The Dear John Letter

This is required reading for those interested in turning their business around using outside assistance.

There are several ways to avoid getting this kind of letter; one way is to not start a project until you are capable of doing the hard work of changing your company. This is a difficult process and not everyone is up to the challenge despite what they might think at the outset.

Just like a fitness instructor can't exercise for you we can't improve your business without your 100% participation and buy-in to the process. Getting up at 6AM to go running or do calisthenics is seldom fun for people who are out of shape, but you are not going to make an improvement if you stick to your old routines and eating habits. Enough of the introduction here is the letter:

Dear John,

Unfortunately changing a business is not a "comfortable" process especially when it entails abandoning ways of doing things that at one time served you well. In order for this to be a successful engagement we need your buy-in and commitment to the changes we are proposing and for whatever reason that has not been there.

Our focus has been on the "results" you wanted to achieve but it appears the process and documentation are of greater importance to you. We would not be doing our job as independent consultants if we compromised our strategy in order to better connect with a client. It is our belief that you can turn this company around, but only if you follow a strategy like we have outlined and put roles in place that are accountable for results and eliminate the need for ownership to micro manage them.

Given your desire to get different results while continuing to do things that make you comfortable we don't believe that this is a project that can be successfully. We wish you well with whichever path you choose to take.

Gilmore Lewis, LLC