Leadership SPOTLIGHT

By Chris Rollins

Leaders today do not fully appreciate the ripple effects of their decisions, and it’s eroding trust in organizations. In our highly interconnected world, a top-down, siloed approach to leadership is not only ineffective, it’s a culture killer.

As part of a community of business leaders and entrepreneurs, navigating the complex challenges of the modern business landscape requires that you embrace a new paradigm — a new way of thinking — one that recognizes the power of The Ripple Effect.

Imagine standing at the edge of a pond, poised to toss a pebble into the water. As the pebble breaks the surface, it creates a series of concentric circles that expand outward, touching everything in their path. This simple act — tossing a pebble — serves as a powerful metaphor for the kind of leadership mindset that is required for building successful, high-trust teams in today’s workplace.

Every interaction, every decision, every action you take sends out ripples that reverberate throughout your organizations and communities. Whether positive or negative, these ripples shape the culture, drive the innovation, and determine the success of your teams and businesses.

Consider the challenges we’re facing as leaders today: increased polarization, a loneliness epidemic, technological disruptions, diverse and distributed teams, and shifting societal norms. In this dynamic environment, the ability to create meaningful change through small, intentional actions is more critical than ever. Not only for you, but everyone on your team.

Enter Ripple Effect Leadership™ — a dynamic approach that empowers individuals to become agents of change within your organization. At its core, Ripple Effect Leadership is about recognizing the interconnectedness of all things and leveraging the power of those connections to create safety and build trust with the people we work with every day.

Here are three easy-to-remember principles that will help you become a Ripple Effect Leader in your own business, community and life.

You are the Pebble

It comes down to you. At the heart of Ripple Effect Leadership™ is the recognition that every individual has the power to create big change with small actions. Whether you’re a CEO leading a multinational corporation, a small business owner with 20 employees, or a solopreneur building your business, your actions matter. Your words matter. Each interaction you have, each decision you make, sends out ripples that shape the world around you. This is about building a deep sense of self-awareness. Ask yourself…

• How am I showing up in meetings?

• How can I more actively listen during 1:1s with my team?

• How productive and helpful is the feedback I’m sharing with others?

The question I get most often from individual contributors at companies where I speak is about what to do when their managers or leaders don’t seem to understand their impact.

Let this be your call to action to really reflect on the quality of your conversations and communication with people in your business.

Polish the Pebble

The next principle is about doing the work to be a leader who is actively creating safety and building trust with your colleagues and customers. It’s about the way you show up and interact with others.

In order to build trust, you have to shift the way you think. You have to shift from a siloed mindset to a Ripple Effect Mindset.

I’ll share more about the difference between those two in a future column. But for now, let’s focus on the elements of a Ripple Effect Mindset. It comes down to polishing the pebble with these five skills: vulnerability, kindness, curiosity, empathy, and humility.

• Vulnerability allows you to authentically connect with others, fostering trust and openness.

• Kindness creates a culture of care and encouragement, empowering individuals to bring their whole selves to work.

• Curiosity fuels engagement, innovation and collaboration, driving meaningful change.

• Empathy enables us to understand and resonate with the experiences of others, fostering inclusion and belonging.

• Humility encourages us to co-create, to put others in the spotlight, to do what’s best for the team, not the individual.

These five skills become a lens through which Ripple Effect Leaders think, decide, listen, communicate and act. It’s a commitment and a practice. Over and over again.

Jump in the Pond

The first thing I do when I speak at conferences, with leadership teams and at corporate retreats is tell my personal story. Leading with vulnerability can be uncomfortable, but it’s essential for creating a culture of safety and belonging. It’s the fabric of connection.

Safety is not something we passively wait around for; it’s something we actively create through our actions and behaviors. By embracing vulnerability and modeling the leadership we want to see in others, we can inspire positive change and create a Ripple Effect that transforms our organizations and communities.

Take Action

Reflect on past conversations you’ve had with your team members. Have there been instances where your words or actions may have unintentionally caused a negative ripple effect?

Consider opportunities to create more authentic connections with your team members and bring more vulnerability to your interactions. By doing so, you can create a culture of trust, collaboration and innovation that empowers everyone to thrive.

In the next column, we’ll go deeper into the framework so you have even more tools at your disposal to apply in your daily leadership practice.

In the meantime, please connect with me on LinkedIn to continue the conversation. I’d love to hear how you’re thinking about this in your own business or career, and what leadership challenges you’re currently facing.

And if you’d like to learn more about my Ripple Effect Leadership keynotes and workshops, visit my website at chrisrollins.me.

Chris Rollins is a keynote speaker, a leadership coach, and the founder of Ripple Effect Leadership, which helps organizations develop inclusive, high-trust, human-centered workforces.