NEWS AND INSIGHTS UPDATE:
Have you ever been handed a failing project and been asked to turn it around? That’s the question Karin Hurt of Let’s Grow Leaders asked recently. She reminds us that you need to slow down and assess the situation so you can be sure you make the right changes.
But what do you change? To help you successfully tackle a turnaround, Karin offers a list of do’s and don’ts. Some of the suggestions that jumped out at me follow:
- Do give the current team the benefit of the doubt.
- Do find your “A Players” and ask what they would do.
- Do talk with key stakeholders about what is working and what is not.
- Do assess the will and skill of the current team, and get the right people in the right seats.
- Don’t talk poorly about previous leadership or strategy.
- Don’t assume everything needs to change.
- Don’t assume your current team can’t be effective.
- Don’t assume you know what is best.
You can follow the link below to read all of Karin’s turnaround do’s and don’ts. What would you add to the list?
One “don’t” that I would add is this: Don’t forget that most of the employees probably already know something is very wrong and needs to change. Don’t make them feel worse about what’s happening than they already do. Turnaround often starts with turning around perceptions and attitudes of employees who are frustrated, disappointed, or unhappy. Creating a positive environment should be the foundation of any turnaround.
Get the details: Turnaround Tactics: The Dos and Don’ts of Dramatic Improvement via letsgrowleaders.com
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Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 25-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored ten books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.
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Thanks so much for sharing. I really like your point of “don’t forget that most employees already know something is really wrong and needs to change.” Managing that is so critical.
Karin, You’re welcome and thank you for writing such great content for business women!