Most businesses don’t change because they want to.
They change because something breaks.

Sales dip. A major customer leaves. Cash tightens. A competitor wakes up. Suddenly meetings are sharper, decisions get made, and problems that have been tolerated for years are fixed in weeks.

That’s the irritating truth.
The capability was always there. The urgency wasn’t.

The quiet danger of complacency

Complacency doesn’t announce itself. It doesn’t feel reckless or lazy. It feels… fine.

“We’re doing okay.”
“Yes, it’s not perfect, but it works.”
“Let’s not rock the boat.”
“We’ll deal with it when we have to.”

And that’s how businesses drift.
Not through stupidity, but through comfort.

Margins erode quietly. Standards slip gradually. Risk builds invisibly. By the time a real crisis arrives, you’re already behind.

Why crises work so well (and why that’s a problem)

When a genuine crisis hits, something interesting happens.

Focus improves.
Decisions speed up.
Silos dissolve.
Innovation appears.
Leaders actually lead.

Things that felt “too hard” suddenly become non-negotiable.

Which raises an uncomfortable question:
If we can operate like this, why do we wait for damage before doing so?

What “creating a crisis” actually means

Creating a crisis does not mean manufacturing panic, lying to people, or threatening livelihoods.

A created crisis is controlled, time-bound, purposeful, and safe.

It’s about behaving as if the consequences matter now, instead of later.

Example 1: Treating debt like the crisis it really is

One client had settled into carrying over £1 million in overdue debt.

Not just outstanding. Overdue.

We treated it as if the bank had called in the overdraft immediately.

They set a goal to get overdue debt below £100k within three months.

Departments owned KPIs. Whiteboards tracked progress. A 15-minute weekly all-hands meeting kept momentum.

In 11 weeks, overdue debt hit zero.
No customers were lost.

Example 2: Acting before talent quietly walks out

At a board meeting, directors were asked to name the two people most at risk of leaving.

Initially, they said no one.

Thirty minutes later, they had ten names.

They created a plan as if all ten were going to resign.

Actions focused on relationships, career conversations, engagement, and recognition.

At the next board meeting, none had left. Two confirmed they had been considering leaving but had decided to stay.

Why this approach works

Creating a crisis removes denial.

It forces decisions, collaboration, and action before damage occurs.

The line you must not cross

If people feel manipulated or unsafe, you’ve missed the point.

The goal isn’t fear. It’s clarity and urgency.

How to apply this in your own business

Pick something you’ve been meaning to fix.

Treat delay as having consequences.
Set a short timeframe.
Make progress visible.
Review it often.

One day a real crisis will arrive.
The question is whether you’ll be ready.