In a leaked memo, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop warned all his employees, in stark terms, of the burning nature of the platform they occupied. He accused the firm of lacking innovation, and pouring gasoline on their own fire in allowing the competition to surge ahead. Necessary straight talking, or a flawed motivational leadership strategy - what was your view?

Any Chief Exec or leader needs to be able to 'tell things as they are' but also to put this message into context for employees. So a blunt 'we're on a burning platform' is a good starting point (if a bit of a cliche) but this needs to be followed up with an assessment of how & why this has been allowed to happen and what the plans are to change things. Employees will need to see evidence of immediate change or they will start to lose confidence and they need to understand exactly what they, as individuals, need to do differently.      

It’s when times are tough that you need leadership.  But what kind of leadership?  Sometimes leaders need to create distance between themselves and others in order to confront difficult issues and address the bigger picture.  At other times leaders must get close, empathising and identifying with those they seek to inspire.  This movement between closeness and distance is a vital skill and requires good timing.  As a relatively new CEO at Nokia Stephen Elop has chosen to create some distance and tackle what he sees as a crisis at Nokia.  The shock factor can work – but sometimes, in the long run innovation, can suffer if the intense pressure persists.  The speed with which this episode has sparked a media frenzy also raises challenges for leaders attempting to retain control of the news agenda.      

For me the key flaw here was the warning to all employees in such a stark manner.  I believe that ensuring everyone understands where a business is and what the strengths and challenges are is key to driving real employee commitment; however there are ways in which this message should be delivered to varying levels in an organisation.For those people who are in a position to take decisions to drive innovation this could well be the necessary straight talking required, but for those employees who are not in a position to really influence the decisions and innovation it is likely to have simply created frustration in management and could well drive attrition in employees that Nokia need to catch up with the competition again.      

Although I am not sure that leaked memos are the best way to do it I do believe that CEOs and other senior leaders need to speak frankly to their people. They need to tell it how it is when times are tough and also lead the celebrations of success. However just talking straight isn't enough - leaders need to provide a clear sense of direction and this is never more important than when an organisation seems to have lost its way. Creating a sense of hope, setting out the plans to tackle the problems and allowing people to offer their views and suggestions about how to turn things around are vital. But pretending that the situation isn't as bad as it really is, cannot be the basis on which to build trust and confidence in the leadership. And that trust and confidence will be an important element in turning around any failing organisation.      

It is essential that leaders talk to their people about the current reality- but a leader can only use  a phrase such as 'burning platform' when there is really a pending crisis. People discount the call when they hear the same terms used year after year!I think , as well as honestly giving an assessment of current reality, leaders must also outline their vision. Jumping into the sea from a burning platform only makes sense if there are boats waiting for you. If you can see the boat and believe it will save you - then you are motivated to move.Possibly Stephen Elop did just this, as I understand that a day or two after this note - he announced a possible game changing alliance with Microsoft.      

When aging dinosaurs, once on top of the heap go to sleep it takes a lot of noise to wake them up, as we’ve seen in the past.  Sainsbury’s and M&S to name but two.  It cannot be said that Stephen Elop’s email did not create a lot of noise, or that it lacked passion and emotion, both essential leadership qualities, but whether that emotion was intelligent is questionable.  It appears born out of frustration of failed attempts to change Nokia’s direction.  The de-motivating reference to weak leadership and innovation is flawed and I doubt that its content is relevant to front-end workers.   It was a fear loaded high-risk strategy, an approach he now seems to be demanding of others, but at what cost when set in this context?      

Is it necessary straight talking or a flawed motivational leadership strategy?.Now I am one for straight talking but on this occasion my opinion is that this is a flawed motivational strategy. Why?  For me having a motivational leadership strategy means a planned approach and this appears to be an emotional outburst. A planned approach, which could have included the necessary straight talking could have more effectively been delivered using different channels and Elop could have created his vision of how Nokia addresses the burning platform, showing very clearly and in no uncertain terms what needed to change. Straight talking delivered in this way creates fear, risk adversity etc, the very same traits which will stifle innovation which is needed to drive the business forwardLeadership in the toughest of times requires leaders to step up and really make a difference and I just wonder what difference this will have made.      

Timing is everything in leadership when it comes to using it in a calm, assertive way or with more aggressive, firm energy.  For larger organisations there can be a risk of complacency if it has been experiencing several years of success, it takes strong, proactive leadership therefore to ensure that the right level and type of motivational strength is injected into the organisation and its employees.  Keeping on top of the competitive market will need this level of straight talking to maintain focus and creativity, but does need to be used sparingly for best impact and effect. Being honest with employees to alert them to the organisation’s situation is crucial in order that they identify the part they need to play and contribute in ensuring the continued success of the organisation.