Post on 11-Oct-2020
transcript
Leading during Covid-19 – downsizing, upsizing, and motivating in KingstonSmith School of Business – Community Classroom Series
Matthias Spitzmuller, Ph.D.
May 20th 2020
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Back to 2002…
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COVID-19 – From far to close…
“Most of you will be infected”
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COVID-19 and job loss in Canada…
• As of April 28 Service Canada had received applications from 7.3 million Canadians for federal aid through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. So far, $25.6 billion has been paid out.
• Cirque du Soleil: Quebec circus entertainment giant suspended all shows and lays off 95 per cent of its workforce, or 4,679 people.
• Calgary Stampede: The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth temporarily cut 900 staff, or 80 per cent of its workforce.
• Air Canada to lay off 20’000 – more than half of its workforce –during COVID19 fallout.
• Kingston: 6’000 jobs lost since start of pandemic
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When COVID-19 hit home for me…
• “Officially laid off – selling my body at the corner of Montreal and Queen’s. Price negotiable.”
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When COVID-19 hit home for me…
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Kingston Businesses During COVID19 – Martello
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Kingston Businesses During COVID19 – Jiffy Grill
“If we end up going deep into debt, we’re going to risk putting 50 people out of work. When we make this move
we feel like we’re going to be able to better serve Kingston than we have before.”.
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Kingston Businesses During COVID19 – Bella
“Initially, we did deliveries, but that got to be too much. But our friend Matt Day set us up with a friend who had set up his online store through Shopify. And that’s really
helped. Initially, we were trying to do all payment over the phone manually, taking credit cards, and you can imagine the gong show of just how much time it takes to do that.”
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Are layoffs needed?
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On laying off staff…
“There’s a great deal of uncertainty and people’s minds are whirring. […] You’re pulled in different directions: Your heart goes out to people, but you have a responsibility to the organization. That tension is magnified when you’re also worried about your own fate. […] You’re human and you’re going to have a lot of those 2 AM moments. But the key is to try as best you can to separate your personal worries from the task at hand. In your role as a manager, you need to be there for your people.”
Kenneth Freeman, Dean Emeritus at Boston University’s QuestromSchool of Business
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Some recommendations for laying off people…
Gather information
- Timing, benefits, severance
- Legal advice, HR involvement
Understand your limitations
- A private conversation online in times when privacy is hard to come by
- Limited information
Set the right tone
- Communicate with empathy and passion
- This is not about you!
- Don’t succumb to insecurities, but also don’t detach from your humanity.
Knight, 2020: How to manage Coronavirus layoffs with compassion
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Some recommendations for laying off people…
Be direct and human
- Clear, concise, unequivocal
- Express gratitude
- Offer explanation for decision
Offer assistance, but don’t overpromise
- Offer ideas about job opportunities elsewhere
- How to access government benefits?
- Don’t overcommit to things you cannot deliver; don’t sugarcoat and give false hope
Be transparent
- “Ask me anything” session
Knight, 2020: How to manage Coronavirus layoffs with compassion
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Some recommendations for laying off people…
Vent (selectively)
- Find a mentor/colleague
- Remember: All eyes are on you in the organization
Manage your own well-being
- You need to put on your own oxygen mask before you can help others
- The energy that you have is contagious for others around you
Knight, 2020: How to manage Coronavirus layoffs with compassion
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European Coal and Steel Community –The Schuman Declaration 9 May 1950
Leading with Meaning –Case Study Brexit
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"World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of
creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which
threaten it.“
"The pooling of coal and steel production... will change the
destinies of those regions which have long been devoted
to the manufacture of munitions of war, of which they
have been the most constant victims."
European Coal and Steel Community –The Schuman Declaration 9 May 1950
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“Let us create a student exchange to renew our pledge to
this young, peaceful, and thriving Europe.” Principal of La
Pobla de Segur High School, Spain, in 1988
Every year, 270’000 students study in other EU countries.
Student exchanges in Europe
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• Membership applications by the UK to join the EEC were refused in 1963 and 1967 because the French president of the time Charles de Gaulle doubted the UK’s political will.
• Prime Minister Edward Heath in 1973 after joining the EEC: “It’s going to be a gradual development and obviously things are not going to happen overnight. […] But from the point of view of our everyday lives we will find there is a great cross-fertilization of knowledge and information. […] And this will enable us to be more efficient and more competitive in gaining more markets not only in the Europe but in the rest of the world.”
