Archive for the ‘Leadership’ Category
Wednesday, May 13th, 2015
By Colleen Schuler, e-Management
For Memorial Day, thousands visit the famous Iwo Jima statue at the Marine Corps Memorial located outside of Washington, DC. How will you honor the fallen this Memorial Day? Photo Source: https://goo.gl/lh4X3e
“It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have, thus far, so nobly carried on,” President Abraham Lincoln declared. “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.”
The President, of course, was referring to the Union soldiers who had died five months earlier at the Battle of Gettysburg. It would be another 20 months of fighting before the last general of the Confederate Army surrendered.
Decoration Day Commences.
Three years after the Civil War ended, Memorial Day was created to honor the fallen soldiers on both sides of the conflict. After World War I, it was designated to honor all soldiers who died while serving their country. Originally known as Decoration Day (the soldiers’ graves were decorated) and celebrated on May 30, it wasn’t until 1971 with the passage of the National Holiday Act that it was moved to the fourth Monday in May. In 2000, President Clinton signed the National Moment of Remembrance Act designating “3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day each year as the National Moment of Remembrance, in honor of the men and women of the United States who died in the pursuit of freedom and peace.”
Yes, Memorial Day is in remembrance for the fallen. But I suggest we broaden our view. Let’s honor the memories of those who’ve fallen in service to our country by using the gifts and talents we have to help and serve the living. Everyone can do something.
Twenty dollars.
Perhaps you’ve heard of Myles Eckert, whose father, U.S. Army Sgt. Andy Eckert, died in Iraq when Myles was an infant. Last year, Myles found $20 in a restaurant parking lot outside of Toledo, Ohio. He was going to spend it on himself when he saw a man in uniform—Lt. Col. Frank Dailey of the Ohio Air National Guard. Instead, he gave the money to Dailey with a note: “Dear Soldier – my dad was a soldier. He’s in heaven now. I found this 20 dollars in the parking lot when we got here. We like to pay it forward in my family. It’s your lucky day! Thank you for your service. Myles Eckert, a gold star kid.” That’s a big heart for an 8-year-old.
Clear Water.
In 2007, fresh out of college on a ROTC scholarship, U.S. Army Capt. Benjamin Sklaver was sent to northeast Africa. In Uganda, he saw that clean water was vital for the health of the people, especially those living in small villages, and worked to provide that. When he came back to the States, he set up the to continue helping the Ugandans. Two years later, Sklaver was redeployed to Afghanistan, working in civil affairs doing much of the same work that he had done in Uganda. But he lost his life to a suicide bomber. His parents and friends continued the work of his foundation; eight years later they are still going strong.
Kick for Nick.
U.S. Army Pvt. Nick Madaras inspired many people to honor his memory—with a global reach. Madaras, a soccer aficionado and youth-soccer coach from Connecticut, had been deployed to Iraq. He found that soccer broke down barriers, especially with the Iraqi children. Madaras’ goal was to send soccer balls to the Iraqi children. But he was killed by a roadside bomb in 2006. A Korean War vet, Ken Dartley, read a local newspaper article about Madaras and started a soccer ball drive. That has evolved into the . People from forty-seven states have sent more than 42,000 soccer balls to 19 countries. Cal Holt, an eighth grader from Winston-Salem, N.C., saw a video about Madaras and started his own drive for a school project. He and his friends collected 33 soccer balls. They ended up in the hands of children from the African nation of Djibouti. Seeing pictures of the smiling children, Holt said, “Doing this, I’ll remember this for a long time.”
What a great way to honor Pvt. Madaras—a seemingly small act with a big impact.
What does Memorial Day mean to you?
The beginning of summer? A paid holiday? Great bargains? Blockbuster movies? Cookouts?
Let’s remember the fallen. Let’s resolve that those who gave their lives for our country will not have died in vain.
Let’s make it a day that inspires. What will you do?
Tags: charity, ClearWater Initiative, Colleen Schuler, , Kick for Nick Foundation, Memorial Day, Ola Sage
Posted in Corporate, Entertainment, Family, Leadership, Lifestyle, Travel, Uncategorized | 20 Comments »
Wednesday, March 18th, 2015
By Dennis Powell, e-Management
Building a company with great culture is one way to help your small business thrive. What other tips do you have for small business success?
It seems like we blog about everything under the sun…the best food, great travel destinations, social media, government agencies, and we can go on and on. We, however, haven’t focused on small businesses or entrepreneurs in a while. So, we wanted to share four tips that every small business and entrepreneur should consider for success.
