Why You Can't Change Toxic People

I have a toxic friend. She is smart, amazing, and fun! She does have an issue that requires medication and impacts her choices. There is much empathy for her plight and she has done a lot of damage to her own life. Toxicity is a way of thinking that is associated with fears the person has not dealt with. Such thinking causes them to over react and seek to gain advantages where they should not be. In the end people become alienated. It can be extremely taxing to deal with a toxic person.

Over the years I learned that you simply can't change the way people think. As a matter of fact, most people can't even change the way they think either. These patterns were put in place throughout their lives and it is doubtful anything will change thereafter....unless that person is exceptional enough to self-reflect.

Here are a few things you should consider.

1.) You can't control other peoples behavior but you can control yours. Understand that what people do and say is a reflection of them and their beliefs.

2.) People have all types of reasons to hate on someone. Sometimes you actually do something wrong while at other times it is in them. When people act this way ensure they respect your boundaries and be positive with them.

3.) Because things do go wrong and people do stop talking to each other it is best you stop and think before acting. Don't just jump in there and spew hate out of your mouth. Think long-term and then choose your response.

4.) Be aware that many times things won't get better and the relationship is over. Leave with grace, saying good things, and wish them well. If they are very bad people then just say nothing and move on.

5.) Self reflect and learn from each situation.

6 Attributes of Graduate Employability

Graduates need skills and abilities when the leave higher education and must have their first job. There are 6 categories of things students should think about developing. That includes a bigger perspective of how their behaviors and the market impact them.

Human Capital: Sills and knowledge of people.

Social Capital: Social connections and social class.

Individual Attributes: Personal characteristics.

Individual Behaviors: Chosen behaviors.

Perceived Employability: How candidates are viewed in the market.

Labor Market Forces: Open positions in that field.

Clarke, M. (Feb. 23, 2017).Rethinking graduate employability: the role of capital, individual attributes and context. Studies in Higher Education,43 (11).  Retrieved https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1294152

Even "Beach Bums" Chime in on the Saints

Saints Were Robbed-Ocean Beach

Each Business Should Offer Something Unique-The Shack In La Jolla

Just a block or so from my kickboxing club is this little known place called The Shack. It is a locals bar not too far from the locals beach but a distance from downtown La Jolla. It offers an environment that is unique and warm. A distinct beach culture with surfboards on the wall and cheap eats and drinks. The Internet works great!

Each business should offer something unique. Taco Tuesday is $3 per taco and $3.50 for a 16 oz Tacate. If your not knowledgeable of this beer...it is Mexican and popular in this region. The Shack has a great patio with fires and attracts a laid back crowd.

Think of something your business can offer that is a little different than others and hedge that as a strength.

Pictures of a Foggy Beach!

Enjoy your day! :)

Do You Know When to Argue? Sometimes It Matters and Sometimes It Doesn't.

We are social creatures that hang out with our friends, live in tribal systems, and have families. Everything we know about ourselves is through the way others view us. In life, there are times when we should fight when our boundaries that are violated and other times we should just move on. It is hard to know when emotions get involved to know which is the best. I kind of put together a little cheat sheet for you....

1. Get Ready and Argue! There are times when issues are repeated or so grotesque there is almost no option than to argue and hold your line. You may want to first try discussing the issue and seeing if the person is willing to cease the behavior before having a conflict. Sometimes they are willing and sometimes they are not.

2. Lets Just Be Subtle: Sometimes being subtle by backing off slightly, not hanging out, or just making a small comment is enough to sort of let people know that the behavior isn't acceptable. Most interactions work on this level and people respond accordingly.

3. Stay Open to Options: Stay open to the possibility that things change and someday you can reconcile. If the relationship had value to you then wait some time and then text them to reconcile. Sometimes they are willing to and sometimes they are not.

Mountain in the Desert Painting-Keep Getting Better

I continue to work on improving my painting. Sometimes I sell a few for cheap. Its nice to sell a few and use some of that money to buy your supplies. Other times I just donate the money away. Here is the latest and greatest. My grass needs additional work. :) You can buy with free shipping for $39.99

I may not be the best but I'm trying!!!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/173735952038

Innovation is What Improves Wealth in the World

Innovation is king in today's market. Countries that are innovative create new products and services others want. Much of American wealth was based on innovation and the ability to be "at the right place at the right time". The entrepreneurial spirit in the U.S. should be rejuvenated to ensure that the nation continues to maintain its economic status.

