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Maintain high performance
Someone once told me, "A mother is only as happy as her least happy child." When I became a mom, I realized that is one of the most truthful statements ever. When one of my children is sick or miserable, it's impossible for me to focus and be 100 percent right with the world.
I have observed the same phenomenon with teams. Much is written about what high-performing teams look like: they communicate well, they are aligned, they are clear on their purpose and success metrics; and they hold themselves accountable.
However, rarely is it acknowledged that a team is only as effective as its least effective member. It's like a chain being only as strong as its weakest link. A team cannot realize its full potential if one member is unhappy, working against the team's vision and efforts, or is behaving inconsistently with what the company is trying to instill in its culture.
The multiplier effect
In mathematical terms, a team's divisor should be one. The team is as good as it is, not compromised by any single variable. And, when the team is really rocking, there is a multiplier effect that makes its value greater than it otherwise should be. The multiplier comes when teams are hitting on all cylinders and become greater than the sum of the individuals.
However, a non-contributing team member — or worse, one who works against the grain of the team — is like having a divisor greater than one. This diminishes the size of the end product, no matter how large the starting number is. The team will always be less than what it could be.
This weakening of potential can manifest itself strategically, operationally or culturally.
Strategically, it shows up as a leader not supporting enterprise initiatives, not putting the best talent on companywide efforts that will drive major changes, or focusing on a single vertical at the expense of other verticals or the enterprise as a whole.
Operationally, it shows up as a leader running the business in a way that dishonors agreed-to strategies and priorities, or engages in practices that do not support company policy or commitments, or making decisions that favor the local to the detriment of the whole.
Culturally or behaviorally, we see things like not speaking up in meetings on important topics for which they have relevant input, or making/implementing decisions without gathering input from key stakeholders, or behaving in ways that don't align with the company's stated values.
Poorly functioning teams a hazard
The ongoing cost of a poorly functioning team can be high. So what can you do about an ineffective team member?
Always start by making the person aware of the effect that his/her actions are having on the rest of the team and the company — and do it in a way that enables learning on both sides. There may be factors not apparent to others that are causing the team member's behavior.
The conversation must be about listening as well as telling. Feedback should be given by the person's boss, a senior HR person, or an outside adviser who may be hired to do a 360 assessment. It is important that the dialogue be constructive to enable a more productive future.
If the feedback changes the behavior, that is wonderful. But if not, then ultimately you have to decide whether this individual's value outweighs his/her cost. If you can't change the person's behavior, your behavior may be to change the person.
Leslie W. Braksick, Ph.D., MPH is co-founder of CLG Inc. (www.clg.com), co-author of "Preparing CEOs for Success: What I Wish I Knew" (2010), and author of "Unlock Behavior, Unleash Profits" (2000, 2007). Dr. Braksick and her team help executives motivate and inspire sustained levels of high performance from their people. You can reach her at 412-269-7240 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Home is where the heart is for Michael Armento and the tradition of customer service he wants to build at Torcon Philadelphia
When Michael Armento talks about Philadelphia being a tight-knit community, he speaks from the heart. As a young boy, he would often take a ferry across the Delaware River from New Jersey to South Philadelphia where his father worked for the U.S. Navy.
"There is some history and there are some good memories here," Armento says.
This memorable locale from his childhood is now the place where Armento goes to work each day as leader of the Philadelphia market for Red Bank, N.J.-based Torcon.
That sense of belonging he has always felt for the area was front and center in Armento's mind eight years ago when the construction management firm set up shop in the City of Brotherly Love.
"What we set out to do was hire only employees local to Philadelphia with deep roots in the region," says Armento, a vice president in the firm. "Philadelphia is a very parochial community and we knew that for us to succeed, we had to base our Philadelphia office with Philadelphia-based employees."
Armento and John DeFazio, Torcon's project executive, felt strongly that potential clients in Philadelphia wanted to do business with people that they felt a connection to, people who understood what they were all about.
At the same time, Torcon was not a new company. It has more than 200 employees and is one of the most active construction management firms in the Mid-Atlantic region. Torcon has done more than $4 billion worth of construction in the past decade.
"The challenge for us was to learn how to introduce Torcon to the local Philadephia community," says Armento, who has more than 30 employees in his Philadelphia office. "In the beginning, it was a lot of knocking on doors to visit with people John and I knew from years back working in Philadelphia. It was spending a lot of time out on the street, getting out there and introducing ourselves."
The effort has paid off in the form of 3.5 million square feet of construction work in Philadelphia, amounting to $70 million in 2011 revenue and about $105 million in revenue for 2012.
Here's a look at some of the steps Armento has taken to build a team that could make those valuable connections and ultimately drive growth.
Set clear standards
If you're looking to establish a strong presence in your community, make sure your employees and everyone on your leadership team is up to speed with your expectations.
"Our strategy can be very complicated if it's ambiguous," Armento says. "We're in the construction management business. The reality is it's a customer service business where our client always and without exception comes first.
"I try to provide clear and candid communication with our employees on whether they are excelling or falling a bit short. I'm forever reinforcing the importance of Torcon's core values so that any confusion is eliminated."
The message is often conveyed through the prism of Torcon's own strong history of close relationships. The company was founded by Benedict Torcivia in 1965 and is now run by his sons, Benedict Jr. and Joseph.
"As far as we are concerned, in every respect and in every level of service we provide, we act fairly, with integrity and with honesty," Armento says. "Ben and Joe are the two brothers who run this organization and through an incredible amount of hard work, they have built a stellar reputation for the company."
But without the constant reinforcement that helps drive smart decisions, a reputation that took several lifetimes to build can collapse in an instant.
"That is so true in our industry of construction," Armento says. "It's very competitive and you work hard to finally win a project for a client that you have been pursuing for quite some time. It's not just winning the project. You have to work very hard to be sure you are providing the services that the client is expecting.
"All it takes is one little error or mistake and in five minutes, that reputation can be ruined. That is what I teach and profess all the time. Try to look at things from the perspective of your client.
"Then you can understand what is important to them," he says. "Business is built on reputation and performance and we have to show that in everything that we do."
Performance has to be strong at all levels in order to maintain your great reputation. If a project is late in being completed, exceeds its budget or doesn't fulfill your customer's expectation, it's clearly not a success.
"The definition of success is when a client says to us at the end of a project, 'You folks at Torcon delivered on every promise and every commitment you made from the outset of the project,'" Armento says. "That is when we know we were successful in executing the project. We want to be sure that everyone involved views the project as a success and not just the construction manager."
It's the difference between possessing a reputation based simply on knocking out projects as quickly as possible and one that is consistently focused on a high level of customer satisfaction.
Reinforce the team concept
One key to building a team that is of one mind and can make strong connections with your customer base is to empower them to do what they do best. Build confidence in your people so that they know you see them as the experts at what they do. Create an environment where they don't need to check in with you every time a decision needs to be made.
"We try not to be dictatorial," Armento says. "We believe very much in allowing our people to be autonomous, to allow them to express their opinion and tell us about their findings and what they think the solution is to a particular challenge. We want them to feel like they are an integral part of the solution to problems on projects. When they do, they take ownership in solving those problems."
Teamwork is part of the culture of the construction industry from your earliest days on the job, no matter where you work.
"Most people who are educated in construction management or construction management-related curriculum understand that every project is performed and completed by a team of those core positions," Armento says.
"If there is a particular portion of the project that is struggling and needs some extra attention, we would expect the other team members to jump in and help out. It's understood in our industry that it's a group effort."
Teamwork can easily fall apart, however, if that commitment to your team begins to waver or if you begin to provide evidence that you value one group in your organization over another.
"The key is to be consistent with your message and spend as much time listening to your people as you do talking to them and providing direction," Armento says. "It's essential for us to reinforce our message and reaffirm our employees' value to our organization."
When employees come to you with ideas or suggestions about how to do something better, demonstrate that it hasn't been a waste of their time to come up with this new idea.
"It becomes a matter of personal pride," Armento says. "If an employee has an idea after living with a certain situation day to day, they want to know that the time they have spent thinking about how to improve our approach is valued time and that their opinion is respected by management.
"When you hear an employee or a staff member who has a good idea on how to do something better, allow them to act on it. Give them the opportunity to take ownership if it was their idea."
Take the time
You work each day to build a stronger team that is focused on providing the best service to your customers. Armento felt that was a winning strategy to achieving customer satisfaction.
But to drive home the connectedness that he wanted customers to feel with Torcon's Philadelphia operations, Armento strongly encourages participation in the community.
"I'm a newly appointed board member with the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation," Armento says.
He's also involved with the American Heart Association and took part in the company's effort to do a 9/11 memorial along the Schuylkill River.
"That was done gratis by Torcon along with a group of subcontractors," Armento says.
These efforts were part of an overall push to show potential customers in Philadelphia that Torcon understood what they were all about and could relate to what it meant to be part of the Philadelphia community.
"The way we have overcome that challenge is one, to make sure everybody we employ here in the Philadelphia office comes from Philadelphia construction," Armento says. "And two, to entrench ourselves as deeply as we can in the community and with community functions."
How to reach: Torcon, (215) 271-1449 or www.torcon.com
The Armento File
Born: Camden, N.J.
Education: Construction management degree, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.
What was your very first job?
My first job as a kid was working for a local concrete contractor who did replacement sidewalks and driveways. My job was to break up the old concrete in preparation for the new. If it did anything for me, it gave me an appreciation for the difficulty of laboring on a daily basis.
What is the best business lesson you ever learned?
This is a very challenging business. We rely heavily on the performance of others in order to make a project successful. When I say others, I mean our own people as well as other members of the team.
To the best of your ability, try to manage situations on a project without emotion. Treat people the same way you expect to be treated. And that is coupled ironically with the understanding that you can't blindly trust everyone. Remain objective and keep the clients' interests in mind at all times.
What skills are essential for a leader?
Be firm when you need to be firm. Listen to people as much as you talk to people. Recognize it's not always about issuing directives and establishing policies. A good leader sometimes has to be a teacher, a cheerleader and sometimes a confidant. Be open to your people when necessary, but be firm when being firm is necessary.
Set clear expectations.
Promote a team concept.
Be civic-minded.
How to engage from the inside out to avoid retiring in place
Read this quote and think about whether it sounds like something you have heard before:
"Stay under the radar. Do enough just to get by. Don't make waves. Get the most out of your benefits such as sick time. Do only what you're asked to do. If you are asked for more, do just enough to meet minimum expectations."
This is an employee who is completely disengaged. Instead of leaving the organization, which might be a blessing, this employee will "retire in place."
Employees who retire in place substantially impact the bottom line, as well as the satisfaction of other employees. One bad apple, if not addressed, can spoil the bunch.
Stand up
