“Fixing a broken vase with super glue is a theoretical possibility, but in reality that vase still leaks. Preventative care means: don't wait till problems manifest into some unsolvable reality, but focus on fundamentals early and look at what actually could be going wrong at the lowest details.”
"Everything is fine. We have it all covered."
More often than not, when I first engage with a management team, this is the response.
In our ecosystem, asking for help can be perceived as a weakness.
We also have a “hyper-positive” business culture where talking about real problems is extremely uncomfortable.
But in my experience, burying a problem is simply kicking the can down the road by six months until it becomes unsolvable.
I have been part of turnarounds and transformations for most of my career. My biggest lesson: Fixing a broken vase with superglue is a theoretical possibility, but in reality, that vase still leaks.
My suggestion to every executive for strategic planning this year: Embrace Preventive Care. This is not a soft or squishy concept. It means focusing on the fundamentals early.
John Oommen is an electrical engineer turned company-level evolution architect who partners with private company investors and middle-market CEOs to mature and transform portfolio companies. He is the author of Congruence: The Playmaker's Guide to High Value Companies, creator of the underlying proprietary Congruence mindset, model, and method, and pioneer of the Playmaker Capability, which is a must-have value injection mechanism that dovetails purpose, strategy, and operations.
Over more than two decades, John has led company-level transformations, M&A integrations, and operational turnarounds across dozens of mid-market, VC and PE-backed, and Fortune 100 companies, including General Electric, Accenture, Blue Ridge Partners, and Capital One, as well as enterprise clients like Emerson, Ferguson, Cox, Avaya, and Nortek, alongside numerous mid-market companies. He specializes in addressing business-to-business market problems spanning industrial manufacturing, distribution, technology, and tech-enabled services. John holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and is based in Chicago.
