The 10 Day Turnaround. Darren Stephens

and embrace. Once again, give this careful thought because it is going to help determine the culture of your new company once it has been turned around. Your Values Statement will be the guiding principles about how you do business, whom you hire and do business with, and how you guide, lead and manage. This document will be the foundation from which you grow and operate.

      Think about what’s important to you in life, in business, and in creating an organization. What skills, behaviors, and attitudes do you respect or expect others to have? What principles or philosophies do you admire or embrace? What boundaries or unbendable rules do you have about how you do business or expect others to adhere to? What levels of commitment, performance, or activities do you expect from others in doing business with you or for you? What things are you willing to sacrifice or protect at all costs?

       Values Statement.

      Make a list of the most important values your business stands by, embrace and hope to embody.

      Gut check time. Look back over what you have just written. Does the ideal reality that you envisioned in your Mission, Vision, and Values reflect your current situation?

      Hmmmm…

      Maybe, but then again, probably not, but that’s why we’re starting here!

       Let go of the past, focus on the present, and create your future!

      In the turnaround situation, it is important to understand that the past is the past. Let it remain there. You see, whatever happened back there is history now; it is water under the bridge. It doesn’t mean you have to ignore the lessons learned or the underlying causes that created a previous problem, we simply mean move forward from here.

      As you affect a turnaround in your business or in anyone else’s, it is no use worrying about the past or what happened in the past. You cannot reformulate the past, but you can reorganize for the future. Your attention has to be fixed on the present. Through following the actions outlined in this book, you will be able to mend your problems by developing a plan and taking effective action. If it can’t be fixed, then no amount of worrying will help. You’ll work around it, minimize it or eliminate the impact by implementing a new model of action. Either way, you’ll have the lessons of the past to help you forge a new and more productive future.

      Forget the past and get focused on the here and now. We’re moving on to the next phase of your turnaround.

      

DAY 1: Action Checklist

       Simply reading through this book will not be enough, You will need to take action and implement the tasks presented for you. At the end of each day, go through the checklist to make sure you’ve completed the tasks required before beginning the next day.

       Consider the checklists your homework and the steps on your path to pregress in your “turnaround”.