According to Mona Sabet, navigating change and leading change are essential capabilities for any aspiring leader. “The velocity of change is faster today,” says Sabet. “To be relevant in today’s professional world, you must lead change or change will lead you.”

For Sabet, who has lived in four countries on three continents, embracing change was a way of life from an early age. Her parents traveled a lot and by age seven she had been to six different schools.

Sabet has been an attorney, a tech executive, a startup entrepreneur and has co-founded two non-profits. Helping businesses scale and transform has been a constant theme throughout her career. As the General Manager of the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Sabet has grown the conference from 8,000 participants to an expected 15,000 participants in just two years.

3 steps for leading change

I asked Sabet, a seasoned change leader, for some advice for emerging leaders who are just starting out.

Her advice: You don’t have to be in a leadership position to lead meaningful change. Anyone can be a change agent in his or her organization, according to Sabet, with these three steps:

1. Start by looking at what you’re complaining about.

2. See if others are complaining about the same thing.

3. Ask yourself…

• “Am I ready?”
• “Who do I need to help me move forward?”
• “How do I describe the vision?”

“Every time we push ourselves toward transformational change we develop our own legacy,” says Sabet. “Effective change builds legends.”