Jeff Gothelf has helped teams and organizations change the way they do business with companies around the world. Of the five books to his name, Lean UX is perhaps his most well-known, in which he emphasizes a mindset shift towards faster and more iterative ways of working.
I recently chatted with Jeff about how clear, meaningful goals are a key part in any transformation journey. Transformations involve companies making significant changes to their operations, strategies, or structures to achieve their full potential.
Jeff believes Objective and Key Results (OKRs) can help align teams to common goals, and drive behavior change leading to the business results companies are seeking. But having a set of clear goals isn’t enough. Effective storytelling and visual tools are critical for organizations to impactfully drive transformation.
Benefits of visual storytelling to drive successful transformations
Through his work helping organizations with business transformation strategies, visual storytelling is a key component. Defining goals is important, but teams also have to know why those goals exist and what the change they want to achieve.
“Every day I become more passionate, which is such an overused word, but [I'm] really passionate about storytelling ... as sort of the decisive tool in any working person’s arsenal... If they can tell a compelling story, they stand a better chance of convincing those folks. And transformation is a massive change.” - Jeff Gothelf
That’s why Jeff developed this template for transformational storytelling in Mural. Visualizing your story of transformation has several effects:
Guide the storyteller
Jeff believes in the power of visual storytelling. It guides the storyteller through the transformation journey, hitting the key aspects that teams want to hear. Sure, you could create a document with similar information in words, but it wouldn’t be as compelling (if read at all). Storytelling with visuals makes narratives more engaging and memorable, and can help people change their thinking and actions necessary for transformation.
Show cause and effect
Visualizing the transformation story also shows cause and effect in one place at the same time. You can easily connect between related factors in the story.
Collaborate in real time
Jeff recommends visualizing the story live, such as typing information in real-time in a digital tool so teams can see the story unfold. Participants can even contribute or enhance the content as it’s being presented. This collaborative input helps team members feel a sense of belonging and ownership in the transformation process.
How to visualize a transformation story
Jeff emphasized the importance of explaining the reasons for organizational change when telling a transformation story.
“The overwhelming majority of the time, organizations and specifically leaders don’t tell a compelling story about why we’re doing this. They just say “We’re going Agile!... There’s rarely any kind of justification for the change.” - Jeff Gothelf
He outlined a three-step approach to visualizing a transformation story using Mural:
1. Identify the current state
Identify your current state. Outline what is happening now, the issues, and symptoms caused by the current state, and why these issues matter. For example, R&D is experiencing bottlenecks due to poor cross-department collaboration, delaying projects.
2. Articulate the future state
Map out your desired future state. Detail what success looks like, why the future state is better, and how you will know if the change is effective. For example, an organization can increase productivity in R&D with more effective collaboration practices, bringing new products to market faster.
3. Visualize the path to transformation
Connect the current state to the future state through specific actions or changes. Jeff notes that OKRs serve as a key mechanism in this transformation, but other methods like Agile practices or cross-functional teams can also play a role. In our example, the organization could roll out an Agile transformation company-wide, establish Agile coaching programs, invest in technology, and develop new cross-functional collaboration practices.
Jeff has graciously shared his template so you can use visual storytelling for your own transformation.
Check out Jeff’s most recent book, Who Does What By How Much and more at jeffgothelf.com.
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