Ive often said that the only constant in business is change.
But none of this is easy, and none of it happens by accident.
With transformation key to a companys survival, howcan we, as leaders, facilitate successful transformation?
Transformation emerged as the foundational thread shared by each of these 100 business professionals.
What I emphasized to this group of very successful individuals is that they werent done.
Its easy to say, Im the boss.
The company is operating well.
So why mess with it?
Whats missing in that assertion is the understanding that past success doesnt guarantee future success.
Given how quickly our world is changing, the need for transformation is greater than ever.
For the first two decades of my career, I was mostly an entrepreneur.
I co-founded and led three startups in three different industries.
The second failed in just two short years.
The third was Quickoffice, which we successfully sold to Google in 2012.
It had radically transformed along the way.
Had we not radically transformed, Quickoffice would have failed like startup number two.
As, an NYSE public company, its clearly a far cry from a startup.
But it, too, has transformed.
Our imperative was clear: we had to transform.
So we did, and now were a leader in business cloud communications.
Your control is much more indirect, and large organizations often inadvertently prevent change.
Ive identified three key pillars as critical for transformation.
Success depends on hiring and retaining great people who are up to the challenge.
Motivate these great resources to focus forward and transform your business into a highly prized destination place to work.
Build the best solution for your customers.Innovation is an ongoing transformational priority.
Regardless of industry, you win in the end by building the best solution for your customers.
Focus on customer centricity.Remaincommitted to being a world-class customer service company.
Every company says this, but almost all fail at it.
I believe this formula is backward.
First, you must spend whats necessary to delight and keep existing customers.
Transformation is a journey with no finish line.
To succeed, you must keep reinventing yourself, your business and your goals.
Alan has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.B.A.
from the University of Georgia.
