Welcome to Episode 42 of Navigating the Fustercluck—a podcast full of snackable insights to help you navigate the gloriously insane world of creativity & marketing.My name is Wegs, like eggs with a W, joining you from Deaf Mule Studios in Dallas, where we’reThanks again for helping our launch year be such a success. Not only were we an iTunes New & Noteworthy selection, but you gave us over 100 5-star reviews. And we appreciate it. If you’ve found Navigating the Fustercluck to be helpful, please share it.Now I have something to share with you. Some personal thoughts. See, this may not be the first episode released this year, but it was recorded on December 30th. Therefore, I think it can be grandfathered into a New Year’s resolution edition.Enough of this pre-ramble, let’s get going before February catches us.New Years-ish Resolution #1#1Don’t Call People Younger than Yourself “Kids”Entering the business, one thing I never appreciated was being called a kid. To some it was just a term of endearment. But too often it seemed dismissive. As if somehow my age or experience automatically made my ideas less worthy of serious discussion than any other ideas on the table. Yet, a few times last year, I found myself using that term myself. Now that I’m 55, maybe that’s natural. Maybe I’m stating my willingness to mentor. But as I think about it, that doesn’t cut it. It just doesn’t feel right. I’m not their parent or big brother. “Kid” could even be taken as ageism. And ageism of any kind is wrong & unproductive. So, let’s put an end to calling anyone a kid. Oh, and while we’re at it, can we put an end to OK Boomer as well? Or any other generational putdowns?Ageism. Sexism. And every other kind of -ism off the top of my head are divisive. In a time where we need more collaboration, breaking down generational silos is important. Realizing that generational diversity has a lot to offer is the start of an important collaboration of experience and fresh perspectives. You may want to go back to the Episode 19 on mentoring, when I talked about not only mentoring but reverse mentoring. People assisting others older themselves with things like the latest technology and pop culture. Everyone on your team sharing what they know best.#2 is something Tom Hansen used to say:Don’t Let Stoopid People Waste Your TimeFirst and foremost, while I’ve massively cut back on responding to online ogres and trolls, I resolve to completely eliminate any interaction with them this year. Liars and the illogical are damn near impossible to converse with honestly and openly. And I’m afraid that I’ll have to reclassify myself as s-t-double o-p-i-d, stupid, if I keep engaging them.Offline, whether personally or professionally, I vow to do the same.For example, sometimes even intelligent leaders wind up getting attached to strays- incompetent and/or annoying office pets and favorites. I have seen this virtually everywhere I’ve ever worked and have never been able to explain it. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that until these office pets self-select or self-implode, the odds of you dramatically changing the situation are slim to none. Just avoid those people and don’t talk about them. When normally rational people double-down on their pets, it only makes matters worse.None of that was easy to say, by the way. It goes against my nature to concede that some problems can’t be fixed. We’re in the problem/solution business, after all. But as the Japanese say, No Solution, No Problem. You just have to deal with it and not fritter away any goodwill or influence you may have.That’s my stand, unless you can convince me otherwise. If you think you can, please reach out to me personally at [email protected]. #3Don’t Take Self-Deprecating to Self-DefecatingI’ve always found it charming how the British use sel...