Would You Follow You Top 10 Ways to Be a LEADER

Would You Follow You Top 10 Ways to Be a LEADER Spurred in part by an exercise I did at an ActionCOACH business planning workday, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a leader.   My commitment is to be a great one, and I’m getting clear that in order to be successful, there are certain traits that I must possess. Here are my top ten: Deliver clear, consistent communication. Of course there are no guarantees that everyone will understand the communication the way you meant it. At least if you’re clear and consistent, you minimize the possibility of misinterpretation or gaps in the lines of command. Learn from your mistakes and miscommunications. If you keep making the same mistakes, you are not being a leader. You are just being insane. Learning from your mistakes requires a willingness to self-evaluate, and a commitment to the utmost integrity. Be charismatic. What this means is to be present in the moment.   Show up as who you are and not the way you think you should be. Charisma also requires a sense of humor! Be unstoppable. Obstacles and challenges are bound to arise.   If you stop to carefully examine the obstacle you will not get past it.   Keep looking toward your goals, and obstacles will have nothing on you. Have vision. Know why you are doing what you are doing, and have it be about something or someone other than you (or money).   Vision will help you be unstoppable and inspiring. Be inspiring. Ask yourself, â€Å"Would you follow you?† If the answer is no, â€Å"Stop, drop and roll† and get yourself back in alignment.   Get yourself to â€Å"Yes.† Take action! And be the inspiring leader you know you truly are. Support the people around you. The measure of a great leader is the success of the people he or she leads. If the people around you are learning and growing, you’re doing something right. Be willing to change direction. Stubbornly charging toward a particular goal in a particular way is a recipe for disaster.   Flexibility will allow for unexpected expansion and miraculous results. Keep looking for the next way to grow. Be committed. Dabblers and dilettantes will not get very far in leading anyone.   Leaders can be counted on to be 100% in the game and to ride out the ups and downs. Know that it’s a game, and play full-out. Play a BIG game.   That way if you win, you win, and if you lose, you win. Looking at my list, I notice there are places where I’m right on, and others where there is a gap between where I am and where I want to be.   This is good news!   I get to learn and grow and always strive to more fully embody the qualities of a leader. What do you see for yourself in this list? Please share in the comments below. Category:UncategorizedBy Brenda BernsteinJuly 25, 2011 14 Comments Samuel M Bragg says: July 26, 2011 at 8:53 am This post is a wonderful map for the many facets of any personal endeavor. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: July 26, 2011 at 11:05 am I like the concept of a map Samuel. A map gives you the route from where you are to where you want to be. If you can identify the beginning and endpoints then a map is the tool you need! Log in to Reply Sarah P. Miller says: July 26, 2011 at 10:18 am Great list! I especially love 4, 7, and 8. Im going to print this out and post it somewhere where I see it every day. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: July 26, 2011 at 11:04 am Thanks Sarah! Im glad to be making a permanent impact on your life and hopefully on the lives of other people who read this post. Looks like #7 (Support the people around you) is my attribute of the day! Log in to Reply Marcia B says: July 26, 2011 at 12:52 pm People have always looked to me to be a leader, and this piece captivated me in its extraordinarily concise power and clarity. Before reading it, I would think back to times when I had assumed leadership gracefully, seamlessly, or with the poise of a loud-mouthed klutz. I would ask myself what it was that made the difference between my being effective or ineffective in my various roles as a leader, and I would unsuccessfully pretend to avoid assigning blame to circumstances, myself or other people. What I have as a result of your article is (1) a map that redefines the points in my life where Ive shown up as a leader in all my glory of effectiveness or lack of same and (2) a key to areas of my leadership that I choose to revisit with new eyes and fresh energy. Thank you for this gift. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: July 27, 2011 at 4:13 pm Thanks Michael! Its true that obstacles need to be handled and not ignored. Where we can get in trouble is by becoming so fascinated by the problem that it becomes our goal, causing us to stop pursuing the goal we had in mind in the first place. We also often make the obstacle a lot bigger and more complicated than it really is! When we keep looking toward our vision, it becomes much easier to blast through the challenges that come in our way. Log in to Reply lynda says: August 5, 2011 at 3:36 pm Great Post on leadership.. I will cut and paste and review on occasion. thanks. and NO whining.. could be added.. sometimes I feel like whining and I have to remember to smack myself. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 5, 2011 at 4:02 pm I love the NO whining rule Lynda. Thank you for the addition!! Log in to Reply Sandra McLeod Humphrey says: August 5, 2011 at 5:52 pm Great post and I agree with all your pointsespecially the commitment. The charisma is definitely important, but thats a little tougher to define or objectifysome people just have more inherent charisma naturally. Ill be back again! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 5, 2011 at 7:11 pm Thanks Sandra. I believe that charisma can be learned and developed, if you define it as being yourself and being present. You might be surprised how many people who think they dont have charisma are just holding back from being themselves! Log in to Reply Leanne Hoagland-Smith says: August 6, 2011 at 12:02 pm Using an acronym for MAP My Action Plan not only sets the vision as where to go as a leader, but provides the steps to get there. Peter Drucker said Leadership was all about results. I have amended that definition as follows: Leadership is all about consistently achieving the predetermined results by the demonstration of behaviors that are in alignment with clearly articulated positive core values. Great 10 points, thanks for sharing, Leanne Hoagland-Smith Author of Be the Red jacket in a Sea of Gray Suits Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 6, 2011 at 12:22 pm Thanks Leeanne. Its so true that leadership, while producing results, is about so much more. It really is a way of being. You remind me of the 80-20 rule for results: 80% being, 20% doing. Log in to Reply Susan Thomson says: August 29, 2011 at 6:20 pm Bravo Brenda! Id also add that being a great leader is a never-ending quest. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I still have to learn! And learning is part of the fun! Thanks for a great post! Susan Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 29, 2011 at 9:20 pm Absolutely Susan. The world keeps changing and as leaders we need to change and learn along with it. Thank you for your comment! Log in to Reply

