The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Hillary Clinton Speaks at Global Initiative at ASU Arizona State
Published on Mar 22, 2014
Clinton family brings Global Initiative University to ASU
Published on Mar 22, 2014
The Clinton Global Initiative University continues through the weekend at the Arizona State University campus in Tempe. The Clinton Global Initiative University continues through the weekend at the Arizona State University campus in Tempe. The Clinton Global Initiative University continues through the weekend at the Arizona State University campus in Tempe.
Reimagining Impact in 2014: The Clinton Global Initiative
Published on Feb 26, 2014
Over the years, the CGI community has developed Commitments to Action that engage the public sector, private sector, and civil society to address the complex challenges we face today.
As CGI approaches its 10th Annual Meeting, members will explore how to better measure and assess the outcomes of their commitments and build new approaches to support people in living their best life story.
A Common Purpose - The Clinton Global Initiative
Published on Feb 25, 2013
The mission of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) is to turn ideas into action.
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,300 commitments, which have improved the lives of over 400 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at more than $73.1 billion.
The CGI Annual Meeting is held each September in New York City. CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting devoted to economic recovery and job creation in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which hosts an annual meeting for undergraduate and graduate students who are developing commitments in their communities and around the world.
Source: www.youtube.com
In this blog, teachers, students and all those who have some kind of interest in the English language will find useful, interesting, curious and funny things to be used in their classes or for their personal enjoyment.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
BIONCS/TECH/GralInt-TED Talks-Hugh Herr: The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Hugh Herr: The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance
TED2014 · Filmed Mar 2014
Hugh Herr is building the next generation of bionic limbs, robotic prosthetics inspired by nature's own designs. Herr lost both legs in a climbing accident 30 years ago; now, as the head of the MIT Media Lab’s Biomechatronics group, he shows his incredible technology in a talk that's both technical and deeply personal — with the help of ballroom dancer Adrianne Haslet-Davis, who lost her left leg in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and performs again for the first time on the TED stage.
Hugh Herr: The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance
TED2014 · Filmed Mar 2014
Hugh Herr is building the next generation of bionic limbs, robotic prosthetics inspired by nature's own designs. Herr lost both legs in a climbing accident 30 years ago; now, as the head of the MIT Media Lab’s Biomechatronics group, he shows his incredible technology in a talk that's both technical and deeply personal — with the help of ballroom dancer Adrianne Haslet-Davis, who lost her left leg in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and performs again for the first time on the TED stage.
ED/SOC/GralInt-TED Talks-Ziauddin Yousafzai: My daughter, Malala
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Ziauddin Yousafzai: My daughter, Malala
TED2014 · Filmed Mar 2014
Pakistani educator Ziauddin Yousafzai reminds the world of a simple truth that many don’t want to hear: Women and men deserve equal opportunities for education, autonomy, an independent identity. He tells stories from his own life and the life of his daughter, Malala, who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 simply for daring to go to school. "Why is my daughter so strong?” Yousafzai asks. “Because I didn’t clip her wings."
Transcript:
In many patriarchal societies and tribal societies, fathers are usually known by their sons, but I'm one of the few fathers who is known by his daughter, and I am proud of it.
(Applause)
Malala started her campaign for education and stood for her rights in 2007, and when her efforts were honored in 2011, and she was given the national youth peace prize, and she became a very famous, very popular young girl of her country. Before that, she was my daughter, but now I am her father. Ladies and gentlemen, if we glance to human history, the story of women is the story of injustice, inequality, violence and exploitation. You see, in patriarchal societies, right from the very beginning, when a girl is born, her birth is not celebrated. She is not welcomed, neither by father nor by mother. The neighborhood comes and commiserates with the mother, and nobody congratulates the father. And a mother is very uncomfortable for having a girl child. When she gives birth to the first girl child, first daughter, she is sad. When she gives first to the second daughter, she is shocked, and in the expectation of a son, when she gives birth to a third daughter, she feels guilty like a criminal.
Not only the mother suffers, but the daughter, the newly born daughter, when she grows old, she suffers too. At the age of five, while she should be going to school, she stays at home and her brothers are admitted in a school. Until the age of 12, somehow, she has a good life. She can have fun. She can play with her friends in the streets, and she can move around in the streets like a butterfly. But when she enters her teens, when she becomes 13 years old, she is forbidden to go out of her home without a male escort. She is confined under the four walls of her home. She is no more a free individual. She becomes the so-called honor of her father and of her brothers and of her family, and if she transgresses the code of that so-called honor, she could even be killed.
And it is also interesting that this so-called code of honor, it does not only affect the life of a girl, it also affects the life of the male members of the family. I know a family of seven sisters and one brother, and that one brother, he has migrated to the Gulf countries, to earn a living for his seven sisters and parents, because he thinks that it will be humiliating if his seven sisters learn a skill and they go out of the home and earn some livelihood. So this brother, he sacrifices the joys of his life and the happiness of his sisters at the altar of so-called honor.
And there is one more norm of the patriarchal societies that is called obedience. A good girl is supposed to be very quiet, very humble and very submissive. It is the criteria. The role model good girl should be very quiet. She is supposed to be silent and she is supposed to accept the decisions of her father and mother and the decisions of elders, even if she does not like them. If she is married to a man she doesn't like or if she is married to an old man, she has to accept, because she does not want to be dubbed as disobedient. If she is married very early, she has to accept. Otherwise, she will be called disobedient. And what happens at the end? In the words of a poetess, she is wedded, bedded, and then she gives birth to more sons and daughters. And it is the irony of the situation that this mother, she teaches the same lesson of obedience to her daughter and the same lesson of honor to her sons. And this vicious cycle goes on, goes on.
Ladies and gentlemen, this plight of millions of women could be changed if we think differently, if women and men think differently, if men and women in the tribal and patriarchal societies in the developing countries, if they can break a few norms of family and society, if they can abolish the discriminatory laws of the systems in their states, which go against the basic human rights of the women.
Dear brothers and sisters, when Malala was born, and for the first time, believe me, I don't like newborn children, to be honest, but when I went and I looked into her eyes, believe me, I got extremely honored. And long before she was born, I thought about her name, and I was fascinated with a heroic legendary freedom fighter in Afghanistan. Her name was Malalai of Maiwand, and I named my daughter after her. A few days after Malala was born, my daughter was born, my cousin came -- and it was a coincidence -- he came to my home and he brought a family tree, a family tree of the Yousafzai family, and when I looked at the family tree, it traced back to 300 years of our ancestors. But when I looked, all were men, and I picked my pen, drew a line from my name, and wrote, "Malala."
And when she grow old, when she was four and a half years old, I admitted her in my school. You will be asking, then, why should I mention about the admission of a girl in a school? Yes, I must mention it. It may be taken for granted in Canada, in America, in many developed countries, but in poor countries, in patriarchal societies, in tribal societies, it's a big event for the life of girl. Enrollment in a school means recognition of her identity and her name. Admission in a school means that she has entered the world of dreams and aspirations where she can explore her potentials for her future life. I have five sisters, and none of them could go to school, and you will be astonished, two weeks before, when I was filling out the Canadian visa form, and I was filling out the family part of the form, I could not recall the surnames of some of my sisters. And the reason was that I have never, never seen the names of my sisters written on any document. That was the reason that I valued my daughter. What my father could not give to my sisters and to his daughters, I thought I must change it.
I used to appreciate the intelligence and the brilliance of my daughter. I encouraged her to sit with me when my friends used to come. I encouraged her to go with me to different meetings. And all these good values, I tried to inculcate in her personality. And this was not only she, only Malala. I imparted all these good values to my school, girl students and boy students as well. I used education for emancipation. I taught my girls, I taught my girl students, to unlearn the lesson of obedience. I taught my boy students to unlearn the lesson of so-called pseudo-honor.
Dear brothers and sisters, we were striving for more rights for women, and we were struggling to have more, more and more space for the women in society. But we came across a new phenomenon. It was lethal to human rights and particularly to women's rights. It was called Talibanization. It means a complete negation of women's participation in all political, economical and social activities. Hundreds of schools were lost. Girls were prohibited from going to school. Women were forced to wear veils and they were stopped from going to the markets. Musicians were silenced, girls were flogged and singers were killed. Millions were suffering, but few spoke, and it was the most scary thing when you have all around such people who kill and who flog, and you speak for your rights. It's really the most scary thing.
At the age of 10, Malala stood, and she stood for the right of education. She wrote a diary for the BBC blog, she volunteered herself for the New York Times documentaries, and she spoke from every platform she could. And her voice was the most powerful voice. It spread like a crescendo all around the world. And that was the reason the Taliban could not tolerate her campaign, and on October 9 2012, she was shot in the head at point blank range.
It was a doomsday for my family and for me. The world turned into a big black hole. While my daughter was on the verge of life and death, I whispered into the ears of my wife, "Should I be blamed for what happened to my daughter and your daughter?"
And she abruptly told me, "Please don't blame yourself. You stood for the right cause. You put your life at stake for the cause of truth, for the cause of peace, and for the cause of education, and your daughter in inspired from you and she joined you. You both were on the right path and God will protect her."
These few words meant a lot to me, and I didn't ask this question again.
When Malala was in the hospital, and she was going through the severe pains and she had had severe headaches because her facial nerve was cut down, I used to see a dark shadow spreading on the face of my wife. But my daughter never complained. She used to tell us, "I'm fine with my crooked smile and with my numbness in my face. I'll be okay. Please don't worry." She was a solace for us, and she consoled us.
Dear brothers and sisters, we learned from her how to be resilient in the most difficult times, and I'm glad to share with you that despite being an icon for the rights of children and women, she is like any 16-year old girl. She cries when her homework is incomplete. She quarrels with her brothers, and I am very happy for that.
People ask me, what special is in my mentorship which has made Malala so bold and so courageous and so vocal and poised? I tell them, don't ask me what I did. Ask me what I did not do. I did not clip her wings, and that's all.
Thank you very much.
(Applause) Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause)
Live from TED2014
Malala Yousafzai: Meet my father and my mother
Malala Yousafzai couldn’t come to TED2014 — because she has vowed to never miss another day of school. But her voice was heard through this video, which introduced Ziauddin Yousafzai’s powerful talk about his daughter and their shared commitment to education.
Ziauddin Yousafzai: My daughter, Malala
TED2014 · Filmed Mar 2014
Pakistani educator Ziauddin Yousafzai reminds the world of a simple truth that many don’t want to hear: Women and men deserve equal opportunities for education, autonomy, an independent identity. He tells stories from his own life and the life of his daughter, Malala, who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 simply for daring to go to school. "Why is my daughter so strong?” Yousafzai asks. “Because I didn’t clip her wings."
Transcript:
In many patriarchal societies and tribal societies, fathers are usually known by their sons, but I'm one of the few fathers who is known by his daughter, and I am proud of it.
(Applause)
Malala started her campaign for education and stood for her rights in 2007, and when her efforts were honored in 2011, and she was given the national youth peace prize, and she became a very famous, very popular young girl of her country. Before that, she was my daughter, but now I am her father. Ladies and gentlemen, if we glance to human history, the story of women is the story of injustice, inequality, violence and exploitation. You see, in patriarchal societies, right from the very beginning, when a girl is born, her birth is not celebrated. She is not welcomed, neither by father nor by mother. The neighborhood comes and commiserates with the mother, and nobody congratulates the father. And a mother is very uncomfortable for having a girl child. When she gives birth to the first girl child, first daughter, she is sad. When she gives first to the second daughter, she is shocked, and in the expectation of a son, when she gives birth to a third daughter, she feels guilty like a criminal.
Not only the mother suffers, but the daughter, the newly born daughter, when she grows old, she suffers too. At the age of five, while she should be going to school, she stays at home and her brothers are admitted in a school. Until the age of 12, somehow, she has a good life. She can have fun. She can play with her friends in the streets, and she can move around in the streets like a butterfly. But when she enters her teens, when she becomes 13 years old, she is forbidden to go out of her home without a male escort. She is confined under the four walls of her home. She is no more a free individual. She becomes the so-called honor of her father and of her brothers and of her family, and if she transgresses the code of that so-called honor, she could even be killed.
And it is also interesting that this so-called code of honor, it does not only affect the life of a girl, it also affects the life of the male members of the family. I know a family of seven sisters and one brother, and that one brother, he has migrated to the Gulf countries, to earn a living for his seven sisters and parents, because he thinks that it will be humiliating if his seven sisters learn a skill and they go out of the home and earn some livelihood. So this brother, he sacrifices the joys of his life and the happiness of his sisters at the altar of so-called honor.
And there is one more norm of the patriarchal societies that is called obedience. A good girl is supposed to be very quiet, very humble and very submissive. It is the criteria. The role model good girl should be very quiet. She is supposed to be silent and she is supposed to accept the decisions of her father and mother and the decisions of elders, even if she does not like them. If she is married to a man she doesn't like or if she is married to an old man, she has to accept, because she does not want to be dubbed as disobedient. If she is married very early, she has to accept. Otherwise, she will be called disobedient. And what happens at the end? In the words of a poetess, she is wedded, bedded, and then she gives birth to more sons and daughters. And it is the irony of the situation that this mother, she teaches the same lesson of obedience to her daughter and the same lesson of honor to her sons. And this vicious cycle goes on, goes on.
Ladies and gentlemen, this plight of millions of women could be changed if we think differently, if women and men think differently, if men and women in the tribal and patriarchal societies in the developing countries, if they can break a few norms of family and society, if they can abolish the discriminatory laws of the systems in their states, which go against the basic human rights of the women.
Dear brothers and sisters, when Malala was born, and for the first time, believe me, I don't like newborn children, to be honest, but when I went and I looked into her eyes, believe me, I got extremely honored. And long before she was born, I thought about her name, and I was fascinated with a heroic legendary freedom fighter in Afghanistan. Her name was Malalai of Maiwand, and I named my daughter after her. A few days after Malala was born, my daughter was born, my cousin came -- and it was a coincidence -- he came to my home and he brought a family tree, a family tree of the Yousafzai family, and when I looked at the family tree, it traced back to 300 years of our ancestors. But when I looked, all were men, and I picked my pen, drew a line from my name, and wrote, "Malala."
And when she grow old, when she was four and a half years old, I admitted her in my school. You will be asking, then, why should I mention about the admission of a girl in a school? Yes, I must mention it. It may be taken for granted in Canada, in America, in many developed countries, but in poor countries, in patriarchal societies, in tribal societies, it's a big event for the life of girl. Enrollment in a school means recognition of her identity and her name. Admission in a school means that she has entered the world of dreams and aspirations where she can explore her potentials for her future life. I have five sisters, and none of them could go to school, and you will be astonished, two weeks before, when I was filling out the Canadian visa form, and I was filling out the family part of the form, I could not recall the surnames of some of my sisters. And the reason was that I have never, never seen the names of my sisters written on any document. That was the reason that I valued my daughter. What my father could not give to my sisters and to his daughters, I thought I must change it.
I used to appreciate the intelligence and the brilliance of my daughter. I encouraged her to sit with me when my friends used to come. I encouraged her to go with me to different meetings. And all these good values, I tried to inculcate in her personality. And this was not only she, only Malala. I imparted all these good values to my school, girl students and boy students as well. I used education for emancipation. I taught my girls, I taught my girl students, to unlearn the lesson of obedience. I taught my boy students to unlearn the lesson of so-called pseudo-honor.
Dear brothers and sisters, we were striving for more rights for women, and we were struggling to have more, more and more space for the women in society. But we came across a new phenomenon. It was lethal to human rights and particularly to women's rights. It was called Talibanization. It means a complete negation of women's participation in all political, economical and social activities. Hundreds of schools were lost. Girls were prohibited from going to school. Women were forced to wear veils and they were stopped from going to the markets. Musicians were silenced, girls were flogged and singers were killed. Millions were suffering, but few spoke, and it was the most scary thing when you have all around such people who kill and who flog, and you speak for your rights. It's really the most scary thing.
At the age of 10, Malala stood, and she stood for the right of education. She wrote a diary for the BBC blog, she volunteered herself for the New York Times documentaries, and she spoke from every platform she could. And her voice was the most powerful voice. It spread like a crescendo all around the world. And that was the reason the Taliban could not tolerate her campaign, and on October 9 2012, she was shot in the head at point blank range.
It was a doomsday for my family and for me. The world turned into a big black hole. While my daughter was on the verge of life and death, I whispered into the ears of my wife, "Should I be blamed for what happened to my daughter and your daughter?"
And she abruptly told me, "Please don't blame yourself. You stood for the right cause. You put your life at stake for the cause of truth, for the cause of peace, and for the cause of education, and your daughter in inspired from you and she joined you. You both were on the right path and God will protect her."
These few words meant a lot to me, and I didn't ask this question again.
When Malala was in the hospital, and she was going through the severe pains and she had had severe headaches because her facial nerve was cut down, I used to see a dark shadow spreading on the face of my wife. But my daughter never complained. She used to tell us, "I'm fine with my crooked smile and with my numbness in my face. I'll be okay. Please don't worry." She was a solace for us, and she consoled us.
Dear brothers and sisters, we learned from her how to be resilient in the most difficult times, and I'm glad to share with you that despite being an icon for the rights of children and women, she is like any 16-year old girl. She cries when her homework is incomplete. She quarrels with her brothers, and I am very happy for that.
People ask me, what special is in my mentorship which has made Malala so bold and so courageous and so vocal and poised? I tell them, don't ask me what I did. Ask me what I did not do. I did not clip her wings, and that's all.
Thank you very much.
