The Hippocratic Oath for the Turnaround Manager is
October 26th, 2007 | by Naimp | Posted in Business | No Comments »Every professional body has its code of conduct, which ethically guides the practice and
direction of the profession. The young budding doctors have to take the Hippocratic
oath, which basically stipulates that every doctor has to give treatment to anyone who
needs it, whether rich or poor.
The turnaround manager is guided by a code of conduct too. The most fundamental is
that the turnaround manager has to practise what he preaches. He has to “walk the talk.”
This is particularly important during hard times. People are watching your behaviour
much more than your messages. If you do not practise what you preach, you will be seen
as hypocritical.
During bad times, everyone is expected to chip in and make sacrifices. If the top gun
does not practise what he preaches by making personal sacrifices as well, then he will
lose his credibility and thus will jeopardize his future turnaround endeavours. “Walk the
talk” is an ethical code for the turnaround manager as its non-compliance is perceived as
deception by the other team members. Furthermore, you also deceive yourself as you
are lying to yourself, as you do not firmly believe enough to practise what you have
preached.
You also need to lead by example if you withdraw the perks and corporate benefits of the
managers,. For instance, you will lose credibility if you continue to fly business class
when you have decided that all the staff must downgrade to economy class ticket or you
continue to wine and dine in expensive restaurants when your staff are retrenched to save
costs. Once you don’t walk the talk, you become inconsistent and you will lose respect
from your team members.
The non-verbal aspects of business communication are often more important than the
verbal ones. If you want to promote flat and informal management style, you cannot
work behind closed door all the time. If you tell your people to come in punctually, you
must ensure that you come in punctual too. If you want your people to be customer
oriented, you must set the example by meeting up with the customers. What you do
speaks so loudly that others cannot hear what you say.
The message here is “We are in difficult times and it must start with me.” Leadership by
example is the guiding motto for the top management, especially during difficult times.
If you want others to take a salary cut, volunteer to cut your own salary first. If you want
your staff to work long hours, you must be prepared to work even longer hours. This is
why it is abhorrent to hear the manager who said that “do what I preach, but do not
practise what I do.”
People are very receptive and take the cue quickly. They are able to fathom the sincerity
of the senior management. To be successful, you need to solicit their co-operation. They
are watching whether your actions are consistent with your words. No amount of
preaching and communication will be as effective as practising what you preach and
communicate. No amount of threats can even change behaviour unless the leader is
perceived as being serious in his actions.
The behaviour of the leaders sets the tone for the organisation. Be aware that you must
“walk the talk” and set the example for others to emulate.