Transformation Sabotage
5 Leadership Gaps That Can Sabotage Your Transformation—And How to Fix Them
Leading a successful transformation is no small feat, especially in today’s fast-evolving business landscape. As technology rapidly advances and workforce dynamics shift, leadership teams are often at the forefront of these monumental changes. However, when I speak with people leading transformations, the news is rarely sunny. The reality is many transformations fail—not because of the strategy – it’s because of leadership gaps that undermine progress. These gaps can cause resistance to change, misalignment, and ultimately, a breakdown in the transformation’s effectiveness.
Drawing from my own experience leading transformations involving teams ranging from 6,000 to 250,000 people, I quickly realized that no leader can carry the weight of transformation alone. One of the most critical steps I took was to convert my biggest detractors into advocates. Engaging them in meaningful ways, through strong communication and upskilling, was key to our sustained success. But what are the key gaps that sabotage most leadership teams? And more importantly, how can you fix them?
Here are five common leadership gaps that can derail your transformation—and how to address them before they become roadblocks.
1. Lack of Leadership Alignment
One of the most common issues during a transformation is a lack of alignment among leadership. When leaders are not really on the same page regarding the vision and goals of the transformation, it creates confusion and friction at all levels of the organization. Misaligned leadership often results in mixed messages, fragmented strategies, silo activities that work against priorities, and resistance from lower-level teams.
How to Fix It: Gaining alignment requires open dialogue about what good leadership looks like in the context of your company’s unique challenges and goals. Hearing all concerns and working as a cohesive team to mitigate challenges builds trust that aligns priorities. As the business environment evolves, especially with technological advancements, leaders must regularly reassess and agree on the behaviors, values, strategies, and top priority work that will guide the transformation.
Tip: The Leadership Transformation Diagnostic is an effective tool to uncover whether your leadership team is aligned on your transformation goals and strategy. It can help highlight areas where communication or priorities are out of sync and guide the necessary conversations to fix them.
2. Resistance to Change
Transformations often falter because of resistance to change, especially from leaders who are used to old ways of thinking or have fears of becoming irrelevant in the new environment. I have experienced firsthand leaders who pass this resistance down to their teams, often unintentionally, leading to disruptive disengagement and pushback. Whether it's a reluctance to adopt new technologies or uncertainty about shifting business models, leadership at all levels can quickly stall progress before it even begins.
How to Fix It: The key to overcoming resistance is understanding the "why" behind the reluctance and realizing it all boils down to a real fear. Leaders should take the time to examine their own core strengths and personal biases to recognize how they might be inadvertently resisting change, and what their underlying anxiety is. I have found that personalized leadership coaching can be incredibly valuable here, helping leaders identify and work through their own reservations so that they can model openness and adaptability for their teams. The return on investment compounds quickly in a positive way.
In my experience, bringing my biggest detractors into the fold as advocates was one of the most impactful steps I took to implement successful change. By engaging them early, addressing their concerns in a meaningful way, and giving them ownership over key aspects of the change, we turned resistance into enthusiastic support.
3. Failure to Develop Future Leaders
A critical mistake many organizations make is focusing on the immediate challenges of transformation while overlooking the development of future leaders. If your current leadership team isn’t actively building a pipeline of new leaders, your transformation will likely lose steam once initial momentum fades, and new external leaders come in. Without emerging leaders to carry forward the changes, transformations often stall or simply fade away.
How to Fix It: Building a strong leadership pipeline is essential for sustaining long-term success. This means investing in leadership development programs that focus on upskilling, mentorship, and creating opportunities for new and existing leaders to step into transformative roles. By fostering leadership development early and often, you ensure that the transformation can continue smoothly even as your current leadership team evolves.
The Leadership Transformation Diagnostic helps identify whether your organization has a strong leadership development strategy in place. It provides insights into how well you're preparing future leaders to take ownership of transformation initiatives.
4. Misunderstanding Core Strengths and Biases
Leaders often make decisions based on their own strengths and (positive and negative) biases - doing so without an awareness of these biases, it’s easy to fall into the trap of leading from a narrow perspective. This can result in blind spots that become problems and negatively impact transformation efforts. Leaders who don’t fully understand their personal leadership styles or biases may struggle to bring others along or make decisions that are in the best interest of the entire organization.
How to Fix It: Understanding your own leadership style and strengths is crucial in aligning your leadership approach with the needs of the transformation. Tools like the WHY.os framework and conversations on limiting beliefs can help leaders gain clarity on their core motivations and how they can leverage their unique strengths to inspire and drive change. By addressing the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that can impede us and being open to new approaches, leaders can become more flexible and responsive to the demands of a transformation.
5. Weak Team Culture
A strong, positive team culture is the foundation for successful transformation. Without a culture of trust, collaboration, and shared vision, even the best strategic plans will falter. Leaders who fail to cultivate an empowering culture where people eagerly work together and align on top priorities can expect disengaged teams, lower morale, and resistance that will stop transformation efforts in its tracks.
How to Fix It: Creating a strong team culture requires proactive and intentional effort. Leaders must focus on fostering open communication, encouraging input from all levels, leveraging people’s strengths, and aligning the team around shared values and goals. In my experience, creating a culture where communication and input were valued was a key factor in the long-term success of our transformation efforts. When employees felt heard and understood, when they had an active voice and role, they were much more likely to buy into the transformation process.
Additionally, the Leadership Transformation Diagnostic can help assess whether your current leadership culture is supporting or hindering your transformation. By identifying gaps in communication and culture, you can take proactive steps to build a more cohesive and collaborative environment.
Final Thoughts
Leadership gaps can indeed make or break your transformation efforts. By addressing these common pitfalls—misalignment, resistance, lack of future leader development, unrecognized biases, and weak culture—you’ll position your organization for success in navigating the complexities of change.
If you’ve encountered similar leadership challenges in your own transformation journey, I’d love to hear your story. What steps have you taken to align your leadership team and drive lasting change? Share your experience in the comments!
