Catalysts
Agents that start or accelerate a reaction without being consumed by it.
In chemistry, a catalyst is a substance that speeds up a reaction without being consumed. Enzymes work this way. So do many industrial processes. The catalyst lowers the activation energy required, making reactions possible that wouldn't be at room temperature.
The metaphor extends widely. A great mentor catalyses careers. A trusted broker catalyses deals. A platform catalyses transactions. A new technology catalyses entire industries. Each enables something that was already wanting to happen but couldn't get past its activation energy.
For operators, the practical version: identify the catalysts in your own work. The person who connects the right two parties. The tool that suddenly makes a hard process easy. The decision that unblocks a stalled team. Catalytic interventions usually have outsized returns relative to their cost.
Examples in the wild
Hiring one person who connects multiple teams (the famous "glue" person) often unblocks years of stalled cross-team work. The catalytic effect is far larger than the salary.
Activist investors are catalysts. They don't operate the business. They trigger changes that the business could have made on its own but hadn't.
Therapists, coaches, mentors are catalysts. They don't live your life. They lower the activation energy for changes you want to make but weren't getting past.
Catalysts is one of the mental models we apply through real cases inside the Pareto MBA — a part-time program for professionals who want to think clearly about business.