Are you a change maker or innovator?

Some people put it in their job titles, others may bury the word in their CVs and most wouldn’t think of themselves as having anything to do with it.

But, as we’ve explored in previous reports, most innovations don’t happen in a laboratory, it happens when people lead small, incremental changes in their workplaces over a long period.  

So let’s clear it up for once and for all. An innovator is someone who trailblaises a new idea while a changemaker is someone who applies new ideas to existing problems.

Whichever you identify with, the majority of our readers will fall into one of these two categories.

We’re very quick to share what we do with the world. I’m a safety technician, I’m a hairdresser, I’m a physiotherapist or a ship builder, but we’re not so quick to associate ourselves with one of the most valued skills of this century: innovation.

There are many theories explaining why this is the case, but the common thread is that there are many myths floating around which give both terms a poor reputation. 

Former Product Designer at Facebook, Tanner Christensen wrote on Inc.com.au that he believes people are likely to picture high-tech computers, shiny white machinery or a list of larger than life faces when we think of the word innovator.

“Worse still, how often do articles plague your Facebook or Twitter feeds, dot your email inbox or cover the front page of your favourite website with headlines such as ‘how to hack innovation’ or ‘one guaranteed way to be more creative?” he said.  

Sharing our own innovation stories may come across as self- centred, but the evidence shows that the more we do it, the more we are able to reinforce entrepreneurial behaviours in the community.

You could argue that getting the conversation started in your own community is an act of change in itself.