A study of economic development in Turkey found there is a positive impact between R&D expenditures and R&D workers and economic growth (Bayarcelik & Tasel, 2012). As R&D departments, expenditures and other indicators of innovation such as patents rose so did the GDP.

Why is this important?

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It indicates that countries should focus more on creating innovation. At the end of the day we as a nation need to have enough jobs to support our workers and economy. That won't happen unless our products are cutting edge and able to compete against the market.

Industries that don't stay on top of the market eventually fail. At first it may not look like failure, but as time goes on they lose more resource, have less investments, and need to cost cut. Eventually, there are lay offs. With enough businesses not competing there may be economic decline in the area.

Economic decline is partly a choice. It is how we handle the market, how we build our schools, the values we hold, and the investments we attract. While the factors are numerous economic decline is based on the amount of profit driven transactions as reflective of choice. It is hard to encourage choice when other options are better.

Bayarcelic, E. & Tasel, F. (2012). Research and development: source of economic growth. Procedia-Social and Behavior Sciences, 58.

Great Respect for San Diego Life Guards

San Diego is a beach city that sees millions of people every year making their way around other vacationers frolicking on the beach through a minefield of balls, shovels and towels. Life guards will need an eye like a hawk in order to see through the bobbing heads to those who may be in distress. Within seconds they will need to be in the water and doing their thing and saving lives.

 I always thought about getting a lifeguard certificate but then realized there was a significant time involved.

Hats off to Life Guards!

Boat Bilge Pump Problems and Finding Solutions

Bilge pumps for boats are vitally important. My boat's bilge pump went out and with some heavy rain accumulated a substantial amount of water in the bilge. Concerned I turned on and off the manual switch on the panel and got nothing. I then went on to test the bilge directly to the batter. It turned on but stayed on as though the float was stuck.

You may want to troubleshoot some stuff.

1. Connect to the battery directly. If it turns on you have a working pump. If it doesn't turn on you may need to buy a new one.

2. Check all wiring. In my case the wiring to the panel was bad and the wiring to the batter non-existent. The previous owner must have little to no electrical experience. I put in heavy grade battery wire directly to the batter and rewired to the panel. Now the switch works and the backup direct power source work.

3. Sometimes you can change the float and it will work. In this case, it was internal and unlikely to be taken out. I certainly tried. Some can just be changed out directly.

4. Think of a back up pump. I'm keeping my eye out where I can wire in a back up pump. .

5. Make sure you have a manual and utility pump around. The last thing you want to deal with is a dead battery at sea and no way to get water out.

Be Like a Duck or Be Like a Bull-Life Choices

You can glide through life like a duck or you can knock everything down like a Bull. Both will be a different kind of life and both are sometimes necessary but neither is a great way to be all the time. The most advanced people can use both types of behavior when necessary. They allow the small things to go over their back while being able to step up to the bigger issues.

The duck knows that the issue is there but lets the small things slide because getting caught into other peoples issues and behaviors has no advantage. It is best to navigate around these issues and keep going so that they can have peace of mind and accomplish their goals.

The bull will charge and fight with every slight. There are times when it is best to not let issue go and stand up for them. To fight is very noble but only when you are actually being noble and it has some purpose. If it is all about ego then it has little to no meaning and you will simply look confrontational.

Knowing when to be the duck and the bull is important. Small issues should not bother us. Most of the time it is unintentional and not worth our time. There are times when such behavior is repeated and needs to addressed. That doesn't mean to fight such issues but to address them with strength and courage.

How Cognitive Agility Helps the Military and Can Help You?

Almost all of us want a smarter brain that can do amazing things. We want to be flexible and capable to understand our world in a way that leads to the highest outcomes possible. Cognitive agility is the ability to bounce in and out of narrow and wide focus thinking. It can lead to greater performance and can be learned throughout our lives.

Lets say you have an outward focus and you have a hard time with details. You would naturally be at a limitation in understanding how something operates. On the other hand, you may have a more narrow focus and love details but have a difficult time connecting larger dots. If you can bounce between the two you have high cognitive agility.

According to a study in Journal of Special Operations Medicine, it is possible to train people on how to move in and out of focus in a way that leads to higher emotional intelligence and powerful decision making (Ross, Miller & Patricia, 2018).  Training people to have higher cognitive ability improves their overall decision making performance.

