"True change agents have a track record of seeing around corners, and their visions of the future will not let them rest."  This statement from Jack and Suzy Welch (BusinessWeek, Oct. 20, 2008) illustrates a major factor that makes change agents so much different from their peers.  They believe such individuals compromise no more than 10% of all employees.

What are the factors that make up change agents?

The single most critical one, they believe, is the power to enact change.  Sure, transformative ideas can bubble up from the bottom of the corporate pyramid, but significant change usually requires the driving force of someone who has the authority to make it happen through advocating the new direction, hiring appropriate people, and rewarding those who embrace change.

Three essential traits of change agents, according to the Welch's:

• They lead change because they believe their organization must get ahead of an approaching "discontinuity" in order to survive and win.
• They have the courage to bet their careers on new courses of action and are willing to take bold action to enact change.
• Their nature allows them to use their innate ability to galvanize teams and turn people on.  They have a fervent core of supporters they have cultivated through their intensity and caring.  Change happens quicker when people are emotionally engaged.

For a short article I wrote on change, Click Here.