(Applause) Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause)
Live from TED2014
Malala Yousafzai: Meet my father and my mother
Malala Yousafzai couldn’t come to TED2014 — because she has vowed to never miss another day of school. But her voice was heard through this video, which introduced Ziauddin Yousafzai’s powerful talk about his daughter and their shared commitment to education.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
SOCACT/ENV/GralInt-Useful Sites/Links en Español & more
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Visit these sites, get inspired and...do something to help others...
1)www.skateforchange.org (Mike Smith)
2)www.ericawilliams.com (EWS) (Erica Williams)
3)www.ssbx.org (Majora Carter)
4) www.omahayp.org (Greater Omaha Young Professionals)
5)www.siliconprairienews.com
6)www.naturalstep.org
7)www.zappos.com (w/m clothing & footwear)
8)www.methodproducts.co.uk (cleaning products-environmentally friendly)
9)www.feedprojects.com (bags, accessories, apparel)
Mike Smith, Youth Motivational Speaker
Founder: Mike Smith Live, Skate for Change, & The Bay
Mike Smith is an inspirational speaker based out of Lincoln, NE. He specializes in speaking to students and professionals about topics like bullying, substance abuse, leadership, and pursuing passions. He is the founder of THE BAY, a non-profit skate park and youth center in Lincoln, NE and Skate For Change. He has also been featured by the likes of Red Bull, State Farm, and TEDx.
Connect with Mike Smith:
•Follow him on Twitter @mikesmithlive
•Follow him on Instagram mikesmithlive
•Like Mike on Facebook Mike Smith Live
•Check out his website
Majora Carter, Urban Revitalization Strategist
Founder: Sustainable South Bronx
Majora Carter is an urban revitalization strategist, MacArthur “genius” Fellow, and Peabody Award winning radio broadcaster.
Her clients include: U.S. Department of State, , U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,, Whole Foods Market, FreshDirect.com, Outdoor Industry Association, Siemens AG, Perkins + Will, General Electric Company , among many other colleges/universities, philanthropic organizations and non-governmental organizations.
Carter explores the connection between our re-urbanizaning society and how American communities experience their “environment.” As opposed to “HomeLand Security” which focuses resources on statistically less significant threats from abroad, Majora’s Home(Town) Security starts by looking at how we strengthen our interconnected economic fabric at the neighborhood level – and grow from within.
Connect with Majora Carter:
•Follow her on Twitter @majoracarter
•Like her on Facebook Majora Carter
•Check out Majora’s website
Erica Williams, Millennial Social Impact Strategist
Founder: EWS Strategies
Erica Williams is a social impact strategist and appointed member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Social Media. Her passion is to help leaders and businesses change a changing world.
Through content development, cause campaign consulting, and training, Williams breaks down the theory and the practice of what it takes to create social impact in today’s diverse, youthful and technology-driven world.
Her expertise is birthed from nearly a decade of work with next generation leaders — utilizing technology, political organizing, coaching and campaign design for some of America’s largest nonprofits and businesses (Center for American Progress, Aspen Institute, Rock the Vote, Coca Cola, etc.)
Connect with Erica Williams:
•Follow Erica on Twitter @ericawilliamsdc
•Follow her on Instagram ericawilliamsdc
•Like her on Facebook Erica Williams Simon
•Check out her website
Source: www.omahayp.org/CM
Sitios y links para ver en Español de empresas argentinas.
1)http://www.cronista.com/suplemento/responsabilidad/
2)http://www.cronista.com/buscador.html
3)www.santanderrio.com.ar
4)www.directv.com.ar/rse
5)www.galiciasustentable.com
6)www.gruporhuo.com
IT Business 18.03.14
IoE: un concepto que cambiará nuestras vidas
IT Business
por Por Pablo Anselmo, director Regional y CIO para la región LAN (Latinoamérica Network) de PwC.
La evolución de Internet ha pasado por distintas etapas. Comenzó en 1990 con dispositivos que se utilizaban en forma estática, como las PCs. Luego, todo pasó a ser más móvil, dinámico y portable, y las redes sociales cambiaron la forma de socialización. Pero el punto de inflexión comenzó entre 2008 y 2009, cuando llegó a haber más dispositivos conectados que personas en el mundo. Esto propició el espacio necesario para el desarrollo del IoE (Internet of Everything o Internet de todas las cosas), momento en el cual el mundo digital y el real se vuelven uno mismo.
Para entender cómo IoE cambiará nuestras vidas, es necesario primero comprender su significado. Es un concepto amplio y refiere a la interacción de personas, procesos (la forma en que las personas, los datos y las cosas interactúan entre sí), datos y cosas que, en su conjunto, aporten valor a los individuos o a las organizaciones. Es la evolución de IoT (Internet of Things o Internet de las cosas), en el que la interacción ocurría entre objetos físicos, a partir de la conexión a una red, sin intervención de un nivel de inteligencia sobre la acción de los mismos.
Reducir la brecha de la pobreza
IoE transformará la forma en la que interactuamos y convivimos con la tecnología, especialmente considerando que, para 2020, se esperan más de 50.000 millones de objetos conectados y unas 7.600 millones de personas en el mundo, lo que implica un promedio de 6,6 dispositivos por persona conectados a Internet.
Hagamos futurología y veamos la gran cantidad de escenarios posibles. Las personas mayores podrán sumar a su vestimenta pequeños dispositivos para monitorear su estado de salud, que ante un incidente, informarán automáticamente al servicio de emergencias con las coordenadas precisas de su ubicación, nombre, historial médico y familiares de contacto. Por otro lado, IoE podrá reducir la brecha de la pobreza, redistribuyendo los recursos con sensores que pueden medir la demanda y atenderla de forma más eficiente. En lo relativo a la industria automotriz, permitirá rutas más seguras, un uso más eficiente del combustible, y hará de los vehículos una extensión del mundo digital. Tendremos anteojos, teléfonos, ropa, relojes, sistemas de telepresencia y hogares inteligentes, que podrán ser controlados remotamente, con el fin de prestar servicios orientados a los usuarios. Es evidente que la combinación de todo lo anterior representará un cambio sin precedentes. IoE cambiará nuestras vidas, dejando de ser reactivos para volvernos más proactivos en situaciones inesperadas.
La evolución de Internet
Si bien todo esto puede sonar algo futurista, lo cierto es que, en la actualidad, hay más de 100 proyectos en marcha sobre la aplicación de IoE en ciudades, conocidas como Smart Cities (Ciudades Inteligentes). Un caso paradigmático es el del Distrito Comercial de la Ciudad de Songdo, en Corea del Sur, que comenzó, en 2001, a construir desde las bases la primera ciudad totalmente inteligente del mundo. Está siendo erigida con las mejores prácticas existentes en materia de conectividad, monitoreo inteligente y sustentabilidad ecológica, lo que la convertirá en un modelo a seguir por el resto del mundo. Todos los subsistemas de los hogares (alarmas, detectores de incendio, temperatura, gas y energía) están interconectados en la misma red y son controlados, monitoreados y gestionados centralizadamente, lo que genera eficiencia en los costos de operación y permite una mejora continua de los servicios para todos los habitantes.
En el futuro cercano, toda ciudad inteligente tendrá la capacidad de comunicar a sus autopistas con los autos; ajustar la iluminación, según las condiciones climáticas; limitar la emisión de los campos electromagnéticos por exceso de antenas; reducir la emisión de monóxido de carbono, evitar congestiones, controlar la calidad del agua potable, eliminar la posibilidad de inundaciones y mejorar la cosecha.
Ya estamos camino al IoE: existen cientos de señales que demuestran que el futuro será éste y no otro. Ya existen anteojos inteligentes y de realidad aumentada, cepillos de dientes que brindan información sobre la salud bucal, y pulseras que miden el ritmo cardíaco o las horas de sueño. Habrá muchos objetos que se sumen en los próximos años: camisas que midan el nivel de exposición a los rayos ultravioletas para prevenir el cáncer de piel; vendas digitales que, además de cicatrizar, calmen el dolor; tatuajes que midan el nivel de hidratación de los deportistas; relojes que controlen la diabetes; o pulseras, que midan la temperatura corporal o el estrés y puedan hacer cambios en el ambiente para mejorar ese estado.
Estamos frente a la evolución de Internet, pero también a un profundo cambio en la forma en que vivimos. Dependerá de nosotros, como sociedad, el modo en que potenciemos estos cambios por el bien común.
Visit these sites, get inspired and...do something to help others...
1)www.skateforchange.org (Mike Smith)
2)www.ericawilliams.com (EWS) (Erica Williams)
3)www.ssbx.org (Majora Carter)
4) www.omahayp.org (Greater Omaha Young Professionals)
5)www.siliconprairienews.com
6)www.naturalstep.org
7)www.zappos.com (w/m clothing & footwear)
8)www.methodproducts.co.uk (cleaning products-environmentally friendly)
9)www.feedprojects.com (bags, accessories, apparel)
Mike Smith, Youth Motivational Speaker
Founder: Mike Smith Live, Skate for Change, & The Bay
Mike Smith is an inspirational speaker based out of Lincoln, NE. He specializes in speaking to students and professionals about topics like bullying, substance abuse, leadership, and pursuing passions. He is the founder of THE BAY, a non-profit skate park and youth center in Lincoln, NE and Skate For Change. He has also been featured by the likes of Red Bull, State Farm, and TEDx.
Connect with Mike Smith:
•Follow him on Twitter @mikesmithlive
•Follow him on Instagram mikesmithlive
•Like Mike on Facebook Mike Smith Live
•Check out his website
Majora Carter, Urban Revitalization Strategist
Founder: Sustainable South Bronx
Majora Carter is an urban revitalization strategist, MacArthur “genius” Fellow, and Peabody Award winning radio broadcaster.
Her clients include: U.S. Department of State, , U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,, Whole Foods Market, FreshDirect.com, Outdoor Industry Association, Siemens AG, Perkins + Will, General Electric Company , among many other colleges/universities, philanthropic organizations and non-governmental organizations.
Carter explores the connection between our re-urbanizaning society and how American communities experience their “environment.” As opposed to “HomeLand Security” which focuses resources on statistically less significant threats from abroad, Majora’s Home(Town) Security starts by looking at how we strengthen our interconnected economic fabric at the neighborhood level – and grow from within.
Connect with Majora Carter:
•Follow her on Twitter @majoracarter
•Like her on Facebook Majora Carter
•Check out Majora’s website
Erica Williams, Millennial Social Impact Strategist
Founder: EWS Strategies
Erica Williams is a social impact strategist and appointed member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Social Media. Her passion is to help leaders and businesses change a changing world.
Through content development, cause campaign consulting, and training, Williams breaks down the theory and the practice of what it takes to create social impact in today’s diverse, youthful and technology-driven world.
Her expertise is birthed from nearly a decade of work with next generation leaders — utilizing technology, political organizing, coaching and campaign design for some of America’s largest nonprofits and businesses (Center for American Progress, Aspen Institute, Rock the Vote, Coca Cola, etc.)
Connect with Erica Williams:
•Follow Erica on Twitter @ericawilliamsdc
•Follow her on Instagram ericawilliamsdc
•Like her on Facebook Erica Williams Simon
•Check out her website
Source: www.omahayp.org/CM
Sitios y links para ver en Español de empresas argentinas.
1)http://www.cronista.com/suplemento/responsabilidad/
2)http://www.cronista.com/buscador.html
3)www.santanderrio.com.ar
4)www.directv.com.ar/rse
5)www.galiciasustentable.com
6)www.gruporhuo.com
IT Business 18.03.14
IoE: un concepto que cambiará nuestras vidas
IT Business
por Por Pablo Anselmo, director Regional y CIO para la región LAN (Latinoamérica Network) de PwC.
La evolución de Internet ha pasado por distintas etapas. Comenzó en 1990 con dispositivos que se utilizaban en forma estática, como las PCs. Luego, todo pasó a ser más móvil, dinámico y portable, y las redes sociales cambiaron la forma de socialización. Pero el punto de inflexión comenzó entre 2008 y 2009, cuando llegó a haber más dispositivos conectados que personas en el mundo. Esto propició el espacio necesario para el desarrollo del IoE (Internet of Everything o Internet de todas las cosas), momento en el cual el mundo digital y el real se vuelven uno mismo.
Para entender cómo IoE cambiará nuestras vidas, es necesario primero comprender su significado. Es un concepto amplio y refiere a la interacción de personas, procesos (la forma en que las personas, los datos y las cosas interactúan entre sí), datos y cosas que, en su conjunto, aporten valor a los individuos o a las organizaciones. Es la evolución de IoT (Internet of Things o Internet de las cosas), en el que la interacción ocurría entre objetos físicos, a partir de la conexión a una red, sin intervención de un nivel de inteligencia sobre la acción de los mismos.
Reducir la brecha de la pobreza
IoE transformará la forma en la que interactuamos y convivimos con la tecnología, especialmente considerando que, para 2020, se esperan más de 50.000 millones de objetos conectados y unas 7.600 millones de personas en el mundo, lo que implica un promedio de 6,6 dispositivos por persona conectados a Internet.
Hagamos futurología y veamos la gran cantidad de escenarios posibles. Las personas mayores podrán sumar a su vestimenta pequeños dispositivos para monitorear su estado de salud, que ante un incidente, informarán automáticamente al servicio de emergencias con las coordenadas precisas de su ubicación, nombre, historial médico y familiares de contacto. Por otro lado, IoE podrá reducir la brecha de la pobreza, redistribuyendo los recursos con sensores que pueden medir la demanda y atenderla de forma más eficiente. En lo relativo a la industria automotriz, permitirá rutas más seguras, un uso más eficiente del combustible, y hará de los vehículos una extensión del mundo digital. Tendremos anteojos, teléfonos, ropa, relojes, sistemas de telepresencia y hogares inteligentes, que podrán ser controlados remotamente, con el fin de prestar servicios orientados a los usuarios. Es evidente que la combinación de todo lo anterior representará un cambio sin precedentes. IoE cambiará nuestras vidas, dejando de ser reactivos para volvernos más proactivos en situaciones inesperadas.
La evolución de Internet
Si bien todo esto puede sonar algo futurista, lo cierto es que, en la actualidad, hay más de 100 proyectos en marcha sobre la aplicación de IoE en ciudades, conocidas como Smart Cities (Ciudades Inteligentes). Un caso paradigmático es el del Distrito Comercial de la Ciudad de Songdo, en Corea del Sur, que comenzó, en 2001, a construir desde las bases la primera ciudad totalmente inteligente del mundo. Está siendo erigida con las mejores prácticas existentes en materia de conectividad, monitoreo inteligente y sustentabilidad ecológica, lo que la convertirá en un modelo a seguir por el resto del mundo. Todos los subsistemas de los hogares (alarmas, detectores de incendio, temperatura, gas y energía) están interconectados en la misma red y son controlados, monitoreados y gestionados centralizadamente, lo que genera eficiencia en los costos de operación y permite una mejora continua de los servicios para todos los habitantes.
En el futuro cercano, toda ciudad inteligente tendrá la capacidad de comunicar a sus autopistas con los autos; ajustar la iluminación, según las condiciones climáticas; limitar la emisión de los campos electromagnéticos por exceso de antenas; reducir la emisión de monóxido de carbono, evitar congestiones, controlar la calidad del agua potable, eliminar la posibilidad de inundaciones y mejorar la cosecha.
Ya estamos camino al IoE: existen cientos de señales que demuestran que el futuro será éste y no otro. Ya existen anteojos inteligentes y de realidad aumentada, cepillos de dientes que brindan información sobre la salud bucal, y pulseras que miden el ritmo cardíaco o las horas de sueño. Habrá muchos objetos que se sumen en los próximos años: camisas que midan el nivel de exposición a los rayos ultravioletas para prevenir el cáncer de piel; vendas digitales que, además de cicatrizar, calmen el dolor; tatuajes que midan el nivel de hidratación de los deportistas; relojes que controlen la diabetes; o pulseras, que midan la temperatura corporal o el estrés y puedan hacer cambios en el ambiente para mejorar ese estado.
Estamos frente a la evolución de Internet, pero también a un profundo cambio en la forma en que vivimos. Dependerá de nosotros, como sociedad, el modo en que potenciemos estos cambios por el bien común.
SOCACT/CSR/GralInt-AT&T-TOMS commercial scripts,miscellaneous articles on Social activism & more
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
How I Focused My Startup to Achieve Success
By SUCCESS on Feb 20, 2014
by Mary Juetten, founder and CEO of Traklight, winner of SUCCESS magazine's 2013 Start Small, Win Big Challenge.
While watching morning surfers paddle out into the Pacific in beautiful Southern California, I met with SUCCESS magazine publisher Darren Hardy. As a first-time entrepreneur, I was grateful and honored to talk with Darren, who provided a wealth of feedback and advice not only for Traklight, but also for me as an executive.
Several weeks have passed since our breakfast, and I’m still thinking about our discussion. If only I could simply write out all the wisdom Darren shared with me. However, I think it’d be much more beneficial to share how his best advice—particularly the topic of focus—has helped shaped some recent changes at Traklight.
Coding or Selling
I talk too much. It’s been that way forever. And if you get me going on our mission to educate people on intellectual property (IP) and empowering them to take control of it, I cannot shut up. Furthermore, I didn’t realize that when I blurt out an idea, others think I mean to work it on it right away. These things happen when you’re the CEO. I need to understand that with power comes responsibility. And I’m responsible for keeping my team on track.
One of our Advisory Board members, Dan Tyre, has coined the phrase “coding or selling: you must be doing one or the other at Traklight.” Short version: no distractions. Here’s an even shorter version per Darren Hardy: Focus.
Through his sage advice, Darren has forced me to reassess my limited bandwidth—and that of my team—to ensure we always know what we should be coding or selling, and focusing on doing just that. While we’re purely focused on the two, I have taken a vow of silence in terms of talking about our ancillary stuff. I’m that serious about laser-like focus.
