The CEO of a struggling portfolio company resists change. How can you steer them towards success?

Encouraging a resistant CEO to embrace change requires a strategic approach. Begin by highlighting the clear benefits of the proposed changes, using data and case studies that showcase similar successes. Engage in active listening to understand their concerns, and address these with empathy. Involve them in the decision-making process to foster a sense of ownership. Finally, provide ongoing support and clear milestones to build confidence in the transition, emphasizing that adaptability is crucial for long-term success. If you have any additional thoughts or contributions, please reply to this comment. I always appreciate and look forward to hearing more from you. Thank you!

Walk away but leave your telephone number so when he comes to his senses… call me . You can waste a lot of time trying to convince him but talking never works

I'd ask a question of stakeholders and top-level management, what has changed that has prevented the growth you seek? As each begins their individual perspective, I would look for the common ground or similarity in the responses. Then I'd ask an additional question - how have the changes effected the vision of the company or its ability to meets its overall goal?

Navigating a CEO resistant to change requires a blend of empathy and strategic insight: + Understanding their concerns and the root of their resistance + Present data-driven evidence showcasing the benefits of change, highlighting successful case studies + Foster a culture of open communication and involve them in the change process, ensuring they feel valued and heard + Offer incremental changes to build trust and demonstrate quick wins. Ultimately, aligning the change with the company's vision and goals can pave the way for success. If you have any additional thoughts or contributions, please reply to this comment. I always appreciate and look forward to hearing more from you. Thank you!

Steering a resistant CEO towards success requires a blend of empathy and strategic influence. Building trust and understanding their perspective. Clearly communicate the benefits of change, backed by data and success stories. Involve them in the decision-making process to foster ownership and commitment. Provide support through coaching and resources to ease the transition. Highlight quick wins to demonstrate the positive impact of change. By aligning the CEO's vision with the company's goals, you can guide them towards a successful transformation. If you have any additional thoughts or contributions, please reply to this comment. I always appreciate and look forward to hearing more from you. Thank you!

Have a chat to learn about their challenges and goals, and show empathy to build trust. Explain the importance of change with clear examples and data that show how other companies succeeded with new strategies. Break down the changes into small, manageable steps so they don't feel too overwhelming. Offer ongoing support and resources to boost their confidence. By knowing their needs and providing simple, evidence-based solutions, you can guide them towards success.

Always start off with an assessment of whether the incumbent (leadership) team believes they are struggling. It might be self-evident to outsiders but sometimes tough for operators to objectively assess. This provides insight into the degree of receptivity from the team to potential interventions that might get the operation back on track. Simultaneously dive into the operational details to understand key operating metrics and determine with the current performance is episodic (and why) or more systemic or fundamental. Also identify if there is a critical performance milestone or event that needs to be considered (including competitor moves.)

When engaging with the CEO or any C-suite executive ask them explicitly what problems they want to solve and what they think they need to solve them. If they are honest and motivated, they will tell you what's wrong. If they are good at their job, they are likely to have good ideas for solutions. If your assessment and solutions differ, that's fine. You can build constructive dialog - including both collaborative discussions and healthy debate - by empowering them to speak their mind first. Often what appears like a resistance to change is a misunderstanding of intent and points of view about what needs to change and how to change it.

One can take the horse to the river but one cannot take the river to the horse… A wise man chooses carefully his battles. If chances for victory are slim, he would rather not start them. Do not sink with the boat unless you are the captain 🧑✈️ TBC

Build Trust: Establish a strong, trust-based relationship with the CEO by demonstrating your commitment to their success. Communicate Clearly: Present the need for change with clear, compelling data and examples of potential benefits. Empathy: Understand the CEO’s concerns and perspectives to address their fears and objections effectively. Involve Them in Planning: Engage the CEO in the change planning process to ensure they feel ownership and control. Highlight Quick Wins: Implement small, achievable changes that can demonstrate immediate positive results. Provide Support: Offer resources, training, and coaching to help the CEO and their team adapt to changes.

An intervention is always going to be more successful if the leadership team is more vested in the outcome. What is needed here is to help the team to self-reflect as much as possible and to own the current performance status, and to acknowledge that the support is well-intentioned and will, ultimately, improve outcomes for everyone. Whenever possible demystify the "us v. them" mentality that can obstruct genuine trust and teaming. Right from the start demonstrate EQ as much as operational expertise and remediation proficiency - share information and insights and be open to listening as the team accepts the potential intervention and "support" that they probably didn't ask for, but at some level know they need.

A vision is 50% of the solution; yes a vision is needed, but a two dimensional statement on a wall is nothing but a statement on a wall or in a board pack. More substantively what is needed is an energy and commitment, and a passion to making a future outcome a reality. This is more than a vision, it is an ambition. Facilitating the right dynamic and working sessions/conversations with the leaders and senior managers will open their aperture to a new ambition, and push through/past any inherent defenses that the team might naturally have around their performance. Whatever you do, don't stop at a vision; the path to something great will take longer and is based as much on the emotional dimension of leaders as the logical/rational dimension.

Your philosophy is important here: do you want a team to lead sustained change long after the remediation intervention, or do you want complaint performance to a target that needs to be monitored quarter to quarter? The latter is far more superficial and tenuous than the former. If you want the CEO (and other leaders) to own the change and the new direction, there is a limit to using your authority as an influencer. In all of the transformation work I have ever done, the most successful have been when a leader and her/his team want to change and prove that they can do it, not because their heads are under a proverbial owner's boot. There is buy-in to a new and better outcome and this is what delivers sustained performance improvement.

Strategic steering is essential. By encouraging the CEO to institutionalise new processes, a firm can showcase early wins: a minor process improvement that leads to significant cost savings; improved inventory management that saves costs; a new customer feedback system leading to increased sales; each proving the effectiveness of changes and convincing the CEO of the strategy’s value. Highlighting these quick victories really builds momentum and demonstrates the strategy's value. This approach not only reinforces the positive impact of the changes but also helps solidify the transformation. Over time, this positions the company for sustained growth and profitability. Change is best embraced through proven results!

First I will understand from him what the resistance to change stems from and then I will work accordingly to remove his ״pains״ that motivate him to resist change