By Caroline Fox
Last month, we staged a contest on our LinkedIn page. We asked for your favorite leadership quotes, and you responded with lots of great comments! Here are a few of our favorites:
"You do not lead by hitting people over the head. That's assault, not leadership."
--Dwight Eisenhower
Contributed by Debra DeVilbiss, PCC
http://www.forwardmomentum.com/
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Note: this is a variation on a classic.
"God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the ones I can, and the wisdom to know it's me."
-- John Miller
Variation contributed by Larry Serviolo
larry.serviolo@ifm.com
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"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Contributed by Angela Blackledge
http://twitter.com/ahblackledge
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"What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear a word you say."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Contributed by Steve Overcashier
steve.overcashier@copart.com
Sew, sew, sew your boat. (skirt sale!)
As promised there are some skirts up for sale. Hope you like them and be sure to tell me what you think!
High waisted floral skirt
Click HERE for details.
High waisted ivory lace skirt
Click HERE for details.
(For the pictures I used CanonEOS 400D and 50mm lens, enjoy!)
Orelipoiss - See alles jääb.
..and some random shots I took while I was sewing. :)
Leading with Character
By Caroline Fox
I’m going to start this posting with a personal story. I live in a very small farming/tourist town. We are an hour away from the closest mall, and were just recently blessed with a Target (sadly, a regular store, not a super center). My little town is also very special in that it is fully integrated with an organization known as Character Counts!, an organization that stresses character education and development in schools, at home, and in the workplace. Its curriculum is based on the 6 Pillars of Character, which include caring, respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, and citizenship. By partnering with the local school system and local businesses and with much direction from the area coordinator, Character Counts! has worked its way into most aspects of life. Posters adorn the hallways and every classroom of each public school, businesses send “coaches” into schools to teach children about character development’s “pillars of character,” and the local park has a beautiful hexagonal pavilion adorned with each pillar’s trait.
What a beautiful combination. Character education, so absent from many school systems since the separation of church and state ruling in McCollum v. Board of Education Dist. 71, seamlessly integrated into the everyday life of both children and adults. A character coach myself, I’ve seen the effects that character education has on children—and it works. "There have been significant studies that are showing these young people cheat less, lie less, and behave better in school,” says Josephson Institute founder Michael Josephson.
But what about in the business place? Ethical dilemmas are an inherent part of many workplaces. Some companies navigate these waters successfully, while others—i.e. the “Enrons” of the world—stumble. Day to day activities may present some ethical dilemmas greater than others, but the overarching question is the same: To be ethical, or not to be ethical?
Its hard for children and young adults to grasp the importance of ethics when they are bombarded by TV shows, music, movies, and news stories about those who lie, cheat, steal, or otherwise break the law to get ahead. Deliciously addicting shows and movies like Mad Men, Entourage, Oceans 11, 12, & 13 (or however many they have filmed by now), Gossip Girl, and ABC’s newest tween-directed drama titled “Dirty Little Liars” are hardly models of good behavior. The consumers of these shows grow up to be top executives, CEOs, and entrepreneurs. Without the proper guidance, they can be easily led astray without any real perspective on consequences of their actions.
By educating your workplace on the importance of ethics and continual personal development, you benefit not only your employees, but also the entire organization. Creating leaders in ethics will allow your business to sail through troubled waters that may snag the sails of other organizations. Promoting fairness, respect, responsibility for ones actions, caring for others in times of need, honesty, and trustworthiness are just as important as promoting innovation and creativity in the workplace. So take a stand and be a leader in promoting character in your organization. Create signups for staff volunteer work: it promotes teamwork and helps people in need! Fly an American or state flag at your office: you’d be surprised at how uniting a single sheet of fabric can be. Leave some books about character development on coffee tables, in common rooms, and in the lobby; bored employees will eat them up. And finally, lead by example. It is only through being an exemplary leader will you rally your employees behind you. And once you have implemented character in your own workplace, volunteer in schools to coach children on their own character behaviors. To them, you’ll be the coolest adult in the world—and a leader they will remember when tough choices need to be made.
