Oh my goodness this topic has been coming up over and over again – in coaching sessions, at retreats, in casual conversation with Catalysts – “How can I measure my value?” Such an important and confounding question for a change agent!

It’s no wonder I get this question so often – it’s not easy to measure change and your direct impact, or your value to this change. Being a change agent is so complex, it takes so long to achieve and it often requires adoption of the idea in a diffuse way, all making it difficult to directly attribute the implementation of large ideas to one individual.

But this is what you can do.

First, acknowledge when you’re standing at the edge of something new. Start identifying when you are starting to tackle that new idea. Train yourself to recognize that moment, perhaps you feel a burst of energy and excitement?

Second, document where the organization is at that moment (before the change). Before you start any efforts to move your idea forward, document where the organization is and what is the change that needs to happen. If you are able to envision how something will be different from today, then take a moment to document the elements of today that will change.

Write about the current language used in the organization and how this illustrates the current flow of ideas and the state of the organizational culture and context – it is often the introduction of new language that tells us we have created change. Or perhaps how certain things are done or which processes used. You need a snapshot of today to contrast to in the future.

Or you may be able to interview a few key individuals about their ideas on the change you are proposing and their hypotheses so you have a way to show a state of the organization before you began to suggest new ideas and new ways of doing or looking at something. Because people will forget and will think the new way was always how they saw it!

Third, envision milestones and document them as they happen. Envision milestones you want to reach, and when you reach them, take a moment to document where the organization was before and where it is after the milestone is reached, as well as your role. Continue documenting the language and how it has changed since embarking on this endeavor.

For example, one colleague and I used to create models to show a phenomenon we wanted to expose people to. And we could track our success by how many people began to use the model in their own presentations. We could see our ideas spread across the organization in this way.

Finally, think about the “so what”. Take a moment to reflect on what each milestone means for the organization in practical terms, such as their mission statement and objectives.

How have you been able to measure your value as a change agent? Would love to hear your thoughts!

***

As a Catalyst, you have the power to create positive change. And as a Catalyst of Catalysts I’d love to help you make that happen. I’ve created these free, short, weekly messages designed to help you navigate challenges you may face as you lead organizational change. Sign up for the Catalyst Quick Tip here!

At the April 2019 Catalyst Constellations Retreat many of us were posed to ignite a movement.

For example one of us is trying to have our organization embrace design thinking not just as a tool of design, but as a way to make decisions company wide. Another one of us is dedicated to growing Compassionate Leadership within the corporate landscape. A third of us wants to change our relationship with energy to create a more sustainable world. The list goes on and on.

We realized that any time we are driving for change we are actually igniting a movement. Sometimes it is small and sometimes it is large. The need to get people moving in the same direction toward a new end point is universal. Therefore, we wanted to put together thoughts on how to ignite a movement to support our work as change makers.

 

#1 – Define Your Movement via Inclusive Goals That Solve an Important Problem.

Our definition of a movement is an intentional community aligned under a shared set of goals and values. We know that people have an inherent need to belong to communities. So your first step to ignite a movement is defining shared goals so people can be clear on what they are becoming a part of and how it relates to them.

Determining pain points for people related to the movement is an important component. If you can emotionally connect with challenges they themselves have experienced, and help them see how what you are suggesting will solve that issue, they are more likely to connect. In the example of wanting to change people’s relationship with energy and create a more sustainable world there are many pain points you could highlight, such as the frustration of increasing costs for energy or the fear of growing risks of fire and flood due to climate change.

To allow a movement to spread widely, we suggest creating goals that are inclusive of such diverse pain points and motivations. An inclusive primary goal in our example would be to become energy efficient. This would attract people who want to save the planet and those who simply want to save money on their electric bill.  If you were to choose a goal to become environmental activists in the world, the movement you would be starting would be less inclusive and therefore attract less people.

 

#2 – Make it Personal.

The next step to ignite a movement is helping people see the personal benefits of becoming part of the movement.

For example, as you build a movement around becoming energy efficient you can help people see the tangible benefit of saving money each month or how use of fossil fuel based energy use is declining in their region.

 

#3 – Evangelize and Educate.

Once you have defined the goals that solve a problem and outlined the tangible outcomes of becoming part of the movement, you need to make sure people are hearing about what you are doing. Nobody will join if all that work is kept a secret.

Connect the individuals together by sharing stories that help them identify with common goals. Allow individuals to see their relation to the larger community that shares in these goals. Facilitate the socialization of efforts and accomplishments of these communities.

