Follow the tree! A Lesson on Leadership

This past weekend my mom came into town to help me decorate my house for the holidays.  The visit has turned into a yearly ritual, full of “Chevy Chase-esque” bloopers.  Saturday afternoon we made our way over to the Christmas tree lot.  Not long after, we found the perfect tree.  Not too tall and not too wide – perfect for my little apartment.  During checkout, we asked about tree delivery.  Tuesday was the earliest they could promise and, as my mom was leaving later Sunday evening, that would just not do.  Our only other option?  Tugging on our bootstraps and carrying it home ourselves.  Luckily, I only live about four blocks away from the tree lot (although my mom still thinks I’m lying about that).

We started out on our journey home; my mom leading with the top of the tree and me following behind with the base of the tree in one hand and the tree stand in the other.  Unfortunately, I made a poor wardrobe choice that morning.  I was wearing an ear-warmer headband, and as we inched home the headband slipped lower and lower over my eyes.  With about two more blocks to go, I couldn’t see anything and didn’t have a free hand to help myself.  Since this was the first time my mom had visited me at my new place, it was the blind leading the blinder.  I continued to whine about not being able to see and between all the laughter, my mom shouted, “Just follow the tree!”  I’m sure we were quite the spectacle for passers-by, but we did eventually make it home.

Question: What makes for a good leader when we feel we are blindly walking into the future of these troubled economic times?

As humorous as my weekend excursion was, I feel it accurately represents the anxiety many employees are feeling within the current unstable economy.  Most of us have to trust that our leaders will show us the way and get us through successfully.  So what makes for a good leader when the future seems so unsure?  Clear and consistent communication.  Throughout our trek home, my mom was continually communicating where we were and how much farther we had to go.  Organizational leaders need to do the same.

The tendency sometimes is to only disseminate the good news or to hide when there is no news at all, but that is one of the worst things a leader can do.  It creates employee anxiety, which hinders productivity and performance.  Frequent and realistic communication builds trust within employees and might even soften the blow if downsizing becomes the only option available.  If employees feel they have a realistic picture of the state of the organization, they will feel less betrayed and more prepared if bad news arrives.

On a more positive note, clear and frequent communication steers the path of the organization.  If the leader’s vision is clear and communicated throughout the entire organization, employees are more likely to feel engaged by it and espouse it into their own visions.  It was with my mom’s guidance and clear vision (both literally and figuratively) that we made our way home.

Moral of the story here: Don’t go searching for a Christmas tree without a car, but if you do, make sure you have a good leader and no headbands.