In larger organizations, roles such as “account coordinator” or “sales support specialist” are usually limited to a few individual tasks, and often these roles are filled by multiple people distributed across regions or product categories. But in mid-sized companies, these roles are far fewer and cover a wider range of activities. Such breadth can be used in difficult times. When hiring or promotions have slowed and the ability to bear increased costs has diminished, you can risk high-potential talent by creating opportunities for them to try new roles or projects.

For example, empowering a team to address issues that are fueled by uncertainty, such as customer retention or cost management, encourages employees in these broader roles to emerge as company generalists—people who know more about the company than just their job, rather than being highly specialized. functional experts, which can usually be found in large organizations. This will enable innovative problem solving – bringing together perspectives from across the organization allows you to see a problem in a new way – and will also give your team the opportunity to explore and shine in new areas. They can “try on a new role” without having to look for a new opportunity in another company.

This helps break the myth that big opportunities only come from big companies. While this can sometimes be true, most middle-sized company employees know that this also comes with a “little fish in a big pond” price: you can get a big role, but you’re also less visible because you’re swimming now. in a large pond with a lot of fish. By deliberately creating opportunities for employees to demonstrate real impact by gaining new experiences, you strengthen their loyalty to your organization by solving critical problems and allowing both senior and emerging leaders to see and get to know each other better. This flexibility creates a development cycle that can be maintained as you return to less turbulent times.

Close the rows between top and bottom.

Times of uncertainty naturally destroy organizations. People hide and hide in their own bunkers, clinging to any sense of control they can get their hands on. In large companies, this can be especially devastating as leaders attempt to rally the organization around a single path, overcoming whatever challenges they face, only to work against the centrifugal force of the organization’s frightening and self-protective impulses.

At a recent client meeting, we were riding in an elevator with two employees who had just walked past a cardboard mock-up of their CEO (a reward for their charitable work this month). Employees asked each other who this person was: was it someone famous? Someone they need to recognize? Unfortunately, they had no idea it was their CEO. In this Fortune 200-sized organization, it would take them more than just a “peer-to-peer meeting” to gain direct access to the company’s senior management and hear their vision for the future.

The advantage of mid-sized companies is that they create closer bonds between senior managers and front-line employees. Their smaller size allows managers to be close to all employees, regardless of hierarchy, and ensure that the messages they want to convey are clear, consistent and understandable. Large organizations are forced to rely on clumsy processes of cascading information, message softening, and losing the intended impact of building organizational focus and confidence. In contrast, midsize companies can create direct access to employees through messages directly from executives, which can speed up execution and increase commitment. Take advantage of this by increasing senior management’s interaction with the organization as a whole. The cohesion you build will help alleviate any anxiety and build confidence in the face of uncertainty.

Strengthen leadership by paying attention to emerging opportunities and threats.

Quite often in large corporate environments, even high-potential aspiring leaders can wait years to get a chance at a promotion. And in turbulent times, those opportunities dry up as large corporations tend to turn to their “usual suspects”: proven leaders they know are getting things done. The flexible nature of the midsize company—in terms of reach, size, and market understanding of threats and opportunities—gives the chance to create leaders who can succeed and fail quickly. This clear line of sight allows you to collect critical feedback on leaders, provide them with the necessary development support, and make adjustments accordingly.

In difficult times, the challenges and opportunities are endless. Unfortunately, so are the perceived risks and disadvantages associated with the risk of new leadership emerging. If you can overcome these fears, the evolving nature of your midsize company will offer many opportunities for young leaders to develop. Look for disgruntled customers, products or services that were never fully developed, or processes that were unwieldy even in good times. Giving less experienced leaders, especially those who have not yet been tested, cross-cutting responsibility for achieving a result or preventing a major problem can prepare them for broader leadership roles.

Think about the growth priorities you may have had to give up in order to weather the current market volatility. Highlight aspects of it to refresh, revise, or develop plans to accelerate and engage future leaders. This creates a cadre of leaders ready to step into new leadership experiences when things change and you’re ready to double your growth again. So three years from now, if the bets on growth pay off and you have to grow the size of the organization, you will have leaders who have already invested in sustaining success.

Show your values ​​when you make difficult compromises.

When times get tough, the company’s perceived values ​​are usually the first to be shown as good on paper only. In large companies, where subcultures are more easily formed, the vague relationship between values ​​and actions is likely to be cosmetic. But in midsize companies, a clear direct link between decisions made at the top and actions taken in the middle and on the front lines emerges more quickly. And decisions and actions that reinforce — or violate — your stated values ​​can strengthen or weaken your culture when the company and your leaders are tested by uncertainty. Count on it and show your employees how committed you are to the company’s values ​​when you have to make difficult choices. If you need to close lines or de-emphasize certain markets, be clear about how your values ​​affect those choices. Be open about how even though adjusting or cutting costs can be difficult, your belief system allows you to lead.

One mid-sized company we worked with had to make the painful decision to abandon customers they had served for years because it simply wasn’t profitable to keep them longer. Their industry was undergoing a massive digital transformation that was turning certain offerings into commodities. The value of exceptional customer service to the company was a principle they held firmly to in order to justify retaining those customers. Market headwinds forced them to honestly face the fact that they needed to break up because they were not able to serve them well. But instead of abandoning them, leaving them without service, they found regional partners to whom they could help customers move to within six months. The honesty of the leaders, open communication with employees, and a fresh look at the value of their customer service made this decision more acceptable to employees who had served these customers for years. This was not an afterthought rationalization. They openly struggled with difficult alternatives that eventually brought them into true alignment with their values.

To be sure, volatile times can hit midsize companies in a way that larger companies may be more willing to counter. But there are ways small companies can use their size to capitalize on tough times. Those who do are much more likely to find themselves on the other side of uncertainty, not only stronger, but also ready to rise when the headwind becomes tailwind.