Holding opinions as a form of advertisement. Opinions you’re proud of because they make you feel good about yourself. Ones you post so people know what you stand for. What team you’re on.

Please don’t confuse that with the work of making decisions, allocating resources, opening doors, giving up a seat, promoting, caring, sharing coaching, defending, organizing …moving the money.

We’ve gotten so superficial that we think if we posted something we accomplished something. Puttin’ up a billboard instead of building something that works for everyone.

If you are in a position to allocate resources (includes everyone who votes, spends money, hires, fires, evaluates, chooses contractors, chooses sites, lends money, gives scholarships and grades, shows and promotes artists, buys books …)

When I do any of these I’m responsible to make my actions advance fairness. To make my actions match my billboard. I have had this kind of responsibility for years. And advancing fairness and redressing injustice is not convenient or easy. If it hasn’t kept you awake, cost you something of value, created friction, hurt, you’ve probably missed the boat. You’re comfortably on the safe shore.

If you “said something” and then someone said something that hurt your feelings that’s just not news. Don’t brag that someone threatened you. You’re supposed to be standing up for people getting killed and locked in cages and imprisoned for life. You got your feelings hurt. Wtf. I get my feelings hurt every single day. I call my mother. She does not care. She tells me the same thing she’s told me for years: you’re too sensitive.

I’m here – not for the “thought leaders”, not for those who write books about leadership but never had a bitch of a budget that wouldn’t balance without gut wrenching decisions. I’m not into listening to people who never had to deal with lenders and funders, and electeds grandstanding at your expense, or greedy investors sucking the life out of companies. I’m for people grownup enough to keep their damn mouth shut about their feelings when they know to speak up will hurt the greater good. When they suck it up to get the resources to do the work because pride and feelings don’t tip the scales at all next to the opening up opportunity for others. I wanna know if you can help someone else when your own house is under water.

I’m here for people trying to build institutions (for profit and non profits) – trying to build for what’s next. Those that are up to their necks and can’t hear one more empty stupid leadership platitude.

Those that have “worked on themselves” and realized the emptiness of that as your only goal. If you’ve grown up and realized that insight about yourself is a start – and a hollow luxury if you don’t spend it for the greater good – I’m here for you.

For people that will work like crazy on something with no guarantee of success or reward.

For you sloggers that get up every damn day and do the chores, mind the money, tend the wounds and just persist in stitching it all up again, trying to make it work – for everyone. Yep. My tribe.