Leadership and Employees

For many companies, year end is the time for employee reviews and bonuses based on company performance. With the state of the financial markets as they are, this process has been more painful than in years past. While large financial companies that have received bailout assistance are still paying significant executive bonuses, I may have to tell my employees that not only will there not be merit increases but bonuses are in jeopardy. While my employees will be thankful to have a job, it is still a sad state of affairs that this country is at the place it is.

So, here is a leadership question for you. How do you lead a team that there are no bonuses? How do you ensure that employees feel valued? How do you motivate them?

This is one of the times when leadership style plays an extremely important roles. If you have used your leadership skills to cultivate relationships of trust and continued to increase your creditbility, your team will still follow you. This is the key to authentic leadership. Don't get me wrong, people will be disappointed but you can keep them motivated.

By the way, this applies to people that may not directly work for you, and it is just as important that you provide leadership to those around you that may be in the same situation. Your attitude and support can make all the difference.