Every newspaper, every business magazine or journal and many of the emails we receive every day have news about the recession we are about to have and the global economic crisis we are supposedly experiencing.

It would be very easy to be overcome with fear, doom and gloom, anxiety, depression and despair.

On the other hand, we do not want to make light of the world situation we all find ourselves in. It is unprecedented. It is volatile and unpredictable. There is every indication that the outcome, when the dust settles, will be a new economic order, a new way of being and doing.

In the meantime, the message is that we have to batten down the hatches, put our nose to the grindstone, get tough on our employees and keep a very tight hold on the reins.

In short, life in the foreseeable future is going to be tough, serious and certainly no fun!

But will such an approach bring success? Will it engage your people to support you through this tough period? Will it motivate them to give everything they have to work with you not just for you over this time? It will be your people who will be responsible for either your success or your demise. How you manage and look after your people in these tough times will be crucial.

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