We now have a parking lot for great ideas, and every project must have an owner, a timeline and an entered spot in our new project management system.
I have empowered everyone to blurt out “not now” if we get off track on something that is not coding or selling.
Mine to the Bottom of the Shaft
Darren explained that ideas or projects are like oil wells. You have to get all the oil out of the well before you move on. And yet, many entrepreneurs struggle with spreading themselves over too many wells with either too many products or services. Our CFO works full time in the mining business, so we’ve switched Darren’s oil drilling analogy to mining. (It still applies!)
Up until recently we were trying to mine our software as a service (SaaS) products with entrepreneurs, our SaaS and enterprise products with attorneys, and private beta testing with established companies. Beta testing is important, especially for a growing startup. But all these mineshafts have spread our miners too thin.
We are now focused on mining that SaaS shaft for entrepreneurs. We can’t sit and wait for new versions of code, for new API functionality, for improved shafts. We have delighted entrepreneurs with our SaaS products and need to repeat that success until we have a larger market share. We have to mine one shaft before we mine another.
Start with the End Goal in Mind
Another great story from Darren was that of Michael Dell, who turned down Walmart as a client after extensive pursuit because he had a different vision for Dell. He did not wish to become like Compaq. Michael knew his end goal and he made decisions based on it.
The competitor in me says we can do it all but I have to remember our end game. Traklight is not a lifestyle business. We are building a scalable SaaS company for entrepreneurs to identify and protect IP. We have a three-year plan. My team and I need to focus on that.
It’s been about a year since I entered the SUCCESS Start Small, Win Big competition. Back then, sales were not at the forefront of my mind. Instead, I was dedicated to hiring stellar people who would help Traklight succeed, and stellar people we have! We’re more than 10 Trakers strong. And with this incredible crew, it’s time to focus. We have to mine that SaaS market so we can achieve our end goal.
Thank you, Darren, and all the amazing people at SUCCESS for your support.
Mary Juetten, Founder and CEO of Traklight.com, developed the idea for Traklight while earning her JD and has 25-plus years of business experience. Traklight is an innovative software company with a mission to help educate and empower entrepreneurs to be proactive in identifying, protecting and leveraging ideas through the use of online IP identification tools and resources. Follow Traklight on Facebook, Twitter or their blog.
- See more at: http://www.success.com/blog/how-i-focused-my-startup-to-achieve-success#sthash.IpTFRbw9.dpuf
7 Steps to Achieve Your Dream
Want to get going on your goals? This is how.
Chris Widener
“Vision is the spectacular that inspires us to carry out the mundane.” —Chris Widener
Can achievement be broken down into steps? It isn’t always that clean and easy, but those who achieve great things usually go through much of the same process, with many of the items listed below as part of that process. So if you have been struggling with achievement, look through the following. Begin to apply them and you will be on the road to achieving your dream.
Step 1: Dream it. Everything begins in the heart and mind. Every great achievement began in the mind of one person. They dared to dream, to believe that it was possible. Take some time to allow yourself to ask “What if?” Think big. Don’t let negative thinking discourage you. You want to be a “dreamer.” Dream of the possibilities for yourself, your family and for others. If you had a dream that you let grow cold, re-ignite the dream! Fan the flames. Life is too short to let it go.
Step 2: Believe it. Yes, your dream needs to be big. It needs to be something that is seemingly beyond your capabilities. But it also must be believable. You must be able to say that if certain things take place, if others help, if you work hard enough, though it is a big dream, it can still be done. Good example: A person with no college education can dream that he will build a $50 million-a-year company. That is big, but believable. Bad example: That a 90-year-old woman with arthritis will someday run a marathon in under three hours. It is big all right, but also impossible. She should instead focus on building a $50 million-a-year business! And she better get a move on!
Step 3: See it. The great achievers have a habit. They “see” things. They picture themselves walking around their CEO office in their new $25 million corporate headquarters, even while they are sitting on a folding chair in their garage “headquarters.” Great free-throw shooters in the NBA picture the ball going through the basket. PGA golfers picture the ball going straight down the fairway. World-class speakers picture themselves speaking with energy and emotion. All of this grooms the mind to control the body to carry out the dream.
Step 4: Tell it. One reason many dreams never go anywhere is because the dreamer keeps it all to himself. It is a quiet dream that only lives inside of his mind. The one who wants to achieve their dream must tell that dream to many people. One reason: As we continually say it, we begin to believe it more and more. If we are talking about it then it must be possible. Another reason: It holds us accountable. When we have told others, it spurs us on to actually doing it so we don’t look foolish.
Step 5: Plan it. Every dream must take the form of a plan. The old saying that you “get what you plan for” is so true. Your dream won’t just happen. You need to sit down, on a regular basis, and plan out your strategy for achieving the dream. Think through all of the details. Break the whole plan down into small, workable parts. Then set a time frame for accomplishing each task on your “dream plan.”
Step 6: Work it. Boy, wouldn’t life be grand if we could quit before this one! Unfortunately the successful are usually the hardest workers. While the rest of the world is sitting on their sofas watching reruns of Gilligan's Island , achievers are working on their goal—achieving their dream. I have an equation that I work with: Your short-term tasks, multiplied by time, equal your long-term accomplishments. If you work on it each day, eventually you will achieve your dream. War and Peace was written, in longhand, page by page.
Step 7: Enjoy it. When you have reached your goal and you are living your dream, be sure to enjoy it. In fact, enjoy the trip, too. Give yourself some rewards along the way. Give yourself a huge reward when you get there. Help others enjoy it. Be gracious and generous. Use your dream to better others. Then go back to No. 1. And dream a little bigger this time!
- See more at: http://www.success.com/article/7-steps-to-achieve-your-dream#sthash.wf8TEi2C.dpuf
Can AT&T Count Its TOMS Shoes Commercial as CSR?
AT&T’s commercial featuring TOMS Shoes was so publicly enjoyed that AT&T introduced a 60-second version of its 30-second spot. The commercial profiles TOMS Shoes–a for-profit company that donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased–and founder Blake Mycoskie who uses his AT&T Blackberry to conduct business from around the world (More bars in more places).
This was a genius branding move for AT&T, which garnered attention and customer goodwill simply by making a commercial about a do-gooding business. I’d even wager that AT&T acquired new customers by painting an aspirational picture of AT&T users as entrepreneurial and altruistic.
For no more than the cost of a commercial, AT&T netted public acclaim, engaged customers and forked a bite of the corporate social responsibility-flavored pie.
So is this good or bad? Did AT&T pull off a cause marketing coup by setting a precedent for companies to claim credit for social or environmental stewardship without lightening their pockets or putting nail to hammer? Or did AT&T provide an indirect route to shoeing more children by introducing TOMS Shoes to a national, prime time audience?
From a business perspective, the impact is exceedinly positive for both AT&T, TOMS Shoes and TOMS’ beneficiaries, which is a key criterion on which cause marketing is judged. Could AT&T have done more? Always. Did the company put together a commercial that was handily self-serving. Yes, which is a principle role of business. I argue that in addition to profit, another role of business is social impact. To gauge just what impact the commercial had, I contacted TOMS. Mycoskie shared that since the initial airing of the spot, TOMS has seen more awareness of its buy-one-give-one business model from an “incredibly diverse and extensive group of people.” There’s been increased consumer demand for the shoes which has encouraged stores “across the country to carry a larger variety of TOMS, helping to solidify TOMS ability to give 300,000 pairs of new shoes to children in need around the world.”
What’s not measured in the number of shoes bought (and therefore donated) since the commercial’s launch is the ripple effect of more companies adopting a buy-one-give-one model and an increased awareness among consumers that they can make a social impact by virtue of their product choices. Since its launch in 2006, TOMS Shoes has inspired other social enterprising businesses like LJ Urban, WeDrink Water Bottles and SunNight Solar. Buy-one-give-one is an appealing model to consumers and is gaining traction as a viable business model.
I did a quick Twitter search to glean real time reaction to the commercial. Overwhelmingly, the tweets were positive. I’ve included some below. What’s your take on AT&T’s commercial profiling of Blake Mycoskie and his One for One shoe business?
Source: http://causecapitalism.com/toms-shoes-att/#sthash.chY5ipQM.dpuf
AT&T –TOMS commercial (Script, by CM)
Blake Mycoskie:
My name is Blake and I´m the Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS Shoes. I operate my entire business from my phone. I need a network with great coverage because for every pair of shoes that we sell we give a pair away to a child in need. It would be impossible for me to do this without a network that works around the world.
Speaker:
More bars in more places. AT&T. The best coverage worldwide.
AT&T and TOMS Shoes Commercial: Behind the Scenes (unedited script, by CM)
Blake Mycoskie-BM-: TOMS started with myself and a couple of interns about three years ago in my loft in Venice, California. TOMS is based on a very simple formula which is for every pair we sell we give to a child in need.
Vance Obervey-VO-: The agency came to us with a very unique story about Blake Mycoskie and TOMS Shoes.
BM: TOMS´s based on a very simple formula, for every pair of shoes we sell, we give away to a child in need. ONE for ONE. We got the call from AT&T agency asking if I would be interested in doing this commercial; they´ve got the idea of it. I was in Argentina giving away shoes when the call came in. They said this kind of concept sounds great. It´s very authentic.
Stephanie Solberg-SS-:We integrated the use of the phone and how Blake really runs his company; in his office, on the road, when he´s doing other type of publicity and sales events and also the actual shoe drop event around the world.
BM: They came in and made it look beautiful, while still preserving our culture.
SS: We found in Uruguay because it was a location that TOMS Shoes has never actually done a shoe drop in. It was really exciting for them. It was a first for them, a first for us.
VO: We wanted to really be careful with this spot and not use the good he did in a blatant way (you know) in a way that get to look at us (you know) you would try to take credit for anything that he has done. So we really needed to be careful on the balance.
BM: The truth is that I`ve been using AT&T since 1997. I live on my Blackberry. It is what allows us to operate this business.
SS: When you are in a community, you don´t want to disrupt that community. You don´t want to do anything that would seem unreal. So we use things that are already there. We had five tires that were already in the five formation. So we took advantage of that.
VO: You know the five bar icon is an immediate visual reminder to consumers that they have good quality wherever they are. The main thing we´ve done with that idea is weave the five bar icon visuals into a story.
BM: One of the things we were really careful with was that we wanted it to be a documentary. If we are gonna do this, we gonna show exactly how it was. We don´t want to kind of recreate things. And, thankfully they had the exact same vision themselves. And they hired an amazing director, Bennett Miller who has done incredible documentaries and been nominated for an Oscar for Capote. I mean, this guy is a real filmmaker. And so when I heard that they were hiring him and we got the story board and it was very truly my life. I mean I didn´t have to act at all, that´s a good thing, I´m not an actor.
SS: With this particular shoe, we were shooting live action. We didn´t know what kind of moments we were gonna capture with the children. And you can´t have them go back and do it again. And (you know) it´s the first time they receive their shoes. It´s the moment.
BM: Our business´s not frame, it´s based on authenticity, so when we get to put it by AT&T to do a commercial they were already doing, it was just a great opportunity for us to tell our story to the world.
SS: It´s a wonderful story, it´s meaningful, it is relatable. I think everybody would want to help and give children shoes. But at the same time, it really shows how AT&T´s network really can help make that happen.
BM: The energy on the set was amazing and I think that it was one of the things, probably the most special memory for me in this whole experience is having the guys with the grips and the lines. I do hundreds of commercials a year and I´ve never felt this connected to what we were actually trying to do. I think this is gonna be a life-changing experience for me and for everyone here at TOMS.
Blake Mycoskie: START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS (Video script, by CM, unedited version)
(TAKE PART)
Blake Mycoskie: One of the things that frustrates me is when I meet people now and they think that TOMS has always been this big company and movement and they assume that they can never do something like this. And I´m very quick to remind them that I had no experience to shoes, no experience in retail. I only had US 5000 (five thousand dollars) in my account to invest initially and this is the result. It was because it was a big idea and we went for it.
This book has the potential to change the way a whole generation thinks about how they involve their work and their passion. I wanted to inspire more people with all the lessons that I´ve learned the last five years. The book is mainly for people who might wanna start a new non-profit, they must just start a commitment to volunteer and get more involved in their community. I felt that right now is the best time because of the excitement around the kind of social entrepreneur landscape, to put a book like this to help people kind of take the next step. We´re so busy working all the time now and I find chasing these elusive goals but the truth is that everyone wants significance; everyone wants to start something that matters.
Simplicity has been a theme in my life; I mean, I live on a sailboat, I don´t have a lot of stuff, I don´t like to have my desk very cluttered and I specifically feel that in a business model, simplicity wins. Simplicity that people get tripped on.
When they´re starting something, they feel insecure, they want to add all these bells and whistles and pride features. Instead they get onto what´s the one thing that I´m trying to say or do. People who understand better so therefore they can share better, that´s what ultimately gonna leave the kind of vital effect that all founders are looking for.
In the book I talk about imagination, trumping money and there´s probably a lot of cynics and skeptical people saying “well now it´s easy to say now that you have some success for TOMS “.
But I very purposely chose entrepreneurs and people to feature in the book that did not have a lot of money when they started their organizations.
Method cleaning products was down to US 16 (sixteen dollars) in their account when they got their first big order. Lauren Brush started FEED bags with just thousands of dollars, nor tens or thousands. TOMS started with less than US 5000 (five thousand dollars). So I hope to motivate you to take that step and start something that matters.
TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie discusses social entrepreneurship
Omaha February 24, 2010 by Jeff Slobotski
For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS Shoes gives a pair of shoes to a child in need.
I had the opportunity to interview an individual that I've been inspired by for some time, Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes. Blake has an amazing story of how he's built the TOMS Shoes name into an internationally recognized social entrepreneurship success story.
Blake will be the lunch keynote speaker at this year's Greater Omaha Young Professionals Summit on March 4, (registration closes this Thursday). He was gracious to share a few minutes with me to provide the background of TOMS Shoes, his thoughts on who inspires him, and what he thinks the future of social entrepreneurship holds.
Also in the interview, we talk about the AT&T commercial that served as the tipping point for TOMS Shoes. I've included that video and its "behind the scenes" video below.
(Video interview with Blake Mycoskie & www.siliconprairienews.com)
Sources: www.success.com/www.siliconprairienews.com and others
How I Focused My Startup to Achieve Success
By SUCCESS on Feb 20, 2014
by Mary Juetten, founder and CEO of Traklight, winner of SUCCESS magazine's 2013 Start Small, Win Big Challenge.
While watching morning surfers paddle out into the Pacific in beautiful Southern California, I met with SUCCESS magazine publisher Darren Hardy. As a first-time entrepreneur, I was grateful and honored to talk with Darren, who provided a wealth of feedback and advice not only for Traklight, but also for me as an executive.
Several weeks have passed since our breakfast, and I’m still thinking about our discussion. If only I could simply write out all the wisdom Darren shared with me. However, I think it’d be much more beneficial to share how his best advice—particularly the topic of focus—has helped shaped some recent changes at Traklight.
Coding or Selling
I talk too much. It’s been that way forever. And if you get me going on our mission to educate people on intellectual property (IP) and empowering them to take control of it, I cannot shut up. Furthermore, I didn’t realize that when I blurt out an idea, others think I mean to work it on it right away. These things happen when you’re the CEO. I need to understand that with power comes responsibility. And I’m responsible for keeping my team on track.
One of our Advisory Board members, Dan Tyre, has coined the phrase “coding or selling: you must be doing one or the other at Traklight.” Short version: no distractions. Here’s an even shorter version per Darren Hardy: Focus.
Through his sage advice, Darren has forced me to reassess my limited bandwidth—and that of my team—to ensure we always know what we should be coding or selling, and focusing on doing just that. While we’re purely focused on the two, I have taken a vow of silence in terms of talking about our ancillary stuff. I’m that serious about laser-like focus.
We now have a parking lot for great ideas, and every project must have an owner, a timeline and an entered spot in our new project management system.
I have empowered everyone to blurt out “not now” if we get off track on something that is not coding or selling.
Mine to the Bottom of the Shaft
Darren explained that ideas or projects are like oil wells. You have to get all the oil out of the well before you move on. And yet, many entrepreneurs struggle with spreading themselves over too many wells with either too many products or services. Our CFO works full time in the mining business, so we’ve switched Darren’s oil drilling analogy to mining. (It still applies!)
Up until recently we were trying to mine our software as a service (SaaS) products with entrepreneurs, our SaaS and enterprise products with attorneys, and private beta testing with established companies. Beta testing is important, especially for a growing startup. But all these mineshafts have spread our miners too thin.
We are now focused on mining that SaaS shaft for entrepreneurs. We can’t sit and wait for new versions of code, for new API functionality, for improved shafts. We have delighted entrepreneurs with our SaaS products and need to repeat that success until we have a larger market share. We have to mine one shaft before we mine another.
Start with the End Goal in Mind
Another great story from Darren was that of Michael Dell, who turned down Walmart as a client after extensive pursuit because he had a different vision for Dell. He did not wish to become like Compaq. Michael knew his end goal and he made decisions based on it.
The competitor in me says we can do it all but I have to remember our end game. Traklight is not a lifestyle business. We are building a scalable SaaS company for entrepreneurs to identify and protect IP. We have a three-year plan. My team and I need to focus on that.
It’s been about a year since I entered the SUCCESS Start Small, Win Big competition. Back then, sales were not at the forefront of my mind. Instead, I was dedicated to hiring stellar people who would help Traklight succeed, and stellar people we have! We’re more than 10 Trakers strong. And with this incredible crew, it’s time to focus. We have to mine that SaaS market so we can achieve our end goal.