Encourage self-awareness for the individuals who may not have self-identified as members of the movement. Allow them the personal time and space they need to make their connection to the movement.

As you build your education campaign, ensure you are taking time with stakeholders and leaders that can help amplify your message – and give them tools and platforms to do so.

Through these steps your movement can begin to catch fire!

 

Authors: Ally Taylor, Ann Rich, Ashley Munday, Breana Teubner, Brett Christenson, Enrique Aznar, Gayatri Agnew, Izabel Loinaz, Jay Hasbrouck, Rosie Slentz, Ryan Warren, Sam Ladner, Shannon Lucas, Tahni Candelaria, and Tracey Lovejoy.

You know you are driving change and are able to see things others don’t. You know you are tackling challenging problems that others may shy away from and that you are a spark that helps magic happen. But are you still struggling to articulate your value so others understand it?

This way of being is called different things such as Catalyst, change agent, problem solver, disruptor, rebel, systems thinker and more. But those labels don’t confidently empower you to talk about the magic you know you are enabling.

Together with other magic makers at the Oct 2018 Catalyst Constellations Retreat we outlined the steps to take to help anyone get clear on their unique value and find their own words.

Step One: Get clear on your personal magic and strengths.

What are the specific strengths you bring to any person, group, team or project you engage with? It can be difficult to see your own strengths clearly. To help there are several tools you could use.

• You could use a strength’s assessment such as Strengths Finder 2.0.
• You could ask those that have experienced your magic, especially colleagues. Questions you could ask include: What do you see as my top strengths? What do you feel is unique about my contributions compared to others? What do you feel I have helped accomplish that couldn’t have been done if I wasn’t here? If I quit tomorrow and I wasn’t here, what would you miss about me?
• You could analyze successes you’ve had and impacts you’ve made across projects you’ve worked on to look for patterns. What are the outcomes you have helped drive toward? If you have past performance reviews those could be a great help.

During this step you want to cast a broad net and not just think about your strengths and impacts in your current role. And once you have a list of your strengths you want to OWN that list so it doesn’t look foreign to you. This can happen by reading through your strengths over and over, writing out stories from your past where you were leveraging those strengths, maybe even say them out loud to trusted people.

Questions to consider: What are your natural strengths? What are the impacts and outcomes you have successfully driven toward?

Step Two: Translate the value to your audience.

Once you have a good sense of your unique strengths consider the value those strengths bring to the particular people you’d like to be able to express it to. For example you may want to be able to articulate your value within your own organization to help with an annual review, a promotion or changing your role. Or perhaps you are interviewing for a new job. Whoever your who, the key here is to recognize where they are coming from and what is valuable to them.

Let’s consider this case study as an example: Carmen is a program manager who was advocating for a promotion. She came to see her key strengths as framing a problem and building experiments to help the organization quickly decide if a product should move forward in development or not. She considered her boss and realized he viewed the world in terms of dollars, which was not her natural frame. So she modeled out the estimated cost savings of having helped make the decision to kill 3 projects over the past year and used her boss’ language to talk about how having been able to frame a product from the end users’ perspective and get feedback quickly allowed the organization to save an estimated $1.5M. She was thrilled when her promotion came through.

Questions to consider: What is the currency, world view and language of the people or person with whom you would like to discuss your value? What matters to them: time savings, money savings, better decisions, collaboration, etc? How do your strengths and outcomes help achieve those things?

Step Three: Communicate (aka articulate your value).

Once you have articulated and crystallized your value and translated it for specific audiences you need to figure out how and where to effectively communicate that value. Who you want to communicate with will help you decide which tools to use. For example if, like Carmen, are moving toward a promotion then case studies that show your impact and outcomes could be powerful. Or if you are applying for a new job you may want to ensure you communicate more broadly, perhaps updating LinkedIn, via social media, or collecting testimonials to share.

And be sure to be clear on the ASK you have for the person with whom you want to communicate. Carmen was crystal clear about her desire to be promoted. For you it might be becoming a mentor or board member. Or maybe you are asking for an introduction. Whatever it is, be sure you know what it is and that you state it clearly. Don’t make people guess.

Questions to consider: What exactly is my ASK and to whom? What is the best way for me to communicate my ASK?

It’s time to explore.

You are ready to explore your value and find the right words to articulate your value. Keep in mind that impostor syndrome might jump in and take hold trying to tell you you aren’t all that. But if you remember this is a process and just keep stepping through it, that feeling will definitely pass.

