Difficult People and Situations Case Studies
August 14, 2008
Frustrated with how some people are getting the job done? Don’t like how your people aren’t taking responsibility? Tired of the infighting, cliques or attitudes within and between departments?
As owners, your attitude sets the tone. Most of us don’t realize what attitude we are projecting on to others that results in a sea of conflict. The bad news is, that these situations exist for a reason. The good news is, you can do something about it. By changing how you view people, how you lead people and how you set performance goals, you would be surprised quickly the company culture, and therefore productivity and profitability starts to improve.
Got conflict? That’s the symptom. Read the case studies to understand the root cause and the effect that trying to weed out the conflict can have if you don’t address the real problems.
Conflict often means you are missing systems and processes needed to affect communications hand offs between departments: when people are in conflict, they stop talking. The customer’s message (what they hoped they were buying from you) gets lost in the communication chain through the company. Unsatisfied customers don’t tend to buy again.
Want a Turnaround Specialist on call with your team?
Call 1-800-557-9737 or info@spiritwest.com. Having us on retainer means you solve the problem in a fraction of the time instead of ignoring all the warning signs. Then your good people start leaving before your challenging people do.
Difficult People & Situations Case Studies
Acquisition Case Studies
August 14, 2008
Ready to start acquiring companies? Already acquired a few and are wondering how to fit all the pieces together? Acquisitions are a great growth strategy. They also require a level of management and leadership as well as strategic thought that is much more complicated than running the original company.
What’s difficult? Making the right choices for your investments is only half the equation. Many companies erode the value they bought in the first three months by making decisions about how to integrate the company without first assessing impacts, checking assumptions and making a clear plan in consultation with the leaders of the acquired company. Just because your company is the buyer does not mean your methods are the best. Assimilation is not necessarily a smart business strategy.
Read on about how we’ve helped other companies learn to acquire and integrate companies successfully. Want to know your Acquisition IQ? Call 604-306-7707
Acquisition Case Studies
- How Do You Combine All the Products?
- Maximizing the Value Post Acquisition
- Cross Border Integration Irritants: You Change First
Growth Case Studies
August 14, 2008
All companies want to grow. Companies that make it to the $10 – $20 million mark often find themselves on a plateau. Revenues keep increasing but the profit margin does not. It is easy to paint a rosy picture but the more you grow the more resources you need to service that growth. Resources consume profit margin.
Managing costs is of course important. Of greater importance is understanding how to increase your gross margin and your offering to the market place. Can you say for sure whether your top ten customers will keep buying year after year from you? Do you know which products make you money and which don’t? Is revenue one off or reliable? Would your customers tell you if aspects of working with your company are a hassle?
There are opportunities for growth where you would never know to look. Want to find out how to rebalance your company and get off the plateau? Call 604-306-7707
Company Growth Case Studies
- Is there a Growth Path for a 20 Year Old Product
- We’re Growing Faster Than Our People Are
- How to Increase Distribution in a Fragmented Market
Manufacturing Case Studies
August 13, 2008
Manufacturers face unique challenges in this economy. Outsourcing is popular but difficult to manage. Transportation costs are constantly increasing. Workers are not as interested in careers in these old-line types of businesses. However, manufacturers are the backbone of our economy.
Our client companies needed smart efficient and fast growth strategies. Our approach is to ensure there are no disconnects between what the customer expects as communicated to the sales team and what they ultimately receive during installation and post sale follow up. There are a lot of steps in the process with opportunities for the ball to be dropped and the message to change. How does working on these internal issues forge growth in profits?
Read on. Here is a partial selection of the kinds of companies we helped grow. Need help getting growth from your manufacturing operation? Call 604-306-7707 to explore your options.
Manufacturing Case Studies