The Lamentations of a Turnaround Leader

In 2009, when asked by a Riverside Military Academy (RMA) search committee member to leave Marion Military Institute (MMI) and assume the presidency of RMA, a beautiful and newly renovated Academy in a prestigious city of 30,000 (Gainesville, GA), I would never have departed MMI if Riverside had not been in such a dire situation.  With inordinate debt, dramatically failing enrollment management, a compromised military identity, and annual financial losses in the millions, my interest was not only tweaked, but I could not get the possibilities off my mind.  While MMI was now financially stable with its longevity secured, it had been in a similar situation five years earlier (2004) absent the significant debt and corresponding annual debt service payments.

MMI had experienced other issues, not the least of which included millions of dollars in deferred maintenance characterized by a rundown campus that alone was sufficient reason for the bottomed-out enrollment.  Moreover, a lawsuit proffered by The Alumni Association precluded any hope of alumni giving to help revive the Institute.

I have never sought a "soft place to land" but similar to joining the U.S. Marines in 1968 with the sole goal of leading a platoon or company in combat, my nature has always been to "seek the steepest hill" with the greatest odds against success, knowing that each endeavor will bring enormous stress; unwanted change by some of the current stakeholders; and the anger-causing purge of a few of the naysayers, half-steppers, stasis lovers, and/or gossip mongers of the "old guard" who are unwilling to accept the raised standards and expectations.  Notwithstanding the fact that saving the company/organization is tantamount to saving their jobs.

I departed MMI just as I completed my 220 page dissertation and receipt of my doctorate in higher education administration.  Ironically, five years is the cap some experts have placed on the likely term of turnaround leaders.  Moreover, I published my first book, "So You Want to Be a Leader", the year before, so ostensibly things would slow down and Mary and I could enjoy the success that had changed the face of MMI and given it an enviable future.

But no, providential-like, the Riverside challenge was laid in front of me and seemingly too big to decline.  With trepidation and hopes that the superb MMI Board, the alumni and friends, and other supporters at MMI would forgive our departure, I accepted the offer from the RMA Board (admittedly, it included a generous increase in compensation).  Before I arrived in the spring of 2009, the Academy's endowment suffered a major loss in the equity market making the endowment to debt ratio upside down to a significant degree.  Nonetheless, I was not deterred and would have accepted the position even if the loss had occurred before I signed the contract.

Not surprising, the urgency of the turnaround due to the financials, the unsuspected reaccreditation date closing upon us, the weaknesses easily discerned within the administration and faculty, and the absence of the right leadership and processes to enhance the economic engines of the Academy (admissions, retention, and fundraising) were almost identical to the challenges I faced at MMI.

Within two years, RMA was financially stabilized.  Over the previous years, I had become acutely aware of the imperatives inherent in turnaround leadership.  The more I contemplated and read others' perceptions relative to the kind of leaders who are equipped to take on failing organizations, the more I began to write, and the second book, Executive Courage..., was born, which would once again lengthen my already stretched days and nights, to the extent that there would be times when I went to work almost zombie-like. 

By year four, the lack of rest combined with the everyday stress of leading and managing the Academy while ensuring the safety and development of the cadets was taking its toll on me physically.  I had over 50 days of leave on the books, but taking a week or two off seldom crossed my mind.  If I took a few days off or was out of town on alumni or fundraising business, I was still compelled to respond to the 50-60 emails per day, the necessary phone calls, and the backlog of administration when I returned.  This alone could keep me office-bound for two-three days even though I always worked late.  No matter what the circumstances, I always carried guilt that I wasn't at all athletic and arts/culture events - especially those off campus.  Moreover, I know that I missed fundraising opportunities.

Lest I portray a life of misery for the turnaround leader, the rewards of a successful turnaround far outweigh the bruises and scars.  Writing a dissertation and two books (all done on my own time and not that of the institution that I represented) undoubtedly added to the pressure on my schedule and the stress and fatigue associated with those years.  Although I may have not always been on my game, I do not believe that the stress or fatigue affected my crises decision-making, possibly because of adrenalin or my 50 or so years experience making decisions under pressure.

I know that from a health standpoint, I should have retired from RMA two years earlier, but my contract did not expire until June of 2016.  Moreover, the RMA Board had been so professional and supporting over the years, that I could not walk off until my contract expired.  Unlike my departure from MMI, there was not another calling, wherein I felt that I must go.

Today, I am more rested; the second book is in the hands of the publisher.  I am the captain of my time mostly, and other than some consulting with three military academies (not all at the same time) and one for-profit Atlanta-based company, which I enjoy, there is no need to rise at 0430.  I now stay up to watch the N.Y. Yankees and Boston Celtics on T.V., read daily, walk/run the beach, enjoy our new church, and eat out at many Myrtle Beach and Little River venues.  Yes, I tinker with social media at the behest of my publisher, but I increasingly enjoy it.

Finally, I penned 26 pages in my new book on turnaround leadership, which I hope will add to the canon of knowledge on this rarely described subject.  The title of the new book is "Executive Courage - Sometimes You Have to Walk Point."  Executive courage is the cornerstone of turnaround leadership.