Sources:
http://www.asaecenter.org/PublicationsResources/articledetail.cfm?ItemNumber=13303
http://josephsoninstitute.org/business/
I’m going to start this posting with a personal story. I live in a very small farming/tourist town. We are an hour away from the closest mall, and were just recently blessed with a Target (sadly, a regular store, not a super center). My little town is also very special in that it is fully integrated with an organization known as Character Counts!, an organization that stresses character education and development in schools, at home, and in the workplace. Its curriculum is based on the 6 Pillars of Character, which include caring, respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, and citizenship. By partnering with the local school system and local businesses and with much direction from the area coordinator, Character Counts! has worked its way into most aspects of life. Posters adorn the hallways and every classroom of each public school, businesses send “coaches” into schools to teach children about character development’s “pillars of character,” and the local park has a beautiful hexagonal pavilion adorned with each pillar’s trait.
What a beautiful combination. Character education, so absent from many school systems since the separation of church and state ruling in McCollum v. Board of Education Dist. 71, seamlessly integrated into the everyday life of both children and adults. A character coach myself, I’ve seen the effects that character education has on children—and it works. "There have been significant studies that are showing these young people cheat less, lie less, and behave better in school,” says Josephson Institute founder Michael Josephson.
But what about in the business place? Ethical dilemmas are an inherent part of many workplaces. Some companies navigate these waters successfully, while others—i.e. the “Enrons” of the world—stumble. Day to day activities may present some ethical dilemmas greater than others, but the overarching question is the same: To be ethical, or not to be ethical?
Its hard for children and young adults to grasp the importance of ethics when they are bombarded by TV shows, music, movies, and news stories about those who lie, cheat, steal, or otherwise break the law to get ahead. Deliciously addicting shows and movies like Mad Men, Entourage, Oceans 11, 12, & 13 (or however many they have filmed by now), Gossip Girl, and ABC’s newest tween-directed drama titled “Dirty Little Liars” are hardly models of good behavior. The consumers of these shows grow up to be top executives, CEOs, and entrepreneurs. Without the proper guidance, they can be easily led astray without any real perspective on consequences of their actions.
By educating your workplace on the importance of ethics and continual personal development, you benefit not only your employees, but also the entire organization. Creating leaders in ethics will allow your business to sail through troubled waters that may snag the sails of other organizations. Promoting fairness, respect, responsibility for ones actions, caring for others in times of need, honesty, and trustworthiness are just as important as promoting innovation and creativity in the workplace. So take a stand and be a leader in promoting character in your organization. Create signups for staff volunteer work: it promotes teamwork and helps people in need! Fly an American or state flag at your office: you’d be surprised at how uniting a single sheet of fabric can be. Leave some books about character development on coffee tables, in common rooms, and in the lobby; bored employees will eat them up. And finally, lead by example. It is only through being an exemplary leader will you rally your employees behind you. And once you have implemented character in your own workplace, volunteer in schools to coach children on their own character behaviors. To them, you’ll be the coolest adult in the world—and a leader they will remember when tough choices need to be made.
Sources:
http://www.asaecenter.org/PublicationsResources/articledetail.cfm?ItemNumber=13303
http://josephsoninstitute.org/business/
And she'll burn our horizons, make no mistake.
I went fabric shopping today and found the most gorgeous floral textile ever - and it was 35% off so yay for me - and yay for you guys too, because I'm going to be a busy little bee tomorrow, sewing all day so that I could get some skirts up for sale by Wednesday. Overall I've had a good weekend - very creative one. Did some doodling and managed to get some pretty decent illustrations out of it. So again - yay!
But do enjoy and tell me what you think :)
But do enjoy and tell me what you think :)
So this is what I wore today : Leather jacket and the black top are from NewYorker; studded bag from House; shoes from NSking and the lace skirt is selfmade.
( For the pictures I used the usual CanonEOS400D and 50mm lens)
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Here are some of the illustrations I made this weekend. I'm so sorry for the horrible watermarks, but as I've learned - better safe than sorry. The figures are drawn with pencils (2B,4B) and black ink, then scanned and colored digitally using PhotoshopCS3 and Adobe IllustratorCS3. Ps: click for fullview!
Muse - Sunburn
Is It better to be Loved or Feared?
By Caroline Fox
While sitting in the office yesterday, our Business Development Manager came up to me and said, “I have an IDEA.” This was exciting—I love getting input from other employees about what they want to see on the blog. After a few seconds, he donned a New York accent and uttered the famous line from A Bronx Tale:
“Is it better to be loved or feared?”
For our purposes, we’ll be looking at how this applies to business (not the mob).
