Transforming a Legacy: Strategy, Culture and Accountability’s Role in Driving Excellence
By Norty Turner
Transformation is a mindset. It begins with leaders who are willing to lead with an open mind—and who can open minds across an organization to a new vision that inspires real progress. In my experience, lasting transformation doesn’t come from dictating outcomes but from guiding people toward what’s possible. We don’t promise our way to excellence—we prove it. And that proof starts with clarity: a well-defined strategy, a shared understanding of success, and a clear expectation that everyone—from the field to the head office—has a role in achieving it.
One ever-present truth I’ve come to live by is the following: you can’t scale what you can’t measure. It’s easy to talk about growth, but without a foundation of measurable performance, growth quickly becomes disorganized. No matter your industry, if you're not setting clear goals, tracking outcomes, and holding your teams accountable, you’re building on sand. Measurement creates visibility, and visibility creates the opportunity for alignment, continuous improvement, and trust. When teams understand how success is defined and where they stand in relation to it, momentum builds—and with it, performance.
But measurement alone isn’t enough. Business excellence isn’t a department—it’s a discipline and a way of working. It doesn’t belong to just one group such as Operations or Sales. It’s a way of thinking, acting and executing that permeates throughout the entire organization: in how we onboard a new team member, in how we handle a customer’s call, in how we manage a repair, or finish on a jobsite. It’s not about chasing the next big thing—it’s about mastering the top repeatable, value-driving processes that define your customer’s experience and your team's pride in their work.
In the equipment rental world, excellence is defined by how well we manage the Rental Value Cycle: On Rent, Off Rent, Service, Ready Line. That’s where the battle is won. When we execute this cycle consistently with speed, precision, and care, we build trust, loyalty – and most importantly, value for our customers. When we don’t, it shows. Getting better at the basics isn’t glamorous—but it’s transformational.
Still, discipline without heart doesn’t build lasting companies—and that’s a tension many in our industry are facing. Construction businesses across the country are working to evolve without leaving the values that got them here behind. For those of us who’ve built strong, people-first cultures, the challenge isn’t maintaining that legacy—it’s transforming it. The strongest organizations are those where people feel deeply valued and equally clear on what’s expected of them. Culture is cultivated in the space between alignment and accountability. When we create that space with intention, we empower our teams to achieve great things—for themselves, for our customers, and for the future of the business.
Transformation is never easy. It requires tough decisions—on structure, priorities, even long-standing habits. But once a company commits to defining what great looks like, measuring it relentlessly, and staying accountable to it across the board, positive change becomes more than possible. It becomes inevitable.
Real transformation demands more than change—it demands belief, clarity, and continuous improvement. When we lead with vision, measure what matters, and align culture with performance, we don’t just build better companies. We build companies that last, drive increasingly higher value, and perpetuate legacies worth carrying forward.
