Every executive eventually reaches a moment that feels unsettlingly familiar.
The numbers don’t line up the way they used to.
Cash flow feels tight—even when revenue looks healthy.
Employee turnover is creeping up.
Decision-making slows.
And growth, once predictable, suddenly stalls.
What’s most frustrating isn’t that something is wrong—it’s that you can’t quite put your finger on what it is.
This is the point at which many leaders double down on effort instead of clarity. They work longer hours. They push their teams harder. They try to out-hustle a problem that isn’t about effort at all.
It’s about structure.
That’s where Mike Straza’s journey—and his approach to leadership intervention—becomes essential for today’s business executives.
With more than 25 years of experience stepping into organizations at moments of real distress, Mike has built a reputation as the person leaders call when the business is stuck, struggling, or quietly unraveling. Not to replace leadership—but to strengthen it. Not to linger—but to create momentum fast.
And most importantly, not to theorize—but to fix what’s broken in 90 days.
Why Businesses Don’t See the Problem Until It’s Painful
One of the most dangerous myths in business is that problems announce themselves clearly.
They don’t.
Operational breakdowns tend to show up as symptoms:
- Cash shortages
- Missed forecasts
- Overworked teams
- Conflicting priorities
- Leadership fatigue
But the cause is often buried beneath layers of process, culture, misaligned incentives, or outdated systems that once worked—but no longer do.
Executives are especially vulnerable here. By design, CEOs focus on vision, growth, and external relationships. They rely on their teams to manage the inner workings of the business. Over time, small inefficiencies compound. Communication gaps widen. Financial discipline erodes—not because anyone is incompetent, but because the business has outgrown its original operating model.
Mike’s work lives precisely in this gap: the space between leadership intent and operational reality.
Fractional Leadership: A Strategic Advantage, Not a Stopgap
When many leaders hear “fractional CFO” or “fractional COO,” they assume it’s a budget-driven compromise.
It’s not.
Done correctly, fractional leadership is a strategic accelerator.
Mike steps into organizations as a fractional CFO and COO, working alongside—not instead of—the executive team. His role is diagnostic, corrective, and catalytic. He brings senior-level expertise without the cost, risk, or permanence of a full-time hire, especially when the business doesn’t yet need—or isn’t ready for—a long-term executive addition.
This distinction matters.
Fractional leadership works best when:
- The business is at an inflection point
- Leadership bandwidth is maxed out
- Internal teams are too close to the problem
- Decisions must be made quickly and confidently
In other words, exactly when most businesses don’t have time for trial and error.
Why 90 Days Matter
One of the things I respect most about Mike’s approach is his insistence on a defined, focused engagement—typically starting with 90 days.
This is not a “camp out and consult forever” model.
The first 90 days are about:
- Seeing clearly
- Stabilizing operations
- Stopping financial or organizational bleeding
- Creating alignment at the top
- Building a realistic path forward
That timeline forces discipline. It eliminates fluff. It keeps everyone focused on outcomes rather than activity.
And it sends a powerful message to the organization: we are serious about change.
What Actually Happens During a 90‑Day Reset
Mike’s process is rigorous, human, and refreshingly honest.
Step One: Executive Reality Check
The work begins with leadership—usually the CEO and C‑suite. These conversations aren’t about blame; they’re about clarity. Where is the business really? What’s not working? What feels heavy? What’s being avoided?
This is where trust begins.
Step Two: Listening to the Organization
Next comes what many leaders skip—and what often reveals the most insight.
Mike talks to employees.
Not to catch anyone out. Not to assign fault. But to understand how work actually gets done. Where processes break down. Where people are compensating for systemic gaps. Where frustration is quietly eroding morale.
Employees almost always know where the problems are. They just haven’t been asked—or haven’t felt safe answering honestly.
Step Three: Diagnosing the System
From there, Mike examines the connective tissue of the business:
- Financial systems
- Cash flow management
- Reporting accuracy
- Cross‑department dependencies
- Decision rights and accountability
Finance, in particular, becomes a focal point—not because it’s the only problem, but because everything runs through it. Weak financial infrastructure fractures the entire organization.