There are ways to counter such an attitude, however, and even turn such an employee into a highly engaged, stellar performer. The research on engagement highlights a number of actions that can help employees feel more connected and motivated, and avoid "retiring in place."
These include the following:
- Aligning employees with the goals and mission of the organization
- Regularly sharing information from top leaders, and being sincerely interested in employees
- Providing opportunities for employees to improve skills and abilities
- Offering regular feedback on performance
- Allowing input into decision-making
- Encouraging innovative thinking, and an acceptance of risk
- Building and sustaining a positive relationship between the manager and each employee and within teams.
Consulting firm Towers Watson, formerly Towers Perrin, has highlighted a number of characteristics demonstrated by engaging leaders. The first is high emotional intelligence.
Daniel Goleman, in his book "Emotional Intelligence," noted that individuals with high emotional intelligence are skilled in understanding, interpreting and responding to emotions. They effectively deal with social and emotional conflicts and appropriately manage emotions to achieve best outcomes.
Additional characteristics of engaging leaders include great communication skills, a coaching/involvement orientation, the ability to inspire others and demonstrating authenticity and humility.
Use more than one approach
At the same time, employing engaging actions alone is not sufficient. Leaders cannot approach all employees in a cookie-cutter manner and assume that they all will respond in the same ways, or even perceive leadership actions as having the same intent and meaning.
The key to more effective engagement is looking from the inside out — how and what employees perceive is their reality. What is encouraging to one person is discouraging to another.
One person's recognition is another person's discomfort. What is motivating to one is demotivating to another.
The role of perception
The reality is that the value of an employee's relationship with a leader, a manager, peers, and the organization itself is based on many factors. The most critical is the role of perception.
Organizations can do a much better job of managing perceptions. In his article "Coming to Grips with Organisational Values," Vijay Padaki noted that a consistent set of practices over time are the organization's values. Interrelated values that are internally consistent are the organization's value system, he wrote.
If leaders at all levels take a sincere interest in employees and understand their perceptions, these leaders can do a better job of connecting personal needs and values with those of the organization. Leaders often have best intentions, but employees can be left feeling not heard and unappreciated.
Without understanding the context of what employees believe and feel, leaders run the risk of misaligning and discouraging employees. Without leaders consistently demonstrating their values, employees will perceive a different reality than possibly intended.
Jay Colker, DM, MBA, MA is core faculty for the master's in counseling and organizational psychology program at the Adler School of Professional Psychology. He also maintains a human capital consulting practice and may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or at (312) 213-3421.
Are your messages getting lost?
Remember playing telephone as a kid? You would sit in a circle with friends and whisper a message into the ear of the child next to you. By the end, when the last kid would announce the message out loud, everyone would break into laughter: It never bore any resemblance to the original message.
Is that still happening to you? Are your messages getting lost in a modern-day game of telephone?
I see it in companies all the time. The CEO knows the message — in this case the business' vision and strategies — but it gets terribly distorted as it gets passed along and it becomes no laughing matter.
There are reasons why messages get lost.
No. 1, managers often don't understand or even hear the message or its importance. Its relevance to their work hasn't been explained to them.
No. 2, the noise of stress can deafen the message. Today, employees are running at breakneck speed in order to stay competitive. The priority is on responding to immediate needs and putting out fires. Under stress, many managers can't hear the message or can't prioritize communicating it.
No. 3, competitive work environments mean personal job security comes first and the company's long-term success second. We make decisions that are in our best interests, not always thinking whether they're aligned with the company's goals. When that happens, the message gets sidelined in favor of short-term gain.
In order for the message to stay intact, it needs to be communicated loudly and clearly over and over again, and everyone in the circle needs to be responsible for passing it on accurately. Don't wait until the end to realize the message has been mangled.
Articulate the vision and strategy.
The importance of this can't be overstated. The vision and strategies — your message — should be presented to people over and over again, not just in words but visually.
Visuals resonate with people and make the message stick. Develop a visual representation of the company's vision and display it prominently throughout the organization.
Generate confidence and commitment.
In order for people to pass the message on accurately, they need to know, "What does this mean for me?" and "Why should I care?"
Today's competitive work environments are making people incredibly anxious and concerned about the future. People want reassurance about their own futures and their company's future. Perhaps more than ever before, they need inspiring visions for the future that they can take confidence in.
Give them a vision they can support and make it clear that the company needs them on board in order to succeed. Let them know how they will benefit if the company reaches its goals. Once they believe in the company's future and their role in it, they'll be committed to the message.
Accept accountability.
Leaders must accept personal accountability for communicating clearly. Each leader must commit to communicating in ways that align with the original message. No matter how tense things get, the message can't get dropped or distorted at will by one leader. If a leader or leaders stray, the situation must be addressed immediately. Otherwise, the strategy has no teeth and will not be trusted.
Invest in management.
Commend leaders who communicate well and work closely with those who need more help. Remember that this is a process. In order for it to work, people will need mentoring and coaching.
Break it down.
Our high-pressure work environments mean that people will want to throw out long-term strategies when the going gets tough. In order to prevent that, work with managers to create daily, weekly and monthly priorities that meet short and long-term goals.
Donna Rae Smith is a guest blogger and columnist for Smart Business. She is the founder and CEO of Bright Side Inc., a transformational change catalyst company that has partnered with more than 250 of the world's most influential companies. For more information, visit www.bright-side.com or contact Donna Rae Smith at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Sway creates memorable characters and brands
Ronald McDonald, the red and yellow M&Ms, the Budweiser frogs and the Energizer bunny have all helped their respective brands to gain the attention of the consumer. These characters make content interesting, engaging, fun, and most importantly, memorable.
That kind of content is what Sway, a new Cleveland-area content and production studio, is helping companies achieve. David Walker, vice president of interactive, and Tom Megalis, chief creative officer, started Sway with the intent of helping companies make the connection between their brands and the content they produce.
"What we're finding is a lot of companies that we go into have invested time to do social media and content and a year later they don't have any Facebook followers, no one is going to their YouTube channel and nothing is happening," Walker says.
"We go in and look at their content and it's boring, uninteresting, and it's not engaging. You have to think about how you create something interesting, engaging and fun that people want to look at."
Examples of the characters leading advertising today are Flo of Progressive Insurance, Mayhem of Allstate and the Geico gecko.
"They market their stuff with humor," Walker says. "Why? Because insurance is boring and no one wants to listen to a guy saying, 'We need to update your policy.' They create characters and brands, and we're telling people that same idea whether you're selling an industrial product or insurance. Sway is all about creating engaging, fun, dynamic content."
Dos and don'ts
Today, in the world of social media it is all about generating your audience.
"In order for me to do that effectively, I've got to give them something they really will latch on to," Walker says. "That's where a lot of people have missed. You don't have to go spend a lot of money, but you have to form an idea, form a brand, form a concept and then start putting that out there."
When you create a brand — the colors, the typeface, the voice — everything about it has to match.
"I think where people are missing it is they're not getting good writing, good concepts and good ideas," Walker says. "There's very little really good creative thinking and strong marketing execution behind it and part of it is some people just don't get how to do it."
When you produce content it has to have the effect that makes people want to share it.
"We put high premium where it really counts and why we believe we're getting traction is because of ideas," Megalis says. "The idea has to work for your business, its strategy and it has to hit your demographic with something that's unique and stands out.
"Sure, anybody can take great pictures or shoot a video, but if there's no substance it's not effective."
A lot of companies want to share education about their business or a particular product. The idea of sharing education through someone talking into a camera is no longer good enough.
"Instead of doing it that way you have to think creatively," Walker says. "You want people to watch it. A lot of companies just push out content and it's very instructional, institutional and industrial and we forget about it all. In today's world, consumers are way too savvy. The old world stuff doesn't resonate."
Make it memorable
Today, we are bombarded with messages from all kinds of media. Everyone wants to send a tweet or post on Facebook, so how do you come up with something that is memorable? One of the best ways is with a mascot.
"Once you create that character it transcends to social media, print, broadcast and everywhere," Walker says. "That becomes your voice because advertising is all about making impressions that stick whether it's online or offline. Having that mascot or that character helps people make a connection with your brand."
This isn't really too different than how advertising has always been. It's doing the research to understand who that target customer is and who that core audience is.
"What will best appeal to them?" Walker says. "What do you want people to know about your product or service? Who are you trying to get it to? You have to make sure the thing you create and the message that you're putting out there will catch your audience."
"If it's just words being spewed without something attached to the message, people don't remember it," Megalis says.
How to reach: Sway, (330) 416-9768 or www.swayideafactory.com
Finding character and cultural fit
It is always difficult to find the right employees, not only people with technical skills but with other traits that will ensure long-term success for your organization.
Finding the right culture "fit" in terms of character and personality traits begins with the creation of the job requirements, preliminary candidate screening and the interview process. Preparation is critical before the interview to develop a series of questions designed to reveal the key traits desired of an employee.
At Clark-Reliance, our first hiring objective is to find candidates with superior technical qualifications and skills necessary to perform the tasks of a particular position. However, a candidate must also have the personal qualifications and skills to thrive in our corporate culture.
Identifying the major character traits that allow employees to fit comfortably into your organization and excel in their work allows you to create the appropriate interview questions. At Clark-Reliance, we have identified four major character traits necessary for an employee to have so that he or she will fit into our culture.
Self-awareness and personal accountability
Our goal is to find employees who have the ability to analyze and critique themselves. We want people to take accountability for their actions and success.
Continuous improvement
We want to find employees who are constantly seeking to sharpen their skills, which means either developing skills further or seeking skills they do not currently possess.
Simply stated, we want employees who have passion for their job and for our company.
We want employees who are willing to speak their mind as well as listen to other's thoughts and ideas. A collaborative environment makes all employees invested in the development of the company.
In order to identify these traits in potential employees you should use behavioral type questions like the ones below:
- What are three accomplishments or significant successes that you identify with and take great pride?
- What would your present or former boss say about you? What would he or she have liked to see you do differently?
- Can you tell me about a mistake you made, either work or personal, that taught you a significant lesson?
Continuous Improvement
- Where have you sought to improve yourself over the last three months?
- How would a co-worker describe you?
- What personal needs do you think this position will satisfy?
- What has been your toughest job? How did you handle this job?
- Has a job ever conflicted with your thoughts of what is right or wrong? If so, how did you handle it?
- What work situations irritate you or make you angry?
- If you were involved in a heated discussion with a fellow co-worker, would you be more comfortable in the role of the peacemaker or decision-maker? Why?
- Have you taken the initiative to handle something that is technically out of your area of responsibility? Why did you choose to handle the situation that way?
