Archive for April, 2016

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Saturday, April 30th, 2016
Keynote Address from Robin Chase

Keynote Address from Robin Chase

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Invest in Yourself

Friday, April 29th, 2016
Small Business Week

Small Business Week

“Invest in yourself” is the message from entrepreneur and power-motivator Tony Robbins, delivered in an engaging article in USA Today. The newspaper has planned articles featuring successful entrepreneurs to appear each day through May 7th in recognition of Small Business Week. This article cited research findings supporting the theme of small business owner burnout (lack of scheduled vacation, work in excess of 50 hours a week, etc.) leading Robbins to advise us to work smarter and not harder. I particularly appreciated his insights to the effect that we over-estimate what we can accomplish in a year, but we under-estimate what we can accomplish in a decade.  He advises better self-care to see that we accomplish what we are capable of doing and recommends that we invest in ourselves for learning and growth.

I have taken this message to heart. Each year, I commit to a professional/entrepreneurial development program. In recent years, this has included the Executive Learning Program for Diverse Suppliers and the Tuck-WBENC-IBM Executive Program. This year, I am participating in the Emerging Leaders Initiative of the U.S. Small Business Administration and am evaluating courses for the second half of the year. One of my classmates in Emerging Leaders is a professional football player, formerly with the New England Patriots who has his own fitness business. He provides strong motivation for fitness and better self-care to run the entrepreneurial marathon. Tony Robbins probably didn’t intend his remarks to be interpreted in my limited context of disaster preparedness and recovery, but his approach reinforces my belief that the resilience of the small business emerges from the resilience of the business owner.

Public Health Threats

Thursday, April 28th, 2016
Too Close for Comfort?

Too Close for Comfort?

A mumps outbreak on the campuses of Boston-area universities may upset plans for graduation ceremonies scheduled for later this month. An outbreak that began at Harvard University in March has now escalated to over 40 cases. The University of Massachusetts, Boston University and Tufts University have also reported cases of mumps infection among their students. Mumps is a disease caused by a contagious virus and is more likely to spread in the winter and spring months. The virus can spread quickly among people in close quarters, such as college dorms, by means such as talking, coughing, sneezing or kissing. Swollen cheeks and flu-like symptoms are signs of the virus, but many people spread the virus as they are unaware that they are infected. Mumps is usually prevented by two doses of the MMR (mumps-measles-rubella) vaccine. Doctors report that ten years after the second dose is administered, the vaccine’s protective benefits decline to 80 to 85 per cent. However, should a vaccinated person become infected, he or she will typically have a milder illness than someone who has not been vaccinated. I had mistakenly believed I had been properly vaccinated, but the error was caught in a timely manner.

Whenever I have to travel for official UN business, I am required to update my medical information. For an extra measure of safety, particularly as some of the areas where I travel for work are unsanitary, I have had a third MMR booster, so I happen to be aware of this. But were it not for my UN work, I would have been medically vulnerable without knowing it! I was unable to produce proof of the second administration of the MMR vaccine when the UN medical office requested it. How many of us can document our childhood vaccines? With outbreaks of previously rare viruses becoming more commonplace, and with a politically-correct anti-vaccine movement gaining traction, I am giving more thought to policies for health protection. This is particularly important for businesses whose employees work in areas of close contact with others. In my case, I am on a university campus at least once a week. I have seen people in developing countries out and about in public while wearing surgical masks for protection. I am trying to imagine this scenario at a graduation ceremony. Let’s learn from this experience and give some thought to keeping our employees safe and healthy. For more information, see the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Admin Day

Wednesday, April 27th, 2016

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Tuesday, April 26th, 2016

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Sunday, April 24th, 2016

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Saturday, April 23rd, 2016

Earth Day

Friday, April 22nd, 2016

UK

Thursday, April 21st, 2016

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Wednesday, April 20th, 2016