The Power of Being “Reasonably Unreasonable”

Early in my career, long before I became the CEO of BluWis, when I was still learning the ropes of the SAP ecosystem, I was taught a standard formula for success:

Set realistic goals. Manage expectations. Deliver what was agreed upon.

It sounded safe.

It sounded professional.

And, for a while, I believed that was what great execution looked like.

But after more than 30 years in the industry, I have learned a hard truth:

Safe doesn't deliver delight. Safe just keeps the lights on.

If we want to push boundaries, break technology silos, and build solutions that genuinely transform industries, we have to become comfortable with being reasonably unreasonable.

Not reckless.

Not difficult.

Not unreasonable for the sake of being unreasonable.

But unwilling to accept limitations simply because they have become familiar.

What Does It Mean to Be “Reasonably Unreasonable”?

Being unreasonable often gets a bad reputation.

People associate it with being demanding, stubborn, or unwilling to compromise.

But there is a significant difference between blind stubbornness and having an uncompromising vision for quality.

Being reasonably unreasonable means refusing to accept “that's how it has always been done” as a sufficient answer.

It means asking better questions.

Why does this process take so long?

Why are these systems still operating in silos?

Why does a transformation program need to move at the same pace it did ten years ago?

Why are organizations still solving modern problems using outdated approaches?

These questions may sometimes make people uncomfortable.

But progress rarely begins with comfort.

It begins when someone is willing to challenge the baseline.

And that is where strong leadership begins — with the willingness to question what others have accepted as normal.

Reasonable Expectations Can Produce Average Outcomes

There is nothing wrong with setting achievable goals.

But there is a danger when “realistic” becomes an excuse for accepting average performance.

Imagine a transformation team working within a slow-moving PMO framework.

Everyone agrees on the timeline.

Everyone agrees on the deliverables.

Everyone agrees on the process.

The project is technically successful.

But was it transformative?

That is the question we need to ask.

Being reasonably unreasonable means looking at that situation and asking:

Can we do this faster?

Can we make it simpler?

Can we deliver better outcomes?

Can we eliminate unnecessary steps rather than simply executing them more efficiently?

This mindset changes the objective from simply completing a project to creating meaningful business impact.

For leadership, this distinction is critical. Great leaders do not only measure whether the agreed plan was delivered. They ask whether the plan was good enough in the first place.

Challenge the Process, Not Just the Technology

Technology transformation is often discussed in terms of platforms, applications, architecture, and tools.

But the biggest barriers are not always technological.

Sometimes the biggest barrier is the process surrounding the technology.

Organizations can invest in modern SAP environments, AI capabilities, automation platforms, and sophisticated enterprise architectures while continuing to operate with outdated processes.

That creates a contradiction.

You cannot build a modern enterprise while protecting every legacy assumption.

This is where being reasonably unreasonable becomes valuable.

It means challenging processes that no longer serve the business.

It means asking whether a workflow exists because it creates value or simply because nobody has questioned it.

It means being willing to redesign the process rather than automatically customizing the technology to accommodate it.

Real business transformation requires that level of honesty.

It also requires leadership teams that are prepared to challenge established thinking instead of simply approving what has always been done.

From SAP Joule to Agentic AI: Expect More From Technology

We are entering an era where technologies such as SAP Joule and Agentic AI are changing how enterprises think about software.

The question is no longer simply:

“What can this technology do?”

The more important question is:

“What could our business do differently because this technology exists?”

That distinction matters.

It is easy to experiment with emerging technology.

It is harder to rethink how an organization operates because of it.

At BluWis, we work with complex, high-stakes environments where the objective cannot simply be to introduce another technology layer.

The objective has to be meaningful SAP transformation and measurable business impact.

Being reasonably unreasonable means looking at technologies such as Agentic AI and asking how they can fundamentally improve execution, decision-making, operational efficiency, and business outcomes.

It means moving beyond experimentation toward application.

It also changes the role of leadership.

Leaders need to create the environment where teams are encouraged to explore what technology makes possible rather than simply asking whether a new technology can fit into an existing process.

A Lesson for the Next Generation: Raise the Bar

To the next generation of leaders, developers, architects, consultants, and professionals entering the workforce today, I would offer one simple piece of advice:

Stop trying to blend in by lowering your expectations.

When you accept mediocre inputs, you almost guarantee mediocre outputs.

Expect more from yourself.

Push beyond your first draft.

Review your first solution architecture again.

Question your first assumption.

Look at your first line of code and ask whether it can be simpler.

Challenge your own thinking before someone else has to challenge it for you.

This is not about perfection.

It is about continuous improvement.

The goal is not to create unrealistic expectations.

The goal is to develop the habit of asking:

“Can this be better?”

That question can change careers, products, teams, and organizations.

For emerging professionals, this is an important leadership mindset. Leadership does not begin when someone receives a leadership title. It begins when someone takes ownership, questions assumptions, and chooses to improve what is already there.

Expect More From Your Team

High standards are sometimes misunderstood as pressure.

But holding people to a high standard can also be one of the greatest forms of respect.

Why?

Because it communicates that you believe they are capable of more.

A strong leader should not simply tell people what they want to hear.

A strong leader should challenge people to think differently.

That means creating an environment where people can question assumptions, challenge existing processes, propose better approaches, and take ownership of outcomes.

Being reasonably unreasonable as a leader does not mean demanding impossible results.

It means refusing to normalize mediocrity.

It means asking teams to think beyond the immediate task and understand the larger impact of their work.

This is where leadership excellence becomes meaningful.

Leadership excellence is not about having all the answers. It is about creating a culture where better questions are encouraged and better answers can emerge.

