This post begun with a quick thought shared on LinkedIn (200+ comments):
No one gets fired for recommending "Transformed"What is a book you could share internally that could get you fired?
Transformed
Lessons for Change Agents
The Messenger Matters
There's a lesson in this for internal change agents. The truth is, many of you have been saying these things for years and have been routinely discounted. Not because you were wrong or because your message lacked substance, but because inside an organization, the truth isn't always enough.
É a velha história do “Santo de casa não faz milagre”…
Surf Simple
Imagine if Cagan's message explored the mess, politics, fear, power shifts, and emotional cost of change. Imagine if it dove into budgeting battles, incentive misalignment, rearchitecting monoliths, and fragile founders. Imagine if it explored how dysfunctional some of the best tech companies are, or examined companies that achieved wild success without following these practices.
Thoughts on Putting This Into Action
"Dual Track"
Your biggest challenge is leading a major change effort while keeping the organization running. That's a huge burden, and it's not one to take lightly. It's like a chef rebuilding the kitchen during a Friday dinner rush. You can do it, but it takes intention and pacing.
Structural Change
A lot of things don't change until things structurally change. If your team can't deploy at will, that's a constraint. If you're supposed to be data-informed, but have to jump through hoops to instrument a metric—and then another set of hoops to even see the dashboard—that's a constraint. If accessing customers requires five people's permission, it probably won't happen. If engineers are incentivized for individual accomplishments instead of shared outcomes, you'll end up with too much work in progress and not enough finished value. If your team's work is discussed at length in a meeting you're not even in, and that kicks off a game of telephone instead of clarity—that's a constraint too. Constraints add up.
Proximity To Revenue
If you're close to revenue, and/or sell a digital product, connecting the dots between funding a team and growing the business is much easier.