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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and goalajiving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellovaledo.

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<v Speaker 1>Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>It's episode four to sixty three. Today's episode is about

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<v Speaker 1>something that doesn't just shape teams, it shapes nations. It's

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<v Speaker 1>about the dangers of spreading misinformation, especially when it comes

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<v Speaker 1>from people in positions of power and leadership. So let's

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<v Speaker 1>start with this. You have the right to consume whatever

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<v Speaker 1>kind of news, media or opinion based content that feeds

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<v Speaker 1>your appetite. That's the freedom of choice. Fox News, CNN,

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<v Speaker 1>YouTube channels, TikTok, personalities podcasts. If it fills your cup,

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<v Speaker 1>you're allowed to drink from it. But here's the issue.

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<v Speaker 1>Just because something satisfies your appetite doesn't mean it's nourishing you.

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<v Speaker 1>And even more dangerous if you're a person with influence,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're someone who others listen to, then spreading what

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<v Speaker 1>you consumed without verifying it can have real lasting damage.

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<v Speaker 1>So let me explain this with an analogy I've been

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<v Speaker 1>thinking about. Let's say I love to eat big Macs

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<v Speaker 1>every day. I love the taste, they're affordable. I get

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<v Speaker 1>comfort from them. That's my choice. No one is stopping

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<v Speaker 1>me from eating one for lunch and dinner every day.

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<v Speaker 1>And some people would even argue, it's only five hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and forty calories, it's not that bad. But let's say

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<v Speaker 1>I go a step further. Let's say I start telling people, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>eating a big Mac is the healthiest decision you can

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<v Speaker 1>make for your body. And that's where we cross a line.

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<v Speaker 1>Some folks might actually believe me. After all, I said

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<v Speaker 1>it with confidence, and I'm a leader, right, people trust

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<v Speaker 1>what I say. But others would push back and say

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<v Speaker 1>I'm wrong. Then the real experts, nutritionists, doctors, dietitians, they'd

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<v Speaker 1>speak up. They'd say, Paul, that's not true. It's processed food.

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<v Speaker 1>It's high in sodium, high in fat, and if you

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<v Speaker 1>eat it all the time, it's going to catch up

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<v Speaker 1>with you. But imagine if I ignore them and worshiet.

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<v Speaker 1>Imagine I use my platform to discredit those experts and

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<v Speaker 1>I say things like, those health experts are lying, they

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<v Speaker 1>don't know what they're talking about. They're part of a

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<v Speaker 1>system that's trying to control your diet, and now we

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<v Speaker 1>have a real problem. And it's not just about food anymore.

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<v Speaker 1>It's about power. It's about a leader using their influence

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<v Speaker 1>to shape a reality that benefits them, not the people listening.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is exactly what's happening in today's world, not

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<v Speaker 1>just with food, but with politics, with science, with public safety,

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<v Speaker 1>with emergency response. When a leader, any leader, spreads misinformation,

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<v Speaker 1>whether intentionally or ignorantly, it weakens the system. And here's

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<v Speaker 1>where leadership enters the chat in a serious way. If

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<v Speaker 1>you're a leader of a team, a company, an agency,

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<v Speaker 1>a government and you knowingly spread falsehoods, you are not leading.

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<v Speaker 1>You're manipulating. You're not building trust, you're eroding it. You're

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<v Speaker 1>not empowering people, you're misleading them. And you don't get

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<v Speaker 1>to hide behind freedom of speech when your words have

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<v Speaker 1>the power to create real world consequences. So let's go

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<v Speaker 1>a step further. Some of you listening might be thinking, well,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't hold national power, so this really doesn't apply

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<v Speaker 1>to me. Wrong. It starts at the ground level. It

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<v Speaker 1>starts and how you talk about your co workers. It

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<v Speaker 1>starts in how you in turn and pass along a

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<v Speaker 1>new policy. It starts with the rumors, you either repeat

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<v Speaker 1>or shut down, because if someone on your team hears

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<v Speaker 1>you spread a lie or an unverified claim even once,

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<v Speaker 1>you're now part of the misinformation chain. And worse, you

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<v Speaker 1>just gave others permission to do the same. So what's

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<v Speaker 1>the leadership lesson here? It's this, Every leader is responsible

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<v Speaker 1>for truth, and truth is not based on what you

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<v Speaker 1>feel is right. Truth is based on facts, evidence, and

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<v Speaker 1>the credibility of your sources. If you don't know something,

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<v Speaker 1>say I don't know. If you're unsure, say I'll find out.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're wrong, say I was wrong. These aren't signs

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<v Speaker 1>of weakness. These are signs of responsibility. So let's wrap

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<v Speaker 1>this up. The next time you're about to repeat something,

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<v Speaker 1>you have to ask yourself, is this true? Is this helpful?

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<v Speaker 1>And is it from a source that I would trust

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<v Speaker 1>with my life? Because as a leader, your words don't

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<v Speaker 1>just echo in a room. They ripple into decisions, beliefs,

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<v Speaker 1>and behaviors, and if you're not careful, you might be

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<v Speaker 1>handing out big max while calling them multivitamins. This has

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<v Speaker 1>been the seven minute Leadership podcast, and I thank you

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<v Speaker 1>for listening. For more. Paul fell of Alito podcasts. Visit

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<v Speaker 1>Paulfellowalito dot com.