Global Warming Essays

Global Warming Essays Global Warming Essay Global Warming Essay The customer is asking for the required pages. Please save the pages cited in essay as pdf files and upload them.Thank you very much. Name: Instructor: Course: : Fossil fuels were burned more and more to run our cars, trucks, factories, planes and power plants, those fuels released carbon in the form of carbon-dioxide. Greenhouses are released not only when these fuels are burned, but also when they are retrieved from the earth. Coal, oil and natural gases are fossil fuels, but they are not all the same. They differ in how they are used, the greenhouse gases that they released when they are burned. Another is, electricity, generating electricity produces large amounts of greenhouse ases. Large scale power plant waste as much as two-thirds of the fuel that they use, either as heat sent up smoke stacks or electricity lost along transmission lines. Global warming has many damaging effect. It might harm animals and plants that lived in the sea. It could also force animals and plants on land to move to new habitants. Change in weather can cause floods, droughts, and an increase in damaging storms. Global warming could melt enough polar ice to rais e the sea level. As a result of global warming, the surface water of the ocean could become warmer, increasing the stress on ocean ecosystem. High water temperature can cause a damaging process called coral bleaching. Coral bleaching expels the algae that give them their color and nourishment. Consequently, the coral turn white and the animals and plants die. Warmth temperature also spread diseases that affect sea creatures. Another one is changes of habitat, when there is change in climate, shift might occur in the natural habitats of animals and plants. Many species will not survive in the new region they inhabit. The plants and animals that sustain people in a given area may be unable to adapt to local or regional change in climate. Consequently, the weather pattern could change. Changes in the rainfall patterns could increase both flooding and drought in some areas and it will a have serious bearing on agriculture and the tourism industry as well. In addition changes in temperature are altering evaporation and precipitation patterns which means more rain in some places and less in others. This might lead to hurricane and other tropical storms. As a result, the sea level will rise, when the planet heats up, the sea level rise for two reasons: the ice from Greenland melt into the water and it changes the water’s salinity, or saltiness and water expands when it warms. The sea level would rise throughout the world. Unfortunately, global warming is endangering those water sources. Glaciers are melting more quickly, this rapid melting can mean floods in the spring and drought in the late summer because the water has drained away. Hence, there will be threats to human health; tropical disease such as malaria might spread to larger regions. Heat waves can cause more death and illness, and Floods and drought can increase hunger and malnutrition. Due to global warming, crop yield could decline. Therefore, yield in the tropics might fall because the temperature there is too high for many plants to tolerate. Everyone can participate in reducing global warming. Alternate energy sources that do not emit carbon-dioxide and that can convert the sunlight, wind energy into electrical energy. Also, we should reduce the amount of electricity we used at home by turning off our computers and electricity while we are away from home. At home we should develop the habits of energy saving, choose low energy technologies and turn down your thermostats when the house is empty in winter. We can take our commitment to renewable energy. And the industry would have to reduce the emission of gases. Industrialized nation should have different emission target. We need to take action quickly to reduce the emission of gases and there should be an agreement internationally to target the emission. In summary, global warming would cause economic and ecological damage and it would be disastrous on agriculture, which is the mainstay of the world. Therefore, the alterations to the climate are expected to be serious: more intense storms, more pronounced droughts, coastal areas more severely eroded by rising seas. High end, the world could face abrupt, catastrophic and irreversible consequences. Finally, everyone can play a part in slowing down global warming. It requires a major commitment from everyone, industry and business, and these changes can make the necessary difference. References: Elizabeth May and Zoe Caron (2009) on Global warming. www. nasa. gov/worldbook/globalwarming .

