For more than two years, C-suite executives have oozed kindness and patience with employees as they navigated uncharted waters created by the pandemic. Now that most pandemic-related concerns have ebbed and the economy is worsening, tones are shifting, writes Chip Cutter for the Wall Street Journal. In July, Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company must operate with greater intensity “and I expect us to get more done with fewer resources.” Another company leader told managers to push out low performers, Cutter writes. A survey released in June by the Conference Board, a business research firm, found the majority of CEOs think a recession is coming or is already here, Cutter writes. “When leaders fear a downturn, their talk and actions change, say executives, board members and corporate advisers.” Ellen Kullman, chairwoman of a 3D printing company, told Cutter that in good economic times, “we want to focus people on the growth aspects. “But when the economy appears to have the potential for that downturn, it’s fundamentals 101. It’s: How do I conserve cash? How do I focus the team to emerge from whatever this is stronger?”