Why Effective Leadership is a Key Enabler of Transformation | Speaking with Global Transform’s Dax Grant

For senior business executives and management teams, the ability to lead effectively has been of the utmost importance, and the need to adapt has been critical. Those who have been able to adapt are thriving, and the key lessons learnt have been fundamental to inspiring change and transformation that will, hopefully, enable continued growth and success.

Dax Grant, a recognised Keynote speaker, renowned Woman in Technology and societal voice, shares her insights on what those takeaways have been, how these lessons have acted as key enablers for many organisations, and what transformations she believes will continue to have a profound impact on society.

We have seen all sorts of change take place in the past 2 years – and leaders in every field have had to adapt – What do you feel is one of the most important leadership lessons you have learnt/taken away from the upheaval in the past 2 years?

The previous 2 years during the pandemic have been pivotal times for so many of us. Everyone has their own story both personal and professional. Professionally, the responsibility for a global function involves ensuring colleagues within the team felt supported during this period ranging from checking in on well-being, supportive calls, empathy, compassion and understanding through to the practical actions of ensuring front line colleagues in the global operation across 65 countries were equipped to work remotely and maintaining global technology service levels to ensure an effective operation.

In a non-executive capacity, the requirement to guide the organisations that I work with to navigate unprecedented times and provide guidance to the executive teams, in parallel driving a variety of societal initiatives. Personally, supporting family during times of need and home-schooling my son whilst supporting my daughter through her A-level examinations to secure her first-choice university. Through this time, I have deepened my understanding of the meaning of leading with empathy in a global environment. I have realised how continual compassion brought a team together to deliver tremendous results in what I am sure we would all agree were testing times for all. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of personal grit and integrity in leadership, the constancy of your tenacity is based on the degree to which you can access, ignite, and control it in line with your anchor values.

How do you view these lessons as an enabler for both teams and individuals and for businesses?

Attuning to your personal leadership style is an essential part of each of the leadership journeys we are each on. Each chapter of the book unlocks a set of gifts and learnings that are essential for the next chapter. Leading with example, sharing vision, direction, compassion, and shared humanity is essential in today’s interconnected world. Any key leadership position requires a personal navigational compass of anchor values and grit if the foundation of accessing tenacity with authenticity and ground control. The ability to lead by example is essential for ensuring cohesive collaborative teams, in a hybrid world this requirement increases exponentially. Leading with authenticity and compassion provides teams with an anchor point creating an open environment and ‘virtual open door’ policy – teams are so much more attuned to this in a virtual world where continued connectivity is essential. Role modelling behaviour and key leadership traits ensure with time a supportive community culture that enables excelled performance through individual and team growth.

What transformations have you witnessed that you believe have the most or will have the most profound impact on society?

The world is undergoing important social transformations driven by the impact of globalization, global environmental change and economic factors and recognition of inequalities. The global nature of the Covid-19 pandemic itself has demonstrated the requirement for innovative solutions conducive to universal humanitarian values of well-being, equality, respect and focus on positivity, peace and creativity and innovation for good. Equally the realisation of the implications of global warming and environmental change has led to a call to arms for each of us in an individual and global leadership capacity. The call for societal leadership has never been stronger.

Technology leaders have played such a critical role during the pandemic. Looking forward, how do you see a technology leader’s role continue to evolve?

Technology leadership has certainly been called up for immediate action during the pandemic. The ability to lead in response to the requirement to enable remote network capability, build business continuity through a flexible technology model is a minimum entry requirement whether in a global or local business. Digitization is called for at the board level and as such leadership of functions requires the ability to digitize together with the know-how of enterprise leadership. Moreover, technology leadership is increasingly required to step into supporting and driving societal good – whether that is as a pivotal role within the broad enterprise or through contribution to the carbon footprint, societal supply chain management or contribution to the commitments for net-zero.