Key to Survival in Tough Times: Managing Up, Down & Across

For 17 years in the Eighties and Nineties, I worked for a publisher of technology magazines. The company's founder had an expression he liked to use in economic times such as these: "There's a recession but we're choosing not to participate." The company did have occasional layoffs during the years I was there. While each layoff was difficult, the company always grew stronger shortly afterward.

I noticed that among the layoffs were people who were solid, even exceptional performers in their jobs, but not as emotionally intelligent as others.  They might have produced good results, but they rubbed people the wrong way and didn't have allies.  I came to be in that camp a few years later, at a different company.  I was there for just a year, hired by someone I had worked for years before. Rather than paying a lot of attention to the new corporate landscape, I insulated myself. I didn't reach out to other senior executives because I felt that I had a rabbi in the right place so I was free to focus on doing my job. I failed to appreciate that perception management -- particularly among high-level executives where the long knives are out of sight but never out of reach -- was critically important to survival.

When a big downturn hit in late 2001, I had few allies in the company. The division I headed was eliminated and  about 200 people were let go, including me. Had I been a more astute manager of my image within the company's executive suite, my guess is they would have kept me. Not that I'm sorry I left. I didn't particularly enjoy the job or the company culture. But I could have left on my terms instead of theirs.

So, why talk about  corporate layoffs in a blog about entrepreneurship?

Because the skills of emotional intelligence are just as important whether you own your own business or you work for a company.  Here is a quick exercise borrowed from the Five O'Clock Club, a career-coaching organization, that will help you manage perceptions. You should do it quarterly.

1. Make a list of your bosses, peers, subordinates and clients. And for readers who are in their own businesses, your clients are your bosses!)
2. For bosses/clients, ask yourself: "What do these people think of me, and what should they think of me?" What is the single message (8 words max) you want people to know this quarter? Look for opportunities to convey that message.
3. For peers/business partners/vendors, ask yourself: "What is my relationship with each of these people and what should it be?" What can you do (coffee, lunch, phone calls) with each to elevate the relationship quickly?

Reflecting back on my years in the corporate world, I can say definitively that the people who were emotionally intelligent enough to do active perception management lasted much longer than those who didn't. Keep your friends close,  your enemies closer. And try to make friends of the enemies. What's your take on managing perceptions among important constituencies?  Please share your viewpoint with a comment.