The Laws of the New Game Changers

To deliver value to our readers, we do not want to simply describe what it is to be a Breaker, a Maker, or “new game changer;” we want to enable the reader to think like a new game changer and participate in this exciting personal, cultural, and technological ramp-up to create breakthroughs and generate meaningful impact. The vision for this book rests in the ability to think big but act small. The ability to create huge breakthroughs rests in the ability to have high impact and still be very nimble. It is the ability to think big to scale and then deploy microclimate executions and ground-level effectiveness for the individual and the small guy. When faced with the option of settling for less or choosing not to settle, the new game changer chooses not to settle. Indeed, one definition of a game changer is a doer, a person, organization, or movement that in the face of adversity and against the odds, redefines the who, what, when, where, and how of achieving results and impact. We are working on getting to wonderful results and are not willing to settle for less. It’s not okay to be on your way to someplace wonderful and decide that you can get there without much work, or worse, settle for less because “all right” is good enough. Making do or getting by is never good enough when you know that you can do better. You may never get to someplace wonderful, but you should not stop trying to go as far as you can go on the way there. A new game changer is provocative, takes reasoned risks, and draws on creative genius to fire something odd, unique, different, or just plain strange into the universe to see what happens. When the rest of the world says, “I dare you to do that,” the new game changers are the ones who take the dares, manage the risks, and redefine the outcome as a win. Third, while the truth is that we all have the capacity to make breakthrough impacts, the reality is that there is only so much room at the innovation leadership table. History predicts that those who systematically barge in and take lead are the ones that get a seat at the innovation/leadership table. One of the goals of this book is to encourage the reader to “barge in” to create breakthroughs and impacts that tip the status quo on its head. Fourth, we wanted to be a part of a positive model focused on getting to something wonderful. The Laws of the New Game Changers is an invitation to lead change from a new perspective. We wanted to create a personalized discussion galvanized around common goals and commitment to solutions and innovation. For the reader, we simply ask the question, “Are you ready to be a game changer?” If not, this book is intended to help you get ready. Fifth, a new model of game changing is called for. The marketplace demands innovation and makes widespread use of the term game changer, yet it is clear that women and girls are not always included as critical participants in creating these new models of change and innovation. We are officially going on record to state that women and girls—as well as women and girls of color—are the new game changers. As coauthors of a book working for positive change, our team is serious about what it is doing. But we do not take ourselves so seriously that we cannot laugh along the way. This book is intended to motivate, inspire, and lead change—it is for the traditional and nontraditional, for men and women seeking to create breakthrough impacts, including the creators of movies, advertising campaigns, critics, and proponents of reality TV, politics, and educational initiatives, as well as ordinary people, grassroots leaders, and moms and dads. If all of the above fails, this book should serve as a practical handbook for how to give your best effort and move forward. Either way, the purpose of the book is to create value for the reader.