As a former business transformation leader, here are key lessons Nathalie drew from her experience:

• People, People, People: They will make it a high-performance success or a failure over time. It sounds almost too trivial, and yet this maxim is so often neglected! It is vital to understand the importance of people’s emotions and mindsets (i.e. needs, fears) – not just their functions and roles in the organization or the products they sell. Cultural diversity (incl. organizational culture) as well as the type of the transformation undergoing critically influences one’s mindset.
• Communication is crucial, and it is not only talking and telling.
• Time is either over or underestimated. Whether it’s about time needed to implement and anchor transformation at all levels of the organization, or time needed for people to pass through their personal transition curve and decide to engage.
• Leadership skills in times of transition and change are crucial for long-term performance and sustainable transformation. So is the leaders’ resilience and discipline. External support both of teams and of individual leaders, in the form of coaching and facilitation, must be part of the project investment plan.
• A collaborative and participative approach is key to ensure long-term success of transformational initiatives.