Unless you're constantly moving forwards, you’re definitely falling behind: Why transformation must be in your ventures DNA
By Mark Caddy
Leading at the Speed of Change
Once upon a time, if you fell behind you could jog and catch up. Pace of change was manageable and most organisations had a buffer. There was time to analyse, strategize, and make careful moves. For decades, organisational change followed Lewins familiar rhythm: unfreeze the current state, introduce a change, and then refreeze to stabilise. This was an era when external disruptions were relatively infrequent, slow-moving and could be seen coming from a long way out. That era is a bygone age.
Today, the idea of 'refreezing' feels almost quaint. No one has the luxury of locking in their way of working anymore. What was best-in-class last year might be obsolete today. Treating change as a discrete project no longer cuts it. Instead, organisations must adopt transformation a constant, evolving state of being as an operating principal. This means building teams, cultures, and strategies that expect and embrace change, not just endure it.
Today, If you're not already jogging, you're behind. The environment in which organisations operate is relentlessly dynamic. Technology evolves by the quarter, customer expectations shift overnight, and entirely new markets are created and disrupted in a matter of months.
The pace isn’t slowing either, it’s accelerating. Founders, leaders, and teams are being asked to operate in environments where stability is fleeting, uncertainty is constant, and the playbook is always changing. In this world, transformation can no longer be episodic, it must be continuous. It's not something you switch on during a crisis or after a strategy offsite, it’s the baseline. The cost of standing still is irrelevance.
Transformation from Day One is Too Late
Transformation isn't something that begins on your first day of operations. If you're waiting for day one to start thinking about transformation, you're already behind—and worse, you're probably geared up to work in the wrong way too.
Transformation is a day zero mindset you have to adopt, be comfortable with and ensure it is in your DNA from the onset. It informs the people you bring on board, the way you go to market, the structure of your teams and the ethos by which they operate. The way you frame your mission, the culture you create from the outset, and the way you build your product and strategy must all reflect a constant, relentless commitment to continuous evolution.
Transformation must be embedded in the DNA of the venture, woven into the foundations such that it becomes a core capability, not a bolt on function or reaction to disruption. Fail to do that and strategic risks will become strategic issues whilst market opportunities will pass you by whilst you're stuck in annual planning cycles and fixed ways of working.
New ventures should not merely aim to survive change in the hope of eventual operational stability, they must be set up to drive it. This fundamental and foundational approach is what separates fleeting start-ups from the unicorns that are truly enduring, transformative companies.
Building a Transformation Ready Organisation
How do you build an organisation with transformation in its DNA? It’s not just about being agile or having the latest tools. Instead it’s about mindset, operating rhythm, and culture. It's about recognising that the team is greater than the sum of it's parts, that together we can be collectively better...
- Ruthless Prioritisation of what's important: Ensure you have a clear vision, outcome and goal you're working towards and be willing to adjust it periodically to take account the changing environment.
- Be prepared to make difficult decisions quickly: You'll get some wrong but momentum is everything so make the best decisions you can with the information you have now. If you get better information later you can always course correct but keep moving.
- Mindset: Encourage curiosity, humility, and an openness to unlearning. Transformation requires a willingness to be wrong, to pivot quickly, and to let go of outdated assumptions.
- Culture: Psychological safety is essential. Teams must feel safe to speak up, challenge norms, and push bold ideas. Without trust and a shared purpose, transformation will stall.
- Operating Principles: Embrace modularity—build systems and strategies that can evolve independently without tearing everything down. Encourage experimentation and iterate based on real-time feedback.
- Strategy: Make horizon scanning a habit. Constantly look beyond your category and geography to see what others are doing you can learn from as well as what's coming at you. Develop multiple scenarios and build optionality into your plans.
These elements don't emerge overnight, but they can be cultivated deliberately—and doing so creates a foundation that is responsive, resilient, and ready to take on the world.
Moving Fast is Risky, Standing Still Dooms You to Irrelevance
There's a natural resistance to change—especially when things are 'working.' But in a high-velocity world, comfort is deceptive. What works today may quietly erode tomorrow.
The real risk isn’t moving too fast, it’s moving too slowly, or not at all. Companies that wait for clear signals before acting often find themselves reacting too late. They miss the window where adaptation is proactive rather than reactive.
Yes, transformation has a cost: it's uncomfortable, resource intensive, and can feel chaotic. But the cost of standing still is higher, as the cost of missed opportunities, lost relevance, and slow decline are inevitable.
Motion: constant, thoughtful, and intentional is safer than stagnation.
Conclusion: Keep on Jogging or become irrelevant
Whether you’re launching a new venture or steering an established company through disruption, the principle is the same: if you’re not jogging, you’re falling behind. So keep jogging, embrace the movement, build the muscle. The new reality demands that transformation isn’t something you do—it’s something you have in your DNA. It must be embedded into how you think, lead, and execute.
In a world of accelerating change, those who win won’t just keep up with transformation. They’ll have led it already.