http://www.FamousinYourField.com Profile of social entrepreneur, Andrew Hewitt, founder of GameChangers 500. An alternative to the Fortune 500 list, the GameChangers 500 highlights innovative, profitable companies who are doing well while doing good. Subscribe to ASPIRE magazine (available on the iPad) at: http://bit.ly/ASPIREMAGAZINE

1. THEGAMECHANGER
andrew
meet
HEWITT
CHIEFGAMECHANGER
Hate the way the game is played?
Don’t complain.
Get busy changing it.
11 ASPIRE NOVEMBER2012

2. the
THEGAMECHANGER
College liberal arts majors may vaguely
remember what scholar Joseph Campbell
called the Hero’s Journey. The sequence
of events guides plot development for
countless dramas, stories, myths, and
religious texts. (Star Wars, anyone?)
CALL
THE HERO
he Clif’s Notes version
starts with our hero in
T the ordinary world. He
realizes that he’s un-
easy, uncomfortable.
Something in his life
is pulling him in another direction and n the Hero’s Journey sequence,
causing stress.
At least, that’s how it started for An-
I the plot launches when the hero
experiences the Call to Adventure
drew Hewitt, the founder of The Game that yanks him from his Ordinary
Changers, a social enterprise with the World existence. For Hewitt, it was literally a
ambitious mission to reinvent the world phone call that sparked him to abandon his
of business and work. comfortable success model to launch The
After a stellar college performance, Game Changers movement.
where he ruled student leadership or- During his talks, he retells the story of the
ganizations, Hewitt and his bright, am- call from his friend Mike, a fellow collegiate
bitious friends were flooded with job superstar now with a global Fortune 500
offers from Fortune 500 companies. company. Despite his meteoric rise and
Those kids were riding a rocket, straight six figure salary, Mike was profoundly de-
to the top. pressed. His job was devoid of purpose or
While some of these friends joined engagement – and it was crushing his soul.
the ranks of brand name companies, Mike wasn’t the only one. Andrew says that
Hewitt followed his own path. He built he “witnessed hordes of his talented univer-
a successful venture teaching his own sity friends strive for success in high status
innovative approach to education to careers, only to find themselves numbed by
college students; co-authored a book, meaningless work routines and disheart-
The Power of Focus for College Stu- ened by the profit-at-all-cost corporate
dents; canvassed the United States mentality.”
and his home country, Canada, teach- Soon after Mike’s call, Hewitt picked up and
ing students how to wring the value moved to Costa Rica to ponder his next
from their college experience (garnering step.
prestigious job offers in the process.)
He created a course for Donald Trump’s
Trump University called Start Right!
How to Launch a Great Career.
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3. THEGAMECHANGER
recurring character in the the
WORLD
Hero’s Journey is the guide
A or supernatural mentor, who
shares wisdom and gives
our hero a gift that will aid
him in his quest. Hewitt
encountered his own spiritual guide in Costa CHANGING
Rica in the form of an 80-something year old
man who “looked about forty.” It’s this per-
son that Hewitt credits with schooling him on
the evolution of civilization.
GIFT
“He taught me that over the last 3000 years, he culmination of
there have only been four major shifts in par- the Hero’s Journey
T
adigm, where the worldview of the civilization is securing a gift or
changed,” Hewitt said during a talk at TEDx treasure he uses to
Ajman. He described the four factors that improve the Ordinary
preceded each major shift: World. Andrew creat-
1. The dominant institution shows signs of ed his world-improv-
corruption and collapse. ing treasure when the
2. A breakthrough in communications GameChangers 500™ was born. He calls it
technology. “a new list for a new paradigm.”
3. The masses rise up or revolt. The website tells the story this way, “If the
4. Game changers and visionaries emerge Fortune 500 was the benchmark for suc-
to bring forth a new world view. cess in the 20th Century, the vision is for
Corporate fraud at an all-time high, the rise the GameChangers 500 to become that
of the internet, the Occupy Movement, and benchmark for the 21st Century — show-
more companies opting to define their mis- casing heart-centered organizations that are
sion as purpose-driven, rather than profit not just good at making money but are also
driven? Seeing these as signs, Hewitt was good at making the world a better place.”
convinced that society was ready for a Researching, rating and ranking 500 com-
change. panies isn’t a solo endeavor. Andrew’s first
He asked himself, “What if we created a new convert to the cause was his long-suffering
list that showcased the growing movement friend Mike. Mike was followed by a dozen
of organizations that are redefining success college students who interned in Costa
and reinventing the rules of business around Rica for twelve weeks. During that time, the
fun, fulfillment and fairness to all life?” team evaluated thousands of data points
the
from hundreds of companies to devise their
GameChangers DNA Test.
Together, they arrived at nine common suc-
cess principles that identify GameChanging
companies. The standards are represented
GUIDE
as nine badges awarded to companies pro-
filed on the GameChangers 500™ website.
Scan the site and you’ll find the usual sus-
pects: Whole Foods, Zappos, and Star-
bucks, alongside lesser known contenders,
Better World Books, Bloom Energy and
Elevate, a “transformative film company.”
13 ASPIRE NOVEMBER2012

