10 Strengths for successful transformation

When it comes to transformation, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach that works for everyone (otherwise, we’d see a lot more companies succeed in their transformation efforts!). But in my years as a transformation coach and consultant, I’ve observed some patterns that the most successful companies tend to have in common. These are superpowers that make it easier for them to make major changes—and for these changes to ripple out across the organisation and have a lasting effect. 

1 A company culture that promotes desired behaviours and outcomes

It may sound obvious, but organisations that are ready for transformation success have already established a company culture that promotes desired behaviours and outcomes. This means leaders model the behaviour they’d like to see on their teams, set goals for their teams that are aligned with their transformation efforts, and ensure people get rewarded (in terms of promotions, bonuses, or placement on plum projects) for acting in a way that’s aligned with the transformation.

2 “One team” cross-functional collaboration 

Transformation doesn’t occur in a vacuum—it requires commitment from every layer and discipline in an organisation. This tends to happen when people see themselves (and everyone else at their organisation) as members of the same team. Rather than highlighting divisions, they focus on shared goals or outcomes and default to collaboration.  

Consistent customer focus 

It’s become somewhat trendy these days for people to use labels like “customer-centric” or “user-driven” to describe their work. While there’s nothing wrong with these concepts in and of themselves, they tend to be applied unevenly. This often translates to customer experiences that are confusing—and off-putting in the worst cases. When organisations are truly ready for transformation, they take a holistic, unified view of the customer journey to ensure it’s comprehensive, consistent, and meets customer goals.

Focused on outcomes, not outputs

Similar to what we see with terms like “customer focused,” the idea of “outcomes” has become incredibly popular within the business world. But many leaders still struggle to guide their teams based on desired outcomes and often switch back to outputs, especially during times of stress. The key here is to measure things that drive the desired change in customer behaviour and deliver value to your organisation. This is even more powerful when cross-functional teams share outcomes, increasing their collaboration and alignment opportunities.

Space and time for discovery 

One of the biggest challenges of more traditional approaches to product and service development was the large gap between the people who were building and their end users or customers. Engaging in regular discovery allows teams to identify, prioritise, and solve opportunity spaces for their product/service and organisational strategy/priorities. The companies that win at transformation allow teams to make data-informed decisions through frequent contact with users and let insights inform decision-making at all levels. 

Clear mission, vision, and strategy 

Many leaders believe they’re overcommunicating the company’s mission, vision, and strategy, but this is rarely the case. It’s even rarer for leaders to draw a clear connection between the company’s strategy to the product strategy to the day-to-day decision-making at the team level. But when this does occur, it ensures that insights at all levels feed back into the strategic direction. Clearly communicating your mission, vision, and strategy provides guardrails that empower teams to make good decisions and move forward at pace.

The ability to embrace uncertainty 

Traditional approaches to planning, with fixed roadmaps and timelines, gave the impression of certainty. But the truth is that the world is unpredictable and uncertain. Organisations that are successful at transformation don’t ignore this fact. Instead, they empower their employees to make decisions with incomplete information, expect change, and give them approaches and the necessary supportive culture to boost their ability to handle change.

Speed to learning 

Quick tests and iterations are encouraged and expected. When people learn how to run quick tests and experiments, they’re able to validate (or, more likely, invalidate) their assumptions and learn more about how they’re likely to succeed. Transformation-ready organisations give their employees the tools and space to experiment and iterate.  

Continuous learning culture

This point is connected to, but slightly distinct from, the previous one about quick tests and iteration. We can also call it a “growth mindset.” Essentially, it means a workplace where people feel encouraged to admit when they don’t know something or when an experiment didn’t turn out as expected. When there’s enough psychological safety for people to share something that didn’t work, there’s also room for continuous learning and improvement. And finding a path to success faster.   

Transparency

Communication needs to be open and honest at all levels—including among peers, from leadership to their teams, and between disciplines. This can involve keeping others informed of things like project status, company goals, and current challenges. It might also include giving clear, constructive feedback to help others increase their chances of meeting their goals.

Bonus: Finding a sense of personal purpose and commitment 

I just had to share one more superpower I’ve observed over the years: Organisations that succeed in their transformations encourage everyone to find a sense of personal purpose and commitment to their work. It’s about more than doing a job—their employees feel a sense of personal responsibility and passion to do great work and get to their desired outcomes.

My hope is that this list will spark some ideas of areas where you might focus your efforts to help prepare your organisation for transformation. If you’d like a little more guidance, check out the Operating Model Goals (OMG) canvas, which can help you facilitate a deeper dive into your strengths and areas of opportunity. And if you’re looking for even more guidance on preparing and guiding your organisation through transformation, don’t hesitate to get in touch!