Responding to tough times with empathy, kindness and positivity will work wonders for leadership says Peter Jones, founder of Foyne Jones Recruitment 

With rising inflation and a consumer slowdown predicted, this is a great time to show your dedication as a leader.

Whether you are running a business, working as an employee or a self-employed contractor, remember that you are always leading yourself through change.

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Lauren Goodbrand of Kitchens International on winning the Kbsa Concept Designer Award 2024

If you’ve ever got married, divorced, lost a job or got a new one, you have reinvented yourself. It’s what humans do. In fact, we are designed to evolve and change, even if we don’t always want to!

We all know that our industry is changing. Manufacturing processes are constantly upgraded, and the majority of admin is now done online.

As we react to changing demographics and trends, this means both redundancies and new opportunities.

I’m here to remind you that as tough as it may feel – being made redundant isn’t personal and it doesn’t have to be the end of your career.

It is normal to feel vulnerable and uncertain if this happens to you. Reach out and get some support and lead yourself into the next chapter of your life.

Support change

If you are leading someone through change, I have learned that if you show empathy, listen and give advice, you can build confidence and leave people feeling inspired.

In my experience, success is an inside job and unique to the individual.

We all measure success in different ways, so drop your judgement. Simply being a friendly ear for your colleagues, friends and family can make a massive difference.

Being open is at the heart of reinvention. This is why I applaud employers who bring in new initiatives such as flexible working to support and nurture their teams.

Why? In a nutshell, wellbeing leads to welldoing – a happier workforce with lower absenteeism leads to higher productivity and stronger profits.

Harnessing user-friendly technology is another way of being open to change.

This might mean using WhatsApp or Facebook groups for work if it feels appropriate. Social media is not going to disappear so it makes sense to see if it can do some heavy lifting for you.

Nuturing talent

Never assume that once you have onboarded an employee that this is the end of the journey.

A good employer is like a gardener, always in touch with the lie of the land and keen to grow a healthy business.

Let me spell it out… For too long, the onus has been on the employee to keep their skills sharp and keep proving their worth.

Thankfully going to work no longer feels like being at school. We are in a position where employees and employers need each other with greater mutual respect and understanding.

We are now in a position where respect is a two-way street between managers and their teams, as well as between ourselves and our customers.

In the bigger picture, our industry as a whole is being reinvented as a creative and dynamic place for the stars of the future and skilled career changers.

Whether we love traditional brassware or get excited about the latest possibilities in kitchen surfaces, we are all innovators and inventors.

In fact, we need to reinvent what being a leader stands for. Fundamentally it is about delivering the very best service to your people, team, clients, end users and industry.

With this in mind, we must all try our best to lean into change, so harness your team’s creativity and stay resilient… I believe in you!