- How do you deal with your boss when he or she overrides a major decision that you have made?
Matthew P. Figgie is chairman of Clark-Reliance, a global, multi-divisional manufacturing company with sales in more than 80 countries, serving the power generation petroleum, refining and chemical processing industries. He is also chairman of Figgie Capital and the Figgie Foundation, a member of the University Hospitals Board of Directors, corporate cochairman for the 2013 Five Star Sensation and chairman of the National Kidney Walk.
Rick Solon is president and CEO of Clark-Reliance and has more than 35 years of experience in manufacturing and operating companies. He is also the chairman of the National Kidney Foundation Golf Outing.
Take a deep breath...and read how Trina Gordon sold her team on big changes at Boyden World Corp.
Trina Gordon looked at her company's clients and could see that they wanted more. It wasn't that Boyden World Corp. had done a bad job of meeting their needs. They just had more needs to be met.
"What we began to notice out of this downturn was challenges in the macroeconomic environment continued to persist globally," says Gordon, president and CEO at the professional services firm.
"Clients, particularly global clients and emerging global clients all over the worldwide landscape were becoming more demanding about greater consistency and quality of service from their advisers," she says. "What that meant was we needed to take a really hard look at what was an effective client advisory relationship."
It can be a tough pill to swallow when you feel like you're giving maximum effort to help your clients and then you find out that you could be doing it better.
"There's a little bit of that in your psyche that says, 'I want to hear the great things I'm doing,'" Gordon says. "I'm not sure I want to hear where I didn't do as well or where I need to improve. But it's the only way we're going to get better at what they want us to do and deepen the relationship."
Sometimes, you've got to set your ego aside, even when you're a top 10 global executive search firm with 250 associates in more than 70 offices and 40 countries around the world.
"Sometimes partnerships tend to be more process-driven and internally focused and concerned with the practices and processes of how we do our work," Gordon says. "In this case, we had to turn that perception completely around and push our organization facing outward at potential and existing clients. We had to build a foundation for how everything we did focused on what they told us they needed and how we performed against those needs and requirements."
Get to the point
In the simplest terms, clients were looking for more bang for their buck with Boyden.
"Clients were no longer saying we have talent or human capital needs in emerging markets and anybody sitting in an emerging market can help us," Gordon says. "What they began to say was we want real sector expertise, sometimes even deep functional expertise. You need to understand our business in a unique way. We began to see as a board, as a partnership, a real tipping point in how clients look at the professional services sector."
Gordon wanted to respond swiftly, but methodically to this change in the marketplace. It needed to be done, but it needed to be done right.
"The challenge for a firm like our's is how do you respond to those trends in a way that really adds differentiating value to clients," Gordon says. "How were we going to uniquely stand apart from our competition and ensure that we could meet those client needs at an increasingly and more complicated demand level?"
One of the first things Gordon did was meet with all Boyden's global partners and her leadership team. It would serve as a foundational meeting to begin developing a strategy to transform the firm.
"The message was we have this opportunistic window in our own retained search business to drive this concept forward and lead it as a premier global search firm, the first to do so," Gordon says.
One of the next steps was a global conference in Asia where many of the firm's key leaders sat down and defined the things that they felt the firm needed to represent going forward. These leaders had spoken with clients and gathered feedback. Now it was time to lay it all out there so Boyden could begin to shape its strategy.
"Part of what clients have shared with us is we want to have a singular kind of experience with you," Gordon says. "That means you need to understand who we are and what our business strengths are. Understand our business. Get under our skin. Be sector specific with us. You have to demonstrate a genuine understanding of who we are, which meant the difference between a robust client relationship and one that isn't robust."
Know what you don't know
There is a word of caution that must be addressed for any firm that is looking to adapt what it does for its clients. You better have a good idea of what you stand for before you begin the transformation.
"When we stray from our core expertise and we stretch out and try to do something we're not capable of doing, we're no longer acting with integrity and it ultimately will affect the client relationship," Gordon says.
"We have to be able to know what our strengths are, be true to them and have the courage to say, 'This is how we can best help you.' We also have to be honest with the client and say, 'This is what we can do and this is what we can't do well.' We're not going to risk our relationship for the sake of saying we can be all things to a client."
If you don't know what your core beliefs and expertise are, then how will you know whether the thing you're being asked to do fits in? You have to be clear about it so that you can give your best effort and performance on the project.
"It's one thing to stretch in an area where we have done some work and there's expertise elsewhere in our firm to help us and guide us and draw upon and bring into the client equation," Gordon says.
"It's another when it's completely further afield from the core expertise of the firm. That's where you can get into trouble with a client. And it's very hard to recover a relationship that you've damaged."
Be methodical
Boyden is a big firm and so there was a ton of information and data to sort through as this transformation took place. It was incumbent upon Gordon to not let it overwhelm her team.
"It's important to take a step back, center yourself and think through what's really important," Gordon says. "Prioritize and move in steps. You'll overwhelm the organization if you try to do much too soon without a coherent message, without responsible buy-in and without a very clear approach to staying true to who you are. "We're still evolving as an organization because change is not always an easy thing. What I've learned is to take a deep breath and make sure you're confident in the people around you and confident in what your clients are telling you."
You want to please your clients and that's obviously the most important thing. But don't let it affect your work and force you into a pace that will result in a substandard final product.
You also need to make sure you're cognizant of your personnel resources. What skills can your people jump right in and take on and which ones will require some level of training?
"You can't just assume you have a completely homogenous organization that all can move forward at the same time toward this enhanced approach with clients," Gordon says. "One of the things I tried to do very early with our leadership team was reach out to those key voices inside our firm who embody this work already and who are our greatest client advocates."
You undoubtedly have some people in your company who can be trainers and who can help their peers grow. Tap into that resource and put it to use. And for other people who need to learn some new skills, do what you can to help them.
"There's a lot going on inside a complex organization," Gordon says. "Not everybody can drink from a fire hose at the same time. So you need to be able to call upon your leadership, those individuals that people respect and know that already embody this expertise with clients and utilize their knowledge base and their talent to train, teach and enrich younger partners or partners that are new to the profession. That is a continual process."
It's a process that will likely never be completely wrapped up. There's always more to learn and more to figure out and Gordon says they'll just keep on trying to do the best they can for their clients. But this process has already put the firm in a better position to serve those clients.
"Our dashboard is built, our metrics are built, so all of it is now launched," Gordon says. "We're at this exciting period where you're diving off the board hand in hand with your client into this brave new milieu. I see it as a continual evolution that our own firm and each and every one of our partners will sort of continuously travel together."
How to reach: Boyden World Corp., (312) 565-1300 or www.boyden.com
The Gordon File
Trina Gordon, president and CEO, Boyden World Corp.
Born: Alliance, Ohio
Education: Bachelor's degree, political science; master's degree, public administration, Auburn University
What did you want to be growing up?
From the time I was little, I always wanted to be an equine veterinarian. So my interest in Auburn, at least prior to going there, was they have one of the finest equine veterinary schools in the country. When I went there, I fell in love with the philosophy of the university, the campus and the people. But I found that the pre-veterinary program, I didn't have the constitution for invasive medicine. So my dream of becoming an equine vet versus the leader of a professional search firm is quite different. So I switched majors, I stayed and I loved it.
What was your very first job?
In the summer, my brother and I ran a custom car detailing business part of the day out of my parents' garage. Then in the afternoons, I ran a daycare nursery school for kids in our area. I had about 10 to 12 kids at a time and they were ages six to 10.
Who would you like to meet and why?
I love history, so if I had the opportunity to sit down with anyone, it would be Elizabeth I. I would like to know how a woman who was the first leader of a powerful, yet fledgling nation was able to bring a divided country together and bring them to global prominence. How she was able to unify them behind an individual who heretofore in their history, had never been a woman and reign long and lasting over a very respectful populace. She was able to gain the credibility of all the men around her and win respect around medieval Europe.
Be clear about your goals.
Understand your limitations.
Don't rush just to get it done.
Effective leadership
As leaders, we understand that our actions, whether good, bad, positive or negative, are being continually examined. Our job as leaders is to create a vision, develop and execute strategic plans, define goals, and set objectives aimed at creating excellence through products and services that address the needs of the customers and markets we serve.
Accomplishing these tasks cannot be done in a vacuum; a team of highly skilled and dedicated leaders is needed to accomplish these goals. CEOs and business owners are constantly challenged to seek out the talent needed to build an effective leadership team. Though difficult, it is paramount to find talent that has a keen understanding of your organization's market, vision, mission and objectives.
Building a team of talented leaders that share similar capabilities, traits, ambitions, and that are qualified to lead an organization is one thing, but getting this group to function together to lead a business effectively and efficiently requires special attention.
It is vital to have a leadership team that consists not only of highly skilled, functional leaders but also those who possess the ability to understand the broader picture. Members of this team must be willing to contribute, provide productive opinions and work as a team to reach consensus, and then collectively execute these decisions throughout the organization.
Leading strong leaders requires managing egos, resolving conflicts, balancing power and integrating opinions in a way that ultimately fosters a team that is aligned with your organization's vision, goals and objectives.
Reflect for a minute on the qualities that have brought you to your leadership position. You are a visionary and you're high on confidence. You likely have charisma and years of experience. You have a wealth of important contacts and you are a person that most would consider to be "plugged in."
Now assume that those in your organization, technically your subordinates, share many of those same qualities that you possess. The possibility and likelihood of friction in these relationships is high if you don't manage these relationships carefully.
Below are some action steps to take to enhance your leadership within your organization.
1. Set the expectation that leaders actually lead, be accountable, take risks and don't wait for direction. If those around you are not willing to do the same, then maybe it's time to make a change.
2. Spend quality time with leaders individually to understand their views on their role and their vision of how their functional area contributes to the mission of the organization. Are they thinking big, stretching their direct reports and delivering the results you expect?
3. Challenge the team and individuals to stretch their thinking and share their "big ideas." Be clear and concise. Put things into context so they understand the meaning and possible outcomes of decisions.
4. Set clear expectations of leaders and the leadership team. Expect individuals to know the overall business and be able to separate themselves from their functional role and contribute to the enterprise by tackling complex issues.
5. Mandate open and frank dialogue between leaders while reiterating that these discussions remain confidential.
6. Expand their role by asking them to contribute by taking lead roles on enterprisewide matters.
7. Allow leaders to lead so they own their actions and decisions. It is your responsibility to identify and select high-quality talent with the knowledge and experience needed in order to contribute to the organization.
These steps are the beginning to a harmonious relationship with your top team members. Remember, the goal is the respect that you earn along the journey, not friendships or three people to round out a great foursome on the links. Your energy, vision, determination and drive are the active ingredients in leading by example. ?
