by Atiya Sheikh | Oct 24, 2025 | Board Members, Board Trustees, CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, Emerging Leaders, General Managers, Heads of Divisions, Junior Managers, Leadership Development, Managing Directors, News & Articles, Senior Managers
Incremental improvement is no longer enough. Let’s explore how leaders can reimagine value creation, embrace experimentation, and lead business model reinvention with clarity and courage.
The question every leadership team should be asking
If we had to start this business again today, would we build it the same way? For many leaders, the honest answer is no. Markets, technologies, and expectations have changed. Yet many organisations keep polishing yesterday’s model, hoping tomorrow will reward it. Incremental change feels safe. Exponential reinvention feels risky. But standing still is riskier still.
The illusion of progress
It is easy to look busy while falling behind. Upgrading systems, tweaking structures, launching add-ons — all signs of activity, not necessarily evolution. If your core way of creating value has not changed, you are not innovating; you are optimising the past. Reinvention begins when leaders ask,
“What business are we really in, and what business should we be in next?”
The signs it is time to rethink
Business model fatigue often shows up quietly:
- Margins erode despite rising sales.
- Decisions slow down.
- Teams protect the status quo instead of exploring what is possible.
When these patterns appear, it is time to reimagine, not just refine.
Reinvention is renewal, not disruption
Reinvention does not mean destroying what exists. It means rediscovering what gives your organisation life and extending it into the future. It could be shifting from ownership to access, from selling products to offering experiences, or from competition to collaboration. Whatever the form, it begins with curiosity.
The leadership challenge: creating space for possibility
Innovation rarely dies from lack of ideas; it dies from lack of permission.
Leaders set the tone. When every risk is punished, people play small.
When experimentation is valued, imagination returns.
Reinvention thrives where leaders replace certainty with curiosity.
A simple framework for renewal
- Identify where your model is under strain.
- Envision a future-fit approach to value creation.
- Pilot quickly, learn fast, adjust often.
- Build governance that rewards insight, not only outcomes.
This process turns reinvention into a disciplined practice rather than a desperate leap.
The human side of exponential growth
Behind every transformation is trust. People must believe that change builds on what they have achieved, not erases it. Leaders who honour the past while inviting the future create a sense of shared ownership. They communicate openly, involve teams in shaping the “how,” and celebrate learning, not just results. Because reinvention is powered by belief, not just capital.
A final reflection
Incremental change polishes what exists. Exponential change reimagines what is possible. Both have value, but only one prepares an organisation for the future. The leaders who will define the next decade are those who can balance stability with boldness.
Ask your leadership team,
“If we were starting again today, what would we do differently — and what stops us from doing it now?”
That single question could open the door to your organisation’s next chapter.
The Right Conversation Can Change Everything. Let’s Talk.
by Joy Maitland | Oct 24, 2025 | Board Members, Board Trustees, CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, Emerging Leaders, General Managers, Heads of Divisions, Junior Managers, Leadership Development, Managing Directors, Middle Managers
From Strategy Drift to Strategy Sync
When strategies look good on paper but stall in practice, the issue is not planning but alignment. Let’s explore how leaders can keep their teams and energy moving in the same direction when the world refuses to stay still.
Let us be honest — strategy rarely fails in theory
Most leaders can explain where their organisation is going. The vision is clear, the documents are detailed, the language is polished. Yet somewhere between the retreat and reality, something slips. Decisions lose focus. Priorities blur. Teams start moving in slightly different directions. Not because people are careless, but because alignment — not ambition — is what keeps strategy alive.
The silent erosion called strategy drift
Strategy drift does not shout; it whispers. It shows up in small inconsistencies — projects launched without clarity, measures that reward the wrong behaviours, messages that change from meeting to meeting. You recognise it when teams begin to ask, “What are we really trying to achieve?” That quiet confusion marks the gap between what leaders say and what people experience.
Alignment is not control; it is coherence
When drift appears, the instinct is often to tighten control. More reports. More sign-offs. More meetings. But real alignment is not about control. It is about coherence — the shared sense of direction that makes every decision, big or small, feel connected to purpose. Alignment happens when the vision is clear, people know how their work contributes, and decisions reinforce the same priorities.
The leadership shift: from announcement to connection
In unpredictable environments, strategy cannot just be cascaded. It must be lived and adapted continuously.
Leaders who do this well:
- Simplify. Make strategy clear enough that anyone can explain it.
- Connect. Encourage open dialogue so teams interpret it consistently.
- Adapt. Revisit assumptions frequently; alignment is a rhythm, not an event.
When execution exposes the gaps
Ask your leadership team to list the organisation’s top three priorities. If the answers differ, alignment has drifted. Duplicated work, competing initiatives, or unclear metrics are not operational flaws — they are leadership signals that the story needs retelling.
The antidote: real conversations about purpose and trade-offs
Dashboards track performance, but conversations restore alignment. When people understand why something matters, they find ways to make it work.
Ask:
- Which priorities matter most right now?
- Where are we spreading ourselves too thin?
- What can we stop doing to focus on what counts?
Those questions rebuild clarity and commitment.
Keeping alignment alive
The most strategically aligned organisations are agile rather than rigid. They review assumptions regularly, reconnect teams to purpose, and adjust course without losing focus. To keep alignment alive, open leadership meetings with a brief “strategy pulse” — a quick check on what has changed and what remains true. Highlight and celebrate moments when teams make decisions that clearly reflect strategic intent. This simple rhythm strengthens organisational agility and reminds everyone that alignment is not an event but a continuous leadership discipline.
A final reflection
Every organisation has a strategy. The real question is whether it still has alignment.
Leaders who sustain alignment are sense-makers. They turn complexity into clarity and effort into movement. Before your next leadership meeting, pause and ask, “Does everyone here see the same destination, and are we still moving towards it?” If the answer is yes, your organisation is not just aligned — it is energised.
The Right Conversation Can Change Everything. Let’s Talk.
