Digital Transformation Lessons from 3000 ft

What’s it like to be on the side of a 3000-foot cliff, dangling from a rock with nothing but my feet and fingers (and a little bit of chalk, surely) separating me from an untimely passing? I’ll never know, I barely can get 10 steps up a ladder to check on my gutters…

But Alex Honnold knows.

On June 3, 2017, Alex completed the first-ever free solo climb of El Capitan, a sheer vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park in California, without protective equipment. I first heard Alex’s story of the free-climb of El Capitan (aka El Cap), during his keynote at HitachiNEXT in October. (If you haven’t yet seen the film Free Solo, which documented this incredible feat, I highly recommend you do so.)

At first, I wondered, “What is someone like him doing at a Big Data/IoT/AI/ML kind of conference talking about the ultimate low-tech experience?” Then I started to think more about the journey that he described, and I found myself seeing all kinds of connections with the challenges facing organizations on their journey to a digital transformation.

Digital leaders see new possibilities and work to change the paradigm

First, consider Alex’s sheer courage to take on a such a challenge. Very few people will ever even think to attempt a climb of El Cap. Certainly, no-one thought it was possible to do without a rope or parachute. While most CEOs and executives have likely heard about the technologies, there are still plenty of organizations with apprehension towards artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML). Others likely recognize that digital transformation could be very valuable – even give them a competitive edge - but they’ve seen the challenges that come with such an undertaking. But just as Alex did, a true leader sees new possibilities and works to change the paradigm because she or he has the courage to take on those challenges.

Just as Alex will always be known as the first person to free solo El Capitan, companies that are first movers in digital transformation can benefit from the resulting competitive advantages.  

Another aspect that stood out to me was about preparation. Alex dedicated most of his time on stage to talking about his lengthy preparation for the climb. Of course, he practiced climbing with ropes and mapped out his plans of attack. But he also spoke at length about how he and a friend spent days climbing El Cap with empty backpacks to clean out the rocks and debris from a stretch of the rock face, loading their packs with those rocks and then rappelling back down the cliff face. He was changing his environment to better facilitate his final goal of free climbing the mountain. Similarly, digital transformation leaders can prepare for the success of their pilots and scaled initiatives by considering and removing barriers and thoroughly engaging to design solutions that can help produce the right outcomes. Furthermore, partners can be vital in sharing the load through these stages, just as Alex’s friend had helped map the cliff face, and clear brush and loose gravel. Co-creation with internal and external partners can help leaders to draw on further expertise and holistically tackle their digital transformation.

Finally, Alex talked about what he called “empty time.” He spoke of completely shutting off social media, not answering emails, and even pausing mid-dinner prep so that he could visualize the climb. He ran through numerous climbing scenarios in his mind where he led with right hand, then left hand, thinking through his comfort with the situation and precisely where those moves would put him on the cliff face – planning contingencies should something not work perfectly. As the pace of business and technological change increases, this is an imperative for leaders. Digital transformation pushes leaders to process the challenges they face - not just to add technology to their organization, but to understand the implications of that technology, and to think through adoption and cultural acceptance to the changes. Alex claimed that taking time to understand and think through his challenges was as critical as “doing stuff” – and leaders and the organizations they lead will surely benefit from this type of thoughtful planning.

So, now I can definitely see the connections between free climbing and digital transformation – willingness to be innovative, preparation and taking the time to think through and design an appropriate solution - even though I still think it’s a little crazy to want to free climb vertical cliffs like El Cap...