The 4 Characteristics Of Change Agents Around the World
We recently had the privilege of speaking with change agents from all over the world, covering a breadth of perspectives around the concept of Belonging. While the conversations were thought provoking and helped us and our viewers learn how to bridge our empathy gaps, what was even more fascinating was learning more about our guests themselves, the individuals behind these social movements.
What was it about them? Why them? What did they do differently? Who are they?
This post is about understanding the human behind the scenes of their respective social movements. Here are some interesting threads that wove their way through our conversations:
Vision-Oriented: When asked to paint a picture of their perfect future, it was exciting to hear that they not only had one, but had clearly given them a lot of thought and consideration. While their approaches toward getting to those visions of the future were varied, they each embodied a powerful, multifaceted identity of optimist, realist and dreamer.
Regardless of what mission or community they served, they were collectively marching toward a vision of something better, equitable, inclusive and where everyone belonged.
“No Matter What” Attitude: The communities that our guests serve have been tremendously affected by the global pandemic. From the adult industry workers of Las Vegas and Portland to the trans community in India to parents of special needs children in Australia, this pandemic has spared no one.
Despite this, we found that our guests’ commitment to service was not conditional on convenience or normalcy.
Their “no matter what” attitudes and the decision to keep showing up for their communities demonstrate a deep understanding that the work they have committed their energies toward is vital. The ways in which they serve simply adapt to changing circumstances, but the question as to whether they serve is non-negotiable.
Emotional Intelligence: When championing and advocating for a cause, you will encounter people with varied degrees of understanding of the work in your space. For example, while you may be immersed in this work day and night, for someone else, this may be a casual interest with little action or thought directed that way.
Recognizing how to approach, educate and enlist others in their missions in a non-judgmental way has been a huge factor in their success.
Their tireless passion and energy for their work is evident no matter who they speak to, and they are each able to deftly translate their passion to resonate with any audience.
Self-Care:
While they are all about giving and being of service, we observed varied degrees of neglect when it came to taking care of themselves, which isn’t uncharacteristic of movers and shakers.
The fight is long and fatigue is real. Collectively, we need them to take care of themselves so they don’t burn out and can remain the amazing warriors that we so admire and that their communities rely upon!
Through our discussions with these outstanding leaders, we experienced a sense of kindred souls in the passion we share for our chosen mission.
Our work with organizations to Redesign Belonging is not work of convenience or a nice-to-have bonus that only enhances what’s already working.
The work of examining and transforming belonging in the workplace is critical for the long-term survival of an organization, and critical for the short-term output and retention of valuable talent on teams, especially during these heightened times of societal awareness and omnipresent stressors. This work is about asking the right and hard questions to move us towards a vision of a workplace where everyone Belongs, and women and underrepresented minorities are not force-fit into legacy cultures and leadership styles.