UK joins Common Market in 1973
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• A plan to borrow the Bayeux Tapestry and show it in Westminster Hall was dropped after it was pointed out that the butchery of Saxons by Normans was hardly a suitable theme for the occasion.
• The French refused to lend the Mona Lisa, despite Heath’s personal plea, on the grounds that the British Museum had just refused them a loan of the Rosetta Stone.
• As an alternative, they offered Georges de la Tour’s ‘Le Tricheur’, a picture of someone cheating at cards.
The UK joins the EEC – Botched Celebrations
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Sentiments change…
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• The European Union has stopped to provide meaning to its member countries and citizens.
• It is perceived as a giant monster that takes away national autonomy.
• National countries have failed to fill this vacuum by reminding citizens of the original meaning of the European project and by helping evolve this purpose.
“A leader is a dealer in hope.”
Napoleon Bonaparte
Making sense of the Brexit
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• Empowering girls by improving education in South Sudan
• New centralized information system to improve Palestinian police coordination
• Renovated schools boost sustainable development in Sri Lanka
• New earthquake-resistant headquarters for police in Haiti
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Meaning and UNOPS? A No-Brainer!
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“If I never left jail it would be for this reason. A cow had a calf right at lunch time and it wasn't breathing. There was no barn supervisor, no other inmates or guards around, nobody. And I'm telling you, I did everything for this calf—I scooped mucus out of his throat, threw him half over the stall to open his airways—every trick in the book. I was hollering for staff because I didn't want to lose a calf. Finally, when I was done I put him on the floor. I said I don't want to see nobody because I'm going to kill them. That's all I was thinking, that I'd kill the next person I see. Then I looked at my calf one more time, and my god, it started breathing. I never lost a calf.
It was remarkable what these animals did to me. I grew up on the streets, where you don't ask nothing from nobody. With an animal you have to figure things out. I had to talk to the guards, to the barn staff, I had to ask for help. Before I knew it I didn't mind asking. When you milk a cow, you can't be in a hurry. One cow gives you a whole bag in two minutes, but the next cow it'll be 20 minutes later and still going. I learned patience, I learned not to care so much about missing a poker game. Cows taught me anger gives me nothing but trouble, and if I ask, I'll find a solution. I've been a free man for seven years now.”
Experiencing Meaning: Prison Farms
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/qbnm5q/what-it-was-like-to-work-at-kingstons-now-closed-prison-farms
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2017 Public Service Employee Surveys
Question 87: I would describe my workplace as psychologically healthy
Public Service: 56% Positive Answers, 23% Negative Answers
Correctional Service Canada: 31% Positive Answers, 53% Negative Answers
Question 16: I am proud of the work that I do
Public Service: 87% Positive Answers, 5% Negative Answers
Correctional Service Canada: 81% Positive Answers, 9% Negative Answers
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What parts of your job do you like most and why?
• “I feel like part of a team, but there is also professional collegiality.”
• “The opportunity to engage and support the Executive team to develop a
vision, to facilitate culture change and to ensure that we can drive results for
Canadians.”
• “I enjoy engaging with staff and offenders to move agendas forward with
respect to our priorities and objectives and truly love when improvements are
generated.”
• “The parts of my job I like the most are the interaction with my colleagues. I
have always been a team player and like to work with different people.”
• “Achieving results and moving corporate agenda forward- rewarding to see
contributions made toward the organizational objectives.”
Survey Responses – Favorable Aspects of Job
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Why do people quit at your organization?
• “Very rarely quit”
• “Burn-out”, “overwhelmed, overworked, traumatic events”
• “Serious health issues”
• “Stress and harassment”
Why do people stay at your organization?
• “Sense of purpose”
• “People who work in this business tend to be very passionate
about the work and few can imagine themselves doing anything
else (even when they become disillusioned).”
Survey Responses – Why do people quit and stay?
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Communicate Impact – in 2020 and Beyond!
• A truck driver is keeping the supply chain intact
• A cashier is ensuring that Kingston families can meet daily needs
• A security guard is keeping Kingston buildings and facilities safe (and dancing and sharing the spirit of Kingston!)
• Nurses and doctors are saving lives
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“Every Wall is a Door” – In 2020 and Beyond!
• Queen’s going digital in two weeks
• Souvenir shops selling puzzles and gifts online
• Restaurants offering Mother’s Day brunch package
• Expanding to new customers online and new revenue sources
• Leveraging local networks
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Community and Local Networks
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Community and Local Networks
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Back to 2001…
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Alone Together…
#ygkstrong
Kingston is special – Kingston is home!