Humility: the key to successful digital transformation

(Feb, 2024) Roughly 70% of major change programs fail, and tech companies are especially at risk. According to Mary Meaney Haynes, there’s a good reason for that. 

“In the overwhelming majority of cases, it's because senior leadership isn't absolutely aligned,” says the social entrepreneur and philanthropist. 

Moreover, she adds, “Often there are technical skills that leaders need to have, people at all levels need to have, that don't exist.” 

In a wide-ranging Transform Talks interview with Huawei Editor-in-Chief Gavin Allen, Meaney Haynes says technology can be both a huge opportunity and a huge challenge. 

Rising to meet that challenge requires a clear vision – and no small amount of humility. “You have to assess, ‘Where are you trying to take the company? Do we have the skills we need?’”

Ideally, the goal won’t just be something that appeals to the mind on a rational level. It will also be an objective that “gets people emotionally, and appeals to their sense of purpose and meaning.”