From Compliance to Innovation

There is a fundamental difference between compliance and innovation.

Compliance asks:

“Did we do what was required?”

Innovation asks:

“Did we find a better way to achieve the outcome?”

Both have their place.

But organizations that want to lead cannot stop at compliance.

If every organization simply follows established processes, industries do not evolve.

Innovation requires people who are willing to challenge assumptions.

It requires curiosity.

It requires persistence.

And sometimes, it requires being reasonably unreasonable.

At BluWis, this mindset is particularly important because digital transformation is not about implementing technology for technology's sake.

It is about helping organizations move beyond traditional execution and create better ways of operating.

That requires leadership that can connect technology, people, processes, and business outcomes rather than treating them as separate priorities.

The Shift From Satisfaction to Delight

There is another important distinction between delivering what was requested and creating something genuinely valuable.

Meeting a requirement satisfies a client.

Exceeding what they thought was possible can delight them.

That does not mean constantly adding features, increasing scope, or making promises that cannot be delivered.

It means understanding the real problem behind the requirement.

A client may ask for a faster process.

But perhaps the bigger opportunity is eliminating unnecessary steps altogether.

A business may ask for automation.

But perhaps the real opportunity is redesigning the workflow so that fewer manual decisions are required.

A transformation team may ask for system modernization.

But perhaps the bigger opportunity is creating an operating model that is more intelligent, scalable, and resilient.

That is where reasonable unreasonableness can create real value.

It is also where leadership can make a difference — by helping teams look beyond the stated requirement and understand the larger business opportunity.

Why This Mindset Matters in Digital Transformation

Enterprise digital transformation is becoming increasingly complex.

Organizations are dealing with:

• AI adoption
• SAP modernization
• Cloud transformation
• Enterprise automation
• Data challenges
• Technical debt
• Cybersecurity
• Changing customer expectations
• Rapidly evolving technology

In this environment, simply following yesterday's playbook is unlikely to be enough.

The organizations that succeed will be those willing to question what can be improved.

They will ask whether existing processes are still relevant.

They will challenge unnecessary complexity.

They will experiment with new technologies.

And they will continuously look for ways to turn innovation into measurable business outcomes.

That requires a culture where people are encouraged to think differently.

It requires leaders who are willing to challenge the status quo.

And it requires teams that understand that “good enough” should not automatically become the definition of success.

Strong leadership is therefore not just about managing change. It is about creating the conditions for meaningful change to happen.

Being Unreasonable With the Problem, Not With People

There is one important distinction worth making.

Being reasonably unreasonable does not mean being unreasonable with people.

It means being unreasonable with the problem.

Be demanding of the process.

Be demanding of the solution.

Be demanding of the quality.

Be demanding of your own thinking.

But remain respectful of the people doing the work.

The best innovation cultures are not built through fear.

They are built through trust, accountability, curiosity, and a shared commitment to excellence.

The objective is not to make people uncomfortable.

The objective is to make the status quo uncomfortable.

That is an important principle of effective leadership.

The BluWis Perspective

At BluWis, we work on complex business transformation and digital transformation initiatives where the cost of accepting average solutions can be significant.

A transformation program cannot simply exist to deliver another system.

It should create a stronger foundation for the business.

That means challenging unnecessary complexity.

It means looking for better ways to execute.

It means exploring how emerging technologies such as AI can create meaningful operational value.

It means building on principles such as Clean Core rather than carrying unnecessary legacy complexity into the future.

And it means keeping the focus on outcomes rather than activity.

Our belief is simple:

Transformation should not be measured only by whether a project was completed.

It should also be measured by what became possible because the transformation happened.

That is the difference between implementation and innovation.

And that is the kind of thinking that strong leadership should encourage.

Raise the Standard

Being reasonably unreasonable is ultimately about raising the standard.

Not chasing perfection.

Not rejecting every established process.

Not making unrealistic promises.

Instead, it is about refusing to accept mediocrity when something better is genuinely possible.

Ask better questions.

Challenge old assumptions.

Push beyond the first solution.

Expect more from yourself.

Help your team reach a higher standard.

And most importantly, keep asking:

“What if we could do this differently?”

Because every major transformation begins with someone questioning the way things are currently done.

That person may be a CEO.

It may be a consultant.

It may be a developer.

It may be someone early in their career.

Leadership can come from anyone willing to take responsibility for making something better.

Key Takeaways

• Being reasonably unreasonable means challenging the status quo without abandoning practicality.
• Real innovation begins when organizations question established assumptions.
• High standards can drive better outcomes when combined with accountability and trust.
• Emerging technologies such as Agentic AI and SAP Joule should be evaluated for business impact, not just experimentation.
• Strong leadership encourages teams to challenge processes and continuously improve.
• Digital transformation should focus on measurable business outcomes rather than simply completing deliverables.
• Leadership excellence comes from continuously raising the standard.
• Business transformation requires organizations to rethink processes, technology, and established assumptions.

Conclusion

After more than three decades in the SAP and technology ecosystem, I have learned that transformation rarely comes from simply following the safest path.

The safest path can deliver predictable results.

But predictable results do not always create meaningful change.

If we want to push technology boundaries, break silos, improve enterprise operations, and create solutions that genuinely matter, we have to be willing to challenge what is considered “reasonable.”

That is the power of being reasonably unreasonable.

Don't settle for satisfaction when you can create delight.

Don't protect the status quo simply because it is familiar.

Don't lower the standard because raising it feels difficult.

Challenge the baseline. Raise the bar. Build what comes next.

The boundaries are waiting to be pushed.

How are you challenging the status quo in your role today?