Monday Blues: Separating Men From Boys

Tough times bring with them hardships, challenges, as well as opportunities. This is one of the universal truths as evident from numerous outstanding achievements accomplished through opportunities presented in form of tough times.

Tough times are also testing times that help separate men from boys. When things are brighter and everything looks destined for greater glory, almost everyone seems to be remarkable in whatever he is doing. But when things are really tough, the real skills come to the fore to separate authentic from artificial, gems from stones, and leaders from followers.

Current economic crisis, like all other crisis, presents an opportunity to not only challenge our thinking beyond the crisis but also to find out the gems from among the employees. This is the time to find leaders at every rug of the organization who could lead the organization into future.

Here are a few things to look out for in your people in the current crisis –

1. People who deliver in the present and yet do not lose the sight of the future.
2. People who show light and hope to colleagues when all it appears is darkness.
3. People who are willing to happily take on increased responsibilities so that the organization can see through the crisis.
4. People who look outside the box to find innovative solutions for difficult situations.
5. People who talk about reality and act based on the reality of a situation.
6. People who are emotionally level headed.
7. People who can build excellent teams despite limitations on resources.
8. People who demonstrate "can do" attitude and lead their men from the front.

These are the men. Economic crisis presents an opportunity to find them and groom them for future. The opportunity must not be missed.