In order to effect change, it seems we need 5 crucial steps:

    Be willing to See and acknowledge the issue we need to change;

    Decide you are in fact going to Do something about it;

    Connect with others to gain support, new ideas and collective
    clout;
    Find ways to Sustain your own energies to ensure you don't burn
    out; and

    Use your experience and energy to Inspire others to take action
    so we make the change become exponential.



    On that basis we asked Andy what he thinks ...

11 What issue do you see or come across that awakens the creative disruptor in you, and why does it matter to you the way it does?

I get worked up about practically everything but above all our ability as a species to separate our own actions from the obvious consequences – whether it is starving polar bears, plastic in the oceans, disappearing rainforests or desperate migrants appearing on Europe’s shores – there is a tendency to think someone or something else is causing this and not relate it to our own actions!
 
2 What action are you actually taking to tackle this, and how do you feel about what you do?

When people identify issues that concern them I try to reason back through the chain of events that leads to that situation to the point where people can relate it to their own actions and how changes they can make, sometimes quite small ones, can at least mean they stop contributing to the problem and start contributing to the solution.
 
3 How important do you think it is to reach out to and work with others as you work for this change, and how do you do it?

There is undoubtedly strength in numbers and I know there are much better informed and educated people out there who can put a more persuasive and coherent argument than me so I try to listen to and learn from them – then unashamedly steal their formula 😊 There’s too much at stake to be worried about who gets credit for what.  
 
4 How do you keep that fire in your belly alight without it causing you to burn out? How do you sustain your energies and look after you, and crucially, what's your advice to others?

I have learnt to accept that it is a marathon, not a sprint. There are stretches when I need to slow to a walking pace, take a pit stop or whatever and stretches where it is time to take advantage of the momentum of the crowd or the downward slope to quicken the pace! To quote Max Lucado “No-one can do everything but everyone can do something”
 
5 Positive change is contagious. Sometimes all that's needed for someone to take action is to see someone else doing something about it. So ... how do you use your experience to inspire others? 

I try to share those examples far and wide – fortunately my job allows me to do this – sharing good practice and putting people in touch with others so that the spark of inspiration can ignite new fires.
 
And finally ... if someone came up to you in a pub or a cafe and said they were fed up/enfuriated/anxious about something they felt was wrong or needed to change...what would you say?

Be the change
 

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