There’s a lot of “conventional wisdom” around how to implement change within organisations. Primarily, it focuses on the culture and values across the firm. But before you can begin to change the culture, you must change yourself.
It sounds a little too full on, like it could be a line from some kind of Barrack Obama speech. Too often, though, people focus on the external. They underestimate what impact their behaviour and values have on the culture, particularly if they are at a senior level.
After all, if we consider what we expect a true leader to be able to do, inspire and motivate staff to acheive, how could we possibly misunderstand the impact executive behaviour has? And it doesn’t end there. Even if you aren’t a senior manager, change still starts with you.
Your behaviour and attitude influence the entire organisation. The bad news is that a negative attitude is contagious. The good news is that positive attitudes are too. Before you go to work trying to change others, change yourself first.
