ETSUs program was ranked No. 20 and was one of only two Tennessee schools included in the top 25.

Primarily an online degree, the ETSU Ph.D. program is designed to prepare nurse scientists in developing a better knowledge of research methods, data analysis techniques, and developing analytical and leadership skills.

The program was created with working professionals in mind, offering the flexibility and convenience of online coursework and a limited number of on-campus meetings. A limited number of on-campus meetings and on-campus coursework are required.

Research is a component of the BSN, MSN, DNP and Ph.D. programs in nursing, said Dr. Myra Clark, associate dean and associate professor of graduate programs in the College of Nursing. The Ph.D.-prepared nurse learns and understands how to design and conduct independent research.

Additionally, many graduates complete courses in nursing education within their programs to prepare them for teaching roles upon graduation.

Program faculty members who are experts in their fields guide the students and engage in scholarship that enhances and supports students development as nurse scientists.

The ETSU College of Nursing Ph.D. program started in 2002 as a Doctor of Science in Nursing program. In 2007, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing recommended all research-focused terminal degrees be designated as Ph.D. programs. ETSU petitioned for a change in degree designation, and the change was approved. Since that time, 42 students have graduated, and 20 are enrolled in course work or dissertation.

Using the standards and benchmarks for Ph.D. in Nursing programs set forth by the AACN, the programs mission is to prepare nurse scientists who will conduct research in nursing and engage in scholarship that will improve health care and health care delivery systems.

Ph.D. students are mature adults, working in high-level professional positions, Clark said. To date, students are faculty members in universities or community colleges, academic administrators, nursing and health care administrators and nurses in advanced practice.

The rankings were released by Online College Plan, which was created to assist parents and students in learning about the options available and how to plan ahead for an online college education. Schools that met eligibility criteria were awarded points based on retention, graduate rate and affordability. For more information about the rankings, visit http://www.onlinecollegeplan.com/rankings/online-phd-nursing-education.

To learn more about ETSUs College of Nursing, visit http://www.etsu.edu/nursing.

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ETSU College of Nursing online PhD ranked 20th in country for nursing education - Johnson City Press (subscription)

MAX PADILLANew Health and Wellness team (from left to right) Erin Goodrich, Emily Wagner, Madeline Hope, Kevin Karackas and Barbara McCall will focus on violence prevention, holistic wellness and mental health, amongst other health topics.

The Office of Health and Wellness Education has recently expanded its staff from one full-time employee to four full-time employees and one part-time employee. This expansion will help the office further develop existing programs, as well as focus on new initiatives.

Previously, the office focused primarily on Green Dot trainings, running the MiddSafe program and offering education for students with alcohol and drug infractions.

Barbara McCall, the director of Health and Wellness Education, said this restructuring occurred as part of Workforce Planning.

I had been laying the groundwork through conversations and program tracking to increase the number of staff in the office for a number of years, she said. Every time I had to turn down an opportunity to facilitate a training or participate in an event, I logged it.

The new positions in the office include a violence prevention and advocacy specialist, an alcohol and other drug education specialist, the assistant director for the office.

The job descriptions for all of the health educators in the office were built around the existing programs and the unmet needs that students, faculty, and staff had expressed over the last five-six years, McCall said.

With the additional employee-power, the offices will take on new initiatives intended to promote health, prevent illness and reduce personal, campus and institution-wide health risks.

Before this expansion, McCall was solely responsible for running the office, and has been since she took on the practitioner-director position in 2013.

McCalls role will now focus on institution-wide initiatives, such as the JED Foundation collaboration, a non-profit which partners with colleges to improve mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention initiatives. She is also planning on expanding Health and Wellness Education to the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, various summer programs and in the Schools Abroad.

McCall said she is excited to promote health topics that Middlebury has not previously focused on, such as the importance of sleep and flu prevention.

A challenge that I think we are overcoming is a cultural and workforce shift to prioritize proactive, preventative work, McCall said. It is very easy to only focus on responding to problems as they arise, even though we know that providing early support, skill-building opportunities, and health information can help members of our community reach out earlier and more effectively for help.

In the past, the majority of the offices resources have been dedicated to Green Dot, a prevention-focused bystander education initiative, and MiddSafe, a student-operated crisis hotline.

We have developed some flagship programs, like Green Dot and MiddSafe, but know that theres plenty of room for additional programming to truly approach violence prevention holistically, McCall said.

Emily Wagner, the colleges first violence prevention and advocacy specialist, will start hosting events for students in October, which is Dating/Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Kareckas is focused on expanding the scope of wellness education. In his new role, Kareckas will work with students to create proactive initiatives to normalize substance-free activities. This differs from the offices former approach, which focused primarily on education for those who had already received an infraction for substance abuse.

