Does your company need someone who can come in and quickly fix mistakes and problems in your organization? You could describe it as Clear the Path on steroids or a corporate gun for hire.
Many action films feature a character who’s a “Fixer.” This person may use underhanded or illegal means to achieve the objective. His or her sole concern is solving a problem.
Sometimes businesses hire a person whose job it is to solve big problems in the company. They work independently and have free reign to make changes as needed.
I was waiting to have a flat tire repaired (I’m so glad I have flat insurance) when I met a “Fixer.” I was seated right next to a tiny office where a guy is working. The door is open, he sees me, and starts to talk to me.
He apologizes for the messy state of the office. Then he goes on to say that it’s his first day in this store. His job as a “Fixer” sees him sent to poorly performing stores that he has to turn around.
He tells me that a few times, he’s taken the worst stores (out of more than 160) and made them top five performers.
What are some of the problems he has to solve? The “Fixer” waves a big stack of paperwork in front of me and says, “None of this has been entered into the computer for fix months.”
I also learn that managers at some poorly performing stores often have no idea about the state of their inventory or whether they are making or losing money. This is usually a very bad sign for a business.
The “Fixer” tells me that he has to whip the stores into shape, something that earns him a six-figure salary. (By the way, I wasn’t having to ask him any questions about his job. He was just supplying me with info. Perhaps I have a friendly face.)
I also learned that for managers in this company, success could be best described as sink or swim. Sometimes the “Fixer” is called in after a frustrated manager has just walked off the job.
I’m glad to hear that this tire franchise has a fixer and I like the idea of a company practicing aggressive problem solving.
But part of me wonders if too much is being done too late. You’d think the company would want to do more management screening and training at the front end rather than pay a guy six figures to clean up a mess. Surely there has to be a way to ensure that sales and inventory data is entered in a timely fashion.
Perhaps their business model is about paying managers as a little as possible and a high turnover rate keeps those salaries low. Either way, customers likely have had some bad experiences as a result of the poor managers and may never return to the business, even after the “Fixer” has worked his magic.
“Fixers” are great at solving problems but they may not help you keep your customers. Don’t wait until a disaster to try to fix a problem.
