Here's how you can become a leader in the field of Culture Change.

Revert to a toddler version of you - bring back play, fun, permission to be creative and imaginative - allow your people this environment to design this new culture. Back yourself - cookoo ideas come up when crafting this space and these can be the winners - stand out from the sea of same! Be consistent and genuine - none of those token posters collecting dust thanks. Know your team or audience so well, that you design change in a way they love and want to be an advocate for! Gather data from the people you serve - don't shove things down their throat let the change be collaborative with the humans who will adopt this. You are awesome - go do awesome things!

As Management Guru Peter Drucker said -Culture eats strategy for breakfast. This is so true, Organization culture is the most effective factor for its success. Navigating organizational cultural change is complex and needs committed, effective and persuasive leadership. Understanding rationale and outcome of Change and reflecting same in its vision, gaps between desired and current state, introducing required interventions, Enabling and motivating workforce on cultural shift and feedback loop are key ingredients for success. Cultural shift works only when there is empathy, adaptability and collaboration is at center of the approach.

Culture is the way things are done around here and behavior repeating itself. If you sit with that a while and think about the bad behaviors you witness at work, especially at the leadership level, then there is a cultural problem. The only way you can find that out is through deep listening to understand the behaviors that are prevalent and driving culture.

To lead culture change, understand your organization's existing culture deeply. Identify what needs to evolve to foster innovation, collaboration, and belonging. Effective leadership requires a strategic approach, focusing on areas for significant improvement to align with values of equity, diversity, and inclusivity. This isn't just policy change—it's a shift in the organizational ethos to embody progressive values.

To lead to an organisation that embraces change and adapts new technology you need be persistant in the roadmap and give space for people to learn and define that exact culture. People open up and grow when they feel heard and are part of a change.

If we consider the culture change in an organization like a chain, the engagement of all individuals, teams, middle managers and strategic managers is a must. In a research conducted at a school in Iran, two factors were revealed to have significant effect on culture change and they were sharing information with teams and playing their role in decision making. However this engagement should be regarded with some considerations such as ideal impact, cognitive drivers, and individual readiness to accept change, plan change, organize change, direct change, enforce change and implement change.

In the journey all people define one success and the people that feel left out or simply dont want to will slow down the success of the journey. Engaging with wider audience is seemed to be difficult by many leaders as this takes time but i think you earn this back quickly when results start showing

It’s crucial to understand that culture cannot be imposed. True cultural transformation involves recognizing and valuing the contributions of your people in crafting that culture. The key is to deeply understand the values of your team and ensure that the organization's values are co-created and aligned with those of every member. Now, that's a bumpy road and requires effort and commitment but nothing beats a culture woven by its own people

To engage people effectively, draw upon the principles of intersectionality and inclusion. Foster open dialogues where all voices are not only heard but also valued. Use workshops and interactive sessions that reflect our commitment to anti-oppression and enable every team member to see their role in the cultural shift. Encourage personal stories and lived experiences as part of the learning process, enhancing the collective understanding of why change is necessary. By applying these inclusive approaches, you harness the full spectrum of creativity and insight within the organization, ensuring the change is not only embraced but driven by the community itself.

You can start by working in roles where you can observe and understand organizational dynamics, such as project management, or team leadership positions. Additionally you can volunteer for or propose projects within your organization that involve aspects of culture change. The initiatives can include improving team collaboration, diversity and inclusion efforts, or implementing new processes.

I preach that people always need to improve and as do I. In my teams i often say its continues learning as you need to be ready when the new tech lands on your desktop. This is the only way to continuiously offer the best solutions to the business and not end up building Legacy while talking about it.

To ensure continuous learning within an organization, establish a culture where ongoing education and self-reflection are part of everyday practices. Implement regular training sessions that are not only educational but also interactive, encouraging discussions that challenge existing biases and promote deeper understanding. Create spaces for sharing experiences and insights, which can be transformative in understanding complex identities and systemic inequalities. Encourage mentorship programs that foster diverse leadership and provide all employees with opportunities to grow and contribute their unique perspectives.

