By the time a company's leadership admits it is in trouble, the warning signs have usually been visible in the numbers for months. What separates businesses that recover from those that collapse is not luck — it is how quickly management can read the financial data correctly and commit to a rescue decision.

This workshop puts participants directly into that position. Working through simulations and team exercises, they take on the role of a rescue team handed real financial statements, cash flow data, and operational reports for a distressed business, and are asked to diagnose the crisis, weigh intervention options, and build a rescue plan under the guidance of experienced practitioners.

• Read and interpret financial statements to spot early signs of business distress.
• Diagnose the underlying causes behind a project or company's decline.
• Apply practical decision models to evaluate rescue and intervention options.
• Build an integrated rescue plan covering operations, marketing, HR, and finance.
• Make and defend high-stakes decisions under pressure, and evaluate their outcomes.
• Form and lead a rescue team capable of executing the plan on the ground.

Target Audience

• Business owners and executives in the public and private sectors.
• Financial managers and internal auditors involved in turnaround decisions.
• Consultants and advisors working with distressed businesses.
• Anyone responsible for high-stakes strategic decisions under pressure.

Module 1: Reading the Warning Signs

• Identifying signs of crisis from financial and operational data
• Reading and interpreting financial statements under time pressure
• Distinguishing a temporary setback from a genuine crisis

Module 2: Diagnosing the Cause of Decline

• Root-cause analysis across operations, marketing, sales, and HR
• Reviewing income statements and changes in financial position
• Identifying who the "unequal influencers" are in a distressed situation

Module 3: Weighing Intervention Options

• Opportunity analysis and the decision to intervene
• Negotiating with shareholders and stakeholders
• Applying decision strategies under uncertainty

Module 4: Building the Rescue Plan

• Drafting a basic, integrated rescue plan
• Strategic planning, reporting, and board presentation
• Practical application: simulation with live financial data

Module 5: Executing and Leading the Rescue Team

• Applying the chosen strategies on the ground
• Building a network/team to carry out the plan
• Interviewing decision-makers to track results

Module 6: Evaluating Outcomes and Closing the Loop

• Evaluating decisions based on actual results
• Final rescue activities and follow-up interviews
• Solving problems that recur across rescue situations