Every day there are a number of companies that struggle to pay their bills. The world is speeding past them and they could be oblivious to the peril that they are in. The myopic vision of the company’s leadership can be, in itself, excused but when hundreds of jobs rely on their decisions, that is where a sense of injustice creeps in.

What leads to a company’s demise?

Customers no longer see value in the goods or services on offer, or they feel that their relationship is not flourishing or that it is only a one way street. One thing is certain: the company has stopped innovating, has stopped investing in itself and in its people and is on ‘cruise control’, i.e., it is satisfied with the status quo.

The worst thing that could happen at such a juncture would be for the bank to call in a note.

It is then that the survival instinct kicks in. The Chairman stands back from the day-to-day mayhem and earns his keep. He makes decisions. Many of them should be painful. If they are pleasant, the fruit they will bear may be bitter.

It is at this time that he should call in a third-party, a professional or a professional group, who can assess the current status, determine what has worked and what needs to be fixed and what it will take to stabilize the ship before embarking on the next stage. Too many companies want to grow but not realize that this is not possible in the presence of a haemorrhaging wound.

The number of people who are in leadership position who pick up the telephone and are prepared to be counselled is pitifully few.  In the absence of this courage, near-death experience could deal a mortal blow.