Creating meaningful change within an organization takes initiative, collaboration, and a clear vision for progress. We asked a few leaders at forward-thinking companies how they take action when they identify opportunities for improvement—and how they turn those ideas into real growth for their companies.
When you find an area where your company could improve, how do you go about creating the next steps to help your organization grow?
“After identifying an area for improvement, I start by researching and collaborating to find a viable solution. With a clear vision of the future state, I work backward to map out the key actions needed to bridge the gap from present to future. Sticky notes help me organize steps and capture anticipated challenges. From there, stakeholder buy-in is crucial—coming prepared with a well-structured plan, timeline, and next steps makes all the difference. Once aligned, I put the plan into action, driving meaningful progress and impact in our workplace.” —Ashley Aptt Sr. Director, Global Learning & Development, Bandwidth
“What I think has helped us to have success in gaining traction for our employee resource group events is recognizing and aligning with diversity and inclusion goals, and then gaining buy-in for larger scale actions/events by telling our real-life stories and how our ideas can help women in the organization gain additional opportunities. Storytelling as a practice for business endeavors is extremely powerful! Pairing this skill with already existing activities/actions to boost their scope/impact is a great way to obtain growth in numerous ways.” —Becca Alexander, Human Resources Program Manager Protection, Controls, & Solutions (PCS), Eaton Corporation
“WAVE and SWE are all about continuous improvement! As the world and workforce evolve, so do we. If a member spots an opportunity for change, there's always room to make it happen. When I identify an area for improvement or additional engagement, I align it with our goals to build a solid business case, and strategically time my proposal to create buy-in. I'm grateful to be in a place where I am empowered with runway to innovate, drive meaningful change, and create lasting impact within the organization.” —Allison Lopes, Division Channel Manager - Industrial Controls, Eaton Corporation
