Numbers over transformation: when (and why) leaders think small

By William Seidman Many companies have a real conflict between the long-range need to transform themselves and the immediate need to be transactional.  Perhaps more now than ever, organizations are becoming more transactional, focussing on numbers over long-range goals. Remember George H.W. Bush’s glibness re: the “vision thing”?  Immediate needs become the most important thing, and the thoughtful and difficult process of the development of the larger picture takes a back seat. It’s an understandable conflict: companies desperately need numbers, and that means measuring transactions, not developing  long-range plans. Wall Street measures companies’ transactions;  even movements like Lean Manufacturing and Total Quality must measure transactions.  In a transactional world, the thing that matters most is your short-term numbers.  At the same time, demands for more transformational leadership are growing. This is how organizations thrive in the long run.  So what’s holding up real transformational change? Why do you think leaders are so scared of it?]]>