tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69287206441575993802024-03-05T09:35:57.008-08:00BK Communiqué Author Lists BlogLists on just about everything that matters, by authors who know.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-48466100399018782812015-03-31T17:05:00.000-07:002015-03-31T17:05:23.490-07:00Five Hidden Strengths of Five Famous People
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.apple-converted-space
{mso-style-name:apple-converted-space;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8Lsu5HhMyavDT9CsAS6bmx5Ww-cVb9fobPJoz4d9hxdfECw7WQlTBK3_N8PyxARX2lcpXdtTlX19QsFdzlALOeTTeRdGSQyvhlvT-dznfS5I28FON9wu2OEAzBk3vWgbk62H7BNML1ya/s1600/hiddenstrengthsL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8Lsu5HhMyavDT9CsAS6bmx5Ww-cVb9fobPJoz4d9hxdfECw7WQlTBK3_N8PyxARX2lcpXdtTlX19QsFdzlALOeTTeRdGSQyvhlvT-dznfS5I28FON9wu2OEAzBk3vWgbk62H7BNML1ya/s1600/hiddenstrengthsL.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="https://www.bkconnection.com/books/title/hidden-strengths" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">In
their <a href="https://www.bkconnection.com/books/title/hidden-strengths" target="_blank">latest book</a>, Milo and Thuy Sindell discuss how people tend to either
focus on eliminating their weaknesses (often a fruitless endeavor) or rely on
their more obvious strengths almost entirely (so much so that they become a
crutch) instead of developing their latent strengths. These latent strengths
are ones that the individual demonstrates some aptitude for and have great
potential for development into legitimate dominant strengths. By focusing on
such strengths, individuals will add to their personal strengths inventory and
expand their skill set even further.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 15.6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">Many of us have secondary strengths and most times, those
strengths remain unknown to most others. Here are five famous people with
skills you didn't know that they had:</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 15.6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 15.6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">1. Geena Davis:</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">She is an Oscar-winning actress
with countless other accolades that testify to her acting skills. What most
people don't know is that she is a card-carrying MENSA member and was a
semi-finalist for the U.S. Olympic Archery team in 1999. She was ranked in the
top 32 archers in the country at the time.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 15.6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 15.6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">2. Paul Revere:</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">He is a well-known patriot who
played a pivotal rule in fighting the British, but he was also a skilled
dentist. In fact, he was able to identify the body of Major General Joseph
Warren based on the fact that he could identify the dental prosthetic the
general wore at the time of his death. This was the first instance in US
history where a member of the military was identified through forensic
dentistry (now a vital science).</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 15.6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 15.6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">3. Jimmy Stewart:</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">He was a much-beloved star who
still regularly appears in reruns almost every week. Stewart was an incredibly
successful film star with an Oscar under his belt when World War II broke out.
What most people don't know about is the fact that he not only enlisted with
the military but took part in several high-risk missions and earned two
Distinguished Flying Crosses. He was also considered an exemplary military
leader and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After the war ended,
Stewart continued in the military and was promoted to Brigadier General. In
1985, he was presented with the Medal of Freedom and the rank of Major General
by President Ronald Reagan.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 15.6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 15.6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">4. Gerald Ford:</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">We all know him as the former
President but few know that if it wasn't for politics, Ford may have had an
equally illustrious career in the NFL. He played football while at the
University of Michigan and earned three varsity letters in the years between 1932
and 1934 (in '32 and '33 Michigan went undefeated all the way to the
championships because of his skills). He even earned the MVP title in the
Wolverines' disappointing year in 1934. Both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit
Lions expressed interest in Ford but instead he went to get his law degree at
Yale and get into politics.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 15.6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 15.6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">5. Emperor Hirohito:</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">The 124th Emperor of Japan was not
very popular owing to the fact that he was in charge during World War II and
escaped being court-martialled for thousands of war crimes and deaths. However,
when he was not concentrating on politics, his passion was marine biology. No
amateur, he established a marine laboratory and research space in his palace
and hired numerous marine biologists to help with his research. Several decades
after the war, Hirohito was so knowledgable about the marine sciences that he
regularly published scientific research papers in journals about various types
of marine life found in Japanese waters.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-84532097343892000262015-03-20T16:54:00.003-07:002015-03-20T17:01:07.515-07:00Five Scientific Reasons Why Singletasking Works (and Multitasking Doesn't)<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.apple-converted-space
{mso-style-name:apple-converted-space;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
</style> <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIf0ZJ7GvmwKzZiKHngZh-qyMBH5N3WffkMKsm4DezExhCV8AR3hjYEzcxMgvEQzMcvRbfnljgNfbUZaiNE2qNY-6sBbMhFz0ApbQecH_nKJubjHAYUSLhKHd5xftYD9YqOck2TGYIqJE/s1600/9781626562615L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIf0ZJ7GvmwKzZiKHngZh-qyMBH5N3WffkMKsm4DezExhCV8AR3hjYEzcxMgvEQzMcvRbfnljgNfbUZaiNE2qNY-6sBbMhFz0ApbQecH_nKJubjHAYUSLhKHd5xftYD9YqOck2TGYIqJE/s1600/9781626562615L.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/books/title/singletasking" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">In
Devora Zack's <span style="color: blue;"><b><a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/books/title/singletasking" target="_blank">new book</a></b></span>, she argues for the benefits of singletasking over
multitasking. Put simply, multitasking is not the way to get things done
properly, though our culture tells us there is no other option. There is
another option, and it is singletasking -- focusing on one priority or issue at
a time with complete attention all the way to completion.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">But
why singletask? Isn't multitasking effective? Nope, and here are five good
reasons why singletasking is way better:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">1. Your brain is built for singletasking:</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">Neurologists and researchers have
shown that your btain is capable of balancing only<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://news.health.com/2010/04/15/multitasking-has-its-limits/">two things at a time at most</a></span></b></span>.
Overload it any more and it becomes overwhelmed and incapable of balancing
concentration and attention adequately.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">2. Multitasking makes you fat.</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">Well, maybe not fat, but it
definitely makes you put on weight. Studies have shown that those who tend to
multitask at mealtimes or when they are hungry<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://news.health.com/2013/03/29/cutting-out-mealtime-distractions-may-help-manage-weight/">end up overeating</a></span></b></span>. This is
because the mind is not focused on the task at hand: getting nutrition, so you
are less likely to know when you are full.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">3. SIngletasking is the key to creativity.</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">Extensive research conducted by
academic researchers has shown the moments of creative insight and
"a-ha!" instances only occur<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://cdp.sagepub.com/content/21/4/258.short">in
an uncluttered mind</a></span></b></span>. The more competition there is
for the mind's attention, the less it wanders into creative and non-traditional
areas and patterns.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">4. Multitasking actually slows down productivity.</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">One of the main reasons we
multitask is so that we can get more done in less time. However, a<span style="color: purple;"><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.apa.org/research/action/multitask.aspx">study reported by the American Psychological Association</a></span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>actually indicates that switching
between tasks actually slows down productivity more than focusing on each task
one at a time.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">5. Singletasking is real; multitasking does not exist.</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">There have been countless
productivity experts and scientists alike who have made this compelling
argument:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.donrcampbell.com/the-myth-of-multitasking-it-just-plain-does-not-exist">there is no such thing as multitasking</a></span></b></span>.
The very phrase "multitasking" suggests accomplishing several tasks
simultaneously. However, all the evidence shows that the "tasks" are
never done as competently or as thoroughly as they should be in most cases of
multitasking, so what is really being achieved? Can it be called multitasking
if the tasks are not handled?</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-12559578109085365602015-02-17T16:00:00.001-08:002015-02-17T16:00:14.254-08:00Five Surprising Companies That Espouse Servant Leadership<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKgo17MZAb6B-dBT9B8dttrDylnk3GGaVD9TEr5F72alJ3rmkHhA-vSzzvwjJlANaOtIt20PFDMlGsPlN-aGQHtbxaXxNHSaHCQbVtKNbKraf1YUjNKeFlWxmaRX6IH8uz7xlZEmtDGFc/s1600/dare-to-serve-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKgo17MZAb6B-dBT9B8dttrDylnk3GGaVD9TEr5F72alJ3rmkHhA-vSzzvwjJlANaOtIt20PFDMlGsPlN-aGQHtbxaXxNHSaHCQbVtKNbKraf1YUjNKeFlWxmaRX6IH8uz7xlZEmtDGFc/s1600/dare-to-serve-l.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/books/title/dare-to-serve" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In Cheryl Bachelder's latest book, she addresses the importance of servant leadership at all levels and how it is not just a soft science but one that is necessary for real organizational growth and progress.<br />
<br />
But is it possible to practice servant leadership in a large, publicly-held company with shareholders to answer to? Well, Cheryl did just that with Popeye's (of which she is the CEO), the international chain of fast food restaurants. Here are some other major companies that you may be surprised to find are servant leadership-based:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Balfour Beatty:</b> It's surprising to have a construction company with a servant-leadership center but Balfour Beatty CEO Eric Stenman firmly believes that's the way business should be done. Stenman's focus has always been on the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Stenman%20is%20widely%20revered%20by%20his%20peers%20for%20his%20servant%20leadership,%20integrity,%20and%20commitment%20to%20the%20personal%20and%20professional%20success%20of%20all%20his%20employees.%20-%20See%20more%20at:%20http://www.balfourbeattyus.com/Media-Center/Press-Releases/Balfour-Beatty-Construction-s-Eric-Stenman-Named-M#sthash.ZojhcmeV.dpuf" target="_blank">"personal and professional success of all his employees."</a><br />
<br />
<b>2. The Container Store: </b>CEO Kip Tindell has often indicated how he does not believe in the business mantra of maximizing returns to shareholders as a core focus. He always puts employees first and believes a thriving organizational community is the key to business success. Read his letter to investors <a href="http://investor.containerstore.com/about/letter-from-our-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer/default.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Marriott International:</b> Founder Bill Marriott has always emphasized a culture of service -- both to customers as well as to others in the organization. His emphasis on <a href="http://people.umass.edu/q4/0%200%20Profiles/Marriott_2004.pdf" target="_blank">"the spirit to serve"</a> is what moves the multinational organization along to such heights.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Starbucks:</b> They may be the bane of every indie coffee shop everywhere, but their service to their employees is legendary. Apart from offering many non-standard benefits, Starbucks recently also indicated that they would begin to help employees with <a href="http://modernservantleader.com/servant-leadership/starbucks-free-education/" target="_blank">free college tuition</a>. CEO Howard Schultz believes a great company can only be built by linking shareholder value to value for employees.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Nordstrom's: </b>The popular department store enjoys a loyal fan base thanks to their incredible customer-centric focus. What is not as well-known is their <a href="http://emilydonato.blogspot.com/2013/06/nordstrom-culture.html" target="_blank">"inverted pyramid" </a>organizational model that puts sales and floor staff at the highest level of importance and the executive team and directors at the bottom. Since the Nordstrom brothers themselves worked their way to the top (or rather, the bottom) from the stock room, this focus on the front-end is not surprising.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-41777328792361078892015-02-05T15:19:00.000-08:002015-02-09T11:38:19.227-08:00Five Women Who Stepped Up When No One Expected Them To<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In her latest book, Helene Lerner talks about the need for women to step up and take the reins and be confident. The traditional myths that have always held women back (lack of confidence, feeling unready or unqualified) are just those and in order to crush those myths, women have to be willing to step up and assume control and convey confidence.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The following five women are examples of those who stepped up in unexpected ways and changed the lives of thousands or tens of thousands. You may not recognize some of the names, but their achievements are legendary:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In 1865, Anderson was the first female doctor in England and in France. Her entire life story is one of continually being refused admittance to medical schools and the medical profession but she fought the establishment every step of the way at a time when women were not permitted to practice medicine. Despite numerous times being told that she lacked the proper "skills" to be a doctor, she relented. She eventually became the first Englishwoman to qualify both as a physician and a surgeon in England, co-founded the first hospital staffed entirely by women, and became the first dean of a British medical school and also the first woman allowed to practice medicine in France. Her story is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Garrett_Anderson" target="_blank">well worth reading</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>2. Caroline Herschel</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Herschel was the first woman to be paid for her contribution to science and to be awarded a Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society. Born in 1750, Caroline suffered from typhus at age ten which stunted her growth. She never grew past four-foot three inches. Her family assumed she would never marry or have many prospects in life and so she was trained as a maid, and later, as a singer. However, her keen interest in her brother William's work in astronomy eventually made her more than just a qualified and competent scientist. Despite the fact that many regarded her as someone not qualified to be more than a domestic servant, she went on to discover several comets and form theories and scientific hypotheses around various celestial movements. She was also the first woman admitted to the Royal Astronomical Society. Read more about Herschel <a href="http://www.sheisanastronomer.org/index.php/history/carolineherschel" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>3. Helen Octavia Dickens</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dickens was the first African-American woman admitted to the American College of Surgeons in 1950. She came from a poor background as the daughter of a former slave. Helen applied to all the best schools for medicine and was continually rejected until she managed to register at the University of Illinois and graduate in 1934. Dickens often spoke of always having to sit right at the very front in her classes because she otherwise could not pay attention to the instructor because of the mockery and insults directed towards her by her classmates. Dickens was one of the first doctors to encourage young women to empower themselves by conducting extensive research into teen pregnancy and sexual health issues. Read more about Dickens <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_82.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>4. Marlee Matlin, actress</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marlee Matlin received an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the 1986 movie <i>Children of a Lesser God</i>,
and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009. We can
all agree that these would be amazing achievements for any actress, but
we left something out: Marlee Matlin is also deaf. Her whole life she
has had to work through the hardships and difficulties that come with
not being able to hear in an industry that is as harsh as it comes, and she has triumphed. Learn more about Matlin <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlee_Matlin" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>5. Sandra Day O'Connor</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When Sandra Day O’Connor graduated from Stanford Law School, she was
turned down for interviews by over forty law firms because she was a woman.
