Don't just build a ‘change-ready’ organization, build a "change-pursuing" one

Most leaders I meet say, “We’re ready for change.” They’ve got digital roadmaps, playbooks, and task forces, all designed to respond when disruption arrives.

But here’s the twist: being ready for change isn’t the same as pursuing it.

Readiness means you’re waiting - for disruption, a market shift, or a competitor’s move, and then you’ll respond. Pursuing means you’re already creating the change before someone else forces it on you.

Readiness is passive, pursuit is active. One waits for disruption, the other creates it.

Let’s talk about it in quick 2 minutes 👇

 🔥Today’s Spotlight

Don’t just build a ‘change-ready’ organization, build a ‘change-pursuing’ one

🔮 The Microsoft example: From readiness to pursuit

In 2014, when Satya Nadella took over as CEO, Microsoft was a tech giant - but a complacent one. Its best years seemed behind it, and the company had missed major shifts like mobile and cloud.

Nadella built a change-pursuing culture. He pushed Microsoft to:

• Embrace cloud-first thinking before the market demanded it.

• Break silos between teams that once competed internally.

• Redefine success metrics from product launches to customer outcomes.

In Nadella’s own words, “When you’re comfortable with the status quo, you’re already falling behind.”

Within a few years, Microsoft reinvented itself.
From a “Windows company” to a “cloud and AI powerhouse.”
From defending market share to creating entirely new ones.

That’s what happens when a company stops just preparing for change - and starts chasing it.

🧠Why it works 

McKinsey found that 70% of transformations fail not because of poor strategy, but because organizations move too late.

The world doesn’t reward those who prepare the best PowerPoint on change, it rewards those who experiment, adapt, and act faster than the rest.

Change-readiness is defensive.
Change-pursuing is offensive.

It’s the difference between being disrupted and being the disruptor.

🤺 Practice the principle: How to build a ‘change-pursuing’ organization

Here’s the practical playbook:

1. Make curiosity a KPI. Reward teams not just for meeting goals, but for testing new ideas.

2. Reduce the cost of failure. The faster people can fail safely, the faster they’ll innovate confidently.

3. Create micro-transformations. Don’t wait for a big bang. Let small experiments compound into big wins.

4. Listen at the edges. The best ideas don’t just come from the boardroom, they come from the frontline, customers, and unexpected partners.

🧭 Key takeaway for leaders

This week, discuss with your team:

Then, commit to taking one small proactive step - even a 1% push, to move from readiness to pursuit.

Because the future doesn’t belong to those who prepare for change.

It belongs to those who provoke it.

#Leadership #Transformation #Innovation #ChangeManagement #Strategy #GrowthMindset #OrganizationalCulture

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