Leadership influence and character Archives - Page 11 of 14

Saving the Planet

September 29, 2020November 13, 2014 by Zero Dean

“Use the hashtag SaveThePlanet to help save the planet!”

OMG you guys! Who knew that saving the planet was so easy!?

Why aren’t you doing this, guys!?

Guys? Guys? Guys? The planet!

We gotta save the planet!

Use the hashtag, guys!

Save the planet! Save the planet!

SaveTheDamnPlanet!

*Pretty sure likes and hashtags are going to have no noticeable impact on the planet. All that relying on them does is give someone the false belief they’ve actually done something.

“Welp, I used the hashtag SaveThePlanet today. I’ve done my part! Looks like my job here is done.”

This isn’t activism.

If you want to make a difference, develop good habits that represent your beliefs, be thoughtful of your environment, educate yourself on the cause(s) you wish to support, help educate others if you so desire, and take action to support those causes.

If it feels a little too easy and like you didn’t actually do anything, you probably didn’t.

Take action. Be the change.

Don’t rely on likes and hashtags to do it for you.

Yesterday’s heroes

November 9, 2014 by Zero Dean

Yesterday’s heroes:

Explorers, envelope pushers, record breakers, mind blowers…

They represented many of man’s greatest ideals. Integrity, honor, resourcefulness, respect, curiosity…

We believed in such things. We cared about such things.

Today’s heroes:

Millionaires, billionaires, corporations, celebrities, sell outs…

People who are more concerned with their status and their bank accounts than whatever it was that allowed them to gain what they got.

Yes, there are exceptions. They deserve to be seen. They deserve to be heard.

We deserve better than the status quo.

We deserve better than politicians who sell themselves to the highest bidder, regardless of the evils that bidder represents.

We deserve better than a media that cares more about ratings & spin and sponsors and the next election cycle than the truth.

We deserve better than corporations that sabotage each other and impede progress & growth to simply make their stockholders happy.

We deserve people with integrity that we can trust. We deserve companies racing into the future with advancements that will benefit all and not just the elite. These kinds of people & companies deserve the headlines every day.

Not some celebrity having a baby. Not some singer releasing a remix. Not some deranged killer. Not another unfaithful, outrageous, drug addicted, alcoholic, or corrupt politician.

Where are the heroes? Where are the people with integrity? Where are the people we can trust? Where are the people we can believe in?

Yes, they do exist, but we rarely see them because the press believes we would rather hear about celebrities acting badly than “the crazy ones” trying to change the world.

No wonder people are cynical. We are bombarded with the worst of humanity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Sickness, greed, killing, war. A corporate agenda.

The fact that the McRib is ever back isn’t news. We should be appalled that it is.

The fact we are striving for Mars and the stars is news. The fact that some envelope-pushing companies could use your support is news.

We deserve organizations striving for peace and harmony, not trying to perpetuate wars for the military complex that profits from them. Yes, war is a business and business is good.

But not for us.

We owe it to ourselves to find better heroes than those who simply use our attention for profit rather than the betterment of humanity.

We deserve heroes that don’t need to highlight their accomplishments every time they make a media appearance for us to believe in them.

We deserve heroes that seek to inspire more heroes and not just inspire people to follow them.

We deserve better. We can do better.

Not tomorrow. Today.

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” — TBWAChiatDay

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Influence by example

October 26, 2014 by Zero Dean

You don’t win points for liking something before it was popular or because it is old.

You don’t win points for judging people or criticising others because they don’t like exactly the same things you do.

You don’t even “win points” for simply being a decent human being, but you’re definitely more likely to earn the respect and admiration others if you keep an open mind and try.

If it brings someone joy and it isn’t causing harm, people should be able to like or do whatever they want without being criticized for it.

When you keep an open mind and look beyond differences, you’ll often find a common ground & things you can appreciate or work for together.

And you might just find life is easier when you see it that way instead of looking for things or people to have issues with.

People are more likely to be influenced by the attitude of others — and the examples they set — than they are by being criticized or having others impose their beliefs on them.

There’s enough judgement in the world. Enough name calling. Enough bullying. Enough “this vs. that” and “us vs. them”. Enough imposing of beliefs.

You don’t change people by telling them they’re wrong.

Want change? Keep an open mind, find common ground, and influence by example.

Be the change.

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We can do better

October 24, 2014 by Zero Dean

Liars. Cheaters. Drug addicts. Racists. Homophobes. Wife beaters. The selfish. The narcissistic. The willfully ignorant…

Just because someone is on TV or sells a lot of records doesn’t make them a good role model. And it certainly doesn’t make them “cool”.

Just because someone has a lot of money in their bank account — and is considered “successful” by that standard — doesn’t mean their life is a blue print worth following.

Yes, controversy attracts a crowd, but just because someone has a strong moral compass or leads a life involving little to no controversy doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of attention.

The folks worthy of emulating and drawing attention to are not those who do whatever outrageous things they can to get attention in order to put more money in their bank accounts.

They are those who live modestly and with integrity doing the right thing and whatever needs to be done regardless of who’s watching.

They could be your neighbor, a coworker, the founder of a non-profit. Anyone.

Stop simply accepting the commercially driven role models that are mass marketed to you. You’re playing their game. And they’re winning. Every time we give them attention, we give them free advertising and power. Power that is often abused.

Hold your idols to a higher standard than simply being famous for being famous. Find people worth admiring, whether they are famous or not.

