ChangeThis
ChangeThis is our weekly series of essays from today's thought leaders that are meant to evoke conversation by bringing forth new and unique ideas.
ChangeThis
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Blog / ChangeThis
The Thriving Artist Manifesto
By Jeff Goins
"For centuries, the myth of the starving artist has dominated our culture, seeping into the minds of creative people and stifling their pursuits. But the truth is that the world's most successful artists did not starve. In fact, they capitalized on the power of their creative strength. From graphic designers and writers to artists and business professionals, creatives already know that no one is born an artist. Business and art are not mutually exclusive pursuits. In fact, success in business and in life flow from a healthy exercise of creativity. Being creative isn't a disadvantage for success; rather, it is a powerful tool to be harnessed."
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Blog / ChangeThis
Say It Like You Mean It: And Other Ways to Inspire People Every Day
By Kristi Hedges
"The conversation is first. Then the spark. That's how it happens with all of us, and how it happened to me yet again. In this instance, it was actually hundreds of the same conversation, over and over. Until it hit me. We have some major misconceptions about what causes inspiration."
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Blog / ChangeThis
Finding Certainty In An Uncertain World
By Jeff Boss
"Of the 200 plus missions I went on as a Navy SEAL, not one went according to plan. Not one. Each mission demanded new information faster than before. A pivot. A new direction. Each mission warranted the collective awareness from each team member as to what that new purpose was so we could make decisions that served: 1) The mission 2) The team 3) Each other 4) Ourselves In order to execute at each level—optimally—we needed three things. We needed to be able to perform as individuals and as a team; we needed to be able to adapt to new information and change on the fly; and we needed to be able to lead—ourselves and each other—through uncertain situations by making decisions and sharing them with the group. Sound familiar? It should, because business is no different."
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Are We There Yet?
By Kate Raworth
"Whether our economic airplane can keep on cruising or is about to stall mid-air, one thing is evident: it is currently heading for a destination that we do not want to reach, one that is degenerative and deeply divisive. If we reorient ourselves to the economic destination that we do want—an economy that is regenerative and distributive by design—then new questions about growth come to the fore. What might happen to GDP as we transition towards that destination? And what is GDP likely to do once we get there? It is not possible to predict definitively one way or the other whether GDP will go up or down in high-income countries as they create regenerative and distributive economies that engage the household, market, commons and state alike."
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Change is Hard: A true story of diversity and inclusion.
By Jennifer Brown
"The effort required to manage aspects of our identity, culture, and work styles, and in many cases filter them out of our professional personas to 'fit in,' can take precious energy and focus away from our confidence, our contributions, and our careers. When we can work as fully ourselves, we win, and the business wins."
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Blog / ChangeThis
Learning to Recognize Your Leadership Gap
By Lolly Daskal
"It's the one problem that even some of the most successful CEOs I've worked with never see coming and have no idea how to resolve. The problem is that one day, suddenly, what once worked so well to propel their rise stops working. And the very same traits that had worked for them actually start working against them. Another stellar career comes to an abrupt end. Another high-flying executive is brought swiftly back down to earth. This is the moment when leaders confront a critical and very uncomfortable question: What if there's a gap in what I think I know?"
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The Operational Excellence Manifesto
By Porchlight
"When a company reaches a state of readiness, it attains a situational awareness and command of its capabilities—the ability to see and anticipate opportunities and threats. Along with it comes the ability to react in a meaningful and expeditious manner to any such challenges that may present themselves—keeping in mind this awareness will never be perfect and will need to be perpetually refined. As Mike Tyson famously said, 'Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth.' That is to say, even though you are talented, trained, professional, and on the offensive pursuing your plan, the business that is better prepared to identify and engage an unforeseen challenge more quickly than its competition has a strategic and tactical advantage."
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Capitalists Arise!
By Peter Georgescu
"For the past four decades, capitalism has been cannibalizing itself. It's going on in plain view and yet no one is talking about it because only a few people recognize what's happening. Those few are either very troubled or very scared. The bull market is setting historical records, and the unemployment rate seems reasonable again, so most casual observers—meaning almost all of the media—think America is back on track and growing. Nothing could be further from the truth."
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G.R.I.T.: The Stuff of Leaders and Champions
By Scott Petinga
"Success is rarely, if ever, easily obtained. It rises from the ashes of multiple failures like the proverbial phoenix, having to be fought for, chased and desired above all else. That is particularly true in this day and age when competition is fiercer, criticism is deeper, and expectations are higher. A thousand and one obstacles will be thrown up along your journey, seeking to stop your career and even your very existence. I know because I have failed at most things in my life and was even diagnosed with cancer. I shouldn't be a success, but I learned to apply certain foundational characteristics that I have found to be the 'stuff' of entrepreneurs, leaders, and champions."
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Bringing Passion and Evangelism Together in Your Business: The Unquenchable Spirit of Co-Creation
By David Nour
"Do you co-create value with others? Do you understand—deep in your gut—that you cannot succeed in the future by going at it alone? Co-creation means banding together with another organization or person to build something together that you could not have built alone. To do this right, you must intertwine your futures together in a highly significant manner. Taking a step like that requires the heartfelt belief that the two of you are much better off together than you were on your own. This belief must survive obstacles, setbacks, delays, disappointment, and even (gasp) looming failure."
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The original idea behind ChangeThis came from Seth Godin, and was built in the summer of 2004 by Amit Gupta, Catherine Hickey, Noah Weiss, Phoebe Espiritu, and Michelle Sriwongtong. In the summer of 2005, ChangeThis was turned over to 800-CEO-READ. In addition to selling and writing about books, they kept ChangeThis up and running as a standalone website for 14 years. In 2019, 800-CEO-READ became Porchlight, and we pulled ChangeThis together with the rest of our editorial content under the website you see now. We remain committed to the high-design quality and independent spirit of the original team that brought ChangeThis into the world.