How to design fashion psychologically Dissertation - 1

How to design fashion psychologically - Dissertation Example There has always been a perceived connection between the designer clothing associated with individuals and their status in the society as well as their identity. There is also the notion that the connection between these aspects decreases with an increase in maturity, nevertheless, designer fashion still influences the views of status. Hypotheses will be tested through gathering literature from research that has been carried out by other people as well as conducting a new experiment.   This research aims at creating a better understanding of how designer fashion influences the social standing of women especially psychologically and physically. This research is particularly important as it is inevitable for people to avoid being judged based on their clothing and will aim at understanding the influence of materialism on status of people of different ages. Problem statementThe main aim of this research is to understand how fashion created by different designers all over the world aff ects the social status and development of an identity particularly in women.   Humans have different ways of differentiating between each other and conforming to societal norms, including the use of clothes. Clothing, especially fashion assists people in identifying themselves with their peers and acts as a method of distinguishing people. Clothing can be easily used in the identification of the form of character and cues that indicate particular stereotypes. These stereotypes may be useful in appreciating the social status.

International human resourses management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International human resourses management - Essay Example To get a better understanding of international HRM, it becomes important to understand the issues that GE faced and then understand the measures taken by GE to control the problems which came up in terms of international HRM. The primary aspect that must be kept in mind with regard to GE is that it is truly one of the few international companies in the world. Its diversity is not only based on the number and variety of people that work for the company but also with regard to the businesses and markets that GE has entered into. GE has eleven separate technology, finance and services related business units each of which could be an international company in their own right. In terms of total employee strength, the company employs more than 300,000 individuals who are spread in more than 150 countries all over the world (GE, 2006). Despite being large and long-established, the values, management systems, culture and the rate of technological adaptation have remained the same wherever GE operations are maintained. GE deals with a variety of products and markets which range from computer systems, aircraft engines, energy plant development, finance and capital services, moulded plastics, illumination devices, health tools and military equipment. Regardless of the nature of business they get into, GE focuses on converting powerful ideas into real products for the collective benefit of their stakeholders (GE, 2006). As a market leader, no company few companies in the world are as well respected as GE (Demos, 2006). Throughout their existence, and more recently in current years, analysts from various fields such as management, business administration, human resource management and those who study organisational behaviour have all given high accolades to GE (Fisher, 2006). A large part of this respect comes from the way GE takes care of the human resources which are recruited by the company. These

