The Agency Dictionary
Words shape how we understand the world. Sometimes we redefine them. Sometimes we restore them. Sometimes we ask them to do new work.
Throughout this Dictionary, familiar words may appear with unfamiliar parts of speech. That’s intentional, because if we are to build better futures, we first need new ways of talking about what is possible.
Agency (v.): To intentionally shape the future through courageous action. To reject the belief that systems are fixed. Redefined here as a verb rather than a noun. Agency is not something you have. It is something you do.
Belong (v.): To create the conditions in which people know they matter. To invite participation without requiring conformity. Redefined here as an action rather than a destination.
Courage (v): To dream of possibility when certainty is unavailable.
Curiosity (n.): The desire to understand what we do not yet know. The willingness to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and remain open to surprise. Understood here as the beginning of possibility.
Disrupt (v.): To question the assumptions, stories, and systems of established narratives. Creating the conditions for change.
Hope (v.): To act in service of a more just future. To choose possibility despite uncertainty. Redefined here as action rather than optimism.
Joy (n.): The experience of meaning, connection, and delight in the process. A condition that expands creativity, resilience, and possibility. Often assumed to be the reward for effort; understood here as part of the work.
Lead (v.): To create the conditions in which other people can flourish. To cultivate agency rather than dependence. To prepare people and organizations not simply to endure change, but to shape it. Redefined here as a practice rather than a position.
Learn (v.): To expand how we understand ourselves and the world. To remain open to being changed by new experiences. Redefined here as transformation rather than accumulation.
Museum (n.): A space in which people encounter ideas, objects, stories, and one another, and are invited to see the world differently. Understood here not simply as a place that preserves the past, but as a place where people imagine the future.
Play (n.): A radical method of exploring possibility. A way of experimenting, imagining, and discovering without fear of failure. A tool essential to learning, creativity, and transformation.
Possibility (n): The belief in more perfect futures.
Trust (v.): To create the conditions in which people are willing to take meaningful risks together. To choose vulnerability over certainty. Redefined here as a practice rather than a feeling.
