Taking control

Purpose Led Performance

Our very survival was at risk. We had lost £2m on a problem contract over five months (40% of our business) - we then lost £1m in a single month. I was interviewed to be the Deputy CEO. The 1st thing the CEO said was 'you got the job'. He then said 'I am leaving in a month'. We were without a CEO for a year. It was 2009 in the depths of the global financial crash.

As leaders of organisations and owners of businesses (as I am) we are facing up to one of the biggest challenges in our lives. For many of us the future of our organisation could be at risk. Leadership matters now more than ever, but you will also learn and develop more than you ever if you face into and walk into the challenges.

Back in 2009 - we took control. We embraced the new normal, adapted, and innovated. Within six months we had got the problem contract back to profit. Over the next two and a half years we had our most successful period - we grew from £70m to £120m, and were named as the 21st best employer in the country by the Sunday Times.

How did we do this?

Phase 1 - Survival - we acted decisively and took bold decisions.
Phase 2 - We planned for various future scenarios
Phase 3 - We were optimistic and planned for what came next and we kept adapting

Take control and start to plan for the new future

Chris Blackwell is the CEO of Purpose Led Performance, and consultancy that supports SMEs with leadership development, scaling up and dealing with performance challenges.