28Oct 2021 by CJ
Book banning in America is as antiquated as prejudice itself

Book banning in America is as antiquated as prejudice itself

Information & Education
The headline of a recent NPR.com article surprised me regarding book banning in America. A Texas lawmaker is targeting 850 books that he says could make students feel uneasy.  Rep. Matt Krause – a Republican – stated that he explicitly targets books that "might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex." Apparently, Krause is running in a very crowded primary race in the state of Texas, and it's no great shock that he's trying to make a name for himself to stand out from the competition. His answer is the book banning letter he sent to school leaders of the state, which they must answer by November 12. What do school leaders in Texas think? "The inquiry is a disturbing and…
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17Jun 2021 by CJ
Make every interaction count to help build your overall customer experience

Make every interaction count to help build your overall customer experience

Generosity & Kindness, Information & Education
“Make every interaction count, even the small ones. They are all relevant.” - Shep Hyken The pandemic has forced some industries to the brink of extinction while allowing others to flourish at unprecedented levels. One of those industries is home improvement. As people found themselves at home more than they’d ever been before over the last year, they started to notice the “imperfections” of their environment and suddenly the industry exploded. Halfway through 2020, searches for home improvement companies were up almost 50% and according to Porch.com, 3 out of 4 homeowners surveyed completed a major renovation project since the start of Covid-19, and roughly the same percentage already have one scheduled. With this flurry of new business, one might hope that home improvement companies have not lost a critical…
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16Sep 2020 by CJ
Investing in yourself through education highlights your character

Investing in yourself through education highlights your character

Information & Education
“Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you.” - Robin Sharma It’s been a long time since I’ve meandered through the halls of an educational institution where the ultimate goal was investing in yourself through learning, growth and experience. For many, one of the pitfalls of inhabiting the working world with some longevity is a sense of superiority. This often supports an all-knowing attitude which renders us believing that personal and professional development is only for those with limited career success. I myself have easily fallen into that rhythm. It wasn’t until a communications issue with a co-worker arose that I realized I might have something more to learn about…
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20Aug 2020 by CJ
Driving While Black shows how often whites take traveling for granted

Driving While Black shows how often whites take traveling for granted

Information & Education, Life & Living
Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights, is a book penned by Dr. Gretchen Sorin, a distinguished professor at The State University of New York College at Oneonta (SUNY). I was made aware of the book’s existence in a very unlikely place – a guest article in my latest edition of MotorTrend. For those of you unaware, MotorTrend is an American automobile magazine which dates back to September 1949. My wife and I had just completed reading several informative books on race – White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo and So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. I highly recommend both. When the September issue of MotorTrend landed in my mailbox with the Driving While Black guest article, it seemed like fate was…
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03Aug 2020 by CJ
Phubbing – competing with a hand-held device for your time

Phubbing – competing with a hand-held device for your time

Information & Education, Life & Living
You’ve probably never heard of the word “phubbing” before, but I’d wager to say you’ve applied what it means with some regularity. On Psychology Today, Emma Seppälä, Ph.D. writes, “Phubbing is the practice of snubbing others in favor of our mobile phones.” In other words, when someone is having a conversation with you or a small group, you’re on your cell phone pretending to listen. Such practice was originally thought to be linked to inconsiderate and entitled teenagers who had little to no understanding of what it means to be respectful. But phubbing no longer discriminates by age as 40 somethings and even 70 somethings now practice it consistently on their cell phones and smart watches regardless of whose company they’re in. A Time magazine article states, “Several studies have shown that…
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