Lessons from a Turnaround Expert
Harvard Business
AUGUST 27, 2024
A conversation with former Marvel head Peter Cuneo on what it takes to shake up a team or organization.
Turnaround Related Topics 
How Agile Teams Can Help Turnarounds Succeed
Harvard Business
JULY 2, 2018
It is most definitely not for big, old-line companies that are facing an existential crisis and require a full-scale turnaround. None of these conditions exists in extreme events such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, major military battles — or large-scale business turnarounds. It’s for techies.
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How Etsy Found Its Purpose and Crafted a Turnaround
Harvard Business
MARCH 22, 2022
CEO Josh Silverman’s purpose-driven turnaround at Etsy made the company profitable and improved its social and environmental impact.
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Desperate Times Call for Effective Turnarounds
BCG
NOVEMBER 11, 2016
We refer to these as turnaround and restructuring efforts. At this point, the company starts burning through cash reserves and needs to launch a turnaround. . Turnaround and restructuring programs involve applying all three components: * Funding the Journey. Winning in the Medium Term. Organizing for Sustained Performance.
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When Charismatic CEOs Are an Asset — and When They’re a Liability
Harvard Business
DECEMBER 1, 2023
However, charisma can be especially useful in two business concepts with big unknowns: entrepreneurial startups and corporate turnarounds. Starting in the 1980s, a generation of larger-than-life CEOs became full-blown celebrity, but over time, research suggested that charismatic CEOs tended to have drawbacks at leaders.
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How Microsoft Became Innovative Again
Harvard Business
FEBRUARY 20, 2023
Inside the cultural turnaround that helped the tech giant think like a startup.
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A Bread and Butter Method for Identifying the Right Organizational Structure
Steve Shu Consulting
SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
Suppose you are trying to design a company whose strategy is to provide broadly accessible, lower-cost, optical glasses to customers within quick turnaround times of one hour. Turnaround times might be much longer. Consider a very stylized example. It may also require a wider geographic structure.
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How to Develop Your Tagline to Win More Work
Successful Independent Consulting
AUGUST 28, 2024
In the list of taglines above, some of the keywords are “big, hairy projects;” “shared services;” “burnout prevention;” and “turnaround leader.” What is necessary is to keep the tagline short, without overly long words or business jargon. These words should cause that expert to be top-of-mind.
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Management Lessons from One Hospital's Dramatic Turnaround
Strategy+Business
MARCH 12, 2017
The dramatic turnaround engineered by Grossman -- from $120 million in annual losses to consistent profits -- offers important lessons for any manager seeking to overcome chronic underperformance, and lessons are also to be found in the rapid growth in its physician network, a top 10 ranking from U.S.
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The Key to Campbell Soup’s Turnaround? Civility.
Harvard Business
OCTOBER 5, 2017
In the early years of the turnaround initiative, hundreds of the top 350 senior leaders who could not, or would not, demonstrate their willingness to adapt their approach were let go or transitioned to other roles. If the evaluations revealed leaders were falling short, the expectation was explicitly reinforced.
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6 Turnaround Tactics for a Failing Team
Rick Conlow
JUNE 3, 2021
3 Turnaround Tactics for a Failing Team. The following six proven turnaround tactics come from my consulting practice. These kinds of actions can swiftly turnaround a failing team. The post 6 Turnaround Tactics for a Failing Team appeared first on Rick Conlow. I have learned that success is possible in nearly every case.
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6 Turnaround Tactics for a Failing Team
Rick Conlow
JUNE 3, 2021
3 Turnaround Tactics for a Failing Team. The following six proven turnaround tactics come from my consulting practice. These kinds of actions can swiftly turnaround a failing team. The post 6 Turnaround Tactics for a Failing Team appeared first on Rick Conlow. I have learned that success is possible in nearly every case.
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Saving RadioShack
Tom Spencer
SEPTEMBER 14, 2014
When the business landscape changes, how can you turnaround a failing company? Assuming this leads to successful refinancing, what should the strategy be to turnaround and save this iconic company? When faced with a broad turnaround question, it is important to ask a variety of questions to determine the source of the problem.
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The Perils of Internal Disruption (Part 2)
Markovitz Consulting
JANUARY 14, 2019
The former president of Wiremold, Art Byrne, explains in his book The Lean Turnaround that he eliminated volume discounts and incentives for sales to book the largest possible orders. With more level demand, the warranty department was able to keep its turnaround time to under a week, even during the peak summer season. Permalink
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At LEGO, Growth and Culture Are Not Kid Stuff
BCG
JANUARY 19, 2017
The turnaround of the LEGO Group is one of the famous business stories of this century. He was a 35-year-old former academic and consultant who quickly gained a reputation as a turnaround artist. Prior to the turnaround, Knudstorp acknowledges, LEGO had taken this loyalty for granted by stretching the brand too thin.