For a time, she even worked for free in various law offices just to gain experience and get her foot in the door. Then she slowly began to ascend and in 1981, she became the first woman appointed to the US Supreme Court and served even through personal trials such as breast cancer. Read more about her <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/sandra-day-oconnor-9426834#us-supreme-court-justice" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-76487921422568225412015-01-20T10:49:00.001-08:002015-02-05T15:25:50.994-08:00Five Indicators of the Damage Being Done By Our Current Narrative<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2CkHwkl6Vu417AsCMhFWkAQStd9uqCqftVCzWiJKBQz3s0KaPuB5hmfZh_f6FjS0u7cc6An7-Esy43MqImX-vxVQg-fW0xJj5rZUcC9PubBs_C0eZmWKIlBUH7Q3MMqk6oCCcHu6MELq/s1600/change-the-story_-change-the-future-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2CkHwkl6Vu417AsCMhFWkAQStd9uqCqftVCzWiJKBQz3s0KaPuB5hmfZh_f6FjS0u7cc6An7-Esy43MqImX-vxVQg-fW0xJj5rZUcC9PubBs_C0eZmWKIlBUH7Q3MMqk6oCCcHu6MELq/s1600/change-the-story_-change-the-future-l.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/books/title/change-the-story,-change-the-future#more-book" target="_blank">Here</a></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In his new book, David Korten explains how our current "story" is one of Sacred Money and Markets which emphasizes monetary gain and the use of the planet purely for resources. We need a new story, Korten says, or face our own demise.<br />We humans live by shared cultural stories that shape our common values and how we structure institutional power. When we get our story wrong, we get our future wrong. <br /><br />Here are five ways the familiar Sacred Money and Markets story by which we currently live gets it badly wrong—with deadly consequences. <br /><br /><b>1. Money is wealth. </b>Conditioned to believe that money is wealth rather than just a number, we forget that the only legitimate purpose of business and the economy is to serve living people and the rest of nature. We instead structure and manage them to make money as their defining purpose and allocate resources to maximize returns to money. The inevitable result is growing inequality, environmental destruction, political corruption, and poverty and servitude for all but the few. <br /><b><br />2. Unregulated markets combine with the individualistic competitive drive for personal advantage to maximize wealth creation and thereby the well-being of all. </b>We forget that humans survive and thrive only as members of healthy cooperative families and communities. We celebrate as a human ideal, behavior we might otherwise recognize as psychopathic. <br /><br /><b>3. Material consumption is the path to happiness.</b> Thus misdirected, we live in indentured servitude to global corporations to feed insatiable addiction to consumption that destroys nature and deprives of us the true happiness of life as members of caring communities. <br /><b><br />4. Earth belongs to us. She is our property to use as we find most financially profitable. </b>We forget that Living Earth is our sacred mother, the source of our birth and nurture. We belong to her. <br /><br /><b>5. Corporations are just people and entitled to the same rights as any person.</b> Publicly traded corporations are legal entities programmed by their legal structures to function as money-seeking robots that behave like psychopaths in response to signals from global financial markets that value only money and incessantly demand ever greater short-term profits without regard for the consequences for life. <br /><br />Thus misdirected we believe we get richer as we destroy the living wealth foundational to our own existence to make money for those who already have far more money than could ever possibly use. Money prospers. Life withers. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Our future depends on awakening to the reality that we are living beings born of and nurtured by a Living Earth itself born of a Living Universe. And that changes everything.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-83024597531477588362015-01-14T16:06:00.002-08:002015-01-14T16:06:31.382-08:00Five Famous People Who Refired Themselves Out of Retirement<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGCoNSFvApM6Yngg3XxWj130YSXeksRvQiv1zCG1RY0TKThLR6Mlb030XFCrOswgxsQaDAcHFeGEibhRAGsXP7Ynws-U7Cyor61A1Zxl9MfsIdYpH_22f_opFI-E2PGNIdhhClQD9_mZ7/s1600/refire!-don%27t-retire-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGCoNSFvApM6Yngg3XxWj130YSXeksRvQiv1zCG1RY0TKThLR6Mlb030XFCrOswgxsQaDAcHFeGEibhRAGsXP7Ynws-U7Cyor61A1Zxl9MfsIdYpH_22f_opFI-E2PGNIdhhClQD9_mZ7/s1600/refire!-don't-retire-l.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a>In Ken Blanchard's <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/books/title/refire!-don%27t-retire" target="_blank">latest book</a> with his coauthor Morton Schaevitz, he explores the concept of <i>refiring</i> -- that is, how to live a more vital and energetic life in the post-retirement years.<br />
<br />
There are countless people who un-retired themselves and went on to have vigorous and healthy second acts. Here are just five:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Frank Sinatra</b><br />
Old blue eyes decided to call it quits in 1971 at the age of 55. However, his fan base was rather disappointed and continued to rally for his return. So, Sinatra did return just two years later in a television special. The TV special was so successful that he decided he would keep at it until the mid-1990s.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Clint Eastwood</b><br />
This man has refired several times -- first he was an A-list actor, then he retired and went on to become the mayor of Carmel, California, and then he started directing and making films. He came out of retirement yet again as an actor in Robert Lorenz's "Trouble with the Curve."<br />
<br />
<b>3. Sugar Ray Leonard</b><br />
In 1982, Leonard suffered a detached retina that was supposed to sideline him permanently. The problem was that Leonard just kept refiring. When he finally hung up his gloves for good in 1997, Leonard had retired and refired four times.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Stephen King</b><br />
The famous horror-writer announced in 2002 that he was retiring due to the pain he continued to suffer from a 1999 accident. Despite the pain, he couldn't quite keep away and decided to take up writing again and has published more than a dozen novels since his announcement.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Michael Jordan</b><br />
The retirement-refirement story almost everyone knows: In the fall of 1993, Jordan left the Chicago Bulls -- whom he had led to three straight NBA titles -- to pursue a career in professional baseball. When that didn't work out, he returned to the Bulls in Spring of 1995 to lead the team to three more championships. He retired again in 1999 but then made yet another comeback ion 2001 to play two seasons with the Washington Wizards.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-84494430449167952132014-12-09T14:40:00.000-08:002015-02-05T12:39:11.781-08:00Five Lessons from Five Astronauts<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3imUNXkO7XoGw2wVCfW2UOuu5xdg9j1m1wmWK7A8OOocpjgDR8Qri8vvSlHadZywV8WtaLa8y7RU3mejmqKJx3fry1UIXlFql8dmjE-d0ayo_7Ut6cjK3zIk5qha0vtWqZzFc0F3ZVco9/s1600/9781626562462L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3imUNXkO7XoGw2wVCfW2UOuu5xdg9j1m1wmWK7A8OOocpjgDR8Qri8vvSlHadZywV8WtaLa8y7RU3mejmqKJx3fry1UIXlFql8dmjE-d0ayo_7Ut6cjK3zIk5qha0vtWqZzFc0F3ZVco9/s1600/9781626562462L.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626562462&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In his <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626562462&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">latest book</a>, astronaut Ron Garan teaches readers about the need for the <i>orbital perspective</i> -- a way of seeing things in the larger scheme where all things are interconnected and no one thing is without the influence of something else no matter how seemingly removed.<br />
<br />
Ron is not the first astronaut to have important lessons for mankind. Here are five other lessons from five notable astronauts:<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>1. Buzz Aldrin: Emotions get in the way sometimes.</b><br />
Like most astronauts, Buzz Aldrin was a fighter pilot. He famously said "Fighter pilots have ice in their veins. They don't have emotions. They think, anticipate. They know that fear and other concerns cloud your mind from what's going on and what you should be involved in." Aldrin was not advocating for us to be soulless automatons, but when quick actions are required, human emotions can get in the way of rapid responses to pressing situations. Oftentimes, it is a matter of seeing, anticipating, and acting more than anything else. Essentially, it's about moving from a focus on oneself and one's own thoughts to something that serves a purpose not directly related to one's own self-preservation.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Neal Armstrong: We should never look at our achievements within their own contexts but in the larger sense of things.</b><br />
Being the first man on the moon is quite the accomplishment and yet Armstrong never saw his mission and achievement in such narrow terms. He said, "The important achievement of Apollo was demonstrating that humanity is not forever chained to this planet and our visions go rather further than that, and our opportunities are unlimited." Achievements are not about themselves but emblematic of greater ideas and opportunities.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Linda Godwin: Always be thinking ahead of where you are thinking currently.</b><br />
We have a tendency to look only for immediate needs and goals, but Godwin once explained the importance of thinking long-term by saying, "It's important to know that we packed right, because it is a safety issue for coming home." Most people think in terms of a goal as just reaching it, but equally important (especially if you're in outer space) is being aware of what comes next and what resources that requires.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Shannon Lucid: Always push for what you want no matter what others tell you.</b><br />
Shannon Lucid has always been candid about her struggles getting into the space program as a woman: "Basically, all my life I'd been told you can't do that because you're female. So I guess I just didn't pay them any attention. I just went ahead..." She also said, "It was just really, really tough getting anything when you were a female. Basically, I just took advantage of everything I could..." Lucid fought every step of the way to make it to where she is despite what others told her.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Edgar Mitchell: Develop a global mindset and realize that our differences are petty and that a global consciousness can unite us.</b><br />
Edgar Mitchell is certainly one of the most spiritual astronauts that ever existed but he said the transformation for him happened in space: "You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics looks so petty." Mitchell has gone on to become a powerful voice in various spiritual communities globally.<br />
<br />
The unmistakable lesson that all of these astronauts also endorse is one that Ron Garan is talking about in this book -- the need for a bigger mindset that moves away from immediacy, shot-termism, and narrow, overly-focused thinking and instead moves towards...the orbital perspective.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-46210677676885766452014-10-29T15:07:00.000-07:002014-11-10T11:15:03.118-08:00The Three Pillars of Society<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeOO4CiknwmUYtu9_GZZ1WfkVUWqSNHNEoPTaJMb_YMlgR9r0xRqBNJQxkKMFlEZeyYnzof7lBgcx5Jzj8q2mruclqkmKz621fdd2Z0VYwn8rDZt7ythoSGsEplaP2pM131MVD2HkSi8F/s1600/9781626563179L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeOO4CiknwmUYtu9_GZZ1WfkVUWqSNHNEoPTaJMb_YMlgR9r0xRqBNJQxkKMFlEZeyYnzof7lBgcx5Jzj8q2mruclqkmKz621fdd2Z0VYwn8rDZt7ythoSGsEplaP2pM131MVD2HkSi8F/s1600/9781626563179L.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626563179&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In his <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626563179&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">latest book</a>, Henry Mintzberg describes how our society has become imbalanced due to a lack of consistent and equal support from the three crucial pillars of society.<br />
<br />
Below, Henry described what each of these pillars does and what happens if it exerts too much or too little influence.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Pillar 1: </u></b><br />
<b>What is it?</b> The Public Sector—governments in all their forms<br />
<br />
<b>What is it responsible for?</b> Many things—more than some people care to realize. But mainly protections, for example policing and regulating.<br />
<br />
<b>What happens if there’s too much emphasis on it?</b> That’s called communism (or for some people, government in any form). Governments can be crude: too much government leads to a cold, crude, bureaucratic society.<br />
<br />
<b>What happens if there’s not enough of it? </b>People lack protections, private forces run rampant. If you live in America, look around.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Pillar 2: </u></b><br />
