Implement with the Right
Transformation Drivers
Getting results starts with response of the market and organization as we begin to operate the transformation. Getting results is not just about the positive business results. It also includes the periods where we may experience dips or delayed results from the market while we’re anticipating the Golden Snake.
Transformation Driver
1. Define the Talent Who Will Live in the New World.
Profile, inventory, cull, and upgrade to get the right team for the future.
Ask Your Leadership
Does the organization see us being clear and decisive about who will move ahead?
Don’t expect founders or long-tenured executives to lead a transformation of what they built.
Transformation Driver
2. Demonstrably and Visibly Remove Resistors.
Identify and move quickly and decisively on active and passive resistors.
Ask Your Leadership
Does the organization see us tolerating and accommodating resistance and bad fits or have we demonstrated how we use the velvet hammer?
You see it in meetings — the eye-rolls, the side comments. Cultural resistance isn’t always loud. But it slows everything down. And if they won’t shift, you have to make hard calls.
Transformation Driver
3. Campaign and Engage the Organization from Big Platform to Small Platform.
Use the C-level platform opportunities to repeat the message as part of the campaign with L2s, and L3s engaging the organization in small teams.
Ask Your Leadership
Are we regularly out front, controlling the narrative or is the coconut telegraph undermining our messaging?
You have to keep showing up, saying the same thing in different ways. People don’t get it the first time. It’s about reinforcing the ‘why’ repeatedly until it becomes part of the culture.
Transformation Driver
4. Measure Results, Show Progress, Anticipate the Dip, and Message to It.
Know that performance will likely dip during the initial periods. Predict this, accelerate messaging, and power through it to get to the positive side.
Ask Your Leadership
Are we executing on a strong communication plan? Do we expect results too quickly? Are we ready to turn back early or do we have the fortitude and commitment to drive through the dip to the gold?
You need to understand that there is a dip in the middle. I call it the golden snake. Revenue goes down, partners panic, and employees wonder if it's the right path. But if you planned for the snake, you’re not surprised. You lead through it.