ZN

Organizations most receptive to change are likely to have a competitive edge, making use of all the opportunities along their path. But who is the right person to lead the change, armed with the tools and knowledge to adapt to an ever-changing environment?

Enter the agents of change.

These individuals, with their finely tuned balance of attributes, act as catalysts for change and help their own companies adapt and survive in a transient environment. Their roles are valuable but can also be precarious, with obstacles littered along the way.

The term “agent of change” may not always have a positive connotation, particularly if change, and the important role it plays, is not yet widely understood within the organization. If a headstrong individual comes armed with a ready prepared manifesto and doesn’t take into consideration the internal hunger for transformation, things can go awry (take the story of Jack Griffin, a change agent at Time Inc., for example). But, if you have the right person with the right mindset, incredible things can happen.

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For the past few months, we were delighted to have Chloe de Hoffman join our team as an intern and we are grateful for all her hard work. In the article below, she shares her experience working at ZN. As she prepares to finish her studies and enter the working environment, we wish her all the best.

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I strongly recommend you watch Simon Sinek's How great leaders inspire action:

Particularly at the beginning of a project, the editorial team spends a lot of time working with a client to help reshape their current corporate voice and storyline to be ready for the digital age. Once done, this storytelling approach transcends the digital channels and is used in all communication activity, be it internal, external, above-the-line or offline.

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The accounts team keeps growing and we couldn’t be happier! In January, Thanh-Nhan Mai Trung joined the ZN team. Born in Belgium but with Vietnamese and Chinese origins, we’ve jokingly called Thanh a “Fasian”. Currently in her “baking period”, the entire ZN team has been feasting on the pastries she’s brought for us to try. Besides baking, she enjoys eating, cooking and experimenting.

I had a chat with Thanh to learn more about her.

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John F. Kennedy once said that “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other”.

In ZN, we believe that in order to adapt to the digital age and to keep up with the fast-paced growth of information, today’s leaders and thinkers should develop the habit of continuous learning and have this at the core of their everyday lives.

Last January, the Cefic Communications team had their first round of the ZN Digital Masterclass – a series of workshops for practitioners who wish to expand their digital skills and develop insights on how to create, implement and measure an effective online strategy.

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Belgium is certainly where Luc Chomé feels at home. He was born in Rwanda and has lived in many places during his adult life – the USA, Bosnia, Ivory Coast and Ireland. His varied professional career – in a humanitarian agency (Handicap International), the localization industry, university administration, and project management for digital businesses – connected unexpected dots.

When he’s not busy taking care of clients, you might run into him when he’s playing ultimate frisbee or travelling. He also enjoys reading essays and novels, and playing poker.

I caught up with Luc to learn more about him and what makes him tick.

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Jesús Azogue, our Creative Director here at ZN, is one of those truly creative types that you rarely get to meet. Dynamic in nature, he juggles his daily work, his job as Master’s teacher in Madrid, and his own exhibitions and projects. Nourished by these experiences, his mind is continuously filled with new ideas. To experience the depth of his imagination, just spend an hour in a brainstorming session with him and you’ll see what I mean!

I asked him about a project that he had on exhibit last December at Instituto Cervantes – the e-Tree. From conceptualization to the actual realisation, Jesús told me the e-Tree story…

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As always, the ZN’s team of Hyperthinkers have been hard at work. Their heads becoming so hot with ideas that it would blind an infrared camera and boil the kettle from a distance. Here’s a look at some of the things they’ve been up to:

Animal Testing Perspectives – Animal testing is a controversial issue and one that is difficult for the general public to fully grasp.

That’s why the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), together with ZN, created a space that could help people understand the nuances surrounding the issues – including the link between research and health/healthcare benefits – and where an honest and balanced debate could take place.

The website has two sub campaigns. The first relates to new EU rules that will require scientists to publish research summaries online. It aims to bring more transparency by asking what information people want to see. Have a look at research studies in plain words.

The second has to do with the increasing pressure to end animal research in Europe. If no more animals would be tested on in Europe, what would the ramifications of this policy be? Would animal testing become a major industry elsewhere? For this reason, Animal Testing Perspectives is launching a page to discuss all the potential side effects. To find out more, visit Shall it stay or shall it go?

James Elles – James Elles is a member of the European Parliament. He is a member of the Parliament’s Budget committee and substitutes for many others. He is also the founder and chair of the Transatlantic Policy Network and co-founder of the European Internet Foundation. Now that you’ve seen his resume, we can agree that “government elite” is a pretty accurate description. So why is ZN involved with an EU politician?

In addition to providing communication strategies for companies and associations, we also provide services for… people! We recently gave Mr. Elles’ site a makeover and made him more accessible to the people. Take a look at  http://www.jameselles.com.

IABC – If you are in the business of communications, you will be familiar with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). No? Well, it is really big network that helps “practitioners” (people in the biz) connect and share knowledge.

It currently has 16,000 members, and guess who chairs the Europe and Middle East region? Our very own Chief Hyperthinker, Philip Weiss! In an effort to give IABC Europe a facelift, we gave its website a good do-over too! You can see the result on europe.iabc.com.

If you would like to know more about IABC, Phil wrote about his experiences and the benefits of joining the association on his hyperthinker.eu blog.

ZN is currently working on many other exciting projects, so stay tuned for more news!

After braving the cold winter and relocating her family from the Philippines, my colleague, Danielle Miller, has hurdled through her first month as ZN’s editor. Over the last few years, Danielle has lived and worked on three continents. She is now happy to give her nomadic shoes a break and welcome the melting pot that is Brussels as her new home.

When she’s not editing for ZN and coming up with ideas for clients, Danielle is out exploring her new city – taking in all it has to offer, from pilsners to frites. She is also very passionate about writing fiction and nonfiction, building pillow forts with her daughter and husband, and anything arty.

I had a chat with her to discover more about her life at ZN and other interesting tidbits.

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REMIXit offered a unique experience that enabled TEDx-sters to build on the inspiring talks they saw at TEDxBrussels and share them with the community for great prizes. TEDxBrussels is pleased to announce that, after careful deliberation, the juries have finally delivered their verdicts! You can find the list of winners in the website of REMIXit.eu

Thank you to all TEDx-sters for your contributions, sharing and votes. The REMIXit campaign was a big success thanks to you! Philip Weiss, Chief Hyperthinking, said “It was great to see the creativity and insights that simple ideas can bring to life. Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes the best ideas are simply a matter of looking at the same things from a different perspective… The world needs hyperthinkers, and there is hope, because there are plenty around at TEDxBrussels.”

Thank you to TEDxBrussels, Accenture, SWIFT, ZN, Evernote and Getyoo for their support and help in making this project possible.

The REMIXit campaign represents a subtle shift in the philosophy of “sharing ideas” to doing them. It freed TEDx-sters from the constraints of being spectators and enabled them to become participants and share their ideas. Like Philippe Ruttens, Marketing and Communications Manager at Accenture BeLux, who added “Accenture is pleased to have co-launched the REMIXit contest to boost the creation and combination of ideas and innovations in Belgium,” we look forward to taking this a step further next year and seeing how much more creative and innovative people can be!

We are looking forward to seeing what REMIXit will bring to the table next year.