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Every organization has its ghosts. Instead of rattling chains or slamming doors, they lurk in quiet conference rooms, outdated systems and the collective side-eye that greets the phrase, “It’s time for a new transformation!” Such are the remnants of efforts that have overreached, underdelivered or simply wore people out.
At IA, we often meet leaders gearing up for yet another major change. The strategy is solid. The investment is real. The intent is good. But just below the surface sits hesitation. Teams remember the last technology that didn’t deliver. Executives remember the consultant or critical resource who vanished after go-live. Employees remember being told transformation would make work “easier,” only to find more steps, more stress and less trust.
Those memories don’t fade; they calcify. They shape how an organization thinks about risk, leadership and the future. They quietly whisper in every planning session: “Didn’t we try this before? Will it work this time? What’s really going to change?”
The truth is that the past never fully stays in the past. Unless leaders acknowledge and address what’s still unresolved, those ghosts will quietly haunt every new initiative. So, instead of building the future on a creaky foundation, we must name what’s lingering, learn from
