Growth and evolution often pose significant challenges for legacy brands or companies with a solidified market position. Stagnation—or worse, decline—can creep in, affecting not only the bottom line but also company culture and employee morale. Recently, two notable legacy companies, Walmart and Delta Air Lines, have served as a great reminder to leaders about evolving. Both companies reached all-time stock price highs this year—not by chasing trends or launching radical innovations, but by adhering to a foundational principle often undervalued in today’s pressure-cooker business environment: patience and a long-term vision. Their stories provide three valuable reminders to leaders seeking to revitalize their workplace culture, performance, and overall organizational health.
1. Upgrade Your Core Experience
When Doug McMillon became Walmart’s CEO in 2015, the company faced stagnation and its first-ever revenue drop. Under pressure to compete with Amazon, McMillon took bold but deliberate steps: investing billions in worker wages to improve service quality and revamping in-store technology. While these moves initially led to a 10% selloff in stock, the long-term results tell a different story. Today, Walmart has achieved 12 consecutive months of online deliveries surpassing $2 billion, with 30% expedited at premium fees. Delta followed a similar path. Over 15 years, the company transformed its first-class offering from an upgrade-heavy model to a revenue driver, with over 70% of first-class seats now purchased. In 2025, Delta anticipates 85% of its revenue growth from its additional premium seats, emphasizing its focus on elevating the customer experience, and ultimately becoming the best-in-class business class category.
For leaders, the takeaway is clear: Revitalization often doesn’t require a full-scale overhaul. Instead, small but strategic upgrades to your core offerings can have an outsized impact. Strategic upgrades might mean refining existing wellness initiatives or improving workplace resources to address evolving employee needs within your organization. The question to ask: What small changes could elevate our core strengths?
2. Play The Long Game
Patience is a rarity in today’s as fast as possible results-driven world, but it’s often the difference between short-term wins and enduring, lasting success. Walmart’s e-commerce division, for instance, remains unprofitable—but McMillon views this as an investment in a long-term vision, stating, “We don’t think we should race to it. This is a long-term game.” Apple CEO Tim Cook, when recently discussing AI, along with Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian, echoes this sentiment. Speaking about Delta’s success in premium seating, he shared, “We’ve been at it for 15 years, investing aggressively.”
Good things take time to happen. Bad things, on the other hand, tend to happen quickly, making the wins from patient strategies less immediately noticeable. However, the compounding effect of sustained, deliberate actions is where impactful, transformative change emerges. Leaders must adopt this perspective, focusing on long-term gains over fleeting victories. Change in corporate strategy or workplace culture rarely yields immediate results. The same holds true for initiatives like employee well-being programs or leadership development efforts. By allowing time for these efforts to take root, leaders position their organizations for lasting success.
3. Go Narrow And Targeted
When addressing stagnation, focus is critical. Attempting to tackle everything at once dilutes impact and wastes resources. Walmart’s recent growth has come from targeting higher-income households earning $100,000 or more annually—a shift that required a precise strategy. Similarly, Delta has doubled down on premium services, including the launch of high-end lounges like Delta One for top-tier customers. For leaders, this principle applies to addressing workforce challenges or optimizing organizational performance. Start by identifying specific, high-impact areas. Conduct surveys or gather direct feedback to uncover what employees value most or where friction exists. Targeted efforts yield the most significant returns most efficiently.
Short-term fixes may satisfy immediate demands but often lead to long-term headaches. Walmart and Delta’s recent successes remind us that growth doesn’t always require dramatic reinvention. Instead, staying true to core values and strategically enhancing strengths can unlock impactful results. As a leader, identify what your organization does best, double down on those strengths, and make deliberate, targeted improvements. Focusing on what matters most will create a culture and strategy built for decades-long success.