The 10 Day Turnaround. Darren Stephens

by circumstance, it might not be the right time to make a life-altering decision about your business. Or to be more specific, you shouldn’t change your business model, your marketing method, or product or service offering out of sheer desperation or utter uncertainty.

      Now this doesn’t mean to say that you shouldn’t make decisions or implement changes at all. What it does mean is you would be better off shifting your mindset to a point of focused possibility rather than overwhelmed impossibility or hopeless improbability. Even in the darkest situations, the focus of the business owner and the organization must be on opportunity rather than problems. Knowing the cause of a problem without defining the opportunity for a solution is virtually worthless.

      You need not only hope for something better but gather the confidence that comes from forming a well-thought-out plan of action geared toward the results you want to achieve.

      As you begin, it’s time now to think a little more deeply about the concepts of forming a turnaround mindset so that you will be able to understand them within the context of change.

      The first thing you must wrap your mind around and accept is that “stuff happens”. Change occurs - it’s a fact of life and a fact of business. What “was” probably isn’t what “is”, and what “is” won’t always be. Just because business was good yesterday doesn’t guarantee that tomorrow or even today your business will succeed or even survive. Change is a law of the universe. As Jack Welch, former CEO of GE said, “You’ve got to learn to eat change for breakfast.”

      There are immutable laws of the universe, like gravity, that we must live within — like it or not, we’re stuck with it. We can ignore gravity or we can be aware of it, abide by it and even overcome it by understanding it. Understanding is the key - it’s how we learned to fly in spite of the odds.

      Like gravity, change is an immutable law. Nothing can exist, survive, thrive or succeed in its original form forever, but that’s great news. Even though life and your business are subject to change, you have something to start with, something to change and something to build on.

      All things change eventually. Change is scary for a lot of people. They feel uncertain, out-of-control or helpless. Still, other people feel exhilarated, emboldened or filled with a sense of infinite possibility. What makes the difference?

      The difference is the mindset people carry with regard to change.

      People who are afraid of change usually feel they are the “victim of change” rather than the “creator of change”. One is affected by change; the other is the catalyst and director of change. To some, change happens; to others they plan to make changes happen.

      How do YOU view change? How should you view change? How will you view change now, from this moment forward?

      You have to have a plan from which to build your foundation; from there you begin to take action. You must have a way to measure your progress against your plan; to monitor your performance and direct your resources toward the right activities that support your plan to ensure the change and successful results. Having a foundation beneath you and the business you are building can go a long way in creating the “right mindset” for a turnaround.

      Another fact of change is that success is not always a straight road. In fact, over the long haul, it NEVER is. There will be twists and turns along the way. There’ll be bumps and potholes you didn’t see or intend. You’re going to be faced with the challenge of consistently taking the right action in the face of changes you couldn’t predict in the marketplace, your competition, the economy and within your business or organization. You may slow down, stall or breakdown along the way. You must be able to adapt your actions, environment and your approach to keep on your intended course of change and improvement if you want to turn around your business.

      The road to turning a business around can be long, it can be hard, and frankly, if it were as simple as having a good attitude and a plan, you wouldn’t need this book. If it were as simple as getting started and making a single change — one time — and never having to change again, you’d have made that change long ago and probably be on a never-ending vacation of self-satisfaction.

       “it’s easy to make changes and get immediate results”

      Indeed, old habits die hard. Change is not an event; it’s a process. Understanding that is the key to having a “turnaround mindset”. Having a plan - one that is well-thought-out and has an intended direction or outcome - is vital. Believing that you can and will do whatever it takes to succeed can make the difference between being “almost there” and being exactly where you want to be.

      Here’s a seductive proposition - it’s easy to make changes and get immediate results and improvement in a business! Almost anyone can do it and I mean anyone; it happens every day.

       But it’s much harder to sustain those changes.

      People assume that once made, a change will sustain itself and maybe even last forever. But patterns of the past re-emerge. People often revert back to old habits, familiar systems and the previous ways of doing business. Old habits really do die hard and there’s comfort in the familiarity of the way things were, including ways of thinking and methods of doing.

      It takes time and effort to change what has become habitual. And it is less of a challenge doing what has always worked rather than what’s needed now. There is a sense of safety in thinking and doing what you’ve always done and thinking what you’ve always thought. But when circumstances change, a business that doesn’t adjust or adapt is on the road to obsolescence or extinction.

      “I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.”

       George Bernard Shaw

      Besides knowing that change is a fact of life and business, what else makes up the right mindset?

      Having an effective mindset involves having clarity and confidence in yourself and your thinking. You need to be clear about what’s important to you, why it’s important, what you’re intending to do, how you are going to do it and what doing “it” will mean to you and to others who are affected by your actions. Having clarity and confidence makes it easier to attain the congruency and consistency which are vital to earning the trust of both ourselves and others. You have to find clarity and focus. This is where your Mission, Vision, and Values statements comes into play. It serves as the backbone for growth, providing a standard of strength and integrity. Furthermore, it is a motivator unto itself, reminding you of the purposes behind your every action.

      Setting and adopting a turnaround mindset begins with the following four steps:

      1 Revisiting your Mission, Vision and Values.

      2 Forgetting about the past, focusing on the present, and creating your future.

      3 Redefining yourself and realigning your company.

      4 Making your mark and focusing on increasing value for your customers, prospects, stakeholders, and yourself.

      Your “mission” for tonight (and you’ve already chosen to accept it) is to think through these four points on the next few pages. Invest the time and attention in the questions you and your business deserve and you’ll be prepared for your 10 day journey.

      Think deeply and passionately about what you want, why you want it, and how you can get it. Consider how you can create more value for others so they have a reason to work with you, do business with you, and choose your company above all others. Consider what your business means, what it stands for, and what you stand for.

       Revisiting your Mission, Vision and Values

      The following is one of the most important keys to the turnaround’s success. Give yourself all the time, space and creativity you need. Take it seriously—take your business seriously—and remind yourself of the meaning of success. Remember