Everyone seems eager to “lead change” these days. I keep hearing people say: “ I want to be a changemaker”, “I transform the way our company does business”, “I am a social entrepreneur”, “I support others to go through inner transformation” and so on.
Yet, when we do experience change - like the mind-altering Covid 19 crisis - it often scares people off. Besides, our ego put aside, the fact remains that change does not wait for us to initiate it. Heraclitus warned: “The only thing that is constant is change”.
So, what’s about “changemaker” label that makes it so sexy? Who’s a “changemaker”? Can we even become one? How, so? All these answers lie within ONE simple truth.
FINDING MEANING
What does “changemaker” mean?
Funny enough, when I looked at the Merriam-Webster dictionary, I found a single definition: “a device that mechanically supplies change in coins of desired denominations upon the operation of the proper levers or keys”. I guess this is not what you had in mind.
Yet, it gives us some clues. It implies a process of transformation, a shift from one original state to a desired one thanks to the action of an external subject and the use of resources. One may then wonder if every person’s thought or action - whether writing, speaking, cooking or working - makes him or her a changemaker. After all, everything done by an individual is, by itself, a unique way of creating a reality.
Is “changemaker” just another way to speak about any human being?
Well…. Yes and no.“Changemaker” is a term coined by Ashoka organization as “ anyone who is taking creative action to solve a social problem”:
The label “changemaker” could apply to someone like Esther Duflo (Economic Nobel Prize) recognized for her approach to alleviating global poverty; or members of inclusive digital schools like Simplon; or students who participated in the global green strikes; or corporate sustainability workers who walk the talk of the Global Compact; or disadvantaged people who are developing their own innovative solutions and so many others.
No barriers of any kind - neither geographical, social, economic, political, gender nor age-based - can hinder someone from being a changemaker.
Yet, not everyone is a changemaker. So, how does one acquire this status? Aiming at solving a worldwide issue (either social, environmental, or economical) for the common good is a first “selection criteria”. Turning ideas into action - despite the many hurdles along the way - is another. The capacity to be disruptive in striving for a future goal is a third attribute.
I could continue on and on with many other characteristics, categories and learning methods. Is that what really matters?
look into YOURSELF to activate your power
Everyone has the possibility to be a changemaker. Thanks to Aristotle, we may understand that those that become changemakers are simply turning this option (a “potentiality”) into a reality (an “actuality”). Everyone has the inner power to use his/her story, strengths, emotions and intelligence to build and/or amplify smarts sustainable solutions for the world. What really matters is the answer to “what changemaker do I want to be?”.
Confused? Let’s break it down.
It’s a Sunday afternoon. A 30 year-old corporate women looks through the window: spring is coming, the sun is shining, it’s a new start. She has worked hard to figure out she desired to move from auditing to human resources. She will leverage diversity for individuals’ creativity and well-being to boost the company’s global impact. She is a changemaker in “power” (“potentiality”).
Months go by. It’s September. She is leading an internal survey to understand how to disrupt the system and make diversity a reality within her organization. She is, now and in real life, a changemaker (“actuality”).
Bottom line: YOU CAN and YOU DESERVE to actualize your inner power to contribute to society and the environment in your own way.
actualizing your change
a simple Tool
You may then wonder where to start or even how to reconnect to this inner power. Here is a simple approach that may help you to get the ball rolling.
First, let me ask you: are you fully satisfied with your mission and impact at work?
If yes, great! I invite you to think about what is working so well and what can be done to boost your impact and excitement.
If you’re like “well… I like (e.g my job or company or colleagues …) but I am (eg. less motivated, confused on the value of my contribution…), you may want to ask yourself if the frustration and/or the desire for a better situation is strong enough to overcome your fears (yes we all have many) and make a change.
If it’s a clear “I am lost and it’s time for me to change.”Celebrate your honesty and courage as it is a KEY step!
Now: don’t worry - dare greatly. Becoming the changemaker you want to be (even if you don’t really know what it means) is possible... It’s a great and endless journey that evolves and gets refined over time. It simply takes patience, faith, personal efforts, and care.
How to start? Take a few minutes, think back over the past 1 to 2 months and ask yourself:
What activities did I love doing? Why?
When did I feel useful or proud? Why?
What did I hate or dislike doing? Why?
Looking at all that, what do you learn?
Tips: I recommend you to write and your notes for later. If it can motivate you, send me your answers. I would love to read them!
The Mantra
““The only thing you are sure you won’t succeed in is in the one you don’t try” - Paul-Émile Victor, French ethnologist ”