The document discusses questions for companies that are on the brink of disaster due to becoming irrelevant. It suggests that leadership needs to recognize when the end is near and be honest that drastic intervention is required to recreate themselves. Leaders should consider what their weirdest fan would suggest, going in the opposite direction of competitors with a 180 plan, and executing desperate measures like 3 desperate acts in the next 24 hours. The key message is that companies must build new capabilities to create new relevance for people rather than relying on current strengths or cost cutting. They need to start a revolution and create a new game, not just a new play.

1. 3 On-The-BrinkOf-Disaster
Questions

2. 3 On-The-Brink Questions
• First what does it mean? It’s not an EBITDA problem. An
inventory turn issue. The need to rationalize your product line.
• The End is Near when you are no
longer RELEVANT to your Fans.
• CEO’s can be good denial artists. They suddenly turn into
rationalizing speech makers who explain away the fact that the
Grim Reaper is at their doorway and that they are becoming
irrelevant.
• Yellow Pages believed they could compete with Google by
transitioning their Print business to the on-line world but were
unable to table a believable way to do it.

3. 3 On-The-Brink Questions
• Blackberry denies they are in “deep do-do” yet to date they
have produced nothing substantial to turn the tide.
• Rhetoric rules the airwaves. Intent abounds. Aspirations are
plentiful.
• But no tangible counter play is offered.
• Defensive retreat. Saving Face. Appeasing investors.
• The truth is, leadership does not want to
believe they are on a path to irrelevance. That
they no longer deliver the value they once did.
• They want to believe that somehow a miracle will happen and
new relevance will be pulled from the hat.

4. 3 On-The-Brink Questions
• Believing in something is a long way from doing it.
• Leaders need to recognize when the end is near.
• They need to be honest enough to admit that they are going
under unless a drastic intervention is done to re-create
themselves.
• That they need to start a revolution. Cast aside tradition.
• It’s not about leveraging current strengths.
• It’s about building NEW capabilities that will create NEW
relevance FOR PEOPLE.
• Create a new GAME not a new play.

5. 3 On-The-Brink Questions
3 On-The-Brink-Of-Disaster Questions
1.What would your Weirdest Fan suggest you do to save your
business? Why do all CEO’s believe the big Consulting
companies know what you should do? THEY DON’T HAVE THE
ANSWERS!
2.What if you went in the opposite direction to your competitors?
What would a 180-degree Plan look like?
3.What desperate things can you do NOW? What, you don’t think
you are desperate? You’re fooling yourself.
4.Desperate times (like becoming irrelevant) demand desperate
measures. And I don’t mean cost cutting.
•Execute 3 Desperate Acts over the next 24-hours.

6. An Invitation
• Check-out www.bedifferentorbedead.com
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