Be the inspiration - Be the influencer

Be the inspiration - Be the influencer

by Dirk Depré - March 2, 2020

Do you know that guy that actually worked his way up and became a true honest and fine professional? A professional with exquisite hard skills, but also with a fine vision on how his actions can influence people in a positive way? When you think about someone, it doesn’t have to be a CEO or General Director, but it can also be your everyday colleague… Well in that case, do you know him?

I’m lucky to know a couple of these amazing creatures, and I’m pretty sure you do too. One of them is Philippe. I’ve known Philippe for over 20 years, we’ve been and still are very close friends. At a previous employer, I was able to work with him and this enriched my perspective on a lot of things. But lately, what I like the most about him, is that he’s been doing a lot of introspection in order to further grow on a personal level. And, at the same time, he has combined that with a growth mindset about agility in a professional context. Yes, I speak highly of him, not because he’s a good friend and because he buys me a beer once in a while, but because he came to an understanding that he can influence a lot of people in a positive way, just by showing positive behavior towards ever-changing ways of working inside organisations. If many more of us are willing to rethink behavior in a professional context like he did, we can all achieve amazing things together. Thanks Philippe for inspiring me!

Humble Bee

Arthur Ashe, a legendary American tennis player was given infected blood given in heart surgery in 1983,. Because of that he died of aids. The story goes that the sick Arthur Ashe replied a letter of one of his fans who asked him: " Why did God have to choose you for such a horrible illness?". That letter would later become the famous "Why me?"-letter.

A look in the mirror

“What have I done today that made a difference for myself or for my team?” Making sure a new way of operating sticks, requires from each individual a personal effort. In previous posts, I’ve often wrote about leadership, and their role to inspire people. But each individual, no matter the function or level, influences the impact of change, just by their behavior. So, John or Jane Doe, looking back on today, what did you do to make your professional life or that of the team more valuable?

Since we live in an era of constant change, we all need to understand that each and everyone of us holds a piece of the puzzle and we are actually all responsible for making the change happen. Leadership must inspire and guide, for sure! At the same time, each individual holds the power to change their own behavior in relation to the updated strategy or values and beliefs of organizations. Once the big picture is clear to us, we should challenge ourselves a bit more to see the world from that new or different perspective. Organizations don’t change just because they like to, it is because they have to in order to give each employee a future inside the organization. I’m pretty sure, if an organization grew to a certain level and made good profit and could continue to do ‘till the end of time, they wouldn’t change a winning approach. But the reality is just completely different.

Well here’s something to think about: People don’t like big promises although they do like to dream. People prefer to be told a realistic view. But what if, in the many changes organisations go through it is not about the happy ending, but all about the journey? It is in fact about seeing the opportunity and start making the difference, and this is behavior each and everyone of us can showcase. You shouldn’t tell yourself that it doesn’t matter, because it’s just a case of perspective. Your behavior, not matter level or rank, can be an inspiration for the ones around you. Making the change happen is a collective responsibility.

So, next time you walk into the office, it would be refreshing to change your behavior in relation to the values and beliefs, and so you can also start influencing the ones around you.

Let’s build cultures of amazement.