Is courage missing from your digital transformation journey?

"First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth," --John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States

The Apollo moon landing would not have been possible without the bold vision from President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, who articulated to the American people in a speech to a joint session of Congress on May 25th, 1961, more than eight years earlier.

What was he hoping to achieve for the nation when he cast the vision? "What if we could put a man on the moon and safely return him to Earth," is the question he asked American scientists. The technology to accomplish the moon landing did not exist when the journey began. None of the scientists had even put a man on the Moon. There were no best practices to follow.

It started with a belief in what could be possible.

Solving today's complex challenges requires leaders to imagine the same way. It requires organizations to enable small teams to ask "what if" questions to solve problems in new ingenious ways and to move forward together in a disciplined manner with uncertainty and despite their fears.

They'll need to learn how to experiment, fail and learn from their failures. NASA's mission teams did not begin with a trip to the Moon. Between setting the vision and the triumphant return of Apollo 11 to Earth, the mission teams successfully collaborated on many smaller missions that were critical to achieving the ultimate goal. For example,

• they completed tasks long enough for a trip to the Moon and back
• they perfected working outside the spacecraft, and
• pioneered space maneuvers needed to achieve a space rendezvous and docking.

Digital transformation is less demanding than sending a man to the Moon, although it might sometimes feel that way. But your organization is facing similar conditions. Our problems are complex, and so are the solutions. The environment is uncertain and with many unknowns. The world moves faster and is more complex than it has ever been. None of us has ever lived in a world where the climate is changing, after a pandemic, with artificial intelligence--none of us.

How we think, act, and work must change in this new environment. Each step on our journey, whether we succeed or fail, is a valuable lesson for the next. Our teams will need the courage to experiment. They'll need to build their courage muscles.

Imagining how your organization will deliver value in five years may not be right for your organization. But at a minimum, you'll need to make a statement about where you're going. In figuring out how you'll get there, your team will need the mindset, behaviors, and courage to become a digitally mature organization.

You may create a mission statement with core values to achieve focus and buy-in.

New technologies to enable your team to collect and analyze data, build and nurture relationships, and collaborate are essential tools for your journey.

By being courageous, your team will chart your course toward increasing digital maturity and innovation.

Don't stop. Keep moving forward.