Tony Arnold is founder and principal of Upfront Management, a St. Louis-based management and executive consulting firm. He can be reached at (314) 825-9525 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Nicholas DeIuliis keeps Consol Energy Inc. on its toes by turning potential energy into kinetic energy
If you ask Nicholas DeIuliis about the state of the energy industry these days, he would tell you it's the nature of the industry that keeps it exciting and evolving.
DeIuliis is president of Consol Energy Inc., a more than $6 billion, publicly owned producer of coal and natural gas and one of the leading diversified energy companies in the U.S. He and Consol have been focused on new technologies, new energies and, above all else, keeping Consol one of the leading producers in its region.
"Energy has always been a big issue within our regional economy, national economy and now the global economy within the last number of years," DeIuliis says. "Consol Energy still looks upon those tried and true forms of energy, but what's really changed in the last number of years is how we've evolved in deploying technology in both the coal and natural gas side."
As the industry continues to push forward, the success of companies such as Consol depend upon its ability to keep employees safe, effectively communicating and remaining innovative.
"The most important thing we do is we establish what our values are and we literally numerate them for our teams," DeIuliis says. "We say what our top values are and which is first, second and third. For us, No. 1 is safety. Second is compliance. And third is continuous improvement and taking a long-term view."
Here is how DeIuliis is helping to drive those values at Consol Energy that, in turn, help drive the company.
Safety first
In the energy industry, there are all kinds of dangers that employees face while on the job. DeIuliis and his team take great pride in running a company that focuses on keeping its workforce safe.
"Safety has always been something that is critical to us throughout our history, and we've been around for about 150 years," DeIuliis says. "So we've learned what works very well and also learned the hard way through those 150 years what doesn't work very well when it comes to safety."
DeIuliis wants to take the challenge of safety and turn it into an opportunity, which sounds simple, but it's often very challenging.
"We first started with the philosophy of safety itself," he says. "What is our culture going to be when it comes to safety? Is it truly going to be our top value that will not change during market swings? A value is something that is constant. So first and foremost, that is our most important top value.
"Secondly, if it's our top value, what's the expectation going to be? Are accidents part of the business of extracting natural gas or coal resources, or can we truly take an approach of zero accidents of any kind across the entire employee base as the expected outcome and expected goal?"
Consol has taken the latter approach and created an absolute zero program that says the only acceptable standard of performance is no accidents to the employees on any given day across the entire company.
"Anything that's an accident no matter how small or slight is an exception to that rule and a violation to that philosophy," he says. "So you have that philosophical change that needed to occur to turn a challenge into opportunity, and over the last three or four years, it has turned and evolved into the culture and philosophy."
Now DeIuliis and Consol have to find the ways to further improve the company's safety outlook.
"What are the tactical things we're going to do to improve our performance?" he says. "How are we going to bring the science and technology to the table to get smarter about risk identification, hazardous mitigation and overall employee training? All of those things lead you to a better place on safety performance."
Communication is king
In conjunction with safety performance, how well Consol Energy communicates its message relates to how easily and effectively it can improve the organization.
"Communication is the lifeblood of taking a concept or an opportunity and making it a reality," DeIuliis says.
Consol Energy has nearly 10,000 employees and 6,000 to 8,000 contractors on top of that. So communication throughout the organization is critically important to furthering a concept, philosophy, a new technology or standard, and whether or not that comes to fruition — and when it comes to fruition.
"Sometimes the when part is just as challenging and just as important as whether or not it actually comes to fruition," he says. "You can't overemphasize the importance of communication, especially in a complex and large organization or a complex and large world such as what we've seen in the energy space throughout the U.S. and the globe."
Saying that your company communicates is easy, but actually getting results from your communication is much more difficult. You have to utilize multiple communication tactics.
"We use what we call a portfolio approach to communication," DeIuliis says. "We don't put all our eggs in one basket, one means or one method of communication. We will utilize a range of those like you would in an investment portfolio."
Consol uses everything from closed-circuit TVs that update employees on safety procedures, initiatives, technological breakthroughs, compliance issues and regulatory issues to training programs to make sure that employees are engaged.
"We look at that as an investment in communication that is going to get that know-how rate of return, which will be very good, not just for the shareholders of the company and stakeholders but, most importantly, for the employees themselves, because they will be in a more safe and compliant place," he says.
"There's a whole range of different communication tools that we use … that will put us in a better position to succeed in that communication challenge and opportunity."
In order for communication to be most effective, especially in a company the size of Consol, there has to be someone who has ownership of the messages being spread throughout the business.
"The communication approach goes back to the messaging and the content of what you're saying," he says. "The ownership is across the entire company. In reality, it extends beyond the employees within the company. It extends to our partners and other stakeholders that touch or deal with the company in some, way, shape or form. It might be the customers downstream that we're selling the coal and natural gas to; it could be our contractor partners providing services at our rig sites and coal mines or anyone in between."
While everyone owns a part of the communication process, it's also critically important that that communication process and the messaging behind the communication are viewed as owned by action, not just by words with the leadership of the company.
"The leadership of the company for us means many different people, not just our CEO and chairman," DeIuliis says. "It's our CEO and chairman all the way down to the mine foreman, all the way down to the employee working on the barge line or all the way down to someone standing on one of our rigs right now.
"It's a group effort and everybody has a role and a responsibility. Your actions have to be consistent with what you're saying."
Create innovation
Just as important as safety and communication are within the energy industry, so too is the need to remain innovative. Recent substantial growth in natural gas drilling and advancements in clean coal technology are two areas driving energy these days.
DeIuliis and Consol look inside and outside the industry in order to bring the best innovation to the forefront of the company's operations.
"There are two broad groups I look to over time for help and insight," DeIuliis says. "One is the management team that we work with and around. They're the best and brightest in the industry. Getting that comfort level and that trust level with the exchange of ideas and thoughts as time goes on is the lifeblood of any successful organization."
The other broad group DeIuliis looks at is almost the mirror image of his leadership team. He looks toward entities and individuals with insights and experiences outside the industries Consol works within.
"It's amazing how many already established processes, technologies and concepts are out there in entirely different industries that are being viewed as innovations and ground-breakers with the coal, natural gas and fossil fuel industry that we operate in," he says.
"Every time we tend to look outside our box and outside our industries, we always come away with an injection of innovation that keeps us going."
As the world of business and that of energy continue to evolve and change as time goes on, the success of a company comes back to its values.
"In the energy industry, we've seen a lot of volatility and a lot of peaks and cycles through the years," DeIuliis says. "We've become used to a certain extent of the things that will enviably occur. But if you go back to the values, and those that are truly the values of your organization, and if you're the safest and most compliant operator in that environment, you're going to be the most successful or profitable whether it's a market peak or trough."
The key to managing through those kinds of ups and downs has been simplicity.
"The way we manage in those downturns is sticking to those values and as long as we're pushing for better safety performance, compliance and continuous improvement, we will be fine in any market," he says.
How to reach: Consol Energy Inc., (724) 485-4000 or www.consolenergy.com
Find ways to improve the processes of your business.
Implement communication tactics that allow your business to succeed.
Innovate through internal and external channels.
The DeIuliis File
Nicholas DeIuliis
Consol Energy Inc.
Education: Graduated with a chemical engineering degree from Penn State. He received a master's degree in business administration and a juris doctorate from Duquesne University.
Career: DeIuliis began his career in Consol Energy's research and development group in 1990. He became vice president of strategic planning responsible for optimizing the value of Consol Energy's assets resulting in the creation of CNX Gas Corporation, where he served as president and CEO from its 2005 inception until early 2009. He has been the president of Consol Energy since February 2011.
DeIuliis is also director at-large of the board of directors of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, a director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Bituminous Coal Operators' Association Inc.
Regionally, he is on the advisory boards of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the Catholic Foundation. He is a registered professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a member of the Pennsylvania Bar.
Emotions are contagious
Long work hours, heightened competition, demands for efficiency, and new laws and regulations are all challenges faced by executive leaders today. It often feels like we're running up the down escalator — constantly in motion, exerting excessive energy with our adrenaline pumping just to get through a normal day.
After awhile, the demands take their toll. In addition to serious potential health consequences — including heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. — stress has behavioral side effects, making us anxious or depressed.
The result of that chronic stress can severely compromise our ability to lead. It affects not only each of us personally but also the teams we lead and the organizations we run. When we acknowledge the power we have over our people and businesses, this subject takes on real urgency.
Check your emotions
Emotions are contagious, so as leaders we need to be vigilant about the emotions we're passing on to those around us. Are you carrying fear and stress to those around you?
Imagine different scenarios: a boss who responds to stress and fear by acting aggressively toward employees and becoming overcontrolling, a leader who appears calm but buries his head in the sand, or a leader who remains calm and responsive.
The first two will create fearful, stressed out or frustrated employees whose performance is stunted or paralyzed, while the latter creates an atmosphere of trust and confidence, where people are encouraged to act. Where would you rather work?
We can start by paying attention to the emotions we're passing on to others and honestly assessing whether we're contributing to their productivity or inhibiting it. If it's the latter, we have to find ways to defuse our stress — through exercise, relaxation or levity — and avoid taking it out on those around us.
Be honest
The ability to speak openly and honestly is a critical leadership behavior. If a team member isn't performing up to par, avoiding a conversation only increases ineffectiveness and raises anxiety.
When we find the courage to have honest conversations, we create a climate of transparency and openness — necessary elements of healthy and productive workplaces.
At the same time, we relieve stress and anxiety by being proactive and confronting tough situations head on.
Stay connected
Being connected through devices means we're always available.
But are we? Being available to everyone all the time can leave us unavailable at any one time. It's hard to focus on the conversation you're in when you're constantly ready to respond to the outside world.
We can enhance our leadership by demonstrating that we're present and connected in the moment, in face-to-face conversations. Those human interactions make us better leaders and reduce stress.
Be open to learning
A hallmark of effective leadership is openness to learning. Alvin Toffler, author of "Future Shock," said, "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn."
As leaders, we're besieged by information, and the contexts in which we work are changing daily. That's why it's more important than ever to be not only willing to learn but eager to learn as well.
Emotions are like an on-off switch to learning. If you're resistant and fearful, you're in "off" mode, and it will be nearly impossible to learn. If you face new situations as opportunities for growth with an attitude of willingness and curiosity, you get turned "on."
Our leadership ability is directly correlated to our openness to learning. Once you're "on," learning isn't a source of stress and anxiety but is a source of energy and creativity. ?
Donna Rae Smith is a guest blogger and columnist for Smart Business. She is the founder and CEO of Bright Side Inc., a transformational change catalyst company that has partnered with more than 250 of the world's most influential companies. For more information, visit www.bright-side.com or contact Donna Rae Smith at email@example.com.


