Don't expect your organization to adopt a new strategy uniformly. Apply the 'Crossing the Chasm' model internally: identify early adopters to champion the change, then methodically win over the early majority and laggards. This manages expectations and improves strategic alignment across the company.

In a turnaround, a leader's most critical first step is restructuring their direct reports. McLaren's CEO replaced every key leader—CFO, HR, commercial, etc.—to create a unified group that could then drive cultural change down through their own departments.

To drive transformation in a large organization, leaders must create a cultural movement rather than issuing top-down mandates. This involves creating a bold vision, empowering a community of 'changemakers,' and developing 'artifacts of change' like awards and new metrics to reinforce behaviors.

When presented with a new strategy, high performers are drawn to it because they are mentally disciplined to be comfortable with risk. In contrast, middle and low performers often resist change because it feels like a personal judgment on their past methods, triggering fear and shame.

Zak Brown's first move at the struggling McLaren F1 team was to overhaul the leadership team, bringing in fresh blood to create alignment before tackling technical or commercial issues. This established a new, winning culture from the top down.

When driving major organizational change, a data-driven approach from the start is crucial for overcoming emotional resistance to established ways of working. Building a strong business case based on financial and market metrics can depersonalize the discussion and align stakeholders more quickly than relying on vision alone.

The most effective way to build strategic alignment is not top-down or bottom-up, but 'inside-out.' Engage middle managers (Directors, VPs) first, as they have crucial visibility into both executive strategy and the daily realities of their teams and customers, making them the strongest initial advocates for change.

To overcome widespread resistance and inertia, companies should avoid company-wide digital transformation rollouts. Instead, create a small, empowered "tiger team" of top performers. Give them specialized training and incentives to pilot, perfect, and prove the new model before attempting a broader implementation.

CEO Zach Brown revived McLaren not by firing everyone, but by transforming a "toxic work environment" into one of transparency and collaboration. He kept many of the same long-term employees, showing that fixing culture can unlock the potential of an existing team, even in a high-stakes environment.