Thank you, Darren, and all the amazing people at SUCCESS for your support.
Mary Juetten, Founder and CEO of Traklight.com, developed the idea for Traklight while earning her JD and has 25-plus years of business experience. Traklight is an innovative software company with a mission to help educate and empower entrepreneurs to be proactive in identifying, protecting and leveraging ideas through the use of online IP identification tools and resources. Follow Traklight on Facebook, Twitter or their blog.
- See more at: http://www.success.com/blog/how-i-focused-my-startup-to-achieve-success#sthash.IpTFRbw9.dpuf
7 Steps to Achieve Your Dream
Want to get going on your goals? This is how.
Chris Widener
“Vision is the spectacular that inspires us to carry out the mundane.” —Chris Widener
Can achievement be broken down into steps? It isn’t always that clean and easy, but those who achieve great things usually go through much of the same process, with many of the items listed below as part of that process. So if you have been struggling with achievement, look through the following. Begin to apply them and you will be on the road to achieving your dream.
Step 1: Dream it. Everything begins in the heart and mind. Every great achievement began in the mind of one person. They dared to dream, to believe that it was possible. Take some time to allow yourself to ask “What if?” Think big. Don’t let negative thinking discourage you. You want to be a “dreamer.” Dream of the possibilities for yourself, your family and for others. If you had a dream that you let grow cold, re-ignite the dream! Fan the flames. Life is too short to let it go.
Step 2: Believe it. Yes, your dream needs to be big. It needs to be something that is seemingly beyond your capabilities. But it also must be believable. You must be able to say that if certain things take place, if others help, if you work hard enough, though it is a big dream, it can still be done. Good example: A person with no college education can dream that he will build a $50 million-a-year company. That is big, but believable. Bad example: That a 90-year-old woman with arthritis will someday run a marathon in under three hours. It is big all right, but also impossible. She should instead focus on building a $50 million-a-year business! And she better get a move on!
Step 3: See it. The great achievers have a habit. They “see” things. They picture themselves walking around their CEO office in their new $25 million corporate headquarters, even while they are sitting on a folding chair in their garage “headquarters.” Great free-throw shooters in the NBA picture the ball going through the basket. PGA golfers picture the ball going straight down the fairway. World-class speakers picture themselves speaking with energy and emotion. All of this grooms the mind to control the body to carry out the dream.
Step 4: Tell it. One reason many dreams never go anywhere is because the dreamer keeps it all to himself. It is a quiet dream that only lives inside of his mind. The one who wants to achieve their dream must tell that dream to many people. One reason: As we continually say it, we begin to believe it more and more. If we are talking about it then it must be possible. Another reason: It holds us accountable. When we have told others, it spurs us on to actually doing it so we don’t look foolish.
Step 5: Plan it. Every dream must take the form of a plan. The old saying that you “get what you plan for” is so true. Your dream won’t just happen. You need to sit down, on a regular basis, and plan out your strategy for achieving the dream. Think through all of the details. Break the whole plan down into small, workable parts. Then set a time frame for accomplishing each task on your “dream plan.”
Step 6: Work it. Boy, wouldn’t life be grand if we could quit before this one! Unfortunately the successful are usually the hardest workers. While the rest of the world is sitting on their sofas watching reruns of Gilligan's Island , achievers are working on their goal—achieving their dream. I have an equation that I work with: Your short-term tasks, multiplied by time, equal your long-term accomplishments. If you work on it each day, eventually you will achieve your dream. War and Peace was written, in longhand, page by page.
Step 7: Enjoy it. When you have reached your goal and you are living your dream, be sure to enjoy it. In fact, enjoy the trip, too. Give yourself some rewards along the way. Give yourself a huge reward when you get there. Help others enjoy it. Be gracious and generous. Use your dream to better others. Then go back to No. 1. And dream a little bigger this time!
- See more at: http://www.success.com/article/7-steps-to-achieve-your-dream#sthash.wf8TEi2C.dpuf
Can AT&T Count Its TOMS Shoes Commercial as CSR?
AT&T’s commercial featuring TOMS Shoes was so publicly enjoyed that AT&T introduced a 60-second version of its 30-second spot. The commercial profiles TOMS Shoes–a for-profit company that donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased–and founder Blake Mycoskie who uses his AT&T Blackberry to conduct business from around the world (More bars in more places).
This was a genius branding move for AT&T, which garnered attention and customer goodwill simply by making a commercial about a do-gooding business. I’d even wager that AT&T acquired new customers by painting an aspirational picture of AT&T users as entrepreneurial and altruistic.
For no more than the cost of a commercial, AT&T netted public acclaim, engaged customers and forked a bite of the corporate social responsibility-flavored pie.
So is this good or bad? Did AT&T pull off a cause marketing coup by setting a precedent for companies to claim credit for social or environmental stewardship without lightening their pockets or putting nail to hammer? Or did AT&T provide an indirect route to shoeing more children by introducing TOMS Shoes to a national, prime time audience?
From a business perspective, the impact is exceedinly positive for both AT&T, TOMS Shoes and TOMS’ beneficiaries, which is a key criterion on which cause marketing is judged. Could AT&T have done more? Always. Did the company put together a commercial that was handily self-serving. Yes, which is a principle role of business. I argue that in addition to profit, another role of business is social impact. To gauge just what impact the commercial had, I contacted TOMS. Mycoskie shared that since the initial airing of the spot, TOMS has seen more awareness of its buy-one-give-one business model from an “incredibly diverse and extensive group of people.” There’s been increased consumer demand for the shoes which has encouraged stores “across the country to carry a larger variety of TOMS, helping to solidify TOMS ability to give 300,000 pairs of new shoes to children in need around the world.”
What’s not measured in the number of shoes bought (and therefore donated) since the commercial’s launch is the ripple effect of more companies adopting a buy-one-give-one model and an increased awareness among consumers that they can make a social impact by virtue of their product choices. Since its launch in 2006, TOMS Shoes has inspired other social enterprising businesses like LJ Urban, WeDrink Water Bottles and SunNight Solar. Buy-one-give-one is an appealing model to consumers and is gaining traction as a viable business model.
I did a quick Twitter search to glean real time reaction to the commercial. Overwhelmingly, the tweets were positive. I’ve included some below. What’s your take on AT&T’s commercial profiling of Blake Mycoskie and his One for One shoe business?
Source: http://causecapitalism.com/toms-shoes-att/#sthash.chY5ipQM.dpuf
AT&T –TOMS commercial (Script, by CM)
Blake Mycoskie:
My name is Blake and I´m the Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS Shoes. I operate my entire business from my phone. I need a network with great coverage because for every pair of shoes that we sell we give a pair away to a child in need. It would be impossible for me to do this without a network that works around the world.
Speaker:
More bars in more places. AT&T. The best coverage worldwide.
AT&T and TOMS Shoes Commercial: Behind the Scenes (unedited script, by CM)
Blake Mycoskie-BM-: TOMS started with myself and a couple of interns about three years ago in my loft in Venice, California. TOMS is based on a very simple formula which is for every pair we sell we give to a child in need.
Vance Obervey-VO-: The agency came to us with a very unique story about Blake Mycoskie and TOMS Shoes.
BM: TOMS´s based on a very simple formula, for every pair of shoes we sell, we give away to a child in need. ONE for ONE. We got the call from AT&T agency asking if I would be interested in doing this commercial; they´ve got the idea of it. I was in Argentina giving away shoes when the call came in. They said this kind of concept sounds great. It´s very authentic.
Stephanie Solberg-SS-:We integrated the use of the phone and how Blake really runs his company; in his office, on the road, when he´s doing other type of publicity and sales events and also the actual shoe drop event around the world.
BM: They came in and made it look beautiful, while still preserving our culture.
SS: We found in Uruguay because it was a location that TOMS Shoes has never actually done a shoe drop in. It was really exciting for them. It was a first for them, a first for us.
VO: We wanted to really be careful with this spot and not use the good he did in a blatant way (you know) in a way that get to look at us (you know) you would try to take credit for anything that he has done. So we really needed to be careful on the balance.
BM: The truth is that I`ve been using AT&T since 1997. I live on my Blackberry. It is what allows us to operate this business.
SS: When you are in a community, you don´t want to disrupt that community. You don´t want to do anything that would seem unreal. So we use things that are already there. We had five tires that were already in the five formation. So we took advantage of that.
VO: You know the five bar icon is an immediate visual reminder to consumers that they have good quality wherever they are. The main thing we´ve done with that idea is weave the five bar icon visuals into a story.
BM: One of the things we were really careful with was that we wanted it to be a documentary. If we are gonna do this, we gonna show exactly how it was. We don´t want to kind of recreate things. And, thankfully they had the exact same vision themselves. And they hired an amazing director, Bennett Miller who has done incredible documentaries and been nominated for an Oscar for Capote. I mean, this guy is a real filmmaker. And so when I heard that they were hiring him and we got the story board and it was very truly my life. I mean I didn´t have to act at all, that´s a good thing, I´m not an actor.
SS: With this particular shoe, we were shooting live action. We didn´t know what kind of moments we were gonna capture with the children. And you can´t have them go back and do it again. And (you know) it´s the first time they receive their shoes. It´s the moment.
BM: Our business´s not frame, it´s based on authenticity, so when we get to put it by AT&T to do a commercial they were already doing, it was just a great opportunity for us to tell our story to the world.
SS: It´s a wonderful story, it´s meaningful, it is relatable. I think everybody would want to help and give children shoes. But at the same time, it really shows how AT&T´s network really can help make that happen.
BM: The energy on the set was amazing and I think that it was one of the things, probably the most special memory for me in this whole experience is having the guys with the grips and the lines. I do hundreds of commercials a year and I´ve never felt this connected to what we were actually trying to do. I think this is gonna be a life-changing experience for me and for everyone here at TOMS.
Blake Mycoskie: START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS (Video script, by CM, unedited version)
(TAKE PART)
Blake Mycoskie: One of the things that frustrates me is when I meet people now and they think that TOMS has always been this big company and movement and they assume that they can never do something like this. And I´m very quick to remind them that I had no experience to shoes, no experience in retail. I only had US 5000 (five thousand dollars) in my account to invest initially and this is the result. It was because it was a big idea and we went for it.
This book has the potential to change the way a whole generation thinks about how they involve their work and their passion. I wanted to inspire more people with all the lessons that I´ve learned the last five years. The book is mainly for people who might wanna start a new non-profit, they must just start a commitment to volunteer and get more involved in their community. I felt that right now is the best time because of the excitement around the kind of social entrepreneur landscape, to put a book like this to help people kind of take the next step. We´re so busy working all the time now and I find chasing these elusive goals but the truth is that everyone wants significance; everyone wants to start something that matters.
Simplicity has been a theme in my life; I mean, I live on a sailboat, I don´t have a lot of stuff, I don´t like to have my desk very cluttered and I specifically feel that in a business model, simplicity wins. Simplicity that people get tripped on.
When they´re starting something, they feel insecure, they want to add all these bells and whistles and pride features. Instead they get onto what´s the one thing that I´m trying to say or do. People who understand better so therefore they can share better, that´s what ultimately gonna leave the kind of vital effect that all founders are looking for.
In the book I talk about imagination, trumping money and there´s probably a lot of cynics and skeptical people saying “well now it´s easy to say now that you have some success for TOMS “.
But I very purposely chose entrepreneurs and people to feature in the book that did not have a lot of money when they started their organizations.
Method cleaning products was down to US 16 (sixteen dollars) in their account when they got their first big order. Lauren Brush started FEED bags with just thousands of dollars, nor tens or thousands. TOMS started with less than US 5000 (five thousand dollars). So I hope to motivate you to take that step and start something that matters.
TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie discusses social entrepreneurship
Omaha February 24, 2010 by Jeff Slobotski
For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS Shoes gives a pair of shoes to a child in need.
I had the opportunity to interview an individual that I've been inspired by for some time, Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes. Blake has an amazing story of how he's built the TOMS Shoes name into an internationally recognized social entrepreneurship success story.
Blake will be the lunch keynote speaker at this year's Greater Omaha Young Professionals Summit on March 4, (registration closes this Thursday). He was gracious to share a few minutes with me to provide the background of TOMS Shoes, his thoughts on who inspires him, and what he thinks the future of social entrepreneurship holds.
Also in the interview, we talk about the AT&T commercial that served as the tipping point for TOMS Shoes. I've included that video and its "behind the scenes" video below.
(Video interview with Blake Mycoskie & www.siliconprairienews.com)
Sources: www.success.com/www.siliconprairienews.com and others
ENV/SOC/GralInt-TED Talks-Erica Williams - End Dependence on Disposable Plastic & more
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch - Erica Williams - End Dependence on Disposable Plastic
November 2010
Erica Williams delivers a passionate challenge to businesses and individuals - lets end the dependence of disposable plastic. REFUSE single use and disposable plastic today.
Millennials Reimagining America
Erica at PopTech speaking on the power and potential of the Millennial generation to dramatically change the country.
Who Am I?
An introduction to Erica, her life’s work and what she believes.
An End to Changing the World: How to Add Greater Purpose to Your Life and Work.
Change-The-World
January 24, 2014 | Posted by Erica Williams
(reposted from Medium)
Change the world. It’s a mantra, a slogan, and a universal post graduation goal. It’s written on every coffee mug, t-shirt and young idealistic soul across this great land. The tagline to a thousand books, the description for a thousand twitter profiles. The goal of every single business/technology/political/artistic endeavor. A task for which everyone and everything is somehow inherently wired but for which no measurable metrics exist. Who is doing it? How do we know? And what does it even mean?
Seven years ago when I graduated college, I didn’t know the answers to any of those questions, but it didn’t stop me from aiming for the highest of world-changing stars anyway. As the daughter of two small church pastors, born into an extended family complete with veterans, public school teachers and nurses, I knew from the moment that I could talk that I was meant to make the world a better place and that, as Shirely Chisolm said, “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.” I was determined to pay a really high rent, so long as it meant that I could leave the world better — more just, kind, equitable and safe — than when I arrived.
I was blessed to have gotten the first job that I applied for after graduating at a large national non-profit that worked for civil and human rights. It took me about 2 months to rev my engines, learn the lingo, and get the lay of the activism/advocacy land, and then I was off like a bat out of hell (or revolutionary heaven) — shooting through professional milestone after professional milestone, tackling the non-profit world with a Wolf of Wall Street-esque tenacity.
By 28 I had racked up an impressive list of accomplishments, accolades and victories working side by side with some of the most inspired/inspiring activists of our generation. I’d been all over the world helping young people pick up causes and win victories for social justice and that humble, low paying work had somehow taken me to the loftiest of places. I worked with my colleagues and the communities we believed in to fight racism, sexism, and classism, and protect people’s rights and freedoms. While that kind of work is tireless and never-ending, it comes complete with tangible metrics and outcomes. Was I changing the world? Heck yeah. My donors told me so every quarter.
Still, at 29 I grew restless and tired of the advocacy sector. For a whole host of reasons, I wanted to pursue my long held passions in the culture, tech and media space. So with the same overall goal of “changing the world” in place, I jumped head first into a new industry, determined to connect the dots between creative content and social change.
But with my day-to-day no longer defined by campaign goals, political victories or other “traditional” social change milestones, I wondered how I would measure my impact as a newly minted cultural agent and entrepreneur. In the non-profit sector, changing the world came equipped with easily understood metrics: Did a policy change? Did the little guy win?
But here, in this new open frontier, I found myself in a twilight zone of aimless do- gooders. People at tech conferences and social entrepreneurship and media events and cultural festivals all using the same language that my old friends from the activist world did with little to no explanation of what that really meant. I noticed world changing being advertised as an outcome for online marketing courses and self help books and new apps and, well, pretty much everything.
I started to become a little uncomfortable. And then a little irritated. And then a little embarrassed for us all. Here we are, a generation of ambitious, creative people, shooting our bullets at a blurry target. The phrase “change the world” had begun to mean little more than “We want to do cool stuff and have people notice” which really ended up meaning “I’m not really sure what I want but I need to say something that adds some grandeur and morality to my latest endeavor”. And, p.s., “I’m a super nice person.” It was a selfless, heavy phrase that had somewhere along the way become unbelieably selfish and empty.
And the more I thought on it, the more I understood the simple reason why.
Do we say that we want to make the sun rise or set? Do we set ambitions to make stars shine and rain fall? Nope. Why? Because these things just happen. They are acts of God and nature and are as inevitable as the passing of time. As beautiful and inspirational as these natural processes may be, that’s just it: they are naturally occuring processes. Neither you nor I nor anything that we create has any impact on them happening. So they would be rather silly life goals right?
Well here’s the harsh reality that they forget to tell you in the commencement speeches and entrepreneurship magazines: The world changes — with or without you. People are born and die. Things move and grow and evolve. Changing the world is essentially a meaningless goal because it requires nothing of you. And I think that’s why we say it. It makes us feel good and special without actually demanding that we do anything worth doing.
I know. I sound like Debbie Downer. But the preacher’s girl in me knows that there is always a gospel — a good news to share. And here it is:
While changing the world is a meaningless goal, what is in our power to determine is the pace and the direction of that change. It just requires some specificity; an actual theory of change. And that means, getting a clear vision and mission for yourself:
“How do you want the world changed and how exactly do you want to change it?
”
These are the questions that every student, every entrepreneur, every artist should ask themselves as they leap wide eyed and hopeful into the world of work and creation. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t readily able to answer them.
Because changing the world is the 5 hour energy of purposes. It gives you an instant surge of energy but no true sustenance for the long haul. After a while, the high ends and you are back to the reality of just how tired and fuzzy you — and your dreams — really are.
To truly put some strength behind your passions, ask yourself the hard questions. What do you want the world to look like as a result of your dream and your work?