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- Silicon Valley's 19 Coolest Places to Work
- Is Windows 8 Development Worth the Trouble?
- 8 Books Every IT Leader Should Read This Year
- 10 Hot Hadoop Startups to Watch
Network World - Apple started its new fiscal year with a bang: reporting record revenues, quarterly net profit, and iOS device sales.
For the first quarter ending Dec. 29, Apple posted revenue of $54.5 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.1 billion, or $13.81 per diluted share. For the year-ago quarter, the results were revenue of $46.3 billion and net profit of $13.1 billion ($13.87 per diluted share). International sales accounted for 61 percent of the quarter's revenue.
Current gross margin was 38.6% compared to 44.7% in the year-ago quarter.
[ALSO: Cool iOS accessories for iPhone and iPad]
One difference is that the most recent quarter was 13 weeks, and a year ago, it was 14 weeks. The average weekly revenue was $4.2 billion in the quarter compared to $3.3 billion in the year-ago quarter.
Apple sold a record 47.8 million iPhones in the quarter, compared to 37 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple didn't break out the separate number for iPhone 5, though this phone clearly drove the sales surge. That's an average of 3.7 million iPhones per week, compared to 2.6 million one year ago. Sales in China more than doubled compared to a year ago.
Apple also sold a record 22.9 million iPads during the quarter, compared to 15.4 million in the year-ago quarter; 1.7 million per week, a 60% increase over year ago. The iPad mini is a "tremendous hit," according to Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer, though he didn't say how many were sold. But Apple could have sold many more: Every week during the quarter, demand far outstripped supply.
"We think we can meet iPad mini and iPad 4 demand later this quarter," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. Oppenheimer added that they expect a larger year-over-year increase in iPad sales in the second quarter, but a sequential decline compared to the holiday quarter.
Cook was asked if iPad sales were stealing or cannibalizing sales for Macs or other Apple products. "Our base philosophy is not to fear cannibalization [internally]," Cook said. Apple sees cannibalization as a "huge opportunity," he said, because the tablet market will be much bigger eventually than the PC market.
Altogether Apple sold over 75 million iOS devices in the quarter. Revenues and unit sales will be less in the current quarter. But there's nothing in Apple's guidance that indicates anything like a collapse in demand, as suggested by a flawed recent Wall Street Journal story that claimed Apple had dramatically cut its orders for displays and other components.
"I'm not commenting on any particular rumor because I'd spend my life doing that," said Cook. "But even if a particular data point was factual, it would be impossible to interpret what [that] would mean for our overall product. There's an inordinately long list of things that would make any single data point not a great proxy for what is going on."
Cook was asked if there was a case to be made for a larger screen size or larger variety of screen sizes. His reply suggests that Apple won't be taking that route any time soon. "The iPhone 5 offers a new 4-inch retina display: the most advanced in the industry...And it offers a larger screen size without sacrificing the one-handed use that our customers love. We put a lot of thought into screen size and we think we picked the right one."

