You can’t build a career, or a company by maintaining the status-quo. If you want to maintain the status-quo, you should get a government job. They are good at that. Well, maybe not so good. And if you want to make huge gains in your career, or your company, you have to make huge change. Sometimes it needs to be massive, gut-wrenching, nail-biting change. Other times it is vast, sweeping change, but not so gut-wrenching.
And the companies that need change the most are the ones that have changed the least. I speak from experience here. In one case I was in a turnaround situation of a 100 year old company. The genetic coding in a company that old is unbelievable. I have to tell you changing a culture that old and that entrenched is damn near impossible. And no matter what the B school profs tell you making sweeping changes in a culture like that takes years. Long, hard, painful years. If you ever sign on to a deal like that as the CEO, make sure you get yourself a multi-year contract. It will take at least that long.
And make no mistake. A Burnaround is a war zone. Just about everyone will be against you. So buck up and get ready for a rough ride. A ride you, or the company might not survive.
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