What remains during a transformation?

Nowadays, the word “Transformation” is being used across all industries in different forms, the most common being: “Digital Transformation.” The usage of this concept is also happening at the personal level: “Re-invent yourself,” “Re-imagine your career.” There is now an entire industry of transformational gurus, and the amount of available information on the topic is overwhelming most of the time.

The emphasis, however, is always on the things that are being transformed. How processes, procedures,  technologies, data flows, dependencies, points of view, etc.,  have to change is over-explained and over-detailed, almost as if the mere act of change was the primary purpose.

I recently watched a video discussing how we are always one decision away from changing our lives. It was about a man that faced the decision of staying in his current city (Boston) or move to Australia to take a business opportunity. This story made me remember my own situation from a few years ago.

In 2018, the company I was working for offered me to move from Mexico City to Austin, TX, and, almost at the same time, another company offered me a job to stay in Mexico City. Human beings are the only creatures that can imagine future scenarios and play with them. We can create avatars of ourselves and put them to live in our mind-created scenarios. On the one hand, I had a completely new life in a different country, far from our family and friends but with an expanded horizon for my family and me. New adventures but also new challenges. On the other hand, I had a better job in a familiar environment. I‘d had a company car, a paid MBA, and a new set of professional responsibilities.

In the end, there was no way to be 100% sure about the outcome, so we took a leap of faith and decided to come to Austin. Looking in retrospect, it was a great decision and possibly the best one. Yes, we missed our family and friends, but our expanded horizon helped us grow individually and as a family. The mentioned video made me think about what would be different if I had stayed in Mexico, but suddenly, I started to think more about what would be similar instead.

Suppose I, the-guy-who-moved-to-Austin, had the opportunity to meet the-guy-who-stayed-in-Mexico. In that case, I’d be interested in getting a drink or a coffee with him to know what do I have in common with this guy. I genuinely believe that the things that we would have in common are the ones that are closer to what could be called the essence: the thing that remains across transformations.

It is the same with the companies facing transformations. They need to understand equally the things that will remain and the things that will change after a transformation (digital or any other type). The transformation is essential to keep them current and able to function in a modern world, but the things that will remain (their essence, their values, etc.) are the ones that will keep them oriented and focused on a higher goal. It is not about transformation for the sake of transformation. It is transformation with a purpose, and the things that remain across transformations are the ones that will provide guidance. In this way, they won’t get lost after a transformation that could take them beyond their essence.

We all have an anchor that is with us in all the transformations we will face. To know it is as important as our knowledge of the best path to move forward. It provides a framework in which, even after a wrong transformation, we will have a way back home.