May 11, 2016
Lyle Banks

Why Industry Doesn’t Matter in the World of Interim

Lyle Banks | Interim CEO

What do Bill George (Medtronic), Meg Whitman (eBay), Bob Wright (NBC), Lou Gerstner (IBM), Larry Bossidy (Allied Signal), Ted Turner (CNN) and Howard Schultz (Starbucks) have in common?

They were all outstanding leaders who revolutionized their companies by applying outside experiences and viewing through different lenses.  Unshackled by past memories or limited perspectives, their successes were a product of “what can be?” versus “what has happened?”

Does that mean industry experience is overrated?  Not necessarily, but I believe a talented leader with an outside perspective, fresh eyes and an open mind will usually outperform an industry veteran when important change is needed.  Why?

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March 4, 2016

NPR Discusses the Rise of Interim CEOs

npr-logoIn a recent NPR story about the rising demand for interim executives, Association of Interim Executives CEO, Robert Jordan shares that a temporary CEO is not a babysitter, but rather a specialized surgeon. “It creates a bias in favor of action and against playing politics,” Robert said, then commenting that Interim CEOs are “trying to solve a problem and work themselves out of the job.”

Association RED Team Member and Interim CEO, Richard Lindenmuth, is also interviewed sharing about his turnaround of Styrotek, an agricultural packaging company in California that contacted the Association in the midst of a 3-month drought and big financial losses. Dick was able to parachute in as Interim CEO and get the company quickly back to profitability. He says “you really have to listen – the solutions are generally within the company.”

Listen to the Story: https://www.npr.org/2016/03/04/469149268/interim-ceos-passive-placeholders-or-rented-fixers 

December 1, 2015

Restructuring Can Transform a Company Into a Compelling Investment

UBS recently published an article that gave a good synopsis of what a restructuring entails, especially regarding public companies:

“A restructuring marks a challenging and sometimes disruptive time in the history of any corporation that has ever undertaken one. Managements rarely aspire to undergo a restructuring, but in some cases, it is the best path when a company has an urgent need to turn around its fortunes, improve its reputation, or restore its competitive position. The process can entail major changes in the organizational structure, staff, asset base/product line, or cost structure. History tells us that a positive outcome is not assured, as not all restructuring plans are carried out effectively.

 

A successful restructuring begins with a vision and an achievable strategy for implementation. A well-executed restructuring or turnaround can transform a company that is weighed down – by an inferior product line, a heavy debt burden, inefficient operations, or a damaged reputation – into a strong competitor with dramatically improved financial results.”

See the entire UBS article on restructuring and turnarounds here. The Association is home to top interim executives, many of whom specialize in providing the leadership to transform struggling companies.

August 22, 2014
David Johnson

Restructuring Trade Payables in an Out-of-Court Process

David Johnson | Turnaround Executive

Troubled companies and their advisors are increasingly finding value in pursuing substantive balance sheet restructurings out of bankruptcy court. This shift has been driven by a number of factors, including the availability of risk capital, pressure from creditors to minimize costs, reduced management control in the context of bankruptcy, and the ability to negotiate favorable terms with severely impaired creditor constituencies.

As more companies facing financial distress seek to reorganize out of bankruptcy court, the key driver in right-sizing a balance sheet has shifted from aggressive legal tactics to savvy negotiating. Increasingly, advisors to distressed companies must be prepared to drive substantial, and potentially life-saving, change in their clients through impactful negotiations with key stakeholders.

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August 19, 2014
William Mince

Managing Change

William Mince | Interim CEO, COO, Turnaround

As the Red Queen told Alice, “My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that.” This is often true with most companies, they must grow or the competition will leave them behind. In order to grow faster they must also make changes in their processes. The key to effectively managing change is to create a culture that is willing to embrace change as the new norm. To be effective, you must ensure the whole organization understands that the status quo will no longer be acceptable. The first step in creating a change-management culture is to get everyone’s head wrapped around some very basic definitions:

Management
Organization and coordination of the activities of an enterprise in accordance with certain policies in order to achieve clearly defined objectives

Change
To cause to be different

Change Management
A structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state

Change Agent
A person effective at change management

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June 19, 2013
Dominic Luzi

Four Steps to Transforming Your Business

Dominic Luzi | CTO, CIO, COO

In today’s business environment, it is not enough to stay on a level playing field with your competition: it is an essential ingredient in the formula for success to lead out your markets. Turbulence is a great place to be as long as you are the one creating that turbulence and defining the market. That leader’s position is the one that commands top margin performance and value to shareholders. Having lead a number of successful global transformations, I think it is time to net this process out to the four steps that will get you there, quickly.

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