Catalyst

Leadership doesn’t start with structure. It starts with community.
In the opening conversation at ENERGIZE 2026, Brandi Carson (Catalyst) and Dr. Cynthia Neal Spence (Spelman College) explored what it actually takes to build leadership that creates lasting impact.

At the center of the dialogue was a clear idea: leadership is not something that develops in isolation. It is shaped through mentorship, intention, and the ability to recognize and activate potential in others.

Dr. Spence spoke to the role of mentorship in her own journey — how leaders who “saw things in her” helped shape her path — and what that means for leaders today. It is not just about individual growth, but about building environments where others can see themselves as leaders.
The conversation also challenged a common assumption: that community and business impact are separate. In reality, the strongest outcomes come when individuals understand how their role connects to something larger — when there is clarity of purpose, alignment, and shared accountability.

As Dr. Spence emphasized, leadership carries a responsibility — to build coalitions, to invest in people, and to create something that extends beyond individual contribution.

That is where impact becomes sustainable.
And where ERGs move from supporting the organization to helping shape it.

Curious how others are thinking about this:
How are you seeing leadership and community intersect in your organization today?

Most organizations are still asking the same question about ERGs:
what is the real business impact?

At ENERGIZE 2026, that question came up across conversations, but so did a clear shift.
In the session on moving from activity to impact, leaders like Jessica Sharafi (National Bank Investments), Amy Scott (Invesco), and Faisal Husain (Accenture) spoke to what it takes to move beyond programming and into measurable outcomes. The focus isn’t on doing more, it’s on aligning to business priorities, building structure, and showing progress over time.

At the same time, the session led by Laura Neville, with Kathryn Burdett (Deutsche Bank) and Cecilia Loving (Loving Factor), brought in a different layer: the environment ERGs are operating in today. More complex, more scrutinized, and more demanding.

ERGs are not becoming less relevant. They’re becoming more intentional, more structured, and more accountable to outcomes.

How is this shift showing up in your organization?