Alexander Fleming - Penicillin
"Change leaders, collectively analyse data to gain valuable insights, learn from failures, and persevere in order to achieve collaborative breakthroughs"
👏 Happy Friday!
On this day, September 15, 1928, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin while studying influenza. Fleming observed that a mold called Penicillium notatum had antibiotic properties that stopped the growth of staphylococcus bacteria. His accidental observation ignited widespread curiosity, while his open-minded experimentation paved the way for a life-saving antibiotic treatment. Further investigations into the properties and potential applications of this newfound substance revealed its extraordinary capacity to combat bacterial infections. The scientific community did not immediately recognise the potential of penicillin and it was not mass produced until the 1940s. Turning penicillin into a practical drug required systemic analysis, effort, and perseverance from Fleming and his collaborators. It is impossible to know how many lives have been saved by penicillin, but it is estimated that penicillin saved eighty to two hundred million lives.
✅ Alexander Fleming told us, “It is the lone worker who makes the first advance in a subject; the details may be worked out by a team, but the prime idea is due to enterprise, thought, and perception of an individual.” Fleming highlighted that transformative discoveries often originate from individual insights. However, realising their full potential requires systematic, collaborative efforts. Like turning penicillin from scientific discovery into a life-saving drug, today’s complex organisational challenges necessitate cross-disciplinary data analysis and teamwork to translate ideas into solutions. As change leaders, we must foster a culture that values data, learning, and perseverance to drive breakthrough innovations through collective efforts. Change Leaders Must Notice Anomalies.
“Change leaders, collectively analyse data to gain valuable insights, learn from failures, and persevere in order to achieve collaborative breakthroughs”
👉 Organisational change leadership is about effectively and proactively articulating the vision, modelling the new way, and intervening to ensure sustainable change. It means not being involved in the change management charade, an absurd pretence intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance of change. Leaders cannot continue to focus on normal day-to-day operations devoid of executing their change leadership responsibilities. It is not a one-time event but rather a process that requires time, effort, and adaptability. Change leadership requires patience, continuous improvement, commitment to incremental progress, but above all, it is about aiming for excellence.
Have a fantastic weekend with the ones you love and care for, enjoy some fresh air, exercise, eat, drink and be happy.
Further Reading: Change Management Leadership - Leadership of Change Volume 4
Peter consults, speaks, and writes on the Leadership of Change®.
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Peter F Gallagher is a Change Management Global Thought Leader, Guru, Expert, International Speaker, Author and Leadership Alignment Coach.
Listed #1 by leadersHum Top 40 Change Management Gurus You Should Follow in 2022 (Mar 2022).
Ranked #1 Change Management Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management (2023-2022-2021-2020) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #1 Business Strategy Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Business Strategy (2022) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #2 Leadership Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Leadership (Aug 2020) by Thinkers360.
Business Book Ranking
Change Management Behaviour - Leadership of Change® Volume 6, listed among the 50 Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2022.
Change Management Adoption - Leadership of Change® Volume 5, listed among year-to-date’s (Jul 2021) most popular books on business and technology from Thinkers360 member thought leaders.
Change Management Handbook - Leadership of Change® Volume 3, listed among the 50 Business and Technology Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2021.
Change Management Pocket Guide - Leadership of Change® Volume 2, ranked within the top 50 Business and Technology Books (Jan 2020) from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders.