There is no greater paradox in digital transformation than this: to secure the future, you must often dismantle what still functions. Legacy systems, structures, and revenue streams—those very assets that have delivered growth and predictability—can quietly become liabilities. Yet the impulse to preserve them is strong. After all, they work. They are stable. They still deliver returns. But therein lies the risk. Digital transformation is not about efficiency alone. It is about relevance. And nothing undermines future relevance like an unwillingness to let go of the past.

When organisations invest in digital transformation, they rarely do so without expectations. In boardrooms and strategy decks, transformation is seen as a dual promise: near-term wins and long-term reinvention. Executives anticipate measurable benefits quickly—faster operations, cost savings, improved customer responsiveness. But they also expect a deeper shift to unfold over time: the ability to adapt continuously, embrace new business models, and future-proof against uncertainty. Balancing these short-term and long-term expectations is one of the hardest—and least discussed—leadership challenges in digital transformation.

Digital transformation is often described in universal terms—agility, innovation, customer centricity. But the truth is, transformation looks very different depending on where you're standing. A solution that’s transformative in one sector may be irrelevant, or even counterproductive, in another. Yet many programmes begin with the assumption that digital transformation is a formula—one that can be replicated across industries. This assumption is not just flawed; it’s risky.