Chapter 1: Welcome
CIPD chief executive Jackie Orme argues that great leaders don’t just concentrate on battening down the hatches when things get tough, they ride out to meet the storm.
Chapter 2: The leadership paradox
Those organisations which continue to invest in leadership and talent development in the face of economic uncertainty will come out the other side fitter and stronger, says Linda Holbeche, CIPD director of research and policy.
Chapter 3: The principles of success
Neil Roden, group director, human resources, at RBS, outlines the seven principles that the bank refuses to compromise – and which he believes has helped the bank to ride out previous recessions.
Chapter 4: Dare to be different
Instead of bemoaning the economic turbulence and tough times, we should welcome them as an opportunity to steal a march on competitors who will waste talent and incur unnecessary costs by taking a short-term view, argues Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer.
Chapter 5: Rewarding leadership
Employers need to keep faith with their long-term incentive plans if they want to hang on to talented people in the face of economic turmoil, writes Vicky Wright of Watson Wyatt.
Chapter 6: Winners plan for the long term
It may be tempting to boost your share price in the short term with some redundancies, says CIPD chief economist, but in the long term it could end up doing your business more harm than good.
Chapter 7: The devil’s in the detail
Mike Emmott, CIPD employee relations advisor, offers a checklist to help you navigate your way through choppy waters.
Chapter 8: Managing through adversity
Leadership will make the difference between those organisations that thrive in the next few months and those that just barely survive, says CIPD employee relations advisor Ben Willmott. But leadership can’t just come from the top – you need to engage your managers too.
Andy Harrison, Chief Executive, easyJet
'I talk to people clearly about what’s going on and what changes there will be to the business and what these might mean for them.’
Chris Burchell, Managing Director, Southern Railway
‘Leaders can only respond to such a severe crisis by spending time with people, by not necessarily accepting the first answer they give, and not necessarily sticking to existing methods.’
Chris Long, Heidrick and Struggles
'It is not the time for visionaries or creative leaders to shine. Organisations put a stronger emphasis on shorter-term horizons.'
Cilla Snowball, Chairman and Chief Executive, AMV Group
‘Keeping a keen eye on the hard data is important so you don’t kid yourself into believing things are better – or worse – than they really are.’
Daleep Mukarji, Director, Christian Aid
'I won’t compromise on staff development and training. People must be able to come here, know they can grow with the organisation and feel that they are part of the future.'
Deborah Loudon, Saxton Bampfylde Hever
‘If leaders cannot deal with change – in the bad times as well as the good – then they are probably not great leaders in any conditions.’
Joe Duckworth, Chief Executive, Isle of Wight Council
‘This is about creating jobs and wealth as well as reducing our carbon footprint. Don’t be knocked off course or distracted by the Exocets that come in from the sides.’
Martin Glenn, CEO, iglo Birds Eye
‘Success will be when we can present ourselves to the London or Frankfurt Stock Exchange. And if that’s where we want to go, then reducing costs isn’t enough, we need growth too.’
Maurice Healy, CEO, Calyx Group
Leaders should be prepared to take the hard decisions as early as possible and then move on. ‘Don’t have death by a thousand cuts. That’s the worst thing you can do.’
Samantha Allen, Boyden UK
‘In the mad private equity world that existed, people were taking on super bright, dynamic individuals without the experience and a number of them failed. Now organisations want to go with someone with proven experience – who’s been there, seen it and done it.’