New staff members were also brought on to focus on mental health, including Madeline Hope, the offices assistant director

We have heard loud and clear that students need mental health support beyond counseling services, McCall said Madeline Hopes new portfolio within her role as the assistant director is to engage programs and supports to do just this.

Hopes role will include shifting the scope of the suicide prevention program to include training for faculty in assisting students in distress. According to McCall, the goal for this new position include increasing stress-management programming, which will now occur throughout the whole year, as opposed to just during finals weeks.

Hope will also be involved in the Peer Support Training Skills program, a J-term workshop aimed at building student empathic listening skills to support friends who might be struggling with mental health challenges.

The final employee included in this expansion is Erin Goodrich, a full-time Middlebury employee who spends half her time with Health and Wellness and the other half with Student Activities. Goodrich will be supporting the office administratively by creating a new online education software program, as well as helping with general planning and support.

Overall, McCall hopes her offices expanded potential will help increase healthy living habits on campus and give students the resources they need.

Health is the capacity of individuals and communities to reach their potential, McCall said. Health promotion and prevention is essential to students community engagement, participation in immersive learning, and development of skills as global problem solvers in support of Middleburys mission.

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Health and Wellness Education Office expands staff, programming - Middlebury Campus

Learning with Experts has just completed its latest funding round above target, raising 800k with an impressive group of High Net Worth (HNW) Angels. The investment followed an investor showcase pitch to The Oxford Opportunity Network (OION), at Rathbones. New investors joining this round via OION include Rupert Pennant-Rea, Learning with Experts new chairman, former editor of The Economist and deputy governor of The Bank of England.

CEO/founder Elspeth Briscoe, formerly eBay, The Guardian, and Skype Mafia explained: The raise is enabling us to execute on our hiring plan, to scale our B2B, tech development and marketing teams and to hire new A-list tutors for our consumer product. We intend to drive the next education revolution beyond the MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), with our unique approach to community-based, trusted, high-quality, global, interactive online learning.MOOCs have 80% dropout rates. Learning with Experts has 80% course completion rates.

MOOCs have 80% drop out rates. Learning with Experts has 80% course completion rates. Elspeth Biscoe, CEO/founder

Were seeing rapid growth both in the B2C and B2B sectors. We already have 55 experts teaching consumers, including Shane Connolly, florist and Royal Warrant holder, BBC Good Food and BBC Gardeners World Magazine, Paula Pryke OBE, Antiques Roadshow Experts, World Class Landscape Designers with many other household names in the pipeline. Business clients are also partnering at a pace, enabling us to offer serious accredited vocational qualifications including The Royal Horticultural Society Level 2 training, and courses from The Goldsmiths Centre, part of The Goldsmiths Company.

Pennant-Rea commented: I love the education space, and Im a great believer in lifelong learning, having just completed a GCSE in science aged 71. I believe Learning with Experts has the right combination of people and product, and will be capable of disrupting online adult vocational learning. Im excited to have joined at this stage.

Jens Tholstrup, managing director, OION, commented: Congratulations to Learning With Experts on completing its current fundraising. This follows a very impressive pitch by Elspeth Briscoe at the OION Investor Showcase event held at Rathbones Head Office in May. We are delighted that Rupert Pennant-Rea has been appointed chairman following our introduction

Christine Hayes, editor in chief, BBC Good Food, said: For 30 years weve been showing Britain how to cook, making it easy to create good food every day. Our partnership with Learning with Experts facilitates an even closer relationship with our audience, allowing food enthusiasts across the world access to our knowledgeable, approachable food editors and the opportunity to interact and learn in a virtual classroom.

More here:
Learning With Experts Raises 800k To Disrupt Online Education - Education Technology

The Duchess of Sussex has joined her husbandvia Skype for a meeting aboutfemale education in Malawi, greeted by songs as she told young women she is "incredibly proud" of their "vital" work.

The Duchess danced and clapped along to her musical welcome via on online video link toNalikule College of Education in Lilongwe.

She went on to pay tribute to the valuable and vital work thousands of women are undertaking to support schoolgirls through their education.

Meghan praised the advocates of theCampaign for Female Education via a video conferencelink from Johannesburg to the capital of Malawi.

The Duke, who was at the collegein person,introduced his wife and during the Skype call she joked about their four-month-old son, who has joined them on their 10-day tour of Africa, sayingArchies taking a nap.

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Duchess of Sussex reunites with Prince Harry to talk female education in Malawi - via Skype - Telegraph.co.uk

A live Internet class in one of five studios at the University of Illinois' Gies College of Business

Youve no doubt read the endless stories about the decline of the MBA. Those stories will tell you that interest in the degree by young professionals has been falling for years. Some give unjustified credence to claims that the degrees value is questionable and that schools are teaching antiquated ideas locked in the Industrial Age.

