My Utopian Mission
My Utopian Mission
The neglected mechanism for living a better life, designing smarter groups, and improving society
This week I published a piece that is driving a lot of conversations around dissent. I’m blown away by the powerful reactions and discussion that followed. I’ve linked to it at the bottom of this message in case you haven’t read it.
My mission is to help individuals and groups reach their intellectual and creative potential. To increase intelligent decision-making and the amount of creativity in the world, we must welcome and harness principled1 dissenters - who are brave enough to question conformity mistakes. If you share this mission or want to support it, and you have a podcast or newsletter, or know someone who does and think they would want to have me on for a discussion, email me2!
The book goes deeper than the article by offering a 198-page playbook for principled and persuasive dissent. It took six years of research and writing. I’m very proud of it and encourage you to pick up a copy in print, ebook, or audio. Consider buying copies as gifts for someone on your team or someone younger (who will face great challenges with authority figures and seemingly intractable systems). And I love hearing your stories and ideas for how to spread the word so please get in touch by email or on LinkedIn.
My article: 7 Rules for Persuasive Dissent
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Dr. Todd B. Kashdan is the author of The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively (Avery/Penguin) and a Professor of Psychology who leads The Well-Being Laboratory at George Mason University.
Discover your style of dissent with the PRINCIPLED REBEL quiz
This qualifier of “principled” is essential. Not all dissent is created equal. I’ve sought to sniff out people who are rebellious for the wrong reasons. Because they are impulsive. Because they don’t like anyone telling them what to do. Because they want attention. Because they are vengeful. I want to bring awareness to and aid rebels with integrity and ethical standards. “Principled insubordination” is my name for someone bent on contributing to society without trying to infringe on the well-being of others. Each of us tends to have a particular style of principled dissent that we are or aspire to be.
kashdan [at] gmail [dot com]