Articulate the tough decisions
Whenever you make a hard decision, Faherty says you or
your key executives need to explain the rationale behind it to
enhance understanding and get buy-in. While this practice certainly comes in handy in the boardroom, it’s even more important when articulating a major decision that affects many of
your employees.
Take the consolidation. When he and his team decided to
close the Tolleson facility and consolidate it with one in
Anaheim, Faherty knew the move had to be conveyed with
care.
“You have to understand that consolidations are difficult, and
they’re hard on the people,” he says. “There are going to be
some people who lose their jobs.”
When articulating the rationale behind a hard decision,
Faherty says the first thing you must consider is the messenger.
“An executive needs to be there,” he says. In this case, Faherty
sent the company’s western regional president who oversaw the
affected manufacturing facilities to deliver the news. Delivery
from a key executive or manager always gives the rationale a
stronger sense of credibility.
Once you’ve identified the messenger, Faherty says your next
consideration is time. The worst thing you can do is sit on a
decision and not inform your people.
“You need to let people know,” he says. “You can’t wait until
the last minute and pull the trigger.”
After you’ve designated the messenger and time frame, the only
thing left to do is to explain the decision and share the rationale.
“Let them know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, more
importantly, how’s it going to affect them,” Faherty says.
Part of that process involves allowing your employees to make
their own voices heard. Faherty says you can’t simply announce a
major decision and then cut and run.
“You give them an opportunity to ask questions,” he says.
“You give them an opportunity to vent because a lot of them
are going to be unhappy.”
That’s precisely what Faherty’s regional president did at the
company’s Tolleson location. After explaining the rationale
behind the consolidation, he allowed the facility’s employees
to air their grievances and ask questions. Though the decisions
itself didn’t make many people happy, devoting extra time to
that process proved therapeutic when it was all said and done.
“At the end of the day, they still aren’t happy, but if you explain
the rationale correctly, and you’ve taken the time to do it in person, and you’ve taken the time to let them ask you questions or
vent, they’re never pleased, but at least they understand,”
Faherty says. “They say, ‘Thanks for taking the time to come to
talk to us in person to let us know what you’re doing, why
you’re doing it. We don’t like it, but we understand it.’”
HOW TO REACH: Atrium Cos. Inc., (214) 630-5757 or www.atrium.com