Low Voter Turnout in the United States Essay Example for Free

Low Voter Turnout in the United States Essay Throughout American history, there has been a steady decline in voter turnout. Not only has this been humiliating for the United States, low voter turnout has been and always will be a threat to American Democracy. The concept of democracy is dependent on citizens actively participating in elections and voting to select representatives for public office. The government cannot be representative of the people, unless the people elect its representatives. Voter turnout is a major indicator of how citizens view their electoral system, and whether or not they believe that the system is working. There are numerous factors that impede voter turnout, including: citizens political attitudes, demographic factors, and the structure of the electoral system. The established registration process is one of the main causes of low voter turnout in the United States. Unlike many democracies, the United States places the burden of registration on the individual (Vanishing Voter, 7). There are no penalties for citizens that do not register or vote in American elections. Some propose that requiring citizens to vote and imposing penalties on those who fail to do so will increase voter turnout. The dilemma with this proposal is that it is fundamentally undemocratic. Citizens of democratic societies are promised the right to vote. In guaranteeing the right to vote, citizens are guaranteed the right not to vote as well. There are better solutions to the problem of low voter turnout in the United States than enacting compulsory voting laws. America has not established a national system of automatic registration; procedures for voter registration differ from state to state. A universal system of voter registration would make it much more simple for people to vote. The problem with this solution is that automatically registering people to vote does not imply that they will actually go out and vote. Six states have enacted a good solution, same day registration, which has been proven to increase voter turnout anywhere from 10 to 17 percent (Donovan, 182). Same day voter registration allows qualified citizens to register to vote on the day that elections are held. Because many states do not allow same day registration, many Americans do not take the time and effort to register in the first place; same day registration helps to solve this  problem. The registration process and electoral system also creates a problem of convenience. Not only is the registration process inconvenient, Election Day itself is problematic. Election day is held on a Tuesday, impeding the majority of the population from voting due to work-related duties and responsibilities. The solution for this problem is to make Election Day a national holiday. If citizens did not have the responsibility to be at work, they would be much more likely to find time and take the effort to go out and vote. Other solutions have been offered, including: extending the voting period, enacting absentee ballot systems, and voting by mail. While all of these other solutions have made it easier, cheaper and more convenient for citizens to vote, the costs do not fully outweigh the benefits. In any kind of early voting solution, the biggest concern is that early voters vote without knowing all of the significant information needed to make a well-informed vote. Many occurrences and revelations come at the end of the campaigns and can no longer influence voters that have already voted and cannot change their selection. A voters political attitude is the biggest indicator of whether or not he or she will vote. Interest in the election, concern over outcome, feelings of civic pride, and political efficacy [all] affect how people vote (Wayne, 83). Throughout American history, there has been a decline in partisan identification. Party allegiance is a stimulus for voting. Since citizens are not as loyal to partisanship as they were in the past, they have less incentive to actually go out and vote in elections. As a group, independents are 12 percent less likely to vote than are strong partisans (Wayne, 83). Along with the decline in party identification, interest in political campaigns has been declining steadily overtime as well. In todays society, politics is forced to compete with so many other things in the media or at home for peoples attention. Media audiences are more interested in human-interest and celebrity stories than they are in politics. Because of this, election coverage in the media has greatly declined. The medias coverage of the election is dominated by the use of  negative advertising and attack journalism. The frequent use of negative advertising in the media has played a role in Americas declining voter turnout. These negative advertisements repel potential voters; causing them to lose interest in the political campaign. Along with negative advertising, the lack of competition between candidates has also decreased political interests and led to low voter turnout. Low political efficacy has greatly reduced voter turnout in the United States. Voter efficacy is the belief that ones vote counts and that voters can change the way government works or public officials behave (Wayne, 83). There are many factors affecting voter efficacy, including education and income. Income plays a major role in voter turnout. With the expansion of poverty in the United States, the gap between the rich and the poor is steadily growing. Citizens of lower income typically have lower voter efficacy. They are also less concerned with the outcome of the election than citizens of higher income levels, therefore, many of these people simply choose not to vote because they feel that they will not be affected by the outcome of the election. Income, education, and likelihood to vote are all positively correlated; more educated citizens have higher income levels and are much more likely to vote. Education is the greatest influence on voting behavior. It provides people with the skills for processing and evaluating information; for perceiving differences among the parties, candidates, and issues; and for relating these differences to personal values and behavior (Wayne, 83). The more educated a citizen is, the more interested they are in the election and the more concerned they are with the outcome. Educated citizens also have a great sense of civic pride and higher voter efficacy. All of these factors combined lead to a much higher likelihood of a person to actually turnout and vote. To increase political education, some propose conducting citizen education campaigns. The goal of these campaigns is to educate the people on the benefits and responsibility involved with voting. The main problem with this solution is that it is easier said than done. It is very hard to persuade  nonvoters to take the time and make the effort to educate themselves on the reasons why they should vote. A better way to increase education and voter turnout is to encourage grassroots campaigns. These get-out-the-vote campaigns help motivate interest in elections with nonvoters and can influence them to vote, increasing voter turnout. Neither conducting citizen education campaigns nor encouraging grassroots campaigns can promise an increase in voter turnout, but both can help influencing citizens to vote and possibly lead to higher voter turnout in the United States. Low voter turnout is a big problem in the United States. According to Wayne, Low turnout suggests that people may be alienated, lack faith in the candidate and parties, think that the government is and will remain unresponsive to their needs and interests, and believe that they cannot achieve change through the electoral process (Wayne, 85). The voter turnout problem is very hard to solve because low voter turnout itself leads to less voting. The numerous factors that impede voter turnout include: citizens political attitudes, demographic factors, and the structure of the electoral system. Some of the impediments are structural, but the most influential impediments are caused by other factors, such as the media, political campaigns, and the American citizens. Overall, the benefits of increasing voter turnout greatly outweigh the costs of doing so. While some proposed solutions may work better than others, it is most important to change voters attitudes about politics and make it more convenient for Americans to both register and vote. Higher voter turnout will reverse the relentless cycle of low voter turnout and help lead to a more representative democracy. Bibliography 1. The Road to the White House 2008. 8th edition. Stephen J. Wayne. 20082. Reforming the Republic: Democratic Institutions for the New America. Todd Donowan and Shaun Bowler. 2004

