There’s no need to climb alone Spark Claims No Copyright, and encourages the use of any template, document or idea found on our website in the resolution of your business issues. Slide 1 of 10 By Ivan Uttley Over the next hour, we cover a few very powerful tactics that any SME can adopt if they find themselves in difficult circumstances under-performance – financial distress. In fact, all companies should make sure they have addressed these potential areas of benefit, waste removal and new efficiencies.

There’s no need to climb alone Spark Claims No Copyright, and encourages the use of any template, document or idea found on our website in the resolution of your business issues. Slide 2 of 10 The Spark Power Hour – Reassurance Why you should invest this hour: - How to recover your business performance These are all tactics I have personally applied with great success in turnaround and rescue situations over a period of 20 years across industries across the world. Firstly we’ll work through what really needs your focus, what we should prioritze and how to test our thinking. Secondly, we do something that is necessary for ANY business, thriving or not, but in a different way which is easy, immediate and powerful. I’ll show you the most efficient way to align your business, assign accountability, and to focus on the important things. Thirdly, I’ll show you how instead of focusing on Value Creation, by focusing on the removal of Value Destruction, we have a much more powerful way to drive immediate results for far less effort. Lastly, we’ll work through Operating Cash Cycles, to demonstrate why the first two tactics are so important, and how to make a big impact on your business by using cash effectively. If we have time, we’ll discuss other very effective tactics that you should consider.

There’s no need to climb alone Spark Claims No Copyright, and encourages the use of any template, document or idea found on our website in the resolution of your business issues. Slide 3 of 10 The Spark Power Hour – Have a Nightmare Tactic 1 – Have a Nightmare What really needs your focus What we should prioritize Provide direction for the business turnaround and How to test our thinking against the meta issues.

There’s no need to climb alone Spark Claims No Copyright, and encourages the use of any template, document or idea found on our website in the resolution of your business issues. Slide 4 of 10 The Spark Power Hour – Have a Nightmare Take time to imagine what your worst nightmare competitor would look like. Visualize the income statement, the balance sheet, take a walk around their premises, sit yourself down at their leadership meeting, talk to their customers. What is it that makes them the nightmare competitor that they are? 1.What are they doing that you do not do? 2.What are they not doing, that you are doing? 3.Who do they employ 4.What does the top team look like? 5.What do their customers say about them?

There’s no need to climb alone Spark Claims No Copyright, and encourages the use of any template, document or idea found on our website in the resolution of your business issues. Slide 5 of 10 The Spark Power Hour – Typical Responses These are the attributes typically mentioned when discussing your worst nightmare competitor. 1.They ensure high retention of customers through customer retention strategies 2. They show an understanding of their our Customer and the Markets they participate in. 3.Constantly Improving market position by implementing effective and diverse distribution channels. 4.Their management information is reliable, timely, accurate and relevant (drives actions) 5.They have effective financial controls 6.They limit reputational damage from non-compliance to statutory and regulatory requirements. 7.They achieve operational excellence through a culture of Continuous Improvement 8.They have quality data and use it to enhance Operations, Controls and Products 9.They are constantly improving delivery and ensuring value for their customers 10. They are always Driving Innovation across Products and Service Delivery Perhaps we should ask what does your business need to ensure these things happen?

There’s no need to climb alone Spark Claims No Copyright, and encourages the use of any template, document or idea found on our website in the resolution of your business issues. Slide 6 of 10 The Spark Power Hour – Typical Responses These are Not the attributes of your Nightmare competitor! Why? These are all the outcomes of having the correct attributes or enablers in place! What then are the enabling qualities of your nightmare competitor? As a business leader your duty is to be the architect of a business vision.

There’s no need to climb alone Spark Claims No Copyright, and encourages the use of any template, document or idea found on our website in the resolution of your business issues. Slide 7 of 10 The Spark Power Hour – Your nightmare’s True Enablers These are the attributes of your Nightmare competitor! They have the RIGHT PEOPLE, ORGANISED in the RIGHT MANNER, consistently and reliably EXECUTING the RIGHT THINGS, the RIGHT WAY, for the RIGHT REASONS, with the RIGHT RESOURCES, led by a CREDIBLE and INSPIRING executive team. If your business has these attributes, then the outcomes will flow naturally.

There’s no need to climb alone Spark Claims No Copyright, and encourages the use of any template, document or idea found on our website in the resolution of your business issues. Slide 8 of 10 The Spark Power Hour – Have a Nightmare Your nightmare should allow you to plot your business against the Competencies and Alignment dimensions so that you know how to prioritize your actions. Source:

There’s no need to climb alone Spark Claims No Copyright, and encourages the use of any template, document or idea found on our website in the resolution of your business issues. Slide 9 of 10 The Spark Power Hour – Sanity Check - Obstacles every business faces Problems of delegation and team-building - As a business grows and succeeds the role of the management must evolves into that of leadership. This manifests itself in needing to control, not letting go, and the failure to delegate to a team better equipped to do what needs to be done. Poor data - We are entitled to our own opinions but not our own facts. Facts require data, and the business strategy and management of a business, almost always require data. Structure - Your business is nothing more than a large team of people, relying on each other to do what is required and expected of them in a consistent manner, the outcome of which customers use to solve their problems or make their lives easier. This needs clear delineation of responsibility, clarity about hand-over points, everyone to understand their role, and to be held accountable and be rewarded for their efforts or lack thereof. Assess your business on these and use the insight to help prioritize your actions Thought leadership - Success will bring the unwelcome attention of your competition. The ability to navigate the market, predict trends, understand consequences, out-maneuver your competition and lead the business, demands a strategic line of thinking rather than merely the operational kind that was so successful in a small firm. These are problems that result from growth and success. How do you know when you are done, or how you are progressing or what you should prioritize? Use these typical obstacles that successful businesses deal with and which others stumble at as you periodically take stock of your business.

There’s no need to climb alone Spark Claims No Copyright, and encourages the use of any template, document or idea found on our website in the resolution of your business issues. Slide 10 of 10 So what have we achieved? This exercise allows you to 1.Focus on the real enablers of performance in your business 2.Move from managing the business to leading the business. 3.Start asking the difficult questions and finding the right solutions that your business needs