January. The month of resolutions, new beginnings, and the sound of a million couch to 5k apps being launched in hopeful anticipation of the transformations to come. Transformation. There's a sneaky word. Until fairly recently I was a global head of change for a "transformation programme" (or program, if you happened to be American, and most of my wonderful colleagues were). A big hairy audacious transformation program. So, with the benefit of experience, I feel as if January, with it's glinting cold light and calm before storm-ness, is a good time to point out that transformation is an exceptionally unhelpful word. It's seductive, for sure. We humans love the idea of transformation. Caterpillar to butterfly, zero to hero, Extreme Makeovers. The thought of changing rapidly and in one fell swoop from one thing to something dramatically different and therefore better has launched the careers of a thousand Gok Wan-abees, Life Coaches and Consultants...