This is also where Mike selectively brings in seasoned specialists—CPAs, operational experts, experienced executives—people with deep “gray hair and scar tissue,” not learning on the client’s dime.
Step Four: Telling the Truth
Then comes the hardest—and most valuable—moment.
Mike sits down with leadership and says: Here’s what’s really going on.
Not sugar‑coated. Not softened. Not theoretical.
Just the truth—paired with options.
Because clarity, even when uncomfortable, is far less dangerous than denial.
A Crisis That Was Worse Than Anyone Realized
One story Mike shared stayed with me because it illustrates how invisible risk can become inside a functioning business.
A CEO reached out knowing something was wrong—but not how wrong.
Cash flow was unpredictable. Financial reports were inconsistent. Leadership felt uneasy but couldn’t pinpoint the cause.
When Mike stepped in, he discovered a situation far more severe than expected:
- Improper accounting practices
- Weak financial controls
- Inadequate leadership oversight
- A culture of “this is how we’ve always done it.”
The business was operating—but barely.
Mike described it like trying to bail water from a boat with a cup while water kept rushing in. The priority wasn’t optimization—it was survival.
So they stopped the bleeding.
Then they rebuilt.
New processes.
Training.
Clear accountability.
Better systems.
The fix took longer than 90 days—but the turnaround began within them.
And perhaps most importantly, the organization stabilized because an outside voice was able to say what internal teams couldn’t—or wouldn’t.
The One Thing That Determines Whether Change Works
Not every engagement succeeds.
And when it doesn’t, the reason is almost always the same.
Leadership isn’t actually willing to change.
Mike looks for this early. In the initial conversations, he listens for humility, openness, and real readiness. Not polished language—but genuine willingness to do things differently.
There’s a massive difference between:
“We want things to improve.”
And:
“I’m willing to change how I lead if that’s what it takes.”
The second one is where transformation begins.
Businesses don’t fail because employees resist change. They fail because leaders do.
Why Self‑Awareness Is a CEO’s Greatest Asset
One of the most powerful moments in any diagnostic process is comparing three answers to the same question:
- What the CEO thinks the vision is
- What middle management thinks the vision is
- What employees think the vision is
When those answers don’t match, performance suffers—no matter how talented the team is.
Mike’s work consistently reveals that misalignment at the top cascades downward. Communication gaps widen. Priorities blur. Execution slows.
And until leadership sees itself clearly, no operational fix will stick.
Building a Business Is Hard—Even When You Know What You’re Doing
Mike doesn’t just advise businesses—he’s built them.
That matters.
He understands firsthand:
- The pressure of payroll
- The anxiety of cash burn
- The frustration of hiring too early—or too late
- The disconnect between banks and entrepreneurs
- The loneliness of leadership
He’s lived the paradox of growth: the faster you scale, the more risk you carry.
Banks ask you to slow down.
Customers demand more.
Employees want balance.
And owners carry the weight of it all.
That lived experience informs his work. It’s why his advice lands—not as theory, but as reality-tested guidance.
Why the Goal Is Always to Leave
Perhaps the most telling part of Mike’s philosophy is this:
His goal is to leave.
He’s not building dependency. He’s building capability.
The best engagements end with:
- Stronger internal teams
- Clearer systems
- Better decision-making
- Leaders who don’t need him anymore
And that’s the point.
External support should make organizations more self‑reliant, not less.
The Executive Takeaway
If you lead a business, here’s what Mike’s journey reinforces:
- Stagnation is a signal, not a failure
- Operational problems rarely fix themselves
- Outside perspective accelerates clarity
- Fractional leadership can deliver senior‑level impact fast
- Change starts at the top—or it doesn’t start at all
- The goal isn’t rescue—it’s resilience
Most importantly:
Waiting too long to address what’s broken costs far more than confronting it early.
The strongest leaders aren’t the ones who have all the answers.
They’re the ones who know when to bring in help—and are brave enough to listen when it arrives.
Listen to the full episode on C-Suite Radio: Disrupt & Innovate | C-Suite Network
Watch the episode: DI 133 Transforming Business Operations with Mike Straza.
This article was drafted with the assistance of an AI writing assistant (Abacus.AI’s ChatLLM Teams) and edited by Lisa L. Levy for accuracy, tone, and final content.
