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The Human Rights of Women Entrepreneurs by Reid Hoffman

“The Human Rights of Women Entrepreneurs” by @reidhoffman https://medium.com/@reidhoffman/the-human-rights-of-women-entrepreneurs-c6da801de9db

I don’t often write immediate reactions to recent news. However, after reading an article published by The Information regarding sexual harassment allegations against venture capitalist Justin Caldbeck of Binary Capital, I feel that the subject is so…

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Know your Retirement Projections.

Are you thinking about retirement? You should be, no matter what age bracket you fall under. Take five-minutes to gather tips and tricks to retiring comfortably. You can pick up tips on calculating your retirement projections, social security, rising healthcare costs & medicare, 403b, and 401K plans. Below are some key resources that were mentioned in the interview. One clarification – if you…

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#401K #retirement #retirement calculator

Lean In

I wrote this Lean In blog in 2013, shortly after graduation. In 2012, I moved to Washington D.C., started a lean in circle with several talented women, formed new bonds and friendships. One of the circle women went on to become a clerk for a judge in Florida, another moved into a new role at a multilateral organization and I joined the largest American nonprofit working on innovation strategy,…

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(Blog) Learning to Love.

Reading NYT’s most read piece of 2016 by Alain de Botton’s today, reminded me of my own reflections on our inability to love. I wrote this blog over 2 years ago and my continued quest to keep it real, I am reposting it for my new readers. In spirit of Rumi this holiday season, our task is not just to seek love rather to find all the barriers we built inside ourselves, and to remove it. Merry…

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#compassion #empathy #Love #self-reflection

Each day brings a miracle "You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one; each day brings a miracle of its own. It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle." —Paulo Coehlo

Graceful in Defeat

A lesson from the American Presidential Elections

Dear world, we are watching a masterclass on how to graciously handle setbacks, loss and defeat from Mrs. Clinton. Politics aside, like her or hate her, watch closely. An upfront disclaimer: this is not a political post.

“This is not the outcome we wanted. I’m sorry we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for…

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#grace #HRC #loss #poise #Presidential Election #setback

Job Searching at 50+

In this segment, I discuss the changing workplace that has changed dramatically, including flexible work options, telecommuting, team collaboration and the contingent worker economy. Earlier this month McKinsey Global Institute noted that independent work is “162 million people in Europe and the United States—or 20 to 30 percent of the working-age population—engage in some form of independent work

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#job search

Navigating the Changing Workplace

In this segment on Navigating the Changing Workplace I discuss how experienced workers are a critical component of successful companies, and should not be undervalued. Experienced workers are among an employer’s best assets. Research shows that experienced workers are deeply engaged and intensely loyal, house a wealth of industry knowledge, possess maturity and wisdom, and make excellent mentors!…

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#Changing workplace

Meditation, Vulnerability & an Innovation State of Mind

Meditate your way to breakthrough ideas.

This past week while teaching a multi-day workshop and an undergraduate class, I was rather self-aware of the how I was (mis)managing my state. Couple of years of disciplined meditation and return to yoga has raised my level of consciousness enough to let a gentle early warning when the system (that would be me) is off kilter and potentially moving into…

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Multicultural by Design

American demographics are transforming the society with an increasing majority non-white and older population. PEW called out the ‘browning and graying of America’ phenomenon in its Next America report (published April 10, 2014). This big shift has also produced big generational gaps precipitated by longer life spans and lower birthrates has socioeconomic implications. Therefore, designing for ethnic and multicultural segments for product and service solutions is at the heart of good innovative solution design.

Elements of Good Innovative Solution Design

Embedding multicultural in every decision making process across all layers of organization at AARP, the largest U.S. nonprofit, has been a meaty challenge for me. Any organization that wants to strategically expand its footprint by delivering value to its consumers must invest in local community outreach and bringing consumers in as partners to cocreate solutions they want. This is why Nike responded to a young man with cerebral palsy who could not tie his shoe laces without help. Nike invented a wraparound styled zipper that let’s wearers peeled open the shoe with one hand. The new design provides flexibility and dexterity to the elderly, people with disabilities or anyone with physical difficulty.

