GUEST COLUMN
transformation, however, listening is a fundamental requirement. We asked hundreds of executives what the most important skill is and nearly all of them mentioned listening. Transformations are usually a rocky process for everyone involved and leaders need to be physically present to take on board people’s concerns and frustrations. The best examples of how surveyed executives did this reminded me of psychotherapy. Phrases like “what I’m hearing you say is this” and “what I see you are struggling with is this” give people the space to process change. What struck me, though, was the importance of listening to the unsaid as well. One case study in the research featured Applied Materials, a global supplier to semiconductor manufacturers. It was embarking on a finance transformation using robotic process automation (RPA) and brought in one of the world’s leading RPA suppliers. However, this company did not live up to expectations and Applied’s leaders picked this up by listening to the unsaid: the silence in the room during meetings.
“I was sitting through those workshops at the back, listening to the interaction,” a transformation leader told us in the research. “Their internal filter was saying: ‘This person doesn’t know what they’re talking about.’” By listening to the unsaid, the leader was able to detect the problem and ultimately brought in a new supplier with greater success. THE HUMAN JOURNEY Another leader we spoke to was overseeing the transformation of a procurement operation. He recounted his initial messaging: telling people they needed to fundamentally change to get through the programme. There was truth to this, but he later acknowledged he had misunderstood the human journey of transformation. Where he thought he was giving them a clear vision for a future way of operating, what the employees heard was that they were doing a bad job and they became defensive. Supported by the wider research, this story shows how the human journey of transformation needs to be understood, predicted and led proactively. It’s not
enough to focus on a rational journey of project plans, timescales, tasks and KPIs. Leaders also need to consider, on an emotional level, how people are reacting to a loss of the status quo. Are they worried about job security? Are they wondering how they will fit into the future organisation? If these issues aren’t acknowledged, energy is likely to drain quickly from the programme. It’s a leader’s responsibility to harness and focus human energy. When that happens, people are more likely to be motivated and engaged with their work. And when that happens, it brings transformation and high performance.
Andrew White is founder and CEO of the executive coaching company, Transcend.Space and a former senior fellow in management practice at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School
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Business Impact • ISSUE 4 • 2025
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