<b>What is it?</b> The Private Sector—businesses in all their forms.<br />
<br />
<b>What is it responsible for? </b>Providing us with many of out basic goods and some of our necessary services, but not for lobbying, not for bribing politicians with political donations, not for advertising to influence public policies, not for doing what governments have to do—at least not in any society that wishes to call itself democratic..<br />
<br />
<b>What happens if there’s too much emphasis on it?</b> This describes the state that many countries are in today. Businesses can be crude; our societies are becoming increasingly crude.<br />
<br />
<b>What happens if there’s not enough of it? </b>That’s what happened under communism: people lacked for many basic goods and services. They craved them, and so were desperate for capitalism. How many of those people have remained so?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Pillar 3: </u></b><br />
<b>What is it?</b> The Plural Sector, better known as civil society, the third sector, the not-for–profit sector, and other inadequate labels. It comprises all associations and organizations that are neither owned by the state nor by private investors. Some, like co-operatives, are owned by their members; many others are owned by no-one—Greenpeace, Harvard, etc. Some are associations but not organizations, namely social movements and social initiatives.<br />
<br />
<b>What is it responsible for?</b> This sector serves many of our needs for affiliation, especially in communities. These days I believe that it had better take responsibility for getting us out of the mess that imbalance in favor of the private sector has put us into. For problems like global warming and income disparities, corporate social responsibility will not do it, nor will governments, so many of which are now co-opted or overwhelmed by private forces. We shall have to rely on social movements and especially social initiatives to bring in new ways of dealing with our problems.<br />
<br />
<b>What happens if there’s too much emphasis on it?</b> It becomes closed, society becomes closed—think of the Taliban, or of the New England witch hunts.<br />
<br />
<b>What happens if there’s not enough of it?</b> Then we lack affiliations, and a capacity for the radical renewal that we require. A healthy society balances the power of its public, private, and plural sectors.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-36222081127687385942014-10-28T10:58:00.003-07:002014-10-28T11:17:14.531-07:00Why Be Happy? Here Are Five Reasons<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJafdsEuWJAZ27rs-t1Z56zYp8sAIb1-sI3944n3Wrs8h-4LVPmg3IEhvFMBYiD-1cvrtDn9Sn_NSQQafoIy-MOz1XOA55aANFpJUnJx81kH_1pz2EIzxIdNdarQtOTwgwvR1YLnhKmMgo/s1600/9781626563292L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJafdsEuWJAZ27rs-t1Z56zYp8sAIb1-sI3944n3Wrs8h-4LVPmg3IEhvFMBYiD-1cvrtDn9Sn_NSQQafoIy-MOz1XOA55aANFpJUnJx81kH_1pz2EIzxIdNdarQtOTwgwvR1YLnhKmMgo/s1600/9781626563292L.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626563292&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The book<i> <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626563292&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Sustainable Happiness</a></i> shows </span>what makes us truly happy are the depth of our relationships, the quality of our communities, the contribution we make through the work we do, and the renewal we receive from a thriving natural world.<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<br />
But is there reason to be happy about what is going in the world? Are there signs that our communities and the work we are doing is really helping?<br />
<br />
Yes, there are, and here are just five of these signs:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>1. We use Social Media Better</b></div>
<div>
While older generations may bicker and complain that the millennials are not "connected" to the world and aware, research published by the New York Times actually shows that millennials are more likely to use social media -- specifically Facebook and Twitter -- for news than any other generation of users. This means we are getting smarter quicker.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASve-l9aCWHfT8mzsyyTvRdiRUYgwEAyQk9hSIC8W3qFit-DB22w8m4AJNBF9-bKvL_ZrGdO8lqDLOllD3J0PqROc-wPHct-KqTFd_Pid35kmoeb9xVUEBIvHL5NvZQuq1-DuGngC0LJC/s1600/trwsg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASve-l9aCWHfT8mzsyyTvRdiRUYgwEAyQk9hSIC8W3qFit-DB22w8m4AJNBF9-bKvL_ZrGdO8lqDLOllD3J0PqROc-wPHct-KqTFd_Pid35kmoeb9xVUEBIvHL5NvZQuq1-DuGngC0LJC/s1600/trwsg.jpg" height="290" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>2. Medicine and health standards are improving very quickly.</b></div>
<div>
Infant mortality is down about 50% since 1990 and we have significantly reduced the number of deaths from treatable diseases like measles and tuberculosis as well.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ebfSY-NpXs4eBtIpIXHV8q6F05M3IsaA7ash31WpueeE8BgYKCapfYtVkAI44yVJeCnAhzV0_edHygWYGU3PfLmeOqzm7TEBX-Fzn_E8HpLXKt5QydLEaVxoDn_gYG4SwskH5Ugm2ilc/s1600/fgqe4gqe4g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ebfSY-NpXs4eBtIpIXHV8q6F05M3IsaA7ash31WpueeE8BgYKCapfYtVkAI44yVJeCnAhzV0_edHygWYGU3PfLmeOqzm7TEBX-Fzn_E8HpLXKt5QydLEaVxoDn_gYG4SwskH5Ugm2ilc/s1600/fgqe4gqe4g.jpg" height="227" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>3. There's a rapid decline in poverty worldwide.</b><br />
Since 1981, the proportion of people living under the poverty line ($1.25 a day) has decreased by 65%. 721 million fewer people were living in poverty in 2010 than in 1981.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8kqYM1CHLtBXb6OuH6Vc71HznDOUuW4_V2yVzyValKahP-JNYHQ9WclS2JjG-UUzZtyHSgIAzBzsHfu1ZnGJK6ze-87Mfwy5PYirU1baNMw2X6oMw0aS2JREl7taO4H9M3znCWkKu50n/s1600/r3qfq3ft3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8kqYM1CHLtBXb6OuH6Vc71HznDOUuW4_V2yVzyValKahP-JNYHQ9WclS2JjG-UUzZtyHSgIAzBzsHfu1ZnGJK6ze-87Mfwy5PYirU1baNMw2X6oMw0aS2JREl7taO4H9M3znCWkKu50n/s1600/r3qfq3ft3.jpg" height="228" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>4. There is a decrease in war.</b><br />
We seem to think that violence is present everywhere and that we are constantly embroiled in one conflict or another, but the facts are that overall, war is almost non-existent when compared to previous decades, and it is in further decline.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYO7g85Ur7Lud5qlrSsKVPIV4xEJ97ITfytyI3jP6_LPhhg2ngY2YABLkBIDQjHRhvHNLnajBzs4iy1_70ENomDrgHEp4syQIKVRKlCpDaFJzKU5p9vHyIYDyh2H7upd9HT0m72cxy-jE/s1600/4wgtwegqw4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYO7g85Ur7Lud5qlrSsKVPIV4xEJ97ITfytyI3jP6_LPhhg2ngY2YABLkBIDQjHRhvHNLnajBzs4iy1_70ENomDrgHEp4syQIKVRKlCpDaFJzKU5p9vHyIYDyh2H7upd9HT0m72cxy-jE/s1600/4wgtwegqw4.jpg" height="216" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>5. Violent crime is also down.</b><br />
We see reports of gang violence and gun violence every day but the truth is that violent crime and murders have been on their way down in terms of rates since 2001.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaqa40nsC3aKCktghmdcUDw6gJc5LzZKMGAUw_IDvfZIzghxph0lzG93MzxH_5sVQK8UVKby7HQnD7kdYdMv6puZUuAHJ9l2-mJYVUpMxgv2IkBO6eHitdfoHW93vH8Hhi_mI8cO6tVCn/s1600/4qtgeqy25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaqa40nsC3aKCktghmdcUDw6gJc5LzZKMGAUw_IDvfZIzghxph0lzG93MzxH_5sVQK8UVKby7HQnD7kdYdMv6puZUuAHJ9l2-mJYVUpMxgv2IkBO6eHitdfoHW93vH8Hhi_mI8cO6tVCn/s1600/4qtgeqy25.jpg" height="228" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-76562353216441665642014-10-21T14:29:00.003-07:002014-10-21T14:31:23.347-07:00Five Moving Statements About Prison <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlgmotdU4DswFPkmiv8c01Ol6vna9owpfhZIcgkWKwk6nePZRCmyG0f5wUY8-2GLipBE6g0TPTEsbwn_r6XpX-Th4dZ2eoOCuoTQ1wNOB8aJrXBPekf32GlY3nnqcX4kzjtKDVNJz5-s9/s1600/9781626562691L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlgmotdU4DswFPkmiv8c01Ol6vna9owpfhZIcgkWKwk6nePZRCmyG0f5wUY8-2GLipBE6g0TPTEsbwn_r6XpX-Th4dZ2eoOCuoTQ1wNOB8aJrXBPekf32GlY3nnqcX4kzjtKDVNJz5-s9/s1600/9781626562691L.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626562691&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In Maya Schenwar's <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626562691&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">latest book</a>, she discusses how prisons in the U.S. do incredible damage not just to prisoners but also to society due to the inhumane way in which prisoners are treated which leads to them being released back into a society where they are neither welcome nor familiar with, leading to high recidivism rates.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
While the facts and figures speak for themselves, here are five strong literary statements by well-known historical figures and writers about the nature of prisons and what they do to people:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
1. "It had long been true, and prisoners knew this better than anyone, that the poorer you were the more likely you were to end up in jail. This was not just because the poor committed more crimes. In fact, they did. The rich did not have to commit crimes to get what they wanted; the laws were on their side. But when the rich did commit crimes, they often were not prosecuted, and if they were they could get out on bail, hire clever lawyers, get better treatment from judges. Somehow, the jails ended up full of poor black people."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-- Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2. "How feeble is all language to describe the horrors we inflict upon these wretches, whom we mason up in the cells of our prisons, and condemn to perpetual solitude in the very heart of our population."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> -- Herman Melville, Typee</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3. "To live in prison is to live without mirrors. To live without mirrors is to live without the self."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-- Margaret Atwood, Marrying the Hangman</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4. "No one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens but its lowest ones."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">--Nelson Mandela, A Long Walk to Freedom</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">5. "There are worse prisons than words."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-- Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-24349082109349910732014-10-13T13:33:00.002-07:002014-10-13T13:36:05.447-07:00Five Pieces of Evidence Proving That Women Make Better Business Leaders and Partners<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICcvZwXQ1XcXOtZ0ymrv-Cb1v7wi80xdLQYypL0EOOJWXCeNuNPAkZREjFlQbVq8Zqg1s4dHqmHdfEHE6bfCHbb-6itAqyegMt4shTyLIUECfSnw-QPGOuHzwnQVdZAdGJUczAOo3qr1W/s1600/9781626561588L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICcvZwXQ1XcXOtZ0ymrv-Cb1v7wi80xdLQYypL0EOOJWXCeNuNPAkZREjFlQbVq8Zqg1s4dHqmHdfEHE6bfCHbb-6itAqyegMt4shTyLIUECfSnw-QPGOuHzwnQVdZAdGJUczAOo3qr1W/s1600/9781626561588L.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626561588&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Betsy Polk and Maggie Ellis Chotas' <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626561588&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">latest book</a> argues for the need for more female partnerships in business. They dig deep to show how unfounded myths and shoddy social science has kept women from collaborating together for greater success.<br />
<br />
