Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17 Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17

UCD/EIA Celebrity: Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is arguably one of the most recognized global sports icons along with other superstars like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. Known for his trademark, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” Ali won gold for boxing in the 1960 Summer Olympics and then would become the only three-time heavy weight champion. He is nicknamed the “Greatest.” Today, beyond boxing, he is known for his philanthropy and battle with Parkinson’s disease. He is the recipient of many awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

At first glance, it can be easy to mistake Muhammad Ali’s primary MDNA Profile as EIA (Empowering Inspiration & Attraction). Ali revolutionized the sport of boxing by the sheer power and magnetism of his personality. Ali thrived in the spotlight, where he was highly entertaining. You could say that Ali likely was the first celebrity-athlete in the modern sense of the term. In the words of writer Joyce Carol Oates, he was one of the few athletes in any sport to completely “define the terms of his public reputation.”

Upon closer examination however, one will see that Muhammad Ali was very intentional about his provocative showmanship. It was when Ali saw a professional wrestling show and determined that he needed to master the art of self-promotion. His EIA traits were very intentionally integrated into his career. Most certainly EIA is Ali’s secondary MDNA Profile.

Muhammad Ali’s primary MDNA Profile is UCD. Based upon our work with the Muhammad Ali Center, we have researched Ali extensively and even had the pleasure of interviewing the boxing legend’s wife Lonnie Ali.

The UCD is known for being ideologically driven and principle based. Ali’s historical battle with the United States government around refusal to be drafted for the Vietnam War aligns with this. He also lived by six core principles, which now are an integral foundation of all his social responsibility ventures.

“I got nothing against no Viet Cong. No Vietnamese ever called me a ‘nigger’.”
“Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?”

Ali was a man of conviction. Issues were very black and white for him. And although he was very popular, he did not need social popularity to achieve his personal vision. He was willing to die for his beliefs which polarized his reputation to the masses. He was very competitive, especially after a loss. His training involved frontloading a heavy investment for victory against what always seemed unbeatable odds. These are all core UCD traits.

In the end, the UCD is all about challenging old and pioneering innovative paradigms. Nobody will argue that Ali did not change the world of boxing. And his legacy continues to change the world today.

“You lose nothing when fighting for a cause … In my mind the losers are those who don’t have a cause they care about.” – Muhammad Ali

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17 Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17

EIA Celebrity: Quentin Tarantino

There is something deeper going on with Quentin Tarantino these days. I have enjoyed most of his movies. Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction blew me away. But what had me curious in profiling Tarantino was his latest work. He is an EIA (Empowering Inspiration & Attraction), but this isn’t just about entertaining movies.

The EIA’s core competence is Social Experience. Whenever you want to reach a mass audience, connect people, and cause a movement, you want an EIA. Tarantino has done all of this. He started off as an actor (very common for EIAs to be drawn to acting along with the IAF) but found his calling in writing and directing. One look at his resume and you can’t deny he has empowered, inspired and attracted audiences for years.

Here is just a snippet from his Wikipedia page:

Tarantino’s films have garnered both critical and commercial success. He has received many industry awards, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and the Palme d’Or, and has been nominated for an Emmy and a Grammy. He was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time in 2005. Filmmaker and historian Peter Bogdanovich has called him “the single most influential director of his generation”.

One of his biggest criticisms is Tarantino’s approach to violence. It is common for the EIA to use his or her gift and attempt to “normalize” morally questionable perspectives. We’re not here to debate the use of violence in entertainment. However, if you listen carefully to his take on how he approaches violence, you will see it is all for the sake of social experience. He loves to play the audience like an orchestra. Watch this clip from a recent interview:

This is where things get interesting. Tarantino is now using his Brand Culture of the Social Experience to actually take on social issues on a mass culture scale. This is where the EIA truly finds success and fulfillment. When the gift to empower, inspire and attract is used to bring attention to a social issue, movements are born. History can change. This is where Tarantino could possibly be heading.

Watch this next snippet to hear a fascinating view on what Tarantino cares about and what he feels he is really contributing with his work.

Where Taratino ends up as a celebrity EIA will be very interesting (of course highly entertaining) to watch.

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA gifts. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17 Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17

EIA Celebrity: Saul Goodman (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad)

Breaking Bad week continues at iamsynchronized.com! Recently, we profiled Walter White as a KWR (Knowledgeable Wisdom & Responsibility). One of our other favorite characters in the series is Saul Goodman portrayed by actor Bob Odenkirk.

Saul Goodman is easily profiled as an EIA (not to mention a highly dysfunctional one). His page on the Breaking Bag Wiki says it all:

Saul McGill, known by his professional alias Saul Goodman, is a former criminal lawyer and the former principal attorney of Saul Goodman & Associates. He operated out of a cheap strip mall office and ran over-the-top late night TV ads advising potential clients they’d “Better Call Saul” when in trouble with the law, promising “I fight for YOU, Albuquerque!”
Saul serves the lawyer and consigliere for Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, getting them out of several difficult situations over the course of their drug business operations. Dressed in flashy suits, Saul maintains extensive connections within the criminal underworld, and serves as a go-between connecting drug distributors, evidence removers, impersonators, and other criminals-for-hire.
Despite his sleazy, flamboyant appearance and mannerisms — punctuated by his outrageous low-budget TV commercials — Saul is a highly competent lawyer who is able to solve problems and find loopholes in order to protect his clients.

First, the EIA is a connector. The EIA always “knows a guy who knows a guy.” Goodman is no exception with his criminal exceptions. Second, the EIA knows how to leverage the social spotlight. And although considered cheesy and stereotypical, Goodman in the show knows how to draw attention to his legal practice. Third, the EIA knows how to manage appearances, often willing to invest in visual aesthetics to make a social impression. Goodman’s character is flamboyant and highly entertaining, which makes him a fan favorite.