Free College Essays - The Theme of Punishment in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter:   The Theme of Punishment  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter deals with many themes, the most powerful being punishment. In this novel, Hester Prynne becomes a highly respected person in a Puritan society by overcoming one of the harshest punishments, the scarlet letter. This object on "her bosom"; however, does the exact opposite of that which it was meant for. Eventually, Hester Prynne inverts all the odds against here due to her courage, pride and effort. Hester went beyond the letter of the law and did everything asked of here in order to prove that she is "able."      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hester became quite a popular seamstress, admired all over the town of Boston for her work. Hester is modest in everything that she does. Hester herself wears only poor clothing while she embroiders marvelous works for the rest of Boston. The only piece of clothing forbidden to create was the wedding vail. How could a woman wearing the scarlet letter create a dress that represents the values of marriage; having committed sin as she did to be involved in the marital bonds of another couple. Although she does the job willingly and rarely ever looks back to the horrid past behind. The scarlet letter was constantly worn by Hester with pride and dignity. Hester knew that what was done in the past was wrong and that the scarlet A was the right thing to do, therefor it is worn with a sense of pride.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The child, Pearl, is "a blessing and as a reminder of her sin." As if the scarlet A were not enough punishment there "was a brat of that hellish breed" which would remind Hester of what happened in the past. The "brat" could have been given away to Governor Bellingham yet Hester proclaimed that Pearl "is my happiness!...Ye shall not take her! I will die first!" Not a person in Boston, nor Hester herself thought highly of the little child and Hester refused to let Pearl go. Hester carried the kid around only because it was a direct reflection of her sin and to cast away here sin as freely as that to give it away would be unjust and unfair to Hester and Pearl.