The trend for most of the last century was that bosses were to be feared, a la “Devil Wears Prada” style. Business leaders were not accessible, friendly, or personable. They drank scotch on the rocks at lunch, and locked themselves away in barred-gate offices guarded by sassy secretaries or receptionists. If you were called for a meeting “in my office,” you shook with fear in your tasseled loafers. You didn’t look them in the eye, ask questions, or make any quick movements—bosses were the equivalent of workplace grizzly bears.
But things have changed.
Corporate cultures have emerged where the boss is the new celebrity. Companies like Zappos have integrated their CEOs and executives into their corporate culture by implementing open-door policies, putting executive offices in the center of the building, and by creating open feedback cultures (360, anyone?). Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh sits in a cubicle at the company’s Las Vegas headquarters, fully visible to employees and company tours. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg sits in an open space he set up in city hall. Today, bosses are realizing the value of being liked, loved, and even worshipped. Take a look at Crispin Porter+Bogusky’s Alex Bogusky, recently retired—not only does CP+B worship him, but the rest of the ad industry has nicknamed him as “Advertising’s Jesus.”
So which kind of boss is better? We can start by asking which kind of corporate culture is more conducive to innovation and creativity, and therefore can create new solutions to challenges. Especially in a globalized world, constant industry change and corporate challenges are to be expected. The quicker these issues can be solved, the better—and the best solutions might come from a low-level employee. With a management structured around “height,” the odds of this “newbie’s” idea getting to upper management are little to none. If the idea does reach the top and is taken seriously, the hurdles and gateways in place in a vertical management structure have diluted it and have caused loss of time, money, and productivity.
Lets imagine that this same idea occurred in a workplace built on breadth rather than height. In a perfect world, the new hire/innovator could just walk into the office of an executive (open door policy, remember?) and explain their idea. Voila! Problem solved, new hire gains the respect of management, and the world is full of flowers and butterflies. Lets snap back to reality, though. More than likely, a new hire wouldn’t have the chutzpah to approach an upper level executive, but in an open corporate culture, they would have the courage to talk to their manager. They have already had a few great conversations about life outside of work, and the manager has given the employee regular feedback and tips about working at the company. This manager, familiar with the openness of the corporate culture, would identify their subordinate’s idea as valid, and then connect with the high-level executives she’s met around the office and at work-related functions. The solution would be addressed in a timely fashion, attributed to the low-level employee, and would be evaluated and adopted in a timely manner. Now that’s more like it!
We’re not saying that there shouldn’t be some sort of respect for upper-level management. Don’t treat your boss like you treat your bar buddies. But when fear is out of the picture, everyone is a lot more creative, more efficient, and therefore more productive.
So you tell us: as a boss, would you rather be loved or feared?
While sitting in the office yesterday, our Business Development Manager came up to me and said, “I have an IDEA.” This was exciting—I love getting input from other employees about what they want to see on the blog. After a few seconds, he donned a New York accent and uttered the famous line from A Bronx Tale:“Is it better to be loved or feared?”
For our purposes, we’ll be looking at how this applies to business (not the mob).
The trend for most of the last century was that bosses were to be feared, a la “Devil Wears Prada” style. Business leaders were not accessible, friendly, or personable. They drank scotch on the rocks at lunch, and locked themselves away in barred-gate offices guarded by sassy secretaries or receptionists. If you were called for a meeting “in my office,” you shook with fear in your tasseled loafers. You didn’t look them in the eye, ask questions, or make any quick movements—bosses were the equivalent of workplace grizzly bears.
But things have changed.
Corporate cultures have emerged where the boss is the new celebrity. Companies like Zappos have integrated their CEOs and executives into their corporate culture by implementing open-door policies, putting executive offices in the center of the building, and by creating open feedback cultures (360, anyone?). Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh sits in a cubicle at the company’s Las Vegas headquarters, fully visible to employees and company tours. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg sits in an open space he set up in city hall. Today, bosses are realizing the value of being liked, loved, and even worshipped. Take a look at Crispin Porter+Bogusky’s Alex Bogusky, recently retired—not only does CP+B worship him, but the rest of the ad industry has nicknamed him as “Advertising’s Jesus.”
So which kind of boss is better? We can start by asking which kind of corporate culture is more conducive to innovation and creativity, and therefore can create new solutions to challenges. Especially in a globalized world, constant industry change and corporate challenges are to be expected. The quicker these issues can be solved, the better—and the best solutions might come from a low-level employee. With a management structured around “height,” the odds of this “newbie’s” idea getting to upper management are little to none. If the idea does reach the top and is taken seriously, the hurdles and gateways in place in a vertical management structure have diluted it and have caused loss of time, money, and productivity.
