sensing
Breaking the Dragon
To snap a wooden idol in two is extremely easy;
But to break a dragon is a task beyond our power.
My friend, if you’re interested in the character of the insatiable soul,
Read an account of the seven gates of Hell.
Rumi
The first Phase in A quest for growth involves deeply understanding the problem and sincerely building a coalition.
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John Legere’s T-Mobile’s transformation from a company teetering on the edge of irrelevance to the serious player it is today was anchored in getting to the root of the problem. After he was named CEO, in 2012, Legere began listening in daily on customer service calls. As was widely reported in the press at the time, the experience led him to a fundamental truth about the wireless industry: People hated it. They resented being trapped in confusing contracts and hit with hidden fees. So he worked hard to offer clear service plans and transparent charges, among other innovations—in short, to become everything the industry wasn’t.
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The video game developer, Riot Games, is another great example of understanding deeply, including ugly aspects of an organization, and taking clear, unequivocal responsibility for a painful past. In 2018 the organization issued a plainspoken apology on its website in response to public allegations of a fractured and sexist culture. “To all those we’ve let down…we’re sorry,” it began. “We’re sorry that Riot hasn’t always been—or wasn’t—the place we promised you. And we’re sorry it took so long for us to hear you.” Riot stands in stark contrast to other companies that are called out for missteps. For instance, when Frances Haugen, the data engineer and whistleblower, publicly challenged Facebook (now Meta) to work harder to protect its most vulnerable users, the company’s first response was to try to undermine her credibility. A tide of public frustration, a drop in the firm’s stock price, and an increase in regulatory scrutiny followed.
The first step in any transformation is facing the reality of the current state of business as it is and coming to terms with its unviability over the long term. This involves understanding the unsustainability of the status quo and putting oneself as a leader in a different place, often physically, in order to see oneself, one’s company, and the part of the world one operates in and impacts differently. This takes courage and an ability to see the whole system and its parts in the evolving landscape of the environment. Together they demand holding and facilitating emotionally uncomfortable conversations that lead key members to see and begin to accept the delta between where the organization is today and where it needs to be tomorrow. And underpinning such seeing and acceptance is a willingness to work on oneself first by becoming aware of what mindsets and assumptions underpin one’s view of success and begin a transformational emotional journey.
Thoroughly Understanding: We explore opportunities and motivations for change, prioritizing deep inquiry and listening to key members. This approach reveals the organization's unique spirit and its significance to stakeholders.
Honoring History: We value the organization's positive history while addressing challenges with optimism and honesty. This balanced perspective prevents generic solutions and promotes authenticity.
Building a Guiding Coalition: We construct a coalition of credible, influential members to lead growth initiatives. Their expertise and leadership are vital in diagnosing issues, exploring solutions, and embodying the vision. Involving valuable employees with institutional knowledge fosters understanding and addresses resistance to change.
“In a survey of 106 C-suite executives representing 91 private- and public-sector companies from 17 countries, we found that a full 85% agreed that their organizations were bad at problem diagnosis, and 87% agreed that this flaw carried significant costs. Fewer than one in 10 said they were unaffected by the issue.
What they struggle with, it turns out, is not solving problems but figuring out what the problems are. And creative solutions nearly always come from an alternative explanation for—or a reframing of—your problem. The point of reframing is not to find the “real” problem but, rather, to see if there is a better problem to solve. ”
