The importance of influencing change from the top-down
Influencing change in an organisation is so much more than a stand-alone project or system transition. According to Entec Si CEO Eman Al Hillawi, to see change that lasts, it’s on leaders to foster a culture that drives transformation at every level – and it starts with themselves.
By adopting an attitude to change that embraces it within all avenues of my life, I’ve seen the positive impacts feed into my business and client projects too. But becoming a leader that truly pioneers change isn’t a simple feat – it takes a lot of resilience, a willingness to learn, and getting out of your comfort zone.
From an early age, moving to a completely new country forced change upon me, as I got to grips with an entirely new culture, language and learning environment. Joining a school with little to no diversity was challenging, and I felt completely out of my depth. I still remember the exact moment, at age fourteen, that I woke up and realised that it’s ultimately up to me to make the most of my situation, and make the decision to either fight or embrace change.
So, I embraced it. The difficult times were still there, but it was my perspective on the world that shifted. I began to enjoy the entire process of change, building a network of people around me for support. Change was initially imposed upon me, but eventually became a core part of who I am.
While these early experiences were scary, they allowed me to come face-to-face with change early on, building the foundations for the growth mindset I have today. They also put me in a stronger position for facing life changes that followed, such as my career transition. From working in biochemistry for eleven years, I transitioned to business and consultancy, leaving a world I’d become so accustomed to. Once again, this new endeavour felt so unfamiliar that it was almost alien – but from all those challenges along the way, I knew that change, while uncomfortable, would ultimately lead to a positive outcome.
Fast forward to today and I continue to embrace change in every way I can, allowing it to remain at the core of my leadership style. Leaders should draw on their own life experiences to build their growth mindset, whilst actively pursuing new experiences to maintain this. I regularly put myself out there for enriching opportunities, such as being part of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) council to help get my voice heard in my local business community. Being a mentor has similarly been a fulfilling way to make a difference in the sector, advising young professionals on their careers whilst embracing new opportunities for myself.
Interests away from the office
Outside of work, being a private aircraft pilot has built my resilience immensely, and it’s been empowering to break down barriers of gender misconceptions in the industry. And more recently, solo travelling in Italy opened the door to a rich, cultural experience that I never would’ve had if I’d let the fear of venturing beyond my comfort zone consume me.
In addition to opportunities like these, networking is so important to fostering a positive attitude towards change – it’s not always a comfortable experience, and certainly never was for me. But putting yourself in these situations regardless, will allow you to be open to the value it can offer, both in personal and professional growth. Once you realise that being authentically yourself and continuing to put yourself out there is key, you will be able to reap the benefits that change can bring.
This type of mindset can enhance any leader’s ability to support their clients. I’ve found that, because I understand the process of change, the hesitancies attached to it, and its ultimately positive impact, I’m able to guide my clients more confidently, providing much-needed reassurance and implementing mechanisms to help them build resilience.
And in my own team, it’s important to me that my attitude towards change supports staff morale. Constantly moving from one client to the next and jumping on new projects is how we work, and a collective mindset that embraces change is vital to sustaining this. Every time we take on a new client, we need to get out of our own comfort zone in order to truly understand them and what they need. To encourage this outside of our projects, we set regular team challenges to push ourselves. We recently did a ‘Move more in May’ challenge, which saw the team collectively walk what would have amounted to the distance between Birmingham, UK to an island just off Canada.
To see the positive influence of change pour into their own business and client projects, leaders need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable – get out there in your community and get your voice heard, forge those valuable connections that could last a lifetime, and push your own staff to be the best, most improved versions of themselves. We know better than anyone that fear of risk is not a good enough reason to stay stuck in your comfort zone – and if we’re advising our clients to embrace change, we need to lead by example.
Eman Al-Hillawi is CEO of business change consultancy, Entec Si.