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Build a company with great culture. In an article on Monster.com, Michael Burchell, author of The Great Workplace—How to Build It, How to Keep It, And Why It Matters, gives a number of reasons why organizational culture can mean success for small businesses. At e-Management, our CEO strongly believes that culture starts at the top and makes it a priority for the company’s leadership to model the culture we want employees to experience and promote. Great work culture can reduce staff turnover. In addition, employees tend to be happier at companies with great culture and their happiness can mean customer care that stands out from the competition. Not to mention, great workplaces are oftentimes centers for creation and innovation. So, don’t underestimate the value of culture taking your business to the next level.
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Reward your staff. A recent report from Bersin by Deloitte (formerly Bersin & Associates), The State of Employee Recognition in 2012, suggests that rewards programs have “a much more measurable role in business performance than previously believed.” Specifically, the research indicates businesses with defined recognition programs see a 14% improvement in “employee engagement, productivity and customer service” over organizations without formal staff acknowledgements. Employee recognition works at e-Management and is a key component of our management philosophy. We highlight staff achievement in a variety of ways. At our All-Hands Meetings held quarterly, we present awards to employees who have received commendations from clients and their peers. Award recipients are treated to a special awards dinner and other perks. In 2014, e-Management handed out more than 90 awards to staff.
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Take risks! But, you have to be smart about it. Drew Hendricks, a contributor to Inc.com provides tips for knowing the difference between good risks and foolhardy endeavors. Hendricks asserts that all “successful business owners must learn the art of taking calculated (i.e. “good”) risks. Calculated risks come with identifying risks, anticipating risks, having mitigation plans in place, and having a strategic vision that includes financing, marketing, and sales among other components. Remember, when it comes to growing your business: No calculated risk. No glory.
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Take cybersecurity seriously! Cybersecurity is a buzz word in business and in the news. Why? Well, it’s a big deal. The average cost of a targeted cyber-attack to a small business is $188,242, according to a 2010 survey from Symantec. And according to the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), 60% of small companies go out of business within 6 months of a major cyber breach. Yet, many entrepreneurs and business owners don’t know what their exposure is or don’t have a response plan in place in the event that they are targets of hackers. At the very least, small businesses should learn about the new Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Framework from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and find products like CyberRx that help to simplify and automate the framework for small business success.
Your Success in Business
Those are our tips. Now it’s time for you to sound off: (1) How important do you think organizational culture is to the success of businesses? (2) Do you think small business owners and their staff should be concerned about internet hackers? (3) What tips do you have for small business success?
Tags: CyberRx, cybersecurity, Dennis Powell, , entrepreneur, great place to work, Leadership, NCSA, NIST, Ola Sage, Small Business, smallbiz
Posted in Corporate, Economy, Information Security, Leadership, Small Business | 29 Comments »
All We Are Saying Is Give Peace a Chance
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014
By Dennis Powell, e-Management
“Give Peace a Chance” is a pop song written in 1969 by John Lennon of the Beatles as an anti-war anthem. Today, the song is considered by many to be as relevant as it was 45 years ago; yet the reality of military conflicts still exists. Why is peace so hard to come by? I don’t have a simple answer. But what I can say is that everyone seems to want peace. Beauty pageant hopefuls, faith leaders, school yard kids, and even the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills want peace.  Plus, there is at least one government agency that exists for the sake of peace.
Peace Corps volunteers working in an Ethiopian community to promote food security and tackle hunger issues. (Photo Source: http://passport.peacecorps.gov)
Do you know which one?
It shouldn’t be hard to figure out that the Peace Corps fits the bill. The Corps’ overarching mission is “to promote world peace and friendship.” The organization has three goals: (1) Helping people in other countries meet their training needs; (2) promoting “a better understanding of Americans” around the globe; and (3) promoting a better understanding of people in other countries. As the “preeminent international service organization of the United States,” the Corps is comprised of more than 7,200 volunteers and trainees. Since 1961, more than 215,000 people have served. Volunteers and trainees live and work within the communities and with the people they serve. The Corps’ work deals with creating solutions in the areas of education, healthcare, economic development, youth development, agriculture and more. According to the Corps, volunteers only provide assistance in countries that request their support.
So what do they really do?