Taking the time to do this can make you feel more confident and change the trajectory of your career. Plus all of us magic makers and Catalysts are benefited as each of us get comfortable talking about our value!

***

This article on value was co-created through a discussion at the October 2018 Catalyst Constellations Retreat. There are 19 authors. Each author has the freedom to edit and share the article in whatever forms and forums they would like as it is open-source to all members of our group.

To learn more how we’re bringing Catalysts together right now, check out our course offerings. If you’re ready to fully step into your power, gain clarity and link to other Catalysts through our 3-day Catalyst Constellations Retreat, reach out to us directly and we’ll be in touch as COVID restriction lift and we start planning our next retreat.

 

By Abby VanMuijen, Alexis Duclos, Courtney Collins, Dan Trimble, David Shaw, Dax Stephens, Diana Acosta, Haila Fine, Justin Lokitz, Kirsty Stevenson, Mark Leung, Melora Zaner, Michael Bloxton, Shakeya Mcdow, Shannon Lucas, Tracey Lovejoy, Van Ton-Quinlivan, Veronica Stuart and Virginia Hamilton

When you are working on something that you love, hours pass like minutes. However, sometimes it is a struggle to recognize what topics or projects might bring us that sense of vitality. What brings us vitality is missing from our awareness.

At the April 2019 Catalyst Constellations Retreat we all experienced having people reflect back to us which ideas caused us to spark with vitality. And it was a tremendous gift! In fact, our ability to make positive change in the world was amplified as those around us helped us tune into what brought us joy. So much so that we wanted to share the magic formula that can help you give this same gift to others.

So how can you support fellow Catalysts in recognizing their signs of vitality? And how can you benefit from their support? Follow these simple steps:

1. Find a fellow Catalyst or group of Catalysts to connect with.

Our Catalyst Constellations Retreat cohort was amazing, but they all went back to their own companies and lives. So the first step is identifying people we can come together with in our day-to-day environments and building a regular meeting rhythm.

2. Discuss how we all have more energy if we work on things that we love.

As Catalysts we can go hard after anything. It is in our DNA. Whether or not we burn out will depend on our energy flow. One way we can manage our energy flow is to work on challenges and projects that we love and therefore renew our energy.

If you work on topics that keep your energy flowing you are limitless because you have renewed energy to keep going! Therefore, how much we can accomplish is directly related to the things we are working on. If you chose to engage with challenges that invigorate you then you can accomplish much more than if you focus in areas that deplete your energy.

This can be the difference between burning out versus having sustained impact.

When you are building a network of Catalysts discuss how making the choice to work on areas we love will allow all of us to sustain our energy and therefore be more productive and accomplish more!

3. Commit to helping one another see your vitality sparks.

Once you’ve agreed that bringing awareness to the areas where we spark with vitality is beneficial, you want to make this part of your commitment to one another. Commit to paying attention and reflecting back when you see a spark of vitality or when you notice an energetic dip. Commit to taking time to discuss opportunities and projects. This will grow everyone’s personal awareness and allow them to amplify their positive change!

4. Bring attention to body cues of what is invigorating to the person in front of you.

Specifically, when in conversation with fellow Catalysts reflect back to them when you see cues in their body language. Note responses that something is invigorating to them, versus not.

For example, you may be talking to a colleague that sits up straighter, talks faster and seems to light up when talking about facilitating a group of executives. Then you may notice that she sinks back in her chair. She may seem to deflate like a balloon as she talks about having to write up the notes following the meeting.

It can be easier for us have awareness for these physical cues in others, rather than feel them in ourselves. Take a moment to tell her: “I noticed you lit up when talking about facilitating, and you seemed to dim when talking about writing notes.”

 

Authors: Ally Taylor, Ann Rich, Ashley Munday, Breana Teubner, Brett Christenson, Enrique Aznar, Gayatri Agnew, Izabel Loinaz, Jay Hasbrouck, Rosie Slentz, Ryan Warren, Sam Ladner, Shannon Lucas, Tahni Candelaria, and Tracey Lovejoy

Sanley didn’t know where she could show vulnerability. She is the head of a global consulting agency and a powerful Catalyst – helping organizations transform their cultures to be more aligned with their purposes and values. Late last year she was traveling for 5 months straight: working with clients during the day, checking in with her team of consultants in the evening, then catching up on email late at night. She would get to bed at midnight then get up at 5AM – rinse and repeat. Even she didn’t know where her energy was coming from. She came to see that even though it looked as if she was keeping it together, things were slipping. And one day she realized she’d left most of her clothes at a hotel!

