Make a Difference

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2018, bright, difference, equal, girls, International Women's Day, musings, women

So make a difference, think globally and act locally. Make everyday International Women’s Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

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The Briefcase vs. Backpack Debate

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backpack, briefcase, business, business attire, business dress, casual Friday, commuters, computer bag, du jour, fad, men's health, men's style, messenger bag, monocle, musings, professional, protractors, textbooks, three-piece suit, trend, urban, work

While sitting in a line of congested traffic on the way into the office one morning, I observe the foot commuters in Uptown making their way from parking lots and bus stops to high rises and office buildings. This area is one of the nation’s largest urban regions, with more than six million people living within a 100-mile radius, so there’s ample people watching available while traffic inches forward.

One common denominator becomes obvious: a significant number of men use backpacks, while only a handful sport messenger or computer bags, and nearly no one carries a briefcase. For a week after, I keep a vigilant eye open during the morning and evening commutes, and what I see is that backpacks are not just a fad but a trend swing.

 Briefcases are for self-important lawyers, not practical accountants. – Reddit user

When I started working in a variety of office environments about 25 years ago, backpacks were rarely or if ever used by anyone; briefcases or portfolio bags were all you saw. However, I did begin to notice a shift about 15 years ago when backpacks started popping up around the office (some the rollable kind with the retractable handle). Businesses embroidered them and companies gave them out to employees.

Sure, backpacks free up your hands, especially while travelling, but I’m still not convinced of their place in business. While I appreciate the comfort level and familiarity of it, the backpack conjures up a time long past: 18 years of schooling (along with the higher education years) stuffed full of wrinkled papers, dog-eared textbooks, broken pencils, unused protractors and smooshed brown bag lunches.

No one cares whether backpack vs briefcase until you make manager. Then other managers may make fun of you for wearing a backpack. That’s about it. But basically no one cares.

While more commuters in urban areas take mass transit, the backpack is seen as convenient, especially if the commute involves walking. It’s also a part of a business culture that is relaxing. No longer is formal business attire the dress-code standard and, in many places, casual Fridays have been extended throughout the entire workweek.

As our culture relaxes, the briefcase will always project a professional image but is no longer the bag du jour; it’s going the way of the three-piece suit and the monocle. Using a backpack seems to be the established trend, although it doesn’t mean you should look unprofessional or a snotty-nosed 12-year-old. Men’s Health offers style tips on which backpacks project professionalism: http://www.menshealth.com/style/backpack-at-the-office.

So which do you prefer – the briefcase or the backpack?

 

 

Are You Managing Complex Change?

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action plan, action plans, acument, business, business communication, change, communications, incentives, leadership, management, planning, process, resources, skills, strategy, vision

I came across this graphic and realized how accurate it is. A company needs all the components to manage change and see success.  

International Women’s Day

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BeBoldForChange, First World Problems, International Women's Day, Pay Inequality, Suffragette, United States, women

Do We Really Need An International Women’s Day?

On August 26, 1920, the Suffragettes in the United States, after a hard-fought series of votes in the U.S. Congress and in state legislatures, saw the Nineteenth Amendment became part of the U.S. Constitution. It was progress and change for the advancement of equal rights.

However, nearly 97 years later, the inequality of women continues to endure. Women make up half the workforce, yet earn only 80 cents on the dollar compared to male counterparts.

So YES we need an International Women’s Day. Take notice. Step up. Be Bold. Make a difference.

See this article from The Institute for Women’s Policy that outlines the pay equity and discrimination prevalent today.

#BeBoldForChange #InternationalWomensDay #FirstWorldProblems

The Bowl Game Names I Want to See

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Badgers, Bowl Games, Bucky, Campbell's, College Football, Cotton Bowl, Dole, Football, Goodyear, Kellogg's, Kibbles n Bits, Kitchenaid, Liquid Plumber, marketing, musings, names, Orange Bowl, sponsorships, Willy Wonka, wisconsin

While watching my beloved Wisconsin Badgers win the Cotton Bowl on Monday – Go Bucky! – I remembered when bowl game names actually made sense in the connection of companies and locations that sponsored them. The Cotton Bowl name still fits the location since Texas is/was the largest producer of Cotton but it’s sponsored by Goodyear. I don’t think of anything soft and fluffy – not even the blimp – when I think of Goodyear.

College football is undoubtedly big business and corporate sponsorship and the names of bowl games change year to year. Didn’t Sunkist sponsor the Orange Bowl at one time? Then FedEx? Then Discover? Well, Sunkist was perfect match with King Orange, but now it’s the Capitol One Orange Bowl. Maybe Capital One should sponsor the Spare Change Bowl and leave the fruit sponsorship to the citrus farmers.

So on that note, here is a list of bowl game names I’d like to see that make sense in terms of product + bowls:

Campbell’s Soup Bowl
Dole’s Fruit Bowl
Blue Bunny’s Ice Cream Bowl
Kellogg’s Cereal Bowl
Liquid Plumber Toilet Bowl
Kitchenaid Mixing Bowl
Willy Wonka Candy Bowl
Kibbles N Bits Dog Bowl

Any bowl names you can add? Please put them in the comments.