Arise Cult Leaders... for the New Year's Honours

Who will be rewarded, and who will earn rewards?

The Cult Leaders New Year's Honours start today.

One of the funny quirks of British politics and tradition is our honours system.

A few times each year, the government and the monarch announce 'honours' to various 'subjects' – as we are still referred.

(Thanks British Americans for failing to overthrow the entire monarchy...)

Basically, a bunch of worthy individuals (normal people who do charitable work and significant work in their industries) and a bunch of political liggers (wealthy business people who have slammed a load of cash into the accounts of the major political parties) are given one of several types of awards.

Maybe it'll be an OBE (Officer of the Order of British Empire) or an MBE (Member of the most Excellent Order of the British Empire)... or if they're really good/shelled out a lot of cash, they'll be knighted.

Yep, with a sword and all that.

Then they can carry the name Sir or Dame.

(I don't think they've thought about non-binary knighthoods as it hasn't come up yet...

Although we do have lots of Dames of a very different variety around Christmas Pantomime season in the UK)

If it sounds archaic, it is.

And it does hark back to the chivalry of medieval times and actual knights.

But here's the thing.

It is rooted in ritual and tradition.

There is a hierarchy.

There is a set process to follow.

There is all the rigmarole that surrounds it.

If you took a completely objective view of it, it is unfair and it should be abolished for something more modern and less opaque.

Yet, very few people want the system abolished.

Why?

Because rituals have emotional resonance.

They root people's sense of place and belonging into physical acts and behaviours.

Whenever you try to change something like this, the people who resist are not doing so because they think the system is good.

They resist because the system is familiar and safe and removing it feels like you're taking something away.

Plus, it can also be seen as the slippery slope towards dismantling the class system and ultimately the monarchy.

And, God forbid, we got right of a monarch, eh America?

Rituals are powerful tools.

You see them everywhere. You will have practised one or two over the festive period, I'm sure.

So, I'm bringing in my own new ritual...

... the Cult Leaders New Year's Honours.

Honours for the Cultiest of them all

I'm doing something different with these honours.

And we start today.

Rather than base honours on how much cash you've given me or actual ability, I want to follow the very lesson I deliver in the Belonging module of Cult Leader Academy.

This is around building your hierarchy around devotion and demonstrating devotion.

Over the next few days, right up until New Year's Day, I will be announcing a number of 'honours', including:

Giveaways you can take part in
Rewards to those who have gone above and beyond this year
Participation prizes for completing tasks
Cult Leader awards for those who have shown excellence in any of the 7 Cult Commandments in 2024

Most of these will be announced in the Facebook group with a video, so watch out for any announcements.

Hop over to the Facebook group now and make sure you're in.

The pièce de résistance are an Ultimate Cult Leader Transformation Package Prize (worth more than $5,000) and entries onto the next CultBrand 12-week Sprint starting in January 2025.

Jump over to the group now, to take part and be in with a chance to win prizes and rewards simply by showing up.

Here's the post and video that has launched the New Year's Honours: