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    “My goal is to help everyone around me think bigger.”

    — Aaron Bare

    Change is the constant. Thinking bigger is the work.

    Swagger Magazine cover featuring Aaron Bare — The Change Agent
    Cover photography: Holly Beaupre Photography

    Change in the boardroom.

    The problem is rarely a shortage of problems. It is the size of the frame. Change the frame, and a problem can become an opportunity.

    As Swagger reported in its 2022 feature, about a dozen of my facilitation clients cancelled overnight when COVID hit. The calendar emptied. I used the time to finish Exponential Theory: The Power of Thinking BIG.

    As Swagger reported, the book reached the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestseller lists. The work began with a pause, not a perfect plan.

    Aaron Bare speaking on the DLP stage in front of an audience

    A sea of change.

    A wider world changes the questions you ask. As Swagger reported, Semester at Sea during college helped shape my idea of “thrivability”: the ability to thrive personally, professionally and as an organization.

    As Swagger reported, a master's degree and work at Accenture came before building companies. The feature describes change work in 500+ companies, including Coca-Cola and Mercedes-Benz, and teaching at Singularity University and Thunderbird.

    Today, my work has taken me to 103 countries and all 50 states. Different places. Different perspectives. More reasons to stay curious.

    Seven Universal Truths.

    As Swagger reported, Exponential Theory brings together seven universal truths. Start with a thought. Follow it into how you live.

    1. to think is to create

    2. we are our habits

    3. attitude is everything

    4. what we resist persists

    5. the goal is not the end

    6. enjoy the moment

    7. we are all one

    Exponential Theory: The Power of Thinking BIG

    Giving back.

    Thinking bigger should reach beyond the boardroom.

    As Swagger reported, my community work included annual backpack drives in South Phoenix through the HeroZona Foundation. The feature also reported a $1.25M mental-health grant to help veterans with PTSD.

    Aaron Bare delivering a keynote with a microphone on stage

    Exponential advice.

    Attention is finite. Your list does not have to be.

    As Swagger reported, my “not doing” practice starts by writing down everything on my mind, then pruning the list weekly. In that interview, the list went from 338 items to 40 I was not doing.

    Make room for what matters. Leave room for a different idea.

    As Swagger reported, these were my reading recommendations in the interview.

    • Collective Illusionsby Todd Rose
    • Against Empathyby Paul Bloom
    • The Art of the Impossibleby Steven Kotler