For as long as I can remember, organizational change has been cast as something that cascades from the visionary CEO to the reluctant frontline. Many of the big changes we’ve seen in recent years, however, have surged up from below. From #metoo to the “great reassessment” to the demands for DEI, the energy fueling change has come from workers in the trenches, not executives ensconced in the boardroom.

“Leading here requires speaking — and hearing — truth to power. It calls for empathy. A dose of humility, too.”

In a piece for Medium, I explore bottom-up change with four experts who offer their unvarnished insights.