7. Believable
Attitudes, not
Platitudes
NO!
In 1967, the Anaheim Fire Chief asked Walt to
have an automatic off switch for the special
effects because they looked too real and
would confuse the firemen in case there was a
fire.
This presentation has been created to Inspire Your Fire.
Think about people that can be considered “on fire” for either athletic prowess, trying to change the world, working toward gender pay equality, or just mindblowing amounts of output.
There were studies that advise when you are not sure what to do, pretend to be your superhero. For me, that is Nina Simone. She suffered from mental illness and racial bigotry, but she never allowed anyone to determine where she belonged. She was so brave (and a friend of David Bowie!), that I think of her when I feel I need help taking action.
We may not be world leaders, amazing athletes or James Franco, but we also have the opportunity to lead when our partners, family or friends have an idea of where they want to go, but do not know how to get there.
We can all stand up and take the opportunity to lead the way, pointing out pitfalls along the way or points when decisions must be made.
How do we do that? First we must speak up and stand up. People with torches hold them up high so their people can find and follow them. If you hold your fire low and wait for someone to come ask you for your ideas, then you will only burn and damage yourself.
If you have a cause that is burning in you, show your light because there are others that find it important as well. Let them find you and build your army.
Our jobs are not to tell everyone that things are fine when they are not, but we should push progress forward. If there is a big problem now, we don’t expect it to be there last year, we need to address it. We have had such problems before and we also got past them.
People come to those with fire to learn. Think about what your partners need before you are asked. Be the Subject Matter Expert and lead confidently.
Enable yourself. If someone hasn’t gotten back to you or reached out, take it upon yourself to reach out to them.
I had a series that I wanted to do and went to 15 different leaders, the 16 gave me the okay to get it started right away. When you see these progress blockers, BURN THEM DOWN. Keep at it, if it is important to you, it is important. Since then, I have had everyone that I have presented to tell me they appreciated the series and others asking to take part. At first, that was hard for me as I saw it as my baby, but I kept in mind that the light is for my people and I had to give them a chance to make the fire burn brighter, not just observe me.
We all have been there when someone has brought up “We’ve always done it that way” or “At my last job we always…” We have to observe the situation and the people we are working with now and determines what works at this point in time. Experience is very valuable, but we shouldn’t let it douse or reduse our flame of effectiveness.
Think about yourself and determine what fuels you. No one will simple look to me and think, “Education is really important to that girl, I should come up with some conferences for her.” Once you know your fuel, let your friends, partners, and leadership know so that they can help you keep going rather than burning hot, bright…and out.
Winston Churchill tried to come up with 10 ideas a day to end the WWII. Think of what we can accomplish if everyone on your team even just came up with one idea a week! Take some time and try to think of something that would make your team, family, church, or even the world better and take action.
Flame on, my friends!
