What Does Pizza Have to Do with Leading Transformational Change?

In the book, The Secret Sauce for Leading Transformational Change, as lead author I share contributions from dozens of senior business leaders, HR leaders, experts, coaches, and consultants who offer their insight, lessons learned, and best practices for what it takes to lead, survive, and thrive in periods of transformational change. However, I don’t share a definition of transformational change until the very end.

That was done on purpose. I first wanted readers to formulate their own views by reading the various essays and stories, deciding for themselves whether they agreed or disagreed with the contributors. Only then would I share my definition of transformational change so readers could decide for themselves whether it resonated with them.

I could give you my definition of transformational change here, but that would be a major spoiler. What I can do, though, is explain why I used “pizza” as an analogy for transformational change.

A “Pizzanalogy”

Pizza, like change, can be found almost everywhere and has been around nearly forever, or at least since AD 997, when it was thought to be invented in Gaeta, Italy. These days, approximately 13% of the US population consumes pizza on any given day. As of 2020, pizza industry revenues were $46 billion in the United States alone, and $145 billion worldwide.

Then, how and why would something as ubiquitous (and awesome) as pizza need to be transformed so many times, in so many ways, over so many years? Pizza, like transformational change, is not only subject to continuous revision and the endless quest for perfection, it is defined by it. Pizza is the ideal analogy for, and official food of, leading transformational change. And, do not forget about the secret sauce!

In fact, many of us have discovered that pizza has become a central part of our lives. As actor Bill Murray reminds us, “Unless you are a pizza, the answer is yes, I can live without you.”

Just about every product, service, and industry has been reimagined, reinvented, and repositioned to some degree. None more so than pizza, which has encountered an endless array of external forces of change and recurring challenges that have demanded transformational changes in response. Your business and life are likely no different.

Global competition. Regional and local differentiation. Evolving consumer tastes and preferences. Economic uncertainties. Price pressures. Supply chain issues. Health and wellness concerns. Battles between big chain titans like California Pizza Kitchen, Domino’s, Papa John’s, and Pizza Hut, and the more than 78,000 other large, medium, and mom-and-pop pizza locations in the United States alone as of 2020. And, the United States is not even the world leader in per capita pizza consumption. That honor, perhaps surprisingly, belongs to Norway.

As a result of these and other trends, pizza is no longer just pizza.

• Shapes include round, square, rectangular, and oblong.
• Sizes range across extra-large, large, medium, small, personal, and slice.
• Toppings have morphed from old standards such as sausage, pepperoni, meatball, onion, peppers, and mushrooms to now include relative newcomers such a barbeque chicken, broccolini, artichokes, pumpkin, spinach, arugula, and pineapple.
• Cheeses range from mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, and American, to ricotta, blue, Fontana, and goat.
• Crusts include white, wheat, gluten free, flatbread, focaccia, French bread, bagel, thin, thick, thicker, pan, deep dish, stuffed, and cauliflower. (Cauliflower?)
• Preparation tools feature the pizza oven, brick oven, wood-fired oven, microwave oven, and toaster oven to cook fresh and frozen varieties.
• Access options include in-store, take-out, take and bake, and delivery.
• Secret sauces involve red, white, barbeque, pesto, kabob, and all manner of spices from around the world.

These options are only a small sampling of what is available and evolving in the pizza universe. When it comes to pizza, almost anything goes. And, as pizza goes, so goes the world of transformational change. Pizza is the perfect analogy—the “Pizzanalogy,” for leading transformational change.

When I was in my teens and early twenties, my friends and I would frequent a place called Dick and Dora’s restaurant in Massapequa, New York to have our favorite, shrimp pizza. Even though the establishment closed nearly four decades ago, I can still smell and taste their shrimp pizza. I smile every time I think about it, in much the same way I smile when I think about my wife, kids, and granddaughter. I loved that pizza like family!

Speaking of family, mine is a pretty good example of how pizza is transforming people and in turn, how people are leading the transformational change of pizza. Two of my sons order their pizza without cheese (not well-received when my youngest son was living in Italy). One of my daughters-in-law is gluten free. My other daughter-in-law is an arugula and pineapple aficionado. I tease her mercilessly as I stick with my meatball pizza, or shrimp pizza when I find it on occasion. It is never as good as Dick and Dora’s shrimp pizza, but the search continues.

So, what is the point of this “Pizzanalogy?” Simple. Pizza shows us that the argument for and evidence of the need to lead transformational change is everywhere. Even and especially in those places where longevity and traditions could easily lull us into a false sense of security. Pizza is no longer pizza. People are no longer people. Teams are no longer teams. Organizations are no longer organizations. Societies are no longer societies. Take nothing for granted. Assume everything is up for grabs. We are all works in progress.

The endless pursuit of excellence in all we do represents the beginning, not the end, of leading transformational change. But, what about the secret sauce? The most important ingredient is knowing that the secret does not remain a secret for very long. We have to push the reset button, mix things up, experiment with new ingredients and recipes and test new flavors and textures. The secret sauce in leading transformational change is us, and our willingness and ability to reimagine, reinvent, and reposition almost everything – especially the secret sauce.

If you need one final dose of inspiration to accompany your transformational change journey, be heartened by this anonymous flash of insight, “Believe in yourself. If cauliflower can become pizza, you can become anything.”

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The Secret Sauce for Leading Transformational Change, from lead author Ian Ziskin and with contributions from dozens of senior business leaders, HR leaders, experts, coaches, and consultants, shares insight, vivid stories, lessons learned, and best practices for what it takes to lead, survive, and thrive in periods of transformational change. Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats, you can learn more at https://www.transformationalchangebook.com.