Truth is, applications to full-time, two-year MBA programs have declined for five consecutive years. More schools are shuttering their MBA offerings and actual enrollment in many more programs has fallen. But there is another surprising side to this story: MBA demand is also exploding.

Consider the University of Illinois Online MBA program at the Gies College of Business. Enrollment in Gies iMBA program has grown to more than 2,500 MBA degree-seeking students this fall from a debut cohort of just 114 students three and one-half years ago (see Gies iMBA: The Fastest Growing MBA On The Planet).

And in the two months since Boston Universitys Questrom School of Business announced a new online MBA program, nearly 600 applications are now in progress for the offering which will debut next fall. Even though the school only opened its application three weeks ago, 43 candidates have completed their apps. And that is without Questrom spending a penny marketing the program.

The secret at Illinois and BU? Its the price. The price tag on the Gies MBA is just $22,000, while the cost of the forthcoming online MBA at BU will be a mere $24,000. These programs are booming because they are highly affordable options that allow young professionalsmany of them already carrying undergraduate student debtto get an MBA without having to quit their jobs. And roughly half of the more than 2,500 students in the Gies program are getting some sponsorship from their employers, making the MBA even cheaper than the $22K price might indicate.

It underlines concerns that the more traditional two-year, on-campus programs have become way too expensive, far beyond the reach of many would-be students after a quarter of a century of MBA tuition increases that have outpaced the rate of inflation.

Were selling a Tesla for the price of a Hyundai, insists Jeffrey Brown, dean of the Gies College of Business. While thats clearly an exaggeration, Gies is delivering significant higher educational value for the $22,000 it charges for the degree and that is why demand has exploded, even in the absence of a ranking because Brown has so far decided against putting the program into online MBA rankings.

Brown wont provide any concrete clues about his iMBA enrollment goals, maintaining that growth is dependent on the quality of the applicant pool. The program is now cash positive, he says, though the school is a long way from recouping its investment. We could get up to 3,000 or 5,000 steady state or the worlds population, he says. Its all dependent on quality. We dont need to grow. Its already financially viable.

Over at Boston University, which is partnering with edX, the education platform founded at Harvard and MIT, administrators see similar upside to their offering. The MBA is still one of the most if not the most coveted degrees out there, says Questrom Dean Susan Fournier. There are still a lot of quality people out there who wish they could get this crediential.

In fact, the most requested degree at edX, says Fournier, is the MBA.There have been 10,000 inquiries for an MBA before we partnered with them. Thats 10,000 latent requests for the degree at an affordable price.

BU is hoping to tap into that pent-up demand for its inaugural Online MBA cohort. About 37% of the potential applicants who have begun filling out Questroms lead form for the program have come directly from edXs database.

No less impressive is the quality of the students signing up for these low-cost MBA options. We thought we would see older, working professionals from great companies that we dont typically see outside the Northeast, says JP Matychak, associate dean of student experience and services at Questrom. And that has been true. After Massachusetts, the second largest source (of applicant interest) is coming from California and the tech field.

But one surprise is that nearly half of the applicants already have a masters or PhD degree, he adds. We are seeing the backend of the rise of the specialty masters programs. These are people who want to move into leadership roles but who dont want to spend $120,000 and come back to campus. That was a shock to me.

The big takeaway? The demand for these low-cost MBA options show that the MBA is very much alive and well. Sticker shock on the price of the traditional MBA experiences may be having far more impact on the business than anything else.

Read more here:
Where MBA Demand Is Exploding - Forbes

The new Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety badge is available as a standalone qualification

A Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety (CR-IS) badge has been developed by Digital Schools Award NI to help schools keep pupils safe online.

The badge is backed by tech companies HP, Microsoft and RM Education, with support from ICT in schools network C2K, and the Department for Education.

You might also like: First nurseries in Scotland receive Digital School status

CR-IS will be available to all schools that demonstrate a strategic approach to cyber-resilience and internet safety.

Digital Schools Awards validator, Dr Victor McNair, said: Schools are ideally placed to provide progressive and relevant activities that help pupils build enduring and adaptable cyber-resilient skills.

Teachers will instantly recognise the language used in the self-review framework and they will benefit from the local and national resources provided to help them develop classroom activities, partnerships and professional learning opportunities.

Schools are ideally placed to provide progressive and relevant activities that help pupils build enduring and adaptable cyber-resilient skills. Dr Victor McNair, Digital Schools Awards

Karen Irwin,UICT co-ordinator at Ballyclare Primary School, said, Pupils are very much at the heart of our internet planning and strategy and we encourage an open dialogue between pupils, teachers and parents.

Our Digital Leaders group which meets weekly is represented by pupils from each year group and together we work on creative projects and ideas to help everyone stay one step ahead in an ever-changing cyberworld.

