Since “retiring”, as well as helping companies transform, I have been taking full advantage of living in Scotland by regularly hiking in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. Compared to other mountain ranges the peaks of Scotland are not particularly high but they are demanding and in certain conditions dangerous. To ensure a safe return you need have the right clothing and equipment, experienced companions, a level of fitness and skills in navigation. You also should be able to read the weather and know when to turn back when conditions turn against you. To go out ill-prepared would be foolish. Yet week after week I read stories in the newspaper of inexperienced hikers setting off in tee shirts and flimsy footwear only to get into trouble and require rescuing or sadly, in some cases to suffer injury or worse.
Driving change is one of, if not the toughest jobs in corporate life. It requires a unique and broad set of skills which I have written about in previous posts. For a chance of success a transformation leader requires an understanding of tools and frameworks, an ability to navigate corporate politics, an ability to influence, an ability to incite a movement in a company and skills in reading and adapting to the environment both internally and externally. However typically a “high potential” talented leader is tapped on the shoulder and asked to scale “Transformation Mountain” in perilous conditions without training, equipment or experienced companions. In corporate life there is no mountain rescue team and many transformation leaders are left to perish on the slopes.
This is so easily remedied. Like mountaineering, given the right equipment, training and an experienced guide, all the most common pitfalls can be avoided. I have found myself being a “mountain guide” for a handful of ambitious but thoughtful companies over the past 18 months. Companies that have had the foresight to realise the dangers of the transformation journey and want their team to arrive at the top in one piece and enjoy the view.
This is the first of the two ways companies tend to set up their transformation leads for failure. Any thoughts on the second? This will be the subject of my next post. If you would like it to hit your inbox please subscribe here.
Paul Cobban 