Many leaders embark on a transformation journey with high hopes: that a sound strategy, a shiny new model, and a set of decisive actions will be enough to change the organisation. Reality rarely plays out that neatly. Any change—however rational its starting point—soon bumps into feelings, beliefs, habits, and the organisation’s hidden undercurrents. In that place, theory loses its grip and beautiful models on paper are quickly washed away.
We watch “transforming” organisations the way we watch a stream finding a new course. Somewhere the flow starts strong, then gets jammed by habitual bends. Elsewhere things look calm on the surface while pressure builds underneath, ready to burst. In some cases the very people leading the charge become a boulder mid-stream—unintentionally blocking the flow they meant to free, out of fear of losing control.
So, how can a leader guide an organisational advance in the spirit of “be like water”—soft yet persistent, flexible yet still moving toward the desired destination?
Translated from the original Facebook post by Cherry, and from our book Leading the Open Enterprise:
Don’t freeze the image of an “ideal” organisation
One major bottleneck is the urge to make the organisation quickly become some clear, fixed end-state. Deep transformation is not shape-shifting; it’s evolution, a journey, an ongoing advance. There is no finish line—only continuous adjustment, experimentation, learning, and adaptation. The sooner a leader lets go of a rigid picture of the “perfect organisation,” the sooner they can see what is actually happening. That’s where real organisational life lives.
Lead through presence, not pressure
Deadlines and slogans won’t shift culture, and ordering people to move faster won’t create sustainable change. Real change comes when leaders are genuinely present in the work. You don’t have to be there every moment, but each appearance must be high-quality: listening, noticing what’s unsaid, asking the right questions, and clearing space for people to take the next step. A leader should act like riverbanks—guiding the water, not damming or forcing it, and preventing it from spilling aimlessly.
Accept uncertainty and walk with it
Organisational change can’t control every variable. Surprises will happen; some people won’t be ready. If you focus only on what’s still missing and demand immediate results, exhaustion and impatience set in. Being like water means embracing perpetual change. Water learns to navigate bends and push past obstacles. Your organisation needs safe space to try and to fail, and enough trust that a single setback or imperfect outcome doesn’t topple it.
Enable the flow instead of directing it
Many leaders see their role as running the change: planning, assigning tasks, and policing progress. But if the organisation is a living stream, the deeper role is path-clearing. Identify and remove what blocks the flow: rigid structures, clogged information channels, opaque decision-making, policies that stifle collaboration. A natural stream doesn’t need commands—it needs clearing out.
Advancing an organisation in an Open, “be like water” spirit isn’t easy. But it leads to durable success because it changes more than structures or processes—it touches how people live, work, and connect. If there’s one thing a leader can hold onto throughout the journey, it isn’t a plan or roadmap; it’s a stance: patience, genuine presence, and faith that, like water, the organisation will find its course once the obstacles are removed.