Considering Andrea is the longest tenured female CEO in the Fortune 500, she must be doing something right. Let’s check in with her USA Today interview the other day.

Q: Hard decisions are being made daily by companies to stay afloat. How do you order layoffs, save every possible dime and maintain morale?

A: Communicate, communicate, communicate frequently and face to face, not in an e-mail. Communicate the purpose of the vision and the reason for tough decisions. Whether it’s a layoff or pay freeze, they must understand the rationale and why it will make the company healthier. It’s more than morale, it’s trust and respect. In 2005, we announced a delayering of our organization, and a third of our managers left. We started fixing the roof when the sun was shining.

We have had this communication conversation before!
I love the trust and respect part, also. At the end of my media interviews the reporter often gives me those “five seconds to sum up your book” comments and I always come back with “it is about trust and respect.” How are you doing with communication and are you doing it with trust and respect?

Q: Is it smart in times of high unemployment to replace weaker employees with talented employees who are available?

A: I’m a huge believer that it’s always about talent. I just got out of a meeting that was a lengthy talent development session. That’s what I do with more than 25% of my time. But it’s not simply capitalizing on the recession. Talent is the No. 1 priority for a CEO. You think it’s about vision and strategy, but you have to get the right people first. It’s less about who’s on the market now. These times are here to stay for a while. You better have the best talent, whether it’s promoting them within your house or trying to attract the best people, because these times require even better capabilities than were required awhile ago.

…it is always about talent! more than 25% of her time is on talent…these times require even better capabilities than were required awhile ago……in other words, you must develop your people (and if you can’t, we can help you!). If you don’t they will find someone else to develop them – the competitor across town.

For the rest of the interview click here.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/advice/2009-06-14-jung-ceo-avon_N.htm

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