Regular readers will know that I have progressive vision loss and I am passionate about disability inclusion. I find challenges daily; some are easy to work around, and others just strike me that something needs to change.
For a few months now, I have been getting frustrated at not being able to build Lego sets with my kids. The instructions are the problem, I struggle identifying the colour and shape of the pieces. While trying to make a set with my son this weekend, my frustration grew. Previously I had just called on my wife to help, but she was out with my daughter. I have options like the app "Be My Eyes", but I thought - if I have this issue, others do. So, I reached out to Lego on Twitter, and they came back quickly with a link to their audio instructions.
The fact Lego have an audio instruction service was a huge surprise and is extremely useful. Unfortunately, the set I was building isn't there. I subsequently followed up with Lego to request that this is made available via their usual instructions app, and they investigate providing an app to help identify Lego pieces. Lego replied quickly and say they have passed the feedback on to the appropriate teams.
While this hasn't resulted in a change yet, what it did show me is that if I don't take the time to ask, provide feedback and request change, it won't happen.
This article from HBR provides guidance on how we as individuals can drive change in our organisations. We shouldn't wait on others - we have the power to drive change. It is your time.
A single person with a clarity of conscience and a willingness to speak up can make a difference. Contributing to the greater good is a deep and fundamental human need. When a leader, even a mid-level or lower level leader, skillfully brings a voice and a vision, others will follow and surprising things can happen—even culture change on a large scale.
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