Extract from the book - Purpose - Pages 13-16

The purpose of this book is to help you understand how to lead where change is
not only the norm but is also accelerating. Ironically, it is generally quoted that
75% plus of large transformation and change programmes fail and this is not on
an improving trend. We are therefore in a place where we need to drive more
change but three out of four of our transformation initiatives are destined to fail.
This book addresses this conundrum. How to weigh the scales on our side as
transformational leaders and be in the 25% that succeed. Indeed, how do we
increase the 25% to 75%? The start point is that transformational change is not
just an initiative or programme, it is an approach to leadership and almost a way
of life for senior leaders. A key observation and challenge is how we take account
of managing teams whilst encouraging increasing diversity. This book outlines
the leadership challenges, leadership approach and transformation processes that
need to come together to shift the odds of successful transformation towards us
as leaders.

The author has been at the forefront of this shift for over 25 years and has
developed this approach with its associated coping mechanism whilst in
executive leadership roles in 11 companies. He has worked across
manufacturing, retail, financial services, insurance, hospitality, mobile phones,
utilities, and postal services. He has personally led five major transformations
and been part of some great successes and lots of small failures on his journey.
Executive roles have included leading marketing, sales, revenue management,
large call centre operations, IT, and digital functions as well as profit and loss
ownership.

Unlike most leadership bibles, this one is not presenting itself as a fully
structured model but as a personal checklist for your attributes and behaviours
alongside a set of practical processes you can adopt at work. It is by no means
prescriptive and if you take a few things from this book to start practising then
you will become a marginally better leader, which is a great outcome as you will
learn as you travel through the pages of this book.

The book is as relevant for the C-suite as the new management programme
trainee. Existing leaders can use it to adjust their approach to leadership
behaviours and utilise the models. Future leaders can set themselves up to lead
in the right way from the start. They can learn and practise the right behaviours
to use from the start and utilise relevant parts of the processes. The overall
concept you will learn from reading this book is that the leadership model is
changing alongside technology, customers, and markets. The new paradigm is
not a structured model but a set of practises and tools that enable the leader to
evolve their leadership approach at pace. The modern leader needs to be the grit
in the oyster the slight irritant that brings the best out of the organisation—make
it secrete pearls over time. It is important to note that the leader is not the pearl
but the piece of grit that is consumed by the pearl. You will explore this
throughout the book.

You will undertake a four-stage journey; the book opens with an
understanding of transformation followed by exploring the shifting playing field
and the very modern challenges presented to leaders.
Then we focus on the leader. How should a leader behave and field their
team? In this section, you will explore the grit part of the model. The concluding
section is a modern framework for transformation or change. An approach. This
is the oyster model.

It should be noted that you are not being presented with an empirical study
to any robust academic standard. It is as presented—observations and know-how
collected over the authors’ adult life which result in opinions from which you
can choose to learn.

Don’t expect a raft of case studies. In the author’s opinion, case studies
become so watered down to avoid intervention from lawyers that they become
anodyne. Transformation necessarily starts with the organisation being in a bad
place often linked with poor leadership. Both companies and individuals, quite
rightly, wouldn’t want that presented as a warts and all case study in a book such
as this.

Whilst there are lessons for all leaders in this book, it is not intended to be a
guide for small businesses or start-ups. The focus is larger organisation
transformation. You should read this book if you work in any enterprise,
government office, health service or charitable organisation. The models and
approach will work within existing organisations with some complexity who are
or need to modernise and change in some way.

Reading this book will give value to the following:

 

• C-Suite and board Members: To better understand how to govern and 
  lead transformation in our increasingly diverse environment to ensure a successful outcome.

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• Managing Directors, Divisional Heads and Functional Leads: How to 
  set up, lead and deliver successful transformation with teams of 
  increasingly diverse and empowered individuals.

 

• Senior Managers: How to lead diverse teams to drive successful transformation deliverables within their area.

 

• Managers and Management Trainees: Learning how to develop the skills and behaviours needed to successfully move into leading future transformation

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• Academics and Students: A real-world insight into the challenges of transformation leadership and delivery including referenceable models to feed into debate and papers.