How to cut costs without killing your company. [Group Discussion Guide]

Personal-Application & Group-Discussion Guide

This guide helps you process the story of two organizations facing the seemingly impossible task of cutting $100 million without crippling their business. Through the experiences of Louise Francesconi and a multi-national manufacturing company, you'll explore how leaders and teams navigated enormous pressure, avoided short-sighted solutions, and found sustainable success by applying an outward mindset.

Start in the Right Way

"If we approach this inwardly, there will be blame, defensiveness, and passing problems on."

When facing difficult decisions, what would the process look like with a self-focused view (inward mindset) vs. an others-focused view (outward mindset)? One team considered just that and surfaced the risk of blaming, hiding, or pushing costs onto customers if they had an inward mindset. However, they discovered a better path—listening, openness, ownership, and collaboration.

Questions:

• How might your team benefit from pausing to identify inward vs. outward approaches before starting a project or making a difficult decision?

• What are possible red flags of starting with a self-focused inward mindset?

• How could you introduce a simple "inward vs. outward" exercise to your next team discussion?

Shifting the Question

"We should change our goal. What if we saved $20 million without layoffs?"

Pairing executives to explore how they could help each other cut costs led to dramatic shifts. Instead of sacrificing, leaders discovered solutions by asking, How can I help you succeed? When Louise's consultant shifted the framing—from focusing on layoffs to helping each other save—energy and creativity were unleashed. People began seeing possibilities that were invisible under self-preservation.

Questions:

• What challenging situation in your work might benefit from reframing the core question?

• How might you intentionally create space for people to consider others' needs?

• What systems or habits in your workplace encourage people to compete rather than collaborate?

Beyond Short-Term Cuts

"If we just cut $100 million, we’d be back in the same position."

The multi-national organization saw that sustainable success required more than budget cuts. By examining contributing factors—like inefficiencies, unproductive meetings, and overextended R&D—they identified both immediate savings and long-term business changes.

Questions:

• Where is your team focused only on short-term fixes?

• How could you create space to also address long-term contributing factors?

• What is one recurring problem that keeps resurfacing because the root cause hasn’t been addressed?

The Role of Listening

"It really taught us the power of listening to make others successful."

Progress required leaders to admit uncertainty, listen deeply, and invite others’ strengths. Perspectives shifted in the group from isolation to ownership, proving that real breakthroughs come when leaders don’t assume the position of having all the answers.

Questions:

• How do you currently invite others to share where they most need help?

• Where could you listen more intentionally to discover ways to help others be more successful?

Results and Transformation

"We doubled the business when people didn’t think we could grow 5%."

Both organizations achieved results far beyond expectations—cutting $100 million without layoffs or passing costs to customers, while strengthening culture and long-term sustainability.

Questions:

• What would it mean for your organization to pursue results in a way that also strengthens culture?

• What results are currently “unimaginable” that might become possible with an outward mindset?

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