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Originally Published PR Week

How do you keep your people focused, motivated and engaged when their friends are being laid off, their budgets are getting cut, their bonuses aren’t being paid out and the future of their companies is uncertain?

Not easy.  And of course there’s no simple solution.

But to paraphrase white house chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel, every crisis presents an opportunity and it should never be wasted.

And this crisis is no different.

So I asked some leaders in our field how they’d suggest tackling such tough issues.

“Sometimes a reminder is helpful to communication professionals that continuing to advance their own skill sets is critical, even in the midst of an economic downturn or tough business environment,” said Johnson & Johnson’s Ray Jordan.  
”In the face of reorganizations, I’ve seen a number of folks who have stepped up to much bigger challenges that might not have been accessible during ‘business as usual’ conditions. Do those engagements always mean bigger inside opportunities?  Not necessarily. But it means the individuals have expanded their repertoire as professionals - and that’s a terrific investment in their own futures.” (more…)