Finally one of the core strengths of the EIA is knowing how to manage relationships. Goodman does this like no other using his communication skills and ability to read any social situation. Every network connection for the EIA is an opportunity. Goodman here is a master.

Some of the traps the EIA must avoid is using social manipulation and blurring ethical lines for personal gain. While the EIA typically avoids confrontation, Goodman had no problem is presenting ethically questionable options for his clients to solve problems, including manipulation, which he did quite often for his percentage of the deal of course. The EIA has to be careful not to “normalize” questionable practices as they can use their social influence in negative ways. Not everything needs a “spin” or can be “finessed” when one simply needs to take responsibility.

“If you’re committed enough, you can make any story work. I once told a woman I was Kevin Costner, and it worked because I believed it.” – Saul Goodman

There are real-life connectors, having the same talents as a Saul Goodman, that use their social influence for good. Instead of sleazy, the EIA can be sincere. Instead of outrageous, the EIA can be outgoing. And instead of manipulative, the EIA can move us like no other.

Fictional characters also can have MDNA profiles. Typically every great character is based upon somebody in real life, except the persona and core traits are amplified. This makes learning the principles of their MDNA profile much easier and a valuable exercise. Not to mention it can be fun and entertaining.

Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17 Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17

EIA Celebrity: Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg is the Harvard computer science student who along with a few friends launched the world’s most popular social networking website Facebook in February 2004. Mark Zuckerberg also has the distinction of being the world’s youngest billionaire, which he achieved in 2008. He was named “Man of the Year” by Time magazine in 2010. Zuckerberg currently is the chief executive and president of Facebook.

It was actually quite challenging trying to profile Mark Zuckerberg because of the movie The Social Network. Mainly because it is well documented that factually, the movie is about 40% accurate, and the film makers admit trying to simply make an entertaining film. Therefore the portrayal of Zuckerberg by actor Jesse Eisenberg was not exactly accurate either. It becomes even more difficult when reading interviews and anecdotes of the young billionaire’s personality.

After our analysis, we have profiled Mark Zuckerberg as an EIA. However the Facebook’s founder is not your typical EIA in terms of personality. We’ll explain this momentarily.

Our assessment is primarily based upon the company Facebook itself. Individuals aren’t the only ones that can have an MDNA Profile. Organizations have MDNA Profiles too. This MDNA Profile is expressed through the organizational vision, mission, culture and success. In our experience, an organization’s MDNA is always imprinted by its founder that birthed the initial vision. This is no different for Facebook which allows us to work backwards from the company, to its founder, Mark Zuckerberg himself.

Here are some quotes from Zuckerberg:

“Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. We do this by giving people the power to share whatever they want and be connected to whoever they want, no matter where they are.”
“People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people. That social norm is just something that has evolved over time.”

When it comes to making connections and providing a social experience, there is no other profile better than the EIA. Facebook has connected so many individuals it is now considered the third largest country on the planet. The reason for this phenomenal global success is that Facebook delivers a social experience that is authentic and comfortable. In other words, as an EIA organization, Facebook empowers, inspires and attracts on a mass scale.

Zuckerberg’s own Facebook page aligns with the EIA profile. He is so open with details that an article in the New Yorker states, “Zuckerberg may seem like an over-sharer in the age of over-sharing.” There are many other public details that support our conclusion so we are comfortable with the EIA assessment.

So how does this explain Zuckerberg’s personality that often seems anything but EIA? It is well documented that the Facebook CEO is uncomfortable in public and is very private in real life. The EIA is typically flashy, enjoys the social spotlight and is often described as “a party waiting to happen.”

This can be easily explained by taking into account secondary MDNA Profiles. It is not uncommon for an individual to have learned the traits of a different Motivational Profile that appears to contradict his or her primary MDNA on a surface level. Our belief is his seemingly personality contradictions to his primary MDNA stem from his upbringing in a Jewish family and his academic focus. Of course, we admit this is only a theory until verified. (Maybe we’ll get to sit with this incredibly successful celebrity one day and find out. Here’s hoping!)

Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17 Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17

EIA Celebrity: Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is considered one of the most powerful and influential women in the world. She is most known for the Oprah Winfrey show where she became the first African American woman to host a national daytime talk show. Oprah has created her own media empire including Harpo Productions, O the Oprah Magazine and the Oprah Winfrey Network.

We have profiled Oprah as an EIA based upon her biography and track record of media success. The EIA is a natural communicator and has the ability to draw the masses into a social experience. The EIA also has the ability to socially connect across any demographic and psychographic barriers. Oprah from a very young age lived in the social spotlight. She won an oratorical contest that granted a full scholarship to university. This set her on a path of continual opportunities to use her gifts for media and broadcasting.

Oprah’s MDNA really comes alive during her talk shows. As an EIA, she has an ability to connect and does not use prepared scripts. Instead of researching her topics, in her own words, she “wings it” to make everything conversational. Relying on natural talent, sharp communication and real-time audience feedback is what the EIA does best. Her show is also entirely a social experience for the audience. Between controversial topics to giving away new cars, Oprah has reached global influence by connecting with her audience as an EIA.

Oprah Winfrey is the quintessential representation of what it means to empower, inspire and attract others to a social movement regardless of barriers or industries.

If we had to make an educated guess on her secondary Motivational Profile, it would be CVS (Compelling Value & Stewardship). This is because of her generous philanthropic work where she uses her resources to fund social projects around the world. She is very generous with her time lecturing for free at churches, shelters and youth organizations.