Of course, there are bound to be many who may want to dismiss this sort of argument as "compensatory" or being too "Yay! for women!" but not have any real substance, but the evidence speaks otherwise. So why not tackle this argument in the most male-centric corner of the economy: the entrepreneurial world? Here are five darn good (evidence-backed) reasons why women are taking the leading roles in independent and entrepreneurial business environments:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Women are better leaders.</b> Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman conducted <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2012/03/26/the-results-are-in-women-are-better-leaders/" target="_blank"><b>extensive research</b></a> on women in business and their findings are quite impressive: women build better teams; garner higher respect as leaders and managers and demonstrate better awareness of their actions and thinking. Two of the traits where women outscored men in the highest degree were in taking initiative and driving for results -- both of which have long been thought of as particularly male strengths.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Women deliver better company performance. </b>A recent Dow Jones VentureSource <a href="http://dowjones.com/privatemarkets/pm_download.asp" target="_blank"><b>report</b></a> concluded that venture-backed companies with female senior executives were more likely to succeed than those companies with only men in charge. This finding was echoed by the SBA Office of Advocacy which reported that VC firms that invested in women-led businesses <a href="http://www.sba.gov/content/venture-capital-social-capital-and-funding-women-led-businesses" target="_blank"><b>performed better</b></a> than all men-led businesses.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Women are better money managers in the most volatile marketplace:tech.</b> Female-led private tech companies achieve on average a 35% higher return on investment, and when venture-backed, bring in on an average a 12% higher revenue than male-owned tech companies according to <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2013/02/25/when-it-comes-to-tech-start-ups-do-women-win/" target="_blank"><b>research</b></a> conducted by the Kauffman Foundation. Illuminate Ventures recently concluded their research showing that high-tech companies built by women are more capital-efficient than the norm and could achieve comparable early-year revenues as those companies run by men but using on average <a href="http://www.illuminate.com/whitepaper/" target="_blank"><b>one-third less committed capital</b></a>.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Women are becoming more prominent not just as builders but as wealthy investors.</b> Women angel investors account for just 22% of all investors but that's still a 50% jump ftp, 2011. <b><a href="http://www.theamericancollege.edu/why-us/faculty/mary-quist-newins-chfc-clu-cfp" target="_blank">Mary Quist-Newin's research</a> </b>at the The American College of Financial Services shows that not only that women represent more than 40% of all Americans with gross investable assets above $600,000 but also that 60% of high-net-worth women earned their own fortunes versus inheriting it and the rate of wealth-growth among women in the US is at twice the pace it is for men.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Many prominent men think women are the answer.</b> There are many men who are looked up to as the business gurus to emulate but not many realize that these men have publicly stated that the nation's economic future rests mainly with women being at the helm. Warren Buffett feels women are the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/geristengel/2013/05/08/its-not-just-warren-buffett-who-is-bullish-on-women/" target="_blank"><b>key to national prosperity</b></a> while Vivek Wadhwa continues to argue that <a href="http://wadhwa.com/2014/09/20/msnbc-why-women-entrepreneurs-are-the-future-of-tech/" target="_blank"><b>women entrepreneurs are the future of tech</b></a>. Prominent male entrepreneurs and researchers such as <a href="http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-111845295X.html" target="_blank"><b>John Gerzema and Michael D'Antonio</b></a>, or male-led firms such as <a href="http://zengerfolkman.com/" target="_blank"><b>Zenger/Folkman</b></a> weren't seeking to do research to support the effectiveness of women in business, it's just where the data took them.<br />
<br />
Is that enough "hard" evidence for you?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-21348184117371548942014-09-11T15:24:00.002-07:002014-09-11T15:38:08.561-07:00Five Reasons for Optimism<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRVlsomHkLZMcZxWeQRrPqWzyLZs9569GMXIRx-teMqS3KrAjdA2yDnhne8fA_jkivs99FAJ8Ah37-Nkj3D1Xu9ms2Qh3bD-LLr1y1eTqG8nFnXpoibDVUOMfuEsPPhO9-ACb5SN7kQSY/s1600/9781626562752L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRVlsomHkLZMcZxWeQRrPqWzyLZs9569GMXIRx-teMqS3KrAjdA2yDnhne8fA_jkivs99FAJ8Ah37-Nkj3D1Xu9ms2Qh3bD-LLr1y1eTqG8nFnXpoibDVUOMfuEsPPhO9-ACb5SN7kQSY/s1600/9781626562752L.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626562752&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank"><b>Here</b></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
Everywhere you look, there is calamity and tragedy, and that is mostly because the media likes to focus on negatives. However, as Jurriaan Kamp shows in his <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626562752&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">latest book</a>, there are plenty of reasons to actually be optimistic about the future. This is not foolish, blind optimism that overlooks the real concerns of our current situation, but the intelligent optimism that sees greater potential for good than bad in the long run.</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
To illustrate the point, here are five negative statements you probably considered to be facts but which are in direct opposition to the positive truth:</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<b>1. The global population is not growing out of control.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
There have been cataclysmic prophecies and even books dedicated to how current population growth is out of control. Actually, this is not true at all. The average number of children per woman has been declining rapidly for decades. According to official UN data, the average number of children per woman worldwide for the period 1965 to 1970 was 4.85. Yet 40 years later, for the period of 2005 to 2010, that number dropped nearly 50% to 2.52. And the numbers continue to decline. Most experts <a href="http://www.gapminder.org/videos/dont-panic-the-facts-about-population/#.VBIi0y5dVbw" target="_blank">predict that global population will level out by about 2100</a> at around 10 billion and may even decrease after that. And if we use our resources wisely, we can easily support that number of people.</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<br />
<b>2. Our dependence on coal, gas, and oil will destroy us (and the planet).</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
it certainly seems this way but only because major business interests and corporations rely on fossil fuels for their profit margins. However, as new trends become increasingly difficult to ignore, alternatives are popping up on the horizon. There are already many ways in which solar energy has been made cheaper. In Europe, solar energy <a href="http://www.fastcoexist.com/3028653/solar-power-is-now-as-cheap-as-grid-electricity-in-these-european-countries" target="_blank">is as cheap as grid electricity</a>, and it is only going to get cheaper. Plus, there are many <a href="http://www.wanttoknow.info/newenergysources" target="_blank">other resources</a> we have not even begun to explore that hold a lot of promise. We have more resources than we think (or know).</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<b>3. Electronic media and mediums are detaching us from "the real world."</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
It's easy to assume that because we see people walking down the street staring into their phones that we are growing detached from people, but we are in fact <a href="http://www.wanttoknow.info/inspiration/innernet_internet_hope" target="_blank">connecting more meaningfully and more widely than ever before</a>. Instant communication at almost no cost regardless of geographic location or time means that everyone is connected to everyone else and ideas and conversations move freely between continents in real time. Think about how connected you were to your family and friends before email and the internet took off (unless you were lucky enough to be born within the last two decades), and how connected you are now. Case closed.</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<b>4. Power is being centralized and growing larger in the hands of the elite.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
Power has always been in the hands of the elite, and yes, it has grown, but a big part of the argument is what constitutes power? Is it material or economic clout or is it knowledge and information? The most powerful people and organizations can be taken down by a single person with a cheap cel phone. We live in an age where almost everyone has access to the technology that makes them a citizen journalist. This means that things that could once be hidden or kept in secret can no longer be and <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregsatell/2014/01/18/if-you-doubt-that-social-media-has-changed-the-world-take-a-look-at-ukraine/" target="_blank">revolutions and injustices can be recorded and displayed to the world in color, with sound, and in real time</a>. It's not that power and injustice is growing, it's just that now, we are more aware of it than ever before because of our access to information.</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<b>5. Violence and crime continues to grow globally.</b></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">Violent crime rates have been dropping dramatically for 20 years. Official U.S. Department of Justice statistics show that violent crime rates of 2010 <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120915002615/http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/glance/viort.cfm" target="_blank">were 1/3 the rates of 1994</a>. Other countries are <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2373754/Crime-fallen-70-major-global-cities-despite-economic-crisis-rising-unemployment.html" target="_blank">experiencing a similar decline</a>. Consider also that just centuries ago, rape and pillaging were considered the natural spoils of war. War atrocities were once the norm, where today they are prosecuted in international courts. We are not only becoming less violent, we are stating unequivocally that we will not tolerate it, either.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-5325517273218300452014-09-04T12:55:00.002-07:002014-09-04T12:55:56.403-07:00Eight Reasons Why B Corps Are Superior to Other More Traditional Sustainable Businesses<i><br /></i>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1FWSd5n1ZbZPLrf-7u5d8Zbxr72F7vTD-8lFjACMTLxwJFCrJW0HIy7qtZXHqBcEMHlhZ4R80RnI7PvijcgZu7kBYQt9yukt3G8WcTHpF07no8G6ZLQxzxLzrZixw6SgooPaT6VF63Gg/s1600/9781626560437L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1FWSd5n1ZbZPLrf-7u5d8Zbxr72F7vTD-8lFjACMTLxwJFCrJW0HIy7qtZXHqBcEMHlhZ4R80RnI7PvijcgZu7kBYQt9yukt3G8WcTHpF07no8G6ZLQxzxLzrZixw6SgooPaT6VF63Gg/s1600/9781626560437L.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560437&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank"><b>Here</b></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><b><a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560437&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">The B Corp Handbook</a></b></i> lays out the plan for how anyone can create a better company that serves everyone (and the environment) with the highest levels of ethics and integrity -- a recipe for true profitability in every sense for every entity.<br />
<br />
But what makes B Corps better than even other sustainability-touting businesses? Extensive research across the world into B Corp practices (and requirements) resulted in the following eight findings which prove the benefits that B Corps create for their communities and themselves over other such businesses:<br />
<br />
1. B Corps are 68% more likely to donate at least 10% of their profits to charity.<br />
<br />
2. More than half (55%) of all B Corps are more likely to cover at least a part of their employees' health insurance plans.<br />
<br />
3. One-site renewable energy is more likely to be used by 47% of all B Corps.<br />
<br />
4. B Corps are 45% more likely to give bonuses to non-executive employees.<br />
<br />
5. B Corps favor suppliers from low-income communities and 18% of them are more likely to use such suppliers.<br />
<br />
6. Women and minorities are 28% more likely to be in management positions in B Corps.<br />
<br />
7. B Corps are four times more likely to afford professional development opportunities for their employees.<br />
<br />
8. B Corps are over twice as likely to give employees at least 20 hours per year paid time off to volunteer in their communities.<br />
<br />
Keep in mind that these differentiations are not between B Corps and "regular" companies, but B Corps and other businesses that self-identify as sustainable or socially conscious. It's a higher standard within the higher standard.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-75620733158189451712014-08-13T13:35:00.000-07:002014-09-21T21:12:43.238-07:00Three Ways to Fight Poverty That Don't<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJ4VePDjrf2JEF4Uro4DGTGzcxrXu3S9DcTuX6E517Xxje8gdtW92EHXVf00wi6uSV3cdDppAhXjXxQPvIHLECD4LwXyLXOLSVGgtjJ3IyT_NQZu8oCb6_mSB51qHhcciEHU7lVIxt8XA/s1600/intrh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJ4VePDjrf2JEF4Uro4DGTGzcxrXu3S9DcTuX6E517Xxje8gdtW92EHXVf00wi6uSV3cdDppAhXjXxQPvIHLECD4LwXyLXOLSVGgtjJ3IyT_NQZu8oCb6_mSB51qHhcciEHU7lVIxt8XA/s1600/intrh.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626562189&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jeffrey Ashe's <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626562189&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">latest book</a> delves into how savings groups are the answer for impoverished regions to get back in control of their own finances and expenditures and therefore become truly independent.<br />
<br />