Why is improved decision making important?

There are lots of reasons from military to business executives to improve cognitive flexibility. The decision maker can focus on the large picture and then narrow in for the details when it is necessary. They are able to change their perspective and analyze the situation from angles others may have a have a harder time transitioning from.

When you are faced with a tough decision focus on the details but then move back and see the bigger picture and problem. If you can analyze the micro and macro aspects of the problem you can choose that decision which leads to the greatest benefits and options.

Ross, J., Miller, L., & Duester, P., A. (2018). Cognitive agility as a factor in human performance optimization. Journal of Special Operations Medicine, 18 (3).

Haupt, A., Quinn, K. Buttrey, S., Miriam, J., et. al. (April 17th) Cognitive agility measurement in a complex environment. TRAC-M-TM-17-021 Retrieved https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/1032058.pdf

Attracted to the Tropical Areas and Beach Life

Tropical areas, sun, sand and coastline sells! It sells because people like me are attracted to warm and tropical climates that are full of color and life. Probably one of the reasons why I like to sail. Something in the back of my head says, "sail off to some new tropical island". Well...practicality and need make that difficult for most of us.

I must say that I love San Diego and its semi-tropical environment. Yes...you can find parrots hanging out on Shelter Island. Early in the morning you can seem them chirping away.

Who wouldn't love to have a Corona near the beach and walk the coast line. People who live here are very spoiled and don't know it. They only need to go to Michigan where is -20 degrees today where most are hibernating.

Most of my friend haven't seen the beach in years. They spend no time there. Enjoy your Friday and get out to the beach can this weekend!

Learn from Life and Then Put It In The Past

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Life isn't easy! At least for most of us it is about struggle, adaptation and overcoming struggles. Some start out with everything and maintain a life of privileged, some create ease in their lives, and others go down the tube. One thing we can say is most of it has nothing to do with the money you have or the brands you wear. It is about learning from the world and then putting it in the past.

We all have times where we were not happy, did not like the outcomes, or have been treated unfairly. It isn't wise to just ignore that these things happen but that we spend enough time with them to feel and learn from the situation. We then should let it go....

Feel: We all need to process our feelings for a short time so we don't get stuck. Give it some time, a few days, few weeks, depending on the situation and then let it go.

Learn: Each situation has a learning lesson. Things you could have done better, things others could have done better, and possible solutions. People who learn become stronger.

Your performance will improve if you learn from tough situations and then let them go. The self-evolving man needs to learn and develop from the past. They should keep their conscious mostly focused on the future and their future goals and use the past as a resource to draw on. Those who get caught in the past don't grow or change.

If you want to succeed in business and in life you will need the right personality. Make sure that you use life as a long-term growth investment. Each situation provides new information. The important thing is that you adapt and move on with the new information. Setting focus on what you are doing today based on the goals of tomorrow is important.

Tips on How to Organize Your Stuff For Improved Performance and Peace of Mind

Pulling Dinghy Out of Car. Organize!

Keeping yourself organized, inside and outside the office, has significant advantages for your work flow and productivity. If your trying to do something outdoors you spend a ton of time finding the stuff you need. While messiness and clean desks are not associated with intelligence they are associated with how people process information. Whether you are an outdoor buff, have a garage full of junk, or working in the office you will want to organize your stuff because it speeds up your work time. The following tips might be helpful.

When I have lots of outdoor things to carry around I have a hard time organizing things just because there are so much stuff. The same can be said for my desk that has paper and electronics everywhere. After not being able to find a place for my coffee cup or leaving behind important equipment I need outdoors I have decided to get organization.

Here are a few tips on what to think about when organizing.

1.) Understand what you want to accomplish. Organizing could be to check equipment, per trip, per project, etc... How you do this will depend on the type of business or recreation you are in.

2. ) Organize by project, event, or activity. Group items that are logical in your mind. You may want a separate place in your garage for different things. My wood working equipment might be in a different place than my downhill skiing stuff.

3.) Use bins so you can put lots of small loose leaf stuff together.

4.) Try not to tackle everything at once. Do a certain amount each day.

5.) Clean everything. Take your time and clean things as you go.

6.) Make sure you label everything like folder covers, wires, boxes and bins.

