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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 Art of Influencer Bartering
By Brittany Hennessy
"It may seem like everyone has a blog, or a social channel they want you to follow, and that's because it's true. It has never been easier to turn your expertise into a revenue stream and becoming an influencer will help you do just that. Let's start with the most important questions: What exactly are influencers and why are they important. In general, an influencer is someone who has influence. I know, I know, it isn't very helpful to define a word by using the same word, but sometimes things really are that simple. Word-of-mouth marketing is nothing new and it's probably the driving force behind most of your consumer habits, whether that's buying a product, binge-watching a show, or downloading an app. But in today's digital world, the word 'influencer' is most commonly ascribed to someone who has clout through her digital channels, or as some like to call it, 'social currency. ' Whether she has a lot of followers or really high engagement, when she speaks, her audience listens, they act, and—most importantly to brands—they buy.
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Blog / ChangeThis
The Five Stages of Purposeful Engagement
By Jennifer Dulski
"While at Change. org, I got a unique perspective into the world of decision-makers because of the more than one thousand campaigns started every day on the site asking people and institutions for change. From the data, I've seen that there are a series of predictable stages decision-makers tend to go through as they react to campaigns that are directed at them. I call them the Five Stages of Engagement: denial, listening, acceptance, embracing, and empowering. Not all decision-makers go through each of the five stages, but we do see each of these stages play out on a regular basis. Understanding the stages can help you be more effective in persuading decision-makers that you are working to influence. In particular, helping decision-makers see the risks that come from denial and the benefits that come from listening and then acting can help you make your own case more persuasive. For the purposes of describing each stage briefly below, I've referenced petitions to corporate decision-makers, since they take place in a shorter time frame and clearly demonstrate each stage.
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
A Boss Life
By Emily Thompson, Kathleen Shannon
"No matter how you've come to entrepreneurship, you may find yourself needing some direction. You're just trying to figure it out as you go, and guess what—so is everyone else! This manifesto is here to give you the guidance you crave and to let you know we're in it together. Being boss is a constant practice, and after three years of hitting publish on our podcast (and now a book) we've learned that it's conversation that is constantly evolving. Here are some key patterns and foundational insights we've picked up along the way."
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Blog / ChangeThis
#NeverAgain: The Parkland Manifesto
By David Hogg, Lauren Hogg
We stood up and tried to make our voices heard. We’re really proud of what we have accomplished so far, and are so grateful to all the people who have joined our cause. They gave us strength. They gave us hope. You give us hope. But let’s face it—it’s not enough. And the merchants of chaos keep peddling their wares.
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Blog / ChangeThis
How the Promise of Technology Has Mutated Into Addiction and Despair, and What to Do About It
By Vivek Wadhwa, Alex Salkever
"When you look back on your life, what would you change. Many of you might wish you had spent more time with family and friends. Some of you might wish you had spent more time outside or doing things you love. The good news is, you can actually make a simple change that will grant you these wishes, and probably many other wishes you have. Change the way you interact with technology. What does that mean. Well, let me ask the question another way. How many of you, when looking back, wish you had spent even more time on social media. More time on Slack or answering emails. More time aimlessly surfing YouTube looking at random cat tricks or strange but useless videos. More time looking at the perfect vacation pictures of high school acquaintances you don't really care that much about. More time checking texts for work late at night. The way we use technology is, far too often, broken, brain dead and utterly dehumanizing. It is negatively impacting our happiness. And it needs to change. This is not to say we can or should pull the plug.
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
Breakthrough Technologies Don't Create Transformative Growth. Breakthrough Business Models Do.
By Mark W. Johnson
"Adding digital capability to a product or to an entire business may improve it and make it more profitable, but technology alone is not enough to propel the kind of sustained growth that can transform your whole enterprise. The business model that goes with that technology is absolutely key to its success or failure. This was true when Amazon sold its first book online in 1995, when Netflix shipped its first DVD in 1998, and when Apple launched its revolutionary iPod in 2001. It was true in 2011, when Uber dispatched its first car, and it is even more true today. But it is still not widely understood."
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Blog / ChangeThis
Doing Ethics with Our Brains
By John Hooker
"We are told that we live in a post-truth age. When the facts get in the way, we turn to 'alternative facts' that serve our purposes. Rather than listen to another point of view, we focus only on arguments and talking points that support our ideology. Not everyone is like this, of course, but it seems to capture the tenor of the times. Worst of all, it exacerbates the polarization that so many worry about, because we can't find common ground. The root problem, in my view, is a gradual abandonment of rationality. We can't reach consensus because we no longer acknowledge a rational basis for resolving disputes. Ethics was an early casualty of this retreat from reason."
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Blog / ChangeThis
No Strings Attached Business Growth: Earning Ardent Admirers and Making Mom Proud
By Jeanne Bliss
"Necessity may be the mother of invention. But mothers are an inspiration to virtuous business growth. Their no strings attached treatment reminds us of what pulls us toward people who have our best interests at heart. The best companies focus on helping customers achieve their goals—and grow as a result. Like our moms they are selfless, brave, and think of us first. They start with our life and earn the right to grow by proving with their actions, not their words that they are in our corner."
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Blog / ChangeThis
Resolving the Green Paradoxes: Thriving Under Energy Transition Uncertainties
By Porchlight
"Renewables are perceived as social goods that deliver social benefits (i.e. less pollution) while incurring private costs (i.e. higher life cycle costs). Hence, economics and policy are locked in blind alleys where subsidies become central to achieving their ends. However, the cure becomes worse than the disease when highly distorted systems emerge: expensive supplies are favored, investments are turned into rent extraction opportunities, and risks are increased when firms' continued viability is dictated by policy actions. In reality, renewables are among the myriad of technology choices that have economic costs and benefits. In this context, renewables are economic goods that aim to gain traction, or niches, within an evolving and transitioning energy market. This perspective leads to very different conceptions of optimality and a 'common good.'"
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Blog / ChangeThis
The Promise and Challenges of Leading a Remote Workforce
By Kevin Eikenberry, Wayne Turmel
"When we're busy working every day, things can change in all kinds of ways and we don't realize what's happening until we wake up one day and everything seems strange. Working remotely and leading at a distance is one such trend. ... And, despite a few well publicized (but limited) examples, this trend isn't changing. ... Sometime in the last few years you woke up and realized—whether you had a policy in place, wanted it to happen, or even thought about it—that you have a remote workplace."
Categories: changethis
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.