Confusion through to Clarity... Just have the conversation!

I’m always amazed by an organisation’s unwillingness to take people into uncomfortable conversations – when they know only too well that they need to have them!

Threats to job security. Organisational mergers. Cost reductions in services. Uncertainty all around. It’s plain to see how the public sector is responding to the pressures of the economic downturn and global recession. But on an individual level for people working in these organisations I feel and see utter confusion! Confusion about:

* What questions they dare ask!
* Where will they be in 12 months time?
* How will this affect home and personal lives?

And not for one moment do I suggest that the answers sit anywhere! But people do need to mull over what’s happening and have the space to tread water somewhere safely. For anyone working in ambiguous and fluid environments, it’s accepted that following confusion comes the clarity…..and won’t it feel much better when we get there and have the structure to guide everyone through?

Mmmmm. Confusion is uncomfortable for many, but it does start to give some context and initiate a level of curiosity for what is happening around us.

For those faced with turning organisations around, find the courage to have those difficult conversations with people!.........Build the resilience to take staff through uncharted waters………..Help people to find their own answers through the confusion.

Organisations may not know the answers in times of such uncertainty, but they do know that their staff have emotions, thoughts and feelings…….and if they had one ounce of corporate social responsibility, they’d find ways to explore this healthy turmoil!