The answer may not be short and sweet. It may not fit onto a bumper sticker or iphone case. It will likely require some learning and some time — maybe a few jobs, projects and failures — to figure out. But that’s the only way you can really Be the Change. You have to know what the change actually looks like.
As someone who has built a career helping people do the work, I can promise you this: Figuring it out is a worthwhile endeavor that will go a long way to clarify your path, measure your impact and maybe, just maybe, really make the world a better place.
Whole Change: What to Expect When You’re Expecting
January 4, 2014 | Posted by Erica Williams
Happy new year beautiful people! No, I’m not pregnant. If you are, congrats. But yeah…no. I’m expecting something only slight less major: a big, full new chapter of life. I am so excited for 2014 and all that it holds and I hope that you are too. A lot of changes have already been set in motion this year – new projects, new work, new places, new habits. I hate when people give too many specifics before things happen so I’ll just say that I can’t wait to share everything that I’m cooking up for you guys in the days, weeks and months to come.
One of the reasons for the excitement is that I’m (beyond) ready to put into action all that I learned in 2013. From what I can tell, last year was a meaningful one for a lot of you. I’ve heard your stories about big life changes, loss, confusion, disappointment and also new adventures, risks, and experiences that you will never forget (but perhaps are eager to move above and beyond). In an essay that I shared on my writing blog, I talked about how last year was quite the doozy for me too:
“…2013 was the unsettling of everything. I laid low to discover who I thought I was, who I thought I had to be, and the possibility of who I could become. And in the end, I became a woman, jointly owned by only God and me, now as certain about who I am and what I want as I am about life’s uncertainty.
”
I go on to describe a year of amazingly painful, beautiful growth. I posted that essay on Facebook and in between all of the “likes” and comments, got dozens of versions of this message over and over again in response: “That’s awesome! What did you learn? HOW did you grow? Please share!”
Ask and you shall receive. I’m introducing a new series here on the blog called WHOLE CHANGE. Every week this year, I’m going to share a lesson that I learned in 2013 that helped me grow into a more powerful, brave, free and whole person on my journey to “change the world”.
“Why share here?” you may be asking. “Isn’t this website all about your communications, media and social change work?” Well here’s the thing. One of the lessons that I learned that I’ll share more about later is the harm we do to ourselves, our mission and our dreams when we segment ourselves into multiple people – artistic and creative Erica, religious Erica, political Erica, media Erica, motivational Erica. Multiple personalities aren’t cute. Or healthy.
Of course there are still practical reasons, professional and otherwise, to have more than one platform or online persona. For example, on my writing blog I’ll be sharing essays and poems and thoughts that may be in a completely different style than readers of ericawilliams.com enjoy. And of course I will continue to publish content about communications, culture and social issues here as well.
But “Being the Change” is about actually being; finding your truth and letting that shine through all you do because your cause and your community needs you. The whole you, in its many splendored glory. You can’t effectively change the world and be unchanged yourself. Your personal, spiritual and mental growth is a key part of your social change strategy. And since I’m really committed to helping you do gooders do better, I’ve got to share tips for that part of your life’s work as well.
I titled this blog “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” first because I wanted to share with you what you should expect on this blog this year. But even more importantly, I want you to expect to grow and change a lot in order to take your life by the horns and make it count.
Let’s all expect the best of each other and this powerful new year!
WHOLE CHANGE #1: It’s Okay To Not Know It All. Life’s Better That Way.
January 8, 2014 | Posted by Erica Williams
Have you ever stood at a crossroads and not known which way to go? Well that was me in January 2013. I had quit my job over the holidays and knew that I wanted to change direction – but I wasn’t sure how or what my new vision was. I was blessed to have a lot of opportunities and a lot of options. I just didn’t have any clarity to go with them. So I needed to take some time to figure it all out. Sounds reasonable right? Well it didn’t feel reasonable. In fact it was terrifying. So much so, that I couldn’t even tell anyone.
I was afraid to admit that I was in a stage of search and discovery. How would that make me look? Would I lose ground professionally? Would I disappoint people who thought they knew what I should be doing and where I should be going? There were so many fears circling around my soul but one of the biggest was the fear of not knowing everything.
See, professionally (and to a certain extent socially) I exist in a world of “Know-It-Alls”. Sound familiar? People who make a living solving – or attempting to solve – or at the very least talking about how someone else should solve – the world’s problems. My twitter feed, inbox and contact list are filled with journalists, culture critics, entrepreneurs, policy analysts, activists, commentators, artists, ministers, health and fitness gurus, relationship experts…all spending hours a day telling me and the rest of the world what they know; what they are certain about regarding, well, everything – why a policy is bad, why a strategy is good, why a tv show is stupid, why a sin is deadly, why a hairstyle is bad – you name it, my friends/colleagues “know” it.
Or maybe for you it’s even closer to home – parents and significant others, cousins and play cousins, church members and neighbors who always think they know what’s best – for everyone.
Whether it’s professional Know-It-Alls or Amateur-Know-It-Alls, we’ve all found ourselves at one time or another surrounded by people who pride themselves on being an expert in all things. And maybe you’ve even been that person yourself. Don’t feel bad. You aren’t alone.
Unfortunately, many of us change makers have adopted this attitude. We know exactly what is wrong in the world and we know how to fix it. And we always know exactly what we should be doing for our own lives in that equation. Today’s culture of success and doing good is rooted in certainty. From big issues like, racism, sexism, homophobia and environmentalism to reality television and Kanye West all the way to our own religion, relationships and careers – we are all sure that we can make the world better doing exactly what we think is best, because we have the answers. And we think that our certainty and wisdom makes us righteous.
But it doesn’t. It makes us arrogant and busy. It limits our vision and leaves no space for reflection. And in a situation where we really don’t know the answers (which, if we’re honest with ourselves happens way more than we care to admit), the facade of omniscience keeps us fearful and paralyzed. In short, it stops progress – in the world and in our own lives.
So exhale and let it go. You don’t have time to pretend! You don’t have time to make up answers! You don’t have time to keep up the facade! You don’t have time to waste.
It wasn’t until I admitted that I didn’t know what my next move should be that I opened myself up to the possibility of exploring wherever my heart wanted me to go. I was able to hear from others, experiment, look in unusual places and find a new path that I never would have discovered had I not humbled myself and silenced my inner expert.
And now, while I may not know everything about everything, this I do believe:
The world will be saved by those who recognize its mystery and live a life driven more by questions than by answers.
Hear what I’m saying. It’s the questions that keep us searching and striving and growing. And its humility that will allow us to innovate and be awed by the beauty of real social transformation when we see it, however it comes.
So stop pressuring yourself to know it all. Your destiny will thank you.
Source: www.ericawilliams.com
TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch - Erica Williams - End Dependence on Disposable Plastic
November 2010
Erica Williams delivers a passionate challenge to businesses and individuals - lets end the dependence of disposable plastic. REFUSE single use and disposable plastic today.
Millennials Reimagining America
Erica at PopTech speaking on the power and potential of the Millennial generation to dramatically change the country.
Who Am I?
An introduction to Erica, her life’s work and what she believes.
An End to Changing the World: How to Add Greater Purpose to Your Life and Work.
Change-The-World
January 24, 2014 | Posted by Erica Williams
(reposted from Medium)
Change the world. It’s a mantra, a slogan, and a universal post graduation goal. It’s written on every coffee mug, t-shirt and young idealistic soul across this great land. The tagline to a thousand books, the description for a thousand twitter profiles. The goal of every single business/technology/political/artistic endeavor. A task for which everyone and everything is somehow inherently wired but for which no measurable metrics exist. Who is doing it? How do we know? And what does it even mean?
Seven years ago when I graduated college, I didn’t know the answers to any of those questions, but it didn’t stop me from aiming for the highest of world-changing stars anyway. As the daughter of two small church pastors, born into an extended family complete with veterans, public school teachers and nurses, I knew from the moment that I could talk that I was meant to make the world a better place and that, as Shirely Chisolm said, “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.” I was determined to pay a really high rent, so long as it meant that I could leave the world better — more just, kind, equitable and safe — than when I arrived.
I was blessed to have gotten the first job that I applied for after graduating at a large national non-profit that worked for civil and human rights. It took me about 2 months to rev my engines, learn the lingo, and get the lay of the activism/advocacy land, and then I was off like a bat out of hell (or revolutionary heaven) — shooting through professional milestone after professional milestone, tackling the non-profit world with a Wolf of Wall Street-esque tenacity.
By 28 I had racked up an impressive list of accomplishments, accolades and victories working side by side with some of the most inspired/inspiring activists of our generation. I’d been all over the world helping young people pick up causes and win victories for social justice and that humble, low paying work had somehow taken me to the loftiest of places. I worked with my colleagues and the communities we believed in to fight racism, sexism, and classism, and protect people’s rights and freedoms. While that kind of work is tireless and never-ending, it comes complete with tangible metrics and outcomes. Was I changing the world? Heck yeah. My donors told me so every quarter.
Still, at 29 I grew restless and tired of the advocacy sector. For a whole host of reasons, I wanted to pursue my long held passions in the culture, tech and media space. So with the same overall goal of “changing the world” in place, I jumped head first into a new industry, determined to connect the dots between creative content and social change.
But with my day-to-day no longer defined by campaign goals, political victories or other “traditional” social change milestones, I wondered how I would measure my impact as a newly minted cultural agent and entrepreneur. In the non-profit sector, changing the world came equipped with easily understood metrics: Did a policy change? Did the little guy win?
But here, in this new open frontier, I found myself in a twilight zone of aimless do- gooders. People at tech conferences and social entrepreneurship and media events and cultural festivals all using the same language that my old friends from the activist world did with little to no explanation of what that really meant. I noticed world changing being advertised as an outcome for online marketing courses and self help books and new apps and, well, pretty much everything.
I started to become a little uncomfortable. And then a little irritated. And then a little embarrassed for us all. Here we are, a generation of ambitious, creative people, shooting our bullets at a blurry target. The phrase “change the world” had begun to mean little more than “We want to do cool stuff and have people notice” which really ended up meaning “I’m not really sure what I want but I need to say something that adds some grandeur and morality to my latest endeavor”. And, p.s., “I’m a super nice person.” It was a selfless, heavy phrase that had somewhere along the way become unbelieably selfish and empty.
And the more I thought on it, the more I understood the simple reason why.
Do we say that we want to make the sun rise or set? Do we set ambitions to make stars shine and rain fall? Nope. Why? Because these things just happen. They are acts of God and nature and are as inevitable as the passing of time. As beautiful and inspirational as these natural processes may be, that’s just it: they are naturally occuring processes. Neither you nor I nor anything that we create has any impact on them happening. So they would be rather silly life goals right?
Well here’s the harsh reality that they forget to tell you in the commencement speeches and entrepreneurship magazines: The world changes — with or without you. People are born and die. Things move and grow and evolve. Changing the world is essentially a meaningless goal because it requires nothing of you. And I think that’s why we say it. It makes us feel good and special without actually demanding that we do anything worth doing.
I know. I sound like Debbie Downer. But the preacher’s girl in me knows that there is always a gospel — a good news to share. And here it is:
While changing the world is a meaningless goal, what is in our power to determine is the pace and the direction of that change. It just requires some specificity; an actual theory of change. And that means, getting a clear vision and mission for yourself:
“How do you want the world changed and how exactly do you want to change it?
”
These are the questions that every student, every entrepreneur, every artist should ask themselves as they leap wide eyed and hopeful into the world of work and creation. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t readily able to answer them.
Because changing the world is the 5 hour energy of purposes. It gives you an instant surge of energy but no true sustenance for the long haul. After a while, the high ends and you are back to the reality of just how tired and fuzzy you — and your dreams — really are.
To truly put some strength behind your passions, ask yourself the hard questions. What do you want the world to look like as a result of your dream and your work?
The answer may not be short and sweet. It may not fit onto a bumper sticker or iphone case. It will likely require some learning and some time — maybe a few jobs, projects and failures — to figure out. But that’s the only way you can really Be the Change. You have to know what the change actually looks like.
As someone who has built a career helping people do the work, I can promise you this: Figuring it out is a worthwhile endeavor that will go a long way to clarify your path, measure your impact and maybe, just maybe, really make the world a better place.
Whole Change: What to Expect When You’re Expecting
January 4, 2014 | Posted by Erica Williams
Happy new year beautiful people! No, I’m not pregnant. If you are, congrats. But yeah…no. I’m expecting something only slight less major: a big, full new chapter of life. I am so excited for 2014 and all that it holds and I hope that you are too. A lot of changes have already been set in motion this year – new projects, new work, new places, new habits. I hate when people give too many specifics before things happen so I’ll just say that I can’t wait to share everything that I’m cooking up for you guys in the days, weeks and months to come.
One of the reasons for the excitement is that I’m (beyond) ready to put into action all that I learned in 2013. From what I can tell, last year was a meaningful one for a lot of you. I’ve heard your stories about big life changes, loss, confusion, disappointment and also new adventures, risks, and experiences that you will never forget (but perhaps are eager to move above and beyond). In an essay that I shared on my writing blog, I talked about how last year was quite the doozy for me too:
“…2013 was the unsettling of everything. I laid low to discover who I thought I was, who I thought I had to be, and the possibility of who I could become. And in the end, I became a woman, jointly owned by only God and me, now as certain about who I am and what I want as I am about life’s uncertainty.
”
I go on to describe a year of amazingly painful, beautiful growth. I posted that essay on Facebook and in between all of the “likes” and comments, got dozens of versions of this message over and over again in response: “That’s awesome! What did you learn? HOW did you grow? Please share!”
Ask and you shall receive. I’m introducing a new series here on the blog called WHOLE CHANGE. Every week this year, I’m going to share a lesson that I learned in 2013 that helped me grow into a more powerful, brave, free and whole person on my journey to “change the world”.
“Why share here?” you may be asking. “Isn’t this website all about your communications, media and social change work?” Well here’s the thing. One of the lessons that I learned that I’ll share more about later is the harm we do to ourselves, our mission and our dreams when we segment ourselves into multiple people – artistic and creative Erica, religious Erica, political Erica, media Erica, motivational Erica. Multiple personalities aren’t cute. Or healthy.
Of course there are still practical reasons, professional and otherwise, to have more than one platform or online persona. For example, on my writing blog I’ll be sharing essays and poems and thoughts that may be in a completely different style than readers of ericawilliams.com enjoy. And of course I will continue to publish content about communications, culture and social issues here as well.
But “Being the Change” is about actually being; finding your truth and letting that shine through all you do because your cause and your community needs you. The whole you, in its many splendored glory. You can’t effectively change the world and be unchanged yourself. Your personal, spiritual and mental growth is a key part of your social change strategy. And since I’m really committed to helping you do gooders do better, I’ve got to share tips for that part of your life’s work as well.
I titled this blog “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” first because I wanted to share with you what you should expect on this blog this year. But even more importantly, I want you to expect to grow and change a lot in order to take your life by the horns and make it count.
Let’s all expect the best of each other and this powerful new year!
WHOLE CHANGE #1: It’s Okay To Not Know It All. Life’s Better That Way.
January 8, 2014 | Posted by Erica Williams
Have you ever stood at a crossroads and not known which way to go? Well that was me in January 2013. I had quit my job over the holidays and knew that I wanted to change direction – but I wasn’t sure how or what my new vision was. I was blessed to have a lot of opportunities and a lot of options. I just didn’t have any clarity to go with them. So I needed to take some time to figure it all out. Sounds reasonable right? Well it didn’t feel reasonable. In fact it was terrifying. So much so, that I couldn’t even tell anyone.
I was afraid to admit that I was in a stage of search and discovery. How would that make me look? Would I lose ground professionally? Would I disappoint people who thought they knew what I should be doing and where I should be going? There were so many fears circling around my soul but one of the biggest was the fear of not knowing everything.
See, professionally (and to a certain extent socially) I exist in a world of “Know-It-Alls”. Sound familiar? People who make a living solving – or attempting to solve – or at the very least talking about how someone else should solve – the world’s problems. My twitter feed, inbox and contact list are filled with journalists, culture critics, entrepreneurs, policy analysts, activists, commentators, artists, ministers, health and fitness gurus, relationship experts…all spending hours a day telling me and the rest of the world what they know; what they are certain about regarding, well, everything – why a policy is bad, why a strategy is good, why a tv show is stupid, why a sin is deadly, why a hairstyle is bad – you name it, my friends/colleagues “know” it.
Or maybe for you it’s even closer to home – parents and significant others, cousins and play cousins, church members and neighbors who always think they know what’s best – for everyone.
Whether it’s professional Know-It-Alls or Amateur-Know-It-Alls, we’ve all found ourselves at one time or another surrounded by people who pride themselves on being an expert in all things. And maybe you’ve even been that person yourself. Don’t feel bad. You aren’t alone.
Unfortunately, many of us change makers have adopted this attitude. We know exactly what is wrong in the world and we know how to fix it. And we always know exactly what we should be doing for our own lives in that equation. Today’s culture of success and doing good is rooted in certainty. From big issues like, racism, sexism, homophobia and environmentalism to reality television and Kanye West all the way to our own religion, relationships and careers – we are all sure that we can make the world better doing exactly what we think is best, because we have the answers. And we think that our certainty and wisdom makes us righteous.
But it doesn’t. It makes us arrogant and busy. It limits our vision and leaves no space for reflection. And in a situation where we really don’t know the answers (which, if we’re honest with ourselves happens way more than we care to admit), the facade of omniscience keeps us fearful and paralyzed. In short, it stops progress – in the world and in our own lives.
So exhale and let it go. You don’t have time to pretend! You don’t have time to make up answers! You don’t have time to keep up the facade! You don’t have time to waste.
