The Unwoke
The Unwoke
Meet Your Host, Alan Weiss
Alan Weiss is one of those rare people who can say he is a consultant, speaker, and author and mean it.
His consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz, State Street Corporation, Times Mirror Group, The Federal Reserve, The New York Times Corporation, Toyota, and over 500 other leading organizations. He has served on several boards of directors in various capacities.
His prolific publishing includes over 500 articles and 60 books, including his best-seller, Million Dollar Consulting (from McGraw-Hill) now in its 30th year and sixth edition. His newest is Your Legacy is Now: Life is not about a search for meaning but the creation of meaning (Routledge, 2021). His books have been on the curricula at Villanova, Temple University, and the Wharton School of Business, and have been translated into 15 languages.
Get to know AlanShow Notes
Ironically, in these very liberal times we’re experiencing the greatest restrictions on free speech I can remember: in the media, on social media, in schools, in workplaces. It’s like Animal Farm, you have to read what’s on the barn wall this morning and what’s been removed from it.
We distort meaning in order not to offend an issue that’s not really offensive. We talk of “micro-aggressions” which seem like excuses to brand someone a racist or worse. We seem to be on eggshells about racism but ignore the boulders of anti-Semitism descending all around us.
We’re expected to atone for the sins of our ancestors. We must distort language in order to avoid some inadvertent grievance about pronouns. And we’re expected to keep vaults of people’s names with their pronoun preferences as though these are the keys to survival. We no longer can tell if “they” is singular or plural, somewhat important one would think, if a friend or a mob were coming down the block.
Virtue signalling has become a profession, with people warning us at theatrical events, sports venues, and university proceedings that we had better adhere to the right social theology. As many people simply accept all this and go about their business of earning a living and supporting their families, the field is left to the zealots.
I don’t care if you wear a mask or not these days, because I’m vaccinated to the max and believe that a mask doesn’t make a difference for most of us (though if you don’t use one and you don’t believe in vaccination, you should care). But I do care if you think I’m guilty or privileged because I’ve worked hard and used my talents honestly and consistently. I don’t want to live in a “TSA World” where I’m guilty until I prove myself innocent.
To quote Billy Joel, “I am, an innocent man.” And unwoke.
Alan Weiss’s The Uncomfortable Truth® is a weekly broadcast from “The Rock Star of Consulting,” Alan Weiss, who holds forth with his best (and often most contrarian) ideas about society, culture, business, and personal growth. His 60+ books in 12 languages, and his travels to, and work in, 50 countries contribute to a fascinating and often belief-challenging 20 minutes that might just change your next 20 years.
Introduction to the show recorded by Connie Dieken
