Leading the Change

Why Analyze is investing in Change Leadership - and why every corporate should do the same.

Big changes and unpredictable events used to be few and far between, yet ironically, they’re now one of the only things we can be sure of.

“The ability to not simply endure change, but learn to embrace it, is the most underrated skill in business today,” says Cathy Banks, founder and Director of Analyze, adding, “It’s one of the key factors between those companies who will still exist in a decade, and those who are destined to go bust.”

With those sobering words in mind, acquiring a large stake in LeadMe, one of the country’s fastest-growing leadership development businesses, was perhaps an obvious next step for Analyze.

About Analyze:

Over the past 15 years, this niche management consulting firm has been quietly doing the work—building up an impressive line-up of leading corporate clients, and a formidable reputation along the way.

Growing year upon year, largely through referrals, Analyze has endeavoured to deliver meaningful change and a people-centred approach to the process and technology side of business. Increasingly however, they’ve been interrogating what ‘meaningful change’ really looks like in a world awash with more change than ever.

“Whether we’re helping with process optimisation, a complex implementation, or navigating a smoother tech transition for a client, we’ve come to appreciate that without a corresponding focus on the people at the coalface of the change, and a thorough understanding of their behaviour and mindset toward this change, the project will have limited success at best,” explains Analyze co-founder, Reyer Meihuizen.

?To this end, the company set out to find the best change leadership programme available. “Our goal was simple,” says Banks. “We wanted to upskill our team with the tools necessary to not simply cope with change, but begin to capitalise on it – for ourselves, as well as for our clients.”

Enter: LeadMe Academy

A first of its kind programme, LeadMe offers a blended learning approach that brings together team coaching sessions with real-life interventions and a self-paced online syllabus covered over 12 months.

“Essentially, we focus on delivering real behavioural change for organisations seeking to create a competitive advantage by facilitating leadership at every level,” says LeadMe founder, Jackie Kennedy.

Having enrolled their entire team on the year-long programme, and thus having experienced its approach and impact in real time, across the board, Analyze wasted no time exploring a more collaborative relationship and investment in LeadMe.

Built In, Not Bolted On

With Analyze having completed the programme before negotiations to acquire a portion of the LeadMe business began, both parties feel confident that a genuine alignment in values exists, making the transition a relatively seamless one.

“We don’t just share the same language, but the same vision and values too... there’s been this incredible synchronicity between our companies – right from the start,” reflects Banks, adding: “While we have always believed that real value for our clients lies in the smart integration of people, process and technology, our skillset at Analyze has leaned toward the latter two. Until now.”

Indeed, Analyze’s internal team (and by association, their clients) are already experiencing the benefits. “The impact of the LeadMe programme on our entire organisation has been phenomenal. It’s elevated how we each show up for our clients as individuals, and what we can offer them as a team,” says Meihuizen.?

Now with a 50% stake in the LeadMe business, Analyze has confirmed that both companies will retain their separate structures and distinct business models and brands.

Banks’ final words: “We’re not changing what we do, nor what we offer our clients. We’re simply taking our commitment to real change and people further than ever. By working alongside one another, and leveraging our different but aligned strengths, we believe we’re poised to make a positive, powerful impact on corporate South Africa.”

Kennedy concurs. Her parting advice to SA’s corporates? “Businesses of all shapes and sizes have never faced the level of complexity and rapid change they face today. While the particular changes we face will shift over time, the unrelenting pace of change is here to stay. That means we’re all in the business of change now, no matter your sector or service. The sooner you recognise this, and empower everyone in your organisation to become effective change agents and leaders, the better.”

Find out more about Analyze and LeadMe via their respective websites:

https://analyze.co.za

https://www.leadme.academy