Effects of Smoking Cigarettes

tJonathan Manning ENG 103 Professor Brookins October 10, 2012 Effects of Smoking Cigarettes In this life many addictions or temptations can jump their way into the paths of many people. For example, some people get addicted to drugs, alcohol, and also money. Staying away from these day to day temptations is tough but is crucial to having a healthy lifestyle. Being a little more specific, people can get addicted to smoking cigarettes. Cigarettes contain nicotine, which is what people get addicted to and makes them want to have more. Smoking cigarettes can take a huge toll on someone’s life.People who smoke cigarettes have no idea how harmful it can be towards their life. It may not be known, but smoking can also lead to more than diseases, it could even lead to death. Cigarette smoking can affect a person’s life physically, financially, and socially. First of all, smoking cigarettes definitely has an affect on a person’s body as a whole. Also, many sicknesses or d iseases can result from smoking such as bronchitis, coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, bladder and kidney cancer, leukemia, cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, etc.Also, by smoking a person is causing damage to their lungs, which will make it harder for them to breathe in the future, maybe even leading to live on the support of oxygen. They do not realize every time they bring that cigarette up to their mouth and smoke it, they are basically breathing in cancer and just throwing their lives away. Also, smoking can mess up a person’s physical appearance such as their teeth turning yellow, and also always having smoky breath, and smoky clothes, etc. People that smoke are so addicted that they become blind to what they are doing to their bodies and most importantly, to their health.Secondly, the addiction of smoking cigarettes can take a financial toll on a person, maybe a toll that takes control over their spending budget. Cigarettes are not cheap in today’s economy; the prices of cigarettes vary in price, but can and will eventually put people into bankruptcy. If someone were to by one pack of cigarettes every single day, the money yearly would add up to thousands and thousands of dollars. Finally, smoking can also cause damage to others and a person’s social life. Second hand smoke is a common disease that is affecting people’s lives today.Second hand smoke is when a non-smoking person inhales the pollution of a smoking person, taking in, unintentionally, the same fumes of nicotine and other toxic chemicals as the person actually smoking. Also, sometimes non-smokers reject smokers because they do not want to get affected by second hand smoke. From being rejected, smokers will end up friendless, stuck buying and smoking cigarettes, and maybe even stuck in depression. Getting out of depression is not an easy thing to do, it might even get a person think ing of committing suicide because they cannot keep smoking and throwing their life away.In conclusion, smoking cigarettes can harm a person in several different ways. A person’s physical life, financial life, and social life can all be affected by cigarette smoking. Another effect that smoking can cause to people is a mental disability. With so much toxic acid going into the bloodstream, which enters throughout the body and the mind, people could end up mentally ill. It is hard to grasp why people can still smoke even though they know the effects that are possible to come into play.

The ‘Lotus’ (‘Nelumbo Nucifera’)

The ‘Lotus' is scientifically known as ‘Nelumbo Nucifera'. It is the national flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial.Lotus flower is found only in two colours that are pink and white. The flower grows in murky waters and rises on a long stalk above the surface to bloom glorious. It is a beautiful flower which symbolises divinity, fertility, wealth, knowledge and not to forget enlightenment. Untouched by the impurity, lotus symbolises the purity of heart and mind. According to Hindu mythology Lotus is made as a seat of the Goddess of wealth – Lakshmi.The ‘Lotus' is scientifically known as ‘Nelumbo Nucifera'. It is the national flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial. Lotus flower is found only in two colours that are pink and white. The flower grows in murky waters and rises on a long stalk above the surface to bloom glorious. It is a beautiful flower which symbolises divinity, fertility, wealth, knowledge and not to forget enlightenment. Untouched by the impurity, lotus symbolises the purity of heart and mind. According to Hindu mythology Lotus is made as a seat of the Goddess of wealth – Lakshmi.The ‘Lotus' is scientifically known as ‘Nelumbo Nucifera'. It is the national flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial.Lotus flower is found only in two colours that are pink and white. The flower grows in murky waters and rises on a long stalk above the surface to bloom glorious. It is a beautiful flower which symbolises divinity, fertility, wealth, knowledge and not to forget enlightenment . Untouched by the impurity, lotus symbolises the purity of heart and mind. According to Hindu mythology Lotus is made as a seat of the Goddess of wealth – Lakshmi.

