Category Archives for Personal Resilience

The qualities for an effective leader

One of the qualities for an effective leader is your ability to mentor your team, but what does that mean in the modern workforce? Like it or not the world of work is changing. Economic risk has been shifted from the employer to the employee. Twenty years ago most employees where direct hirers. Today, a third of workers in the United States are third party employees. In other words, the worker is rented from Cleaning Services, Inc or Rent-A-Cop.com. Even semi professional jobs like accounting and paralegal are being outsourced to India or being automated.

The world of work is not what it used to be. Career paths are no longer a matter of getting a good job with a big company and advancing up the career ladder based on time and experience. Routine jobs are contracted out. Often, the employee shows up for work and is told they are not needed today, come back tomorrow. Third party contractors have replaced the Union Hiring Hall.

Modern businesses are flattening the old hierarchical business model. The pyramid style business is fading away. Bosses manage teams rather than people. Businesses hirer potential team leaders who have a broad base of skills and a proven record of accomplishment. Routine jobs are contracted from what has become a hiring hall. When a company has work you get hired. If business is slow, you don’t work.

Is freelancing in your future?

So in the gig economy half the work force is going to be freelancers. To get work you are going to have to stand out from the crowd. You will get work and be paid based on your skills and accomplishments. You are going to have to manage you career like a business. You must brand yourself and always be looking for better opportunities. Employers want to know what you have accomplished and what skills you have that can help them get their job done. A college degree may get you considered for a job, but most employers don’t care about who you worked for five years ago.

Three quarters of the workforce do not see a clear career path in their present job, and ¾ of businesses say the expect to face a shortage of workers with the skills the company needs. (Source ) That is a disparity that has to worry any business leader. The key to retaining the skilled workers needed in your business is the opportunity your employees have to advance their careers. When a smart employee feels the job no longer provides opportunity for growth that employee will be looking for another job.

What is effective mentoring?

Whether you are managing your career or are a business leader managing a team you are a mentor. Whether the person you are mentoring is your self or your team asking questions can help clarify career goals and opportunities.

When planning your career don’t lock yourself into a narrow niche. Doing so may prevent you from seeing broader opportunities. Forget about the traditional career path. Working up the Corporate Ladder doesn’t exist any more.

A good mentor will explore your calling and find out what you want to accomplish in life. A mentor will ask:

• what problems you see that excite you?
• what experiences have you had that can help solve those problems?
• What changes do you want to make in the way you live?

Concentrate on transferable skills.

Can you create or maintain a website? Do you know how to draw traffic to your website? Are you skilled at email marketing? Can you configure and autoresponder? Can you write content that both your reader and the search engines spyders will find interesting? Can you code? What applications are you proficient with? What skills do you need to develop that your team needs. Can you write a report? How can you contribute more effectiely to the problems you team is working on? What skills do you lack that might be holding you back?

Mentors need mentors. No matter where you are in your career support from your network is vital to your success.

Set milestones to recognize your achievements.

It may be achieving certification in a skill. It may be completing a project. Develop a portfolio of accomplishments rather than the traditional resume. Whether you have a job or a business, brand yourself. Let people know about your skills and you accomplishments.

When setting milestones ask: “What is the next step? How can I define my next milestone so I know when it is completed?” “What should I name my next milestone?” “How can I share what I’ve learned with others?

You cannot predict the future

The scary thing about the new world of work is you don’t know what is coming next. How do you deal with change when you don’t know what that change will be. Futurists look at trends and develop scenarios for what could happen. They are not predicting the future. They are simply saying these things could happen. One scenario is no more likely to happen than another. We cannot predict the future but we can prepare for it. We need to be a polymath, a jack of all trades and a master of one.

Life is becoming more complex and unpredictable. Jobs are no longer secure. In fact you may never have a job where tenure is assured. Is your retirement plan on track? Most sixty year olds in America have less than $1000 in savings.

Will you be able to retire?

There are two things we know will happen in our lives, death and taxes. There will be a time when you are no longer employable. If you are 50 and have been out of work for a year, your chances of getting a job are near zero. If you are in construction and get a back injury what are you going to do?