You might also like: Welsh government pledges 50m to expand Hwb edtech programme

The Digital Schools Awards programme launched in Northern Ireland in 2015 and has been completed by over 70 nursery, primary and secondary schools.

The programme is free for all schools to participate. For more information and to register for the new CR-IS badge, visit http://www.digitalschoolsawards.co.uk

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Digital Schools Awards help pupils in Northern Ireland stay safe online - Education Technology

When was the last time you expressed your appreciation to someone? Expressing appreciation from the heart is one of most rewarding gifts. Yet, words of appreciation seem to be hard for people to say.

I have always wondered why it is hard for bosses to tell people within an organization they are appreciated. When people do not hear appreciation, they begin to wonder about their worth.

I am fortunate to work with folks continually sharing their appreciation. This attitude of appreciation starts at the top of an organization. It is amazing how much is accomplished when people feel and demonstrate appreciation.

A simple act of kindness can make all the difference in another persons life. However, society many times, view words of kindness as sissy or fake. It takes a bigger person to say thank you, express genuine appreciation, than it does to speak negative.

The Bible teaches us that it is better to give than to receive. Giving gifts and saying thank you, expresses appreciation. The joy is in giving, although I have viewed a couple bosses giving gifts, writing notes and saying kind words only because they wanted to receive something in return.

These kind of people are found out over time and have difficulty developing a cohesive team of comrades. Zig Ziglar in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People talks about the fake boss. Employees can usually tell if the gesture of kindness is genuine or not.

Appreciation can also be shown by helping others. Sincere appreciation comes from the heart. Sacrificing time to help someone when they are in need demonstrates sincerity.

When people continually help comrades even when the task is not their assignment is a genuine act of appreciation. This is action demonstrating appreciation. Again, this starts at the top and true appreciation is continually demonstrated in the workplace.

This reminds me of a story of a begging blind boy and a kind man that was passing by. The blind boy was sitting on a street corner with a sign, saying he was blind and needed help. As a man was passing by, he stopped and donated some coins in the boys almost empty bucket.

He also took the boys sign and wrote some words on the backside. He put the sign in front of the boy so everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up with lots of money. A lot more people were now giving money to the blind boy.

That afternoon the man who had changed the wording on the sign came to see how things were going for the boy. The boy recognized his footsteps and inquired if he was the person who wrote something on his sign. The man confessed he changed the wording but left the same meaning.

He explained his sign explained the boy was blind but in a much different way. The new words said the day was beautiful, but the boy could not see it. Both signs told people the boy was blind.

However, the second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Isnt it a blessing to have people help you in life? I encourage each of us to tell people around us how much we appreciate them.

Thought for the week:

Be thankful for what you have; youll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you dont have, you will never, ever have enough.

Oprah Winfrey

Dr. Jack Welch has been a college and high school coach for 38 years. He can be reached at jackwelch1975@gmail.com.

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FROM THE BLEACHERS: Expressing appreciation most rewarding gift - Herald-Banner

Seeing and hearing examples of people who have begun making decisions based on their values has been the most rewarding outcome of people reading my books. A great example of this includes a CPA who, after realizing her business partners were not willing to commit to values-guided leadership in their shared practice, had the courage to leave to begin her own business with values at the core ofit.

As part of my series about How to write a book that sparks a movement I had the great pleasure of interviewing Dina Dwyer-Owens, Brand Ambassador of Neighborly (formerly Dwyer Group), the worlds largest franchisor of home services with 22 brands under its parent company umbrella. America also knows her for participating in CBSs Emmy-winning hit reality show Undercover Boss. Dina is a certified franchise executive with more than 35 years of industry experience, 15 years as CEO of Dwyer Group. Dina is the author of two books: Live R.I.C.H. and Values, Inc. that both share her global message for living and leading with a proven code of values (books available for purchase at Values-INC.com).

Thank you so much for joining us Dina! Can you share the backstory about how you grew up?

Before the company I serve as Brand Ambassador for was known as Neighborly, it was originally founded by my father, the late Don Dwyer Sr., as the Dwyer Group. It started much smaller than it is now, but my father always envisioned a company that would specialize in buying and building related businesses that would provide high-quality residential and light commercial services.

So, I literally grew up working in the business long before our company became the global holding company it is today. By age 13, I was learning all about sales and customer service at a car wash my father owned. From there I went on to work in almost every aspect of our familys home services company. From cleaning carpets to franchise sales, I learned by doing.

After my fathers unexpected passing in 1994, I was elected by our public company board of directors as acting CEO of the company until they were sure I was the right leader for the job (at the time, many of our top franchisees did not see me as the best fit for permanent CEO of the company since I was a woman, and we work in a male-dominated industry).

