Leadership Ripple Effects

Leadership ripple effects is about the impact leaders and individuals have on their organizations and communities.  Like a stone thrown into a calm pond, leadership behaviors create a ripple effect that extends beyond immediate interactions, and influences various aspects of the organizational and societal ecosystem.  

My cousin and I are commencement speech junkies. We trade commencement speeches to each other.  The irony is that we both probably do not remember our own college commencement speaker let alone what the person said.  Over the years, we have been hooked on commencement speeches… from high school to college commencements, we devour and analyze all the speeches we find.  We seek out the commencement speeches of some high schools and colleges because they always have spectacular speakers. 

While some of those speeches sound similar and familiar, some really stand out.  Irrespective of how ordinary or spectacular each speech is, one thing runs through all the speeches, from high school to college…and that is the charge to graduates to go out and do something different to make the world better – it could be their communities, their states or countries.  It always sounds like this: “no matter where you find yourself, what you are doing go out and be the leader the world is waiting for”.

One of our favorite speeches of all time is the University of Texas at Austin’s 2014 commencement address given by Admiral William H. McRaven.  Taking his cue from the University’s slogan which says “What starts here changes the world”, the speaker broke it down to show how one person’s commitment and action can indeed change the world.   

Using the Navy Seal training process, Admiral McRaven explained how each person can make a difference and how that starts a ripple effect.  According to research, the average person will meet 10, 000 persons in their lifetime, he said.  In 2014, there were 8,000 graduates of UT.  Based on this, if each graduate would change at least the lives of 10 people, within 5 generations, the lives of 800 million would have been changed. 

He did not make this sound easy.  On the contrary, he vividly explained the rigor and toughness navy seal training (which made my older son quickly change his mind about becoming a navy seal without setting foot into the academy).  He carefully and in practical terms explained the goals of each of the Navy Seal’s training exercise and how they apply to anyone committed to making a change no matter how little. 

Mother Theresa understood the impact of leadership ripple effect.  She is often quoted as saying that, if you cannot feed a hundred, feed one person.  Start with one person.  

When leaders consistently demonstrate the right behaviors, it sets the standard for the rest of the organization.  The best leadership succession framework for any organization is the demonstrated leadership acts by the past and present leaders.  The way leaders interact with their teams sets the tone for team dynamics. Leaders who foster open communication, trust, and collaboration create an environment where team members feel empowered and motivated to contribute their best work.  These behaviors get embedded in the organizational fabric creating positive ripple effects.  

I help organizations to identify, define and implement leadership competencies that embody organizational values.  To see how I can help your leaders exhibit behaviors that create positive ripple effects, connect with me for a free conversation.  Click on the contact button below to leave me a note.