Change Is Hard. But That’s Not the Problem.

I made a decision in August 2023.

I decided I would become someone who lifts weights three times a week, no exceptions. For years, I’d been on and off with exercise. Sometimes, I’d commit for a month or two, but life would get in the way. A skipped week became two. Two weeks turned into months.

I paid for a gym membership for years, but I never used the facilities.

Sound familiar?

But this time was different.

I stopped focusing on short-term goals like “getting in shape” and built habits that made success inevitable. Now, 17 months later, I don’t skip gym days. I am a person who lifts weights three times per week.

We all know, deep down, that consistency is vital to achieving any result. So, this experience proves that success isn’t about creating a flawless plan. It’s about developing effective habits and behaviours that produce long-term results.

The same principle applies in business. Especially when transforming a team into a high-performance culture and increasing your gross margin.

Why Most Companies Struggle with Change

Let me share a story.

One of my clients strives to double their revenue in twenty-four months. Here are some open doors about how to grow sales:

• You need to sell twice as much to grow by a factor of two.

• To sell twice as much, you must send at least two times the value of commercial proposals to prospected clients.

• To send two times the value of commercial proposals, you must identify twice as many needs of existing or new (potential) customers.

• To identify twice as many needs at clients, you need to speak to (at least) twice the amount of prospects about collaborating.

Standard Sales Funnel

Again, these aren’t earth-shattering revelations; these are the stages of the classic sales funnel.

The real value is consistently executing the behaviours that are predictive of success—finding more leads, sending more proposals, and winning more business.

To grow revenue, my client and I calculated the targets ‘en route’ to doubling two years later. The target for the first three months was to send a total of S$900,000 proposals.

Each team member commits to new habits to drive the sales process with their expertise and from their team role.

I remember thinking that the objective was too ambitious; I was quite nervous about it. Then I realised my client will be happy with any growth.

The results in the past year are:

• They sent proposals with an accumulative value of S$ 1,600,000 in the first quarter.

• The second quarter they sent S$ 2,200,000 worth of quotations.

• The third quarter is running. After eight of thirteen weeks, the tally exceeds S$ 4,700,000.

What drives results are behaviours. You don’t fix low engagement or poor operational excellence by enforcing numbers. You fix it by building habits that align with your strategy.

Gamification: Accelerate Change Adoption

Here’s what we did differently. Instead of micromanaging, we gamified their objectives:

1. One Goal Per Team: Each team got a single, measurable objective for three months. For example: To secure new qualified leads with an estimated monthly revenue from kSDG 0 to kSGD 550 by 15 July 2024.

2. Two New Habits Per Person: Everyone chose two behaviours to support the goal. Some examples:

   • Send out at least 100 emails per week, providing value, knowledge, and insight to engaged leads.

   • Deliver input to the commercial proposals within four working days from when the customer requested a quotation.

3. Weekly Accountability: Every Friday, teams reviewed their progress in a short meeting lasting ten to fifteen minutes. We didn’t just review KPIs; we discussed what worked, what didn’t, and what they’d try next. The only thing not allowed are excuses for missing failing

4. Celebrate Successes and Learn from Failures: Mistakes were treated as learning opportunities, not reasons for punishment.

ZingURbiz' gamification framework

This is true for companies executing a strategy as well; plans must change when reality disrupts.

A directionally correct plan is enough.

Gamification works because it creates a system for continuous improvement.

Every week, you learn what works and adjust.

Think of it like this: when I started lifting weights, I didn’t have the perfect routine. I just committed to showing up and improving over time.

Your business transformation works the same way.

Building a High-Performance Culture

By focusing on behaviours instead of just KPIs, we created a shift in the manufacturing company:

•           Ownership: Employees took responsibility for their work.

•           Engagement: Teams aligned their actions with the company’s mission and vision.

•           Results: Gross margin increased from 3% to 26% in just three years at the shipyard I managed.

This wasn’t about strict enforcement. It was about creating a culture of continuous improvement where employees embraced the why, how, and what behind their work.

Here’s the truth: when you combine a solid strategy, relentless execution, and empathetic leadership, you achieve results that last. That’s what I do with my clients.

Ready to Transform Your Business?

Building a high-performance culture doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s worth the effort. If you want to:

•           Sell more

•           Spend less

•           Achieve more

Let’s talk.

Contact me to learn more about how gamification and leadership development can transform your business.