Best Practices Are The Worst Advice With Jay Acunzo From Unthinkable

Best Practices Are The Worst Advice With Jay Acunzo From Unthinkable Marketers are always searching for advice that they can apply to their marketing efforts and strategies. Luckily, plenty of people are more than willing to share their expertise, ideas, and â€Å"best† practices. Don’t simply emulate them and their words of wisdom. The biggest problem is sameness. Everything is the same, and no one stands out. Rather than just taking their advice, make it your own, put your spin on it, and do what works best for your business. Today, my guest is Jay Acunzo, founder of Unthinkable Media and author of Break the Wheel. He describes how to push yourself to ask the right questions and make the right decisions when surrounded by conventional thinking. Some of the highlights of the show include: Two Stories to Jay’s Career: LinkedIn’s about logos, and liking process of making things through tinkering and not caring if anybody consumes it Google was a great place to work; brand, perks, awesomely smart co-workers Following prescribed path because that’s what you’re â€Å"supposed to do† Expertise and checking a bunch of boxes doesn’t make a great career Everyone wants best practices and guidance because they’re afraid of what to do Unthinkable Stories: People did something that seemed crazy, but they clearly explain why what they did was practical and strategic Being taught there’s a right and wrong answer, and approaching marketing the same way; the real answer is, it dependson context Push yourself beyond commodity work and do something exceptional instead Problems: We don’t want to be average, and we don’t operate in a generality Understand your specific situation and use it as a decision-making filter to find clarity; borrow from your situation and what’s proven to work elsewhere Six fundamental questions to ask to understand how to operate in a more contextualized way for your environment Pike Syndrome: Psychological barrier to making decisions with clarity; based on situation, instead of generality Context parts in every situation: You/team, customer/audience, and resources Reasons for Decisions: Learned helplessness, foraging choice, cultural fluency Aspirational Anchor: Personal- or team-based mission statement; articulates behaviors to change Links: Unthinkable Media Unthinkable Newsletter Break the Wheel HubSpot NextView Ventures Who should be on the show? What topics should be covered? Send your suggestions! If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Jay Acunzo: â€Å"Instead of searching for the muse, it’s a lot more effective just to put out a lot of bad work. You’ll get better a lot faster. You’ll find your inspiration and your answers.† â€Å"I like to make things that make me feel and make other people feel, too. I just so happened to be doing that in a business context.† â€Å"Finding best practices, in and of itself, is not the goal. Finding the best approach for you is. We’ve never been really taught how to do that.† â€Å"I was just shown how broken it is, that we think expertise and just checking a bunch of boxes, makes for a great career. That’s just not the case.†

How Content Marketing Can Build Your Personal Brand

How Content Marketing Can Build Your Personal Brand Its easy to think that content marketing is just for the big startups and web app companies, but the truth is, a huge part of the content marketing community is made up of  solo bloggers. They are writing in the niche they are passionate about, but they have a peculiar challenge that an agency or web app startup doesnt have: what are they selling? Solo bloggers are often selling their expertise, and building a platform to do it. Their name is their brand. They might rely on freelancing gigs, affiliate and ad revenue, or sales of services they can provide. Their blog provides the proof of their skills. They have no one but themselves to do all of the heavy lifting, whether that means getting their content out onto social media, taking photos, brainstorming blog post ideas, editing their own work, managing their website, and publishing. Lindsay Livingston is a great example of a solo blogger who is hard at work establishing a trusted platform and loyal fan base. Tell us about yourself, Lindsay. Im a Registered Dietitian from Columbus, OH. I work in nutrition communications and am the author behind the healthy living blog, The Lean Green Bean. My husband and I are expecting our first child in October and in my free time I enjoy doing Crossfit and spending time outdoors with our two dogs. When did you start content marketing? Ive been blogging for 4 years. I started because I was looking for a place to store all the recipes I was making for dinner. I started on Blogger and after about 6 months, I made the switch to WordPress. After about a year, I really started focusing on increasing my readership and growing the blog. Do you have a personal blog outside of your work blog? Im lucky that my personal blog has grown enough that its now part of my job as a self-employed RD! What tools and platforms do you use to help you with your content marketing and social media? Im self-hosted. Dreamhost is my host and I blog with WordPress. I use as my editorial calendar and also use it to schedule my blog posts and social media posts. I use Buffer and Hootsuite to schedule the tweets I create to share blog posts of others, news articles, etc. I use Pinterest to pin and promote my own content as well as building boards to gather recipes, tips/tricks etc for my followers to use. I have a blog Facebook page where I share my blog posts and Instagram photos. I use Instagram to share pictures of the food I eat, workouts and snapshots of life. I also use Google+. How big is your content marketing team? Just me! What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to content creation? The biggest challenge is finding time to do it all. There are so many social media platforms that its impossible to excel at all of them. Im working to figure out which are best for promoting my content and engaging my readers. What changes have you noticed in content marketing over the past year or so? Pinterest has exploded. It can be a huge traffic driver if you use it correctly. Instagram has also become really big as a way to market your content. I dont think either of these will go away anytime soon. Visual content is what people like and want more of. What are the most common mistakes you see people making when it comes to content marketing? Some people struggle to find a balance between self-promotion and promoting others. Its a delicate balance but Ive found that if you spread the love, the love comes back to you. People struggle to find a balance between self-promotion and promoting others. What were you hoping would happen once you began content marketing? I was hoping to drive more traffic to my blog. Yes it has happened, slowly. Now that Im more established, I can definitely see the general dips in traffic that bloggers experience across the board i.e. lower traffic in the summer, more in the fall and winter. It took several years to grow my audience to where it is now. Im still working on ways to capture the one-time visitors that come from sites like Pinterest and make them returning visitors.