Contrary to the notion of “tree hugging” members with no sense of direction, the Peace Corps consists of dedicated people who sacrifice a great deal to make the world a better place. Here are examples of how the Peace Corps is improving lives and communities, one volunteer at a time.
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Peace through food security. The Peace Corps supports the U.S. Feed the Future global hunger and food security initiative. Working with other U.S. agencies, the volunteers help communities resolve issues around water accessibility, food cultivation, and food shortages. For example, volunteers are “teaching improved agricultural practices, food processing and agroforestry.” According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), agroforestry is the “integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits.” In 2012, nearly 1000 volunteers supported food security efforts to reduce hunger in 23 countries.
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Peace through equality. The Peace Corps fosters gender equality and empowerment around the world. Case in point, Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) is a Corps program that helps to foster gender equality in 60 countries. Volunteers facilitate events that allow girls and women to exchange ideas, share their dreams, develop leadership skills, and build confidence. In addition, the Peace Corps efforts target men and young boys to “think beyond traditional gender roles.”
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Peace through disease prevention. Peace Corps volunteers are active in communities around the world to help reduce the incidence of serious and infectious diseases. More than 3,000 volunteers are working throughout Africa to stop malaria, which kills more than 660,000 people every year. Want to find out more about this program? Check out the Stomp Out Malaria social media .
Who is right for the Peace Corps?
The Peace Corps has an impressive list of alumni/alumnae including Former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd, Founder and CEO of Netflix Reed Hastings, University of Miami President Donna Shalala, NBC’s Hardball Host Chris Matthews, and Habitat for Humanity Co-Founder Donald Mosley, among many others. Throughout its history, the Corps has built a reputation for instilling a sense of purpose among its volunteer force. In addition to participants’ devotion, there is the cross-cultural understanding that comes with living in a foreign land. So it is understandable that the Corps attracts many young people who are starting their careers. Still, the service organization is more diverse than many believe. A quarter of volunteers are ethnic minorities. Additionally, Americans older than 50 are also joining the Corps at higher rates than ever.
Reality Check
It’s time for a reality check. Remember, the Peace Corps’ duty is “to promote world peace and friendship” around the world. (1) Do Peace Corps events, programs, and initiatives bring us any closer to peace? (2) Do you think the Corps is doing a decent job at promoting American values abroad? (3) What do you think the organization could be doing more of to advance its mission?
Tags: Chris Matthews, Christopher Dodd, Dennis Powell, , equality, food secuirity, Government, Healthcare, malaria, Ola Sage, Peace Corps, , Reed Hastings
Posted in Entertainment, Government, Healthcare, Leadership, Lifestyle, Social Media, Uncategorized | 30 Comments »
I.C.E. Breaker
Friday, January 17th, 2014
By Dennis Powell, e-Management
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are known for immigration related initiatives. But many are surprised to learn about the agency’s work protecting citizens from cyber crimes, human trafficking, and child exploitation. (Photo Credit: Philip A. Dwyer/AP)
Let’s go back to 2003. It was around this time the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) evolved out of the investigative and federal enforcement functions of the former U.S. Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Conversations around immigration and law enforcement in this country can become passionate quite quickly. But, there’s more to ICE than public opinion on how to deal with issues surrounding immigration. When many think of ICE’s mission, they typically assume the agency is about the removal of undocumented persons or the enforcement of immigration laws. But a lot of folks are surprised to learn about its investigative programs such as the Cyber Crimes Center (C3).
Did you know about ICE’s role in ending online exploitation?
The C3 Child Exploitation Section (CES) is responsible for busting production and distribution of explicit images of children and persons who travel in the U.S. for the expressed purposes to abuse, assault, or exploit children. C3 CES uses the latest Internet technology to investigate and catch adults who try to sexually exploit minors. Only a few weeks ago a man was arrested in California thanks to the work of agents for ICE. The man later admitted to Internet-media crimes involving children.
Did you know about ICE’s role in catching predators?
Similar to its CES program, ICE runs Operation Predator, which as the name suggests, is focused on investigations into people who prey on minors. The scope of Operation Predator is wider than CES’ online mission. ICE works with the Department of Justice, the U.S. Secret Service, and even the U.S. Postal Service to carry out its goals. There’s even an Operation Predator App available on iTunes. The app allows users to report suspicions of unlawful behavior directly to ICE. Last month, the app was credited in helping law enforcement in Louisiana arrest a man believed to be a predator and producer of illegal media involving children.
Did you know about ICE’s charge to investigate a variety of online crime?
