Transformation is always driven by and lived by people. Not stakeholders, resources or FTEs. People. Every single person has a perspective, an idea, a hope, a question. Speak to them. Value their opinions. Let them guide you. Leverage the wisdom of the crowd.

And let your approach to transformation be coloured by what you learn. Does it feel meaningful to the people involved?

Asking is more sophisticated than guessing. Any conversation, any transformation, any complex problem is best solved collectively. You have a view, a perspective, but there is always a gift in uncovering what it might be that we do not get or see.

Transformation is only truly co-created if we balance advocacy with inquiry. Be curious about other people’s perspectives. Ask “why” more often than “how”. And listen. Especially when you disagree or do not understand.

We are experts and enthusiasts. In most cases, what clients really want is someone – a small team – who has done it before. Who knows what good looks like and can make their organisation embrace the unknown and dance along.

The starting point for this is the need to truly know our area of expertise and geek out on it. To connect with our inner nerds to really turn our craft into something that inspires others. We do not just know our craft – we love it too. And only when we truly master something will we be able to cut through complexity and arrive at simple solutions.

At the core, we help our clients transform. We should always ask what is helpful in everything we do. That is why we are here. That is how we define consulting, and it is what Implement is all about. We help our clients, we help our colleagues, and we help anywhere we can. We help because it is good business and because it makes a difference. Sometimes we help when we are asked for it. Sometimes we just help because we can sense it is needed in order to progress beyond what is asked.

And we ask for help. Only by asking for help can we truly aspire to help.

There is energy in every interaction. Take responsibility for it. In the conversation. In the meeting. In the project. With the team. With the client.

Whatever situation you are in, it is your responsibility to create an energy that is productive. Bring your expertise, listen to the music and smell the coffee. Design all touchpoints with as much attention to energy as to content.

Energy can be managed, created and destroyed. It is not given, and you own it.

Very few processes involving people are linear – transformation is more like a dance than mechanics. Embrace the unexpected, diversity, interruptions and opposing views because this is an invitation to think differently and broaden your perspective.

Do not see the irregular as a problem. Think of it as an opportunity to try something different. This is how we grow and help others grow.

Our job is to find a way to make transformation happen. Often there is no blueprint, no “five steps to heaven”, and we must pave the way as we walk. One step at a time, react, course correct and adapt.

We need plans to scope our efforts. But sticking to a detailed plan and ignoring what happens around us is not only dangerous; it is an insult to the future because it will always surprise us. 

It is your obligation to find out what works. To find a way to make it happen despite the odds, fears and organisational obstacles.

We aspire to help the most forward-looking leaders in the most ambitious organisations solve their most worthwhile problems. That is a big promise, and it calls for us to bring our absolute best in every interaction and conversation. Doing that again and again, project after project, year after year is extremely rewarding – and extremely demanding.

Which is why our promise is bigger. We want to do this in a regenerative way that is sustainable. You have one life. Live it. And find your own balance between work and leisure, between love and PowerPoint. For your own sake, and because we think it makes you better suited to help others transform.