Imagine you are CEO of Willy’s Widgets. You realize the last time you developed a new widget was 2006, your sales are in a terminal slump, and expenses are climbing. To top it off, your executive team is behaving like a bunch of toddlers throwing tantrums, fighting, and refusing to work together. Sounds like it’s time for a change – status quo won’t cut it and you must transform your organization or die (ok, maybe you won’t die but the organization is certainly at risk if you do nothing).

So where does organizational transformation begin?

It starts with you.

Yes, you must lead the transformation but that’s not what I’m talking about at first. Starting with yourself means taking a hard look in the mirror to determine what you are personally doing to contribute to the organization’s challenges.

Ask yourself the following:

– Have I clearly articulated my vision for this company?

– Have I built a team with the right talent to develop strategies that will realize this vision?

– Have I provided consistent leadership to my team, reinforcing the need to act as enterprise leaders, not managers of individual fiefdoms?

– Have I taken steps to ensure that the next level of leaders in my company know what needs to happen and are fully engaged in the process of execution?

– Do I call out issues and challenges and engage in conflict to address them if necessary?

– Do I take negative action when needed, e.g., firing a poor performer, making reductions in expenses (including staff reductions if necessary), shutting down defunct business lines, etc.?

– Am I aware of my strengths? Am I leveraging them daily?

– Do I know my blind spots? Do I have a plan to address them?

– Do I recognize when I need advice?  Do I ask for it?

– Am I getting gratification from the work I am doing?

If you answered “yes” to all of the above, you’re in great shape to take the next step and communicate that status quo isn’t working and signal the need for transformation to your team. If you answered “no” to more than one question (I’ll give you a ringer), you may want to seek guidance from a coach, mentor, or business advisor.

At the Bailey Group, we specialize in guiding CEOs and Executive Teams through the process of business transformation, helping them go further, faster.  Call us at 763-545-5997 if it’s time to transform your organization.