Loyalty or Inertia? The Courage to Lead Through Culture and Change

They call me the Turnaround Queen — and not without reason. I’ve led more restructurings, transformations, mergers, acquisitions, and corporate reinventions than I can count (literally — I stopped trying to count). I’ve led businesses through the fire: underperformance, misalignment, market pressure. I’ve seen underperformance swept under the rug, “culture” weaponized as a shield for inaction, and loyalty used as an excuse for indecision or poor decision-making. And I’ve learned one unshakable truth.
Culture, transformation, and leadership are inextricably linked. And leadership isn’t just about vision—it’s about action. Especially when the decisions are uncomfortable. Leadership is not about avoiding tough calls. It’s about making them…thoughtfully, decisively, and with humanity.
Too often, I see either inaction or poor decisions masked as loyalty. Leaders shift org charts like a deck of cards, hoping for a magical outcome without making the bold moves that transformation demands. The intent? Noble, perhaps. But the impact? Damaging.
But here’s the reality: when a leader delays decisions under the guise of loyalty, the rest of the organization sees something very different. They see weakness. They see inconsistency. They see a values breach that undermines both performance and trust.
I once worked with a CEO who was under board mandate for a significant cost reduction and restructuring. As we redesigned the operating model, one of his long-standing executives — also a close personal friend — was impacted. Rather than letting the process play out, he considered placing her into a Chief Marketing Officer role. The catch? She had zero marketing experience. I respected his care. But that’s not loyalty. That’s a risk to culture, credibility, and the very people watching and wondering whether performance matters.

So, what do you do when performance and people collide?

You use a clear, principled decision-making framework:

• Is the role aligned to business strategy?
• Does the person have the capabilities to deliver — now and into the future?
• Can they thrive in this role, or is a different context better for them?
• What message will this decision send to the rest of the organization?

And when a move must be made, you lean into people-first exits.

• Offer clarity, not ambiguity.
• Provide coaching and outplacement support.
•  Celebrate contributions without sugarcoating performance gaps.
• Lead with compassion, not avoidance.

This is where real leadership shows up. In the tension. In the balance. In the willingness to act — and the grace to do it well.
Culture isn’t what you write on the wall. It’s what you tolerate, reward, and walk past. And in times of transformation, culture is watching your every move.
So, let’s be bold. Let’s take action. Let’s be human.

#Leadership #Culture #Transformation #BoldDecisions #TurnaroundQueen #Unstoppable #NoExcuses