It wasn’t until I admitted that I didn’t know what my next move should be that I opened myself up to the possibility of exploring wherever my heart wanted me to go. I was able to hear from others, experiment, look in unusual places and find a new path that I never would have discovered had I not humbled myself and silenced my inner expert.
And now, while I may not know everything about everything, this I do believe:
The world will be saved by those who recognize its mystery and live a life driven more by questions than by answers.
Hear what I’m saying. It’s the questions that keep us searching and striving and growing. And its humility that will allow us to innovate and be awed by the beauty of real social transformation when we see it, however it comes.
So stop pressuring yourself to know it all. Your destiny will thank you.
Source: www.ericawilliams.com
ED/SOC/GralInt-TED Talks-Mike Smith: Skate for Change & Brilliance, it´s in their DNA
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Skate for Change: Mike Smith at TEDxOmaha
Published on Oct 29, 2012
Mike Smith is the founder and director of Skate for Change, a group of skateboarders committed to serving and giving back to the low-income and homeless. Smith's work brings together two disenfranchised groups for social change.
In this talk, he describes the inspiration behind his work, the support he has received, and the impact that a small group can have in the world.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Motivational speaker Mike Smith shares experiences to inspire students
By Colleen Fell on September 6th, 2013
Mike Smith told a group of 200 college students on Thursday night that some things are worth more than an education.
“There’s so much more than a degree and a career – making a difference is far more important,” the Imperial, Neb., native said.
The University Program Council brought the entrepreneur and motivational speaker to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Nebraska Union on Thursday night to advise students to pursue their passions. Smith, a self-proclaimed “professional teenager” for the past five years, has begun two non-profit organizations: The BAY and Skate For Change. The BAY, an indoor skate park, was established about four years ago after Smith received a phone call notifying him that a skate park in Lincoln was going to be torn down and that he could keep the ramps from the park as long as he used them for children.
“It was a dream that I had had since I was in the fourth grade,” Smith said. “To give kids something to identify themselves with.”
The BAY has since moved locations from a small space in Gateway Mall to a 30,000-square-foot space on Y Street in Lincoln.
Smith said he doesn’t like the term “professional speaker” and wants to bridge the gap between adolescents and adults.
“I think we are the first generation that believes we can bring social change,” Smith said.
After his life changed drastically during his senior year of high school when he lost his close friends in a drunken driving accident, he was inspired to turn his reckless lifestyle into one he could use to positively influence others.
“I didn’t graduate college,” Smith said. “I barely got into college.”
Smith said the only reason he was allowed to go to college was his athletic ability, and his way of thinking truly changed when his college basketball coach asked him what he wanted his major to be.
Smith’s response was that he had a desire to help people. After, his coach took him to bridges in Omaha where homeless people frequented, he said he would regularly hand out items such as socks, food and water.
Since then, Smith has founded The BAY and Skate For Change, a nonprofit organization that gives at-risk youth a chance to give back to the community. Today, the organization is responsible for deeds such as donating food and clothing to the homeless and financially assisting teen mothers.
“We’re more than just a skate park,” Smith said.
However, the organization has faced many struggles to become successful, Smith said. At times when he realized that he would not be able to pay rent for The BAY, he raised money in ways such as sleeping under a bridge for 30 days. Smith also skateboarded his way across Nebraska.
Skate For Change has chapters in more than 15 major U.S. cities and one in Australia.
He said the most important thing that youth should remember is to listen to the “tiny whisper” inside that “tells us we can do something incredible.”
His message was well-received by the audience, said Jessi Sackett, a freshman mechanical engineering major.
“He was very engaging and talked about a wide range of things,” Sackett said. “He’s someone that had a lot of trials and tribulations and is relatable.”
Sackett said she enjoyed Smith’s presentation and would like to see similar events offered by the university.
“I liked his message to go after your dreams and not let society define you.”
Source:news@dailynebraskan.com
Brilliance, It's In Their DNA: Mike Smith at TEDxYouth@Lincoln
Publicado el 04/10/2013
Founder of The Bay and Skate for Change. Mike Smith is a professional speaker who encourages youth to make a difference. In his talk, he challenges both youth and adults to get ready for what this generation will bring to the table.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Skate For Change CHAPTER 1: LEADERSHIP
de Mike Smith / Licencia de Creative Commons: by nc nd
A peek into the lives of four skateboarders in Lincoln, Nebraska who volunteer to participate in Skate For Change.
Skate for Change- Ryan Sheckler & Joey Brezinski
de Ronnie Romero Plus
Red Bull sent out a couple of their team riders, Ryan Sheckler & Joey Brezinski to help Mike Smith and Bay 198 Skatepark launch "Skate for Change". Skate for Change is an initiative to have skateboarders help give back to their communities by helping clean up parks and helping feed and clothe the homeless and less fortunate.
For more information on Skate for Change or find out how you can donate or start an SFC chapter in your area,
visit: skateforchange.org
Sources: www.youtube.com/www.vimeo.com/www.skateforchange.org & others
Skate for Change: Mike Smith at TEDxOmaha
Published on Oct 29, 2012
Mike Smith is the founder and director of Skate for Change, a group of skateboarders committed to serving and giving back to the low-income and homeless. Smith's work brings together two disenfranchised groups for social change.
In this talk, he describes the inspiration behind his work, the support he has received, and the impact that a small group can have in the world.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Motivational speaker Mike Smith shares experiences to inspire students
By Colleen Fell on September 6th, 2013
Mike Smith told a group of 200 college students on Thursday night that some things are worth more than an education.
“There’s so much more than a degree and a career – making a difference is far more important,” the Imperial, Neb., native said.
The University Program Council brought the entrepreneur and motivational speaker to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Nebraska Union on Thursday night to advise students to pursue their passions. Smith, a self-proclaimed “professional teenager” for the past five years, has begun two non-profit organizations: The BAY and Skate For Change. The BAY, an indoor skate park, was established about four years ago after Smith received a phone call notifying him that a skate park in Lincoln was going to be torn down and that he could keep the ramps from the park as long as he used them for children.
“It was a dream that I had had since I was in the fourth grade,” Smith said. “To give kids something to identify themselves with.”
The BAY has since moved locations from a small space in Gateway Mall to a 30,000-square-foot space on Y Street in Lincoln.
Smith said he doesn’t like the term “professional speaker” and wants to bridge the gap between adolescents and adults.
“I think we are the first generation that believes we can bring social change,” Smith said.
After his life changed drastically during his senior year of high school when he lost his close friends in a drunken driving accident, he was inspired to turn his reckless lifestyle into one he could use to positively influence others.
“I didn’t graduate college,” Smith said. “I barely got into college.”
Smith said the only reason he was allowed to go to college was his athletic ability, and his way of thinking truly changed when his college basketball coach asked him what he wanted his major to be.
Smith’s response was that he had a desire to help people. After, his coach took him to bridges in Omaha where homeless people frequented, he said he would regularly hand out items such as socks, food and water.
Since then, Smith has founded The BAY and Skate For Change, a nonprofit organization that gives at-risk youth a chance to give back to the community. Today, the organization is responsible for deeds such as donating food and clothing to the homeless and financially assisting teen mothers.
“We’re more than just a skate park,” Smith said.
However, the organization has faced many struggles to become successful, Smith said. At times when he realized that he would not be able to pay rent for The BAY, he raised money in ways such as sleeping under a bridge for 30 days. Smith also skateboarded his way across Nebraska.
Skate For Change has chapters in more than 15 major U.S. cities and one in Australia.
He said the most important thing that youth should remember is to listen to the “tiny whisper” inside that “tells us we can do something incredible.”
His message was well-received by the audience, said Jessi Sackett, a freshman mechanical engineering major.
“He was very engaging and talked about a wide range of things,” Sackett said. “He’s someone that had a lot of trials and tribulations and is relatable.”
Sackett said she enjoyed Smith’s presentation and would like to see similar events offered by the university.
“I liked his message to go after your dreams and not let society define you.”
Source:news@dailynebraskan.com
Brilliance, It's In Their DNA: Mike Smith at TEDxYouth@Lincoln
Publicado el 04/10/2013
Founder of The Bay and Skate for Change. Mike Smith is a professional speaker who encourages youth to make a difference. In his talk, he challenges both youth and adults to get ready for what this generation will bring to the table.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Skate For Change CHAPTER 1: LEADERSHIP
de Mike Smith / Licencia de Creative Commons: by nc nd
A peek into the lives of four skateboarders in Lincoln, Nebraska who volunteer to participate in Skate For Change.
Skate For Change CHAPTER 1: LEADERSHIP from Mike Smith on Vimeo.
Skate for Change- Ryan Sheckler & Joey Brezinski
de Ronnie Romero Plus
Red Bull sent out a couple of their team riders, Ryan Sheckler & Joey Brezinski to help Mike Smith and Bay 198 Skatepark launch "Skate for Change". Skate for Change is an initiative to have skateboarders help give back to their communities by helping clean up parks and helping feed and clothe the homeless and less fortunate.
For more information on Skate for Change or find out how you can donate or start an SFC chapter in your area,
visit: skateforchange.org
Skate for Change- Ryan Sheckler & Joey Brezinski from Ronnie Romero on Vimeo.
Sources: www.youtube.com/www.vimeo.com/www.skateforchange.org & others
Monday, March 24, 2014
BUS/LEAD/GralInt-Developing leaders in a business
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Book Excerpt|McKinsey Quarterly
Developing leaders in a business
In his book The Will to Lead, Marvin Bower, McKinsey’s managing partner from 1950 to 1967, urges senior managers to abandon command-and-control structures and adopt a program to develop leaders, starting with themselves. In this excerpt, he explores the attributes of leadership.
November 1997 | byMarvin Bower
The shortcomings of command-and-control management are becoming ever more apparent. The hierarchy of bosses organized into ranks, with each superior exercising authority over subordinates who do exactly what their boss wants, has long been the dominant form of corporate organization. But recognizing that they are handicapped by their current systems, many companies are now questioning the way they manage themselves. They are striving for greater effectiveness and flexibility to cope with and capitalize on the fast-moving, ever-changing competitive conditions they see just ahead.
I believe that the old command system must be replaced. Fixing it is not good enough. My view is that authority should be replaced by leadership. By that, I don’t mean that a business should be run by a single leader, but that it should be run by a network of leaders positioned right through the organization. Leaders and leadership teams working together will, I suggest, run a business more effectively than a hierarchical, command-and-control structure.
What makes a leader?
Leadership scholars define a leader as a person who sets attractive goals and has the ability to attract followers, or constituents, who share those goals. Above all, a leader must be trusted and respected. Trust between a leader and constituents opens up two-way communication, making it possible for them to realize their common goals.
Anyone who aspires to lead must develop certain qualities and attributes. By “qualities,” I mean elements of character or personal makeup that are typically difficult (but not impossible) to learn. People usually bring their qualities with them when they join a company. “Attributes,” on the other hand, are more like skills and hence easier to learn. Fortunately, the attributes needed for leadership far outnumber the qualities.
Trustworthiness
Leadership scholars are virtually unanimous in putting trustworthiness at the top of the list of qualities required by any leader. Trustworthiness is integrity in action. Pearl S. Buck, winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize for Literature, put it thus: “Integrity is honesty carried through the fibers of the being and the whole mind, into thought as well as into action so that the person is complete in honesty. That kind of integrity I put above all else as an essential of leadership.”1
Anyone seeking to be a leader should always tell the truth, if for no other reason than it is simpler. Richard Heckert, retired chairman of DuPont, put it this way: “If you always tell the truth, you won’t have to remember what you said.”
I have observed that the executives I trusted most were truthful about unimportant as well as important things. They went into detail to be accurate about small things, even correcting statements about things that did not matter. High-precision truthfulness is a good way to gain trust, the ticket of admission to leadership.
Ralph Hart, former chairman of Heublein and president of Colgate-Palmolive, spoke of an incident early in his career when he was hired to sell adding machines to small stores. He was given no training, just provided with samples and sent straight into the field. When he began his route, he was too nervous to enter the first store. As it was late in the day, he decided to wait until morning and begin fresh. But the next day he was still nervous. Finally, near closing time, he approached a store owner, who wasn’t interested:
“I asked, ‘Would you at least look at them?’ So the store owner started asking me questions, and I kept on saying, ‘I don’t know, but I‘ll find out.’ Finally the owner agreed to purchase an adding machine. I was mystified, and asked him why he finally relented. He replied, ‘Anyone who has a salesman as honest as you are must have a good product.’ That was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. It’s something that I never forgot—be honest and tell the truth.”2
Fairness
In my years as a consultant, the most frequent complaint I heard (in confidence) about bosses has been about some form of unfairness. To get something done, the boss had used authority carelessly. In the eyes of subordinates, what the boss wanted done was unnecessary, too difficult, or impossible in the time given.
In America, to be called an unfair boss is damning, and even implies a flawed character. Conversely, a boss who is tough but fair is to be admired. In dictionaries, “fair” is variously defined as equitable, unprejudiced, impartial, dispassionate, and objective.
However it is defined, Americans—possibly because of their intense involvement in sports—are quick to recognize what’s fair and what’s unfair. They will forgive much, but seldom unfairness. Unfairness in a chief executive is particularly serious, because he or she sets the example for everyone else in the company.
Fairness and trust, of course, go hand in hand. Both are essential not only in the chief executive, but in all leaders throughout the company. Moreover, if fairness and trust become an integral part of a company’s culture, then these qualities will flourish, to that company’s great benefit.
Unassuming behavior
Arrogance, haughtiness, and egotism are poisonous to leadership. But leaders can never be hypocritically humble. They are simply unassuming in their behavior. Unpretentiousness can be learned, and it is well suited to the examples the chief executive should set.
Robert K. Greenleaf, former director of management research for AT&T, coined a useful term for the unassuming leader: “servant leadership.” In a pamphlet, and later in his book Servant Leadership,3
he alludes to a German tale about a group of important men who went on a long journey into the wilderness, accompanied by a servant. They got lost and fell into deep trouble. The servant was particularly helpful and became accepted as the leader of the group. His masters came to trust him because he demonstrated attributes that helped them get out of trouble. So he, a servant, became their leader, and they became his constituents.
Having a servant leadership viewpoint helps any chief executive focus on company performance and on the needs of constituents rather than on his or her own performance or image. The chief executive knows that he or she will get credit for good corporate performance as well as blame for poor performance. So the chief who is a leader can plunge wholeheartedly into leading other company leaders in improving overall company performance, knowing that chief executive performance is always being carefully watched by everyone in the company.
Successful leaders are as unassuming in the surroundings they create—or tolerate—as they are in their behavior. Casualness and informality contribute to a leadership culture. In some successful high-tech companies, everyone dresses and behaves informally; it’s integral to the company culture.
Let me add a few more examples:
• Unassuming leaders surprise visitors and company people with their offices: pleasant, inviting, and functional, but completely unostentatious in size and decor. And they leave their desks to sit with visitors.
• General Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of Operation Desert Storm, was offered a villa by the Saudis, but he chose instead a small room tucked away behind his office.4
• I know several executives who have “chairman” on their business cards and letterhead but not “chief executive officer,” even though they hold both titles.
• I know two chief executives who often stand in line at headquarters cafeterias and then join a group at one of the general tables.
• The McKinsey research on excellent companies, which ultimately became In Search of Excellence,5
found that unassuming executives walk around rather than holding meetings in their own offices.
If all company leaders have an unassuming manner—with the casualness and informality that it produces—the resulting behaviors of people will fit naturally into a leadership culture.
Leaders listen
Listening may seem like an unimportant activity, but my experience convinces me that the reverse is true. In a survey, one of the participants said: “Frankly, I had never thought of listening as an important subject by itself. But now that I am aware of it, I think that perhaps 80 percent of my work depends on my listening to someone, or on someone else listening to me.”6
I have observed that a high proportion of CEOs in command companies don’t listen very well. They may even turn off people who have valuable information to provide; and one turn-off may discourage the person from coming forward the next time with even more valuable information. In fact, chief executives of command companies are generally such poor listeners that they can signal their change to leading simply by beginning to listen. The shift from telling to listening can be startling to subordinates—and I guarantee they will receive it well. Indeed, at first, they will be flattered. And emerging leaders will be surprised by how much of importance they will learn.
In meetings, chief executives often close off opportunities to learn by expressing their own views too early in the discussion. I know one chief executive of a world-class overseas company who does this constantly. His colleagues have concluded that he is subconsciously showing off his brilliance. That habit, together with the awe in which he is held, cuts him off from important facts and useful opinions.
Active listening helps assure the other person that he or she is being heard and understood. That involves not only paying close attention, but also asking brief, nonleading questions. These convey interest and understanding without necessarily implying agreement.
But a word of caution: listening customs vary around the world. One American executive I know went to England to negotiate an alliance. He was successful, but the affiliation proved worthless. His rueful afterthought: “I wish I had known then that when most Britons nod their heads, it means ‘I understand you,’ not ‘I agree with you.’”
Listening was cited as playing an important role in the election by Fortune in 1994 of six new members of the National Business Hall of Fame, each of whom was “blessed as much with forehearing as foresight”:
“Of all the skills of leadership, listening is one of the most valuable—and one of the least understood. Most captains of industry listen only sometimes, and they remain ordinary leaders. But a few, the great ones, never stop listening. They are hear-aholics, ever alert, bending their ears while they work and while they play, while they eat and while they sleep. They listen to advisers, to customers, to inner voices, to enemies, to the wind. That’s how they get word before anyone else of unseen problems and opportunities.”7
This seemingly simple attribute—along with open-mindedness—can have enormous importance and contribute to competitive advantage for any company.