One of the strategies that was effective was choosing a few behaviours, communicating them in an easy figurative way for the organization to relate to, always refering to them in any situation as a self reminder and making sure that it becomes the language we use. We’d celebrate individuals who adopt such behaviors and usually the change leader is a visible believer in most of the behaviors to the extent that his/her name is usually linked to being a role model for them.

Make the values and principles of the culture count by using them as argumentative basis in all your discussions. If e.g. your culture shall be built on trust, you can highlight this in a discussion where somebody wants to implement new measures to control the employees.

- Lead with integrity by embodying the values of equity and social justice in every action and decision. - Be transparent, openly discussing your decisions and learning from mistakes to build trust and accountability. - Listen actively to understand different perspectives and experiences, showing that every voice matters. - Seek feedback consistently to understand how your actions affect others and to improve your approach. - Invest in your team's growth by providing opportunities that challenge them and expand their understanding of social justice issues. - Ensure fairness and oppose discrimination by actively intervening against biases and inequalities in your environment.

Specially when you embrace new ways of working and new technology we must learn together. We are all unique and excel in our own area. Having learning sessions together, open forums where we can ask questions that may seem silly you can create a safe place to learn and deliver great business solutions

Collaboration is like a vital ingredient in the recipe for success, as a change leader different perspectives are needed to navigate change, so leaders must create a collaborative environment for ideas to thrive. Collaborative gives room for innovation and creativity which can have positive effect on an organisation change initiatives and management

Don't see barriers, see opportunities. And show others, even the more resistant ones, the benefits of the change. When you promote an optimistic view of the change, authomatically you become a leader of the change.

Many organisations and businesses struggle with similar questions about organisational change or transformation. The challenges they deal with, are huge and they often can't be solved by one organisation alone. To become a leader in change, you can be the person that starts by sharing a request for new knowledge openly. Thereby attracting partner organisations to start working together to find better answers. Even though you have no answer to a problem yet, you can start making an impact by openly sharing your idea that broader collaboration is needed to find answers. The best collaborations that start in this way, are win-win, in the sense that they solve not one but multiple problems for the participating partners.

- Track engagement by monitoring involvement in social justice activities. - Observe cultural changes by looking for increased inclusivity and diverse participation. - Gather feedback using surveys and discussions to evaluate the impact of your initiatives. - Review policies to ensure they align with anti-oppressive principles. - Check representation by assessing diversity in leadership roles. - Assess goals by regularly reviewing progress towards your social justice objectives.

measure, and change measure, and learn measure, and celebrate measure, and communicate measure, and reflect measure is not enough, we should expand the knowledge of the measurement to the rest of the organization

Don’t just track progress. Celebrate it. What gets praised gets repeated. A culture shift can seem big and daunting, so breaking it into small wins and displaying the small bright spots helps make the work more manageable. It will be hard, but it’s not impossible.

How do we become leaders in this transformative movement? adaptability. The ability to pivot and embrace new ideas is crucial in leading culture change. It's not just about implementing new strategies, but also about fostering an environment where innovation thrives. communication is key. As leaders, we must articulate our vision clearly and inspire others to join us on this journey. It's about building a collective mindset that values progress and continuous improvement. Lastly, we must lead by example. Actions speak louder than words, and as leaders, our actions set the tone for the culture we want to create. It's about embodying the change we wish to see and empowering others to do the same.

At any organization its up to the people. As a leader or an individual contributor you have to be the change and be consistent in your messaging. Create safe spaces for people to be their true authentic self. Change happens at the speed of trust; building trust takes time; In that time we're growing, growing our knowledge, connecting with one another, and transforming how we work, how we show up for one another but to do all of that you have to have the courage which only happens if we are vulnerable.