“Be the change you wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi
Companies claim that transformation is their priority.
They create change teams, hire experts, and develop ambitious roadmaps…
But when it comes to involving top leadership, commitment disappears.
“We don’t have time for follow-up meetings”
“We don’t want to distract leaders from their objectives”
“The executive committee doesn’t need to be involved in the day-to-day”
Transformation doesn’t happen just because someone requests it. It happens when leadership models it through their own actions.
Leaders must embody the change they seek in their organization, not just give the order for it to happen.
The great contradiction: A priority or just a speech?
If transformation is one of the most important pillars of corporate strategy, why treat it as a secondary issue?
Major consulting firms have been clear: transformations fail when leadership does not actively engage.
Approving budgets and creating transformation teams is not enough. Without real commitment, transformation is just an illusion.
The mistake of delegating transformation
Many companies believe they can delegate change without altering their own routines.
They hire a Chief Transformation Officer and assume the problem is solved.
But transformation is not a department. It is not a team. It is not a side project.
It is a fundamental shift in how an organization works, makes decisions, and measures success.
And if top leadership doesn’t change, the company won’t either.
Why do leaders avoid getting involved?
The pressure for immediate results
Leaders are focused on quarterly KPIs, not long-term vision.
If change doesn’t produce results in a few months, it’s seen as a distraction.
The discomfort of change
Transformation means questioning the way the company has been run until now.
For many leaders, that means admitting they might have been wrong.
Fear of losing control
Agile transformations require delegating more decisions, reducing bureaucracy, and enabling autonomy.
For some leaders, this feels like losing power.
How to ensure top leadership truly leads transformation
Ensure that transformation is on the leadership agenda
If transformation is a priority, it must be present in key leadership discussions.
It should be integrated into day-to-day decision-making, not treated as an occasional topic.
Define an active role for top management
It's not enough to "provide support". Leaders must lead by example and foster the psychological safety teams need.
If they want more agile and collaborative teams, they must think, act, and operate in the same way.
Make it clear that transformation is part of the business, not a side project
It cannot be isolated within a transformation team; it must be integrated across all areas of the organization.
If treated as an independent effort, it will lose impact and create misalignment with how the rest of the organization operates.
Make the cost of not transforming evident
If leadership doesn’t engage, the market will make the decision for them.
History is full of examples of companies that failed to act in time and paid the price.
Is your leadership driving transformation or just watching it happen?
When the market shifts—because it will—will you be leading the change or simply reacting to it?
Transformation doesn’t fail due to a lack of methodologies, technology, or teams.
It fails because those who should lead it believe they can do so without changing themselves.
If top management doesn’t make time for transformation, they will eventually have to make time for a crisis.
At Trascend, we help organizations achieve transformations that truly happen.
Are you ready to turn words into action?
#OrganizationalTransformation #TransformationalLeadership #ChangeCulture
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