When we ventured into shared services almost 30 years ago, we were on our own. The Global Shared Services organization we launched at the Procter & Gamble Company was one of the very first shared service organizations in the world—and it remains one of the biggest and most complex. We didn’t have any benchmarks, best-in-class examples, or proven strategies to follow. We made things up as we went along. Some things worked; others didn’t.

This achievement was not a stroke of luck but a testament to our unwavering focus on strategy and continuous business transformation.

Upon transitioning from P&G to the consulting world, we noticed a recurring pattern. Companies, regardless of their level of excellence, were grappling with challenges that we had successfully navigated decades ago. We understood how this was hindering progress, hampering efficiency, and preventing these organizations from evolving into strategic leaders.