To get durable growth, get the right strategy, the right people, and the right culture

When Apple was under deep financial stress, Steve Jobs rescued it . Three months later, in a rare CNBC interview, he revealed the mindset behind the turnaround: focusing

"If you get the right strategy, the right people, and the right culture... the bottom line will follow.

"

Here are five case studies (outside of tech), demonstrating the strategy of:

"Get the right strategy, the right people, and the right culture... and the bottom line will follow."

This is followed by a step-by-step execution plan to implement such a turnaround approach in any organization.

🧩 Core Strategy Breakdown:

  • Right Strategy → Focused, bold direction aligned with market needs.
  • Right People → Talented, motivated, and empowered team.
  • Right Culture → Values-driven, high-performance, and resilient environment.

📊 Five Case Studies (Across Unrelated Industries)

1. Airlines – Delta Airlines (2007–2016 Turnaround)

Industry: Aviation
Crisis: Filed for bankruptcy in 2005, poor customer service, unprofitable routes
Turnaround Focus:

  • Strategy: Focused on profitable international routes and customer experience.
  • People: Empowered frontline employees (e.g., flight attendants) to make real-time decisions.
  • Culture: “Keep Climbing” ethos promoting pride and customer-first mindset.

Result: From bankruptcy to becoming the most profitable airline in the U.S. by 2016.

2. Retail – Best Buy (2012–2018)

Industry: Consumer Electronics Retail
Crisis: Losing to Amazon, falling revenues, bloated operations
Turnaround Focus:

  • Strategy: “Renew Blue” strategy focusing on price-matching, improving online presence, and optimizing stores.
  • People: Empowered store managers, cut layers of bureaucracy.
  • Culture: Reinstilled pride in service—Geek Squad was repositioned as a key differentiator.

Result: Shares rose 300%+ between 2012 and 2018; customer satisfaction and revenues improved.

3. FMCG – Hindustan Unilever (2000–2010)

Industry: Consumer Packaged Goods
Crisis: Sluggish growth, declining rural penetration, internal inefficiencies
Turnaround Focus:

  • Strategy: "Winning in Many Indias" – Micro-market segmentation by region and income.
  • People: Built young, empowered rural sales teams and local teams.
  • Culture: Made experimentation acceptable, pushed agility and frugal innovation.

Result: Rural growth outpaced urban; revenue doubled, market share improved significantly.

4. Healthcare – Cleveland Clinic (2000s–2010s)

Industry: Hospital & Healthcare
Crisis: High costs, uneven patient experience, staff dissatisfaction
Turnaround Focus:

  • Strategy: Introduced patient-centered care model.
  • People: Made all physicians salaried and team-focused (vs. volume-driven incentives).
  • Culture: Shifted identity from "hospital" to "healing organization"; training in empathy.

Result: Drastically improved patient satisfaction and quality ratings; costs per patient dropped.

5. Hospitality – Marriott International (post-9/11 recovery)

Industry: Hospitality
Crisis: Post-9/11 travel industry collapse, layoffs, revenue crash
Turnaround Focus:

  • Strategy: Focused on long-stay brands and expansion in global markets.
  • People: Retained key managers despite downturn; doubled down on leadership programs.
  • Culture: Emphasized servant leadership and “Spirit to Serve” culture.

Result: Emerged as global leader with a resilient workforce and diversified revenue stream.

🧭 Execution Plan: Applying the Strategy to Any Organization

🔍 Step 1: Diagnose Reality

  • Conduct SWOT (internal and external) with brutal honesty.
  • Talk to customers, frontline staff, ex-employees, and vendors.
  • Benchmark against best-in-class companies (not just competitors).

🎯 Step 2: Craft the Right Strategy

  • Pick 1–2 key battles (not 5 or 10) to win.
  • Align with macro trends and customer pain points.
  • Simplify the business model: identify what to stop, start, or pivot.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Step 3: Get the Right People

  • Identify top performers and empower them.
  • Replace or retrain leaders who resist change.
  • Hire mission-aligned, diverse thinkers – even from outside the industry.

🧠 Step 4: Build the Right Culture

  • Articulate and model core values daily.
  • Reward learning, courage, and ownership, not just results.
  • Build rituals: daily huddles, “voice of employee” sessions, open feedback loops.

📈 Step 5: Align Execution with Outcomes

  • Set 3–5 non-negotiable metrics (e.g., customer NPS, revenue per employee).
  • Over-communicate wins and lessons to maintain momentum.
  • Use data + intuition to course-correct quickly.

🔁 Step 6: Institutionalize the Flywheel

  • Build systems and training that reinforce the new mindset.
  • Invest in leadership development and internal innovation labs.
  • Celebrate resilience and sustain through succession.


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