Shutting down.

In the drive for productivity Sanley had begun to shut down, had numbed herself to what was vital and alive, no longer able to really tune into herself and her needs, and also less capable of really tuning into her clients’ needs.

What was missing? Sanley needed to be allowed to be a hot mess somewhere! She needed a safe space to be completely vulnerable and honest! She needed to be able to admit how she was feeling and what she needed. This was a life changing moment for Sanley. She began to play with ways to be vulnerable while on the road – journaling to stay in touch with her emotions during busy times, finding a weekly mastermind group where she could safely share what was happening without losing credibility with clients or colleagues and eventually making the choice not to travel for extended periods.

As Catalysts, we drive hard; therefore, we all need spaces and a practice that allow us to be vulnerable. And if we don’t, we suffer! And our ability to create positive change suffers!

If we don’t take the time to check in with ourselves and allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we clip our wings as a Catalyst.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you consider building vulnerability as a norm in your life:

1. Intentional Vulnerability To Drive Change is Different Than Allowing Space for Your Personal Vulnerability

As Catalysts we often leverage vulnerability to help others get in touch with their vulnerability… to catalyze change and bring energy. That is not the same thing as being vulnerable. For Sanley, she was able to share stories about herself with her clients which is a type of vulnerability, but she was not able to fully be present because she was disconnected from her own needs.

2. Everyone has their own vulnerability index.

Vulnerability doesn’t look the same for everyone. Within an organization or community we can sense the level of vulnerability that is appropriate. And this same index exists within each one of us. The level that is right for you will align to how open or closed you are. You don’t have to be on the ground in tears to be vulnerable. You have a level and expression that is right for you. Know where you sit in order to titrate your vulnerability expressions. If you are not in touch with your vulnerability index you may be experiencing ways of being vulnerable that are not productive. You may give too much or too little. You may overwhelm people. Experiment with being honest about what is happening for you and figure out the right level for you.

3. Build Your Vulnerability Practice.

Inviting vulnerability into your life as a norm doesn’t mean you have to share with all the people around you. Like Sanley you want to experiment with the right places to share and the best practices for you. Some approaches you could try include: journaling as a place to express emotions and frustrations; being part of a group where you all share what is happening such as a mastermind group of people in other companies; a nightly walk or run where you talk to yourself about how you are feeling and what you might need. Your practice will be unique to you, and might be a combination of activities.

As Catalysts we need to be prepared to hold a lot of space and create vulnerability for others. To do that as powerfully as possible, ensuring we have practices, time and spaces to be vulnerable ourselves is essential!

 

Authors: Ally Taylor, Ann Rich, Ashley Munday, Breana Teubner, Brett Christenson, Enrique Aznar, Gayatri Agnew, Izabel Loinaz, Jay Hasbrouck, Rosie Slentz, Ryan Warren, Sam Ladner, Shannon Lucas, Tahni Candelaria, Tracey Lovejoy

What follows is a commentary from Shakeya McDow, Vice President, Ethics and Compliance Strategy, Kaiser Permanente

Shakeya is a health ethics, compliance, and risk Strategist in San Francisco, California. She attended one of the Catalyst Constellations retreat and decided to share her experience. Get ready to be inspired !

It was as if I had just read it.

It was so clear in my head. The one verse in a poem by Gemmia L. Vanzant that I had read over a decade ago was radiating in my heart.

One day, my soul just opened up
There were revelations, annihilations, and resolutions
feelings of doubt and betrayal, vengeance, and forgiveness
memories of things I’d seen and done before
of places I’d been, although I didn’t know when
there were lives I’d lived people I’d loved
battles I’d fought victories I’d won
and wars I’d lost.

Gemmia L. Vanzant

Why now and what triggered it here? It was a chilly day in October 2018 and I was at a retreat for catalysts and change agents. The focus was on rejuvenation, clarity, and connection – and here I was at the onset, unable to move past the words that were vibrating throughout my body, to be fully present in the experience – or was I?

The Stillness

For years I have operated in speed mode. Let’s be real: that is what catalysts do – identify, analyze, solution, transform, and repeat. There is too much in the world to be done for us to sit still and just be. Leading up to the retreat I thought: What is the work that we need to do to harness the collective power of mighty catalysts in this one place? Shall we come up with design methodologies? Challenge theories? Solve an international crisis?

