I am the Vice President of Human Resources for a Financial Services company. Employee morale at all levels across the organization is at an all time low given the current economic conditions. Do you have any advice for me about how to reengage employees as we weather the storm?

As the world experiences an economic downturn, organizations are facing insurmountable challenges. The tensions that exist in organizations today are more complex and multifaceted than ever:

• Preserving the core business
• Keeping the organization's mission and strategy relevant
• Maintaining employee engagement
• Being flexible and adaptable to internal and external changes

Trying to effectively balance these paradoxes is a monumental task. What is an organization to do? Many of our clients are spending time around the executive table revisiting strategy and participating in those dreadful "nice to have" versus "need to have" discussions as they rework shrinking budgets. There is no doubt that executive team dynamics are being tested as high pressure is being placed upon them. It's no wonder that so many organizations, like yours, are experiencing low employee morale given current internal and external pressures. Being flexible and adaptable can be difficult as organizations effectively manage the tensions that result from rapid and continuous change. Perhaps, Charles Darwin captured it best with his theory which recognized that "It is not the smartest or strongest who survive. It is those who are most adaptive to change." So, to address your question specifically, where does one begin?

Start at the top. Encourage the senior leadership team to hold up the mirror to themselves in order to assess their own effectiveness. Research proves that the executive team's 'culture' has a direct impact on bottom-line business results, including employee satisfaction. Gaining insight into key aspects of executive team performance including conflict, decision-making, and communication processes, and making necessary changes become critical as you strive to create stability and consistency during these unstable times.

The central question around the executive table: How do we need to change so that we can manage change? Increased leadership alignment is one way to re-engage employees, at all levels, who may be experiencing anxiety given the current economic landscape. Hearing consistent messages about the state of the business, the direction the organization is headed, and the "call to action" - things that employees need to start, stop, and continue doing - are key things that leaders need to do in order to support organizational change. This will increase the likelihood that your organization will have an engaged and committed workforce once these turbulent times are behind us.