Within six months, and with an amazing and supportive team of talented people, I had proven myself as a leader and went on to serve 15 years as CEO of the Dwyer Group, now Neighborly. In that time, I relaunched VetFran (a program designed to help veterans pursue franchise ownership), I was honored to be the second woman ever to serve as Chair of the International Franchise Association, I made two appearances as a boss on the CBS hit reality show Undercover Boss, and I wrote two books: Live R.I.C.H. and Values, Inc., both of which share my global message for living and leading with a proven code of values.

When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story?

I like to think that I was one of the earlier adopters of audiobooks, before they were really such a popular thing. Rather than reading a lot of books that inspired me at a young age, it was the motivational cassettes, featuring role models such as Zig Ziglar, Stephen Covey, and Ken Blanchard, that really made an impact on my own leadership journey.

But as I got older, the book that has resonated with me the most over the years is Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard. Regardless of your beliefs, this is a book that is all about servant leadership: Seeking opportunities to serve and support others through the authority you have as a leader.

What was the moment or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?

Neighborlys company culture was built on a very clear set of values that my father identified from day one: the Code of Values. The code was a collection of his beliefsinspired by the works of great leaders of business, the military, and religionthat he grew to live by and intended for our company to abide by as well.

When my father died, our company was determined to make sure his legacy lived on by sticking to these values. In order to make them an integral and consistent part of the business model across all of our franchise brands, we came up with the idea of the operationalized code: Live R.I.C.H. The four key areas that make up this code today are Respect, Integrity, Customer focus, and Having fun in the process. 14 key values make up each of these areas, setting standards for how we conduct ourselves in business.

Over time, I saw the impact this Live R.I.C.H. mantra was making on our business. The way we conducted business was a strong selling point among our various stakeholders, ultimately enhancing the value of our company in a way that was more than just cultural, but also financial. I did not intend to keep this revelation that Values create Value$ to myself, and what better way to spread a message than through a book?

In 2005, I published my first book, Live R.I.C.H., to begin spreading the message of the benefits of living and leading with clear values. It was not long before I found a deep recurring connection with readers who had a desire to grow that same values-based culture and message in both their professional and personal lives. This encouraged me to graduate my message to the next level in my next book, Values, Inc., which was named a Forbes Top 10 Business Book in 2015.

What impact did you hope to make when you wrote this book?

As I started to recognize the positive impact our operational and measurable values were having on my own organization, I started to envision the possibility of such an impact being widespread across businesses all over the world. Imagine how much good could come from all companiesregardless of size, industry, or locationadopting and applying their own sets of values to business? In a perfect world, this is the ultimate goal of sharing my message of values-guided leadership. But ultimately, if even one individual or one business can benefit from incorporating a standard set of values in their professional and personal lives, then I feel like Ive accomplished something important.

Did the actual results align with your expectations? Can you explain?

The results actually far exceeded my expectations. Even though I would have been pleased if my message positively impacted just one person, it appears that it effectively reached many more. Ive been asked to speak at a number of events, and I receive personal messages on a regular basis from people who have positively benefitted from incorporating values into their own daily routines. It makes me especially happy to know that people who have started doing this have not stopped at the professional level, but rather they have brought these operationalized standards into their homes, developing specific sets of values for their families to abide by in their personal lives as well.

What moment let you know that your book had started a movement? Please share a story.

Shortly after Values, Inc. was published, I was contacted by a young man in college who read the book. He shared with me that it helped him gain clarity of his values, and he planned to start applying what he learned to how he handled his leadership roles across the multiple campus organizations he was involved with.

What kinds of things did you hear right away from readers? What are the most frequent things you hear from readers about your book now? Are they the same? Different?

From the very start, I had readers contacting me to tell me that the book did a great job of demonstrating how values truly can translate into financial results, and this is the type of feedback I continue to receive to this day. Other responses I receive on a regular basis include people expressing appreciation both for the care that leading with values demonstrates as well as for how values-guided leadership helps to clarify workplace expectations.

Over time, another piece of feedback that has started coming up more often is a question of how employees can encourage the companies they work for to start applying values-guided leadership, even when those employees are not in executive leadership roles themselves. In response to this, I encourage people to buy copies of my books for their bosses, and to then offer to serve as the companys champion of values to help the company implement them in daily practices.

What is the most moving or fulfilling experience youve had as a result of writing this book? Can you share a story?

Seeing and hearing examples of people who have begun making decisions based on their values has been the most rewarding outcome of people reading my books. A great example of this includes a CPA who, after realizing her business partners were not willing to commit to values-guided leadership in their shared practice, had the courage to leave to begin her own business with values at the core of it.

Have you experienced anything negative? Do you feel there are drawbacks to writing a book that starts such colossal conversation and change?

From sharing the message of my books with audiences far and wide, I eventually came to the realization that my message is sometimes difficult for people to hear. After noticing a contrast between my audiences that were fired up about the message and those that seemed almost somber about it, I eventually came to the realization that the difference between these audiences has been how ready they are to take accountability.

