Based on their work across companies in the automobile,  agriculture, and technology industries, the authors  outline 11 lessons learned in the process of working in and  with organizations in the process of transformation. These lessons  are:     The customer is always right except when they are not:  deals with customer-facing issues  What got you here may kill you there: Letting go of  what made you good is hard.  Execute on unconventional wisdom: debunk  best practices and use of unconventional wisdom  as an antidote for me too thinking.  Who melted my cheese?: examines how the heat and pressure of  mergers and acquisitions impacts transformation.  HR stands for Human Resources not Hiring Requisitions:   brings to light the central role of HR in transformation and  why this is the biggest missing piece  There is no strategy if nobody knows what to do:  provides insight into how smart sounding, unintelligible  presentations dont add up to effective action and what to do  about it  Consultants are not and excuse for not knowing what you  want: provides information on the use of consultants and how to  get a sound return on consulting  Yesterdays leadership skills may prevent  tomorrows success: delves into the sticky situation of  what happens when we find the enemy and it is us.   Dont let analysts run your business: how do  you get the street satisfied, the organization transformed, and  keep your job?   Spin is over-rated for creating value: examines the  effect of complete and utter candor in the face of merger where the  spin is replaced with unvarnished truth.   Merger is not a four letter word:  how  to address mergers in order to prevent the typical loss of  value experienced in most company marriages.