Secrets to the Success of Organizational Transformation
SERIES ARTICLE
By Dr. Prasad Kodukula
Illinois, USA
In the first article of this series, I highlighted the importance of purpose as the foundation for successful organizational transformation—the first element of the P-L-E-A-S-E framework. Purpose provides direction, but direction alone is never sufficient.
Over the years, I have learned that the most successful transformations are not driven solely by changing structures, systems, or strategies. They succeed when those responsible for change focus on shaping people’s habits, attitudes, and behaviors.
It’s the people, stupid! —to borrow a slogan from Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign.
In Part 2 of this series, I turn to the second letter in the P-L-E-A-S-E framework and reveal Secret Number 2 for organizational transformation success: Leadership. Among the six secrets in this series, leadership is arguably the most important because it encompasses all the others.
The following sections highlight different leadership behaviors and mindsets that consistently distinguish successful transformation leaders from others.
Be authentic
Authenticity is at the heart of leadership. It encompasses many aspects of human behavior such as genuineness, integrity, empathy, humility, and compassion. It fosters a sense of purpose, builds trust, and motivates your team toward the change you aim to create.
Truly authentic leaders are rare. World figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela are among the most well-known examples.
In the business world, Bill Hewlett and David Packard, cofounders of the first major Silicon Valley tech company, HP, were genuine, authentic leaders. Their legendary management style, known as The HP Way, is an ideology that, according to Hewlett, “includes a deep respect for the individual, a dedication to affordable quality and reliability, a commitment to community responsibility, and a view that the company exists to make technical contributions for the advancement and welfare of humanity.”
Recently, authentic leadership has been exemplified by Satya Nadella, whose focus on empathy, learning, and humility helped restore trust within Microsoft and set the stage for one of the most successful corporate transformations of the digital era.
Focus on the whole rather than the parts
Organizations are becoming more complex, and transformation initiatives add many moving parts to this complexity. Managing the numerous diverse and disparate parts, especially in global organizations, at a micro level, is nearly impossible. The solution is to build a strong leadership team that lets you focus on the big picture while delegating the details. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, is an excellent example of such a leadership style.
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Editor’s note: Dr. Prasad Kodukula, PMP, PMI Fellow is the author of Organizational Project Portfolio Management: A Practitioner’s Guide (J. Ross Publishing 2014) and The Project Management AI Handbook: Leveraging Generative Tools in Waterfall and Agile Environments, with Gustavo Vinueza (J. Ross 2025). A global ambassador for project management, Dr. Kodukula has lectured in nearly 50 countries and worked with more than 40 Fortune 100 companies across all 11 S&P industrial sectors. Learn more in his author profile at the end of this article.
How to cite this work: Kodukula, P. S. (2026). Secret No. 2: Leadership; Secrets to the Success of Organizational Transformation, series article 2, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue II, February. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/pmwj161-Feb2026-Kodukula-secret-2-for-successful-organizatonal-transformation.pdf
About the Author
Dr. Prasad S. Kodukula
Illinois, USA
Dr. Prasad S. Kodukula, PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, DASM, DASSM, BCES, is a USA Today best-selling author, PMI Fellow, thought leader, and entrepreneur with over 35 years of professional experience. A global ambassador for project management, Dr. Kodukula has lectured in nearly 50 countries and worked with more than 40 Fortune 100 companies across all 11 S&P industrial sectors. He serves as an Adjunct Industry Professor at Illinois Tech and teaches how to recover troubled projects for NASA and at the University of Chicago. As co-founder and CEO of Kodukula & Associates, Inc. and NeoChloris, Inc., he leads the firms in project management and renewable energy, respectively. Recognized three times by the Project Management Institute as “Best of the Best in Project Management,” he has received multiple accolades, including the Illinois Tech Alumni Association Professional Achievement Award and honors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the states of Arizona, Kansas, and Illinois for his outstanding leadership in education and training, environmental improvement, and innovation. An accomplished author, Dr. Kodukula has co-authored or contributed to 12 books and over 40 articles and holds four U.S patents. He can be contacted at https://www.linkedin.com/in/prasadkodukula/.