7.) Once you have completed all of the organization you will want to ensure you keep it organized going forward.

How Not To Miss A Deadline by Using Your Calendar

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Missing a work deadline is a business No No!!!! From our families, our own bad habits and in college many people learn to not get work in on time. We move the consequences further away and in the end being late is a habit. If you are one of those people who are just forgetful or learned to wait until the last minute you may want to learn to use your calendar better.

Most email programs like Google, Office, etc... have a functional online app or access. Personally I like the ones I can put on my phone so its always with me when I need it. This allows me to check it, edit, or add anytime I'm out-and-about or in a meeting.

Set a reminder on the date something is due. You won't miss the deadline if you get a reminder or are accustomed to checking your calendar each day. However, you will still not get the work done if you don't put some earlier reminders. Here are some tips....

1. Put a reminder in on the day it is due.

2. Include any relevant information.

3. Put in a reminder a few days early and act as though that is your deadline in case there are delays.

4. Put in a reminder way in advance for when to start a project or at certain intervals.

Pictures of San Diego Cali- Getting Back

Got back in San Diego and feeling the fun and friends. I left Michigan on Friday in -5 F and it took me until Utah to get the chill out of my bones.

Upon return a few friends and I went to Pacific Beach. PB offers lots of great tool top restaurants with a view of the sunset. We at at El Prez. Check it out!!! Enjoy the pics and Taco Tuesday. The Lobster ones are the best.
El Prez
4190 Mission Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109
(858) 750-2512
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xBBZm

Pictures of Colorado and Utah -Cost of Living Rises

While traveling I snapped a few pictures of Colorado and Utah you may like. Colorado especially is of my liking. I talked to a local resident and they said rent for them is very expensive.  Most make $12-$14 per hour but rent is around $1,600 per 2 bedroom apartment. It would take someone working around $14 per hour 3 weeks of full time work pay for an apartment. That would seem to indicate someone will either need to work many more hours or will need to pair up with someone. While I love eco-tourism I have to admit it can have a downside for local residents that get out priced as people convert to rentals for vacationers.

Consider Aspen https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/aspen-co/austin-tx/55000

Are Higher Education Accreditation Bodies About to Experience Change?

Innovation and business stakeholders may have a bigger piece of the higher education accreditation pie in the near future. Pressure to change accreditation standards is brewing and there are a few good things in the proposal that are helpful. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is discussing experimenting with accreditation to ensure that innovation isn't stifled in the process of ensuring quality. According to the accreditation proposal .....

"This negotiated rulemaking effort is designed to modify the regulations that pertain to accreditor recognition in order to provide accreditors, and the institutions they accredit, with greater latitude to innovate; to create healthy competition among institutions and accreditors; to provide agencies with increased independence in their recognition and oversight responsibilities; and to reduce unnecessary regulatory burden and oversight redundancies."

Read the summary https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5676150-Accreditation-proposal-summary.html 

Read the full proposal https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5676149-Accreditation-proposal.html


We know that education is very expensive and we need a mobile workforce that continues to learn throughout their lives. I'm in love with traditional schools but education is a process of learning and can better serve life-long workers by having more flexible learning models. That requires thinking new ways of managing and delivering education.

While accreditation is important for maintaining standards it can at times slow down the process of change. A nation that seeks to compete should consider opening experimenting with new models and ideas. We have seen reluctance to accept online education a few decades ago and now find nearly every university have some form of it. 

Innovation: Innovation requires building off of previous ideas and creating something new. There is a level of experimentation that occurs and this may not fit well within many accreditation bodies. Many accreditation bodies have come to adjust their processes to accept online universities but it is still slow in coming. What is the next step beyond today's online learning?

Employer Engagement:  Employers should have a say in the type of skills learned during the education process. Ultimately graduates will need to find jobs and employers have something to say about what type of skills they need. It would be wise to listen and adjust to ensure this important stakeholder is given their due.

Bring You Own Bedding While Traveling

Traveling brings you not only the opportunity to see new sites, climb new mountains, and ski radical slopes but also puts you into contact with less than stellar sleeping accomodations.  Unless you're going to stay in the Hilton you will likely stay in older motels abundant in recreational areas. Older motels have older mattresses that could contain bed bugs and other disgusting things.

One of the ways to overcome this challenge is is to bring your own bedding. While sheets, pillow cases and blankets may be impractical to carry around while a sleeping bag might just be fine.