If you have ever been a victim of online fraud, you may be happy to learn ICE has a program that focuses on perpetrators using the Internet to break immigration and other jurisdictional laws. The Cyber Crimes Section (CSS) program is responsible for tracking online money laundering, sales of illegal drugs, and even identity theft. CSS is responsible for shutting down pirate websites that exploit corporate intellectual property including media files for copyrighted music and videos. According to IT Law Wiki, CCS initiatives also protect Americans by putting organizations who sell counterfeit pharmaceuticals and other merchandise out of business!
Criminals Are Walking On Thin I.C.E.
With so much focus in the news on local enforcements’ issues with undocumented people living in the USA, it may be easy for ICE’s work fighting against human trafficking, protecting children from predators, and getting in front of cyber crimes to be overlooked by news agencies and the general public. So, (1) what’s your take on immigration and customs issues affecting the USA? (2) Did you know about ICE’s role in fighting Internet crime and child exploitation? (3) What other things would you like to see ICE focus on in the coming year?
Tags: C3, children, crime, customs, Cyber security, Dennis Powell, DHS, , exploitation, Government, human trafficking, ICE, immigration, law enforcement, Ola Sage
Posted in Government, Information Security, Leadership, News, Uncategorized | 28 Comments »
Too Small to Fail?
Wednesday, November 20th, 2013
By Dennis Powell, e-Management
Did you know the Small Business Administration (SBA) has resources to help entrepreneurs start their own businesses?
“Small business is the backbone of our economy.” We hear that catchphrase all the time but what does it mean? Well, there are about 27 million small businesses in the U.S.A. Yes, a lot of those companies employ only one person. But thousands of those companies employ hundreds of workers. According to data collected by the Census Bureau, small businesses make up of total private-sector jobs. Between 1993 and 2011, small business accounted for of new jobs! Okay, you get the picture, right?
Size Does Matter…
One of the best resources for the small business owners is the Small Business Administration (SBA), the government agency that “helps Americans start, build, and grow businesses.” Since its creation in 1953, SBA has been a loud advocate for small business success.
For this government spotlight, we’ve pulled together a short list on how SBA helps small business.
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Providing resources for how to start a business. Entrepreneurs, who have the drive and great ideas, but lack the knowledge needed to see their ideas blossom, can turn to SBA. The agency is loaded with resources for starting a business. For example, SBA offers up practical information for creating a business plan, which is an important tool for obtaining financing.
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Providing resources to help small businesses grow. SBA helps entrepreneurs with business development, networking, or sales initiatives. The agency pulls together local resources nationwide to advance the growth goals of businesses. Those resources include listings of local Chambers of Commerce, small business friendly financing institutions, incubators, and nonprofits dedicated to the success of entrepreneurs. Such resources can help to build the business network of entrepreneurs, which can be useful in securing new business/customers and partners.
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Providing training to help small businesses succeed. SBA provides a Small Business Learning Center online. The center allows business owners to learn about best practices to not only grow their business but to safeguard their intellectual capital, customer privacy, and more. Through the Small Business Center, owners and staff can learn about cybersecurity to protect their computer or technology systems. Business owners can also find out how to plan for emergencies that could shut a small business down. The Small Business Learning Center is a resource every new business should check out.
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Connecting entrepreneurs with government contracting. The U.S. government operates with a budget that exceeds $1 trillion. This makes the federal government the largest buyer of goods in the world! SBA can help small businesses navigate the often tricky road of government purchasing. SBA can provide small business owners with information regarding special small business set-asides. For instance, many women-owned, veteran-owned, and businesses located in Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zones have special contracts reserved just for them if they meet certain size criteria. SBA services are useful in helping business owners to demystify the government buying process and grow their business to new heights.
Reality Check…
The lifespan of a new business can be short. About 50% of new companies close doors within the first 5 years of their founding; and only about a third of companies survive more than a decade. Still, entrepreneurs should not feel discouraged. SBA could easily stand for small business advocate. Clearly, SBA is a resource to help new companies survive in the highly competitive market place. With that said, (1) What do you think about the role of small businesses in our economy? (2) What other things should SBA be doing to assist entrepreneurs? Other than SBA, (3) What other local or national resources are available to help entrepreneurs or small businesses to thrive?
Tags: Census, Dennis Powell, , Ola Sage, SBA, Small Business
Posted in Corporate, Economy, Government, Leadership | 43 Comments »
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