The Change Industry

Change is inevitable. We can futilely attempt to fight it. Or, we can get aboard and stake out our own territory on each new frontier. Like most everyone, change, at least certain change, scares me. I hate uncertainty and do my best to plan for all of the possibilities (another futile effort). But, recently, I’ve spent time focusing on changes across industries, across borders–change in general. What I’ve discovered is that for every change, there must be ushers, prospectors and facilitators. Someone must usher in the new and usher out the old. Someone must help those affected deal with the impact. Someone must decide who and what goes forward, and what becomes of what’s left behind. It’s inevitable.

Given a choice, I’d rather be among the agents of change. Besides the sexy appeal of being at the forefront of a bleeding-edge movement, having some measure of control of my destiny, or my fate, not only soothes my personal fears but also feeds my personal fortunes. The same could be true for you, if you understand how to stay ahead of change, how to manage the change process, the roles to be filled and the benefits to be gained.

So, who are these agents of change? The easiest way to describe the players is to break them into categories. These are not specific job titles; they simply describe the functions of the agents of change.

Futurists - Futurists read tea leaves (mostly trends) to predict what will come next. They are analysts, futurists (the job), researchers.

Speculators - Speculators take the first flyer on forecasted change. They put up the first capital, open the first businesses on the new block and invest in the first prototypes. Speculators are venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs.

Pioneers - Pioneers generally fall in behind speculators. Often, they don’t have the capital to bankroll the changes. So, pioneers are usually the first to brave the new world and put in the sweat equity. These are the folks who get the coveted equity shares.

Strategists - Strategists help organizations and individuals create and execute a plan to capitalize on the changes, and to leverage their pre-change assets.

Change Managers/Facilitators - Someone has to help folks deal with not only the prospect and impact of change, but also with their “feelings” about that impact. Change managers help individuals and organizations figure out how to get through the mechanics of change–layoffs, reorganizations, entry into new markets, integrating new staff or ramping up to produce a new product. Change managers are consultants, integration managers and other advisers.

Salvagers - This doesn’t sound as sexy as the others, but it’s a necessary, and often lucrative, role. Not everything will go forward; people, jobs, businesses, processes, products, lifestyles will go by the wayside. But, these things don’t just disappear into the ether, nor should they. There will always artifacts from prior lives that can be “salvaged”, then collected, innovated or recycled. Salvagers are not archaeologists; they are liquidators, re-purposers, innovators, restorers, outplacement services providers, job trainers. They hire and retrain staff, they buy raw materials and use them in new ways for new processes.

Scavengers - On either side of the change, there is a place for scavengers. These are the folks who dig out and sort through the discarded bits and the failed attempts at capitalization–people, foreclosed houses, bad debts, bankrupted enterprises, lawsuits, etc.–and turn them into something of benefit…to themselves.

Want to learn more about staying ahead of, managing and capitalizing on change? Pre-order your copy of TrendAde: Made With Fresh-Squeezed Trends. The book will be available next month. Be a pioneer. Order now!