Over the summer, our network went through some rocky reverberations. Conversations cropped up that forced us to think carefully about what we’re attempting to do here at Change Agents Worldwide. The process, although difficult, was healthy, sobering… cleansing.
We divided into three international regional teams and set about to examine who we are and what we’re interested in achieving. Key to that introspection was a focused exploration into our values. Individually, every professional executes against personal goals and ambitions, but collectively – within the network – we needed to capture the essence of what it means to be a change agent in our network. Scripting our values became the pedestal upon which we’d build a new business model that served our greater purpose. As a startup, we’d been experimenting with a new model for management consulting. The disruptive nature of what we were attempting to do, combined with competing ideas of how to go to market, resulted in difficulty convincing potential clients and network members to embrace the new model. It was obvious we were headed for that dreaded startup pivot, yet we resolutely agreed we would not pivot on our values or what we wanted to achieve. We, in the purist sense, meant everyone in the network. Not just the founders, everyone. At Change Agents Worldwide, every individual has an equal voice and the ability to course correct, question, or object to any aspect of our business.
From the very beginning, we’ve been focused on a single goal: to Change the World of Work. It occurred to us that although there are many thought leaders in and around the social web who believe the same things we do, and who teach, write, and speak brilliantly about these same concepts, they may not self-identify as a change agent. Going forward, we agreed we needed to create a manifesto, a credo that would define uniquely what we believe and who we are as participants in the network. We crowdsourced this credo over a period of weeks. From here, we’ve crafted a refreshed understanding of who we serve, how we will serve them, and who rightfully belongs as a member of our network. Every existing member of our network signed the credo. And going forward, signing the credo is part of our on-ramping process.
If you see yourself in the description above, consider joining us. We have an incredible team working on leading-edge projects and breakthrough ideas in some of the largest institutions in the world. We are, in fact, changing the world of work every day. In subsequent posts, I’ll be writing about some of those advancements and achievements. There’s never been a better time to be a Change Agent in our network.
Change Agents Worldwide 