Leaders must make people believe in themselves. This is the firm principle held by Shayan Hazir, managing director and chief digital officer for Asia ex Hong Kong and the MENAT region at HSBC.

Speaking on the Humanscope podcast by People Matters, Hazir deep dives into how organisations can do innovation better. He explains why change needs to be defined in the most simplistic way possible in order to be effective, and what organisations and leaders can do to bring it about.

The conversation, hosted by People Matters CEO and co-founder Pushkar Bidwai, considers how successive generations of young people - including the much maligned Gen Z and Gen Alpha - have responded to change in everything from technological tools to the socioeconomic environment. The question Hazir then raises and answers is: how can leaders and organisations in turn respond to these changes in their newest groups of stakeholders?

"We have a responsibility, as a generation, to clear the path for others that are coming behind us. Rather than forcing them to be the way we are, we have to change a bit of ourselves," he says.

As a technology leader, Hazir brings not only a fascination with the concepts and tools but also a melding of creative sensibilities that shapes his attitude to technology. It's not about the technology in itself, but the application. And it's not just about using the application to effect surface change, but to explore how it can lead to deeper, more fundamental changes in the very business model. Something particularly important in the context of an exceptionally powerful technology such as AI.

He believes leaders have a responsibility to initiate and support that internal change - to spark curiosity and nudge people into asking: what if? It's not something leaders can or should do alone, either. Creativity must be collaborative, he says:

"It's incumbent on us as leaders to allow people that freedom to share, freedom to have their opinions, to provide them with platforms where they can exchange ideas. Because the diversity of ideas creates the best opportunity for innovation."

Watch the full conversation on People Matters Youtube channel.

The latest episode of Humanscope features Darren Thayre, Director of Innovation and AI pursuit lead at Google. Stay tuned to our podcast series to explore stories that explore the limitless potential of human talent—the creativity, innovation, and leadership that drive organisations forward.