The good thing is knowing that every experience you have had and every relationship you have developed adds to your life. What you have to do is have a clear understanding of what you think are the most important thing in your life. Then develop a plan to help you accomplish those most important things. Approach life as a series of small experiments. If something looks interesting to you, test it to find out if it is really something you want to do.

Create resilience in your life.

I am an advocate for building resilience into our lives. Financial resilience means you have an income that continues whether you can work or not. Personal resilience means we are ready to deal with the chaos of life. The quality of our environment has a major impact on our longevity and the quality of our lives. You cannot control climate change, but you do have some control over the environment you live in and you can team up with others to force politicians to maintain a healthy environment for all of us.

Networking and the people we associate with will determine the course of our lives. When you meet someone who shares your values don’t let that person float through you life like a feather in the wind. Build and nurture your relationships. Stay in touch with the people who are important in your life. Touch bases with them at least 3-4 times a year. People move and we loose track of them. Nurture relationships and don’t let your friends fade away.

Change Your Thoughts and Change Your Life

The Importance of Moral Values
Our values form our core being and our moral compass.

I woke up to a TV discussion of values. A person is either moral, immoral or amoral. Amoral means you have no morals. Immoral means you know what is right but don’t care who you hurt.

If you are moral and have compassion you don’t take children away from their parents. If you are moral and your job forces you to do so, you resign.

I got a phone call from a telemarketer. I had won $5million dollars and a Mercedes Benz. All I had to do was to send him $5000 to pay for the taxes. I suggested he get an honest job where he wasn’t hurting people and hung up. He called back to ask why I had hung up on him. We exchanged some rather ugly curses which didn’t make either one of us any happier.

Changing People’s Lives

We have a great opportunity to use the internet to reach out to people and to help them change their lives. I emphasis the importance of helping people solve their problems because help others is personally and financially rewarding. Helping others is an important value for me. Not hurting others is an even more important value.

Never Break a Trust

People do business with people they know, like, and trust. I trust people who I know are honest and loyal. I know I can trust them to do what they say they will do. Trust is very easy to loose and very, very, very hard to win back. I doubt any one will ever trust my country again when we break our agreements with old friends and make friends with old enemies? How can a woman ever trust a philandering husband?

Understand what values are important to you. Understand the values of those you have relationships with. Our personal and business relationships will determine our success. We need to establish contact with others and become their friends. We talk about the long term value of a client when we should be talking about how we can reach out to people and make them our friends.

Keeping your friends takes effort. If you don’t stay in touch a friendship will fade away. Call your friends on special occasions. Say “Happy Fathers Day”, so Happy Fathers day to all you Dad’s out their. Be a friend to your kids and do something special with them today and every day.

Understand Your Values

Values: compassion, caring about others, honesty, loyalty, being grateful and saying thanks. caring for the earth and for those around you are important to me. What are your values? 

What does it mean to be a true friend? It means you are ready to drop everything to help a friend in need.

Help where you can, and where you cannot help, be very careful not to hurt.

Understand your values. Know your purpose in life. Set your goals to live your calling. Break those goals down into steps you can take each day. Don’t let the urgent things in your life overwhelm your goals. Define the most important 3 things in your life each day and set aside the time you need to accomplish them. If you don’t do what you planned try to break the task into smaller tasks that you can get done in a few hours.

Today, do something with your family and have a great Father’s Day.

BALLISTIC MISSILE PREPAREDNESS

I received the following fact sheet (FAQ) from the Office of Emergency Management. It talks about what you can do to survive a nuclear attack.

Part of emergency response training is to understand the risk of something happening and how much damage will result from it happening. We have all seen on the news what Harvey, Irma and Marie have done in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean.  The probability of that happening in Hawaii in our lifetimes is high. You should plan on our older, single wall homes being destroyed or seriously damaged by a Category 3 hurricane. You will be on your own without power, water, drugstores, gas stations or banks for a week or more. Marine transportation may be seriously disrupted for months. 

