The title of James
Kilts' book about the Gillette turnaround [1]
reminds me of a story. In a prior life, colleagues would often bring me
problems which they wanted me to solve. Frequently, these problems were
nuisances rather than strategic or operational. My response became, “don’t bring me problems whose solutions
are not going to make a difference in the business three years from now.”
Most companies in need of a transition, however, suffer from several real maladies at once. Those maladies tend to fall into three buckets:
- The strategy is fuzzy, tired, worn out, behind the curve, or immature.
- There are people problems everywhere but no talent program.
- People are working hard running in every possible direction.
What should you do?
- Sort out the strategy - Sometimes this is simply a matter of tweaks and emphasis.
- Figure out the people issues - Nothing much good can happen until you make progress here.
- Ration the resources - Most businesses are leaky boats with cash seeping out everywhere.
- Lead from the front
- Clear, concise, consistent communication about direction, goals and progress
will act like a magnet to point everyone in the same direction.
[1] James M. Kilts, et al, Doing What Matters, Crown Business, 2007
Return to Top
