ADVISORY ARTICLE
By Jeff Oltmann
Oregon, USA
Losing Confidence
Joshua Winans, CEO of TheraTech, has a crisis on his hands. TheraTech is a research company in growth mode – and also in a cash crunch. Its game-changing new product is almost ready, but first shipments continue to slip due to unexpected technical and supply chain problems. At the board meeting last week, investors mandated immediate layoffs to reduce cash burn.
To get across the finish line, what Joshua’s team needs most from him is a motivational speech that reminds them of the vision and spurs them to action, right?
Maybe not. Psychiatrist and professor of organizational behavior Gianpiero Petriglieri observes that in times of crisis, people are already motivated to move, but they often flail. More than a call to action, they need guidance on how to move with purpose.
Holding
Petriglieri emphasizes two key actions for leaders in a crisis: 1) helping their team make sense of a confusing situation, and 2) soothing the team’s distress. In Petriglieri’s field of psychology, this is known as “holding.” Holding acknowledges difficulty without giving in to powerlessness. At work, holding is offering calm and clear thinking, reassuring people, and helping them stick together.
More…
To read entire article, click here
How to cite this article: Oltmann, J. (2024). Don’t Cheerlead During a Crisis, PM World Journal, Vol. XIII, Issue IX, September. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pmwj145-Sep2024-Oltmann-Dont-Cheerlead-During-a-Crisis.pdf
About the Author
Jeff Oltmann
Oregon, USA
Jeff Oltmann is a seasoned leader with over 30 years of experience advising clients, managing successful technology programs, and developing new products. His specialties include strategy deployment, operational and project excellence, and project portfolio management. As principal consultant at Synergy Professional Services, Jeff advises leaders and teams in diverse sectors including healthcare, research, bioscience, and technology product development.
Jeff is the founder of the Portfolio and Project Leaders Forum. He is also on the graduate faculty of the Division of Management at Oregon Health and Science University and was previously on executive staff at IBM. He teaches portfolio, program, and project management and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®).
Jeff welcomes your questions and ideas. You can contact him at jeff@spspro.com or read previous articles at www.spspro.com/article-library.
