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Stephen Taylor outlines some of his tips to weather the storm of the recession. December 1990 was the last time the chancellor told the House of Commons the UK was officially in recession. And, unless your name is Dorian Gray, you are unlikely to have experienced it first-hand as a leader. What will be the impact on you and how will you cope? Steve Nicklen of Davidson Nicklen & Associates, and Steve McCauley of Praesta, are professional coaches who work at the top of the public and private sectors. I talk regularly with council leaders and chief executives, as does Holly Wheeler, manager of our top-level programme Leeds Castle. Here is our advice. For real First, accept that this is for real. The length and depth is debated, but no-one denies that unemployment, business failures, home repossessions and personal indebtedness will rise fast. There will be local consequences, in terms of family breakdown, crime, mental and physical health. And we need councils to be part of the solution, not an onlooker – and certainly not part of the problem. They – unlike companies – will not go out of business, but must contain their own costs drastically while facing rocketing demand for advice, support and expenditure. That means knowing what is happening on the ground in your area, and having a plan. It also means showing that the council is not going to sail on as if nothing has happened, while others are reconstructing their whole business model. Westminster, for example, has recently launched a city recovery programme with 15 highly-specific measures to help its residents and businesses. The South West Regional Improvement & Efficiency Partnership has surveyed its member councils about their new priorities, and how to shift resources to meet them. Not all bad Second, realise it's not all bad. Fear is a cure for apathy and insularity. No-one seemed able to find time for those big ideas for raising the quality of service and stripping out waste. Now they can fly. That cabinet or corporate management team, whose members were really only interested in their own portfolio or service, can now be united behind the common challenge. The difficulty of connecting the council with its public, and the ‘them and us' relationship that creates, can now be overcome as the council is seen to speak up for and defend its people and its place. The local partnership which spent a lot of time talking and not much time doing can now buckle down to tangible actions which will make a difference quickly. The rock Third, be the rock. MIT professor, Ed Schein, demonstrated long ago that the climate of an organisation is determined above all by how the leader behaves in tough situations. Remind yourself what you stand for, and do what you truly believe is right. Strip out the trivia and diversions and focus on what matters. Take a tight grip on your diary. Strike off your ‘to do' list anything which isn't going to make a difference. Don't flounder in the detail of problems, work up the available options that could reduce them. Get yourself ahead of the game. This is the most likely scenario over the next two to three years, so what are the levers to grasp now? Be visible and show the people you work with and the public you serve that you remain confident and positive. Some will behave foolishly or rashly under pressure. You are the calm voice of reason. Challenge people who stand on the sidelines or criticise to roll up their sleeves and work alongside you. Self protection Fourth, look after yourself. Blame is a soft option for weak people. Expect some. Be realistic about what you can and cannot achieve. Life is not always fair, other people will not always treat you well, and you will not always succeed. Keep space for your physical, mental and family wellbeing, in whatever way works for you. Draw others in close to your biggest concerns so you do not carry the whole burden, and so that they learn and grow with you. At the end of each day, write down what you have done that made a difference and what you plan to do tomorrow. Last, be philosophical in whatever way works for you. Those of my generation might reflect on George Harrison's lyric: ‘Daylight is good at arriving at the right time – it's not always going to be so grey.' Stephen Taylor is chief executive of the Leadership Centre for Local Government

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How to lead in a recession

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