--- title: 3 Uncomfortable Truths description: 3 simple yet profound interrelated truths that make the difference between successful and unsuccessful transformation initiatives. image: https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/natalie-pedigo-306019-unsplash.jpg --- [![dark-logoi-hs](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/hubfs/dark-logoi-hs.svg "dark-logoi-hs")](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/) - [Home](https://breakthroughglobal.com/) - [About](https://breakthroughglobal.com/about) - [Breakthrough Model](https://breakthroughglobal.com/why-us) - [Our Story](https://breakthroughglobal.com/our-story) - [Our Clients](https://breakthroughglobal.com/results) - [Resources](https://breakthroughglobal.com/podcasts) Show submenu for Resources - [Insights](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/) - [Podcasts](https://breakthroughglobal.com/podcasts) - [FAQs](https://breakthroughglobal.com/faqs) - [Contact us](https://breakthroughglobal.com/contact) - [Home](https://breakthroughglobal.com/) - [About](https://breakthroughglobal.com/about) - [Breakthrough Model](https://breakthroughglobal.com/why-us) - [Our Story](https://breakthroughglobal.com/our-story) - [Our Clients](https://breakthroughglobal.com/results) - [Resources](https://breakthroughglobal.com/podcasts) Show submenu for Resources - [Insights](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/) - [Podcasts](https://breakthroughglobal.com/podcasts) - [FAQs](https://breakthroughglobal.com/faqs) - [Contact us](https://breakthroughglobal.com/contact) [Login](https://breakthroughglobal.fuseuniversal.com/users/sign_in) [Insights](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/blog) / 3 Uncomfortable Truths # 3 Uncomfortable Truths **Date:** 24.05.19 **Read:** 2 mins **Share:** [mailto:?body=https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/3-uncomfortable-truths-why-your-organisations-transformation-effort-is-failing](mailto:?body=https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/3-uncomfortable-truths-why-your-organisations-transformation-effort-is-failing) ![](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/natalie-pedigo-306019-unsplash.jpg) # WHY YOUR ORGANISATION’S TRANSFORMATION EFFORT IS FAILING The last couple of weeks have been even more full of travel and meetings than my standard schedule. All of these interactions with business leaders, from a variety of industries, led me to generate powerful insights. Where most people hate airports, I find that airport-time creates the white space to reflect. In doing so, 3 key themes kept re-appearing. 3 simple yet profound interrelated truths that make the difference between successful and unsuccessful transformation initiatives. When fully recognised and used to raise performance by the leaders of multinationals, working with these 3 truths leads to amazing results. And those who don’t realise their significance? I can say with confidence that their results, performance, and happiness suffer. ## **#1 THE LEADER CASTS THE LONGEST SHADOW** A leader’s impact is HUGE!!! The success – or failure – of any initiative, particularly transformative initiatives, is down to the leaders. A leader has the perceived and real authority to implement, encourage, and give full permission to their teams to transform their ways of working.  They are visible at a spectrum that goes beyond role-modelling to *role-setting*. If a leader does not show their support, commitment and enthusiasm for an initiative, their teams will consciously de-prioritise that transformation, however big or small. Therefore, the desired transformation in ways of working will never get the collective support it needs to succeed and ‘business-as-usual’ prevails. *Read more about the [Distinctions of a Breakthrough Leader](https://www.breakthroughglobal.com/breakthrough-business-leader-the-5-distinctions/)* ## **#2 TIME IS OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE** Once a day, an hour, or a minute has passed, we can never get it back. As businesses, in our teams, and as individuals, we waste *enormous* amounts of time. We waste time worrying about the past, the future, and working on and delivering inputs that are not directly correlated to priorities and specific outcomes – ‘busy-being-busy’ work. This weak relationship with time directly lowers performance and results. Being in a constant whirlwind of back-to-back meetings and “hurry-up” also makes people miserable! At Breakthrough, we believe that small, daily activities and interactions, like meetings, are an indicator, a microcosm, for the wider business. The ineffective way that millions of meetings are run around the world drains billions in lost potential. Lengthy, ‘death-by-PowerPoint’, agenda-driven rather that outcome-focused, late to start and finish, no decisions made… we can all identify with this microcosm which bleeds into the cultural macrocosm. As leaders, we need to build discipline and standards that give people a more powerful relationship with time. Acknowledge that time is our most valuable resource. Role-set new ways of working and behaviours to free up mountains of untapped potential in terms of mental, physical, and creative resources, pace, and output. *Find out about [Breakthrough’s Power Time Principles](https://www.breakthroughglobal.com/power-time-principles/)* ## **#3 SET STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS** This brings me to the third key theme that manifests itself across every area of your business – setting high standards and effectively communicating expectations. It’s easy to make assumptions that your teams have the same standards as you and that they are clear on your expectations. This is not always the case and can cause mismatches in quality, as well as frustrations when work doesn’t live up to your expectations and needs, usually resulting in time and resource-intensive re-works. I see leaders lowering their standards to meet the standards of the culture, rather than raising the standards within that culture. One of our mantras is, “You get what you tolerate”. This doesn’t mean leading aggressively – it means clearly expressing the standard you want to be met, and when it isn’t met, communicate and take action. Act to show that you won’t tolerate a sub-par standard again, rather than lowering the bar. [*Register here now to receive Part 1 of my Breakthrough Global Insight Short, “Decline and Suffering in Multi-Nationals: How to Avoid the Overload Crisis to Grow Profit and People”.