Before you lead change, ask with curiosity to truly listen, learn & understand.
I didn’t start with a plan. I started with 3 questions.
Sharing what it took to execute a successful company turnaround.
When I stepped into the role as country lead in 2016 in my previous job, I felt like an outsider. It was daunting.
Firstly, I was older than most of the team… Some could have been my kids. 😞
It was my first time leading a sizeable company. And I was tasked with turning around profitability.
Instead of coming in with answers, I chose to start with questions.
I remember sitting down with every single team member, about 50+ people, and asked three primary questions:
1) What’s working here?
2) What’s not?
3) If you were in my shoes, what would you do immediately?
That was it.
Those conversations gave me more than data:
🔹It gave me clarity.
🔹 It gave me a direction.
🔹And it earned me trust.
The strategy for the year practically wrote itself.
But more importantly, the team felt heard. They felt they were part of something bigger. They felt inspired. And they felt empowered.
And that made all the difference.
Most of the core team stayed with me for over 5 years. And we managed to turn the business around in 2.5 years at the back of zero fresh investments.
It was just people-powered.
Here’s what I learned.
Leadership isn’t about having the best answers. It’s about creating the space for the best insights to emerge.
Contributor: Kausern Hieu