Go from worst to best

What do you do when you gain leadership of the worst organization?

Try this:

• Find and relentlessly push a compelling vision of what the organization at its best can achieve.
  

• Tackle the sacred cows that limit the organization.
  

• Undo past mistakes even if doing so challenges past orthodoxy.
  

• Borrow shamelessly from winning practices in related industries.
  

• Hire the best in the front office and on the line.
  

• Trust, empower, inspire and expect excellence from your new team.
  

• Use potent symbols to signal change.
  

• Celebrate, talk intensely with, listen to and respond to your customers.
  

• Break down organizational barriers so everyone pulls in the same direction.
  

• Tirelessly bolster and boost the brand.
  

• Build and reward loyalty.

That and more is what new owner Rocky Wirtz and now-CEO John McDonough did to turn around the Chicago Blackhawks, which was voted “worst sports franchise” by ESPN in 2004. They moved the team from second-to-last in National Hockey League attendance in 2006-2007 to first overall for the past two years.

And, oh yes, with the leadership of coach Joel Quenneville and young players Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane the team won the Stanley Cup in 2010 after a record 49-year drought.

Forbes called it the greatest turnaround ever in sport's history. (To learn more about the Blackhawks' transformation, check out this Blackhawks' website profile of John McDonough and Daily Herald Business Ledger article about the team's continuing quest for excellence.)

The moral of the story? If you get the chance to help lead a sleepy, ineffective or dysfunctional organization, take heart! You have been handed a wonderful opportunity to drive a transformation. The transformation of the Blackhawks through the leadership and strategic thinking and action of Rocky Wirtz and John McDonough shows it can be done, with style to boot. Find a compelling vision for the organization and then rock and roll!