Business leaders across the country will be arriving in work this morning wondering what to say to their staff about the result of the EU Referendum.
You guys have got a tough job. Whichever way you voted there will be plenty of people on your staff who voted Remain and are very worried for their future. And even the Leave voters, while possibly jubilant, will be wondering what they have let themselves in for.
There is a huge amount of uncertainty now, with the financial markets diving, Cameron’s resignation and key figures giving their reactions. And still ringing in people’s ears are comments such as those made by Donald Tusk (EU Council President) last week predicting the end of western political civilisation on a Brexit vote.
We have to stay calm and remember that this initial reaction will dampen down, but the issue of uncertainty is not going to go away quickly.
So your job today and over the next few weeks is to reassure your staff in any way you can. Of course it is neither right nor fair to be unrealistic, but while staying in the real world, try to reassure them about the company’s ability to ride out whatever may happen.
It is all too easy for people in this type of situation to talk their way into a hole: for us collectively to talk our way into a recession. And the way to counter that trend is to look for constructive ways to move forward, to be creative and to find ways to protect the organisation against the more dramatic effects of the Brexit process.
It is unlikely that western political civilisation will end. That has to be a massive overstatement, but let’s not make things worse by wallowing in fear and uncertainty when there is great work to be done.
