What do we mean by transforming leaders into changemakers? For me, a leader is someone in a position of influence responsible for creating a vision of the future that is hopeful and optimistic, who also enrols others to make that vision possible. This could be anyone with conviction to create a better world but for the purposes of this HR Summit, I’m referring to organisational leaders who are called to drive change in their organisation. Leaders who must help themselves and others to navigate a world of unprecedented change and complexity where time is scarce, exhaustion runs high and uncertainty reigns.

Transforming is of course a journey, a metamorphosis that takes place over time changing the purpose of a living thing. The caterpillar becomes a butterfly with the same genetic DNA but a new purpose, the child becomes an adult fit for the purpose of living independently outside its familial environment, so an organisation as a living dynamic system has the generative power to shift and adapt its purpose to survive and thrive in a new era.

Humankind is at a turning point which is why beyond leadership and transformation we need leaders capable of thinking and acting as changemakers. These leaders look beyond their role to take responsibility for the whole organisation and the organisation’s impact on society and the planet. As an HR professional working in today’s world, the term from ‘ego to eco’ might be familiar. As inspiring as an individual leader might be, it is collective leadership built on teams and collaboration that is now the lifeline for organisational sustainability. The metaphor of a ‘well-oiled machine’ has given way to relationship networks and the recognition that what matters now is humane leadership built on a different quality of connectedness and care.

For the past 21 years I have worked as a coach, facilitator and consultant alongside leaders, leadership teams, and fast-growing businesses to help them adapt and thrive on change. I believe there are four essential ingredients which can help leaders at scale become changemakers. We already know the power of psychological safety, story and cultivating a growth mindset to support leaders and teams to change but with 50% of an organisation typically resisting change, what does it take for a siloed organisation to reach a tipping point so that leaders can experience themselves as part of an interconnected living system, where individuals and the organisation can thrive?

The keynote outlines a framework with a living case study to illustrate what’s possible and in the workshop, I hope the audience will experience first-hand what it is like to be connected as one living system working with emergent change, while building the critical connections needed to further their work as HR professionals.

About the author

Carissa Bub, founder of London-based Bubworks, is an organizational coach and leadership communications specialist. She enables executives, teams and business partnerships to deliver better results by becoming more connected and collaborative. Whether she’s working with parliaments, portfolio managers or people on the factory floor, she focuses on finding luminaries, the grounded leaders who help organizations embrace change.