This week’s riff: Studies suggest that over 60% of transformation efforts fail. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you’re leading a huge organization or a smaller enterprise: the chances are your big change initiatives will fail.

There are many reasons for these failures – the programmes may be too complex, too costly or simply take too long, for instance – but the underlying cause is clear. Failure happens when you neglect to follow-through.

It is the slightly boring discipline of follow-through that makes the real difference to your chances of success. If you are willing to follow-through, you will then make sure you make your programmes simpler and cheaper, and find ways to accelerate their progress. If, however, you’re unwilling to follow-through, you will never succeed, no matter how big your budget.

As I like to put it, willpower beats horsepower.

For the past three years, I have been working with SportsAid, the charity that helps fund the development of the next generation of the UK’s sports stars (you can read about our 2107 athletes, here).

These young athletes – and their families – demonstrate the critical importance of willpower. On average, each SportsAid-funded athlete covers 40 miles of training and competing every week. That’s 40 miles every week, 52 weeks a year!

The good news is that I have a way that you can experience a little bit of that level of willpower next week. SportsAid’s #MyMiles challenge starts next Monday, 25 September and you can take part, allowing you to develop and display your own amazing willpower!

Please just click here to find out more about the #MyMiles challenge and how you can take part – and please do let me know if you got involved. As you know, this weekly newsletter is completely complimentary, but I would really appreciate it if you were able to support this fantastic initiative.

When you do take part, you could also take the time to think about the level of willpower across your organization and to consider some ways that you could help make it even higher.

Good luck and thank you for your support!

 

Off The Record: The Distance by Cake

I have shared this track before, but I love this song and it speaks to me of desire, determination and unrelenting willpower.

The sun has gone down and the moon has come up

And long ago somebody left with the cup

But he’s driving and striving and hugging the turns

And thinking of someone for whom he still burns

He’s going the distance!

 

© Stuart Cross 2017. All rights reserved.