Most transformations don't fail because of poor planning — they fail because organizations don't have a system to sustain the work. In this episode, Adriana and Caryn unpack SUSTAIN, the fourth and final phase of the Truly Transformative Method, where strategy and culture stop being initiatives and start becoming your operating system.

They cover the leadership disciplines, accountability routines, and feedback loops that keep momentum strong — and why without them, even the best-laid plans drift back to old behaviors. You'll hear why communication during transformation needs to be more transparent and consistent than leaders expect, how to keep long-term strategic initiatives visible alongside day-to-day KPIs, and why staying with the plan — and evolving it — is what separates true transformation from a one-time change effort.

If you've done the work to SEE your current reality, STRATEGIZE your direction, and SHAPE your roadmap, this episode is about making sure it actually sticks.

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Adriana and Caryn at ⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us

This episode dives into the third phase of the Truly Transformative method: SHAPE — where strategy and culture move from concepts into a fully integrated execution plan. Adriana and Caryn break down what makes SHAPE different from traditional planning: culture isn't an afterthought, it's woven directly into the roadmap. Key topics include co-creating the roadmap with leaders and employees, identifying organizational vs. business model capability gaps, embedding culture initiatives alongside strategic initiatives with equal rigor, and a disciplined approach to prioritization (because organizations almost always have too many initiatives and not enough capacity). Leaders who complete the SHAPE phase leave knowing what they're doing, how they'll do it, why it matters culturally, what capabilities need to be built, and how to prioritize going forward.

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Adriana and Caryn at ⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us

In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee explore "STRATEGIZE," the second phase of the Truly Transformative Method. While traditional strategic planning often focuses solely on setting visions and goals, this phase is unique because it integrates the human side of the organization from the start. The hosts discuss how to build strategy and culture side by side so they strengthen each other rather than competing for attention, ensuring that your strategic plan is supported by the behaviors and mindsets necessary for execution.

The conversation dives into the practical steps of this phase, including defining a target culture that serves as the "execution system" for your strategy. Adriana and Caryn highlight the importance of involving HR leaders at the strategy table and ensuring every strategic goal has a corresponding cultural enabler, such as accountability or empathy. Listeners will learn how co-creating these elements through integrated workshops can align an organization’s "head and heart," turning a written plan into a daily reality.

Key Takeaways:
• What it means to build strategy and culture side by side
• How to define a target culture that supports execution
• Why HR and cultural enablers should be embedded in strategic planning

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Adriana and Caryn at ⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us

In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee explore "SEE," the foundational first phase of the Truly Transformative Method. Described as the "truth-telling" phase, SEE is where organizations must take an honest, unvarnished look at their current reality—including both their strategic performance and their actual culture—before they can begin to shape the future. The hosts discuss the common "perception gaps" that occur when leadership views culture through a "mirror" (how they want it to be) while employees experience it through a "window" (the daily reality), often leading to blind spots that can derail even the best strategies. Is it ok that this description was used in the 1st episode?

The conversation outlines the five key elements of a structured discovery process: strategy assessment, culture diagnosis, mirror and window assessments, market and industry context, and a deep dive into organizational capability and readiness. Adriana and Caryn share practical advice on how to uncover the truth using curiosity rather than judgment, emphasizing the importance of anonymous surveys, leadership interviews, and focus groups to protect psychological safety. By the end of this episode, listeners will understand how the SEE phase transforms raw information into the strategic awareness necessary to build a launchpad for lasting change.

Key Takeaways:

• What the SEE phase reveals about strategy, culture, and readiness

• How mirror and window assessments expose perception gaps

• Why curiosity, surveys, interviews, and focus groups matter in discovery

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Adriana and Caryn at betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us

5 Essential Questions to Assess Culture

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In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee introduce their proprietary "Truly Transformative Method," a comprehensive four-phase framework designed to align organizational strategy with culture. They explain that in today’s fast-paced business environment, speed alone isn't enough to thrive; success comes to organizations that can adapt quickly while keeping their culture and strategy in perfect lockstep. Adriana and Caryn provide a high-level overview of the four "S" phases—SEE, STRATEGIZE, SHAPE, and SUSTAIN—explaining how each phase builds upon the last to create lasting change.

The hosts dive into the core philosophy of the framework: that strategy defines what an organization aims to achieve, while culture defines how (and if) it will actually happen. You will learn why "seeing" the truth of your current reality is the only way to begin a transformation and how treating cultural initiatives with the same rigor as business goals is the key to making a strategy stick. This episode serves as the foundation for the deep-dive series to follow, offering leaders a roadmap for turning bold visions into enduring results.

Key Takeaways:

• An overview of the four-phase Truly Transformative Method

• Why SEE, STRATEGIZE, SHAPE, and SUSTAIN work together

• How strategy and culture must stay aligned for lasting change

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠⁠

In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee explore why project management is far more than just a set of tools or a person in charge of a schedule—it is a critical strategic capability. They discuss how effective project management serves as the engine of execution, turning high-level strategies into tangible results. Without the discipline of status reporting, clear communication, and defined accountability, even the best strategies are at risk of "sitting on the shelf" and losing their meaning.

The conversation highlights the difference between managing a single project and managing a project portfolio, emphasizing that a strong methodology should be embedded into the organization's culture. Caryn shares her experiences from Accenture, illustrating how consistent processes prevent employee burnout and ensure that teams aren't "tripping over each other" during a transformation. Whether you are using a sophisticated tool like Asana or a simple Excel sheet, this episode provides a roadmap for building the internal capacity necessary to make your strategic vision a reality.

Key Takeaways:

• Why project management is a strategic capability

• How strong processes support accountability and execution

• What it takes to build project and portfolio discipline into culture

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠⁠

In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee explore the critical role of change management as the "people side" of any strategic transformation. They discuss why even the best-laid strategies often fail—not due to poor planning, but because leadership neglects the human emotions, behaviors, and trust required to execute them. By differentiating project management (the timelines and milestones) from change management (the human adoption), the hosts explain how to build a culture that views change as a collaborative process rather than a top-down mandate.

The conversation introduces the ADKAR model—Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement—as a simple yet powerful framework for guiding individuals through transition 1 . Adriana and Caryn share practical advice on involving employees early to build buy-in, the importance of "sandboxes" for practicing new behaviors, and why leaders must resist the urge to celebrate a launch too soon 1 . Listeners will walk away with actionable takeaways on how to use change initiatives as a vehicle to strengthen their overall organizational culture.

Key Takeaways:

• How change management supports strategic execution

• Why ADKAR helps people adopt change

• How to build buy-in, practice new behaviors, and reinforce change over time

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠⁠

In this episode, hosts Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee tackle one of the most critical yet frequently overlooked steps in any organizational transformation: tracking progress. They address the common misconception that culture is too "squishy" or "fluffy" to measure, explaining that without intentional tracking, leaders can easily miss the needle-moving progress they are making or lose momentum over the long game of culture change. The conversation focuses on why established baselines and simple, manageable metrics are essential for making culture work tangible and actionable.

Adriana and Caryn break down how to balance internal metrics—like employee engagement surveys, retention rates, and sentiment tracking on platforms like Glassdoor—with external metrics that reflect how customers perceive the organization's brand and innovation. They recommend focusing on three to five key indicators that directly tie back to your strategic goals to ensure tracking informs your strategy rather than becoming a burden itself. Listeners will learn how to use this data not just for course correction, but as a powerful tool for transparency and celebrating the wins that make a culture transformation truly stick.

Key Takeaways:

• Why culture progress must be measured

• How to choose a few meaningful internal and external metrics

• Using data to adjust course, build transparency, and celebrate wins

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠⁠