November, 20229 the foundation for an agile, iterative, transformational culture needed to create change. PrioritisationPrioritisation is one of the most difficult steps, as its success requires a top-down focus from senior leaders to determine, in order, what's best overall for the organisation, and not just their area of responsibility. This requires considering the entire customer journey, end-to-end, and delivery across every function to support that journey. Normally, most deliverables require input and subject matter expertise from many areas of the organisation to be completed successfully. Meaning that collaboration and teamwork are essential. This leads into the next couple of Ps, namely People and Process.No surprise, an organisation's people are the most important ingredient for change; people with the skills who buy into the purpose and principles and have a clear idea of the overall priorities. This will create the trigger for change.PeoplePeople­if empowered, focussed and driven with a purpose of why, are clear on the what, and understand how they're delivering­those people will move mountains. At Manulife, our mission or purpose, can also be translated to making our customers' lives better every day.This in part drives our culture, and culture should never be underestimated. In my view this is without doubt the (not so) secret sauce. Measuring culture allows the ability to make tangible what appears intangible.By measuring organisational culture, people's current and desired future state can be quantified, made real. Cultural visibility drives behavioural change. Using culture measuring tools can provide areas of focus and change. With that buy-in, the whole undoubtedly becomes greater than the sum of its parts. A good culture that empowers, backed by a meaningful purpose and clarity on how to drive transformation, along with an understanding of what they are doing, will deliver powerful results from your teams.There is certainly wisdom in the proverb: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."ProcessWith the purpose, principles, priorities, and people in place, what about the actual process for delivery? How we deliver is critical, defining the processes that we follow as a team to make our purpose a reality. It's very clear that processes for delivery guide action. A key part of any process lies with the culture, which should encourage people to ask, question, and clarify in a safe environment to ensure they understand the purpose, principles, and priority of delivery. If those involved with delivery don't know, they should both be accountable and responsible for gaining that clarification. PerformanceWhen assessing performance, what gets measured is what gets focus and therefore driven to completion. Celebration of successes when performance is met, and a culture of gratitude are essential. Of course, that doesn't mean waiting until final completion. It should be a measurable, iterative process­all the milestones and accomplishments­through to the final delivery. At Manulife, we express gratitude in a number of ways. An example is Podium, our global recognition platform that enables colleagues at all levels across the globe to give and receive frequent, in the moment and authentic recognition. Combine this with processes and people that are measured (rewarded and applauded) for this iterative delivery­those people will be intrinsically motivated and driven. Especially if the priorities and principles they are following have been agreed upon and followed through by the leaders of the organisation.PassionThe last of the seven Ps is Passion. Passion is vital. The author and public speaker Simon Sinek put it nicely: "Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress, working hard for something we love is called Passion."Do what you love and love what you do. To transform, to really change, requires a desire­a Passion­to change. As a leader, inspire and motivate that in others. As a colleague, inspire and motivate that in those around you. Work together, collaborate, communicate­and you will see mountains be moved.I'm hoping my strategy can provide you with a toolkit for leading digital transformation across your organisation. But always keep in mind, a toolkit is just that. Change must be done by people­your internal and external customers. Collaborate, communicate and the foundational shift of change will be created. WORK TOGETHER, COLLABORATE, COMMUNICATE ­ AND YOU WILL SEE MOUNTAINS BE MOVEDCarmen Casagranda
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