are part of the composition. Each instrument is chosen for its unique sound and how it interacts with the other instruments. Some instruments are played just one time during a musical piece; others are part of the background all the time. Business communication could learn a lot from this. We have to consider how each word we use or when we use it impacts the message. Do we use the words often, or just occasionally for effect?

©2011 Incedo Group, LLC

You may remember my recent post on using technology as a tool rather than an avoidance mechanism. Reaching out to these people is a great example of the positive use of technology. But I digress. People who responded that they were interested in learning more, I personally called, instead of sending another email. I was amazed at how often I heard “I really like the personal touch of a phone call,” or “I would never do business with someone I hadn’t talked to,” or something that indicated how important the phone call was to our having a relationship.

Hmm, so what does that say about business communication? It indicates that while email is fast and efficient, many people want to hear someone’s voice and get to know them. If you are in sales, how often do you send an email instead of picking up the phone? When an irate customer sends an email, do you respond by calling or sending a reply to their email? How often have you sent or received an email that wasn’t clear and, instead of calling, a flurry of emails back-and-forth ensued? Have you ever received a request for information from a prospective customer via email that included their phone number but you chose to respond via email instead of calling?

The list of examples goes on and on and I’m sure you get my point. Business communication is about using the telephone, too, not simply email. When there is a problem, instead of email, call them. When it’s apparent that the first email is unclear, instead of sending 3 more, call them. When you are trying to develop relationships with customers, affiliates, vendors, employees or anyone else, take the extra step and call.

Yes, email has become an accepted form of business communication and I’m not suggesting it isn’t useful. I am suggesting that using the telephone is advantageous many times. And it distinguishes you from your competitors, as most will simply email.

© 2011 Incedo Group, LLC

While some people consider using these tools a business communication style, I say hooey. Is it easier to send an email or a text message than talk to someone about a difficult subject? You bet! Can you zip off an IM or email in the middle of the night so you don’t have to think about it anymore? You bet! Do you have any clue how the person receiving the text, IM or email reacted, or even if they understood what you were trying to communicate? No, you have no idea.

By the way, leaving voicemails falls into the same category. I had a client who used to communicate with her husband through emails and text messaging. Is it surprising they had marital problems? I’m sure many of you would answer this question with a resounding No. Yet because they had problems they chose never to communicate face-to-face or even on the telephone. All communication was handled through technology. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

Now apply this to business and we often adopt the same method. You may not terminate someone via email, though you can read my post how some companies have. I suspect, though, that most of you reading this have avoided a conversation and sent an email or text message instead. Perhaps you were upset with someone about missing a deadline or how they handled a client situation. Did you call them, or send an email? When a vendor doesn’t deliver as promised, do you pick up the phone, or do you send off a scathing email? Have you ever sent an IM or texted someone to communicate your feelings about their performance?

Is there ever a time that using technology is a business communication style? Yes, when you are using it to communicate more efficiently and aren’t using it to avoid a conversation that should take place in person. Next time, before you hit the Send button, ask yourself if you should be having this communication by phone or face-to-face.

© 2011 Incedo Group, LLC

One of the biggest challenges in business communication is obtaining agreement. I’m not referring to everyone agreeing to a decision, with marching orders that move them forward. What I’m referring to is agreement on terms, agreement on conditions of satisfaction, and agreement on time frames.

Frankly, it’s not that difficult to obtain agreement; the issue is that very few people take the time to gain agreement. We assume if we say something that the other person understands exactly what we mean. The reality is sometimes very different. The words blue, tomorrow, lunchtime, complete…and many others are totally subjective.

Gaining agreement on terms means specifically defining what you mean. If it’s a certain color you want, find an example. Don’t say contact; say call or email. The same is true for time frames and conditions of satisfaction. Tomorrow is not specific enough. Tomorrow by noon is. By Friday is subjective. Friday at 8 AM is not subjective. Saying “Give me a complete report” is subjective. Asking for a report that includes dates, customer contact information, and products they bought leaves little room for subjectivity.

