Time for a pop quiz: what do former NBA star Dennis Rodman and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have in common?

Answer: Nothing.

Yet I had to shake my head as I listened to the interviews broadcast this morning on CBC Radio One’s morning show, The Current as the guest host from Montreal unfolded the story of Rodman’s recent international effort in ‘basketball diplomacy’ at the invitation of the North Korean government.

Rodman, infamous for his eccentricity and over-the-top public behaviour, was being touted as the western world’s representative to the people of a closed country…the poster-child, I suppose, through which many North Koreans will have their rare – if not first – interactions with a westerner. Perfect. The country’s propoganda efforts portray North Americans (and Americans in particular) as evil, morally deficient hedonists, and this visit should quickly dispell these unfounded myths.

I for one am relieved to have Mr. Rodman representing us all during this week’s visit. It appears that the visit was a hit, with Rodman left bubbling with praise for the North Korea’s leadership. According to Rodman, Kim “is like his grandfather and his father, who are great leaders, he is an awesome kid, very honest and loves his wife so much”.

You know, it’s important that we have a credible internal picture of people who are different from ourselves, who look at the world through a different lens, partially because they play a different role in our society than most. Why? Because it impacts our pre-disposed expectations of them, which of course HAS to impact how we treat them and in turn are treated.

As I followed the CBC commentary on Dennis Rodman’s visit to North Korea, my thoughts quickly connected to an interesting post entitled, “Gekko debunked: 4 things you don’t know about financial advisors” offered by GoldenGirlFinance.com. It offers a reasonable description of the different types of financial advisors, and the various roles they play in helping consumers preserve, accummulate and distribute their wealth.

After all, it’s important that we in the financial field offer a transparent and honest perception of how we differ so that those around us can draw an accurate picture of who we really are.

Thanks, Dennis, for your inspiration!