The Fixer’s Playbook: What to Do When the Business is Broken- Fabian Milburn
There’s a unique energy that surrounds a business in crisis — urgency mixed with hesitation, potential weighed down by pain points. Some run from that energy. I approach it as an opportunity to “right the ship.”
Over the years, I’ve found myself drawn to organizations facing critical moments with their business growth — when a pivot is necessary, when the stakes are high, and when leadership must be both decisive and empathetic. I’ve stepped into roles where trust needed rebuilding, operations needed recalibration, and teams needed to gain clarity and believe in the organization’s mission again.
Below are the key items that should be addressed when fixing what’s broken — and setting the stage for sustainable change:
1. Diagnose Before You Prescribe
A common mistake leaders make during a crisis is moving too fast to act without truly understanding the problem. Before I restructure or restrategize, I listen. I meet with frontline staff, board members, external partners, and customers because often what looks like a financial issue is actually cultural. And what appears to be a branding problem is often structural.
2. Build Your Change Cabinet
Turnarounds are never solo projects. One of the first things I do is assess the leadership team. Do we have the right skills in the room? Do we have the trust of our teams? Are we asking the right questions? Does the leadership team trust each other?
3. Communicate to Rebuild Trust
When morale is low, silence is deadly. During transitions, I over-communicate. Consistent progress reports provided to the entire organization. Weekly team huddles. One-on-One “temperature checks.” Clear KPIs. Transparent updates to the board. Listening and absorbing what I’m hearing at every level of the organization.
4. Lead with Empathy, Act with Strategy
Fixing a broken business is as much about moving forward with empathy as it is about logic. You have to recognize the very real fatigue and fear that people carry and make space for emotion — even as you execute the turnaround plan with data and precision.
And yes, there’s a blueprint I lean on:
- A clear restatement of the organization’s mission
- Articulate the strategy going forward, in writing
- Stabilize the finances
- Streamline operations
- Rebuild internal and external trust
- Set bold but achievable short and long term goals
Keep in mind that every playbook is only as good as your ability to read the room — and adapt as needed.
Organizations will continue to face unexpected challenges with the changing global business landscape — it’s the nature of growth and market demands. But when you meet the moment with clarity, courage, and compassion, you don’t just fix what’s broken — you build something stronger than what existed and implement a plan designed for long term success.
This is the work I love and that’s what gives me passion professionally.
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