“What I do doesn’t matter,” say many environmentalists as they order steak or buy tickets to fly some place. That’s the addiction speaking.

I recently heard Alan Mulally speak on how he led turning Ford around from losing tens of billions of dollars to number one in many categories creating joy, teamwork, and fun despite challenging work.

Before being CEO of Ford, he led Boeing, among the two greatest promoters of pollution in the world. Nonetheless, because he leads, which I distinguish from telling people facts and numbers, protesting, or cajoling, coercing, or convincing, I contend that he would be more effective than nearly any environmentalist I know of.

I consider him one of my top role models because I see his methods among the most effective in results.

In this episode I highlight a passage from a recent talk he gave that addresses “what I do doesn’t matter” from a leadership perspective. Though he’s talking about Ford executives running the company into near bankruptcy, it applies to all of us lowering Earth’s ability to sustain life.

• ← 565: Sam Quinones, part 2: Fentanyl feels worse but addicts more (like Facebook, McDonald’s, flying, etc)
• 567: Nakisa “Sista Sol” Glover, part 1: Environmental Justice, Social Justice, Organizing, and Action →