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AlixPartners Interviews and Culture
Management Consulted
JANUARY 25, 2016
AlixPartners is an international business advisory firm based in Southfield, MI known for its work in corporate turnarounds, bankruptcy assignments and restructuring. Generally regarded as turnaround market leaders, AlixPartners is doing a killer job at taking up more room in the consulting space by strategically hiring a plethora of gurus.
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100 Your Consulting Niche vs Jack-of-All-Trades Myth
Successful Independent Consulting
JANUARY 20, 2017
Transformation and turnaround leader specialized in building teams, measurement systems, and driving results at distressed and growth companies alike, with a focus on the middle market. Translation: turnaround expert. Translation: change management for IT projects.
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How to Manage a More Experienced Direct Report
CaseInterview.com
MAY 31, 2022
That will increase their turnaround time for the work orders in their group by 70%. You don’t need to understand technology, law, accounting, or medicine to grasp the concept that for $200,000 you can buy a 70% faster turnaround time in the department in question. This is a tradeoff decision.
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When Is Teamwork Really Necessary?
Harvard Business
AUGUST 16, 2018
In turnaround situations, for example, the most important roles for the team often are Agenda Setters, Execution Drivers, and Architects (leading required organizational transformation). Groups of executives who lead companies or divisions or major functions need to balance leading their own teams and leading the enterprise together.
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Narrow Your Niche to Win More Work as a Solopreneur
Successful Independent Consulting
APRIL 1, 2024
They have a defined niche that makes them easy to remember. More importantly, prospective clients recognize the consultant’s vocation by simply skimming their LinkedIn profile or resumé.
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Management Consulting versus Investment Banking
Management Consulted
DECEMBER 16, 2008
This expertise may be as broad as “operations turnaround” and as specific as “benchmarking for insurance companies.” Note -firmsodeling” done in case work may not be directly comparable to the financial modeling more common at investment banks. ” Soft skills: 1) Client interaction (explained above).
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Why CEO’s Hire Consultants and Coaches: The REAL Value They Bring with Brad Rex
Consulting Matters
APRIL 13, 2023
About the guest: About the guest: Brad Rex is an accomplished senior executive and corporate officer with proven experience growing businesses and driving results in start-up, turnaround, expansion and multi-site situations.
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All Hail Medium-Term Planning
Harvard Business
JUNE 23, 2016
Now a global giant in the drinks business, just 25 years ago, its precursor, Brahma, was a second-tier Brazilian brewer undergoing a painful turnaround in the hands of acquirer 3G, a São Paulo–based private equity house. A key feature of the turnaround, led by CEO Marcel Telles, was avoiding a hopelessly long-term view.
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113 Consultant Ninja: Finally, two counter-cyclical markets: Management.
Consultant Ninja
NOVEMBER 11, 2008
The other sector Im long on is turnaround consulting: 10-13-08. After seeing so many markets down, my cousin in the hunting business informed me that gun sales have been surging, due to Obama winning the presidency. Who knew he could stimulate the economy so quickly? WaMu made a motion to designate William C. bankruptcy Sept.
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Surviving in a Procyclical Industry
Tom Spencer
SEPTEMBER 3, 2016
Consultants and consulting firms can go some way towards reducing the effect of economic downturns by offering a range of services including some which are counter cyclical, that is, services which are more in demand during downturns such as restructuring and turnaround support services.
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Brewing a Turnaround at DAVIDsTEA
1 to 1
MAY 30, 2018
Only two years after going public, specialty tea retailer DAVIDsTEA announced at the end of 2017 that it was evaluating strategic alternatives, including a potential sale and store closures.
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The Journey from Underdog Athlete to Turnaround CEO w/Mike MacDonald Ep#155
Strategic Planning and Management Insights
MARCH 1, 2022
SME Strategy is a strategy consulting company that specializes in aligning teams around their vision, mission, values, goals and action plans. Learn more about how we can help align your team with our strategic planning and implementation services.
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52 First, You’ve Got to Show That You Care
Markovitz Consulting
NOVEMBER 26, 2018
John Shook describes how within the constellation of GM plants, the Fremont plant went from worst to first in quality in one year, with a 180-degree turnaround in culture, all while keeping the same workers. (In As I’ve been reflecting on our slow progress, I keep coming back to the story of NUMMI.
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How to Give Negative Feedback Over Email
Harvard Business
OCTOBER 7, 2016
You don’t have to go overboard, it could be something as simple as: Thanks for the quick turnaround on this! Try to start your email by appreciating some aspect of the work your recipient already done. Or This provides a great starting point for our discussion. Provide specific, actionable direction.
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Reflecting on David Garvin’s Imprint on Management
Harvard Business
MAY 18, 2017
In “Change Through Persuasion” (2005), another piece coauthored with Michael Roberto, he departed from that norm, describing how Paul Levy, then CEO of Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, led a painful turnaround.
