Effective sponsorship is critical to the success of any business transformation, but what role—or roles—does the chief transformation officer play in facilitating it? CTOs serve as advisers to the CEO and peer coaches to the C-suite while also working hard at ground level to ensure the transformation takes place. It’s a tall order, but insights from four very experienced CTOs shed light on the value of alignment and how to achieve it. They also weigh in on the importance of prioritization, empowerment, and inspiration.

Continuing with our “voices of experience” theme, recent CTO forums have brought together dozens of transformation leaders who share their very candid takes on what works and what doesn’t. Current hot-button issues include:

• Leadership alignment and accountability: Without unity at the top, transformation efforts suffer from siloed thinking and inconsistent visions.
• Culture and behavior change is the work, not a footnote: Lasting change depends on shifting behaviors and mindsets, not just launching initiatives. Engage people emotionally and tie work to a broader purpose to overcome resistance and energize the organization.
• Transformation office structure and role: Make clear design decisions early to set your transformation office up for success: 1) How should the TO operate within the organization? 2) What critical activities should the TO address? 3) Who should be part of the TO team?
• Sustaining progress: Transformation is not just about starting projects, but making them stick by focusing on readiness, reinforcement, and resilience. Balance quick wins with long-term value to build credibility and momentum.

  
  

Inspired by lean manufacturing, leading companies are embracing lean strategy making, which is guided by three principles: Set the right strategic priorities, tackle them methodically, and continually monitor the results. This more systematic approach allows leadership to confidently delegate strategic decision making to lower levels of the organization and improves the quality and speed of all decisions.

Currently:

Lean strategy allows leadership to confidently delegate strategic decision making to lower levels of the organization and improves the quality and speed of all decisions.

For all the noise surrounding generative AI, it’s easy to forget something fundamental: Generative AI deployment is all about change. That means it follows the same human patterns that leaders have navigated for decades, albeit with more velocity, broader impact, and uncertain outcomes. Those factors can make the adoption of generative AI feel very different, but by addressing five key issues, leaders can not only navigate this new era but shape it.

Amid unprecedented uncertainty about tariffs specifically and geopolitics more generally, it can be tempting to wait for clarity. That’s a mistake. Instead, it’s a time for bold, informed bets. Four actions can help: Map your exposure, understand your competitors’ exposure, adjust your pricing and supply chains accordingly, and repeat as necessary. We explore each of these essential steps to help you play offense and gain a winning edge.