Dual Transformation

Scott D. Anthony is the managing partner of the innovation and growth consulting firm Innosight. He is the author of several books, including The Little Black Book of Innovation and The First Mile: A Launch Manual for Getting Great Ideas into the Market. Clark G. Gilbert is the president of BYU-Idaho and the former CEO of Deseret News Publishing and Deseret Digital Media. Mark W. Johnson is a senior partner and a cofounder of the innovation and strategy consulting firm Innosight.

"A book you mustn't miss! [The authors] show how successful strategic transformations are founded on highly precise models and draw up a list of the leadership skills that are required in order to succeed in such transformations: courage, clarity, curiosity and conviction." -- BusinessDigestToday's leaders speak to the challenges of Dual TransformationMark Bertolini, Chairman and CEO, Aetna--"Your top leaders have to be aligned around the long-term vision and the assumptions about the future that underpin it. But you also have to change the nature of the dialogue with them, away from one about certainty and predictability, and toward one about assumptions, managing risks, and 'what you have to believe' for a certain course of action to be the best one. This is a significant shift for even the most successful leaders, and some might not be able to make it. You can't expect everyone to evolve at the same pace, but you have to see progress. For me this means being 'realistically expectant' and 'patiently tolerant of progress.'"Mark Fields, President and CEO, Ford--"Transformation is uncomfortable and exciting at the same time. It's like when we redesign an F-150 or the Mustang. You hold these two things in your head where you feel incredible pride and excitement because you're working on this icon, but gosh, you don't want to be the team that screws it up. It's the tension that comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the same time."Helen Eaton, CEO, Settlement Music School--"Transformation is a roller coaster ride. You have moments of great highs and lows, moments where you are certain about what you are doing, and moments where you question deeply. It is never easy. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it."Gerry Ablaza, President and CEO, Manila Water--"I think we have--or at least we’ve started--to develop a mindset that we need to embrace change if we are to grow. We need to be a different business if we are to create shareholder value."Michael Crow, President, Arizona State University--"Communication is a big deal in changing any culture. Culture trumps strategy every day of the week. . . . We have been able to constantly give the message that we are here to measure ourselves against the success of our students. You have to constantly project those messages or you can’t change the culture."