But still, I do not believe there are any drawbacks in writing a book geared toward inspiring a movement. While most may not take the action to put my recommended practice in place, those who do will cause a positive ripple effect in the lives of those they touch.

Can you articulate why you think books in particular have the power to create movements, revolutions, and true change?

Books are powerful tools for helping people envision their hopes and dreams. Reading allows our imaginations to let loose so that we see the world around us in a different way. When we read about ways we can improve our lives and the lives of those we surround ourselves with, we start to actually visualize the potential outcomes of these efforts, motivating us to strive for them in real life.

What is the one habit you believe contributed the most to you becoming a bestselling writer? (i.e. perseverance, discipline, play, craft study) Can you share a story or example?

While I am far from perfect, I consider it my duty to practice what I preach as closely as possible. I often joke that people probably get sick of hearing me recite Neighborlys original Code of Values or going on about the importance of clarifying our values as much as I do (There goes the crazy values lady again!). But what kind of leader would I be if I were not constantly searching for the next opportunity to teach the lessons I write about in my books? I strongly feel that if I did not 100% believe in the messages I share with others, then no one else would believe in them either, and then whats the point? I like to think that my passion for values-guided leadership comes across clearly in every interaction I have, whether its speaking to people in a crowd from a stage, through my words on paper, or even just in the daily interactions I have with strangers.

What challenge or failure did you learn the most from in your writing career? Can you share the lesson(s) that you learned?

I actually do not consider myself a particularly great writer. The messages I want to convey are clear in my mind but putting them into words on paper does not come as easily to me. In reality, I probably would not have two books published today were it not for the skilled writers who helped me organize my thoughts into cohesive works.

Coming to the realization that writing wasnt my forte taught me a valuable life lesson: In life, while we may not be great at everything, we do have the option of combining our skills and talents with others who excel in the areas where we are lacking. I learned to accept that it was okay for me to secure help from those who were especially skilled at making my words come to life. Between my good ideas and experiences and their strong writing abilities, we created the perfect formula for a good book.

Many aspiring authors would love to make an impact similar to what you have done. What are the 3 things writers needs to know if they want to spark a movement with a book? (please include a story or example for each)

1. Be honest with your readers about who you really areIt is tempting when youre writing a book to paint yourself in as positive of a light as possible in an effort to assure your readers that youre a credible source. In reality, readers prefer for an author to be relatable, which may sometimes mean being brutally honest about your imperfections. A reader doesnt want to take advice from someone who has been perfect since day one; they want to know how youve made mistakes and faced challenges, and what those instances of adversity taught you to make you the thought leader you are today.

2. Provide specific examplesRelate any advice you give or insight you share to your own personal experiences. Not only will this provide anecdotal evidence for why others should trust that your guidance is applicable to real-life circumstances, but it also helps readers visualize the value in what youre sharing.

3. Try to put yourself in others shoes so you can understand the variety of ways in which your message will be perceivedAs you write, have conversations with people from different backgrounds with different experiences to determine how your insight could be applicable to their respective journeys.

The world, of course, needs progress in many areas. What movement do you hope someone (or you!) starts next? Can you explain why that is so important?

Id love to see a movement begin with a focus on cheer leadership. In my role as Brand Ambassador, a.k.a. head cheerleader, for Neighborly, Ive seen firsthand how much it motivates people to know that someone believes in them and is willing to cheer them on to achieving their full potentials. We need to see more of this from todays leaders!

How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can find me on all of the major social media platforms! Here are my handles:

Twitter: @DinaDwyerOwens

Facebook: @DinaDwyerOwens

Instagram: @dina_dwyerowens

LinkedIn: Dina Dwyer-Owens

Thank you so much for these insights. It was a true pleasure to do this with you.

About the author:

Chaya Weiner is the Director of branding and photography at Authority Magazines Thought Leader Incubator. TLI is a thought leadership program that helps leaders establish a brand as a trusted authority in their field. Please click HERE to learn more about Thought Leader Incubator.

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How to write a book that sparks a movement, with Dina Dwyer-Owens and Chaya Weiner - Thrive Global

REY ELBO

IN the book Improvisation, Inc. (2000), author Robert Lowe talks about how to deal with confusion and how to accept it as part and parcel of our life. He says the best way is to accept it, then to relax into it, and allow it to be part of the natural process of organization and reorganization.

If youre following the current events in this country, youll readily understand what Im talking about the countrys national confusion. This includes how a spokesman interprets many controversial presidential statements and other related things.

But lets forget politics and limit ourselves to business management. To manage confusion in our respective organization, Lowe suggests several practical exercises we could try: Make a list of things you could do to place yourself into confusion, without placing yourself in danger. For example, walking around with your eyes closed in a safe place, perhaps with a guide. Attend a meeting of an opposing political party. Attend a function with an age group that is twenty-five years older or younger than you are.