It wasn’t long after rifling through the materials to find an agenda and going through a few guided breathing exercises that I realized the work… was me. And what needed to occur was going to come through stillness, reflection, and renewal of my spirit. Now, before you get wrapped up in the word spirit – this isn’t necessarily about religion, but it may be for some. I like the way Brené Brown defines spirituality. She defines it as “the belief in connection, a power greater than self, and interconnections grounded in love and compassion.”

Do you know how horrifying it is for someone who is known to be at the top of their game when they are asked to sit still, evaluate, and hone in on the clarity of intent related their messy selves and then talk about it with others (clinching my pearls)? I’d rather have a baby, a root canal, and walk on hot coal in the same day.

The Realization

It was early afternoon of the first day. Instead of staying around to connect with other members of the curated cohort, I opted for a walk along the bay. I continued the breathing that we had started together and with every exhale I felt lighter. With each step the busyness and clutter in my mind slowed.

Just like the verse of the poem that was so clear in my heart – the realization that I have been telling myself an untrue story was vivid as well. The story I told was that with the busyness of my professional and personal life I was running on empty. The truth: I was running on full. In true catalyst form I surmised that not only was my story incorrect – I had also been solving to the wrong question in my life. I had been solving the issue of running on empty and doing work and activities to fill me up. The reality was I was full (and had been for many years) and all the extra work I was doing with no more mental, physical, or spiritual capacity was causing what I call “self-inflicted and justified chaos”.

With all these realizations that were coming at me, I had to stop to quickly – before the start of the next session – to understand how this related to the verse of the poem that had resurfaced in my mind. Just as easily as everything else was coming to me in the stillness… the connection was clear as well.

My spirit had been clogged with all the things that verse of the poem represented – pain, disappointment, battles won, lives lost, and life lived. Contrary to what most catalysts believe, we are not the energizer bunny. It is not OK to just keep going. It is not OK to move from one thing to the next. It is OK to give voice to hurt and anger. It is OK to stop moving in the moment and show yourself and the world that you feel pain. It is OK to stop leaning in and lean on someone.

The Ongoing Work

In October of 2018 my spirit unclogged. The work to maintain this state is ongoing. It is not an easy process, but for those who may be going through the same journey I would like to share some practical actions that are helping me along the way:

• Own your experience – Be open to receive and stand in the truth of the revelations.
• Find your tribe – Such a fad term, I know. But there is something powerful about being vulnerable and accountable to those who hold you up without judgement.
• Commit to rejuvenation practices – curating joyful experiences that lift your soul and ignite your spirit.
• Gain clarity of intent – not only understanding what your why is, but what is relentlessly driving it.

This article may not resonate with everyone who reads it. It if reaches just one, then may the constellation of the connection carry forward. And if no one relates, the joy that I received pulling words together for this lived experience will never be replaced.

For those of you looking for more information on some of the topics in this post, I would refer you to:

• Brene Brown – who has written extensively about some of my experiences. Specifically, The Gifts of Imperfection.
• Tiffany Dufu – author of Drop the Ball.
• Catalyst Constellations – the retreat that sparked this awakening in my spirit! 

Thank you Shakeya !

You want to sustain Catalytic Energy, right?

How many moments of intense burn out can you count in your catalytic history? How many moments of self-doubt that almost stopped you mid-manifestation?

Our post about Catalyst’s challenges talked about the many things that compromise the emotional and physical well-being of Catalysts. Across the research there have been Catalysts that have powerful practices to manage these challenges and maintain momentum. So let’s take time to discuss best practices to sustain Catalytic energy, so we can more powerfully change the world.

#1. Build in Time for “Quiet”

The most resilient and consistent Catalysts have a routine that dogmatically builds in spaces for “quiet”. Catalysts take in lots of information. You need moments of quiet to allow for connections to be made and have your ‘ah-hahs’. Some people talk about this time as self-care, however, we choose the frame of “quiet” to reflect the need for intentional moments without bustle to counter-act our normally externalized and busy schedules. These moments allow our brains and intuitions the space to make connections so we can more clearly see possibilities. While building in quiet has positive health benefits, we are also talking about productivity. Catalysts are more productive when we build in spaces for quiet.

Quiet can mean different things, such as walks in nature, long showers, yoga, swimming, journaling, meditation or intense exercise such as running. There is no particular practice that works for all – so experiment to see what helps create space for you to spark information into ideas.

