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When a mid-market company (say $20M–$500M in revenue) hits a wall — declining revenue, disappearing cash, operational stagnation, or a sudden crisis — the path back to stability can feel overwhelming. But seasoned interim CEOs and turnaround executives have seen these situations repeatedly, across industries and economic cycles.
Their collective experience points to seven essential strategies that consistently help companies regain footing, rebuild momentum, and return to profitable growth.
Below, three veteran turnaround leaders, interim CEOs Dick Lindenmuth, Paul Fioravanti, and Philip Schiavoni, share real-world insights from years of hands-on business turnaround work.
From Lindenmuth’s strategic empathy to Fioravanti’s cultural clarity and structured leadership, to Schiavoni’s cash-first survival approach, we compiled these seven turnaround tips. Together, they create a blueprint for middle-market companies that need to stabilize quickly and rebuild toward long-term health.
1. Start with People
In distressed situations, fear and uncertainty can spread faster than financial losses. Teams pull back, mistrust rises, and communication frays. It’s important to acknowledge the crisis emotionally so you can fix it operationally.
“You can’t lead effectively without a connection to the people in the company; emotional intelligence is a must,” says Lindemuth. “Think of it as ‘strategic empathy’ — being sincerely focused on the individual, but always with the big picture top of mind.”
Similarly, Fioravanti stresses that culture is more than a “soft” concept; it’s a strategic asset. “Culture is what wins the war.”
When employees feel seen, respected, and informed, they move from resistance to participation, which is the foundation of any business turnaround.
2. Communicate the Plan
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make during a crisis is withholding information in an attempt to avoid panic. In reality, clarity and transparency build trust.
Fioravanti uses his POMC framework: Plan, Organize, Motivate, Control. It emphasizes that everyone needs visibility into the roadmap. “Sharing the battle plan” gets the entire organization rowing in the same direction, he says.
Turnaround leadership is not a command-and-control exercise. It’s about opening communication channels and making sure every employee understands:
- What the goals are
- Why decisions are being made
- How their role contributes to the recovery
3. Fix What’s Broken Immediately and Decisively
Crises worsen when problems linger. Lindenmuth, a pioneer in the interim space who completed more than 20 assignments in his career, was always blunt about the need for speed: “If you see something broken, fix it.”
This may mean:
- Closing or consolidating underperforming facilities
- Resetting leadership roles
- Restructuring debt
- Reworking vendor contracts
- Stopping unprofitable product lines
Interim executives don’t have the luxury of waiting for perfect information. They act quickly, course-correct rapidly, and show the organization that the turnaround is real and underway.
4. Stabilize Cash Flow
Cash is the oxygen of any troubled company — especially among middle-market companies, where reserves are often limited.
Philip Schiavoni, who has led turnarounds through extreme revenue declines, warns that, “time and inactivity will deplete available cash and capital reserves and the outcome becomes inevitable.”
To preserve liquidity, turnaround leaders typically:
- Slash or suspend non-essential spending
- Renegotiate supplier terms
- Reduce staffing levels while maintaining core capability
- Prioritize collections
- Pause long-term projects
- Convert assets into cash when appropriate
Cash discipline buys the time needed for deeper restructuring and strategic rebuilding.
5. Engage the Entire Organization
Turnaround leadership isn’t about a single hero riding in with all the answers. It’s about mobilizing the collective intelligence of the company and gathering insights come from the front line.
Fioravanti tells employees at the outset, “you guys have forgotten more about this industry than I’ll ever know. But I can’t do my job unless you help me through this process.”
This approach creates partnership amid the disruption. Employees closest to the work often have the best ideas for improving processes, cutting waste, or winning back customers.
Turnaround success accelerates when leaders create an environment where employees feel safe offering input and see their ideas acted upon.
6. Use Creativity and Flexibility
Revenues don’t always decline gradually. Sometimes they fall sharply or stop entirely. This requires a shift from traditional leadership to entrepreneurial survival thinking.
Schiavoni notes that in zero-revenue situations, companies must rethink conventional operations entirely. The situation demands “creative, out-of-the-box thinking” to preserve the business long enough for recovery.
This could mean:
- Temporary business model pivots
- Repurposing assets
- New customer segments
- Alternative distribution channels
- Creative financing or restructuring solutions
Executing small experiments quickly helps identify what’s viable in rapidly changing conditions.
7. Cast a Wide Net for Ideas, Then Pilot, Measure, and Scale What Work
Turnaround experts agree: the first wave of solutions is rarely perfect. But generating many ideas and filtering rapidly leads to success.
By motivating people and creating rapid-feedback loops, leaders can identify which innovations will have the biggest impact. From Fioravanti’s POMC perspective, once the organization is motivated and aligned, execution and control follow naturally.
Turnarounds thrive when leaders look beyond hierarchy, gather ideas broadly, and commit to disciplined testing.
Turnaround Leadership is Active Leadership
With the right turnaround leadership, even companies facing steep decline can regain control, restore performance, and emerge stronger than before. Successful business turnarounds don’t happen because one person has all the answers. They happen because an interim executive activates the entire organization — culturally, operationally, financially, and strategically.
If your middle-market company is in need of experienced strategic leadership, reach out to us for a confidential conversation about how an InterimExecs RED Team CEO can turn around your business.
Read More:
- The Complete Guide to Interim Management
- Anatomy of a Business Turnaround: A Master Class with Paul Fioravanti