The point is you have to be specific about what you request. However, even with specificity, if you don’t find out whether the other person understands and agrees to your requests, you will still have difficulties. These two parts of getting agreement – specificity and feedback – are what make business communication challenging, and ultimately, rewarding.

What are the consequences of no agreements? How often have you made a request and what was delivered was far different than what you asked for? You think you gave crystal clear instructions. They thought they understood. What happened? The likely result of having no specificity and/or feedback is a need for a do-over which cost you time, productivity and caused frustration on both sides. You can’t understand why they didn’t ‘get it.’ They think you once again changed your mind and can never be satisfied.

Another consequence of no agreement is morale is negatively affected. When morale is low turnover is high, productivity suffers and management spends an inordinate amount of time handling personnel-related issues. You’ll find people coming in late and taking more sick days, arguments and bickering between employees or teams become commonplace, and a general malaise settles over the office.

No one likes being told they didn’t do something correctly, especially when they thought they delivered exactly what you requested. The same is true with vendors and customers, not just your employees. In business communication no agreement has huge consequences to the business. It negatively impacts relationships, affects productivity, costs time, and causes unnecessary stress and frustration. Take the time to get agreements. You’ll be glad you did.

© 2011 Incedo Group, LLC

It wouldn’t be the solution I would recommend, but many employers have decided that employees aren’t and will never be accountable. The few that are get promoted and rise within the ranks, and the rest they just put up with.

OK, so here’s the secret behind getting employees, or anyone for that matter, accountable. You cannot hold someone accountable, nor will they be accountable, till they have committed to your request. AND, someone nodding their head or saying okay does NOT count as commitment. You don’t even know what they are saying okay or yes to. Maybe they are just saying yes because they heard you speaking. You have no clue whether they understood your request, let alone have committed to actually do it. For all you know, they may have been thinking about what they are going to have for dinner tonight and weren’t paying attention to you. Unless they understood exactly what you want, agreed to the timelines and conditions, they won’t be accountable, period!

The first component of getting commitment is ensuring the specifics are understood. That requires you to know what you want and be specific. You can’t ask your marketing team to design a new brochure in blue and send you a draft by the end of the week. It’s not specific enough. Even if they get you the brochure by the end of the week, the likelihood is you will be disappointed. What do you mean by ‘blue’? Is that navy, sky blue, robin’s egg blue, azure…what shade of blue? The same is true with ‘end of the week.’ Is that close of business Friday, before Monday, or noon on Friday…it’s all open for interpretation.

Commitment precedes accountability. Specificity precedes commitment. If you want employee accountability, be specific and get commitment. Otherwise, you will consistently be disappointed and frustrated.

© 2011 Incedo Group, LLC

Earlier this month I wrote a post titled Grow Your Business: Subliminal Mistakes Leaders Make. One of the mistakes I mentioned was undervaluing the importance of having the right team. Companies place a lot of emphasis on driving sales, having the right marketing materials and offering top products or services. Obviously you can’t have a successful company if these pieces aren’t in place. However, more important than any of these is….? What’s the single most valuable asset in any business? Why, having the right people, of course.

It’s next to impossible to find a factor in business today that has more impact on the success of a company than hiring the right people. If you don’t have the right people, no amount of marketing or even having superior products or services will help you build a long-term, successful company. And hiring is just the first step. Undervaluing your team includes spending too little time in developing the them, not having the right management team in place (or no management team), ignoring personnel issues that need to be addressed (or delaying so long that they cause other problems), and generally not seeing the organization as a team, or series of teams, rather than a bunch of individual contributors.

Let’s look at sports as an analogy. As the owner of a sports team, even if you have top-notch athletes, if you don’t have the right coaching staff and executive management staff in place, your team will win some games and lose some but they will not reach their full potential. Having the right players is equally important, but not just the players with the skills you need but players who understand they are part of a team and that they will be successful only when the team is cohesive. And finally you have to have players and coaches and leaders whom you can build to take on new roles and responsibilities.

It’s no different in business. You can’t grow your business if without the right team, and undervaluing this fact means you risk not reaching your company’s full potential.

© 2011 Incedo Group, LLC