Because I love the outdoors I usually have a sleeping bag in my car. Now I make sure I almost always have one.

As a suggestion you may want to take off the bed cover. Few places wash them on a regular basis and instead use the "spot check" method. 

 If you experience unclean motel go ahead write a review. Some owners don't concern themselves with cleanliness issues unless it injures their pocketbook. I have seen gorgeous trendy motels that have high occupancy rates. 

Helping Republicans and Democrats to Compromise: Moving from Moral Disagreement to Practical Compromise

Our government may be failing to fulfill its full potential. Democracies foundation is based on the ability of people to publicly discuss and debate issues in an effort to create general consensus. While consensus is helpful it rarely happens. In today's political environment, politicians have been voting strictly on party lines. This may be encouraging encampment and general dysfunction of government that in turn causes other problems when great solutions are squashed before discussion. Moving from morality to practicality should be of major concern for political leadership to end Washington dysfunction.

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Politicians often vote based on values that may not be open to compromise. According to a study in Neuroethics, moral foundations have a significant influence on political disagreement (Sauer, 2015). When people vote on moral lines they sometimes fail to see practicality as an essential need of governance.

To move beyond moral codes to compromise it is sometimes necessary to....

-See the bigger picture of the ultimate goals. Sometimes looking at the "big picture" dwarfs smaller issues.

-Be flexible in defining how one fulfills their moral code. There are many ways to help people and help one's supporters.

-Understand that moral codes are not universal but essentially alike. While the methods may change and moral codes are different based on one's background they do share similarities that can be used for bridging differences.

-Be willing to see another person's perspectives. Understanding another's perspective may help in adjusting your own.

-Encourage across the isle collaboration versus party competition.

-Avoid personal attacks that leads to dysfunctional dynamics and encampment.

-Think of people as part of the same process and not as the "other".

-Focus on research and facts.

-Remove people who can't compromise.

-Listen to outside stakeholders like business.

Sauer, H. (2015). Can't we all disagree more constructively? Moral foundations, moral reasoning and political disagreement. Dordrecht, 8 (2).

Training Your Horse to Slalom from Walk to Canter

Three rules I think of when trying to train a horse to slalom between poles. I think of walk, trot, canter. Of course there are lots of little rules but the slalom is really about mobility of the horse. Are you able to use the horse the way you need with the dexterity needed for the situation. Can you move around obstacles without risk or running or injury?

The goal is to continuously increase your timing and improve upon your horses flying lead changes. WikiHow has some pretty good tips for flying lead changes https://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Flying-Lead-Change

I'm a firm believer that someone should start slow in most cases and then move faster. When you start slow you protect your horse and yourself form making mistakes. Yes....people do make mistakes and I don't want to be one who loses out on an expensive (maybe not that expensive) horse.

One must also take into consideration the need to ensure that you as a rider have the hang of it as well. Your horse should be following your commands. If you do not know what to do you may be giving the wrong commands and therefore the horse responds in the wrong way.

Riding is a source of enjoyment and should not be stressful for you or the horse. While constant and persistent practice is necessary it is not necessary to run risks that you are not prepared to take. If you continue to practice you will find that you will naturally get more complex and with more accuracy. Keep on checking yourself through the process.

Why Self-Paced Virtual Training Is an Effective Solution to Military Budgets

Education and training is moving forward quickly and changes just about every day. While we once used paper books we now use e-books. Where training was typically covered in face-to-face settings there has been increasing use of online training methods. Research has shown that the use of self-paced virtual training increased military effectiveness. It is also cost effective and helps in balancing budgets.

Research into the use of self-paced study with multimedia interactivity led to improved cost effective training (Wang & Egudo, 2018). When self-paced programs used sufficient technology, had parallel vs only sequential learning, and were developed well can teach military students the technical skills they need without as much cost as traditional methods.

As I see it there are three advantages which include:

1. Portability
2. Budgets
3. Accountability

This can be important in situations where troops are moving around a lot or need to update their skills while located out in the field. Portability means they can use learning devices, phones, etc... that allow them to continue to develop their skills while working. No matter where they go, the training can go with them.

Budgets are also a big concern for the public. As budgets become constrained and public stakeholders demand wise use of money, they will naturally want costs to decrease. Under this pressure it is beneficial to implement online training where it is feasible to do so. Much of the information that is used on the ground is learned in the classroom.