The most critical point is to bullishly protect the space. When we get into a busier phase our routine of quiet tend to be de-prioritized, but that is when we need them most. In fact, the most effective Catalysts increase activities of quiet during their busiest times.

#2. Sustain Catalytic Energy by Finding a Trusted Group

The most resilient Catalysts build a group they trust to bounce ideas with them. This can be a set of individuals you reach out to 1-to-1 or it could be a group of people with whom you come together, perhaps your own team or peers.

This is important because new ideas can be quickly shut down by some which can lead us to self-doubt and halting progress. Or new ideas can instill fear in some people creating a counterproductive ripple. Rather than isolate in response to these experiences, find your people. Sustain Catalytic energy by having others that build with you can improve your ideas, help you create clarity on next steps and make you braver.

#3. Consciously Reframe “Failure”

The ability to quickly frame challenge as new information is a telltale sign of Catalysts. This is a process of testing and experimenting – each action is a test we are experimenting with, then we reflect on the impact of the action, and iterate based on what we learn. It can be referred to as Design Thinking, or a Learning Mindset, or even as the scientific process.

However, because many Catalysts are externally focused they don’t realize they naturally do this – they are unconsciously competent. When we are not aware of our natural abilities it can be difficult or impossible to call on these abilities with intention. Therefore, when something big doesn’t come through Catalysts can find themselves disheartened and stuck.

The most resilient Catalysts are aware of the Learning Mindset and use it consciously to reframe challenges and ‘failure’ as critical to inform next steps. This doesn’t mean they don’t have moments of frustration or sadness when something doesn’t work out. We all have moments of disappointment. However, these feelings can be acknowledged and then intentionally transitioned from feelings of failure to information that will allow them to move forward.

#4. Prioritize and Keep Lists to Sustain Catalytic Energy

As Catalysts we have more ideas than we can possibly ever implement, and our attention can be pulled away by the newest, shiniest ideas. Research shows that Catalysts sustain energy on current ideas by using fierce prioritization and lists to stay on track.

Lists serve several purposes.

First, they are a way to stop ideas from cycling in our head. If we get them out on paper it can stop the noise in our heads so we can better focus.

Additionally, writing things down ensures we don’t forget tasks we know are important, or could be important later. Because Catalysts love jumping to action, they don’t always take the time to cross T’s and dot I’s. So lists serve to remind us of the remaining T’s and I’s.

Prioritization is a complement to list making.

Once we get good at writing down the actions we might take, we realize there are too many to do NOW. Therefore we can look through our list and prioritize what has to happen right away to maximize results.

Prioritization is most effective when done every morning, creating clarity on the most important tasks that must get done that day. This keeps us on track to leverage our official working hours as effectively as possible. It is easy to follow the energy of new ideas and by the close of business realize we hadn’t finished things that were critical, which can lead to unnecessary late nights or missed personal engagements.

Prioritization is also an effective tool for Catalytic Leaders, allowing a team to have a shared understanding of the most important goals and projects for the whole team.

#5 Partner with Implementation-Focused and Detail-Oriented People

Another way Catalysts maintain energy is to partner with people who love to do detail oriented work. A Catalyst’s super power usually lies in coming up with ideas, getting things started and moving pieces into action. Managing all the details once implementation has begun or seeing a project through to completion can feel draining, even impossible for Catalysts. Therefore one tactic successful Catalysts leverage is finding people that love details and love to implement. Find your ‘closers’ and build them into your process.

In Closing

“I am now building strategies to keep this energy and keep it rolling. I fill my gas tank, have regular moments of quiet, create vision alignment and pick my priorities – so I stay in my flow and consistently move forward. Taking time for myself, in particular, helps me create with more ease and not collapse.”

Catalyticness can feel great – putting pieces together, coming up with ideas and watching the world around us improve. And it can be immensely draining. There are many Catalysts that have built practices that allow them to maintain energy which amplifies their power. Building these into your routines can help you become a more powerful change agent, too.

***

Background on Catalyst Research

In November 2015, I looked at the similarities between my favorite clients. Stark similarities emerged. I didn’t have a word to describe them. Then in my very next coaching session with one of those clients he said “I realized I’m a Catalyst”.

It was like lightning struck. Yes!

That is what ties my favorite clients together. I had observational data from working with my clients, but I wanted to be more direct in my quest so I could better serve my ideal clients. I leaned into my background as a social scientist and began to systematically interview people that self-identify as Catalysts. These posts are outputs from that research.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on and experience with Catalysts. If you self-identify as a Catalyst or Change Agent let me know what resonates!