You want to be a culture change agent. What are the most important skills you need?

as a lifelong transformational change student, here are my thoughts: 1. cultivates self-awareness / self-insight: how does my view of the world shape how I am an agent of this change on behalf of the whole? how can i reflect on my own reactions and responses (somatic, emotional, and intellectual) to support others through their unique change process? i can only lead others where I myself have gone 2. radically includes - how can I create a process that invites differences to harness diversity and "resistance" and INCLUDE it to reveal a greater collective intelligence 3. sees systems and patterns: what patterns emerge in our interactions within and across dif levels of systems? how can i nudge / disrupt them to design change interventions?

In my experience these are the skills needed to instill culture changes: 1. Curiosity and learning agility. As a change agent you have to learn first and shape a perspective that resonates with others in the organization 2. Patience and perseverance. Culture building takes time and must be reinforced over and over. 3. A passion for people! Your enthusiasm will maintain engagement through the journey.

As a culture change agent, you must possess strong influence and persuasion skills to gain buy-in and support from stakeholders at all levels of the organization. This includes the ability to articulate the benefits of the proposed culture change, address concerns and objections, and rally people behind the shared vision. By effectively leveraging your influence and persuasion skills, you can build consensus, overcome resistance, and drive meaningful change within the organization.

Un error que se comete frecuentemente es no invertir suficiente tiempo a la construccion de la visión, el equipo directivo es forzado a tenerla lista en un taller de 8 horas con la promesa que despues se tendra una reunión para afinarla, lo cual nunca sucede. La visión es muy importante , de aqui nace la estrategia y todo el plan de transformación y operación, asi que no hay que cocinarla al vapor.

Great Leaders need to seek feedback on this!! I got received feedback from a 360 tool followed up by an exec coach helping me to integrate! They clearly showed that those who knew me well and worked closely with me knew my values and vision, as they had many interfaces and moments that allowed them to see my actions and strategic decision making reflecting those values and the vision - yet - the further from "home" I got, all of this became more unclear to people. Following the coaching, I increasingly expressed the bigger intent behind smaller statements; summarised the vision and values behind decisions, projects, plans and the overall alignment around the business units and regions culture and strategy increased. Thanks dear coach!

a culture change agent, you're likely to encounter resistance, disagreements, and conflicts along the way. Therefore, mastering conflict resolution skills is essential. This involves the ability to address conflicts constructively, de-escalate tensions, and find mutually acceptable solutions. By effectively managing conflicts, you can prevent them from derailing your change efforts and instead use them as opportunities for growth and consensus-building.

While leadership cannot be tone death to the perspective, needs and emotions of people, business is business. So, I find it more compelling to ensure messaging speaks to the workforce and more importantly back up the messaging with behavior change. Leaders often underestimate how important it is to "walk the talk." Once people lose trust it's very hard to gain it back. This mistakes creates a toxic relationship between the workforce and people leaders. Don't pretend the listen, back up the culture you want to create by living it!