Difficult to cure - The Illusion of Fixing Without Letting Go

Difficult to Cure" is the fifth studio album by the British hard rock band Rainbow, released in 1981. The band was formed by Ritchie Blackmore, legendary guitarist and co-founder of Deep Purple. The album's name comes from its instrumental final track—an arrangement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, titled "Difficult to Cure." It’s cheeky and somewhat ironic: Beethoven’s masterpiece, filtered through hard rock and synths, and labeled as something "difficult to cure"—suggesting maybe music (or madness?) as an unstoppable force. Also, the album cover (designed by Hipgnosis, famous for their Pink Floyd covers) shows surgeons with absurdly fake expressions, as if baffled by a patient that’s, well… difficult to cure. It’s surreal, humorous, and adds to the mystique of the title.

In one of my roles, I was brought in to lead a significant turnaround of a commercial finance and sales operation facing acute challenges. The business unit had been plagued by recurring issues, including serious lapses in compliance and multiple cases of internal misconduct. It was a textbook example of what can go wrong when system implementation is flawed, and where proper oversight—as emphasized in the COSO framework—have not been embedded into the culture. One of the critical problems I observed, which is not unique to this case, is the belief among senior leadership—particularly at the global or group level—that it is possible to simultaneously address deep-rooted issues while maintaining business-as-usual sales performance. This mindset is not only unrealistic in certain circumstances but can perpetuate the dysfunction.

In environments where underperformance is largely driven by unqualified or misaligned frontline commercial teams, the only effective long-term solution is a complete overhaul. This often includes making the difficult but necessary decision to separate from individuals whose behaviours and practices are detrimental to the business—what one might professionally term as culturally misaligned or structurally unsuitable team members. However, executing this kind of transformation comes at a cost—a potential significant medium-term impact on top-line revenue, which in some cases could reach up to 50%. This potential hit creates understandable apprehension at the executive level. As a result, leadership may resist or dilute the recommended course of action, hoping instead for a quick fix or a strategic hire to "patch up" the situation.

Unfortunately, this resistance tends to prolong the pain. The business unit remains under pressure to deliver numbers it is structurally unequipped to achieve, and the cycle of blame, internal conflict, and deteriorating performance continues. Even when top-tier talent is brought in and compensated accordingly, they are often set up to fail if the systemic issues—including retaining underperforming or noncompliant team members—are not addressed first. The only viable approach in such cases is what I refer to as a "business unit surgery". Like a patient requiring major medical intervention, the organization must admit the problem, commit to a temporary convalescence period, and focus on healing the core issues. This means pausing certain activities, realigning priorities, and enduring short-term discomfort for the sake of long-term health. While painful, this method ensures a truly sustainable turnaround—one where integrity, capability, and accountability are restored. Once the fundamentals are reestablished, the path to profitable growth becomes not just possible but inevitable.

In conclusion, true transformation in commercial performance requires courage, clarity, and commitment from the top. Leaders must be willing to let go of the illusion that one can fix systemic dysfunction without hard decisions. Only by embracing the full depth of the challenge can a company emerge stronger, more resilient, and ready to thrive. Such a transformation is not instantaneous—it often requires a dedicated period of up to 18 months of hard work, with early recovery signals appearing around the 6- to 9-month mark. Full revenue recovery typically follows between 12 to 18 months, after which the business unit is no longer in survival mode but rather standing confidently on the launch pad for high performance and sustainable growth.