Keeping technical people energized and focused can be challenging, even in the best of times; right now it’s imperative to have great leadership, which I believe stems largely from constant and honest communication.  Typically, technical people tend to be very dedicated, hardworking individuals who frequently work crazy hours to achieve objectives.  If you get employees to remember why they joined your organization, reinvigorate their minds, and make them feel good about your business, human nature will inspire them to feel proud of the work they do.  Reaffirmation of the larger vision is always relevant, but is often not communicated frequently.  Now is definitely the time for management to be leaders.

Your technical talent is probably working harder than ever right now.  For some, they may even be the primary information source for your company.  Technical teams need to be led and mentored to constantly improve and implement successful plans for marketplace competitiveness, business and economy changes; and above all, to provide excellent and timely customer service.  Technology is usually in transition, yet technical people tend to be uncomfortable with uncertainty; add in the word “recession” and you could end up with chaos!

It’s important for all of us that we recognize and deal with stress.  It can be difficult to summon energy and excitement for work when there are so many “unknowns.”  A lot of second-guessing, over-thinking and mistakes are made when people are feeling over-stressed.  As a good leader, we have to gently pull people back into focus and convey realistic optimism about the future.  Assuming your company’s products and services are of benefit for people and are in demand, most organizations will recover and survive recessionary times.  We would like to do so with as little damage to our employees (and ourselves) as possible, so I think that stating the obvious goes a long way to inspire a team approach that helps us all succeed!