INSIGHTS
Business transformation is both an opportunity and a risk. Transformational Change can lead to exponential growth, but can also trigger societal opposition, bankruptcy, and in a worst-case scenario, obsolescence. How do you know what to transform, and when?
At Silver Rock Consulting we think about transformation with our clients every day. We use our company’s name to frame the conversation around transformation:
- Rock – the parts of your organization that are core to who you are including your competencies, values, legacy, success elements of your heritage. Occasionally, these may experience transformation but more often than not, they will remain the same and they serve as the North Star by which you plot the rest of your strategy, and the foundation upon which your company is built.
- Silver – the parts of your organization that are being refined and transformed to shine a better light on your core and reflect your brilliance. As you or your organization experience the heat of change silver is refined as you transform.
We use “silver” and “rock” to help teams understand the fences within which transformation can take place. In 2018 Silver Rock was helping a major health care provider transform and grow one of its key service lines. This line served as part of the bedrock of the organization and was an important priority to senior leadership. Part of the core DNA of the organization led them to serve all populations regardless of patient ability to pay.
The leaders and influencers participating in the Silver Rock Strategic Growth Transformation process (to be discussed in a later blog) were working through how to grow the businesses, while remaining true to their core values. The breakthrough came when the team anchored their strategies on the core elements of their heritage. After reminding themselves of their vision and aligning the strategy’s direction with the organizational vision, the team quickly settled on the strategic growth framework. Their vision was their rock, but the growth strategy with which they honored that heritage was their silver.
Simon Sinek talks about having an infinite vision that cannot be swayed by the tides of external pressure. At Silver Rock we work to help entities and individuals identify their infinite visions, and what can change and transform around it.
Are you experiencing the pressure of transformation? Join us for a conversation to explore where we might be able to help you refine your silver, unveil your core “rock”, and evolve into your New Next.
Written by Jacob Hamalian (October 30, 2019)
