Recently, I’ve been watching a company I know make some very questionable changes. Even though they’re not in this industry, the issues raised are pertinent to any company. From the outside looking in (and from people on the inside without a voice), it seems that all decisions are being made with reference to short-term goals while long-term plans are vague at best. More worrisome is that those short-term goals are sketchy too. And, no, this is not pandemic-related—nothing is being justified because of those temporary constraints.
Identifying the Warning Signs
Watching this unfold, as this company descends into an uncertain future, a few warning lights have begun to flash. These include:
- Decisions are being made without input from those with first-hand knowledge
- Decisions are being defended with double-speak
- Few concrete numbers are included in genuine cost analyses
- Discussion is discouraged and contrary views are considered disloyal.
Sadly, we’ve probably all seen situations such as this over the years. My question to our readers: has anyone seen a company in this situation actually recover?
Stopping the Downward Descent?
In the two specific situations I have witnessed, it has been the person at the top who ultimately is responsible for the demise of the company (whether he’s willing to admit it or not). As rationales grow flimsier, the visions (delusions) of grandeur by the (would-be) leader become messages without content, instructions without clarity, and pronouncements without direction.
It seems to me that the future of this company (and others like it) will depend on the ability to hold that leadership accountable—which is simple to say but very difficult to achieve in reality.