The list can be endless depending on your own creativity. As an armchair reader and writer, I focused on identifying many SM (stupid management) practices, explained them on social media via a one-page visual story under the Elbonomics brand, as I enjoyed exchanging various comments with people. Take the following intriguing statements that gained many likes from people and resistance from less than one percent of rebels without a cause:

One, we dont need motivational speakers. Thats because motivating people is job number one for line supervisors and managers. You cant delegate it to external motivational speakers, no matter how good they are in public speaking and entertaining people. The much-revered motivational speaker Zig Ziglar (1926-2012) admitted that motivating people is like taking a bath.

We need it daily from our respective bosses. Thats why people managers must do a daily face-to-face interaction with their workers which cannot be done by motivational speakers through several hours of one-time engagement.

Two, exit interviews are an exercise in futility. Its a reactive communication process. Its too late for management to seek the reason why their workers are resigning. They should have done that a long time ago through a series of proactive stay interviews that include an important question like: How can I help you succeed in your career in this organization?

But more than that, who would want to burn the bridge with their past employers? Who among resigned employees would badmouth their bosses as they wait for the release of their terminal pay, clearance, completion of background checks and in the hope of coming back should their new employer fail to satisfy their expectations?

Three, talkative managers are unqualified to govern. If the boss talks too much, its not helpful towards a successful work relationship with people. Hijalmar Gislason in his Forbes article Dont Be the Boss Who Talks Too Much recommends that managers must make it two-way and engage the workers by asking their opinion in an ad hoc set-up, and not in a formal meeting that tends to clamp people.

As you hold meetings, keep tabs on how much time you spend talking, and how much listening. And when you get a question, sometimes invite other team members to weigh in as part of the answer. That way, everyone is included and feels that their input is valued. Undoubtedly, managers to become effective, must do active listening by asking a lot of questions instead.

Four, the perfect attendance award is a sham. Why reward and recognize people who are expected to report for work daily and on-time? Sure, its a positive reinforcement approach. But thats not the point. Would it be better if management spends its valuable time in monitoring, recording, and rewarding actual, tangible results by the workers instead of their physical presence in the workplace?

Not only that, it is too tedious and time-consuming for management to do things that are unnecessary. To find out if your award is working or not, discover how many employees in the perfect attendance list have consistently logged in an above-average work performance. You may be in a big surprise.

Five, problem workers are created by problem managers. Its a derivative of the many ideas of influential management thinker Peter Drucker (1909-2005) who claimed: So much of what we know about management consists of making it difficult for people to work. Why blame management? Thats because they have the authority to do almost everything from planning, organizing, leading to controlling.

American management genius W. Edwards Deming (1990-1993) was right: A bad system can beat a good person all the time. That is, if that person continues to be blind and oblivious to all the bad systems and procedures around him.

And so, what kind of person could come up with a valid argument to demolish the above statements? I cant think of no one, except those who refuse to admit their mistakes. Then lets leave it at that. After all, how can we persuade people who dont want to be persuaded?

Lowe says confusion is a relative of fearthat it can also lead to hostility or aggressiveness, to calcification of our ideas. Thats the way it goes if only wed like to understand the world. Thats the benefit of sowing intrigues and confusion that hopes to strengthen the foundation of our perspectives.

Rey Elbo is a business consultant specializing in human resources and total quality management as a fused interest. Send feedback to elbonomics@gmail.com or via https://reyelbo.consulting

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The upside of sowing intrigues and confusion - The Manila Times

When we refuse to accept children the way they have been wired, we kill them subtly by trying to turn them to something else. We must help children to find, discover and express themselves, instead of trying to change them.

Prudence Kohl said: The search for self-worth begins by finding what is indestructible inside, then letting it be.When we tamper with the way people are designed and wired, we ultimately set them on the journey of identity crisis.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld said: We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end, we become disguised to ourselves. Parents should avoid the temptation of forcing their children to fit into their own design, but rather provide them with a platform to stand out with their uniqueness.

Zuriel Elise Oduwole is an American education advocate and filmmaker, best known for her works on the advocacy for the education of girls in Africa. Born in July 2002 in California, United States, to a Nigerian father and a Mauritian mother, she is home-schooled and her advocacy has since made her, in the summer of 2013, at the age of 10, the youngest person to be profiled by Forbes.

In November 2014, at age 12, Zuriel became the worlds youngest filmmaker to have a self-produced and self-edited work screened. After her film showed in two movie chains, it then went on to show in Ghana, England, South Africa and Japan.

She has met with 30 Presidents and Prime Ministers in line with her education advocacy work, including leaders of Jamaica, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Liberia, South Sudan, Malta, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana and Namibia. She has also appeared in popular television stations, including CNBC, Bloomberg TV, BBC and CNN.

