Do More But Don't Discount Doing Less

In a downturn, the need to manage more proactively can take a definite upturn. With the game of winning new business much tighter than it was before, a manager has to step up and use all his experience and expertise to give his team the edge. Controlling costs, driving productivity, developing team skills and keeping the team focused are all among the responsibilities that a manager must take more firmly in hand.

But a manager also has to know when to keep the reigns loose. As our experience and research shows, promoting employee learning and development can have a significant positive impact on two essential drivers of productivity, employee engagement and retention. Even during a downturn, managers should help employees learn on the job by varying work responsibilities, offering stretch assignments, implementing job rotations or providing opportunities to run with new projects or initiatives. For managers, sometimes doing more can mean doing less.