Four to Five Years. Make your final changes. For us, it meant that our transformation is Sunday service style, governance, structure and more was complete. The last 10 percent is always the hardest, so don’t quit. Don’t overestimate what you can accomplish in one year, but don’t underestimate what you can accomplish in five.
Five+ Years. Keep changing. You’re never done. And now you’ve got new issues to solve and anticipate that didn’t exist when you started. So keep going.
Change v. Transformation
You can create a lot of change in five years. But when does transformation happen?
What’s the difference between change and transformation? It’s two fold:
Transformation happens when the changes you make become embedded in the organizational culture. What was new has become normal. People assume it’s just going to be this way. And what was novel is now a foundation for all future decisions. The change has become a part of your organizational culture.
Most people no longer want to go back; they want to move forward. I say most people because you’ll always have the dissenters. But most people want to move forward. They’re excited. Their vision has moved from being about the past to now embracing the present and future. The best is yet to come, and you can feel it.
So exactly when does transformation happen?
I believe transformation happens somewhere between year five and year seven.
Once you’ve made the change, have demonstrated that you’re not turning back, and you’ve begun to see some of the benefits of change (you’re healthier and likely growing), then the shift in values and culture happens—almost silently.
You know it’s a new day when people can’t imagine going back to the way they once were.
And that is an incredible reward for those who navigate change. Not to mention to the people who will benefit from your renewed mission.
Another way to look at transformation is this: Transformation happens when externally imposed change creates a set of new, internally owned values.
In other words, people have changed. They now believe and embrace what they once resisted.
What have you learned about change?
What stumbling blocks—or accelerants—have you discovered?
