Movements don’t have to be loud or forceful to be impactful.
In fact, many of the most effective movements are started, built, and sustained by people we will never know. They’ve shaped our daily lives in ways we rarely recognize — sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse. What’s most interesting about movements is that we all play a role in driving them, consciously or unconsciously, through our everyday behaviours, choices, and interactions. Take the widespread acceptance of the side hustle among millennials as an example. This didn’t appear overnight. It was shaped by the Maker Culture Movement that began in the 1990s within DIY communities. By the early 2000s, it had accelerated through platforms like Etsy and Pinterest, along with the rise of weekend craft markets as we know them today. What’s both encouraging and fascinating is that all of us have the ability to start — or advance — a movement today. This is especially relevant in the world of work, where there has never been a greater need for movements that deliberately create holistic cultures that drive business growth through wellness, not despite it. So how do you begin building a movement of people-centred, balanced leadership? First, find your tribe.
You’ll discover many more people who share your beliefs once you start articulating them. The key is to be united by the change you’re trying to create — not just by what needs to change. Focusing only on problems often spirals into unproductive complaint. Second, consistently live your beliefs — one person, one meeting, one motive at a time.
Unless you’re already in a position of extreme power, you won’t change your company, your team, or the world in a single day. But you can begin making progress in one. When external circumstances feel bigger than your radius of influence, ask yourself:
“What is the greatest amount of change I can influence today?” Focus on that.
A series of small, deliberate changes repeated over 365 days will make a difference. Third, build a following through investment, not solicitation.
Identify the people who are drawn to your values and invest in them intentionally. The biblical standard from discipleship and how it spread across the world is: invest deeply in three people. Who then invest in three more. And so on. Recently, a colleague shared how she attended a conference led entirely by people she had once mentored. Many of them now lead teams larger than the one she led when they worked for her. Lives changed.
A movement started — and advanced. Monday is another opportunity to either start or further advance yours. What will it be anchored on?