*](https://www.breakthroughglobal.com/insight-shorts/) by [Zannah Ryabchuk](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/3-uncomfortable-truths-why-your-organisations-effort-zannah/) [Previous](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/breakthrough-business-leader-the-5-distinctions) [Next](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/holistic-transformation-achieve-organisational-growth) ### Read more of our blogs: [Lessons from the Room: 5 Hard Truths About Closing the AI Value Gap](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/lessons-from-the-room) ![](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/hubfs/image%20(13)-1.png) 16.06.26 #### Lessons from the Room: 5 Hard Truths About Closing the AI Value Gap On the surface, it appears that every enterprise is effortlessly scaling AI to unlock massive productivity gains. Behind the scenes, however, the conversations reveal a completely... [Read More](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/lessons-from-the-room) [Beyond the Firewall: Culture is Your Strongest (or Weakest) Security Asset](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/beyond-the-firewall-culture-is-your-strongest-or-weakest-security-asset) ![](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/hubfs/Professional%20office%20environment%20showing%20workplace%20silence%20and%20blame%20culture.%20People%20in%20business%20attire%20looking%20hesitant%2c%20avoiding%20eye%20contact%2c%20covering%20mouths%2c%20or%20looking%20down.%20Muted%20corporate%20colors%20with%20tense%20atmosphere.%20Subtle%20body%20langu.png) 5.06.26 #### Beyond the Firewall: Culture is Your Strongest (or Weakest) Security Asset Here's a question worth sitting with: when did your organisation last update its firewall? Probably recently. When did you last examine whether people actually follow the security... [Read More](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/beyond-the-firewall-culture-is-your-strongest-or-weakest-security-asset) [Why a Great AI Strategy Fails at the Middle Management Level](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/why-a-great-ai-strategy-fails-at-the-middle-management-level) ![](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/hubfs/mapbox-ZT5v0puBjZI-unsplash.jpg) 8.05.26 #### Why a Great AI Strategy Fails at the Middle Management Level Globally, AI systems have permeated every industry. Executives see a future of streamlined processes, unprecedented growth and trillions in efficiency gains. Leaders, however, report that... [Read More](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/why-a-great-ai-strategy-fails-at-the-middle-management-level) [Can You Have Psychological Safety AND High Accountability?](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/can-you-have-psychological-safety-and-high-accountability) ![](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/hubfs/vitaly-gariev-ZFBrAHDW9P4-unsplash.jpg) 28.04.26 #### Can You Have Psychological Safety AND High Accountability? There’s a quiet debate that organisations are overly prioritising empathy at the expense of progression. The worry among leadership is that by becoming overly concerned with making people... [Read More](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/can-you-have-psychological-safety-and-high-accountability) [Why Waiting for Performance Reviews is Costing You Your Best Talent](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/april-is-too-late-why-waiting-for-performance-reviews-is-costing-you-your-best-talent) ![System for your Goals](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/hubfs/isaac-smith-Ij7h-m4nJ18-unsplash.jpeg) 14.04.26 #### Why Waiting for Performance Reviews is Costing You Your Best Talent Once a year, the annual performance review rises to the top of conversations. Managers prepare for what can feel like a root canal, and employees are bracing for a verdict on work they... [Read More](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/april-is-too-late-why-waiting-for-performance-reviews-is-costing-you-your-best-talent) ![footer-logo (1)](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/footer-logo%20(1).png?width=250&height=127&name=footer-logo%20(1).png "footer-logo (1)") - [Home](https://breakthroughglobal.com/) - [About](https://breakthroughglobal.com/about) - [Clients](https://breakthroughglobal.com/results) - [Insights](https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/) - [Podcast](https://breakthroughglobal.com/podcasts) - [Contact us](https://breakthroughglobal.com/contact) - [Privacy Policy](https://breakthroughglobal.com/privacy-policy) **Have a general enquiry?** [contact@breakthroughglobal.com](mailto:contact@breakthroughglobal.com) **Want to partner with us?** [partnerships@breakthroughglobal.com](mailto:partnerships@breakthroughglobal.com) [London](https://www.google.com/maps/dir//15+Grape+St,+London+WC2H+8DR/@51.5162566,-0.2079574,12z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x4876101d308daa51:0x54412738d2b09eca!2m2!1d-0.1255572!2d51.5162855?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTExMy4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) [Singapore](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/52.822016,-2.097152/breakthrough+global+singapore/@1.9672794,-35.2683656,3z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m1!4e1!1m5!1m1!1s0x31da191343eb5b27:0x4f149dbec7913922!2m2!1d103.8458098!2d1.2756998?entry=ttu) ### Sign up to our newsletter and stay up to date with all things Breakthrough ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Katie Smith", "url" : "https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/author/katie-smith" }, "dateModified" : "2024-05-16T11:18:43.400Z", "datePublished" : "2019-05-24T14:02:03.000Z", "headline" : "3 Uncomfortable Truths", "image" : [ "https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/natalie-pedigo-306019-unsplash.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/3-uncomfortable-truths-why-your-organisations-transformation-effort-is-failing", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.breakthroughglobal.com/hubfs/dark-logoi-hs.svg" } } } ```