In March, I was honoured to speak at the Inspiring Greatness Elevate event at Doltone House, Western Sydney. Inspiring Greatness, a Sydney-based Christian charity, believes that trapped within every person is the seed of greatness. Their mission is to help people discover and nurture this potential through various initiatives, including prophetic conferences in partnership with ministries across Australia and internationally, leadership workshops, curated events for marketplace individuals, and symposiums focused on particular topics (such as previous events on business and relationships).

Elevate was a sold-out event that uniquely brought together professionals, entrepreneurs, marketplace leaders, and ministry heads. It was designed to help people understand the value of ethical leadership and how to navigate a secular marketplace with Christian values. I was privileged to present alongside Kristyn Haywood, a leadership educator and founder of People for Success, and Dr Samuelson Appau, Associate Professor of Marketing at Melbourne Business School and Director of the Blue Nile Program, a business training initiative for African Australian entrepreneurs and professionals.

Kristyn highlighted the inherent leadership qualities in everyone and stressed the importance of aligning with God and purpose. Dr Appau provided invaluable insights on personal branding, emphasising the proactive development and management of our personal brands. Both presentations offered excellent food for thought. I focused on how we can be influential change agents in our systems with my presentation titled “Innovating for Impact.”

Having worked in a central government agency responsible for whole-of- government policies, I have gained substantial experience in project management, policy and program design, evaluation and research. The roles I’ve worked in across different teams have involved advising on a breadth of policies ranging from Sydney’s lock-out laws, the Night-time Economy, child protection, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy. This background informed my presentation, in which I drew on over a decade of experience to discuss how understanding and refining systems can drive effective change in line with the Elevate theme.

In my research and previous experience, I’ve observed that terms are often used without fully understanding or clarifying their meanings, which can lead to misunderstandings. Furthermore, many people are unfamiliar with how Australian governance and the federation operates. Therefore, I began my presentation by defining “innovate”, “impact”, and “elevate”. To me, innovating is about making daily changes and considering new methods, ideas, products, or processes. Impact involves positive changes in people’s experiences, while elevating means lifting or improving experiences.

I also provided a high-level overview of the Australian Federation, explaining how public policy is developed and the distinct roles of local, state, and commonwealth governments. Many people are unclear about who to approach with their concerns, so I briefly explained this. If you find this ‘fuzzy’ as well, I highly recommend exploring the Parliamentary Education Office for further information, especially the ‘Three levels of Government’ page.

During the session, I asked the audience to identify and write down three key issues close to their hearts regarding their communities and country. For me, these issues are women’s empowerment, Sydney’s cost of living, and homelessness. I then challenged them to think about what they could do to address these issues locally, emphasising the importance of starting with local actions rather than waiting for the right time to tackle the global problems. I firmly believe that global impact begins with local steps—trialling, testing, and iterating on local issues before expanding further.

Reflecting on the presentation, there were several key points I made, but in this post, I’ll share my top three. These were:

1. The perfect time doesn’t exist. Start now!

We often hesitate to engage because we’re waiting for the right time, more knowledge, skills, or finances. However, there is never a perfect time to pursue any cause. As I always say, the goal is not to save the world but to serve it, one individual or cause at a time and if you have capacity to handle more causes, awesome! Consider where you are in your life journey, what challenges concern you, your family, or your community, and most importantly, what one thing you can do right now to contribute to a solution. This is where innovation begins.

2. Understand the systems in place. Make use of them and speak up.

Understand how the system works. You don’t need to know every detail, but be aware of your rights as a constituent, resident or citizen; your power as a voter, and how to influence change. Know who to contact, who represents you, and their agenda. Familiarise yourself with your local Member of Parliament and government processes.

During the talk, I shared a personal example of addressing a local government issue regarding road safety during construction. I live in an area undergoing major road upgrades, and after-hours road closures during some periods raise significant risks due to poor visibility and high traffic volume. On one occasion, I noticed the set-up was particularly bad. I made a mental note of this and did not act on it. The following night, I narrowly avoided an accident. Frustrated, I promptly emailed my local MP, the transport department, and the project team publicly listed on the transport website. Their swift response led to immediate improvements at the intersection. This experience demonstrated how speaking up and providing constructive feedback can drive meaningful change and save lives.

So, whenever you Identify challenges, consider what you can do to make a difference as an individual, community member, or business owner.

3. Contribute to system improvements.

How are you improving the system? Are you reflecting and evaluating to ensure your decisions are informed by what works?

Whether individually or within teams and organisations, consistently assess your actions, their purpose, and their impact. The same applies to programs and initiatives you may have started. People grow, technology evolves, and cultural shifts can occur quite rapidly or over time. Without the tools and processes to consistently check in, you may likely cling to outdated methods or projects. This can waste time and resources, and it can easily frustrate those aiming to do good.

Whether in personal life or within work teams and organisations, it’s crucial to constantly review and adapt to changing circumstances. This is crucial to stay effective and relevant. Clinging to outdated processes can waste valuable time, resources, and expertise and frustrate those who want to do good.

Overall, the Elevate event was phenomenal. I engaged in thought-provoking conversations on governance and strategic planning and inspired change in networking chats. I thank Prophet Richard Amoaye and the Inspiring Greatness team for an excellent and inspiring day. The team is made up of corporate, academic, Not-for Profit and public sector professionals as well as business owners who volunteer their time and expertise to advance the cause of Inspiring Greatness. Individuals who I also have the great privilege of collaborating and serving with!

I am definitely looking forward to more of what the Inspiring Greatness Business Network has to offer in the future and word on the street is the team is planning a retreat day on the 7th of December 2024! Trust me, if past events are anything to go by, this is one you should go right ahead and block out in your calendars 🙂

For more on the event, check out The Prophetic Voice Magazine’s Elevate Edition here.

Now, I’ll leave you with a final question. After reading this, what comes to mind, and what actions will you take to ensure you contribute to change in your local spheres?

Until next time, continue to do something that improves the state of a place or people you encounter 😊