But do we really need another poverty alleviation method? Don't the ones we have already work? Unfortunately, no, they don't. Below, Jeffrey highlights the three most popular methods currently in use, and why they are so ineffective:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Donations and Charities: </b>In principle these are good things -- money with "no strings attached" that is given to those in need so that they can secure food and shelter and other necessities. The problem, however, is that donations only secure an environment of dependability where people are not self-sufficient but completely dependent on the support of others. Given how charities boom and bust these days, there is no guarantee that money will always flow to those needy hands, and the consequences can be dire.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Microfinance:</b> Another idea that in principle was actually quite brilliant but in practice was not as effective. Micro lenders need to make a profit on their loans and when they are loaning such small amounts, the profit margins are even thinner unless they charge a heftier interest. (A 10% interest on a $5000 loan is appealing, but a 10% interest on a $50 loan is a lot less so.) So interest rates are higher and lenders can often be ruthless about collecting payment or penalizing people for delays, and all this does is put borrowers in debt to the tune of many times more than the amount they initially borrowed.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Business Enterprise/Entrepreneurial Ventures: </b>Introducing entrepreneurial techniques to those in need is certainly one way to make them self-sufficient and in control of their own financial destiny but there are two problems with such programs: (a) Entrepreneurial ventures fail more often than they succeed -- even in the developed nations the failure rate for new enterprises is over 70% within the first two years, but in this case, you are dealing with a demographic who stand to lose a lot more if their startup fails; and (b) resources are limited as are potential revenue-generators in many rural areas, which means one person could generate a decent income producing handicrafts and beads for export, but given the lack of other options, now twenty or thirty people will also have to compete with one another to sell handicrafts to the same markets. This benefits no one.<br />
<br />
With savings groups, the money is kept within the group, and all stakeholders have an equal share and equal responsibility and reason for maintaining the savings, so there is no competition and no outsider trying to collect. <i>That </i>is why savings groups triumph where others have failed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-90127939596894484762014-08-11T13:58:00.000-07:002014-09-10T15:42:01.354-07:00Five Methods of Motivation That Don't Work<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O6nZN6gisBqSGSijc-iZyrYaxmtR5aiV-qXbXltXyssMHTkf7rtglwf1Cecg8pFGelouPKJsVFoWpWf6lpDhqHn1L_1U59WZjzqyiw5RasBAPC7OtBQHcn6AE8vBfJajQVYUfDv6RRfL/s1600/9781626561823L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O6nZN6gisBqSGSijc-iZyrYaxmtR5aiV-qXbXltXyssMHTkf7rtglwf1Cecg8pFGelouPKJsVFoWpWf6lpDhqHn1L_1U59WZjzqyiw5RasBAPC7OtBQHcn6AE8vBfJajQVYUfDv6RRfL/s1600/9781626561823L.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626561823&PG=1&Type=RLA1&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/authorbiobooks.asp?SEL=9781626561823&Type=RLA1" target="_blank">Susan Fowler'</a>s latest book is all about how to do motivation <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626561823&PG=1&Type=RLA1&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">right</a>. The problem, as Susan points out, is that we've been going about motivation entirely the wrong way with the carrot-and-stick metaphor when in fact research has shown us that there are far more effective methodologies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Susan describes below five "traditional" methods of motivation that are still widely used today -- and why they are deeply ineffective.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> 1. </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Verbal<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cheerleading</b>. "You can do it! Keep
up the effort! Give me just one more!" Recent research finds that coaches
who verbally encourage people in training sessions are significantly less
effective than quiet coaches. The verbal encouragement generates external
pressure, diminishing people's sense of autonomy and internal fortitude.
Whether coaching athletes or individuals in the workplace, your cheerleading
may be undermining your good intentions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> 2. </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Competitions.</b>
Setting up a competitive situation to “motivate” people begs the question—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i> are people competing? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People’s creativity, innovation, and long-term
productivity suffer when they are competing to beat someone else, gain power
and status, win an award, or receive an incentive compared to competing as a
means to learn, gain experience, and obtain insight into development needs.
Most competitions generate external pressure that ultimately defeats people and
undermines long-term skill building and sustained high performance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> 3. </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Imposing
values.</b> The most well-intentioned and values-based leaders often do this:
Through their own sense of purpose and passion, they unwittingly impose their
values on others. It doesn't matter how noble your values may be, if you impose
them on people you run the risk of eroding people’s sense of autonomy and the
opportunity for them to explore their own reasons for acting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> 4. </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Incentivizing.</b>
Despite compelling research on the undermining effects of rewards and
incentives to positively affect and sustain behavior, leaders and organizations
still use this technique as a way of motivating people. Here's the problem:
People are always motivated. The question is why. Giving people an incentive to
motivate them is akin to feeding them junk food. The initial energy spike
quickly falls and so does the quality of people’s motivation.</span></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:RelyOnVML/>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" UnhideWhenUsed="false"
Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
border:none;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> 5. </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Praising</b>.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but when you praise people as a means of
“motivating” them, it often has the same implications as an incentive or a
reward—externalizing the reason people take action (to please you)! Focus on
providing pure informational feedback, trusting people to evaluate their own
performance. (Don’t confuse praising with sharing your gratitude. A heartfelt
expression of thanks is always appropriate.)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-90019432167251530482014-07-18T10:35:00.002-07:002014-09-04T12:13:54.877-07:00Three Good Reasons Not to Be Selfless (and Three Better Reasons to Be Selfless Anyway)<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPO_gpnB5hx9v-xdwjJs6glweXpHHlHvlPswzOlrjl1jv2H5S3xYzsOCssUyqOYPNuwBTZyBbh8CO8Pmt0aWLvMIpY6ZmYQKuk7Hkro0wbcTF_drLfLwFivuJc2yTbgvi8lhLLtv4qp4PL/s1600/9781626560956L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPO_gpnB5hx9v-xdwjJs6glweXpHHlHvlPswzOlrjl1jv2H5S3xYzsOCssUyqOYPNuwBTZyBbh8CO8Pmt0aWLvMIpY6ZmYQKuk7Hkro0wbcTF_drLfLwFivuJc2yTbgvi8lhLLtv4qp4PL/s1600/9781626560956L.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560956&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In Seth Adam Smith's <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560956&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">latest book</a>, he talks about the value of selflessness in a world that is focused on pleasing only the self. There are other books like this but none with the humor and frank confessions found in Seth's writing (not to mention his thoroughly imperfect and anything but holier -than-thou persona).<br />
<br />
Being selfless is a pain. Why do it? Seth presents below three good reasons why you shouldn't bother being selfless. Then he goes and ruins his own arguments by saying why there are three better reasons to be selfless:<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>#1 - Nobody Notices Selflessness: </b>Turn on the television or surf through the internet and it’s painfully obvious that the world cares WAAAAY more about selfish, egotistical people than people who are trying to make a positive difference in the world. (Small example, Justin Bieber has fifty-four MILLION Twitter followers. Whereas the Twitter account for Malala Yousafzai’s Fund to help girls go to school has just a fraction of that).</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><b>A Better Reason to Do It Anyway: </b>But are we in it for the glory and praise? Or are we in it to make a positive difference? Acts of selflessness might fly under the radar of the public eye, but they often change lives for the better. And anyway, the idea of being "selfless" kinda argues against the need for recognition and adoration (otherwise it wouldn't be selfless, would it?) Besides, within a few short years, the name and fame of selfish celebrities will fade. In contrast, the light and influence of truly selfless people will continue to grow stronger and brighter with time.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<b>#2 - I’m An Introvert: </b>Selflessness requires you to, you know, deal with people and being around...others. I hear ya. I’m a pretty serious introvert myself and social events often drain me of energy. Whenever I’m approached by extroverts (who always seem to have really, really big teeth) they seem to believe that it is their mission in life to rescue me from my solitary (yet voluntary) confinement.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><b>A Better Reason to Do It Anyway:</b> But I’ve learned that being selfless doesn’t mean ignoring my natural need for space and introspection. It simply means that I consciously allow room in my heart for others, <span class="s1">because true happiness is found with others.</span> I've learned that our joy in life is inexorably determined by the degree to which we love, so it's not a matter of losing your own space, just creating more space for others.</i></div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<b>#3: Selflessness is a Loss</b> - Self-sacrifice and giving is very draining -- both physically and mentally (not to mention emotionally). When you keep giving selflessly, the result is often a jaded soul that can be cynical and depressed with all it has seen.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><b>A Better Reason to Do It Anyway:</b> Actually, there's another side to this argument. Have you noticed that some of the best things in your life come to you because of your willingness to give time and energy to others (love, marriage, family, friends)? In a paradoxical way, selflessness—giving healthy levels of time and energy to others— is the best way to serve yourself.</i></div>
<br />
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
And now, a message from my dear friend Ron Swanson on how to <b><a href="http://youtu.be/Hyc1aMtnHJo" target="_blank">give to others</a>.</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-41120011086611981682014-07-08T16:31:00.003-07:002014-08-24T19:23:58.314-07:00Five Terrible Names for Products (and What They Could Have Named Them Instead)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjiqQ6BvexlEeJPA3pSa4-6KoGFsmUBhlomn9LNHqEecABga_8KEJVrYY5AH5kXdHVaAcnqhsghbp5rCpJidTO0J9ZRaXVFOjQEhUyJY4lDkVZbwa8x4xbCU_kEotVLYsHCx2MdXamzmP/s1600/9781626561861L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjiqQ6BvexlEeJPA3pSa4-6KoGFsmUBhlomn9LNHqEecABga_8KEJVrYY5AH5kXdHVaAcnqhsghbp5rCpJidTO0J9ZRaXVFOjQEhUyJY4lDkVZbwa8x4xbCU_kEotVLYsHCx2MdXamzmP/s1600/9781626561861L.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626561861&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Alexandra Watkins' latest book, <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626561861&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank"><i><b>Hello My Name Is Awesome</b></i></a>, she talks about the various qualities that good product and business names should have and also what pitfalls to avoid.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every year, corporations and individuals spend a lot of time and money creating names for themselves and their products, and every year, despite their best efforts, many of them arrive at names that are, well, terrible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, some products and
companies have become successful despite having a troublesome name. (But to
Watkins’ point, why would you want to start there?) Here are five <i>awful</i> product names and what
Alexandra would have named them instead.</span><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-language:JA;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Iams<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Named after its founder, Paul Iams,
the uninviting name of this super premium pet food fails to evoke anything
about caring for our beloved pets. It’s difficult to pronounce and hardly cute
and cuddly. Plus it sounds like it tastes terrible. Thank goodness pets can’t
read.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Better Name: VET’S PET<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Iams products are distributed through
veterinarians. When you’re at the vet, you want to know what he feeds his
or her pet. That’s why a simple name like Vet’s Pet works. It evokes “this is the
doctor’s choice for your dog or cat,” in a friendly and approachable way.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. e.p.t. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it was introduced in 1978, e.p.t.
