Leadership has evolved to be more meaningful, appreciative, and participative than in the past, in a manner that is timely and generational. This „promise“ is also reflected in the mission statements.
At the same time, companies are undergoing inevitable reorganizations, mergers, cost-saving measures, possibly accompanied by staff reductions.
This creates a tension for the management between maintaining an up-to-date leadership culture and the responsibility for achieving economic goals and ensuring survival.
The cultural promise and the simultaneously made tough decisions create a „mixed message“. This undermines credibility and increases the distance between those taking/communicating the decisions and those affected.
To effectively counter this estrangement, resonance is required. This does not mean agreement, but rather establishing or maintaining a working relationship; by making decisions understandable and engaging in genuine dialogue: empathetic, open, honest, and clear.
Therefore, leaders today need to be able to make decisions while simultaneously enabling resonance.
