But in this case he or she is beyond a simple promoter. Such a champion may take on responsibility for publicizing the project and garnering funding. Or the champion may merely make a strong case for a new corporate division to a resistant board of directors. In an ideological sense, encompassing religion, a champion may be an evangelist, a visionary advocate who clears the field for the triumph of the idea. In others all are rescued and finally speak to the King.Ĭhampion It is also possible to champion a cause. In the most familiar, a fox invites them to its lair and there eats them all.Īlternatively, the last one, usually Cocky Lockey, survives long enough to warn the chick, who escapes. After this point, there are many endings. The chick decides to tell the King and on its journey meets oth er animals (mostly other fowl) which join it in the quest. There are several Western versions of the story, of which the best-known concerns a chick that believes the sky is falling when an acorn falls on its head. In fact she is a world champion chump’.Ĭhicken Little The story is listed as Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 20C, which includes international examples of folktales that make light of paranoia and mass hysteria. She talks a lot but nothing of any relevance comes out. All text below is from Urban Dictionary and Wikipedia.Ĭhump Someone who does not understand the basics of life on earth.

Let’s start with some low-culture and work our way up. You can be a Chump, a Champion, or a Chicken Little.

I’m thinking there are three broad categories of leadership. I just read a lot and I try to synthesize the ideas of people that I think are smarter than me. So here’s the thing: I’m not a thought leader. Let’s ask the Thought Leader.”įriend: “Don’t know, Thought Leader, why don’t use the fancy-pants Internets and find us a place?” She now uses this phrase when we’re trying to make a decision, say, like where to go for dinner. Then I said to a friend, “Ever heard of a thought leader?” She asked why and I explained. I got to the fourth paragraph and decided I was wasting my life reading David Brooks’ version of Thought Leader (I didn’t look at the author at first. My mind went instantly to Orwell’s thoughtcrimes and thoughtpolice. Oh dear, that’s not me.Īnd thanks to Wikipedia magic, I found that reference. I also found an article with that phrase in the title, so I clicked on it. Was it an insult? Compliment? A Monty Python joke I should get? A movie reference from Blade Runner? A song I should know? Merde. Somebody called me a “thought leader” and I had to look up what that meant. It’s somehow bringing all of the research I’ve done on teacher burnout, motivation, educational technology, mentoring, adjuncts, and faculty learning communities together. I’ve been thinking and talking about leadership quite a bit lately.

We are the champions chicken little