4. 1. Objectives productivity and there-
Reinvent. Changing the fore offer radical amounts
GAME
game means doing some- of autonomy, generous
thing different. Something benefits, constant learn-
daring. Something that dis- ing, and hire based on
rupts the norm. strengths, shared values
CHANGER
Scale Impact.GameChang- and passion for the mis-
ers play big and have a strat- sion.
egy for scaling their impact. Everyone Wins. Ga-
BADGES
Meet the Mission.Ga- meChangers believe that
meChangers choose their success is when everyone
legal structure, set priorities, wins.
and create measurement 3. How We Treat the
tools that keep them focused Planet
on meeting their mission. Earth Friendly Office.
THEGAMECHANGER GameChangers have offic-
2. How We Treat People es that work with the earth
The GameChanger Badges Exceptional Work Environ- rather than against it.
Companies aren’t required to Eco-Design. GameChang-
ment. GameChangers create
qualify for all nine badges to
work environments that are ers’ products and services
make the list, but as the site
says, “The more badges you fun, inspiring and an evo- are designed with future
earn, the more of a lutionary leap beyond the generations in mind.
GameChanger you are.” beige cubicle. Replenish the Planet. Ga-
The badges are organized across Empowered Employees. meChangers not only mini-
three categories: GameChangers recognize mize what they take from
that happiness is the new nature, they also give to
nature to help it thrive.
Objectives
How we treat
people
How we treat
the planet
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5. the
FUTURE
OF GAME
CHANGERS Andrew Hewitt isn’t plan-
ning to rest on his list
A
laurels. He wants to use
GameChanger DNA re-
search to make an even
bigger impact on the
world of work. With the
soon-to-be launched
site, TheGameChangers.com, Hewitt’s organi-
zation will equip entrepreneurs with best prac-
tices, culled from GameChanger list members.
Job seekers can sign up to be notified about
new service currently under development. Ga-
meChangers Ignite will be a matchmaking ser-
vice between talented job seekers and game-
changing organizations that inspire them and
share their values.
Hewitt hopes the Ignite service will replace the
current staffing agency model, which he sees
as flawed. “It’s based on numbers – ‘how many
INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED jobs can we fill’ with little attention to matching
the right person with the right company.”
“We’re combing the world and looking for indi-
viduals and organizations with GameChanger
Lori Nash Byron is the founder of DNA,” he says. “We’re putting the call out and
FamousinYourField.com, a consulting saying, hey, if you want to be a part of this dra-
and training company for profession- matic shift, then get on board.”
als and solo entrepreneurs who want to
build a powerful brand and grow their Count us in.
business through speaking, publishing -------
and publicity.
15 ASPIRE NOVEMBER2012