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108 Case Study: Can You Fix a Toxic Culture Without Firing People?
Harvard Business
AUGUST 22, 2018
Franklin had finally returned to profitability, but she and Cameron Koren, a turnaround specialist who’d been brought in as CEO five years earlier to right the ship, were still working hard to keep the business on track. The following Saturday, Noelle met her friend, Joss, at the reservoir near their houses.
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Don’t do everything yourself
Jacq Hackett Consulting
OCTOBER 24, 2017
It’s quick – the turnaround time on jobs is impressive. When you indicate that milestone has been achieved, Upwork will pay the freelancer. Over the years I’ve used the site for hundreds of jobs worth thousands of dollars, and I’ve never experienced any problems.
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136 Digital Growth Depends More on Business Models than Technology
Harvard Business
DECEMBER 14, 2018
For an example of digitally-enabled business model transformation, consider Domino’s Pizza, which has experienced a massive turnaround since 2010. A social media site that allows its users to visually share their interests with each other (and with advertisers, who sponsor content and pay for user data).
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Your Organization Wastes Time. Here’s How to Fix It.
Harvard Business
MARCH 13, 2017
Consider the remarkable turnaround at Ford. But hidden and informal factors that create organizational drag tend to get overlooked. These factors are often more behavioral — how the management team makes decisions, for example.
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142 Management Process: Small Clues with Big Consequences
Kates Kesler
OCTOBER 9, 2012
Recently, The Wall Street Journal reported on how Procter & Gamble’s CEO is under scrutiny by investors and the board for a stalling turnaround effort. P&G’s Stumbles Put CEO On Hot Seat for Turnaround. Most painfully, but all too common, this is occurring in the middle of a very difficult turnaround.
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Leaders Who Get Change Right Know How to Listen
Harvard Business
OCTOBER 17, 2016
What she learned informed her strategy for the turnaround, which she then communicated through a series of town halls, roundtables, and memos. ” And she restored the company’s profitability — the turnaround was a success. “The response was overwhelming,” Mulcahy said. “Defection slowed to a trickle.
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4 Types of Consulting Firms
Tom Spencer
JULY 13, 2019
Some of the most notable specialisations include healthcare, IT or tech, and turnaround consulting. Although IT consulting firms can be big shops such as Gartner and Infosys, healthcare and turnaround consulting firms tend to be more boutique in nature. Internal Corporate Strategy Consulting.
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Why a Long-time Microsoft Exec Believes in Strategy First - Interview with Brad Chase
Strategic Planning and Management Insights
AUGUST 17, 2020
Brad was a part of several major project at Microsoft, including the complete turnaround of MSN.com, leading the marketing effort for Windows 2000, Windows 98 and Internet Explorer, as well as developing and executing the award winning marketing strategy for Windows 95.
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In the Best Sales Teams, About Half of the People Are in Support Roles
Harvard Business
MAY 25, 2016
Other activities that required complex interactions with customers or quick turnaround times — such as lead qualification, disputes management, and credits management — were kept in local sales offices, where they would be closer to the customer.
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GE’s Fall Has Been Accelerated by Two Problems. Most Other Big Companies Face Them, Too.
Harvard Business
JUNE 29, 2018
In the fall of 2017 under Flannery, MA&D unsurprisingly became GE’s turnaround strategy tool. During the Immelt era, the dominant mode had been of strategy by way of mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures (MA&D), including most recently the disastrous merger of the GE oil and gas business with Baker Hughes in 2016.
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119 Great Leaders Are Confident, Connected, Committed, and Courageous
Harvard Business
JULY 13, 2018
Brad was leading a difficult turnaround of his company and had decided to fire his head of sales, who was a nice guy but wasn’t performing. Pat LaCroix/Getty Images. Three months later, he still hadn’t fired him. I asked him why. His answer? “I’m a wimp!”
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How to Have a Good Debate in a Meeting
Harvard Business
JANUARY 10, 2018
When I was teaching the American Express turnaround case at HBS, Harvey Golub, then the company’s CEO, came to class. Take the contrarian view. He explained that he would often take the contrarian view: If the meeting was about raising the price for a service, he would show up and ask whether they should lower the price.
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Our thought leadership predictions for 2021
The Source
JANUARY 15, 2021
This need to ramp up production and meet a requirement for super-fast turnaround times led to wholesale rethinking of processes, and often turned long-held assumptions about just what can be achieved within tight timescales on their head.
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How to Change a Bad Thinking Habit
The Fearless Marketer
FEBRUARY 9, 2020
The final question is, “What is the turnaround to that thought and is it just as true or even truer?” The turnaround thought would be, ‘They just might be interested in meeting with me.’ Now, of course, there are many people whom you speak with where exactly that happens. It’s not a huge stretch, is it? Again, not a huge stretch.
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