was the first early pregnancy test. Now 38 years later, competitors abound. While
the brand is well-known thanks to quality products and millions spent on
advertising, the name is makes no emotional connection with most women in their
child-bearing years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Better Name: MAYBE, BABY<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The uncertainty of not knowing if
you’re pregnant is a nail biter. A friendly, love-at-first-sight name like “Maybe,
Baby,” makes a woman smile, and reduces her anxiety level. The name is lyrical,
fun to say, and would incite “just in case” impulse purchases and wedding
shower gifts.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Salonpas<br />
</b>This name sounds more like a fancy French hair
salon than a pain relief patch. Like many bad names, it’s a loose amalgamation
of two words (Salicylate + pass), which is completely lost on us. Plus, for a
powerful product, the name is way too feminine and could turn off the tough
guys who need it most.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Better Name: SMACKDOWN<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>You smack on the patch and it smacks
down your pain. This name brings a smile, which is a pain reliever in itself. Big
companies are terrified of names like this because they (pardon the pun) are
outside the comfort zone. Yet fun names are the ones we love to Instagram.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Massage Envy <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve had massages in Bali, Fiji and
Thailand. Now that’s something to envy. But an “affordable massage” in a
shopping mall? Not so much. Massage Envy sounds awkward and would have made
more sense as Envy Massage. I suspect the domain name was available for $9.95,
which is never a good reason to pounce on a name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Better Name: MASSAGE WELL<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>A gentle transition from the current
name (often recommended for a name change), Massage Well is a much deeper name.
“Well” has a double meaning – “we massage well,” and “we’re committed to your wellness.”
Plus men wouldn’t be embarrassed to go there. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Planter’s NUT-rition <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This silly and misleading name drives
me nuts. They have wrecked a perfectly good word to make a perfectly bad word. Worse,
the name (and green packaging) evoke that nuts are good for you. Sure, in small
quantities. But even a single serving packet has a whopping 17 grams of fat, 6
more than a McDonald’s cheeseburger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Better Name: GO NUTS<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Planters is trying to align their
brand with a healthy lifestyle. So for people on the move looking for energy
sustaining snacks, Go Nuts, makes sense. The name is fun, doesn’t make claims
or trick consumers into thinking this is something healthy you should eat by
the handful in front of the TV. </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-72799254968048178802014-06-27T11:14:00.002-07:002014-06-27T11:14:50.727-07:00Five Fascinating Historical Meetings<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vTzDxDLUnaW_K6axQEbSp2hfQphFWrF6Zq9ApSHWAzw5D9ltjfbUnDLNXWhLL2wk1NkkMO6svksA6pWVRr0AUUKe0sL0DessPgjAB738lwtlBEMxyIyEoybEntUTv2qnHsN2-YI0EV3P/s1600/9781626560819L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vTzDxDLUnaW_K6axQEbSp2hfQphFWrF6Zq9ApSHWAzw5D9ltjfbUnDLNXWhLL2wk1NkkMO6svksA6pWVRr0AUUKe0sL0DessPgjAB738lwtlBEMxyIyEoybEntUTv2qnHsN2-YI0EV3P/s1600/9781626560819L.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560819&PG=1&Type=RLA2&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In their <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560819&PG=1&Type=RLA2&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">latest book</a>, Dick and Emily Axelrod tackle the topic of meetings and how to make them meaningful and productive instead of the time-wasting, soul-sucking chores they can become.<br />
<br />
In celebration of meetings that had great impact, here are five such events that stand out in modern history:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Pope John Paul II and Mehmet Ali Agca: the meeting that demonstrated the power of forgiveness.</b><br />
In 1981, Mehmet Ali Agca, a member of the Turkish ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves group shot and wounded Pope John Paul II. On Decenber 27, 1983, the Pope visited Agca in prison and they became friends. The Pope also connected with Agca's family. In 2005, when Pope John Paul II died, Agca begged and pleaded to be given leave to attend the Pope's funeral but was refused. This friendship that resulted from this meeting best demonstrates the healing power of forgiveness and faith. Agca's brother reported that when the Pope died, the entire family remained in mourning.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Douglas MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito: the meeting that demonstrated how full personal accountability can change the course of a nation.</b><br />
On December 27, 1945, MacArthur met with Japan's emperor in Tokyo following Japan's surrender. MacArthur thought that the emperor may deny wrongdoing but instead, Hirohito stated that he took full responsibility for all actions and decisions made by Japanese forces during the war and that he would readily accept whatever judgment given to him by the allied forces with no debate. MacArthur, who at that point had been under pressure from the Russians and the British to punish Hirohito severely for war crimes, decided that the emperor was a man of honor and that rebuilding Japan would be much easier if they let him remain as ruler (but not a Shinto deity). Hirohito was a man of science and took this opportunity of clemency to help Japan rebuild by focusing the nation on modernization and technology.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>3. Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant: the meeting that demonstrated how even opponents should always be treated with respect.</b><br />
On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee met with General Grant at Appotomattox Court House in Virgina to formally surrender and put an end to the bloodiest conflict in US history. During their conversation, they realized that they had met previously -- when fighting for the same side in Mexico. Lee informed Grant that his men owned their horses and asked that they be allowed to keep them, which Grant agreed to. After signing the surrender letter and as Lee began to leave the courthouse, Grant -- the victor -- raised his hat and formally saluted Lee (a salute which Lee dutifully returned). Grant then sent thousands of pounds of rations for Lee's men who had not eaten in several days.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Thomas Stafford and Alexei Leonov: the meeting that demonstrated how we can overcome political and idealogical borders.</b><br />
On July 17, 1975, astronauts Thomas Stafford of the United States Apollo mission and Alexei Leonov of the (then) USSR Space Program met and shook hands through the open hatch of the Soyuz space station and then linked with one another for almost two whole days. During this time, crew members visited each other's ships, ate together, and spoke at length. When they parted, they gifted one another seeds of indigenous plants from their individual countries. This may just seem like a sweet story now, but at that time with the Cold War paranoia that had each nation fearing an immediate nuclear strike from the other at any moment, this was considered outright crazy.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Edwin Booth and Abraham Lincoln: the meeting that demonstrated that our lives operate by sheer random chaos or that there is an ominous pattern to everything well beyond our comprehension.</b><br />
Everyone knows that John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln on April 14, 1865. What is less known but <b><a href="http://www.historynet.com/edwin-booth" target="_blank">is still a fact</a></b> is that John's brother, Edwin, saved Lincoln's eldest son's life just one year before. Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln, was waiting at a train platform to buy passage on sleeping cars. As the train began to move unexpectedly, Lincoln lost his footing and started slipping on to the rails. Edwin Booth immediately reached out and grabbed Lincoln by the collar and pulled him to safety. Edwin Booth was a very well-known Shakespearan actor and so Lincoln recognized him immediately. Booth had no idea of the identity of the man he had just saved,<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-26761612525041448362014-06-17T10:48:00.000-07:002014-08-05T14:40:58.575-07:00Five Investing Myths Even the Pros Believe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8fpTZj1OxVh3_ulj6H-zDH_q_7utl_elktwmZRB76skBAmPAxBn-EKxxzk9XOkuxyITWA1lYYpNCRT88YifJPQ27LXqzGFm4zgh_MOGC8RcFv-ZYzhfUMwph01YC_JPUxCZPI-aM2GxE/s1600/9781626561625L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8fpTZj1OxVh3_ulj6H-zDH_q_7utl_elktwmZRB76skBAmPAxBn-EKxxzk9XOkuxyITWA1lYYpNCRT88YifJPQ27LXqzGFm4zgh_MOGC8RcFv-ZYzhfUMwph01YC_JPUxCZPI-aM2GxE/s1600/9781626561625L.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In their</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626561632&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">latest book</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, Michael Edesess, Kwok L. Tsui, Carol Fabbri, and George Peacock focus on what investors need to watch and what myths they should not fall prey to.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To illustrate the dangers of the various investing myths that circulate even at the higher levels these days, the authors list just five such myths below:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Myth #1. You can beat the market.</b><br />No, you can’t beat the market because to “beat” something assumes </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that it has certain, established parameters and, strengths, and weaknesses, but you can’t beat that which is volatile, always shape-shifting, yet far bigger than you. Believing you can beat the market is like believing you can win big in casinos. Sure, you can win
money on one or two instances, but over the long term, the house always wins.