A leader is open-minded
Over the years, I have encountered many chief executives whose minds were closed or only slightly ajar. As a consultant, I admit to being sensitive to this failing. What’s the use of hiring consultants if your mind is too closed to consider their findings?
I’ve thought a lot about why chief executives are not more open-minded, and I lay much of the blame on the command-and-control system. The all-powerful chief executive sits at the top, managing mostly from there. People don’t question chief executives much, and they seldom disagree with them. So CEOs become self-believers and commanders of others. That’s pretty heady stuff, and it feeds on itself.
Self-assurance can be a plus, but excessive self-assurance leads to egotism and even arrogance; it certainly closes minds. I’ve seen it happen.
If a leader gets an idea—say, an acquisition—he or she keeps an open mind about its good and bad features. People in the organization then feel free to come forward with both positive and negative information. By contrast, a CEO in a command company who gets an idea about an acquisition might not want to hear any negative information about it, and if that CEO doesn’t have a reputation for being open-minded, people are not likely to come forward with such information. When in doubt, people in a command company tend to keep quiet.
Any leader with an open mind makes better judgments, learns more of what he or she needs to know, and establishes more positive relations with subordinates and constituents. In a leadership company where there is no hierarchy and where people are free to speak their minds about company performance and how to improve it, people can be more productive. Consider the great competitive advantage of having an open-minded chief executive and other open-minded leaders throughout a company, all ready to receive and consider ideas and put them to work if their judgments stamp them as useful.
As constituents come to learn that their leader does indeed listen with an open mind, they’ll gain confidence in offering their opinions and in engaging in those full, free exchanges of thought that can turn into useful brainstorming sessions. Even the small ideas that emerge can be valuable, and sometimes they can be developed into ideas of real importance. The leader can easily control the time devoted to such sessions: constituents will sense when he or she wants to end the discussion and get on with other business.
It isn’t hard to keep an open mind once you accept its value. However, for anyone who is learning to be open-minded, the following guidelines may help. Never say no immediately. Of course, you have to give a response of some sort, and it should be “I’ll get back to you.” After you have taken time for thought, at least overnight, your decision in all likelihood will be better for not having been made on the spot. Whatever you decide, don’t fail to get back to those to whom you’ve promised to respond. Particularly, be meticulous in responding to anything submitted in writing.
Sensitivity to people
Most leadership scholars call this attribute “skill in dealing with people.” To me that smacks of managing or even manipulating people, as though the leader should develop mechanical approaches or a studied synthetic style. Moreover, treating this attribute as a skill focuses the mind of the leader inwardly in a self-centered way, instead of outwardly on helping or persuading constituents.
The reality is that a leader can’t motivate or persuade constituents or others effectively without having some sense of what’s on their minds. So unless they are always forthcoming about what is on their minds (which is unrealistic to expect), the leader must try to discern what they’re thinking and feeling. That’s why I prefer to call this important attribute “sensitivity to people.”
I believe a leader can develop competence in guessing what’s on people’s minds. Once my late partner Zip Reilly had convinced me to give up commanding and try persuading, I knew that I could persuade people better if I could tell what was going on inside them. It seemed to me, however, that I had to start paying attention to everyone I dealt with every day. I had to stop taking them for granted and exercise insights, intuition, perception, empathy, or some combination of these in the guesswork of trying to find out what was on their minds. Eventually I got the hang of it; I suggest that nearly anyone with the will to lead can do the same.
There is a stereotype that women have more intuition than men; my own experience backs this up. At McKinsey, we work extensively with teams. I have observed that when I have worked for some time with an all-male team and then add a woman, the team becomes more imaginative, has more and better ideas, and is more sensitive to what’s on the minds of client people. It is well to keep this in mind in making up leadership teams.
Sensitivity to people also means that leaders are sensitive to their feelings. Leaders are polite, considerate, understanding, and careful that what they say to someone is not dispiriting unless criticism is intended. Leaders, especially chief executives, must also be careful not to be overheard discussing someone’s job performance with another person. There’s nothing new in that but it’s frequently overlooked.
Sensitivity to situations
Situations are created by people and must be dealt with by people. Any company leader who is called on to resolve a dispute or disagreement must combine a careful analysis of the facts with an acute sensitivity to the feelings and attitudes of the people involved.
Consider the case of a food manufacturing conglomerate that developed a strategy of acquiring other food companies to increase its share of market and profits. A small taskforce scoured the country looking for acquisition candidates. Eventually, a fast-food chain became available. The taskforce studied it carefully and recommended to the president and chief operating officer that it be acquired.
The acquisition was made. After several years, however, poor results created a drag on the conglomerate’s profits. On closer examination, its chief executive realized that a fast-food chain was an entirely different type of business from a food manufacturer. Key factors for success were proper selection of sites and the selection and training of people to make and serve the products—as contrasted with manufacturing products in volume and packaging, distributing, advertising, and promoting them effectively. The conglomerate sold the fast-food chain (ironically, to another food manufacturer) and took a large charge against earnings. The president was fired.
This disaster could have been avoided if the people involved had conducted a more searching, sensitive, and intuitive investigation. In that conglomerate, managed by command and control, members of the taskforce expected a successful outcome to mean advancement for them—and the president expected the acquisition to clinch his promotion to chairman. Thus the objectivity of the taskforce and the president were undermined by personal ambition. And poor judgment by the president cost him his job. He failed to sense intuitively that he should have challenged the taskforce’s objectivity more rigorously before authorizing the acquisition. But the chief executive was really the one at fault.
Initiative, initiative, initiative
Initiative is one of the most important attributes of any leader. It is also easy to learn. Just think a bit, use judgment, and act. The important thing is to keep alert for opportunities.
American chief executives seldom lack initiative; their boards wouldn’t have elected them if they did. Every board knows that the chief executive has responsibility for getting things going and keeping them going. Even so, command-and-control managing inhibits initiative, especially down the line.
But consider the dynamics of a leadership company run with a network of leaders. All leaders stationed strategically throughout the company are alert to taking initiatives at every opportunity. And constituents as well as leaders can suggest initiatives.
My late friend Bob Greenleaf once said “Nothing in this world happens except at the initiative of a single person.” His observation points up the opportunities for action that are open to every leader and constituent in a leadership company. These can make an important contribution to competitive advantage.
Good judgment
John Gardner gives this definition of judgment, of which every leader would do well to memorize the first sentence:
“Judgment is the ability to combine hard data, questionable data, and intuitive guesses to arrive at a conclusion that events prove to be correct. Judgment-in-action includes effective problem solving, the design of strategies, the setting of priorities, and intuitive as well as rational judgments. Most important, perhaps, it includes the capacity to appraise the potentialities of co-workers and opponents.”8
Following fads in running companies often reflects bad judgment. Adopting Japanese manufacturing ideas provides an example. Some American manufacturers have found that this approach is nowhere near as effective at lifting productivity in their own plants as it seems to be in Japan. I can also think of many cases of bad judgment in making acquisitions of new types of business to shore up weak earnings (and weak management) in the core business. Too many acquisitions are based simply on the chief executive’s wish to make the company larger, a prime cause of bad judgment.
In my opinion, the chief executive of a leadership company is more likely to make good judgments than the chief of a command-and-control company, simply because constituents—recognizing the leader’s open-mindedness and willingness to listen—will be more willing to volunteer their candid opinions. I also believe that multiple first-among-equals leaders in a leadership company will make decisions of a consistently higher quality because many leaders and constituents will be involved in much of the decision making.
People whose judgments have been tested and usually found to be sound are an invaluable resource. Any company can strengthen the quality of its decision making by seeking out people with good judgment among its network of leaders. Moreover, in a leadership company where constituents can speak up, their judgments, too, can make important contributions.
Broad-mindedness
My dictionary defines the term “broad-minded” as “tolerant of varied views” and “inclined to condone minor departures from conventional behavior.” This attribute is closely related to being open-minded, adaptable, and flexible. Other aspects of broad-mindedness are being undisturbed by little things, willing to overlook small errors, and easy to talk with.
This is probably as good a place as any to bring up sense of humor. It’s hardly an attribute, but it can serve everybody well. A leader with a sense of humor will certainly get along better with everyone, and he or she should nourish it constantly and be thankful for having it.
Flexibility and adaptability
Flexibility and adaptability go hand in hand with open-minded listening. The chief executive and other leaders thereby show their readiness to consider change and their willingness to make changes when most agree they are needed.
When competitive circumstances call for change, I’m convinced a leadership company will always be more ready for it. From the chief executive down, all leaders will keep their minds open and alert to the need for continuous improvement in all segments of the enterprise. In doing so, they will learn how to spot the need for change faster, how to initiate change, and how to adapt to it.
The capacity to make sound and timely decisions
A sound decision by an individual chief executive in a command company depends largely on his or her ability to think and to seek advice from others. In a leadership company, there will be fewer individual decisions, even by the chief executive. Most decisions will be checked by others, at the CEO’s request or at the initiative of others. In fact, all decisions should be of higher quality because so many people are free to speak up and to disagree.
The late Charles Mortimer, chairman of General Foods, was unusual in that he was openly trying to improve his own performance. In one of our sessions, he gave me a pamphlet by Robert Rawly entitled Time Out for Mental Digestion. He told me that he followed the message faithfully and found that his decision making improved substantially. Ever since then, I’ve followed it too, and with surprising success. Perhaps it will work for others.
The key to the approach is “mental digestion”; these words have more meaning for me than the old phrase “mulling it over.” “Mulling” connotes turning over the same thought, whereas “mental digestion” implies putting the original thought out of mind for a time. Mental digestion, at least overnight, almost always brings new options from which to choose. For something of real importance, however, one night will usually not be long enough for new options to emerge. Then I may wait a week or two; again, I put the thought out of mind, and again, new options suggest themselves each time I go back to it. That’s the “mental digestion.”
All leaders—particularly the chief executive—must recognize that the speed as well as the quality of their decisions will set an example for others. I’ve observed a number of busy chief executives who appear to be indecisive, but are not. They can make up their minds all right, but they simply do not realize that delaying a decision (or failing to communicate it) not only erodes effective performance, but also irritates those waiting for the decision. They could correct this simply by setting priorities and asking their assistants to remind them to follow up.
Some make decisions too quickly. One chief executive I worked with surprised me with his rapid-fire decision making. It turned out that he had been a baseball umpire in college and had carried the habit over into business. Once he was aware of the reason, it was easy for him to slow down—and the quality of his decisions went up.
In a leadership company, it might not have taken an outsider (me) to help that executive improve his decision making. In such a culture, people are more likely to help each other learn how to decide. Competition among individuals to get ahead will likely be replaced by mutual support among people helping each other to improve company performance.
The capacity to motivate
John Gardner puts it well: “More than any other attribute, this is close to the heart of the popular conception of leadership—the capacity to move people to action, to communicate persuasively, to strengthen the confidence of followers.”9
Too often, in so-called modern managing, motivations take the form of monetary rewards for the individual, or promises of advancement within the company. Both are characteristic of command-and-control managing and should not be carried over into a leadership company. In a leadership company, people will be motivated by example and the daily satisfaction they get from making valuable contributions to the company, and from being treated fairly, with dignity and consideration. These are motivations they can take home every day. And since everyone should participate in profit sharing and be owners of stock, they will have financial incentives as well.
In the longer term, people in a leadership company derive satisfaction from being involved in work that produces products or services that customers buy with increasing satisfaction. And for everyone, simply belonging to a leadership company will be satisfying in itself.
A sense of urgency
One of the ways currently advocated for improving the command system is to use time (that is, speed) to provide a competitive edge. Bring new products out on time, deliver orders promptly, get things done faster than competitors. All are useful practices if carried out without harming quality.
Early in my McKinsey career, I observed that many outstanding companies had a sense of urgency underlying everything they did—a refreshing difference from companies where every response is either slow or erratic. I also noticed that the chief executive invariably set the pace, which was promptly followed throughout the company.
When a sense of urgency has spread right through a company, it can make a substantial difference in both effectiveness and efficiency, and also makes it easier to speed up activities further when necessary. Moreover, people like to work in a company where “things happen.” A sense of urgency is a useful ingredient in a leadership culture.
And a sense of urgency is easy to establish in a leadership company. With the chief executive setting an example, every leader throughout the company can, in turn, set an example for his or her constituents.
Getting started
Whether or not the ultimate plan is to convert the business from a command-and-control company to a leadership company, I suggest that the CEO take immediate steps to become a leader. No matter how the company is run now, this change—from managing to leading—will, I am sure, increase the CEO’s effectiveness in running the business.
The CEO will already have the trust of the board—and probably of his or her direct reports. The challenge will be to convince bosses throughout the company that they can trust the CEO. To achieve this trust and become leaders, some CEOs may need only to become more consistent in the way they currently behave; others may find that they will have to undergo a major behavioral overhaul, a prospect that may prove too daunting for them to undertake.
My experience has been that most CEOs will fall between these two extremes. They will be natural learners and eager to try what works. I’m convinced they should expend effort in three areas: learning to listen to people actively with an open mind, demonstrating high-precision truthfulness in all dealings, and becoming unassuming and approachable in behavior. Combined, these basic changes are likely to be so surprising to constituents that they will respond favorably almost immediately. And as the CEO makes these changes, he or she will be able to judge the difficulties that others may have in changing their behavior to become leaders in their turn.
About the author
Marvin Bower joined McKinsey & Company in 1933. He is the author of The Will to Manage (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1966). This article is abridged from chapter 3 of his new book The Will to Lead (Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Mass., 1997), and appears here by permission of the publisher.
Source: www.mckinsey.com
Book Excerpt|McKinsey Quarterly
Developing leaders in a business
In his book The Will to Lead, Marvin Bower, McKinsey’s managing partner from 1950 to 1967, urges senior managers to abandon command-and-control structures and adopt a program to develop leaders, starting with themselves. In this excerpt, he explores the attributes of leadership.
November 1997 | byMarvin Bower
The shortcomings of command-and-control management are becoming ever more apparent. The hierarchy of bosses organized into ranks, with each superior exercising authority over subordinates who do exactly what their boss wants, has long been the dominant form of corporate organization. But recognizing that they are handicapped by their current systems, many companies are now questioning the way they manage themselves. They are striving for greater effectiveness and flexibility to cope with and capitalize on the fast-moving, ever-changing competitive conditions they see just ahead.
I believe that the old command system must be replaced. Fixing it is not good enough. My view is that authority should be replaced by leadership. By that, I don’t mean that a business should be run by a single leader, but that it should be run by a network of leaders positioned right through the organization. Leaders and leadership teams working together will, I suggest, run a business more effectively than a hierarchical, command-and-control structure.
What makes a leader?
Leadership scholars define a leader as a person who sets attractive goals and has the ability to attract followers, or constituents, who share those goals. Above all, a leader must be trusted and respected. Trust between a leader and constituents opens up two-way communication, making it possible for them to realize their common goals.
Anyone who aspires to lead must develop certain qualities and attributes. By “qualities,” I mean elements of character or personal makeup that are typically difficult (but not impossible) to learn. People usually bring their qualities with them when they join a company. “Attributes,” on the other hand, are more like skills and hence easier to learn. Fortunately, the attributes needed for leadership far outnumber the qualities.
Trustworthiness
Leadership scholars are virtually unanimous in putting trustworthiness at the top of the list of qualities required by any leader. Trustworthiness is integrity in action. Pearl S. Buck, winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize for Literature, put it thus: “Integrity is honesty carried through the fibers of the being and the whole mind, into thought as well as into action so that the person is complete in honesty. That kind of integrity I put above all else as an essential of leadership.”1
Anyone seeking to be a leader should always tell the truth, if for no other reason than it is simpler. Richard Heckert, retired chairman of DuPont, put it this way: “If you always tell the truth, you won’t have to remember what you said.”
I have observed that the executives I trusted most were truthful about unimportant as well as important things. They went into detail to be accurate about small things, even correcting statements about things that did not matter. High-precision truthfulness is a good way to gain trust, the ticket of admission to leadership.
Ralph Hart, former chairman of Heublein and president of Colgate-Palmolive, spoke of an incident early in his career when he was hired to sell adding machines to small stores. He was given no training, just provided with samples and sent straight into the field. When he began his route, he was too nervous to enter the first store. As it was late in the day, he decided to wait until morning and begin fresh. But the next day he was still nervous. Finally, near closing time, he approached a store owner, who wasn’t interested:
“I asked, ‘Would you at least look at them?’ So the store owner started asking me questions, and I kept on saying, ‘I don’t know, but I‘ll find out.’ Finally the owner agreed to purchase an adding machine. I was mystified, and asked him why he finally relented. He replied, ‘Anyone who has a salesman as honest as you are must have a good product.’ That was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. It’s something that I never forgot—be honest and tell the truth.”2
Fairness
In my years as a consultant, the most frequent complaint I heard (in confidence) about bosses has been about some form of unfairness. To get something done, the boss had used authority carelessly. In the eyes of subordinates, what the boss wanted done was unnecessary, too difficult, or impossible in the time given.
In America, to be called an unfair boss is damning, and even implies a flawed character. Conversely, a boss who is tough but fair is to be admired. In dictionaries, “fair” is variously defined as equitable, unprejudiced, impartial, dispassionate, and objective.
However it is defined, Americans—possibly because of their intense involvement in sports—are quick to recognize what’s fair and what’s unfair. They will forgive much, but seldom unfairness. Unfairness in a chief executive is particularly serious, because he or she sets the example for everyone else in the company.
Fairness and trust, of course, go hand in hand. Both are essential not only in the chief executive, but in all leaders throughout the company. Moreover, if fairness and trust become an integral part of a company’s culture, then these qualities will flourish, to that company’s great benefit.