Online self-paced learning also offers opportunities for accountability. Not only accountability of the overseeing learning organization but also of the student that must show he/she has mastered certain skills before moving on. Online courses have developed powerful assessment tools to ensure some level of learning has occurred.

Today's world is different than yesterdays, and tomorrows will continue to change. Online self-paced learning is opening up new opportunities to create higher levels of portable learning that fits within government budgets and can encourage accountability. Face-to-face will continue to be an important part of military learning but by implementing new forms of education the military can save some of their budgets for other needed activities.

Wang, J. & Egudo, R. (2018). Introduce self-paced learning in military technical trades training. International Journal of Adult Vocational Education and Technology, 9 (4).

Painting Under the Blazing Sun

Painting is about expressing one's emotions and values onto canvas. It could be just a moment in time, or something that transcends time. This painting in particular is about the contrast between hot and cold. The desert is hot but in the distance is the mountains that have snow. That even in the hottest places on earth we only need to go up to reach a different environment.

While I can never pretend to be the best painter in the world, and I have experienced the knocks for liking things like painting in a lumberjack sort of place of growing up, I find that it is an enjoyable experience. It contains within it the ability to connect with one's emotions and understand what truly motivates our inner life.

Painting, like poems, like music, like acting, and like other activities is about development. It is about creating a refined sense of understanding of the world. It moves beyond our daily tasks and into something that pushes society forward. These are creative activities that lead to a better world and a better way of experiencing life. Those who "knock it" also knock themselves because they only add to the world and take nothing away.

Haiku Poem-Blazing Sun

Desert Sun, 
Burn Bright, 
Snub the Light!

If you are interested in this painting you may buy it on Ebay for relatively cheap. Its an original. :)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/173735952038

How to Improve Firm Performance Through Understanding CEO Personality

A company's success depends on the business leader's personality. Each decision becomes an extension and projection of one's inner core experiences. Whether we are discussing global policy or the internal dynamics of the business the CEO and their personality will percolate throughout the entire economic system. Helping business leaders and investors understand the powerful influences of CEO personalities on business decisions and their potential outcome.

Personality Influences Innovation and Business Management Outcomes

For example, we may want to look at small and medium size businesses and their leaders to determine if personality somehow impacts firms success. Based on the personality traits of CEOs they found that certain traits like conscientiousness, openness, agreeableness, and willingness to learn influenced company outcomes (Man-pil, Bong-ihn,& Joon-ho, 2017). More specifically, conscientiousness and openness to experience lent itself to innovation while agreeableness positively influenced business management outcomes.

Those at the very top of the organization influenced the rest of the organization with their personalities and choices. They provide signals to others on how to make decisions that will please their boss and so on and so forth. Such dispositions make their way throughout the organization to influence others who complete the tasks that make the "vision" possible. For example, it becomes increasingly difficult to run an innovative business with executive personalities that are adverse to risk and force managers to justify all numbers instead of take risks.

Personality Predicts Firm Policies:

What if we could predict firm performance through the personalities of their executives? Based on the Big Five personality traits agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience the executive personalities influence firm policies (Tgow, Kaplan, Larkcker & Zakolyukina, 2016).

How we view the world, and how we solve problems, becomes written in paper for others to follow in the form of a policy. These policies are direct extensions of personality. If we have fear of the world we may write policies that restrict information while people more open to experience are likely to write more policies open to information sharing.

Where Do Policies Truly Form?

The root of our policy decisions are made decades before people walk into the board room. Personalities are developed from our childhood experiences and how we formulate an understanding of the world around us. Cox and Cooper found that ambition, ability to learn from adversity, internal locus of control, and a high dedication to the job impacted firm success (1989). These personality traits were formed throughout childhood and impact every part of our decision making.

How Does Personality Impact Our Economic Choices?

Personality determines how we view the world and therefore impacts just about everything we think about. Research has helped highlight that even the concept of protectionism is driven by our inner most construction of our world view (Johnson, 2013). Whether one is more prone to open or closed markets is based in early formations of our understandings of life.

The Importance of Helping Executives Understand their Personality:

Helping executives understand the influence of personality, backgrounds, and how decisions improves upon their decision making. If one executive is prone to making rash decisions, he/she can learn to understand how their personality's influence on such decisions and how those decision impact the company. The development of self-awareness is an important process of development.