To beat the market on a sustained basis you have to be able to predict what no
one else can predict, and do it again and again and again. Nobody can do that consistently
except by sheer luck.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
<b>Myth #2. You get what you pay for in the investment advice and management
business.</b>In some fields, the more you pay the better the product works -- not so with investment advice and management. Just like brand-name products can sell for a higher price and yet be of equal or even inferior quality to non-brand name products, you are often paying a markup for the name or the hype. And in that sense, the more you pay for investment advice and management the less your investments will grow – and they will grow a <i>whole lot</i> less (because a lot of your investment is just going to the people behind the name and hype, not into the marketplace where it has a chance to multiply).<br />
<br />
<b>Myth #3. You’ll increase your investment return by running a “sophisticated”
asset allocation program. </b>Almost all financial advisors run “asset allocation” programs for their clients. Most investors think that with such a fancy name, the program must do something equally fancy with math that increases your investment return. The problem is that no amount of fancy math can change the reality of investing and its chaotic nature, because math is about established facts where certain actions or equations have certain predictable outcomes. In short,there’s no real math – the allocation program has to be engineered so that it produces ideal-scenario (instead of realistic-scenario) results. It's essentially wishful thinking with a more legitimate name.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<b>Myth #4. If they don’t get professional advice, most investors tend to buy at
market tops and sell at market bottoms.</b>The financial media have repeated again and again the results of “research” that supposedly shows that individual investors make persistent errors in judgment – about when to get in the market and when to get out. They claim that supposedly “uninformed” investors buy too high and sell too low. People tend to accept this as a fact but no one has actually verified through extensive detailed research whether this is true (nor do people consider that most times this supposed research is presented by those offering professional advice). There is actually a viable counter-argument that states that investors are likely to be a lot more conscious of how and where they invest their money when they are doing it themselves instead of having someone else manage their money for them. Wouldn’t you?<br />
<br />
<b>Myth #5. Wealthy and sophisticated investors get better investment results
than ordinary investors.</b>This follows that those with more financial resources and expensive advisors make far more money than others, but it is simply not true. Yes, the more money you put in, the more money you can potentially make, but that's just simple logic. By the same logic, the more you put in, the more you can potentially lose, and some of the worst investment results in the past decade have been in hedge funds and complicated derivatives bought by wealthy investors as well as institutional investors like pension funds. Not only were their results worse than those of “unsophisticated” investors, but in the case of hedge fund investments, they paid significantly higher fees (you know — for that “professional advice”) for even less returns.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-9651713789056682242014-06-06T14:38:00.000-07:002014-06-06T14:38:12.963-07:00Five Facts About Teachers and Teaching<b><br /></b>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsraham3AK8Q0aoSPpPK_gV7FTl7WCFvczwqEKKAz0S1pf2I1JuVGkTwT5RKfWAxRNtyNHfHwcqC6ODTTjNAljX51IFzVMhW0EUKqag6RSL6bW-UhFjFJfd-zuIy0MwKReUvZ7s32CHKma/s1600/9781626561786L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsraham3AK8Q0aoSPpPK_gV7FTl7WCFvczwqEKKAz0S1pf2I1JuVGkTwT5RKfWAxRNtyNHfHwcqC6ODTTjNAljX51IFzVMhW0EUKqag6RSL6bW-UhFjFJfd-zuIy0MwKReUvZ7s32CHKma/s1600/9781626561786L.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626561786&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i><a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626561786&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">The Best Teacher in You</a></i></b> shows those in this noble but often challenging profession how best to accomplish what they need to do and reach those students they need to reach. As much passion as there is about igniting the love of learning, this book affirms the fact that such a goal cannot be reached without also affirming the love of teaching.<br />
<br />
Here are five things you probably didn't know about teachers and the teaching profession:<br />
<br />
1. Teaching is one of the most challenging jobs around. Nationally, about <a href="http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Education/Closing_the_talent_gap.pdf" target="_blank">14 percent of teachers quit</a> in their first year on the job.<br />
<br />
2. In a <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2013/07/11/public-esteem-for-military-still-high/" target="_blank">2013 Pew Research Survey</a>, teaching was second only to serving in the military when asked rank occupations that contributed to society as a whole. Ironically, these two professions are also among the lowest-paid.<br />
<br />
3. American poet Walt Whitman was a teacher and a rebellious one at that. During his time, corporal punishment was the norm but he refused to follow that sort of thinking and espoused a Socratic method instead. Many of Whitman's views on education were <a href="http://www.whitmanarchive.org/criticism/current/encyclopedia/entry_2.html" target="_blank">well ahead of his time</a>.<br />
<br />
4. In 2013, public and private schools employed <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372" target="_blank">3.7 million full-time teachers</a> to teach 55.3 million students.<br />
<br />
5. The National Education Association tracks <a href="http://www.nea.org/home/2011-2012-average-starting-teacher-salary.html" target="_blank">teacher salaries across the nation</a>. Teachers' salaries depend a great deal on the state in which they teach. The average highest starting salaries for teachers can be found in Washington DC at $51,539 whereas the lowest is in Montana at $27,274. Nationally, the average starting teacher salary is just $36,141.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-64437106141473353882014-05-22T16:33:00.004-07:002014-07-09T16:20:55.181-07:00Five Ideas that Came from Accidents on the Frontlines<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmSoPau0mhL_ldJ2h4gzsDr-YFu2WloW8F_pOcP9-E3X3oBj0t1v41HJZTc84tGk9u1pE22XUq_50D98d_-Q8r5RbnkgKHJw9bY8V8iYP-fr9QTXhFHb2G1XFKUwSPx-1tRClCqDmVgSv/s1600/9781626561236L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmSoPau0mhL_ldJ2h4gzsDr-YFu2WloW8F_pOcP9-E3X3oBj0t1v41HJZTc84tGk9u1pE22XUq_50D98d_-Q8r5RbnkgKHJw9bY8V8iYP-fr9QTXhFHb2G1XFKUwSPx-1tRClCqDmVgSv/s1600/9781626561236L.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626561236&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In their <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626561236&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">latest book</a>, Alan Robinson and Dean Schroeder explore how frontline employees in many organizations are the ones that fuel growth and innovation by making the sorts of discoveries that revolutionize an entire industry.<br />
<br />
Here are just five examples of amazing innovations that didn't come from management but from happy accidents coupled with the foresight of smart frontline employees:<br />
<br />
<b>1. The Microwave</b><br />
Percy Spencer was an engineer at Raytheon. One day, after he had walked in front of a magnetron (a vacuum tube used to generate microwaves), he noticed that the candy bar he had been saving for a snack had completely melted into a gooey mess in his pocket. Spencer started experimenting further and in 1945 created the first microwave oven.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Teflon</b><br />
Roy Plunkett was a researcher at DuPont in the refrigeration section tasked with replacing the coolant that was being used at the time (which was made of ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and propane) with something more home-friendly. He was experimenting with various samples, including a very early form of polytetraflouroethylene, but when he opened the container that it had been stored in, he saw that the experimental gas was gone and all that was left was a weird resin that was completely resistant to both heat and chemicals. Teflon was born.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Post-It Notes</b><br />
In 1974, Arthur Fry learned of an adhesive that was accidentally developed by fellow 3M employee Spencer Silver that was too weak to really hold anything. Spencer thought he had failed but Fry found the adhesive to be perfect for holding bookmarks in his hymnal when singing in the church choir -- and it didn't leave a residue and was easy to remove. Seeing the potential for other applications, they approached their employer about manufacturing note cards with the adhesive. In 1980, 3M introduced Post-It notes, and the rest is history.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Superglue</b><br />
Harry Coover was working at a Tennessee chemical plant. The chemical plant was looking for a chemical compound that required neither heat nor pressure to form a bond. Harry remembered that he once tried to make precision gun sights for handheld weaponry using a clear plastic. The problem was that the chemical instantly polymerized when it came in contact with moisture and caused all materials to bond together. However, this quality made it ideal as a strong sealant that could deliver just what the company was looking for. Superglue was born.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Minoxidil (Rogaine)</b><br />
Researchers at Upjohn were testing a blood pressure drug named Loniten. The medication itself had only limited success, but the test subjects would comment during interviews about how their hair was growing in thicker or their hair loss had stopped. Researchers then took the active ingredient from the medication and made it a foam to apply on the scalp. The results were encouraging enough to petition for an entirely new product. Today, Rogaine sales account for approximately $60 million a year in income.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-15421184140786865772014-05-19T16:36:00.001-07:002014-06-12T15:38:11.450-07:00Five Reasons Why "Sustainable" and "Environmentally Safe" Products Failed<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZu3jAoZmHHqisamhfW1ZJTAx3FFbaO9Wo8GM4DKYtVZ9FXOVKV7fxxqiP-uBXxc3w7DKOHl6IizOMahDqwu46wpTizkUh7paMYFyhcQKknNBTLKzKzZbkEIqbSB4u6rf86nV9zGsqPNj/s1600/9781609949648L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZu3jAoZmHHqisamhfW1ZJTAx3FFbaO9Wo8GM4DKYtVZ9FXOVKV7fxxqiP-uBXxc3w7DKOHl6IizOMahDqwu46wpTizkUh7paMYFyhcQKknNBTLKzKzZbkEIqbSB4u6rf86nV9zGsqPNj/s1600/9781609949648L.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781609949655" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Nadya Zhexembayeva's <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781609949655" target="_blank">latest book</a> encourages leaders to look for resources in unconventional and unexpected ways to manufacture and market their products and still be sustainable. Good thing, too, because traditional sustainability initiatives have proven quite useless for most businesses.<br />
<br />
Here are five reasons why traditional sustainability efforts have failed:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon -- and most of them without any integrity.</b> Have you seen all the "gluten-free" labels on products these days? It has been slapped on products that never had gluten anyway (like beef jerky). In that same way, consumers have gotten smart to labels such as "organic" and "all-natural" as not exactly honest. And with so many manufacturers all using the same buzz-phrases and emphasizing how kind they're being to the planet and yet so few actually having any real impact, the public now suffers from "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-salzman/fatigue_b_2471860.html" target="_blank">green fatigue</a>." They've been bombarded with green marketing so much that they frankly don't care any more.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Not Everyone Wants to Pay More Just to Be Green.</b><br />
American economist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Levitt" target="_blank">Theodore Levitt</a> was the first to exclaim that marketers should not overlook the importance of a product's value at the expense of market needs. The market gets first priority. This is not what happened with green marketing, though. The most successful green products have to offer a consumer value equal to that of non-green products. Consumers may care about the planet, but they care even more -- on the whole -- about the quality of their products, so playing the green card doesn't ensure profits.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Manufacturers and Environmentalists Have Used the Wrong Narrative.</b><br />
By using the doom-and-gloom scenario, environmentalists and others have created a bigger problem. Consumers will act on initiatives where they feel they have some impact and also feel good about doing it. However, the narratives we have been using <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/business-leaders-shake-up-sustainability?guni=Article:in%20body%20link" target="_blank">emphasize two big negatives</a>: (a) Guilt over not doing anything (and guilt is never a motivator), and (b) The idea that the future is so dark and doomed that an individual's choice of what detergent is purchased won't make any difference anyway.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Major Brands Are Not Getting Behind Sustainability in a Big Way.</b><br />
As Joel Makower <a href="http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/05/16/green-marketing-over-lets-move?page=full" target="_blank">has argued</a>, the large companies are not really getting behind any real sustainability initiatives other than just dipping their smallest toe in the water. In 2010, of the ten largest advertisers (Procter & Gamble, AT&T, General Motors, Verizon, News Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Time Warner, General Electric and Walt Disney), only two -- GM and GE -- have tried in earnest to market products as "green." One of those -- GE -- is largely B-to-B.<br />
<br />
<b>5. No One Bothered to See What the General Public Was Thinking About Sustainability.</b><br />