Similarly, on caregiving challenges we reached out to ethnic communities as partners and took a deep dive into transportation challenges. Family caregivers shared their sense of guilt and the overwhelming emotional responsibility, that was particularly heightened in the Asian American Pacific Islander segments. Which meant, they like millions others, felt the burden of caregiving with limited resources. This also implied that they were unlikely to reach out for help or accept help due to their strong sense of moral obligation.

Multicultural Insights Equals Smart Design

We led with the point of view that in order to win the consumers, we had to design with the super users in the community. In other words we focused on the segments that felt most burdened. Giants likes Miller Coors, McDonalds, and Wells Fargo have been leading multicultural market segments by intentionally leading services and solutions design for ethnic market segments, proving that leading with ethnic insights has unlocked the total market.

Companies that want brand loyalty and want to be innovative start with ethnic segments early for longterm win. The days of translating ads and flyers without cultural context are long over. Multiculturalism is not some esoteric theoretical matter, it’s real disruptive market force that is changing our daily habits. Reaching out to target audiences requires heightened empathy, cultural insights, right channel and medium for outreach and a credible community partner. Unconventional ethnic family structures, multigenerational living, acculturation levels, tone of messaging, cultural values, faith, moral obligation are all critical segments to be considered when designing for highly diverse multicultural consumer segments.

#multicultural #innovative solutions #caregiving #nike #Multiculturalism #multicultural markets

Blog: Accidental Collisions and the Power of Self-organizing Networks that is BIF

I have studied the power of purposeful self-organized networks; it was at the recent BIF2015 summit that I saw it at play for the first time. First let me admit that I did not know much about the BIF Summit or at the very least what BIF stood for. Business Innovation Factory has been convening leaders, thinkers and doers for over a decade and has been disrupting conversations on business models employing – wait for it – the art of storytelling.

UnConference

As someone who does minimal research intentionally when I go to events, I am alright with being uncomfortable and enjoy the organic experience. At BIF2015, I noticed the purposeful un-conference approach that was novel and disorienting at first. As a newbie to a decade old community the lack of structured format was confusing. Quickly, I noticed the conversations, the relationships and the intentional self-organized network design. As a frequent “corporate session organizer” let me tell you how much of control the organizer is giving up! The genius though with such design was the creative autonomy each speaker had.

Saul Kaplan, founder and chief catalyst at BIF, unabashedly shared many times how he had no idea what the speakers were going to talk about in their TED styled 20 mins talk. Saul and the BIF team believe that a good story can change the world. After the two day Providence experience, there is little doubt that they have, they can and they will. Speakers had to follow only two rules; to make the talk personal and less formal. Saul has created an adaptive learning environment that reminded me of servant leadership and responsible individual citizenry.

Disrupting Narratives

Robin Chase of ZipCar and Peers Inc took the stage first day, starting with her story and shared economy. Joshua Davis’s unusual and comic journey from arm wrestling to Wired magazine was one of my favorites. His message, say yes to life’s experiences and let the journey guide you. Steven Keating advocated for open source patient data and greater patient involvement in their health decisions. He showed video and pictures of his brain tumor being surgically removed while he talked throughout his surgery with his doctors. There are few who were not impacted by Catherine Hoke’s personal journey from Wall St to setting up a nonprofit to work with prisoners on entrepreneurship opportunities that is Defy Ventures. Dennis Whittle reformed World Bank executive, previously with Global Giving, shared how he did not have a story to tell and how he was still figuring out what to share with the audience. Dennis knows how to work the crowd. Jeff Sparr’s own battle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) led him to using art to make mental illness cool.

This was just the morning of day 1.

