3 Actions Leaders can take to
Drive Transformative Change
Leaders today find themselves in an era in where everything coming at them feels big, transformative – even existential. Artificial intelligence. Global economic realignment. Social and political upheaval… and all of these things are happening at once. Many leaders recognise that without significant re-imagination, their organisation may not survive the next few years.
Across sectors and continents, every leader I speak with today is wrestling with the same question: How do we move an entire organisation from point A to point B…and then to point C?
About a decade ago, Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Ben Horowitz published a book about the challenges of leading high-growth startups. It was called The Hard Thing About Hard Things. It’s a great book with a great title.
The hard thing about hard things is that they’re hard! And in many ways today, every organisation is called upon to be a startup – to challenge first principles and open up to big change. It used to be that large companies handled even incremental changes with analysis and planning that stretched over months or years.
But the disruptive forces hitting businesses today must be met with more urgency; slow-paced, incremental approaches will not be enough. In today’s world, effecting change requires continuous leadership. It demands that leaders make hard choices, decisively and with discernment, that enable their organisation to innovate, adapt and thrive.
At FranklinCovey, we see leaders confronting this challenge every day, at our own company and at the clients we serve. Here’s how leaders can ensure change is transformative.
1. Redefine Culture Around what you will – and won’t – Tolerate
Pat Riley once said that culture is “the worst behavior you’re willing to tolerate.” That insight changed how I think about transformation.
True culture isn’t only defined by the common goal and vision; it’s also defined by what we allow. Leaders can show the way by clearly recognising and rewarding new behaviours, as well as by calling out behaviours that no longer apply.
In a former life as a sales manager, leading my team through a change, trying to get everyone to sell under our company’s new paradigm, I made the team a promise: The first person who has the courage to say no to an old-model deal—I’ll pay you as if you won it. Moving forward sometimes requires removing the option to do what’s familiar.
2. Get more Involved – Without Losing Trust
Under many circumstances, being hands-off is the best way to empower teams. But during transformation, that’s not enough. You have to get into the work.
In these moments, I like to think of myself as a sherpa, not just the visionary at base camp pointing at the summit. To keep morale and focus high, it’s best when we enthusiastically carry weight, clear paths and help others make their way over rocks and sheer cliffs. (We also have to think about food, water, sleep – because we’ve been on this climb before and we know where it gets really steep.)
The challenge is to be a visible participant without becoming a micromanager. Stay close enough to guide, but never so close that you suffocate trust or paralyse initiative.
3. Communicate with Consistency… then Communicate again.
The truism about leadership and communication is real: Most leaders underestimate how much repetition transformation requires.
Personally, I find it awkward to hear myself say the same thing again and again. But I do it, because it’s necessary. As a leadership team, we huddle and devise and refine the vision and strategy – and build our conviction over time. Only then do we introduce the change broadly. For most people, it’s their first time hearing it. And even on the fifth time, it may not quite land.
It can take hundreds of repetitions before clarity sets in. Everyone in the organisation must get it: This is where we are headed and here’s why we’re going there. The “why” should be big enough to inspire and must be aligned with the company’s purpose. And, especially in transformative times, a powerful “why” can also include what will happen if the change is not made.
Don’t forget the law of inertia. An object in motion will remain in motion unless acted on by an outside force. An object at rest—same thing. The status quo has gotten you to where you are today, but now it’s the villain of the story. It will hold you back. And delivering that message consistently will make all the difference.
It’s like you’re piloting a plane bound for the west coast of Europe. But that could mean Denmark or Holland or Belgium or France or Portugal. Your team may already know and love France. If you start that flight and are just a couple of degrees off, you’re going to end up in Holland. If your team loves France – well, they may be open to the incremental change of Holland. But if you are in an existential moment and have to get to Denmark or Portugal, you will need to fight against that incremental thinking. You’ll need to continually remind people to buckle up; you’ll need to regularly re-plot the course and consistently communicate about how great it is in Denmark or Portugal.
Branding people know this already: Consistency in messaging keeps us on course.
In periods of disruption, the pull of the status quo is strong because it holds the false promise of safety. Leaders who intentionally reinforce the behaviours that new conditions demand, take part in the work of change in high-trust ways, and communicate consistently and relentlessly about why the change matters, how it will help their organisation move from point A to point B successfully and prepare them for destinations beyond!
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