The Intricacy of Transformation

Transformation is much about unlearning those things that you “know to be true” as it is about embracing the new, bold ideas. Neither everything that is old is bad, nor is everything new good.

Hence, why every leader poses the questions – how do I introduce those unfamiliar and risky ideas, while letting go of those that make me feel safe? How do I inspire change without missing a beat for my organization? This is the intricacy of transformation.

Say You Will.

Making change is difficult. Transformation is too important to delegate down the chain of command. Leaders need to own up to change. For our organizations to succeed, we must be engaged from the front line. Why is this needed? The “delegated transformation” may enjoy few quick successes, but it will never achieve the desired goal of having a change-effect that is contagious. As human beings, we are habitual to fear failure. We don’t like to make ourselves vulnerable to others. Naturally we tend to play things safe. Though we understand the risks associated with this attitude towards life, we remain hopeful for everything to be okay in the end. However, when we see our fearless leaders down in the trench, shoveling dirt with us, it inspires us to be equally brave and exposed.

The Change Agent

Conventional approach to transformation is typically dictated by top-down restructuring of a corporation, e.g., reducing cost of operations, investing in large scale automation, re-engineering current processes, etc. In this age of unprecedented convergence of business and technology, these conventional methods are unlikely to produce the desired outcome. As the leader of the organization, we not necessarily need to be the primary Change Agent. However, we do need to empower those around to be the driver of change. We need to promote the environment where employees feel comfortable to share ideas openly. We need to harvest a culture where ideas are not only welcomed, but failures are equally rewarded. Eliminating the fear of failure acts as the fertilizer for future growth.

The Inevitable Makeover

True transformation always starts from within. While we don’t always need to be the Change Agent, we do need to adequately prepare ourselves to lead our organization towards a perpetual transformation. Most important transformation is the pivot of our minds. Things will change. Life will always throw challenges at us. We will not know all the answers right away. Our mind will be agitated and nervous. We will be uncomfortable. The “makeover” of life is uncontrollable, boundless, and inevitable. To face this inescapable alteration of life, we need to first accept that the change is an integral part of it. Being in loss of the familiarity is just another door to new opportunity. So, why not excuse us from being in the continual state of “fearing failure”? Let’s be a little uncomfortable – for a change.

Rocks. Not Mountains.

The truth is that we don’t know everything around us. So, why pretend to know about where we need to be, and more importantly how to get there? Every time I find myself in a new job, I think of myself stuck in a pitch-dark cave. I am clearly uncomfortable; I don’t know which way to go about. I then try to look for that glimpse of hope at the end of the tunnel, that beacon of success, the place where I intend to be. It is not always about knowing how to go where you want to go, rather it is imperative to know where you want to be. In time, I will find my path out of the dark cave, zigzagging my way through the treacherous, murky tunnel. At times I may end up going backwards, and at times ending up taking the wrong turn, but knowing that my destination remains the same allows me to adjust course towards my end goal. As leaders, we need to first focus on making just a noticeable difference – do good, small ones are okay, too. Don’t worry about moving a huge mountain with brute force. Focus on moving the rocks and the pebbles, one at a time. Take turns to uncharted territories based on the knowledge available at that moment, but move quickly and repetitively. Be on your toes and not on your heels. Lean forward and inspire everyone around you to embrace the change and celebrate along the way frequently. After a while, take a pause and look back – you have already moved the mountain.

People Power Transformation

People are our most important asset. Effective transformation is dependent on how we inspire human progress. We need to promote diversity and inclusion, encourage our employees to learn new things, and embrace uncertainty. Most importantly, we must listen to them. “Take the training and transform your skills” – telling employees this is not enough. Employees will not have the energy left in them to effectively learn new and complex things after a full-day of workload. Ask yourself, are people truly my most valuable assets? If so, then invest in them thoughtfully. Give them the much needed “sandbox time” during regular office hours. Help them to pivot their skills. Don’t make completing training yet another “compliance” check-box – rather inspire human progress through skills-transformation by rewarding the early adopters.

Bringing It All Together

To make transformation sustaining in our organization, we need to first accept that we can’t control change. Let's start the journey together by being vulnerable to our people. Use agility to transform the culture. Be fearless in introducing new technologies. Look for telltale signs by garnering the invisible trends. Lead the disruption from within.

My Last Thought

Transformation is difficult. It takes time. For me, the intricacy of transformation reminds me of what Jor-El once told Superman, “You have grown stronger than I ever could’ve imagined. The only way to know how strong, is to keep testing your limits”.