One after another, the speakers spoke passionately about justice, education, art, music, removing cultural barriers, creating opportunities, leading innovation at corporate giants, to battling cancer and creating resourceful communities for patients. Rhode Island’s State poet Rick Benjamin, Chris Emdin and Carla Dirlikov (Carla drop me a note when you move to DC, you have my card) left a lasting impression through their narratives that made them vulnerable and brave on the stage in front of a 500+ people and many watching online. The architect from Sandy Hook also took stage.

Purposeful Communities

Day 2 was similarly filled with inspiring life experiences of performance artists, educators, inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs who were generous in sharing their narratives. One of another they spoke humbly about the impact they were making, what drove them and how inspired they were on experimenting and doing their part to add to the purposeful community. There were pianos and guitars on the stage. There was a dry eye when Julius Searight took to the stage to share he was crack baby, lived in 13 foster homes before the age of three. This young man found his own non-profit. Food4Good is a mobile food truck that serves paying customers during the and at night turns into a mobile Soup Kitchen. His truck was parked outside the Trinity Rep venue.

Alex Osterwalder of Business Model Canvas fame is now on to mapping culture. James Siegal of KaBOOM spoke about the state of play for children.

I was equally inspired by the attending participants, many who loyally return year after year. They were innovation junkies, change makers from industrial companies, Capitol Hill staff turned writer to an immigrant kid who grew up in Hell’s Kitchen and is now Chief Education Evangelist at Google, Inc. Not only were the stories matter of fact for the narrators, they not only shared to inspire but to be inspired, and in their vulnerability to connect and extend a hand to learning of others. I met product designers, city officials, community designers, writers, artists, documentary film maker, students, activists, and bloggers.

BIF has cultivated a community of continuous learning with likeminded restless stakeholders who are constantly on the edge of their thinking, to borrow the phrase from Saul. Inspired people are driven to accomplish great things when they are fired by a purpose bigger than themselves. Thank you BIF and Eli Stefanski for inviting me to be part of the rich vibrant community of BIF. I cannot wait to return next year. In closing, I leave you with some factoids.

Factoids

In America 1 in 7 people rely on food banks.

France spends $10 billion on funding arts in a year and US spends $158 million.

70% of children of prisoners follow in their fathers’ footsteps. Source.

BIF 2015 Highlight Reel: vimeo.com/139977964

#BIF2015 #Saul Kaplan #Eli Stefanski #continuous learning #Accidental Collisions #purposeful networks #Self-organizing Networks #servant leadership

#entrepreneur #books

This app gives you a simple way to help to help homeless people you see on the street (and alleviate your guilty)

#app #homeless #nyc

#entrepreneur

forbes

Four Reasons Leaders Are Too Afraid Of Making The Wrong Decisions

Leaders are paid to make difficult decisions. As you evaluate the leaders within your own organization, be on the lookout for the following four indicators as to why they may be afraid of making the wrong decisions. This could explain why time sensitive workplace and marketplace opportunities are passing your organization by.

forbes

“The secret to getting what you want is to design an environment that supports it.” Change your environment, change your results. Here’s how.

Traditional Japanese hospitality, or motenashi, can provide inspiration for the design of smart interactive experiences.

A fascinating piece on the experience of an interaction designer working on operationalizing the “good host” concept in an increasingly digital and mobile world. The designer, Kerstin Blanchy, while living in Japan explored the philosophy of motenashi. Motenashi or omotenashi, defines the ideal guest-host relationship in the cultural context.

“Kerstin Blanchy was wondering the same thing. As a westerner working in Yokohama, Japan, she became inspired by the cultural concept of motenashi (or omotenashi), a traditional code of conduct outlining theideal guest-host relationship. Blanchy published an analysis of “this special version of Human-Human interaction … in order to seek hints on how to improve Human-Machine Interaction,” which she boiled down into “three principles of attitude”.

Kerstin goes on to talk about the following cultural contexts and their role in amplifying our digital interactions:

Shitsurai, or “preparations for the guest,“ describes structures that put the guest at ease.

Furumai, or "the attitude of the host and guest,” extends this idea of mutual attunement.

#ux design #Motenashi #japanese hospitality

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