Take advantage of the opportunity created by technology-driven change.

The argument runs in five moves. It starts with the technologies doing the pushing — Industry 4.0 and IoT, electrification and robotics, big data, cloud native, virtual reality, AI and hyper automation, 5G and Wi-Fi 6, cybersecurity mesh, biometrics, nanotechnology.

Those change things faster than organisations adapt: ways of working, processes, business models, standards, regulations and practices, and along with them customer needs, attitudes and aspirations. That gap is the opportunity — to grow sales, cut cost, lift productivity and quality, do more with less, and build a competitive position while competitors are still reacting.

The fourth panel is the useful one to argue over as a leadership team. Eight readiness questions: do you have the understanding and market intelligence; are your targets, customers and journeys defined; is your brand, position, proposition and messaging clear; is there a prioritised and resourced plan; compelling content and campaigns; the skills and operations to sustain it; enabled sales and partner channels; and the marketing tools and automation to run it. The last panel sets out the four-stage Transform Accelerator — review, focus, implement, optimise — with what sits inside each stage.