Smart Business Magazine, Mar 2012

March 2012 Smart Business Orange County 11 Napier and her leadership team produced a series of videos that laid out in a straightforward manner what the bankruptcy meant for the company They were done in an interview style Napier says I told everyone in the video that I had to learn about this too I told them what this really will be is a strengthening of the balance sheet because for us to continue with the level of debt we had would have been a very challenging business situation We also wanted to outline that everyone would get paid and that this would ultimately be a good thing for the organization not a bad thing Your messages in a time of crisis should be realistic but whenever possible optimistic Employees normally only see surface evidence of what is happening within the company and if the surface evidence looks like bad news theyll start envisioning worst case scenarios unless you intervene with the truth Communicating in these situations is like producing a good ad Napier says Someone has to see it six times before it really sinks in If you assume saying it one time is enough youre wrong You have to reassure your people twice as much as you think you need to In my case I was just coming in so they didnt know me from a hole in the ground They had to trust that I was telling them the truth and that was the case for both the employees and the consultants Napier says communicating during the bankruptcy wasnt a complicated process It was a matter of doing simple things repeatedly You know your subject which is an old Dale Carnegie principle and you know your heart she says I think that is some of the best training for any communicator I was definitely living and breathing my subject and I maintained a positive attitude because I wanted to be positive about this situation I knew this had the potential to turn into a great situation for us over the long term Get others involved In addition to jumping right into crisis communication mode Napier also had to jump into prioritization She was already working on a number of new initiatives when bankruptcy proceedings began and she had to determine how to best lead the company on a day to day basis in addition to piloting the company through the bankruptcy It took the involvement of Napiers leadership team which at the time was a combination of holdovers from before There wasnt a lot of balance right away Napier says Id be lying if I said there was balance I had to perform some delegation of responsibilities but at the same time there were gaps with what I had in terms of resources so I couldnt delegate everything For example I didnt have a head of marketing until we emerged from bankruptcy so in addition to the CEO hat I had to wear the marketing hat as well as the bankruptcy hat I think we did well collectively with the bankruptcy and I think I did reasonably well as a CEO overall On marketing I think I deserve a C plus There were things that happened with marketing that if I had more time to devote to it we would have done a better job But I could only work so many hours in a day When Napier did delegate it was more out of necessity than by design But by trusting her team members to take on responsibilities and help her lead she began to develop a sense of familiarity with them and they began to understand her leadership style and trust her decision making skills For any leader in a situation like this I would tell them that whatever you do is going to be magnified Napier says If youre not positive no one is going to be Even if you are a realistic executive and you might be realistic about your bottom line SBA Preferred Lender Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender cbank com Equipment Financing has remained an integral part of Community Banks support of Southern California manufacturers for the last 65 years In addition to the potential tax deduction opportunities that come with equipment financing our competitive rates and progress funding truly facilitate business growth while preserving cash flow Community Bank also offers financing up to 100 for equipment purchases We tailor our services to your needs including offering both capital and operating equipment leasing For more information call 877 922 2653 Please consult your tax advisor All loans are subject to Community Banks customary due diligence underwriting credit approval and documentation Dave Malone President CEO Visit us at one of our convenient locations Get Business Center details at www cbank com Anaheim Burbank Commerce Corona Fontana Glendale Huntington Beach Irvine Ontario Pasadena Redlands Santa Clarita Santa Fe Springs South Bay Warner Center