Lets imagine that this same idea occurred in a workplace built on breadth rather than height. In a perfect world, the new hire/innovator could just walk into the office of an executive (open door policy, remember?) and explain their idea. Voila! Problem solved, new hire gains the respect of management, and the world is full of flowers and butterflies. Lets snap back to reality, though. More than likely, a new hire wouldn’t have the chutzpah to approach an upper level executive, but in an open corporate culture, they would have the courage to talk to their manager. They have already had a few great conversations about life outside of work, and the manager has given the employee regular feedback and tips about working at the company. This manager, familiar with the openness of the corporate culture, would identify their subordinate’s idea as valid, and then connect with the high-level executives she’s met around the office and at work-related functions. The solution would be addressed in a timely fashion, attributed to the low-level employee, and would be evaluated and adopted in a timely manner. Now that’s more like it!
We’re not saying that there shouldn’t be some sort of respect for upper-level management. Don’t treat your boss like you treat your bar buddies. But when fear is out of the picture, everyone is a lot more creative, more efficient, and therefore more productive.
So you tell us: as a boss, would you rather be loved or feared?
There's no glitter in the gutter, there's no twilight galaxy.
Just a casual black and white outfit. This is actually the skirt I wore at my 9th grade graduation. Ofcourse I wore it a bit differently back then.. on my hips to be exact. Yeah, didn't look so good. But anyway.. I've been sewing and working on some new illustrations, I might even start selling my skirts on Etsy. But it's still just a thought.
PS: I'm attending a birthday party tonight - the theme is punk. Any ideas ? :)
PS: I'm attending a birthday party tonight - the theme is punk. Any ideas ? :)
( I used CanonEOS 400D and 50mm lens for the pictures )
Metric - Twilight Galaxy
You cry out loud when you’re reckless in the dark.
Took these last night. Just wanted to play around with different lighting (read: random lamps I had lying around) and settings (read: backyard and my mothers greenhouse), unfortunately it didn't turn out as I had hoped. My camera simply refused to focus and kept I stumbeling over random things because it was was pitch-black and I really coulnd't see anything so I had to throw in the towel. Besides I really need a tripod with three legs, not two and a half. But do enjoy! :)
(I used CanonEOS 400D, 50mm lens, tripod and Canon controller RC-1.)
I see red-Uh huh her
I see red-Uh huh her
I also had great surprise the other day, when I checked my mailbox. The august issue of Sofis Mod with my feature in it finally arrived. The article is written by the lovely Annika Marklund - who was such a pleasure work with. And here is the feature :
god bless the daylight, the sugary smell of springtime.
I've been so-so busy these past few days - packing and sending out all the orders. I've gotten so many lovely letters, request and all that fun jazz so I just wanted to take this time to thank every single one of you for your support. The store opening has been a bigger success than I ever expected. So besides the fact that I'm a tired little bunny - I'm so very happy :)
I've also got a new Sketch Edition available - since some people like my illustrations more before they are colored, I decided to make some tote bags with just the black and white sketches. They're much easier to mix into your wardrobe now. Let me know what you think!
If you have any questions or request, or if you want to order something that is not available at the store, don't hesitate to ask: Kerti.Pahk@gmail.com
Thank you !
'Twiggy' sketch edition tote.
click HERE for details!
click HERE for details!
''Twiggy loves Miu' sketch edition tote.
click HERE for details!
click HERE for details!
If you have any questions or request, or if you want to order something that is not available at the store, don't hesitate to ask: Kerti.Pahk@gmail.com
What I wore today.
Creamy ruffled dress (Lindex), white flyaway shirt (NewYorker), belt (terranova), necklace (Seppelä).
( I used CanonEOS 400D, 50mm lens, tripod and Canon controller RC-1 for the pictures)
Death Cab for Cutie - We looked like giants.
Shark Week: Relating Great White Sharks and Feedback? Of Course.
I am not the biggest fan of Shark Week. This could be because I live in a town on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay, where water sports are all the rage and the water provides a way of life for thousands of people. Infrequent reports of bull shark spottings are punctuated yearly by Discovery’s summer phenomenon—which often scares me out of the water. I usually avoid shark programming, but this year—due to a freak cable outage that allows us only Discovery, Spanish channels, and ABC—I have lounged around in the evenings watching Great Whites breech the ocean to devour unsuspecting seals.
