Do transformations require being extraordinary?
We tell ourselves that others who have transformed must be special because that makes us feel less anxious about the fact we haven’t transformed to our desired state yet. The specialness of others to transform becomes the salve for us who haven’t. Let’s face it: we all know whether we have more to give than we currently are. This is true for people and companies. The unfilled potential is known. We can feel and taste it; it is just a question of whether we acknowledge, embrace, and do something about it. There is nothing extraordinary about it.
The truth is you don’t have to be extraordinary before, during, or after a transformation. Transformations don’t require us to be extraordinary at any stage. To avoid a transformation, we tell ourselves that we must be extraordinary, but the opposite is true.
Suppose a person or organization is already extraordinary. In that case, they are less likely to need to go through a transformation in the first place. Transformations are best suited for and, to a great degree, exist for someone or something far from extraordinary. Still, even the most talented and skilled of us sometimes have to go through a transformation to make the most of our natural abilities. The GOATs in particular domains, such as Michael Jordan in basketball, Tom Brady in football, and Warren Buffet in investing, do extraordinary things with unparalleled success after their potential is untapped or questioned by others. Their accomplishments are extraordinary, which in some ways makes them extraordinary, I guess, but if you listen to Tom Brady’s speech at his New England Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony, his remarks are much closer to reality for most people than they are extraordinary. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pPBVTIVmZY.
At Transform Labs, we work with companies on digital transformation. Many companies believe that they have to be extraordinary to transform digitally and that somehow, their competitors and even others in different industries who are digital leaders had some predestined attributes that allowed them to achieve digital excellence. In most cases, they didn’t have the necessary ingredients to become digitally exceptional; they created them.
Any transformation, be it digital or otherwise, doesn’t demand anything extraordinary to begin or to achieve the desired outcome. In fact, transformations don’t require anything special at all. They require tools that are readily available to everyone: commitment, patience, and discipline. These are not extraordinary qualities, they are within everyone’s reach.
Netflix is an excellent example of a digital transformation. The company launched in 1997 and started streaming for the first time in 2007. Why did it take a decade? Because they still needed the ingredients. They had to build it — all of it. Through a steadfast commitment to streaming as the future of delivery, Netflix developed the perspective and capabilities to become the digital powerhouse it is now. Netflix was only extraordinary after committing to digital streaming and going through the transformation.
Most people and organizations who are already successful won’t have the courage and desire to deal with the discomfort of going through a transformation that could put them in an even better situation, so being extraordinary is often an inhibitor to transformation. Why give up and risk a successful career for a different one? Why take a successful business and reinvent it to be more successful? The risk of losing what has already been attained is too big a risk for most to get beyond. The fear of loss becomes more significant than the potential for gain, even if the gain would be substantially better. We should applaud the people who have successful careers and companies who take on new challenges to end up in an even better place. The doctor who gets an MBA so she can better understand and invest in companies. The teacher who becomes a nurse. The manufacturing company expands to do new product design and fulfillment to become a fully integrated customer-supplier.
No, you don’t need to be extraordinary to embark on a transformation. In fact, the belief that you need to be extraordinary might even hinder the transformation process. You might achieve extraordinary things after a transformation, but you certainly don’t have to be extraordinary beforehand. So, take a deep breath and start your transformation journey without the pressure of being extraordinary.
