Start with a Program Management Office (PMO). Do not stint on investing in a PMO and supporting technology from the very outset of transformation. Implementing management tools from day one promotes transparency that will help manage a number of constituencies — business lines, program sponsorship and the provider. A well-equipped program office provides decision support, manages performance, is the nucleus for governance, and will support any dispute that might arise.
Be able to walk in others' shoes. This old saying has never been more apt. The ability to walk around a problem, alternately taking the view of the provider or end user, may be one of the transformation leader's most critical skills. Being able to provide a good answer to WIIFM, or what's in it for me, is a key component of the leader's success.
Only those with strength, conviction and a high tolerance for ambiguity need apply. The savvy transformation leader understands the facts of life — corporate events such as mergers will continually change the program, management may have little conception of the magnitude of change that global services represents, implementation is five times more difficult than expected, and that the life span of people in the role is typically two challenging years. To increase the odds for success, there are several imperatives that should be negotiated in advance of accepting the role.
Make sure immediate superiors are on the same wavelength. Listen to your gut. If your immediate management thinks that transformation of any kind of magnitude is just another corporate project, be wary. Business-process transformation through offshoring or outsourcing represents change of the first magnitude, and requires absolute alignment between corporate sponsor and transformation leader.
Demand resources. Common wisdom suggests that staff costs and out of pockets for implementation is not a rounding error for global initiatives. If the staff budget is set at the outset of implementation, and cannot scale to meet the challenges of the program as they appear, raise the issue immediately.
Test the deployment plan for reality. Some organizations have nary a clue as to the time it takes to implement a services strategy, especially if the thrust of the program is truly global, with change programmed simultaneously in multiple geographies. Make sure that any issues with the plan are voiced and documented in advance, and help management understand that the rollout strategy is an aspiration, not an absolute.
Understand that the role should not be a career position. Good transformation leaders are not necessarily good operators. The role of a transformation leader is rarely a career position in and of itself, but a project that provides a great opportunity to develop new capabilities, invent, or hone existing talents. Use the position to uncover other options within the organization post transformation or as a steppingstone to a new career.
Define success in your own terms. It is easy to become despondent and discouraged given the magnitude and complexity of the job. And only you will appreciate how complicated and difficult the role is.
Pace yourself. “Transformation” will continue way past the leader's tenure if the program is designed to adapt to continuous business change. A good transformation leader gets the basic ingredients (core processes, technology, policies, ways of working) in place in such a way that those who are subsequently responsible for managing a contract or operating a shared services center have a good platform for continuous improvement.
Don't take it personally. Easy to say, hard to do. Transformation leaders are what the English call “piggy in the middle.” Even in a so-called “partnering” arrangement, the parties are not fully aligned. Outsourcers want to make money; clients want to pay as little as possible. The leader role serves as a bit of a buffer between the parties, requiring the toughest of skins and the most advanced sense of humor possible.
Good transformation leaders are a very special breed. They have a broad range of capability, learn quickly, and should have the knack of easing rapidly into a variety of roles both within and without the corporation. Remembering the phrase “this too shall pass” is good advise when dealing with the minutia of change orders and the seeming irrationality of end-user recalcitrance. There is always another day … and another challenge.
