Business shelves abound with books proffering advice on how to build, run, or save an organization. Tomes on organizational theory, how-to guides full of platitudes and anecdotes, and books on forecasting and strategy are an industry unto themselves. A rarer find, though, is a practicable manual on how to lead an organization through turbulence. A book laying out battle tested concepts that are broken down into proven practices is far more difficult to find.
Lisa Gable’s Turnaround is that book. Ms. Gable is an experienced turnaround specialist with thirty years of helping organizations at the highest levels of politics, business, and charity under her belt. Whether working for Intel, building out the United States’ presence in a World Expo, or leading a research non-profit, Ms. Gable has a proven track record of taking troubled divisions and restoring them to strength and success. Turnaround is the distillation of Ms. Gables’ experience, training, and study—and it’s a valuable resource to the leader needing a plan for an embattled organization.
Ms. Gable begins with a clear analysis of how an organization ends up in dire straits. She breaks down common errors into understandable principles and illustrates those principles with examples from her own time at the helm. Problems such as an organization growing faster than its planning and founders outliving their efficacy are well explained and well exemplified. Having diagnosed the patient, Ms. Gable lays out the four step treatment plan for developing and executing a turnaround. I won’t outline the four steps in question—buy the book!—but suffice it to say they are instructive and sensible. Instructive in that they are informative and not self-evident. Sensible in that they take an overwhelming project and break it down into manageable pieces.
Part of what makes Turnaround such a helpful tool is the clarity and detail provided by Ms. Gable. Before getting into the nuts and bolts of the four step plan, she gives the reader five tools that will help in the turnaround process. Counsel on practices such as shuttle diplomacy and keeping even trivial commitments help the reader develop the mindset and behaviors necessary for success in this endeavor. Another example of such clarity and detail is Ms. Gable’s explanation of knowing what Job #1 is for the reader’s organization—and also knowing what Job #2 and Job #3 are. In addition to coaching on how to assess those jobs, Ms. Gable also elucidates why it’s important to do so.
And the nuts and bolts of the four steps themselves are immensely helpful. Ms. Gable doesn’t leave the reader to tease out how to implement the principles on offer, but walks the reader through each step of the process, so that the reader need only replicate the roadmap in her own space. An example of such counsel is her treatment of the decision tree, complete with an example for use. And Ms. Gable doesn’t shy away from any of the difficulties involved in the process. Her counsel concerning having to let people go on page 110 is both honest and helpful. The pitfalls addressed on page 156—and how to avoid them—are likewise efficacious and clear.
The conclusion nicely ties up the plan and has some sage advice for the leader once the turnaround is complete. Some leaders may want to recharge, some may to quickly move on to the next challenge, and yet others may want to stay on in a similar or even different capacity. Ms. Gable helps the reader think through what those scenarios look like and how best to discover the best path forward for each individual.
Turnaround is highly recommended. Ms. Gable’s work is clear, engaging, and usable. And while it is a commended work for the leader of a turbulent organization, it is also of great utility to the leader starting an organization or leading one in a healthy season of its life. Should those leaders take advantage of Ms. Gable’s experience and advice in Turnaround, maybe they won’t need her more involved help in the future.
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Great read
This book is awesome!! The way Lisa describes turnaround situations makes it immediately actionable!! I have read chapters multiple times as my turnaround situation changes.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2021
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satyam bholah
Great book - Easy to read and comprehend
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2021