I’m hearing it from all over these days, so it must be official–the word ‘gamechanger’ has broken into the popular idiom. Why, I remember back in the day when it was just Pontiac Motors, A. G. Lafley of P & G, a few sportscasters, and me. Six weeks ago, William Safire wrote about the etymology of ‘gamechanger’ in his NY Times column. Now it’s everywhere, especially in politics. I must have heard the words ‘game’ and ‘change’ used together a dozen times last night in relation to the presidential debate.
This morning, my friend David LaPlante (if you want to read something beautiful, see his most recent blog entry) sent me a link to a CNN story and headline:
Here’s my response:
Candidates and media use the word erroneously, as CNN does in this story, when they refer to an EVENT as a gamechanger. A gamechanger is PERSON with the ability to change the game. Like you : ) A gamechanger can also be a brand, as in the focused, networked behaviors of a group of people who share business objectives. (more…)
So a few months ago, as part of an ongoing consultancy, I am hosting “Improvisation for Lunch” in the teched-up conference room at 
At a certain point in the proceedings, I notice a five-year-old kid sitting at the conference table, eating pizza and raising his hand to answer quiz questions like everyone else. What the — ?! Turns out it’s Cody LaPlante, son David LaPlante, the CEO of Twelve Horses. Cody is a full-on player. He jumps into the scene and plays the game 100%, even when there are 35 other grown-up players in the scene. For a kid, what’s not to understand about playing a game, right? Everyone’s ambition should be to engage in the world as unconditionally as a five-year-old. Cody’s support gives a definite lift to the group as a whole. He adds fun and lightheartedness to the scene.