Solar Energy Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Solar Energy - Research Proposal Example This study will attempt to address issues concerning current uses of solar energy, the amount that it generates as well as the prospects of this energy forms as a future energy source. Furthermore, there will be a discussion of environmental implications of using this form of energy with specific consideration of its being renewable. In addition, the costs of solar energy when compared to other forms of renewable forms of energy will also be addressed. There will be a study of whether or not this form of energy will likely become cheaper in coming years as more technologies are developed to harness it. Moreover, there will be a discussion of potential prospects of this form of energy and whether it will continue to be viable in coming year. Finally, the role of government in helping the development of newer and more efficient technologies to harness direct solar energy shall be recommended. This study is significant because it will develop an in depth investigation of the various uses of solar energy in the modern world. Furthermore, it will investigate potential uses of solar energy as well as technological developments which are being made to increase its usage as well as make it affordable for all people in the world. Finally, this study will develop recommendations concerning how both the private and public sectors can be of help in further development and application of solar energy. According to Leon and Kumar (2007) solar energy involves the use of technology to convert sunlight into electricity which can be used by individuals for their needs. Tritt, BÃ ¶ttner, and Chen (2008) state that there are two means of conducting this conversion and the first of these is through the use of photovoltaics which involve turning sunlight directly into electricity using technology in the photoelectric effect. The second means of turning sunlight into electricity is

Sir Robert Peels position on policing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sir Robert Peels position on policing - Essay Example Although he designed this guiding principle during the early 1900s, its applicability is still being enforced. In the discourse by Wilson & Kelling (1982), on their famous â€Å"Broken Windows Concept†, the basic mission for the existence of law enforcers is manifested in the presence of the police as a figure to restore peace and order is a necessary requirement using the broken windows theory - but not the ultimate factor for crime deterrence. The success of its application was assisted by the participative collaboration of community members combined with the determination and power vested in the public police. Through patrolling, the mere presence of the police figure in communities was deemed effective to prevent crime and to restore peace and order in the community. The success of any endeavor is determined by the amount of commitment and participation of constituents in the area. The successful implementation of patrolling under the Broken Windows Concepts was primarily due to the conformity of community members to the presence of police forces patrolling in their area. Their support and approval of the police actions paved the way for ensuring maintenance of peace through orderly submission to law. Consistent with the previous principle, the relevant factors in this concern is public approval and cooperation. As averred by Larrabee (2007, 2), â€Å"public approval of the police will increase the effectiveness of law enforcement†. The police cannot compel society into enforcing laws which are deemed useless and ineffective. Only those that are viewed by the community as helpful to restoring peace and safety would be supported. Older generation who seek assistance of the police through reporting unruly teenagers and misdemeanors assist in terms of relaying public approval, cooperation and support to the police’s mission of maintaining order and preventing