Sustainability has by and large been a one-way talk to the public without anyone doing much research to see what the public thought. Had research been done, we would have learned how to present sustainability in a way that would appeal to everyone. OgilvyEarth <a href="http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2007/07/22/green-consumers-and-mushiness-index" target="_blank">released a report</a> that outlined the usual problems with green products (overpriced, too niche-y) but also presented new information that no one thought to act on. For one, 82% of the people they surveyed said that going green was "more feminine than masculine." No one thought that gender played a role in this, and that's the problem. Another finding was that 82% of Americans have no idea what "carbon footprint" is or how to calculate theirs. This explains why 70% of Americans would rather cure cancer than fix the environment.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-31935964226606292722014-04-23T13:36:00.005-07:002015-06-08T20:10:54.385-07:00Five Erroneous Assumptions We All Make about the Poor<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7XFFwzgGLrIOM8wzYpqfttZLg6s1rcZciGHHAAjV1aIEss3YZo-YE2uBacSOo5e4-elEy68U7-NAPwRwJlU_BJUBmmpt3HoCXEjA0gx4jg217uzW3H7rnmhipU-41Yt_au2MjqCdxFbp/s1600/9781626560321L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7XFFwzgGLrIOM8wzYpqfttZLg6s1rcZciGHHAAjV1aIEss3YZo-YE2uBacSOo5e4-elEy68U7-NAPwRwJlU_BJUBmmpt3HoCXEjA0gx4jg217uzW3H7rnmhipU-41Yt_au2MjqCdxFbp/s1600/9781626560321L.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560321&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are more myths than facts about poverty and the poor in America, which is why John Hope Bryant's <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560321&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank"><b>new book</b></a> challenges us to think and act differently by seeing the poor as the key to a stronger economy for all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Here are just five of the most common errors of assumption made about the poor:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<b>False Assumption #1: Black fathers who are not present in their children's upbringing contribute to delinquency and crime which lead to poverty in minority communities.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<b>The Truth:</b> This is an example where racial social stereotypes do the most damage, but the facts don't back them up. According <b><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr071.pdf" target="_blank">to reports</a></b> by the US Department of Health and Human Services, among men who don't live with their children, Black fathers are statistically more likely than White or Hispanic fathers to have a daily presence in their children's lives.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>False Assumption #2: Handouts to the poor are bankrupting the US economy.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>The Truth:</b> During the elections, many candidates argued
that nearly half of American households receive government benefits but </span><a href="http://www.npc.umich.edu/publications/policy_briefs/brief28/policybrief28.pdf" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank"><b>recent research</b></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> by the National Poverty Center shows that a declining proportion of
these benefits go to the poor, and most of what goes to the poor goes in form
of in-kind benefits than cash. In any case, the Center on Budget and Policy Studies confirmed in </span><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3808" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank"><b>its research</b></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> that total welfare funding was 0.47% of the federal budget -- not exactly enough to bankrupt a national economy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<br />
<b>False Assumption #3: Poor people make stupid decisions that bring these problems on themselves.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<b>The Truth:</b> As countless <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-tirado/why-poor-peoples-bad-decisions-make-perfect-sense_b_4326233.html" target="_blank"><b>accounts and reports</b></a> have confirmed, poor people make the sorts of decisions that would most likely serve them the best in their current environment. Poverty is seen by the poor as a permanent state (they will never not be poor, in other words) and so all decisions are based on short-term gains and not long-term outcomes. Such decisions are easy for us to label as foolish, but then again, we have the luxury of hope and optimism for the long-term.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<br />
<b>False Assumption #4: Panhandlers and the homeless are mostly lazy alcoholics and drug abusers who prefer not to work because they can get rich from the charity of others. And they prefer living on the streets.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<b>The Truth: </b>Myths such as this one are perpetrated at all levels. FOX News's John Stossel himself aired a now-notorious segment where he inaccurately claimed that some homeless people can make up to <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/stossel-dresses-panhandles-to-prove-you-really-shouldn%E2%80%99t-give-to-these-street-people/" target="_blank"><b>$80,000 a year tax-free just from panhandling</b></a>. It didn't take long for scientific surveys to disprove this nonsense by <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/10/30/2856411/panhandling-stats/" target="_blank"><b>presenting research</b></a> that showed that on average, a panhandler made $25 a day and despite what others think, over 90% didn't spend their earnings on liquor and drugs. Also, just 3% of homeless people actually indicated they would prefer to be on the streets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<br />
<b>False Assumption #5: We are winning the war on poverty!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<b>The Truth: </b>We're not. Recent <b><a href="http://www.nwlc.org/resource/insecure-unequal-poverty-among-women-and-families-2000-2012" target="_blank">research</a> </b>by the National Women's Law Center indicates that the number of households with children living on less than $2 a day per person has grown 160% since 1996. Over 1.65 million families fit into this category in 2011 and the number is thought to have grown significantly since then.</span><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-78656342638585898002014-04-11T14:27:00.002-07:002014-05-28T23:09:51.109-07:00Five Questions No One Thinks to Ask Themselves About Their Boss<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbr1T0xR9kJPah-yFHcKbDH8a-bshmWmOUKVDVb858nr9n9MFRxZEjDcYt0jBYOLjBA2exjjLKTfbHlHWb0Yyoh5TwKs2I6FklV0fzd1PpzmDDnQceOOrsen7q6PSzRJBijqsXYXzWSJp/s1600/9781626560772L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbr1T0xR9kJPah-yFHcKbDH8a-bshmWmOUKVDVb858nr9n9MFRxZEjDcYt0jBYOLjBA2exjjLKTfbHlHWb0Yyoh5TwKs2I6FklV0fzd1PpzmDDnQceOOrsen7q6PSzRJBijqsXYXzWSJp/s1600/9781626560772L.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560772&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In his <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560772&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">latest book</a>, Steve Arneson provides a guide to getting into your boss's mind to see what his or her motivations and goals are. Arneson does this by asking you to explore and answer fifteen crucial questions. Some of these questions are very sensible and practical while others seem so obvious that you'll wonder why you never thought of asking yourself these before. Here are just five questions that no one thinks to ask themselves to really understand their boss (but really should):<br />
<br />
<i><b>1. What is my boss worried about?</b></i><br />
Bosses often have to project a level of confidence and authority that reflects a very optimistic and worry-free persona, and many employees are often inclined to believe that is really how their boss is. But like all of us, bosses have worries and concerns. Recognizing those worries is a crucial first step to understanding your boss's motivations and goals.<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>2. What is my boss's preferred management style?</b></i><br />
Management trends come and go and many bosses at all levels are often expected to follow a particular style or technique or feel that they should. The problem is that if a particular style is not natural to him or her, it's as taxing for the boss to employ it as it is for the employee to work with it. By figuring out your boss's preferred management style, you make it easier for him or her to work with you by meeting your boss <i>on their </i>turf. And what's easier for them is by default easier for you.<br />
<br />
<b><i>3. What is my boss's relationship like with his or her boss?</i></b><br />
It's a question that's rarely asked. We all have bosses, and though the chain of command only goes up a level at a time, your boss is just as accountable to a higher-level boss as you are to him or her. Studying the relationship between your boss and your boss's boss gives you insight into how they see themselves and how they relate to others whom they are accountable to, thereby providing you with a blueprint for your own relationship.<br />
<br />
<b><i>4. What behaviors does my boss reward?</i></b><br />
This is yet another way to verify your boss's preferences and management style. Whether they are aware of it or not (and often they are not), bosses will positively reinforce and reward those behaviors they like. People assume a boss's behavior matches with what he or she most wants from others, but this is not always so. A very mild-mannered boss may reward aggressive go-getters, while brusque and curt bosses may think highly of personable and relatable individuals. Find out what your boss rewards and you'll know what he or she wants from you.<br />
<br />
<b><i>5. How does my boss represent me to others?</i></b><br />
How your boss talks to you may not be how he or she talks about you to others, and this can be a good or bad thing depending on your boss's motivations and relationship style. We've all encountered situations where we found out that our boss was praising us to his or her other colleagues and were surprised because we weren't even sure that the boss liked us. In more unfortunate circumstances, the opposite can also be true. Whether intentional or not, how your boss interacts with you may not always be an accurate indicator of what he or she thinks of your abilities, but how your boss speaks about you to others is very much so.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6928720644157599380.post-76754895815018251212014-03-17T14:33:00.000-07:002014-03-17T14:33:09.285-07:00Five Common Pieces of Advice for Public Speakers That Are Totally Stupid<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDlj3NG-9IsEpKl6GMxCxN_Mk_G9mHgerY_CSKEBfWjv0ywSbCC2S9u3juvzYoiG48yLnLHp-6A4PSY31G4YNTw0afF6StKqGIonyn0RUwu_gIv9gCLJCZtnWPqHjN_6ScDaXYoattcgS/s1600/9781626560475L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDlj3NG-9IsEpKl6GMxCxN_Mk_G9mHgerY_CSKEBfWjv0ywSbCC2S9u3juvzYoiG48yLnLHp-6A4PSY31G4YNTw0afF6StKqGIonyn0RUwu_gIv9gCLJCZtnWPqHjN_6ScDaXYoattcgS/s1600/9781626560475L.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy the Book <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560475&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">Here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In her <a href="http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781626560475&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP" target="_blank">latest book</a>, Karen Hough addresses the importance of public speaking. However, Karen takes a firm stance against the standard tips doled out to speakers and in fact argues that following your heart and passions, not overly-generalized prescriptions, is what can make all the difference. Actually, most of the prescribed tips are rather silly and pointless, really.<br />
<br />
Here are five common pieces of advice for speakers that are just ridiculous, and why:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Picture the audience in their underwear</b><br />
This is supposed to put you at ease by imagining the audience in a compromising or "exposed" scenario. But do you really want to imagine Bob from Maintenance and Supplies in his tighty-whities? This technique takes way too much energy and can actually distract you from what you should be focusing on, which is speaking. It's also a matter of respect -- you are not there to belittle the audience purely for your own comfort, you are there to tell them something which will help them. These are people you want to help, so don't reduce them to caricatures in strange underwear, but see them as the professionals they are and do right by them (they'll notice and be grateful for it).<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>2. Practice in front of a mirror.</b><br />
Yes, do this over and over again until you thoroughly impress yourself. Here's the catch: impressing yourself is not the problem -- impressing others is. All you learn from talking into a mirror is how best to talk into a mirror. And mirrors are lousy at giving feedback, too. In fact, the only thing you will get from practicing in front of a mirror is actual recognition that you sometimes have a pool of saliva form at the corner of your mouth or that you have a strange nervous tic -- the sort of things that a regular audience can't see but now you will drive yourself crazy worrying about. So now instead of conveying your emotion and passion through your facial expressions, you will hold your face in an unemotional and wooden way, like some over-botoxed debutante. Good job, mirror.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Your goal is to give a good/nice presentation.</b><br />
Remember when one of your colleagues gave that absolutely dreary talk accompanied by that PowerPoint that was used on detainees at Guantanamo before it was deemed too cruel and inhuman? And do you remember what you told your colleague afterwards? Yep, you said "Nice presentation! Good job!" "Good" or "nice" is almost an insult (like when someone says "Nice hat" because that is never a compliment). Your goal is to make something happen and to provoke action on the part of the audience, not to have them casually remark that your presentation was nice and then promptly forget all about it. Being told your presentation was "good" or "nice" is pretty bad because it guarantees no one will remember or do anything. Heck, at least people remember you when you're really bad. Your goal is not to give a good presentation. Your goal is to make something happen because your presentation is not the goal, but what people do because of your presentation is.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Apologize when you screw up.</b><br />
Apologizing for presentation-related mistakes -- either for ones you have made or ones you feel you are going to make -- only makes the audience dread your presentation more. When a presenter starts by saying how he or she hasn't had a chance to review certain things or that he or she isn't the best at something, the audience lets out a silent but collective groan. Congratulations, you've just informed these good folks that they are in for torture because you're a moron. Everyone makes mistakes and making a couple of them can even endear you to your audience. Why? Because they've been there, too, and they have made mistakes and when you do likewise, you are forming a bond with them. Everyone knows when you've made a mistake, so just carry on. Don't make it a point to stop and apologize because that's a bit like saying "Oh, look! Everybody play a game now where they can spot all my screw ups!" And that's what they will focus on and remember the best: your screw-ups. Don't apologize, just acknowledge it, make a joke if you can, and just move on.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>5. Scan the back of the room to make it look like you're making eye contact without actually having to make eye contact.</b><br />
Making eye contact with the audience members can scare some presenters. It can make you nervous when you lock eyes with someone and a weird thought enters your mind ("He looks like a serial killer!"), or it can be distracting when you look at someone who is digging their nose or slowly falling asleep. To counter this, speakers are often told to "scan the back of the room" so it looks like you're making eye contact with people in the rows behind the rows watching you. Here's the problem, everyone knows what you're doing and it is faker than that girl you knew in high school. Worse yet, now the audience knows that you are faking it so they've lost all respect for you. Meanwhile, your eyes are still blankly darting around like Al Pacino's character from <i>Scent of a Woman</i>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2