Shift. Richard Lees

Shift - Richard Lees


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      The principal of each team sets the direction and leads from the front. The crew needs to collaborate and work together to constantly improve the car, its engine performance, drive the car, and find ways to shave even 0.1 of a second off the lap time or length of a pit stop because that 0.1 second can mean the team's driver wins the race. Then there is the Formula 1 season, which lasts for much longer than a single race. Every race throughout the season is different. The car itself will perform differently depending on both the track and the weather conditions on the day, and the crew will need to adapt according to the conditions.

Schematic illustration of Formula 1.

      Figure i.1

      You need to have all three components of the pyramid in place and working together in order to achieve progress. Without all of these components, your business will struggle to successfully turn motion into progress.

      If you just have the principal with the season, but the crew is not aligned and engaged, you create fatigue. You will only have a short amount of time to build momentum and achieve your goals before you run out of energy.

Schematic illustration of Formula 2.

      Figure i.2

Schematic illustration of Formula 3. Schematic illustration of Formula 4.

      Figure i.4

      What many organisations are aiming for is what we discussed at the beginning: the principal setting a clear direction and communicating the big-picture vision; the crew aligning with this vision, buying into it and being given autonomy to work toward that goal; and the organisation as a whole being aware of and having the ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment. The ideal state is to find a balance among all three themes.

      Figure i.5

      “The economy has fundamentally changed. We've moved from a world with digital to a digital-first world; and there's no going back. Digital has become the way for people to connect, work, learn, and be entertained and the imperative for digital customer engagement has never been greater. Every business must understand their customers to deliver personalized digital experiences.

      “The brands that win this race will have hands-on leaders who are open to change, a culture built around trust, rapid decision making and action, as well as a dedication to innovation and learning. Most of the evolution we have seen through COVID-19 has centred on transactional needs, be it the global pivot to online shopping or the rise of digital finance. However, brands must also consider how these unprecedented times affect people at the cultural and emotional level.”

       Paul Robson, President of Adobe International, Adobe

      Each part of this book covers topics related to that component of the business ecosystem. We begin in Part One with leadership, which comes from the principal. Without a clear direction of travel, you may meander aimlessly or go in circles, so setting that North Star is an important starting point. You also need to know how to measure your progress. Without clear measurement of the right metrics, you can't see how far (or not) you've gone and are therefore in danger of slipping back into a cycle of motion.

      In Part Two, we move to your team and organisational ecosystem, including its culture. This component involves not only aligning your crew behind your vision, but also how you can support your team members to contribute to that progress, deliver on your goals, and do so in a way that draws on their strengths. Autonomy is one of the key concepts here, but this has to come with clear guidelines and a definitive North Star.

      You and your organisation are on your own personal journeys, with your own starting point. At the end of several of the chapters, we have provided a link to a series of online exercises that will help you to understand what stage you are at, what direction you may need to move in, what changes you may need to implement, and where you can find support.

      Use these resources to help you apply the lessons from this book in your own business. Our aim is to help you understand how you can turn motion into progress, and to clear any rocking horses out of your boardroom.

      We live in a world where competition really can come from anywhere, and businesses have to be able to rapidly respond to threats and adapt to change. Organisations must evolve multiple strategies and use these abilities to build and maintain persistent relationships with their customers. So, business transformation tends to be at the top of most large corporate agendas, to modernise businesses that have fallen behind in some way and need to rapidly play catchup.


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