What it Means to be a Role Model

A lot of local councils here in New Zealand have recently declared a climate change emergency in their districts. Now, you might think that a bunch of local councils in one of the world’s smaller countries aren’t going to make much of a difference, especially to the global situation.

And you might be right.

Then again, you might not be.

“It is really important to send a message to the community that it is happening and we are aware that it is happening” – Hawkes Bay Regional Council chairman Rex Graham*

Global change starts with local change. And local change starts with someone taking a stand with a message about what they believe is important. And if that message lands with the people who are ready to hear it, that message has a chance of becoming viral. And a movement begins.

Taking a stand for something won’t guarantee that the change you want to see will happen as a result. And if you don’t take a stand, you don’t have any chance of inspiring others to act with you.

New Zealand isn’t the biggest contributor to climate change by any stretch of the imagination. But it can be an amplifier of a way of thinking and operating that can inspire others globally. Just look at Jacinda Arden.

You might not be the most senior, the most connected, or the most influential. 

And, you can still be an amplifier of the change you wish to see, whether it be in your team, your organisation, your community or your world. 

When you take a stand, you’re being a role model. You ignite in us what’s ready to be ignited. You show us an alternative, better future.

Go be a role model.

* Sourced from The Dominion Post, 29 June 2019

Photo Credit: Jeremy Bishop, pexels.com

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