How to Be a Good Leader in a Bad Economy

“我每天的工作都充满了反转。我被迫打破承诺，重新调整优先事项，总是事后怀疑。这让我很累，我觉得我在浪费来之不易的善意。”一名高管团队的成员在一次交谈中告诉我，“我想暂停一下，谈谈我如何在糟糕的经济形势下成为一名好领导。”

“My days are full of turnabouts. I have to go back on promises, reshuffle priorities, and I second-guess too much. It’s wearing on me, and I feel like I am spending hard-earned goodwill,” a member of an executive leadership team told me in one of our sessions. “I want to pause for a moment and talk about how I can be a good leader in a bad economy.”

理论上，通过制定久经考验的策略为经济衰退做好准备，这位高管就是一位优秀的领导者：更加亲力亲为，与团队关系更加密切，设定更快的节奏，并要求员工处理更大的工作量。然而这些举措不但没有释放能量并灌输信心，反而让领导者和员工都身心疲惫。努力建造堡垒的过程中，他们感觉像要烧了房子一样。

On paper, this person was being a good leader by enacting tried-and-tested strategies to prepare for an economic downturn: becoming more hands-on and moving closer to their team, setting a faster pace, and asking people to handle bigger workloads. But instead of releasing energy and instilling confidence, these moves were wearing the leader down — and their employees, too. In their effort to build a fortress, they felt like they were about to burn down the house.

高层和管理者们可能非常熟悉这种感觉，他们预计在新冠疫情的余震之外还会出现经济衰退。人们普遍认为每次危机都会让人变得更强大，有更好的应对能力。但事实并非如此。叠加的危机往往会让大家更加脆弱，也更加不稳定。

This feeling may be familiar to executives and managers who are anticipating a recession on top of the aftershocks of the pandemic. The common thinking is that each crisis makes people stronger and more able to cope. But this is not the reality. Compounding crises tend to make people more vulnerable — and more shaky.

这种不稳定性构成了一个巨大挑战。这意味着人们采取的一些正常的危机应对措施不会起到预期作用。事实上，如果领导者按照既定标准行事，就像我们在开头提到的高管那样，他们实际上可能反而会引发有破坏性的恶性循环，加剧危机。

This shakiness poses a formidable challenge. It means that some of the normal crisis responses people turn to won’t work as intended. Indeed, if leaders use the standard playbook as-written, much like our executive at the beginning of this article, they actually risk setting off a destructive spiral and making the crisis worse.

要在当前形势下成为一名成功的领导者，我建议把握好三个关键平衡：在不打压他人的前提下拉近距离；采取快速适宜的行动；在不牺牲人际关系的前提下承担或分配更大的工作量。

To succeed as a leader in this moment, I suggest three key balances people need to get right: moving closer without suffocating others; moving faster without turning frantic; and taking on or assigning a bigger workload without sacrificing relationships.

轻松拉近距离

Moving Closer Without Suffocating Others

出现经济衰退迹象时，领导者的第一反应往往是拉近与员工的距离。召开更多会议，要求更多报告，每次谈话都要有更多细节。这很自然——领导者想了解当前情况，为找到解决方案出一分力，想确保团队在正轨上，并尽他们所能来解决问题。

When there are rumblings of an economic downturn, the first response from leaders is often to move closer. More meetings are called, more reporting is required, more detail goes into every conversation. This is quite natural — leaders want to understand what is going on. They want to help find answers. They want to make sure their teams are on track and doing what they can to fix the situation.

然而从心理上讲，拉近距离的动力往往出于一种对掌控感的需要。拉近距离是一种冒险的策略，也是一把双刃剑。疫情暴发后，团队已经学会了在监督减少的情况下独立运作，老板在背后的监控可能会让员工感觉完全不被信任以及被剥夺了权力。这也会把他们的注意力从完成工作转移到“向上管理”。结果可能是令人窒息而不是激励。

Psychologically, however, the impetus to move closer is often a need to feel in control. Moving closer is a risky maneuver and a double-edged sword. On the back of the pandemic, where teams have learned to operate independently and with less oversight, a boss looking over their shoulder can feel like outright distrust and disenfranchisement. It also draws their attention away from doing their job and on to “managing upwards.” The outcome may be stifling instead of stimulating.

此外，如果离员工太近，领导者就会被关注细节和微观管理阻塞了沟通带宽。最糟糕的情况是，领导者正式接手了下属的角色，因为他们认为自己可以做得更好。例如我观察的一家金融机构中，一位高层领导因为担心可能失去一位大客户而过于沮丧，于是冲进团队与客户正在举行的会议并打断了他们的谈话。他气喘吁吁，汗流浃背，焦躁不安，站在员工身后一边观察一边提问。之后他解释说，他在那里只是为了保证员工做好他们的工作和“激起员工热情”。毫无作用；公司最后还是失去了这位客户，理由是“一个充满敌意、不成熟和疯狂的环境让他们感到不舒服”。团队最终解散，优秀的员工辞职。

Further, if leaders move too close, they clog up their own bandwidth with details and micro-management. The worst-case scenario is when a leader formally takes over their subordinates’ role because they believe they can do better. At a financial institution I was observing, for example, a top leader was so frustrated about the prospect of losing a large client that he marched into a meeting his team was having with them and interrupted the dialogue. He was short of breath, sweating, and agitated, and stood behind his employees to watch and ask questions. He later explained that he was only there to “secure that you do your job right” and to “fire up the crew.” It didn’t work; the company lost the client, citing “a hostile, immature and frantic environment that made them uncomfortable.” The team eventually dissolved, and good people quit their jobs.

