There really is no "company" separate from the individuals that comprise it. A company is not the bricks and mortar, the website or the shares of stock. It exists inside of every individual who works there. In transforming a company, leadership strives to bring about new realities. Leaders initiate the new reality by communicating a compelling vision. But organizations transform only when every employee becomes committed to the new vision with head and heart.

The thesaurus says this about the word transform:
Trans*form v. to make a thorough or dramatic change in the nature, function, or condition of; to change the form of; to metamorphose; as a caterpillar is ultimately transformed into a butterfly.

The nature of life is change. When subatomic particles, the very basis of life, are viewed under a microscope, they change from wave to particle and back again. We ourselves are intimately familiar with change as we watch our bodies grow from baby to adolescent to adult. So, if change is our very nature why is it so difficult?

Consider this question from a client:

Oscillation happens when we neglect to address the nucleus of transformation, our beliefs. Say you want to lose weight. You buy a Torso track, you join Weight Watchers, you buy the foods in the program and stay on the diet for awhile. Then you fall off the regimen and gain back more weight than you started with. You addressed the "doing" or the actions required but you did not address your thoughts and who you were "being". If deep down you believe that you can't lose weight and your thoughts are filled with doubts about how many times you've tried and what a failure you've been...guess what?

For the same reasons that losing weight and keeping it off is so difficult for many people, corporate change often meets with resistance from within.

The unaddressed beliefs and assumptions (mental models) that form the organization's culture can stall forward motion and cause oscillation. For example, employees might be cynical about past unsuccessful change initiatives, don't believe in the new vision and drag their heels when it comes time to take action. Since transformation means altering the very nature of something, unless the "unsaid" is brought to light it can sabotage even the most worthwhile vision.

Resistance to change also results from the attachment to the way things are and fear that the future won't be as good. There's an illusion of safety in the comfort zone of the familiar. Yet the real danger resides in not changing, not evolving.

There are three key components for both personal and organizational transformation:

What future am I envisioning?
What belief might keep me from having that?
Who do I need to be in order to have my vision?

How do I express my personal values at work when there seems to be little regard for our
well-being?
How can I learn to handle feedback without having a defensive reaction?
How do I make changes in myself when those around me are in a completely different mindset?