A nuclear attack is survivable if you are far enough away from the blast and take cover from radioactive fallout. From warning to explosion, you will have no more than 15 minutes to find shelter. Radiation from a nuclear explosion decays rapidly. You may have to stay in a safe room, sealed against fallout, for from several days to a month. Have a hand crank emergency radio so you can stay informed and know when it is safe to leave your safe room.

Each of us will evaluate our risk and what we should do about it differently. If you have the money, rich people may build fallout shelters as they did in the 60s. This could be an appropriately designed room in a basement or even a part of your home dug into the side of a hill. 

The idea is to help your family survive a natural or man-made disaster as comfortably as your budget allows. At least have a supply of food, water, medicine and camping equipment to be self-sufficient for two weeks. How you evaluate the risk of something happening and how bad you expect the damage to be will determine how you prepare.

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HAWAII STATE DEPARTMENT of DEFENSE

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS with ANSWERS

BALLISTIC MISSILE PREPAREDNESS

Revised: 08 AUG 2017.5

1. Q: Why now? Has the North Korea missile threat increased so much recently that you were urged to begin preparations for an attack?

A: Preparations for the North Korea missile and nuclear threat began in late 2016 when this assessment suggested early preparations should be initiated. Hawaii has maintained plans to cope with missile testing since 2009. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) conducts a Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) every year. This process examines potential hazards and threats to the State of Hawaii including natural (hurricane, tsunami), technological (cyberterrorism) and man-made (acts of terrorism) hazards.

2. Q: I have heard that planning for a nuclear attack from North Korea is futile given most of the population will be killed or critically injured. Is that true?

A: No. Current estimates of human casualties based on the size (yield) of North Korean nuclear weapon technology strongly suggests an explosion less than 8 miles in diameter. More than 90% of the population would survive the direct effects of such an explosion. Planning and preparedness are essential to protect those survivors from delayed residual radiation (fallout) and other effects of the attack such as the loss of utilities and communication systems, structural fires, etc.

3. Q: How will the public learn of a possible missile launch from North Korea?

A: Approximately 5 minutes into the launch sequence, the U.S. Pacific Command will notify the Hawaii State Warning Point (SWP) that a missile is en route from North Korea. The SWP is staffed on a 24-hour, 7 day-a-week basis by skilled emergency management professionals.

Upon receipt of the notification, the SWP will activate the ‘Attack-Warning’ signal on all outdoor sirens statewide (wailing sound) and transmit a warning advisory on radio, television and cellular telephones within 2 minutes.

4. Q: What should Hawaii residents and visitors do when they hear the ‘Attack-Warning’ siren signal?

A: All residents and visitors must immediately seek shelter in a building or other substantial structure. Once the sirens sound, residents and visitors will have less than 12 to 15 minutes before missile impact.

3949 Diamond Head Road · Honolulu ·Hawaii · 96816 Telephone (808) 733-4300

Frequently Asked Questions with Answers Page 2 of 3

5. Q: Was the recent public messaging recommending that each individual/family maintain a 14-day survival kit made because of the North Korea threat?

A: No. The 14-day recommendation was made following an intensive analysis suggesting that Hawaii could experience a major disruption to maritime transportation (shipping and ports) in the event of a major hurricane. This recommendation does however complement the potential need for 14 days of sheltering following a nuclear attack.

6. Q: When will schools begin nuclear drills?

A: Schools are not expected to conduct drills specific to a nuclear attack. Existing drills known as ‘Shelter-in-Place’ drills serve the same purpose. These drills are regularly conducted at all schools statewide and are considered more than adequate in terms of protecting students and staff.

7. Q: When will the new ‘Attack-Warning’ siren signal be available and how will it be tested?

A: The new (second) ‘Attack-Warning’ siren signal (wailing sound) will be available for use beginning in November 2017 or later. The signal will be tested on the first working day of every month thereafter together with the existing ‘Attention-Alert’ signal (steady sound) used for other emergencies.

8. Q: Are there public shelters (blast or fallout) designated in our communities?

A: No. There are currently no designated shelters in the State of Hawaii at this time. The short warning time (12 to 15 minutes) would not allow for residents or visitors to locate such a shelter in advance of missile impact.