Unassuming behavior
Arrogance, haughtiness, and egotism are poisonous to leadership. But leaders can never be hypocritically humble. They are simply unassuming in their behavior. Unpretentiousness can be learned, and it is well suited to the examples the chief executive should set.
Robert K. Greenleaf, former director of management research for AT&T, coined a useful term for the unassuming leader: “servant leadership.” In a pamphlet, and later in his book Servant Leadership,3
he alludes to a German tale about a group of important men who went on a long journey into the wilderness, accompanied by a servant. They got lost and fell into deep trouble. The servant was particularly helpful and became accepted as the leader of the group. His masters came to trust him because he demonstrated attributes that helped them get out of trouble. So he, a servant, became their leader, and they became his constituents.
Having a servant leadership viewpoint helps any chief executive focus on company performance and on the needs of constituents rather than on his or her own performance or image. The chief executive knows that he or she will get credit for good corporate performance as well as blame for poor performance. So the chief who is a leader can plunge wholeheartedly into leading other company leaders in improving overall company performance, knowing that chief executive performance is always being carefully watched by everyone in the company.
Successful leaders are as unassuming in the surroundings they create—or tolerate—as they are in their behavior. Casualness and informality contribute to a leadership culture. In some successful high-tech companies, everyone dresses and behaves informally; it’s integral to the company culture.
Let me add a few more examples:
• Unassuming leaders surprise visitors and company people with their offices: pleasant, inviting, and functional, but completely unostentatious in size and decor. And they leave their desks to sit with visitors.
• General Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of Operation Desert Storm, was offered a villa by the Saudis, but he chose instead a small room tucked away behind his office.4
• I know several executives who have “chairman” on their business cards and letterhead but not “chief executive officer,” even though they hold both titles.
• I know two chief executives who often stand in line at headquarters cafeterias and then join a group at one of the general tables.
• The McKinsey research on excellent companies, which ultimately became In Search of Excellence,5
found that unassuming executives walk around rather than holding meetings in their own offices.
If all company leaders have an unassuming manner—with the casualness and informality that it produces—the resulting behaviors of people will fit naturally into a leadership culture.
Leaders listen
Listening may seem like an unimportant activity, but my experience convinces me that the reverse is true. In a survey, one of the participants said: “Frankly, I had never thought of listening as an important subject by itself. But now that I am aware of it, I think that perhaps 80 percent of my work depends on my listening to someone, or on someone else listening to me.”6
I have observed that a high proportion of CEOs in command companies don’t listen very well. They may even turn off people who have valuable information to provide; and one turn-off may discourage the person from coming forward the next time with even more valuable information. In fact, chief executives of command companies are generally such poor listeners that they can signal their change to leading simply by beginning to listen. The shift from telling to listening can be startling to subordinates—and I guarantee they will receive it well. Indeed, at first, they will be flattered. And emerging leaders will be surprised by how much of importance they will learn.
In meetings, chief executives often close off opportunities to learn by expressing their own views too early in the discussion. I know one chief executive of a world-class overseas company who does this constantly. His colleagues have concluded that he is subconsciously showing off his brilliance. That habit, together with the awe in which he is held, cuts him off from important facts and useful opinions.
Active listening helps assure the other person that he or she is being heard and understood. That involves not only paying close attention, but also asking brief, nonleading questions. These convey interest and understanding without necessarily implying agreement.
But a word of caution: listening customs vary around the world. One American executive I know went to England to negotiate an alliance. He was successful, but the affiliation proved worthless. His rueful afterthought: “I wish I had known then that when most Britons nod their heads, it means ‘I understand you,’ not ‘I agree with you.’”
Listening was cited as playing an important role in the election by Fortune in 1994 of six new members of the National Business Hall of Fame, each of whom was “blessed as much with forehearing as foresight”:
“Of all the skills of leadership, listening is one of the most valuable—and one of the least understood. Most captains of industry listen only sometimes, and they remain ordinary leaders. But a few, the great ones, never stop listening. They are hear-aholics, ever alert, bending their ears while they work and while they play, while they eat and while they sleep. They listen to advisers, to customers, to inner voices, to enemies, to the wind. That’s how they get word before anyone else of unseen problems and opportunities.”7
This seemingly simple attribute—along with open-mindedness—can have enormous importance and contribute to competitive advantage for any company.
A leader is open-minded
Over the years, I have encountered many chief executives whose minds were closed or only slightly ajar. As a consultant, I admit to being sensitive to this failing. What’s the use of hiring consultants if your mind is too closed to consider their findings?
I’ve thought a lot about why chief executives are not more open-minded, and I lay much of the blame on the command-and-control system. The all-powerful chief executive sits at the top, managing mostly from there. People don’t question chief executives much, and they seldom disagree with them. So CEOs become self-believers and commanders of others. That’s pretty heady stuff, and it feeds on itself.
Self-assurance can be a plus, but excessive self-assurance leads to egotism and even arrogance; it certainly closes minds. I’ve seen it happen.
If a leader gets an idea—say, an acquisition—he or she keeps an open mind about its good and bad features. People in the organization then feel free to come forward with both positive and negative information. By contrast, a CEO in a command company who gets an idea about an acquisition might not want to hear any negative information about it, and if that CEO doesn’t have a reputation for being open-minded, people are not likely to come forward with such information. When in doubt, people in a command company tend to keep quiet.
Any leader with an open mind makes better judgments, learns more of what he or she needs to know, and establishes more positive relations with subordinates and constituents. In a leadership company where there is no hierarchy and where people are free to speak their minds about company performance and how to improve it, people can be more productive. Consider the great competitive advantage of having an open-minded chief executive and other open-minded leaders throughout a company, all ready to receive and consider ideas and put them to work if their judgments stamp them as useful.
As constituents come to learn that their leader does indeed listen with an open mind, they’ll gain confidence in offering their opinions and in engaging in those full, free exchanges of thought that can turn into useful brainstorming sessions. Even the small ideas that emerge can be valuable, and sometimes they can be developed into ideas of real importance. The leader can easily control the time devoted to such sessions: constituents will sense when he or she wants to end the discussion and get on with other business.
It isn’t hard to keep an open mind once you accept its value. However, for anyone who is learning to be open-minded, the following guidelines may help. Never say no immediately. Of course, you have to give a response of some sort, and it should be “I’ll get back to you.” After you have taken time for thought, at least overnight, your decision in all likelihood will be better for not having been made on the spot. Whatever you decide, don’t fail to get back to those to whom you’ve promised to respond. Particularly, be meticulous in responding to anything submitted in writing.
Sensitivity to people
Most leadership scholars call this attribute “skill in dealing with people.” To me that smacks of managing or even manipulating people, as though the leader should develop mechanical approaches or a studied synthetic style. Moreover, treating this attribute as a skill focuses the mind of the leader inwardly in a self-centered way, instead of outwardly on helping or persuading constituents.
The reality is that a leader can’t motivate or persuade constituents or others effectively without having some sense of what’s on their minds. So unless they are always forthcoming about what is on their minds (which is unrealistic to expect), the leader must try to discern what they’re thinking and feeling. That’s why I prefer to call this important attribute “sensitivity to people.”
I believe a leader can develop competence in guessing what’s on people’s minds. Once my late partner Zip Reilly had convinced me to give up commanding and try persuading, I knew that I could persuade people better if I could tell what was going on inside them. It seemed to me, however, that I had to start paying attention to everyone I dealt with every day. I had to stop taking them for granted and exercise insights, intuition, perception, empathy, or some combination of these in the guesswork of trying to find out what was on their minds. Eventually I got the hang of it; I suggest that nearly anyone with the will to lead can do the same.
There is a stereotype that women have more intuition than men; my own experience backs this up. At McKinsey, we work extensively with teams. I have observed that when I have worked for some time with an all-male team and then add a woman, the team becomes more imaginative, has more and better ideas, and is more sensitive to what’s on the minds of client people. It is well to keep this in mind in making up leadership teams.
Sensitivity to people also means that leaders are sensitive to their feelings. Leaders are polite, considerate, understanding, and careful that what they say to someone is not dispiriting unless criticism is intended. Leaders, especially chief executives, must also be careful not to be overheard discussing someone’s job performance with another person. There’s nothing new in that but it’s frequently overlooked.
Sensitivity to situations
Situations are created by people and must be dealt with by people. Any company leader who is called on to resolve a dispute or disagreement must combine a careful analysis of the facts with an acute sensitivity to the feelings and attitudes of the people involved.
Consider the case of a food manufacturing conglomerate that developed a strategy of acquiring other food companies to increase its share of market and profits. A small taskforce scoured the country looking for acquisition candidates. Eventually, a fast-food chain became available. The taskforce studied it carefully and recommended to the president and chief operating officer that it be acquired.
The acquisition was made. After several years, however, poor results created a drag on the conglomerate’s profits. On closer examination, its chief executive realized that a fast-food chain was an entirely different type of business from a food manufacturer. Key factors for success were proper selection of sites and the selection and training of people to make and serve the products—as contrasted with manufacturing products in volume and packaging, distributing, advertising, and promoting them effectively. The conglomerate sold the fast-food chain (ironically, to another food manufacturer) and took a large charge against earnings. The president was fired.
This disaster could have been avoided if the people involved had conducted a more searching, sensitive, and intuitive investigation. In that conglomerate, managed by command and control, members of the taskforce expected a successful outcome to mean advancement for them—and the president expected the acquisition to clinch his promotion to chairman. Thus the objectivity of the taskforce and the president were undermined by personal ambition. And poor judgment by the president cost him his job. He failed to sense intuitively that he should have challenged the taskforce’s objectivity more rigorously before authorizing the acquisition. But the chief executive was really the one at fault.
Initiative, initiative, initiative
Initiative is one of the most important attributes of any leader. It is also easy to learn. Just think a bit, use judgment, and act. The important thing is to keep alert for opportunities.
American chief executives seldom lack initiative; their boards wouldn’t have elected them if they did. Every board knows that the chief executive has responsibility for getting things going and keeping them going. Even so, command-and-control managing inhibits initiative, especially down the line.
But consider the dynamics of a leadership company run with a network of leaders. All leaders stationed strategically throughout the company are alert to taking initiatives at every opportunity. And constituents as well as leaders can suggest initiatives.
My late friend Bob Greenleaf once said “Nothing in this world happens except at the initiative of a single person.” His observation points up the opportunities for action that are open to every leader and constituent in a leadership company. These can make an important contribution to competitive advantage.
Good judgment
John Gardner gives this definition of judgment, of which every leader would do well to memorize the first sentence:
“Judgment is the ability to combine hard data, questionable data, and intuitive guesses to arrive at a conclusion that events prove to be correct. Judgment-in-action includes effective problem solving, the design of strategies, the setting of priorities, and intuitive as well as rational judgments. Most important, perhaps, it includes the capacity to appraise the potentialities of co-workers and opponents.”8
Following fads in running companies often reflects bad judgment. Adopting Japanese manufacturing ideas provides an example. Some American manufacturers have found that this approach is nowhere near as effective at lifting productivity in their own plants as it seems to be in Japan. I can also think of many cases of bad judgment in making acquisitions of new types of business to shore up weak earnings (and weak management) in the core business. Too many acquisitions are based simply on the chief executive’s wish to make the company larger, a prime cause of bad judgment.
In my opinion, the chief executive of a leadership company is more likely to make good judgments than the chief of a command-and-control company, simply because constituents—recognizing the leader’s open-mindedness and willingness to listen—will be more willing to volunteer their candid opinions. I also believe that multiple first-among-equals leaders in a leadership company will make decisions of a consistently higher quality because many leaders and constituents will be involved in much of the decision making.
People whose judgments have been tested and usually found to be sound are an invaluable resource. Any company can strengthen the quality of its decision making by seeking out people with good judgment among its network of leaders. Moreover, in a leadership company where constituents can speak up, their judgments, too, can make important contributions.
Broad-mindedness
My dictionary defines the term “broad-minded” as “tolerant of varied views” and “inclined to condone minor departures from conventional behavior.” This attribute is closely related to being open-minded, adaptable, and flexible. Other aspects of broad-mindedness are being undisturbed by little things, willing to overlook small errors, and easy to talk with.
This is probably as good a place as any to bring up sense of humor. It’s hardly an attribute, but it can serve everybody well. A leader with a sense of humor will certainly get along better with everyone, and he or she should nourish it constantly and be thankful for having it.
Flexibility and adaptability
Flexibility and adaptability go hand in hand with open-minded listening. The chief executive and other leaders thereby show their readiness to consider change and their willingness to make changes when most agree they are needed.
When competitive circumstances call for change, I’m convinced a leadership company will always be more ready for it. From the chief executive down, all leaders will keep their minds open and alert to the need for continuous improvement in all segments of the enterprise. In doing so, they will learn how to spot the need for change faster, how to initiate change, and how to adapt to it.
The capacity to make sound and timely decisions
A sound decision by an individual chief executive in a command company depends largely on his or her ability to think and to seek advice from others. In a leadership company, there will be fewer individual decisions, even by the chief executive. Most decisions will be checked by others, at the CEO’s request or at the initiative of others. In fact, all decisions should be of higher quality because so many people are free to speak up and to disagree.
The late Charles Mortimer, chairman of General Foods, was unusual in that he was openly trying to improve his own performance. In one of our sessions, he gave me a pamphlet by Robert Rawly entitled Time Out for Mental Digestion. He told me that he followed the message faithfully and found that his decision making improved substantially. Ever since then, I’ve followed it too, and with surprising success. Perhaps it will work for others.
The key to the approach is “mental digestion”; these words have more meaning for me than the old phrase “mulling it over.” “Mulling” connotes turning over the same thought, whereas “mental digestion” implies putting the original thought out of mind for a time. Mental digestion, at least overnight, almost always brings new options from which to choose. For something of real importance, however, one night will usually not be long enough for new options to emerge. Then I may wait a week or two; again, I put the thought out of mind, and again, new options suggest themselves each time I go back to it. That’s the “mental digestion.”
All leaders—particularly the chief executive—must recognize that the speed as well as the quality of their decisions will set an example for others. I’ve observed a number of busy chief executives who appear to be indecisive, but are not. They can make up their minds all right, but they simply do not realize that delaying a decision (or failing to communicate it) not only erodes effective performance, but also irritates those waiting for the decision. They could correct this simply by setting priorities and asking their assistants to remind them to follow up.
Some make decisions too quickly. One chief executive I worked with surprised me with his rapid-fire decision making. It turned out that he had been a baseball umpire in college and had carried the habit over into business. Once he was aware of the reason, it was easy for him to slow down—and the quality of his decisions went up.
In a leadership company, it might not have taken an outsider (me) to help that executive improve his decision making. In such a culture, people are more likely to help each other learn how to decide. Competition among individuals to get ahead will likely be replaced by mutual support among people helping each other to improve company performance.
The capacity to motivate
John Gardner puts it well: “More than any other attribute, this is close to the heart of the popular conception of leadership—the capacity to move people to action, to communicate persuasively, to strengthen the confidence of followers.”9
Too often, in so-called modern managing, motivations take the form of monetary rewards for the individual, or promises of advancement within the company. Both are characteristic of command-and-control managing and should not be carried over into a leadership company. In a leadership company, people will be motivated by example and the daily satisfaction they get from making valuable contributions to the company, and from being treated fairly, with dignity and consideration. These are motivations they can take home every day. And since everyone should participate in profit sharing and be owners of stock, they will have financial incentives as well.
In the longer term, people in a leadership company derive satisfaction from being involved in work that produces products or services that customers buy with increasing satisfaction. And for everyone, simply belonging to a leadership company will be satisfying in itself.
A sense of urgency
One of the ways currently advocated for improving the command system is to use time (that is, speed) to provide a competitive edge. Bring new products out on time, deliver orders promptly, get things done faster than competitors. All are useful practices if carried out without harming quality.
Early in my McKinsey career, I observed that many outstanding companies had a sense of urgency underlying everything they did—a refreshing difference from companies where every response is either slow or erratic. I also noticed that the chief executive invariably set the pace, which was promptly followed throughout the company.
When a sense of urgency has spread right through a company, it can make a substantial difference in both effectiveness and efficiency, and also makes it easier to speed up activities further when necessary. Moreover, people like to work in a company where “things happen.” A sense of urgency is a useful ingredient in a leadership culture.
And a sense of urgency is easy to establish in a leadership company. With the chief executive setting an example, every leader throughout the company can, in turn, set an example for his or her constituents.
Getting started
Whether or not the ultimate plan is to convert the business from a command-and-control company to a leadership company, I suggest that the CEO take immediate steps to become a leader. No matter how the company is run now, this change—from managing to leading—will, I am sure, increase the CEO’s effectiveness in running the business.
The CEO will already have the trust of the board—and probably of his or her direct reports. The challenge will be to convince bosses throughout the company that they can trust the CEO. To achieve this trust and become leaders, some CEOs may need only to become more consistent in the way they currently behave; others may find that they will have to undergo a major behavioral overhaul, a prospect that may prove too daunting for them to undertake.
My experience has been that most CEOs will fall between these two extremes. They will be natural learners and eager to try what works. I’m convinced they should expend effort in three areas: learning to listen to people actively with an open mind, demonstrating high-precision truthfulness in all dealings, and becoming unassuming and approachable in behavior. Combined, these basic changes are likely to be so surprising to constituents that they will respond favorably almost immediately. And as the CEO makes these changes, he or she will be able to judge the difficulties that others may have in changing their behavior to become leaders in their turn.
About the author
Marvin Bower joined McKinsey & Company in 1933. He is the author of The Will to Manage (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1966). This article is abridged from chapter 3 of his new book The Will to Lead (Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Mass., 1997), and appears here by permission of the publisher.
Source: www.mckinsey.com
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