The latest episode of We Not Me (on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and now YouTube) was inspired by an article in Forbes that puts transformation failure rates at 88%, up from 70% a decade ago.
Why do so many fail? Charles Handy’s Sigmoid Curve offers a clue. Every curve of growth turns down eventually. The next curve has to start while the old one is still climbing, which is exactly when nobody believes you that it needs to.
Here’s the part leaders quietly skip. They see the need for change before anyone else does. Then they assume the rest of the organisation will do the changing, while they carry on exactly as before.
That’s a myth. The curve applies at every level: the organisation, the team and the individual. And that individual is you.
The bad news is that every new Sigmoid Curve starts by heading down. Performance dips before it climbs, and that includes your own. So if you’re asking others to change, expect a challenging ride yourself, and let your team see you take it.
Start with the mirror, not the org chart. The organisation won’t move further than you do.
Pia and Dan