One must think before they act and evaluate all of the alternatives versus relying on automatic responses learned in childhood. Critical thought and depth of analysis helps to create higher levels of performance outcomes as actions are aligned better to desired outcomes. The stronger one's reflective control, the more likely they will be able to make choices that lead to the highest outcomes.

How can You Improve your own Decision Making?

1.) Self-reflect on behavior and choices.

2. Find patterns in your decision making and pay attention to what you do and think before making these decisions.

3. Consult with others and exports to determine the best approaches.

4. Take stock of your resources and potential outcome.

5. Check back with your business and personal goals before making a decision.

6. Make those decisions that provide the most options.


Cox, C. & Cooper, C. (1989). The making of the British CEO: childhood, work experience, personality and management style. Academy of Management Executive, 3 (3).

Gow, I., Kaplan, S., Larcker, D. & Zakolyukina, A. (July, 2016). CEO personality and firm policies. Stanford Graduate School of Business-Working Papers.

Johnston, C. (2013). Dispositional sources of economic protectionism. Public Opinion Quarterly, 77 (3).

Man-pil, H., Bong-ihn, S. & Jooon-ho, K. (2017). Effects of six personality factors of ceo's at small and medium sized enterprises on performance in business management: focusing on learning and growth. Asian Academy of Management Journal, 22 (2).

Why are Short Videos Effective for Marketing? 5 Tips for Creating Videos that Sell!

Video content is quickly becoming a popular method of marketing products and ideas to a content hungry class of people. In an effort to improve marketing returns, companies are putting together short video clips a few seconds to a few minutes long with rich content that attracts interested customers. Thus far the strategy has been effective and leads to higher sales revenue.

For example, researchers found that short clips (i.e. trailers) increased the amount of people watching movies. They were motivated by their emotional connections to the content. The study tracked web-based facial-expressions to determine viewers real time intentions to watch movies (Xuan, Shi, & Teixeira, 2018). Well constructed short video clips predicted the emotional intentions to watch a certain movie.

That leads us to the question of why such online marketing videos work? Companies are finding that these videos are a cost effective marketing method of reaching their audience in a way that inspires them to act. With modern software they can also be relatively easy to products and put online.

Reasons why a company may consider video marketing....

-Short clips are quick and easy to watch.

-Short don't require a lot of effort to watch reducing customer investment.

-Short clips are fairly easy to create in a cost effective manner.

-Short clips can be spread by social media without major data costs.

-Short clips are like a business card that points people to a website/business.

-Short clips can have rich messages.

-Short clips are more memorable.

-Short clips are emotional and can create motivation.

Videos are not only a way of disseminating interesting information they also are connected to emotions that lead to greater purchase motivation (Kujur & Singh, 2018). Emotional content impacts our feelings and perceptions. In turn, these feelings and perceptions lead to greater emotional purchasing.

Videos creates feelings such as, "I wish I could climb a mountain like them" which may lead to something like purchase of hiking boots; perhaps even the same ones shown in the commercial. The buyer may not have thought about how likely they are to do these things but instead acted off of impulse to make an impulse purchase.

When a company is lucky they may have one of their videos go viral. When this occurs they get loaded with with millions of clicks. Sometimes viral videos even hit the major news agencies such as CNN creating a huge bump in sales and brand awareness.

We also find that online dynamics such as links and offline social capital predict whether or not videos will go viral (Khan & Vong, 2014). People will share a video if they can create links to it and they have an active interest in it such as environmentalism, music, sports, etc..

Short videos are relatively cheap to produce, depending on quality and need, and can be an effective marketing tool. There are a few tips that can help you create an effective video.

1. Be unique and create and experience.

2. Tap emotions with imagery and sound.

3. Keep the video under a few minutes in length.

4. Use the video in groups that share similar interests to create sharing and links.

5. Sell your company in the video with clear final messages.

Khan, G. & Vong, S. (2014). Virality over Youtube: an empirical analysis. Internet Research, (24), 5.

Kujur, F. and Singh, S. (2018). Emotions as predictor for consumer engagement in YouTube advertisement. Journal of Advances in Management Research, 15 (2).

Xuan, L., Savannah W., S., Thales, T., et. al. (2018). Video content marketing: the making of clips. Journal of Marketing, 83 (4).