REVVING UP THE "P" WORD (PRODUCTIVITY)

For many corporations has been on sharply reducing costs and making due with tighter budgets, fewer staff members, and less assistance from outside contractors and consultants. Employees in many companies, while no doubt happy to have remained employed, are finding themselves feeling more stressed, cynical and fatigued.

Starting now, however, managers and leaders need these same employees to begin rallying to a call for heightened morale and productivity, as their companies look to ramp up again to regain solid footing and a strong showing in the marketplace. And this is one of the key challenges that leaders will face in the coming weeks and months.

Just speaking about an economic recovery is too shallow, since organizational productivity, strength and growth will require a recovery in other areas as well. Productivity in your organization – in terms of the bottom line, which is usually how productivity is defined in the traditional business world – will be contingent upon a recovery in alignment, trust, morale, meaning and motivation. Though productivity is often defined in numbers, it relies very heavily upon people and their attitudes.

Where do you begin? Start with the complete article — which includes seven actionable tips for boosting productivity — and its companion articles and tip sheets in our "Change Management Essentials" and "Inspired Leadership Essentials" Issue Tip Kits.