I had the wonderful opportunity to tackle a turn-around job on a seriously struggling industrial company. Initially, this outfit looked like a disaster in the making with serious safety, quality, production, inventory, sales and morale issues.

As the new general manager, I was charged with cleaning up the mess and returning the branch operation to profitability. To achieve success would tap all of my leadership skills and then some. I knew that somehow I had to manifest a major paradigm shift in everyone’s minds, especially my key managers.

I started with the difficult job of firing the few rotten apples in an otherwise good barrel. This immediately improved morale since bad performers are the worst kept secret in any organization and inevitably impacts the rest of the team’s performance. It puts others on notice they need to shape up.

Using my knowledge of what motivates employees, I went to work to plant the seeds of change and show how each person would benefit from it in their respective jobs. In a staff meeting one day I introduced the notion of having a massive cleanup effort and raise the bar to set a new standard. I slowly painted my vision to key staff who immediately grasped it and ran with the ball.

Dubbed by one of my subordinates “Operation Clean-Sweep”, over the ensuing weeks we created the plan whereby all seventeen employees would come in on a Saturday and spend 6-8 hours cleaning, rearranging and re-organizing every aspect of the plant. We solicited input from all quarters, created teams to manage each area, kept them informed of progress right up to the big day.

I opened the doors at 6:30 a.m., provided fresh donuts and with 100 percent attendance we went to work. I made sure I was assigned dirty and visible jobs to show everyone I walk my talk. In a nutshell our team created the most magic moments in my 20+ year business career. The place never looked better.

With that start, the mindset towards excellence was established and nobody would settle for less in the future. We held a contest for quality, safety and motivational slogans, then had the winning entries printed on huge banners. Each employee signed those to show their commitment and hung the banners from the rafters in the plant visible to all.

In the following months we broke company safety records, received two large quality awards, improved efficiency and saw morale skyrocket. Our customers immediately noticed the difference and liked it.

“Transformational” leadership is helping people reach a level they would never get to by themselves. It can help teams overcome the odds and create extraordinary success. My management team’s leadership was the key to unlocking the potential that was disguised in the mess. At the end of the day this winning edge can well make the difference in surviving the tough times and flourishing in the good times.

Is your company headed up by visionary leaders who can inspire such exponential levels of change?

(Editor’s Note: Norm Ferguson. MA is a principal with the Bainbridge Island firm of Ferguson & Associates.).