Game changer is a small phrase with big impact, prompting visions of world altering change. Recent corporate history is populated by game changing leaders…Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos to name a few.
Their vision and tenacity have affected millions, though not necessarily always for good. Creating such a legacy for many of us may seem stratospheric, beyond our grasp. And yet there are others who perhaps don’t make the first to mind list but who have changed the game.
Paul Polman took Unilever out of the tyranny of quarterly financial reporting and oriented the business around sustainability. Bob Chapman, CEO of US manufacturer Barry Wehmiller, defined Truly Human Leadership, treating his staff like his own family (with loving care) and focused the business on building a better world.
When General Motors was emerging from bankruptcy in 2009 Mary Barra (its then VP of Global HR and now CEO) ripped up the 10-page company dress code in favour of just two words to signal a shift away from bureaucracy and a move towards trusting people to make the right decisions. The two words? Dress appropriately.
Game changing acts can be smaller still. Whatever our leadership scope we can make a difference. We may start to delegate and empower others instead of keeping a tight rein on things. We might shift from issuing instructions to asking people for their ideas and approaches. We could break out of taking advice only from our usual circle. The point is we can all review our practice and find small and sometimes larger changes that have a disproportionately positive impact.
We’re in the season of New Year’s resolutions, of optimism and hope for the year ahead. If we haven’t done so yet it may be time to set our intentions for changing the game and bringing them into action, whatever their scale.