Communicate frequently
Fegley says good communication starts before any speech is given or any memo is sent. It begins with a definition of what you want to communicate and how you want to communicate it.
“There needs to be clarity of thought to start with,” he says. “You need to spend some time to put it in bullet points. Make it clear and have a good understanding of what you want to communicate. You have to have a solid core message that is threaded through the whole communication.”
When facing an uncertain economy, you should reach out to your employees on a regular basis. Even if there is no major news to report, your communication keeps them in the loop and affirms where the company stands.
“They need to see that you’re living through this economy, too,” Fegley says. “You have to start at the top. Keep morale up by setting an example and back it with good communication.
“Our employees are out there wondering what is going on, and sometimes we don’t know for sure if a job is going to come in. But every couple of months at least, I’m sending them all a letter from the president, telling them, ‘We’re all concerned; we’re doing our best. Here are the opportunities ahead of us, and we want to keep you current on them.’ Our director of operations goes around to each job site on a monthly basis and spends a little time there talking to our people.
“You have to realize that at the end of the day, people just don’t want to be left in the dark. These are scary times for everybody, and if people are left in the dark, they’ll fill in the blanks with their worst nightmares.”
You also communicate with the attitude you display each day. When you’re surrounded by negative financial news, it can be difficult to project a positive demeanor. But if you can exude confidence and an upbeat attitude even in the face of negativity, your employees will pick up on that.
“If you walk in each morning and you are positive, you can take another 80 percent of your people and make them positive,” Fegley says. “I like to walk the halls and set that tone. Whether you feel good or bad, when you walk out the door of your office, you lift up your chest, step into that leadership role and show everyone the confidence that it will be OK. People want to see that, hear it and feel it. That’s why not a day goes by where I don’t say hi to everyone in my office.”