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Brain Circuits
What kind of activist leader are you?
Activism is about bringing about change – and we can do it, in our different ways. See if you can recognize yourself in the typography below.
The five types of activist leader
According to Lucy Parker and Jon Miller, authors of The Activist Leader: A New Mindset for Doing Business, there are five broad activist archetypes.
The Fixer
The Fixer is someone who looks at a situation and decides to do something about it. They may not know where the solution lies, but they jump in and make a start. Their approach is to say, “Let’s get something fixed and move on from there.”
The Mobiliser
This is someone who’s good at getting others involved and moving things along through their network and contacts. They may not do the heavy lifting, but they’re putting the issue on people’s radar screens. Unlikely as it may sound, mobilizers are often to be found in the value chains of corporates, asking: “Where can we save on resources here?” or “How can we make this process more efficient?”
The Campaigner
The Campaigner is someone who says, “We need to change people’s minds on this issue. We need to reframe the question for people and show what’s possible.” It’s all about showing people solutions.
The Pathfinder
The Pathfinder starts by saying, “We don’t have a way forward yet – but let’s start on the journey. Can we hack a path through the jungle here? Can we find a way to put a product on the market that hasn’t existed before?
The Bridge-builder
This is the person who, confronted with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, knows it needs to happen. They quietly put people in touch and keep them together when things risk coming apart at the seams.
Key takeaway
All of us – whether we are more fixer or bridge-builder or any of the other activist archetypes – have a part to play in solving the grand social challenges of the day, and we can all do something, however small, to bring about change.
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