Lesson 1: Transition and transformation is difficult - why starting small gets things moving

10 years, 10 lessons – what we’re taking through 2026 

We have officially entered our tenth year. Reaching this milestone has given us a unique vantage point; a decade spent deep inside organisations allows you to stop seeing isolated issues and start recognising the recurring patterns that hold businesses back. We’ve seen the blockers that repeat themselves over and over, the habits that drain capacity, and the specific choices that help teams move forward with confidence. 

Throughout this year, we are sharing 10 Lessons for 10 Years, featuring practical insights from our founders, Niall Anderson and Gary Gamp. We want these to give you clarity you can act on, grounded in the reality of running and scaling organisations for a decade. 

To kick off the series, Sophie Pentony sat down with our CXO, Gary Gamp, to discuss why most programmes stall under their own weight and how the secret to progress is having a clear vision while focusing entirely on the next right step, because "Big" is so often the enemy of "Done". 

Failure to launch 

Sophie: Gary, why do so many of these big transformations fail to get off to a good start? 

Gary: The principle is that when people make ‘change’ too big, it just doesn’t get started well, or at all. There is a massive weight involved, whether that is financial cost, time, experience, or skills. It takes forever to align those things. Plus, you have to deal with cynicism. When people hear about a big transformation, they often think, "here we go again, just wait five minutes and it will go away." 

You have to break that by moving the boat iteratively. You send a message that this time is different by actually doing something today, rather than waiting for all the lights to be green. 

The side of the desk reality 

Sophie: You often talk about how the "day job" gets in the way of change. How does that manifest in these programmes? 

Gary: Most companies don’t have dedicated people ready and waiting to run programmes. People are doing this on the side of their desk. I once worked with a building society where branch staff, not project managers, were tasked with managing a branch relocation in their spare time. I had to develop a methodology for them that gave practical tips on how to make it happen in those spare moments. If you don't accept that this is the "real world" for most teams, your programme will stall. 

Separating transition from transformation 

Sophie: How do you keep the wheels turning while trying to "fix" the business at the same time? 

Gary: You have to separate Transition from Transformation. Transition is unplugging one company and plugging it back in somewhere else; it has to work on day one. Transformation is making it better. 

If you try to do both at once without a plan, you get severe impacts. We worked with an organisation that did an acquisition where the systems didn't work for weeks. That is why we focus on making sure the "Monday switch-on" works first, then we transform. 

Logic first 

Sophie: When smart/tasking builds a Target Operating Model (TOM), how do you stop it from becoming emotional? 

Gary: When we build a Target Operating Model (TOM), we use a specific method to navigate the natural anxiety that comes with organisational change. People understandably worry about what a restructure means for their roles or their teams. To handle this, we separate the logic from the emotion: 

Document the "as is": We start by understanding the current state exactly as it is today, without judgement. Define design principles: We work with key stakeholders to agree on the logical, aspirational principles that should guide the future. Build a functional model: Together, we design how the business needs to function to be successful, rather than jumping straight to an organisational chart. Develop the organisational model: We only begin to talk about people and reporting lines once the functional logic is agreed upon by everyone.    By the time we reach the more emotive discussions around people and structure, we find that 80% of the work is already done. Because the stakeholders helped build the functional logic themselves, the new organisational model feels like a natural and shared next step rather than a forced change. 

Collaborate to move forward 

Sophie: If a leader feels stuck today, what is the smallest action they can take to get moving? 

Gary: Collaboration. Get the key stakeholders in a room and brainstorm what "good" looks like.

Break it down, do you need to do it all at once? Identify the foundations and the sequence. 

Most importantly, build a communication plan into the DNA. People leave when they are worried, and they worry when the leadership team tells them nothing. Even if you don't have all the answers, give regular updates. Tell them what you’ve done and what you’re going to do next. 

10Strong takeaway 

Don't let the scale of your ambition stop you from starting. Define your summit but focus your energy on the next right step. Starting small is how you move big.