13 Practices Of Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations

By: Brian Dodd

August 5, 2013 0 Comments

Is your church or organization needing to reverse negative momentum?  Even worse, is it possible your church or organization is bankrupt or dying?  If so, have you put into place practices that could rescue your dying church or organization?
Best practices from one industry are often portable to church environments.  Truth is truth.  In today’s edition of USA Today, General Motors CEO Daniel Akerson is profiled.  Ackerman took over a bankrupt organization who many thought had seen its best days and made $25 billion.
Akerson, an electrical engineer and Naval officer, is passionate about leadership.  His lessons on turning GM around are extremely applicable to pastors, church leaders, and anyone responsible for leading sports and non-profits.
The following are 13 leadership practices gleaned from the article which you can read in full by clicking here.  The existence or your church or organization could depend on your ability to implement these practices.

1. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Address Issues – Executives are quickly addressing mediocre Malibu sales by installing new interiors.  In addition, the price for Volt electric cars have been reduced to increase their sales.
2. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Connect With Their People – Alan Merten, president emeritus of George Mason University, says, “Everywhere he’s been you see pictures of him with employees.  He’s a reminder that management is a contact sport.”
3. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Always Have Doubters – Gerald Myers, professor at University of Michigan, points out, “Put me in the category of being doubtful.  He’s blessed with a burgeoning market, and he’s blessed by having a line of products designed, primarily, long before he arrived.”
4. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Are Committed To A Long-Term Plan – Akerson says, “you can’t live on a crisis mode…(You have) to articulate that vision, and a strategy what you want to accomplish.”
5. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Make Difficult Decisions – Courage is essential to successful leadership.  Akerson had to change many in GM’s senior leadership.  Meyers noted that Akerson “pulled no punches in changing the people who, in his mind, needed to be changed.”
6. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Are Passionate About Continual Improvement – Akerson said, “I was told one time when I asked about quality: ‘It’s as good as anyone else’s.’  Well, when I was in school and if I’d have come home and told my dad I did as well as everybody else – a ‘C’ didn’t cut it.  What are we going to do to improve?’
7. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Do Not Make Excuses –  Excellence is not an option.  Akerson frequently tells engineers and product planners who explain why things can’t be done to “Figure it out.  No more excuses.”
8. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Question The Status Quo – All successful leaders understand to get result not previously achieved you have to implement new practices.  Akerson ended some core GM products such as expensive powertrains.
9. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Immediately Implement Good Ideas – There is also a difference between sensing opportunity and seizing it.  Why wait to implement good ideas?  Akerson noted it is often smaller, more nimble organizations who create and capitalize on fresh technology.  GM was not putting any new patents to commercial use.  He once asked for “three or four things that are in the cars today that we invented in the past 10 years.  There weren’t any.”
10. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Install Good Systems – Akerson addressed the important but less visible areas of technology and accounting.
11. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Have Necessary Funerals – Some business practices, and ministries, need to be allowed to end.  Akerson said, “We’re not going to sustain operations in the business that continually lose.”
12. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Are Critics – Successful leaders are relentless in their pursuit of excellence.  Akerson said, “You have to be a patient and constructive critic.”
13. Leaders Who Save Dying Organizations Remember Why They Are There – “Fundamentally, I’ve got to run a business that’s going to turn profits.”

Pastors and church leaders, Akerson knows he is there to produce a profit.  Do you now why you are at your church?