71: The Real Reason Digital Transformations Fail — It’s Not Technology or People

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The CTO Playbook

Adam Horner

77 episodes

1 day ago

Join Adam Horner, a CTO with over 30 years in the tech industry, on The CTO Playbook — the podcast dedicated to helping CTOs excel. Perfect for CTOs and tech leaders navigating the complexities of their roles, each episode offers clear insights, innovative strategies, and practical advice from top leaders in tech. With Adam’s extensive experience mentoring engineers and tech leaders, and over a decade as a CTO, you’ll gain the tools and knowledge to build and refine your own CTO playbook. Whether you're tackling complex projects, fostering innovation, leading teams, or shaping your company's tech strategy, this podcast is your go-to resource. Adam’s journey from engineer to strategic CTO was challenging. He learned through the school of hard knocks, making avoidable mistakes and facing countless challenges. Often out of his comfort zone and wishing for more guidance, he created this podcast to provide the support and advice he once lacked. Tune in for engaging interviews, leadership tips, and the latest in technology strategy. Each episode is designed to help you lead with confidence and level up as a CTO. Listen now to start your journey with The CTO Playbook and build your own playbook to excel in your role.

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71: The Real Reason Digital Transformations Fail — It’s Not Technology or People

The CTO Playbook

58 minutes 52 seconds

1 month ago

71: The Real Reason Digital Transformations Fail — It’s Not Technology or People

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com, the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

What if the real bottleneck isn’t people or tech but the thing between them?

In this episode, I’m joined by Michael Louis Schank, author of Digital Transformation Success. He’s spent years in the trenches at Accenture, Bank of America, EY, and Citi, then struck out on his own to codify what actually works. We dig into his process inventory framework and how it transforms complexity into clarity without wishful thinking.

Most transformations stumble not because teams are bad, but because complexity breeds chaos. The fix starts with mapping what the business actually does, naming owners, and tying change to those specific processes. No buzzwords, just the hard work that kills the telephone game and keeps scope, design, and testing honest. And you’ll see why getting the map right beats chasing shiny tools.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[10:52] Why alignment and systems thinking are the two foundations every transformation depends on

[13:17] What happens when business and tech speak different languages and how to finally bridge that gap

[19:40] The real reason “easy buttons” and buzzwords keep derailing enterprise change

[27:05] How a simple process inventory turns chaos into clarity across teams

[31:14] What mapping COBOL systems taught one bank about risk and modernization

[33:42] Why ignoring side effects in process change can quietly destroy entire workflows

[43:05] How visualizing current state exposes waste and redundancy no one noticed before

[45:11] The hidden danger of optimizing what should’ve been deleted in the first place

[56:09] What transformation leaders get wrong about ownership, and the one fix that makes it last

Resources Mentioned:

Digital Transformation Success by Michael Schank | Book

You can connect with Michael on his LinkedIn.

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and check out Adam's CTO coaching company here.