Monday reflection: Being a change maker

 

Leadership isn’t just about maintaining what already exists, what already seems to work and what everyone around you is comfortable with. It’s about imagining what could be, what you, and the others around you in your team, could become. Imagining is not enough, it takes courage to move ideas forward into real and effective actions. 

Changemakers don’t just react and respond to change… they are the people who create it, who embrace it. They see opportunities, possibilities, and solutions that others often overlook and they take action, even when the path ahead is uncertain. Being a changemaker means asking: “We need to be better so what needs to be different about what we are thinking and doing and how can I make that change happen?” 

To lead as a changemaker, you have to shift your mindset:

• From being comfortable to being curious and willing to explore what’s possible. 
• From being in control to facilitating collaboration because change isn’t a single event, a single act. Change happens over time, sometimes one step forward and one step back. Change needs a collective effort driven by diverse sometimes conflicting voices to achieve goals and deliver outcomes 
• From fear of failure to learning from failure because every change of direction carries risk, and change is not a linear process. We learn from failure and every problem teaches us something new. 

A changemaker mindset fuels innovation, resilience, and growth — in you, your team and your business. So what does being a changemaker look like in real life? It can be a small step changing how meetings run, making sure everyone has a voice when a decision is made, to changing the product or service portfolio of the organisation. Changemaking is about doing, changemaking requires action: 

• Asking better questions rather than just give answers and solutions to others 
• Inviting input from every level so decisions are jointly owned and collaborative. 
• Piloting new ideas, reflecting and modifying plans, learning fast, and adjusting quickly 
• Modelling good practice, showing people inside and outside the organisation that change is possible, and the results are worth the risk and the effort. 

Change is uncomfortable, even when it’s for the better. People embrace change at different rates. Some are prepared to make bold leaps whilst others in the team only feel confident with tiny steps. Being a changemaker requires, positivity, vision and empathy for others. You cannot be a changemaker if you don’t have followers. Changemakers bring people along, explaining why the change matters at an individual and an organisational level and how it will make things better. Change makers build trust first, and then drive transformation. If you want to be a changemaker as a leader, start by: 

• Identifying an issue or problem ripe for change 
• Shaping the ideas around what change is required with others
• Co-creating a realistic action plan 
• Monitoring and celebrating progress towards delivering the goals 
• Reflecting and updating the plan if needed. 

Changemakers aren’t shaped by the future, they shape it.. stay curious… stay bold… and lead the change you want to see.