subset: commoncrawl


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Required Reading
- The New Era of Movie Beefcake
- Miley Cyrus is Not Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus is Not in Trouble, Miley Cyrus is Here to Stay
- Auctioning Off Utopia
- Exposed: Portrait of the Artist as a 7-Minute Reality TV Segment
- Postcards from Sex Camp #1: You Should Come (to Sex Camp)
- Love Letters from a Groupie: A Conversation with Pamela Des Barres
- An Ode to Thundercat: Choupette Lagerfeld, and Why We Love Cats
- Blue Spark, Part I
- The 50 Greatest Names in Movie History
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Tag Archives: Arena
Not A Drop To Drink
Living in the Catskills can feel like a colonial territory belonging to NYC. Jennifer Kabat looks at what the city does in pursuit of clean water. Continue reading
Posted in Politics Tagged Arena, Catskills, clean water act, DEP, John Burroughs, Lenape, Margaretville, New York City, NYC watershed, Pepacton Reservoir, Shavertown 6 Comments


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Videographer Massachusetts | August 3, 2012 7:36 AM
Nicholas Ray is a good director, but sometimes I feel myself get lost in his stories. But that isn't really a bad thing!
Tom Farrell | June 18, 2012 7:20 PM
Yes, "Rebel Without A Cause" is the quintessential Nicholas Ray film, but "The Lusty Men" starring Susan Hayward, Robert Mitchum, and Arthur Kennedy in 1952 is surely Nick's most underrated film for his treatment of the rodeo world as it illustrates the great American search of finding a home of one's own. I believe "The Lusty Men" is the greatest of Nick Ray's unknown films.
[A] | June 16, 2012 4:49 PM
Great article. I have REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and THEY LIVE BY NIGHT on DVD, so that's good for me too, ha!
G.T.O. | June 16, 2012 1:16 AM
Todd | June 15, 2012 4:58 PM
Both of Ray's WWII films are pretty great as well. "Bitter Victory" and "Flying Leathernecks" both feature two men set against each other (for both personal and professional reasons) as the war rages around them.
Leonardo | June 15, 2012 2:10 PM
A great filmmaker, i think that he is pretty underrated