In 2013, Zuriel was listed in the New African Magazines list of 100 Most Influential People. On April 21, 2014, she was listed as the most Powerful 11 year old in the world by New York Business Insiders in its listing of Worlds Most Powerful Person at Every Age.

In February 2015, Elle Magazine listed her in its yearly feature of 33 Women Who Changed The World. In December 2015, she formally launched her DUSUSU Foundation aimed at building partnerships with corporation and individuals to develop the education capabilities of children, especially the girl child, across the globe. She started filmmaking at age nine. Her education project for the girl-child kicked off at age 10. Today, at 17, Zuriel, an avowed girl-child empowerment advocate already has five films up her sleeves.

The secret of her breakthrough is in her parents ability to discover the star in her, while other children at that age were still struggling with their identities or being manipulated by their parents. If you wish to give your child an unusual edge in life, you would have to stick to the following.

Give Them A Platform To Be ThemselvesThe greatest gift parents can ever give to their children is to provide them with a platform to be themselves. Parents are meant to nurture the uniqueness in their wards. Allow them to make their own mistakes and learn from it. Be a good and empathic listener to your children. Do not dominate conversations when you are talking with your children. Give them the platform to express themselves.

We must allow our children to fully live and experience life. We must prepare them emotionally to live independently of us. Refusal to create a platform for their independency may cause them to cling to insecure anchors that are detrimental to their future.Help Them Nurture Their Gifts And Talents

Zuriel discovered her filmmaking talent at 9. Every child is uniquely gifted. Our work as parents is to nurture the individuality and uniqueness in our wards and not to beat them into the shape or picture we have in our minds. We are responsible, as parents, to help our children discover their gifts, unravel their hidden talents and help them fire up their passion. The world is in a dire need of kids that can solve problems with their gifts and talents. We have the responsibility to nurture their uniqueness.

Dont Allow Their Schooling To Hinder Their EducationMost of the skills that would help a child survive in life are not found in the classroom. Albert Einstein said: Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think. Most schools dont teach children to think or to be creative. Creativity and thinking skills are only found in the way a child interacts with lifes challenges and disappointments.

We must endeavour to give our children ample time to do other things that are not schools homework and assignment. Their vacation periods must not be studded with academic activities alone. Let them travel, learn a new skill, go to orphanage homes and do some volunteering activities.

Find A Mentor That Can Help ThemEvery child needs someone they can look up to. Children are in a dire need of models and mentors. Zig Ziglar said: A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.

What a child would ultimately grow up to become is a deep reflection of the values passed down to him/her from the parents and mentors. Children dont need critics; they need models and mentors.

Give Them Exposure In Their Areas Of AbilitiesThe greatest form of disability is not knowing our abilities. We should discern our childrens areas of strength and their unique abilities and help them build it. We should give them the exposure that is needed in those areas. When we discover a childs ability early and help them build it, we give them a unique edge in life.

Monitor, Dont Manipulate ThemThe greatest parental sin and abuse is to manipulate our children to live a life that is not theirs. Many parents already have a script they want their wards to fit into for their own selfish interest. They obsessively try to control their children and dictate how they are supposed to live their lives. These parents want to live their lives through their children, neglecting the fact that those children have their own lives to live.As parents, we must prepare our children for their future, instead of using them to correct our own past.

Watch What You Say To Them In Their Formative YearsIt has been ascertained that the life of a child is fully formed from the words he or she hears between the ages of one and seven years. If there is something that exerts so much influence on children in their formative years, it is the words they hear. Many years after, these words would keep ringing in their heads.

Peggy O Mara said: Watch what you say, for the way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. The worst kinds of parents are those that dont know how to use their tongue. Parents should avoid cursing and ridiculing words. Children will surely make mistakes; we all do. When we yell at children for making mistakes, we ultimately kill their ability to innovate.

Dont Skip Processes For ThemThe process validates the products. Dont help them skip difficult processes; it is actually part of what is meant to form them. You cannot help your child skip the basic process of life and expect him or her to live a fulfilling life. What many parents fail to realise is that the more we help our children avoid facing their own challenges, the more we make them unfit for the future.

Hellen Keller said: A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships. We need to have strong faith in the processes of evolution of our children. Parents must be mature enough to expose their children to life situations that would shape them for the future. A smooth sea never made a skilful sailor and every problem introduces a person to him/herself.

Parents who tend to dominate their childrens choices eventually produce obedient, but dependent children. We must encourage decision-making from an early age. We must subtly expose them to the risk of choices and consequences in life. We must raise our children in a way that promotes self-confidence, adaptability, self-respect and optimism. This way, we reduce their vulnerability.

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Zuriel Oduwole: Discovering the Star early in your child - Guardian