可以肯定的是，拉近距离自有理由，比如领导者希望把自己的判断建立在第一手经验的基础上，或者通过亲临前线表示支持时。但要记住，拉近距离的意义在于动员、激励和支持，不要控制和脱离，要用人不疑。一个平衡的方法是“浅谈即放手”，与团队沟通他们面临的问题，但也不要把他们肩上的重担揽到自己身上。一个好的测试方法是，不要列出一长串需要你为团队解决的问题，而是让团队清楚他们的问题，并明白他们现在可以重新控制方向盘。

To be sure, there are some legitimate reasons to move closer, like when leaders want to ground their judgment in first-hand experience or signal support by showing up on the frontlines. But they must remember that the point of moving closer is to motivate, energize, and support; not control, disengage, or sow doubt. A balanced approach is “touch and go,” engaging with teams on the issues they face, but also not taking the weight off their shoulders and onto your own. A good test is to make sure you don’t end up with a laundry list of things you need to fix for the team, but rather that your team knows their laundry list and understand that they now have control of the steering wheel again.

拉近距离但不要监控员工，并且有一个明确的退出策略。一旦有了足够的观察，就把掌控权交还员工。

Move closer — but don’t hover — and have a clear exit strategy. Once you have seen enough, give the power back to your employees.

快速适宜行动

Moving Faster Without Turning Frantic

第二种典型的反应是认为采取行动就是好的。危机时刻，领导者不能袖手旁观，时机至关重要。这点从开会的紧张节奏以及领导者的语气或不安的举止中就可以感受得到。

The second typical response is a healthy bias for action. In times of crisis, leaders cannot sit on their hands; time is of the essence. You can almost feel it in the jittery pace of meetings, as well as in a leader’s tone of voice or restless demeanor.

然而，紧急和疯狂之间只有一线之隔。领导者必须记住，疫情使许多人变得更加脆弱，而不是更有韧性，压力和心理健康问题激增。因此尽管大多数人明白应对危机需要速度，但他们对领导“咄咄逼人”的容忍度远低于2020年之前的水平。

However, there is a fine line between urgent and frantic. Leaders must remember that the pandemic has made many people more brittle, not more resilient. Stress and mental health issues have skyrocketed. As a result, while most people understand the need of speed in a crisis, their tolerance for “pushy” leadership is much lower than it might have been prior to 2020.

要解决这个问题，领导者应该审视自己在经济困难时期容易陷入的心理陷阱。一个常见的原因是，人们认为他们的时间比实际要少，所以会给自己强加假想的截止期限。“我们要在月底前找到解决方案”的想法很可能会制造紧迫感，但如果更好的解决方案原本还要几个月才能想好，那么假想的截止期限可能就会牺牲价值，换取速度提升的假象。

To address this, leaders should examine the psychological traps they tend to fall into when economic times get tough. One common one is that people think they have less time than they actually do, so they come up with imaginary and self-imposed deadlines. “We need a solution by the end of the month” may create urgency, but if the better solution is another few months away, imaginary deadlines can sacrifice value in exchange for the illusion of speed.

此外，事情变得困难时，领导者通常会对异议的容忍度较低，更加以自我为中心。所以当别人反对一个想法或建议时，很快就会被诠释为抗拒和阻碍，而不是反思或建设性的反馈。这种行为模式迟早会导致领导者脱离团队，并在想法上产生“虚假共识”的感觉。虽然这可能会让决策更快，但也会阻碍独立思考和更好的解决方案的出现。

Add to this the fact that leaders often exhibit less tolerance for dissent when things get difficult. They tend to become more ego-centric, so when others object to an idea or proposal, it’s quickly interpreted as resistance and obstruction, not as reflection or constructive feedback. Sooner or later, this pattern of behavior will lead to disengagement from the team and a sense of “false consensus” on ideas. While this might result in faster decisions, it can also hamper independent thinking and prevent better solutions from coming to the fore.

一个平衡的方法是在想法、决定和行动之间刻意拖延。可以把它看作是设计好的控制冲动：创建结构和流程，从而允许其他人，如董事会、外部顾问、同行或好同事间审查并质疑你的计划。我们没有时间和耐心去处理没完没了的官僚主义，所以要把这些流程设计得快速又非正式。有时可以是一个简短的电话，说清楚你想做什么，并测试你信任之人的即时反应。

A balanced approach is to create a deliberate delay between ideas, decisions, and actions. Think of it as impulse control by design: Create structures and processes where you allow others (the board, external advisors, peers, or good colleagues) to vet and question your plans. You don’t have time or patience for endless bureaucracy, so design these processes to be fast and informal. Sometimes they can be as short as a quick phone call where you spell out what you want to do and test the immediate reaction of someone you trust.

