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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Heart of Transformation summary
Michael J. Leckie
Build the Human Capabilities That Change Organizations for Good
15 mins
What is The Heart of Transformation about?
The Heart of Transformation (2021) is a how-to guide for changing an organization. It focuses on six specific capabilities that leaders can adopt to meet the demands of the twenty-first century.
Table of Contents
The Heart of Transformation
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Key idea 1 of 7
Exploring before executing
So, how do you transform an organization for the better? The first step is to explore before you execute. To be clear, there isn’t anything wrong with executing per se. Execution simply means carrying out a plan or course of action – and every business relies on execution to some degree.
But fixating on execution becomes a problem when the needs of an organization change. Execution is all about sticking to the plan. Trouble arises when the plans that fixed yesterday’s problems don’t work for today’s. More specifically, leaders get stuck when they refuse to question whether once-useful strategies are still viable.
This is where exploring comes in. You have to ask whether the systems and practices of old still work, or whether they need revising. It can be hard for leaders to challenge the ideas they once championed. But this kind of exploration is exactly the type of leadership that results in transformation.
So, what does exploring before executing look like in practice? Here are five questions to ask others – and yourself – to accomplish the task.
First up is, “What do you think?” As simple as it is, this question activates the curiosity necessary for transformation.
Second, “What are you assuming is true?” Assumptions shape many of our ideas. Laying them out in the open helps everyone better understand where stakeholders are coming from.
Third, “Whose voice is missing?” This question takes aim at the echo chamber. It invites diversity of thought – which is more important than ever, given the information silos many people occupy today.
Fourth, “What is your third-best idea?” There’s a method to this madness: Typically, the first answer people give is the “safe” answer. Their second choice is usually just the first answer in different words. It’s often not until the third-best idea that people start thinking outside of the box.
The fifth and final question is, “What didn’t you say that needs saying?” This urges people to state the things that are uncomfortable or scary, but that need to be heard.
These five questions can help leaders explore the best ways to address rapidly changing problems before executing their plan of action.
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Who should read The Heart of Transformation?
- Anyone working in management or leadership
- Entrepreneurs or small business owners
- Anyone curious about how to change a workplace for the better
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