ABSTRACT
A handful of the Consortium for Change (C4C) members interviewed eight CEOs and other senior business leaders about what it takes to actually lead transformational change. These highly experienced executives did not theorize, speculate, or equivocate. They knew it was time to do something. These leaders did not act alone, but they did lead. They each entered the scene in “the middle of the movie.” They inherited circumstances, facts, and history that preceded them. They needed to figure out what was going on, and then act. The leaders set a new vision, mission, or sense of purpose. They drove culture change and innovation. They built a new team, insisted on collaboration, and held people accountable. They globalized, sped things up, communicated more transparently, made people feel like owners, and recognized change champions. These leaders understood the holistic view of transformational change, built trust, embraced VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity), took risks, learned from failures, and delivered results. They treated customers, employees, investors, and communities like they mattered. Every leader learned – both from what they did and did not do.