分配任务时考虑人际关系

Increasing Workloads Without Sacrificing Relationships

对经济衰退的第三种典型反应是领导者变得更加以任务为导向，而不那么在意人际关系。正如前文那位沮丧的高管，许多领导者会要求团队承担更大的工作量。待办事项的清单越来越长，因为“更多”似乎更好，“更多”让人感觉是负责任的领导。你可能还听过这种说法：“我们现在需要解决问题，而不是宽以待人。”结果远程工作被取消，人才项目被搁置，福利削减，礼貌和同理心被抛之脑后。

The third typical response to economic downturns is that leaders become more task-oriented and less mindful of relationships. Just like the frustrated executive earlier in this article, many leaders will ask their teams to take on a bigger workload. To-do list gets longer and longer because “more” feels better and “more” feels like responsible leadership. You might also hear versions of the statement, “We need to fix problems now, not coddle people.” As a result, off-sites are canceled, talent programs are put on hold, perks are cut, and courteousness and empathy go down the drain.

然而，经营关系并不是纵容，而是真正的绩效管理。我们从新冠疫情的后果中了解到，优秀的人很少会因为工作变难或时代变得更加艰难而辞职或消极怠工。他们辞职是因为他们对领导、同事或公司的未来失去了信心。他们辞职是因为他们觉得受到了不公平的对待或忽视。是的，人们工作是为了完成使命和任务，但最重要的是，工作是因为他们觉得自己与同事之间有联系和归属感。所以继续投资塑造关系吧。可以降级奢侈的福利水平，但仍然要花时间投资塑造关系。在三星级的环境下追求五星级的内容、影响和互动，也未尝不可。

However, relationship work is not coddling; it is hard-core performance management. We have learned from the aftermath of the pandemic that good people rarely quit or “quiet quit” because their job becomes more difficult or because times turn harder. They quit because they lose faith in their leaders, their colleagues, or the future of the company. They withdraw because they feel unfairly treated or neglected. Yes, people go to work to complete the mission and finish their tasks, but more than anything they go to work because of the connection and community they feel they have with their colleagues. So, continue to invest in relationship-building. Maybe downgrade on the luxury, but still spend the time investing in creating connections. Go for five-star content, impact, and interaction, but in a three-star setting.

其中部分做法包括保持人际关系和任务优先级的平衡。对团队保持透明，说明在困难时期，你希望看到什么性质和质量的工作关系？你期待互相给予什么样的挑战和支持？什么样的关系即便可以带来短期结果，也是你不愿意作出妥协的？最后，如果你发现经济长期处于低迷状态，那就和团队共退一步，重新定义什么是成功——不仅仅是工作任务本身的成功。

Part of doing this involves maintaining a balanced approach around relationship and task priorities. Be transparent with your team: What’s the nature and quality of work relationships you expect to see during a tough period? What kind of challenges and supports do you expect of each other? What kind of relationship compromises are you not willing to make, even if they would deliver short-term results? Ultimately, if you find yourself in an extended downturn, take a step back with the team and redefine what success looks like – and not only for the work tasks themselves.

在糟糕的经济环境下做个好的领导者一直是个挑战，这次更是如此，因为糟糕经济通常造成的负担，可能会因疫情对情绪的破坏而加剧。这意味着，领导者在使用标准的危机应对方法时必须谨慎而节制。

Being a good leader in a bad economy has always been challenging. This time around is even more so because the usual burden of a bad economy may be compounded by the emotional disruptions of the pandemic. This means that leaders must turn the pages of the standard crisis playbook with care and moderation.

面对经济低迷，领导者不能原地踏步，而是将自身的行动倾向和本能反应利用起来，即拉近关系、更快行动、调整工作量。如果这些自然有效的领导力行动没有以平衡的方式进行，领导者实际上可能会放大危机。

Leaders cannot stand still in the face of an economic downturn, but their bias for action and their instinctive responses — moving closer, moving faster, and increasing workload — must be harnessed. If these natural and legitimate leadership moves are not made in a balanced way, leaders may actually amplify the crisis.

梅雷特·韦德尔·韦德尔斯伯格（Merete Wedell-Wedellsborg）｜文

梅雷特·韦德尔·韦德尔斯伯格是一名商业心理学医生，她的客户来自金融、制药、国防部门，以及家族办公室。梅雷特拥有哥本哈根商学院商业经济学博士学位，和哥本哈根大学心理学硕士学位(临床心理学)。她是《战斗思维：如何在混乱中领航并在压力下行动》(Battle Mind: How to Navigate in Chaos and Perform Under Pressure)一书的作者。

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