PJ Tips Podcast with Karen Thomas Bland talking Business Transformation from the Trenches.

Are you wrestling with Transformation, Change or Business Improvement? Are you planning a Transformation, or are simply interesting in hearing war stories of Transformation.

In this PJ Tips podcast on Leading Business Change, my guest Karen Thomas-Bland and I talk Transformation from the Trenches. 

The purpose of these podcasts is to offer listeners practical insights and information from experienced leaders in order to help us all lead and deliver change more effectively and meaningfully. I don't believe we need more theory of change, I think leaders want to connect, share and learn from others who have done it. What do you think?

Karen is an Interim Executive Committee member, Consultant and NED with 25 years’ experience leading complex enterprise-wide Transformations and M&A integrations to $105bn turnover. As a consultant, her clients have included Accenture, Microsoft, National Grid, RELX Group and PE funds where she has successfully led major programmes of change. Karen has been on Private Equity backed Boards to drive value creation and achieve a major fundraise or exit, working alongside major investors. Prior to her interim career she was an Executive in IBM Global. During this time, she was based out of New York, Dubai and Sao Paulo and led IBM’s global transformation, integrated ten major software businesses, run a $4.5 bn top accounts full P&L, and rapidly scaled a new global consulting and data analytics business to £500m turnover.

Karen discusses Business Transformation programmes she has delivered and tells two stories - one good, one bad! Its valuable to hear her bounce around the topics of new Strategy, Markets, Client Segments, Re-orientating the Business and new Ops Models.

She goes into some detail about what is Business Transformation and what isn't it? What the difference is between Transformation, Improvement and Change? And why its important to understand these. From my perspective, a big part is expectation. It seems Transformation is more than just ERP.

I hear clients talk about Transformation, but what they mean is Change, but what they are prepared to do is make a few small Improvements. 

Transformation programmes are people led, meaning they can be emotional, difficult and unsettling. Thinking about Culture, and taking care of people, engaging and enabling them are key elements to delivering a successful transformation. As leader you have your own emotions to deal with and you need to lead both the business and the people in the business. 

There is an old SAS saying: grip Self, the Team, and then the Task. Note the first two elements are people centric. Failure to do these will almost certainly end in a failed business programme. Perhaps this a useful way of thinking that any change starts with me? 

Karen has her views on Leading Business Transformation regarding Culture and Leadership Behaviours required to lead businesses and people through any change or transformation. 

Finally she leaves us with Three Top Tips on Leading Business Transformation. 

#Business #Transformation #Change #LeadingBusinessChange #Culture #Digital #Technology #People #Leadership #BusinessTransformation

Stats tell us that Change is expensive, difficult and failure intensive, but it doesn't have to be that way. I have a Five Step Process, tried and tested at Cranfield and used in Change programmes, M&A, Projects and Transformation to c $30Billion successfully. The process will significantly tip the likelihood of success in your favour. It does this by unearthing the wealth of potential that exists in your business but remains untapped... your greatest asset... people. 

If you have any feedback on the podcast, the matters the discussed or want to chat Transformation, give in touch. 





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