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Now that we've spent some time living with the USDA's food pyramid replacement, MyPlate, it's time for a review of its merits.
First, the good things.
1. It's easy! – The bold, simple graphic is easy to remember and easy to use. Even if you don't have the design marked on your plate, you can visualize it in your head. You don't have to think very hard about the recommended portions of different food groups.
2. It encourages healthier eating habits. – If you are like most Americans, eating according to the MyPlate recommendations will automatically increase your intake of healthy fruits and vegetables, which most of us lack. You may also decrease your intake of proteins, especially fatty meats.
3. It's safe. – Although there is some controversy over some of the recommendations (more on that later), you can safely use it for your entire family. It is better-balanced and definitely a big improvement over the typical American diet, and it has the backing of many doctors and nutritionists.
Now, the downsides and controversies.
1. It may not reduce calorie intake. – Although switching to more fruits and vegetables and decreasing meat portions should decrease the calories you consume, it's not guaranteed. If you load up the veggies with butter, cheese sauce or full-fat salad dressing, it's not going to help much in the calorie department. In some cases, you could even eat more calories than if you ate a larger piece of plain grilled chicken or lean beef.
2. It's controversial. – Some nutritionists claim that the food industry lobbies had too much say over the recommendations, pushing meat, protein and dairy products. And these are the same food industries that receive the bulk of government funding assistance.
3. It's hard to customize. – The MyPlate website has many recommendations for portion and serving sizes based on a person's age, gender and activity level. But these are hard to find and even harder to implement. MyPlate tells you different proportions of food to eat, but doesn't easily tell you how much to eat. And since everyone is different, we all require different amounts of food. How do you conveniently use MyPlate for your children? Your toddler vs. your teen age son? And they both have very different calorie needs than you.
4. Doesn't accommodate special dietary restrictions. – What if you can't eat fruit? You're diabetic? Gluten intolerant? Then MyPlate won't work for you.
5. Assumes separated foods. – It's hard to use this new system with "mixed foods" like stir-fry, stew, soup, etc. How do you estimate how much of each food group it contains?
6. It doesn't decrease overall food consumption. - Even if you eat according to the picture, you may still be overeating. You may still gain weight. MyPlate does not really address the issue of overall consumption. If you continue to eat the same amount of food, even if it's healthier food, you may not lose weight. And even if you do lose weight at first, eventually you will reach that dreaded plateau. To get past that, you will need to eat less.
One way to solve this problem is to combine MyPlate with a system that helps you reduce your total consumption. We recommend the Dish Diet (dishdiet.com), which will help you reduce your overall portion size in a simple, gradual way to achieve your weight goals.
In summary, MyPlate is a definite improvement over the old Food Pyramid, and should be helpful for many people, but is does have some significant shortcomings you need to be aware of.


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The Cool Kidz Tackle Toostie RollsMonday, January 25th, 2010 by Jon
Hey Candy Lovers!
Today we ate original and assorted tootsie rolls. The original tootsie rolls were chocolate flavored, and the assorted tootsie rolls consisted of vanilla, cherry, lime, lemon, and orange flavors.
The original tootsie rolls are basic and even if you don't love the taste you still eat them. They are easy to love but more importantly, easy to find and easy to eat. So while they may not be your favorite candy, you will definitely end up eating them more often then you'd expect.
However, we had a completely different opinion about the assorted tootsie rolls. The vanilla ones like the chocolates are yummy but not a favorite. Out of all the assorted flavors, because vanilla is so basic, this flavor is the best.
The lemon, cherry, lime and orange flavored chewy tootsie rolls are not up to par with the tootsie roll standard. They are found very commonly in Halloween baskets, but we find ourselves avoiding them every time we take a piece.
They taste very artificial, and the thought of them is unappealing. It is psychological because admittedly, the thought of them is much worse than the taste, so you may be surprised.
"Don't think twice, it's alright" – Bob Dylan
Peace & Love,
The Cool Kids.
Tags: tootsie frooties, tootsie rolls, vanilla tootsie rolls


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DALLAS — Multiple sources tell KVUE's sister station that Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia have been found shot dead inside their Forney home.
Circumstances around the apparent double murder were not immediately clear Saturday night.
One source told WFAA the front door of the McLellands' 3,000 square foot residence was reportedly kicked in.
A neighbor told WFAA police were outside the house when she returned home around 9 p.m. Saturday. The neighbor said McLelland and his wife were friendly people.
The DA's death comes two months after McLelland's top prosecutor was shot and killed in a parking lot outside the Kaufman County Courthouse.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was murdered on January 31 on his way in to the courthouse. A task force of multiple local, state and federal agencies have investigated dozens of leads, but have so far been unable to develop any suspects in the Hasse murder.
McLelland vowed to hunt down Hasse's killer, and was confident that person would be brought to justice.
"He knows and I know there will be a reckoning," the DA said at Hasse's memorial service. "Too many people are focusing on that. That's not going to be a problem."
It is uncertain whether the Hasse murder in January is related to what happened Saturday to McLelland and his wife, Cynthia.
According to the district attorney's official biography, the McLellands have five children, one of whom is a Dallas police officer.
E-mail email@example.com


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Governor to convene "Maryland Forward" forum on job creation with Western Maryland stakeholders
ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 11, 2011) – Governor Martin O'Malley will travel to Western Maryland Monday to convene discussions on job creation and economic development in the mountain region of our state. The Governor will hold a discussion on tourism and State Parks at New Germany State Park in the morning, and later convene a "Maryland Forward" forward on job creation at Allegany College in Cumberland.
Garrett and Allegany Counties combine for over $288 million in annual visitor expenditures, making tourism the region's largest industry. The Governor will discuss continued opportunities for state and local partnerships to strengthen the region's ability to create and save jobs in Western Maryland.
Following the State of the State address, Governor O'Malley announced a series of "Maryland Forward" local policy forums to advance many of those initiatives, serving as a continuation of the "Maryland Forward" forum series before the 2011 Inauguration. Tomorrow's afternoon forum is the fourth in a series of smaller groups of local stakeholders throughout the 2011 legislative session focused on specific policy areas that will help Maryland be a winner in the new economy, protect our neighborhoods, and create jobs.
WHAT: Governor O'Malley to hold discussion on tourism in Western Maryland
WHEN: MONDAY, March 14, 2011 at 9:00 a.m.
WHERE: New Germany State Park
349 Headquarters Lane
Grantsville, MD 21536
WHAT: Governor O'Malley to hold "Maryland Forward" forum on jobs and the economy
WHEN: MONDAY, March 14, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Allegany College
College Theatre
12401 Willowbrook Road
Cumberland, MD 21502


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Click here to view the memorial to Mrs. Low.
Want to know what is expected of your child in our school? Click on the link above to view the chart detailing our "All-Star Behavior" program.
Last Chance to Capture the Memories of the 2013-2014 School Year!
The UPES PTSA Yearbook Sale is wrapping up on March 31st. The cost of the yearbook is $11.00, with additional options available. Please take a moment to order your yearbook to capture the memories of the 2013-2014 school year. Go to www.YBPay.lifetouch.com and enter the code 8421414. Don't miss out on the memories!
Any questions, please contact Roxanne Terry at 648-9790.


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Laser Warfare Party
$120 for a Party for up to Eight People with Two Laser Warfare Missions & One Bowlarama Game or One Junglerama Entry incl. Food (value $248)
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- Throw your child an unforgettable party with one click of a button.
- Grab a kids party for up to eight children including food at Laser Warefare and Bowlarama or Junglerama for $120.
- Dig into food like fries, hotdogs, lolly party packs and lemonade or juice.
- Watch as the kids enjoy two laser warfare missions, one junglerama entry or bowlarama game, and a free amusement game token per child.
- Suitable for any age group.
Every child is like its own pint-sized black hole – a swirling ball of insatiable energy, craving excitement and swallowing up anything and everything in its path. OK, that may be a slight exaggeration, but we've all seen how tough it can be to plan events for our little ones. With today's deal, you can treat your son or daughter – and their friends – to a day of non-stop fun. Hurry—before they go supernova.
Pay $120 for a kids' party for up to eight children, including food, at Laser Warfare and Bowlarama or Junglerama. With two laser warfare missions, one Junglerama entry or Bowlarama game, and a free amusement game token per child, all you have to do is sit back and watch the kids have the time of their lives.
Laser Warfare and Bowlarama is the ultimate destination for a killer kids' birthday party. With activites galore and party food to keep guests active and energetic for hours, all you'll have to do is sit back and relax. This party pack gives you the choice between a hot dog or fish birthday food pack including fries, lollies and lemonade or juice. Your child and all of his or her friends will enjoy laser missions, amusement park games and junglerama entry or a bowlarama game - guaranteed to put one big smile on all of their faces.
Laser Warfare Party
52 Hall Street
Newtown, Wellington
(04) 9200 200
Laser Warfare Hours: Friday 2.00pm - 8.00pm, Saturday 10.00am - 8.00pm & Sunday 10.00am - 2.00pm
Bowlarama Hours: Seven days 9.30am - late
Please check website for holiday opening hours.
ConditionsValid from Jan 30, 2013
Expires May 7, 2013
Limit: 1 for you and 1 gift for another
Bookings essential. Sub to availability. Max 1 coupon per booking. Please check website for Holiday opening hours. Additional children cost $25 pp. Must be used in 1 visit. Daily restrictions. Only available Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Additional catering can be purchased on-site. No refunds, no cashback. Not to be used with any other offer.
See the rules that apply to all deals


