Change is complex. It demands urgency yet requires precision. It calls for bold moves while navigating existing systems. And perhaps most challenging of all—it forces leaders to balance speed with meaningful results.
At our most recent Virtual Changemakers Event, leaders from diverse industries came together to share their hard-earned lessons on driving transformation. Through candid discussions, real-world examples, and powerful takeaways, a common theme emerged:
➡️ The biggest roadblocks to change aren’t external — they’re within our own organizations.
From decision paralysis to underutilized talent, from storytelling as a tool for influence to the power of executive sponsorship, here’s what today’s change leaders are learning, applying, and experimenting with to make transformation stick.
"We often feel pressure to deliver speed, results, and do it cheaply. But the reality is, we can usually only optimize for two."
Every leader has felt this tension. The demand to move fast. The expectation to produce results. The pressure to do more with less. But real transformation doesn’t happen without trade-offs. The most effective organizations recognize this early and set clear priorities:
🔹 Do you want to be fast and cost-effective? You may need to sacrifice some quality.
🔹 Do you want high-quality results on a tight budget? Expect things to take longer.
🔹 Do you want to move fast and deliver great results? It will likely require a bigger investment.
💡Stop pretending you can optimize for all three. Instead, make deliberate choices about what matters most.
"Lack of clarity around decision rights keeps us swirling instead of moving forward. We need to be more intentional about trade-offs and decision-making."
Ever been in an organization where meetings feel endless, but decisions never seem to get made? That’s decision paralysis at work. The fastest-moving teams define these three things upfront:
✅ Who owns the decision? Make it explicit. One person should have the final say.
✅ Who needs to be consulted? Keep this group small—too many opinions slow things down.
✅ Who just needs to be informed? Update them, but don’t let them hold up the process.
Without these guardrails, change efforts stall before they even get started.
💡The best organizations prioritize clarity over consensus.
"We need to stop waiting for perfect solutions and just start moving. We learn best by doing."
One of the biggest misconceptions about transformation is that the perfect plan must exist before action is taken. But real change happens through action, not before it.
Think of the companies that have made the biggest leaps:
🔹 They didn’t wait for the perfect technology. They built as they went.
🔹 They didn’t wait for the perfect conditions. They launched and adapted.
🔹 They didn’t wait for everyone to be 100% ready. They learned on the go.
💡Progress beats perfection every time.
"Sometimes you have to burn the ships. Once you're committed to a transformation, go all in—there’s no turning back."
Change efforts often fail because organizations hedge their bets. They talk about transformation but don’t commit fully. They keep fallback options. They allow exceptions. They give people an easy way out.
But history tells a different story. Some of the most successful transformations happened when leaders removed the option to revert. Once the decision was made, there was only one direction: forward.
💡 If you want transformation to succeed, go all in. Partial commitment leads to partial results.
"Some things need to be done quietly, outside the organization’s usual processes, to truly innovate."
Big companies are designed for stability, not speed. That’s why some of the world’s biggest innovations don’t start inside the core business. They happen on the edges, in skunkworks teams, in separate labs, or even under the radar.
Innovation needs space. It needs protection from bureaucracy. It needs separation from day-to-day processes that slow things down.
Think about it:
🔹 Some of the biggest product breakthroughs started as side projects.
🔹 Some of the most impactful process changes began in one department before scaling up.
🔹 Some of the most disruptive innovations were built before leadership even knew they existed.
💡 Sometimes, the best way to innovate is to do it quietly—until the results are too big to ignore.
"Organizations have people working on things that don’t really matter. Redeploying talent to the highest priorities can drive exponential results."
Most organizations believe they don’t have enough resources. But the truth is, they have the right people—they’re just working on the wrong things.
A powerful case study:
📍 One company took a scattered group of 20 extremely effective employees and focused them only on high-priority work.
📍 The year before? Those same people delivered $9M in impact.
📍 After restacking? They drove $146M in ROI.
💡 Same people. Different focus. Massive results.
Want to make a bigger impact? Don’t just hire more people—make sure the best ones are working on what truly matters.
"Sometimes, people won’t buy into change until they can see it. Prototyping and storytelling help bridge that gap."
People don’t resist change because they hate new things. They resist because they can’t picture what the future looks like.
That’s where storytelling and prototyping become game-changers:
✅ Storytelling makes change feel real. People connect with narratives more than data.
✅ Prototypes give people something to react to. It’s easier to say yes to something you can see.
✅ Early wins build momentum. A small but visible success helps create believers.
💡 If you want people to buy into change, don’t just explain it—show them what’s possible.
"Innovation thrives when you have an executive sponsor in the business advocating for the work."
One of the biggest mistakes in transformation efforts? Thinking that technology sponsorship is enough.
Tech leaders can champion new ideas, but they don’t own:
🔹 P&L or revenue targets
🔹 Operational priorities
🔹 Business strategy decisions
The most successful innovations have a business leader at the helm, ensuring it doesn’t get deprioritized. Without that sponsorship, even the best ideas get stuck.
💡 Find the exec with the most to gain from the change. Make them the champion.
The Virtual Changemakers Event sparked incredible discussions, but the work doesn’t stop here.
✅ Reflect: Which of these insights resonates most with your current challenges?
✅ Apply: What’s one change you can implement in your organization today?
✅ Connect: Want to continue the conversation? Follow LOCAL Industries and @Andrew Osterday for ongoing insights.
Change happens when bold ideas turn into action. Let’s keep pushing forward. 🚀
#Changemakers #Transformation #Leadership #Innovation
