So you’ve found yourself in a turnaround situation. Congrats! Perhaps you’ve been the leader for a long time, but the momentum has waned, and you know the organization needs to rediscover new life. Or maybe you recently stepped into a new leadership space specifically to help turn things around. Regardless of how you arrived, prepare to face several truths about the situation:
- Nobody can give you the complete story of the decline, but everyone does possess part of the truth.
- The tasks required to turn things around will be longer than you can imagine.
- Everyone who still cares will offer passionate advice on where to start.
Where Should You Begin Your Turnaround?
This is the critical question. When 100 things need to be done, which one comes first?
After all, nothing on the turnaround list is superfluous.
I’m currently serving with a church as an interim leader. Most church and business consulting clients use me for strategic or communication consultation and leadership coaching. So this situation is a bit more unique.
When this church asked me to step into a more significant leadership role to help right the ship, I again fell into the throws of “Where should we begin?”
Agreement on the Fundamentals
A lack of mission and vision focus is a common problem when any organization struggles. Not always, but often.
When a purpose of existence and vision for the future is absent, it’s impossible to be successful.