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Apr 24 at 11:30pm to Apr 25 at 2:30am
Monthly Parking – $600.00 Purchase
Description: This garage is open 24/7 with unlimited in-and-out privileges for monthly customers.
Redemption instructions: After purchasing, print your monthly parking receipt from the ParkWhiz confirmation email and present it to the on-site attendant on your start date. You will be asked to fill out paperwork in exchange for your access pass. Contact information will be provided after you purchase a spot.
6 people recommend parking here 4 left comments
Very professional and convenient! I would use this parking garage again!
Convenient and quick!
Very easy to use, worked well, thanks
Very easy to find (with satnav), friendly, professional and quick! Also excellent price, and much better than previous parking experiences that I have had before in NYC. They parked for me and when I came back just took the code and done.
This parking garage abuts a large brown building and is across the street from a newly renovated business building. This garage is within walking distance to Albert Capsouto Park.
*Note: A $10.00 oversize vehicle charge will be applied.
Vehicle height restriction: 72 inches
This location is a commercial parking garage.
Nearby destinations: Santos Party House, Skillshare, Aquagrill, Pepolino, Canal Street.
This parking garage is on Wooster St. between Canal and Grand St.. Upon making a right at the corner of Canal and Wooster, continue down and the garage's entrance will be on your left. A large white "Park" sign denotes the entrance.
*Note: A $10.00 oversize vehicle charge will be applied.
Monthly Parking Available!
Click "Monthly Parking Available" on the left to see monthly rates and book a spot online!


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When Wenzel® started making camping gear in 1887, America was a very different place. No TV, no video games, no cell phones. Of course, a lot's changed in 120+ years, but Wenzel's commitment to making family-friendly gear at a budget-friendly price hasn't budged an inch!
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Please Note: This item is shipped directly from the factory. To see the expected shipping date, please add to your Shopping Cart. Sorry, no express shipping available. We are unable to ship factory direct items to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or APO or FPO addresses.
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Wenzel® Wolf Creek 6-person Family Dome Tent
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With "nagoya" we think you're looking for one of these 24 options
31 hotels, 1 guesthouse, 1 condo hotel
Royal Park Hotel The Nagoya
Located a 5-minute walk from JR Nagoya Train Station, Royal Park Hotel The Nagoya offers free Wi-Fi throughout the property and a high level of security. Air conditioned rooms feature an en suite bathroom, a safety deposit box and a flat-screen TV. More
Amaris Hotel Nagoya Hill - Batam
Located in Nagoya Hill Mall area, Amaris Hotel Nagoya Hill - Batam is a 2-minute walk from the mall's entrance. It offers minimalist-style rooms with wooden flooring and colourful decor. Free Wi-Fi is accessible in all areas. More
Unizo Inn Nagoya Sakae
Opening in May 2014, Unizo Inn is ideally located just a 1-minute walk from Sakae Subway Station in downtown Nagoya. It features compact guestrooms, free property-wide Wi-Fi and a 24-hour convenience store. More
Nagoya Inn Hotel
Operating a 24-hour front desk, Nagoya Inn Hotel features simple and comfortable accommodation within a 5-minute drive from Kuah Town. Free Wi-Fi access is available in the entire property. More
Nagoya Plasa Hotel
Steps away from Nagoya shopping complex, Nagoya Plasa Hotel offers massage service and free Wi-Fi in all areas. A gym, karaoke facilities and free parking spaces are available on site. More
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By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and STEVEN ERLANGER
CAIRO On the eve of his first trip to the United States as Egypts new Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi said the United States needed to fundamentally change its approach to the Arab world, showing greater respect for its values and helping build a Palestinian state, if it hoped to overcome decades of pent-up anger.
A former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and Egypts first democratically elected president, Mr. Morsi sought in a 90-minute interview with The New York Times to introduce himself to the American public and to revise the terms of relations between his country and the United States after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, an autocratic but reliable ally.
He said it was up to Washington to repair relations with the Arab world and to revitalize the alliance with Egypt, long a cornerstone of regional stability.
If Washington is asking Egypt to honor its treaty with Israel, he said, Washington should also live up to its own Camp David commitment to Palestinian self-rule. He said the United States must respect the Arab worlds history and culture, even when that conflicts with Western values.
And he dismissed criticism from the White House that he did not move fast enough to condemn protesters who recently climbed over the United States Embassy wall and burned the American flag in anger over a video that mocked the Prophet Muhammad.
We took our time in responding to avoid an explosive backlash, he said, but then dealt decisively with the small, violent element among the demonstrators.
We can never condone this kind of violence, but we need to deal with the situation wisely, he said, noting that the embassy employees were never in danger.
Mr. Morsi, who will travel to New York on Sunday for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, arrives at a delicate moment. He faces political pressure at home to prove his independence, but demands from the West for reassurance that Egypt under Islamist rule will remain a stable partner.
Mr. Morsi, 61, whose office was still adorned with nautical paintings that Mr. Mubarak left behind, said the United States should not expect Egypt to live by its rules.
If you want to judge the performance of the Egyptian people by the standards of German or Chinese or American culture, then there is no room for judgment, he said. When the Egyptians decide something, probably it is not appropriate for the U.S. When the Americans decide something, this, of course, is not appropriate for Egypt.
He suggested that Egypt would not be hostile to the West, but would not be as compliant as Mr. Mubarak either.
Successive American administrations essentially purchased with American taxpayer money the dislike, if not the hatred, of the peoples of the region, he said, by backing dictatorial governments over popular opposition and supporting Israel over the Palestinians.
He initially sought to meet with President Obama at the White House during his visit this week, but he received a cool reception, aides to both presidents said. Mindful of the complicated election-year politics of a visit with Egypts Islamist leader, Mr. Morsi dropped his request.
His silence in the immediate aftermath of the embassy protest elicited a tense telephone call from Mr. Obama, who also told a television interviewer that at that moment he did not consider Egypt an ally, if not an enemy either. When asked if he considered the United States an ally, Mr. Morsi answered in English, That depends on your definition of ally, smiling at his deliberate echo of Mr. Obama. But he said he envisioned the two nations as real friends.
Read More lies>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/wo...ties.html?_r=0
Okay let's read through the pure shit here, America must help establish a terrorist state within Israel to destroy Israel.


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I am new in this so please forgive me if i didnt post on right place.
So please help me. I am from macedonia. I have iphone 3g
Bootloader Version 05.09 (G2m3s2)
Baseband Version ICE2-02.20.03
Iphone Os Version 2.2.1 (5h11)
Modem firmware 02.30.03
Phone works perfectly , but somethimes i get mesage No service. I use Sim unlock Card beacouse i am usinge T mobile sim card.
The last No service, that i am still having it was when i went to another country and it Happend. So i didnrt have roaming to. The problem is still here , now i am in my country again but No service is still here. So i dont have carrier it say ,, Your selected cellurar network is no longer availbe. You can choose a different network in Settings,,
Please help me , please
And another q. Can i use yellowsnow and witch one will work for my speciffication above.


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(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)
Knockout dress
By Shop2Udrop
from Brooklyn, NY
About Me Beauty Conscious
Best Uses
Comments about Especially Yours Contour de Force Dress:
The Contour de Force dress is a great, well constructed dress that can be worn for church or classy social events. I wore this dress to church and it was a hit. All of Lisa Rene dresses are classy and in most cases, you can size down and still get a perfect fit. My only issue with this dress is the snaps below the buttons do not stay close but this can be easily fixed. If you don't want to draw attention, then this is not the dress for you.
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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Contour de Force Dress
By Qutz
from New Jersey
I will use this dress to go to the finest of them all. This Dress is figure flattering, Classy and Elegant. There is not one word I can say that is Bad about this Dress. Believe me Head will turn when you wear this dress. There will be double takes on the dress and you will be question about this dress many times over. I love classy clothes!


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- 22 Resorts
- Consistent Snow
- Diverse destinations
- Resorts open before those of many other states
- Home to Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain
Related Regions: Vermont, Southern Vermont, Season Pass Deals, New England, North America, United States
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OnTheSnow announces the 2014 Visitors' Choice Award winners. More