This got me thinking about the element of surprise a Great White, such a seemingly huge and obvious (not to mention extremely scary) creature, uses while catching these seals. How can the seals not sense the monster careening towards them from the bottom of the ocean? Shouldn’t this threat be obvious?
This idea mirrors the way some employees function in the workplace. They often go about their daily business, oblivious of their weaknesses and inadequacies in the organization. Others may sense these weaknesses—we’ll call them the “shark in the room” instead of the elephant in the room. But if they don’t tell their peer/direct report/supervisor, who is unaware of the danger of their behavior, how will that person change to avoid chastising or firing by upper management? How can that person avoid being taken completely by surprised at performance reviews or when they are “let go”?
The answer is by providing feedback at regular intervals, and providing concrete examples of positive and negative behavior. Feedback should be constant, so that there is never a huge shock about the results of a 360 Feedback; If there is a great difference between the way the employee perceives themselves verses the way they are seen by others in the organization, clearly some sort of coaching solution and plan for consistent feedback is needed. With the help of a coach, peer/supervisor feedback, and a lot of personal effort, employees can save themselves from a sudden “attack” of negative evaluations.
Now if only there was a 360 survey to save the seals from becoming shark munchies. So goes the circle of life.
Validation: The Key to Effective 360 Surveys
But what exactly is survey validation, and why is it so important?
The American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education’s book titled Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing defines validity as “The degree to which evidence and theory support the interpretations of test scores entailed by the proposed used of tests. Validity is therefore the most fundamental consideration in developing and evaluating tests” (1999).
But lets take this to the layman’s level.
Validation is defined by Dictionary.Com as “To establish the soundness of; corroborate.” Their technology-specific definition says that validation is, “The stage in the software life-cycle at the end of the development process where software is evaluated to ensure that it complies with the requirements.”
At its core, survey validation is using analytical techniques to make sure the instrument is reliable and accurate in measuring the intended goal of the survey.
A validated survey instrument means that, based on that survey’s results, individuals and organizations can make reliable strategic decisions about where to focus their development efforts. The organizations can have confidence that the survey is accurately measuring the things that it is supposed to measure, and that the results can indicate the direction the individual or organization should take.
How can you tell if the tool you are using is validated? It’s simple: ask. Look for a vendor that touts its validation (shameless plug to our own surveys). If you can’t find anything about validation on the tool’s website, call and ask a customer service representative. Just make sure the data that you will be collecting actually means something, and isn’t off-the-mark.
If you use a validated tool, you’ll know that you are using a system that will be worth the money, time, and effort it takes to complete a 360 survey. Coaches will then be able to use this relevant information to create change in your company culture and produce better leaders, better management, and higher productivity.
So after exploring the importance of validation, do you see how vital it is for an effective evaluation and coaching program? We do. That’s why we’ve invested hours into making sure our surveys pass the test. We believe in the essential role of validation in surveys—and we hope you do, too.
Store is now opened!
All my hard work has finally paid off and my Etsy store is now opened! yay! It took a while but hopefully was worth the wait. Be sure to visit and tell me what you think! I also wanted to thank all my lovely readers and friends - I couldn't have done it without you guys! :)
The dress I'm wearing on the first pictures is from Lindex. It was on sale it with 70% off so I got it just for 149.- (9.5 eur). So keep your eyes open, while clothing stores are preparing for autumn you can find some really awesome stuff from the sale counters.
here's a little overview:
''Twiggy loves Miu'' print tote bag.
The bag measures approx 42 x 37 cm and is 100% cotton. It has a high quality screen-print of my original illustration 'Twiggy loves Miu' and comes with a removable clip-on ribbon bow.
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''Pretty little horses'' print tote bag.
The bag measures approx 42 x 37 cm and is 100% cotton.It has a high quality screen-print of my original illustration 'Pretty little horses' and comes with a removable clip-on ribbon bow.
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''Twiggy lost her mind'' print tote bag.
The bag measures approx 42 x 37 cm and is 100% cotton.It has a high quality screen-print of my original illustration 'Twiggy lost her mind' and comes with a removable clip-on ribbon bow.
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Original illustrations and prints (A4,A3)
(I used CanonEOS 400D, 50mm lens for the pictures)
Enjoy!
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