Cheese. Mostly cheese. Gruyère, Manchego, Camembert, Stilton — they all possess extraordinary powers of innovation. But — and this is a big but — true stability lies in the choice of carbohydrate base you pair with them. Jacob’s is a timeless classic, but others might align better with a silky Grahams. And if you’re leaning toward something a bit more boojie, a sourdough Peter’s Yard could quite literally revolutionise your digital strategy. Choose wisely.

Talk to the people on the team who actually do the work. Listen to what works / doesn’t in the process and why things are being done the way they are. This also gives a lot of insight into what skills you have on your team, what gaps you’ll need to fill to be successful, and how to best manage the people side of the change.

Disrupt your market by targeting a niche audience with a narrative that tells them an alternative truth that genuinely helps them win. If you can’t do that and deliver - you aren’t disrupting the market. You are disrupting your customers growth.

Innovation always requires effort. If you really want to change the status quo you need to allocate resources - time, people and (typically) money. Set up a small dedicated task force with people who know your challenges intimately and give them the space to try out new strategies in parallel.

Strategy is about making choices as M. Porter said. Regardless of a digital or other types of strategies, this principle is valid. If the established processes became redundant or not an effective choice any more, better to craft a long term transition plan to switch a more effective alternative with some short and mid term goals. Anything can change, as long as you can define better alternatives.

Onboard stakeholders - explain them the benefits of digital transformation. Where possible, seek their inputs and include them in the implementation process. Then, begin with the innovations in parallel with the established processes. Once, the new process are working well and yielding the desired results, start phasing out the old processes. In certain cases where parallel processes are not possible, go with your gut (after having done the research) and implement the innovations. Keep course correcting at regular intervals.

Digital transformation (or any type of transformation for the matter) needs to start by getting to know and involve, the company in all its layers, going as deep as possible and respectfully acquire the knowledge of those who provide the services at each layer. Like a virtual tree, navigate from the trunk, to the branches to the leaves and map all processes, listen to ALL people. This will indirectly involve (did I say "respectfully"?) everyone you come across and provide a realistic and accurate picture of the current processes. Transformations which are conceived and planned from someone's office (ivory tower) will clash will reality and cause unnecessary disruptions.