9. Q: How long will residents and visitors need to remain sheltered following a nuclear detonation?

A: In most cases, only until the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has assessed residual radiation and fallout. This could be as little as a few hours or as long as 14 days.

10. Q: What is fallout?

A: Debris including soil, fragments of destroyed buildings and other material will be drawn into the cloud of a nuclear detonation and propelled into the sky. This debris will begin to settle back to earth within hours. This debris includes residual radiation that poses a significant health risk to humans and animals.

11. Q: How can I tell if nuclear radiation is present?

A: Nuclear radiation cannot be perceived by the human senses (sight, smell, etc.). Specialized instruments are needed to detect its presence and intensity. Those instruments are available for use by public safety agencies across the State of Hawaii.

12. Q: How long will nuclear radiation persist after a nuclear detonation?

A: Radiation from nuclear detonation in the form of fallout decays very rapidly. Days to

Frequently Asked Questions with Answers Page 3 of 3

weeks in most situations.

13. Q: Are the neighbor island safe?

A: We do not know. North Korean missile technology may not be adequately advanced to accurately target a specific island or location. Although most analysts believe the desired target will be Oahu given the concentration of military and government facilities, a missile may stray and impact the open ocean or even a neighbor island. All areas of the State of Hawaii

Progress in preventing Alzheimer’s Disease

Studies in England have shown that reducing brain inflammation can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. The next step is to develop a drug that can be administered to stop the AD.  That will take time.

In the mean time a diet that includes the following foods can help reduce inflamation: They include ten brain-healthy food groups, but you don’t need to eat each daily. 

Every day:  □ Whole grains (three or more servings)  □ Leafy greens (one serving)  □ Other veggies (one or more servings)  □ Glass of wine (opt for red) 

Most days:  □ Nuts (like almonds and walnuts)  □ Olive oil (as main cooking oil)  

Every other day:  □ Beans 

Twice a week or more:  □ Blueberries or strawberries  □ Poultry  

At least once a week:  □ Fish 

Limit these foods:  Butter (less than one tablespoon per day)  Fast food and fried food (less than one serving per week)  Full-fat cheese (less than one serving per week)  Red meat (less than four times per week)  Pastries and sweets (less than five servings per week)

It is basically the diet recommended by the Blue Zone Project.

A Christmas Story

This is the time of year when we tell the story of a baby born in a manager who, as a man, proclaimed the God among us, within us and beyond us. It is a story that tends to get lost in the hoopla of buying stuff and of decoration.

In a world racked by conflict and stressed by climate change and mass extinction will the Christmas message of hope and transformation be sufficient for our world’s profound need? In a world shaped by materialism is it any wonder that the world is cursed with exploitation and devastating poverty. Our world is the story of distorted meanings and shallow purpose which is at the heart of the ecological and social justice crises surrounding us.

Hawaiians have a word, pono, that to me embodies the meaning of Christmas.  To be pono means we must live in harmony with each other and with the world around us. It means we must do the right thing. Pono is about living a righteous life in harmony with all living earth.

We live in a world caught up in confusion and distortions and lies. Many of our leaders promote a world where wealth and power overwhelm love and community, a world where ownership replaces stewardship, a world where shallow religion excuses corruption and greed. Only when we reject this gospel of hate can we hope to live in a pono world.  Intervention is necessary.

We must tell the true message of Christmas. God is with us when we understand His creation.  The very survival of our grandchildren requires us to live pono in harmony with each other and with the world around us.

The Christmas story is one of great good news when we tell it in the context of overcoming oppression and exploitation, of renew community and establishing pono relationships. But it is up to us to make it happen.  It will only happen when we work together to solve local, regional and global problems.

But that Christmas story — that transformational, liberating, joyous story — needs to be explicit. In a world seduced by wealth and power, a world where the “other” is feared or used, where individualism smothers community — in our world, the Christmas story loses meaning if we don’t push the challenging message of our need to live pono.

The Christmas story can be lost in commercialization.

We and the earth are at a cross roads. We can choose to pursue money and power at the expense of others, or we can choose to live pono on a sustainable earth with dignity and respect for all living things.  The true Christmas message is one of Peace on Earth and Goodwill to men. Nono pono.