A change agent is anyone who helps an organization transform by improving business processes and interpersonal interactions. Leaders focused on change management or change control are often labeled change agents. Are you a change agent? Our THINK conference is filled with them and we would like to meet more at THINK 18. Analyst and author Brain Solis just released The Digital Change Agent’s Manifesto. (Free Download.) “But the value of change agents to the organization goes well beyond their digital transformation efforts. By challenging the status quo and championing new ideas, they expand the organization’s thinking, agility, and capabilities. They help instill curiosity and promote an innovative mindset to tackle problems and create opportunities in new ways. They help modernize workforce skillsets and processes. They improve customer and employee experiences. They contribute to the development of potentially profitable products and services. And with each step they take, they help the organization learn and grow. Given their incredible value, leaders should compile a portfolio of digital change agents in their organization and consider how to best deploy and develop each of them. Old THINK friend Scott Bales writes about The Four C’s of Innovation. “Time and time again I see the same reasons organizations fall short of their original intention and/or goals in innovation. The only way to develop into an innovative company is to take a macro-strategy outlook along the lines of the four C’s. Thus, creating the foundations for success and the frameworks for building an abundant strategic options pipeline.” Digital change agents may or may not intend to start out as such, and their journey, at times, might feel lonely. But they walk a promising path. Change is never easy, but when change agents and leadership align, organizations can achieve much more than digital transformation; they build an agile foundation for an evolved enterprise.” The Top 5 Trends for Digital Transformation in 2018. “It is exciting to see how companies will integrate and create demand for new technologies as the year extends. While it’s fun to watch chatbots, AI and the Internet of Things come even more alive, it’s thrilling to witness organizations shake up business strategies and adopt new ways of disrupting their own businesses in order to become global forces. 2018 promises to be an interesting year.” Seizing Opportunity in Data Quality. (The cost of bad data is an astonishing 15% to 25% of revenue for most companies.) “Fewer errors mean lower costs, and the key to fewer errors lies in finding and eliminating their root causes. Fortunately, this is not too difficult in most cases. All told, we estimate that two-thirds of these costs can be identified and eliminated — permanently.” The coming wave of Digital Disruption. “The constraint for your company will not be the technology. It will be your ability to bring the three drivers to bear: to lower costs, engage customers, and make better use of assets. If you can employ digital technology to do that effectively, you will be among the winners of the age of digital disruption. The key to becoming the most wonderful version of yourself. “The long-lasting fulfillment we seek comes from living a life of purpose, of meaning, of compassion, and of altruism. It comes from being there for others, helping where we can, loving one another despite our differences, and making others smile. Yes, follow your ambitions, dreams and professional goals - why not? They too can bring great satisfaction and even meaning. But remember what also leads to your deepest happiness. You already know what you will know on your deathbed: that a life well lived is a life in which you have shared an abundance of love. That the only aspiration to have is to be a wonderful person for someone else.”