We owe it to ourselves to have truly positive role models, not assclowns on TV and on the covers of the magazines in the magazine rack.

We can do better.

Related:

From the comments:

Eric: Now what the hell could you possibly have against sleeveless undergarments?!

Zero: “Girlfriend beaters” just doesn’t have the same ring to it…

If you like it, encourage it.

October 20, 2014 by Zero Dean

Always remember that your actions help influence whether there is more or less of something in the world.

The reason why bad news, people acting badly, and superficial pop culture is so popular is because people give their attention to it. This, in turn, creates more of exactly the sorts of things people say they don’t want.

This is why it is so important to encourage those who are doing the sorts of things you would like to see more of.

If you like it, encourage it. If you admire it, say so. If you appreciate it, express it.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a friend, a family member, a stranger on the street, or someone you cross paths with online, everyone can always use a little encouragement and positive feedback. Your recognition of the things you appreciate helps to prolong those things and ensure their future existence. Ten seconds of your time is all it takes (although thirty or more is more meaningful).

In a world of takers, be someone who gives back.

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Originally published on: Oct 20, 2014

“Real men”

October 14, 2014 by Zero Dean

I see it frequently on social media…

“Real men wear…”
“Real men drink [brand]…”
“Real men know how to…”
“Real men drive [brand]…”
“Real men like…”

No.

Real men. Real women. Real people like whatever they want to like and do whatever they want to do. Their preferences are not dictated by fads, popularity, or the social norm. They don’t like things in order to appear more appealing to others.

Real people act with authenticity. And authentic people listen to their inner voice and make their own decisions based on their personal preferences and experience.

So to say “Real men like…” is practically meaningless.

A “real” person is going to maintain their integrity regardless of the influence of outside forces — regardless of your desire that they like whatever it is you think they should like in order to be a “real” person.

To suggest otherwise is to suggest that you judge people based on whether they like or don’t like exactly the same things you do. And if they don’t, they’re not a “real” person.

To be real is to be authentic. To be real is to have a strong sense of self. To be real is to have a positive moral character. And above all, to be real is to have integrity.

Because…

A real person is going to like beer or mixed drinks or not drink at all.
A real person is going to eat meat or not.
A real person is going to like cats or dogs or none of the above.
A real person is going to be religious or not.
A real person is going to like watching sports or root for the same team as you or not.
A real person is going to drive an American made car or a foreign car or none at all.

The thing about “real” people is that you can’t tell them what to be — or who or what to like — and expect them to cater to you simply because you want them to. Real people are going to be real and make their own decisions and do what they want whether you approve of it or not.

Real people don’t exist to confine themselves to other people’s expectations. They’re not content with being labeled. They have no desire to fit within a box. They don’t cave in to peer pressure. And they don’t act with the intention of pleasing everyone.

And this is far more rare than it should be — and should be of far more value and far more desirable than a person who simply likes the exact same things you like, shares your exact point of view, or is easily influenced by the social majority or the flavor of the week.

Consider this the next time someone suggests “Real people…” do or like anything.

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The fact is, you can help someone today

October 10, 2014 by Zero Dean

The fact is, you can help someone today if you simply look for the opportunity to do so and act upon it when it comes.

Always believe you can make a positive difference in the world of those you encounter.

Because you can and you do.

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The influence of you.

July 29, 2014 by Zero Dean

The power of your influence nearly always appears smaller than it actually is.

Just because people don’t always appear to register whatever message you have to share doesn’t mean you should give up sharing it.

If it’s important to you, and your goal in drawing attention to something is for the greater good, then continue to find positive ways to spread that message, regardless of who you think is getting it.

As human beings, we have done some incredibly stupid and harmful things — to each other, the planet, and other lifeforms on it — simply because everyone else was doing it (so it must be ok).

Hivemind and group social dynamics are very powerful and can actively work against sound logic.

So even if your message it is backed by overwhelming evidence, if it is contrary to popular belief means it will most likely be rejected before it is accepted. In fact, a study by Cornell University found that that people are actually biased against creative ideas (and “creative” can basically apply to anything that isn’t considered standard).

So whatever cause you believe in, if it isn’t already popular, prepare for a struggle to be heard.

But also know that there are always those who are open to hearing your message, even if they don’t fully agree with it (and that’s ok), or live by it.

For example, you don’t have to advocate vegetarianism to still be concerned about how damaging the production of beef is to the environment.

As long as you are not being disrespectful or advocating harm to others, those who are at least peripherally aware of your cause may eventually come to realize the value — or at least some of the value — in what you have to share.

And that’s a start.

You can’t change the entire world at once, but you can influence those you come in contact with by spreading your message in a positive way and setting a good example to follow.

But whatever you do, causing intentional harm to others should never be an option.

If your values and the content of your message ring true, they will speak more powerfully than force ever will.

I’ve said it before, “Anger and hate dig holes. Love and kindness move mountains. Choose your motivation wisely.”

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Live your life as if your heroes are watching.

July 13, 2014 by Zero Dean

Live your life as if your heroes are watching.

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Your mission, if you choose to accept it…

June 19, 2014 by Zero Dean

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find an opportunity to give someone *sincere*, positive praise today.

Or tell someone’s boss or manager that the person who helped you (or others) is doing a great job.

Or write a positive review for a product or establishment that you appreciate.

Accentuate the positive.

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