Selfies for Health, Security and Fashion

What is the future of the selfie? We take a look at medical and business innovators that are using "selfie technology" to better our health, security, and even fashion sense.

If you thought selfies were just for fun, time to rethink that thought!

Selfies have been around a while now, especially with the advent of smartphones with features to take self-portraits easily and social media sites to post them on just as easily.  But it was Ellen DeGeneres at the recent Academy Awards ceremony who revitalized an old modern-day favorite among young people.  But clearly there is more utility to selfies than just social fun.

Kat Cole: From Hooters Girl to Cinnabon President

How Kat Cole Made It

When I posted this article on Google+ I prefaced it with:  The real story here is Kat Cole, President of Cinnabon, not those cinnabons per se; and it's an awesome one. 

In business circles, Cole’s origin story is becoming as well known as her rolls: She got her start as a teen waitress at a Florida Hooters, taking on increased responsibility until she was managing the location. At 19, the chain tapped her to open a restaurant in Australia — until then she had never left the country — and her days of working to pay for her engineering degree at North Florida were soon over. She was now working to work.

Cole was, and no doubt still is, a scrapper, even as a young woman, working at a joint - Hooters - that openly flaunted sexy women in both name and attire.  Her manager must've seen not just her go-getter attitude, but also her leadership potential.

I remember having read about her a year or two ago, and annotating the article in one of my journals.  She is intelligent and beautiful rolled up into one not-so-common combination.  Here are more about her:  How Kat Cole Went from Hooters Girl to President of Cinnabon by Age 32 and From Hooters To Hot Buns: How Kat Cole Turned Cinnabon Into A $1 Billion Brand.

Kat Cole

Passion a Necessary but Insufficient Condition

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Frankly I roll my eyes at notions that passion, inspiration or love is all you need to achieve great things, succeed in business, and live a meaningful life.  

So I commented recently on Google+:

Passion is a necessary but insufficient condition for success: You also have to make sure your business model works.

The Moral Question of Costs vs Lives for GM

New CEO Mary Barra faced Congress to answer why GM put cost before consumers when it dragged its feet in recalling millions of defective vehicles.

The numbers on GM's recall failures are staggering and tragic.  

It grates against our fundamental humanity, like fingernails scratched against the chalkboard, to put costs over lives.  But the algorithms that automobile companies deploy - that is, to decide whether to recall or not - must be shockingly simple:  If the costs of a recall are greater than the maximum potential costs of not doing a recall, then it's a no-go.

Which Leadership Quotes Resonate the Most?

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I'm sure you've seen quite a lot of inspirational and informative quotes on leadership, perhaps through social media or maybe in e-mails from colleagues.  But Forbes contributor Ilya Pozin gathered some in 16 Leadership Quotes to Inspire You to Greatness.

Which of these resonate the most for you?  What other quotes do you like best, too?

"Brevity Is the Soul of Twit"

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That's Kathy Caprino.

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That's William Shakespeare.

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That's @WillytheBard on Twitter, of course.

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That's me.

Brands that Matter Most to You and Them

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Branding firm Moosylvania asked 1,000 people age 13 to 33 to name their three favorite brands. Of the 620 brands named 62 came up five or more times. (Brands listed in alphabetical order.)

Reference:  The 62 brands that young people love most.

What brands do you love most?

Here are mine:

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Yes, I know, Albert Einstein isn't quite a brand, is he.  Or isn't he?  It's certainly arguable.  These three are tops on my radar for my studying, conceptualizing, and 'practicalizing' work for Theory of Algorithms and The Core Algorithm.

Leaders Must Focus on Sustained Impressions

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The article is The Best Leaders Make Unforgettable First Impressions, and Forbes contributor Glenn Llopis runs down 14 things that you can do to be unforgettable.

These things sound well and good, but I am skeptical.  

There seems to be an overemphasis among some of us on those previous first few seconds to grab attention, to forge a relationship, or to ensure an impact.  The fact is, you can be the best of leaders, and follow every bit of advice from Llopis, and still lend absolutely no impression on others.  It's such a crowded space out there, it seems, that more people are clamoring to be noticed than to truly notice, look or listen.  

At the end of the day, the irony behind the advice that Llopis gives is that it is less about the first impression, and more about the sustained impression you lend with people.  If you are in fact going to be their leader, their lasting take on you is less what you do on a one-off or occasional basis, and more on the nature, the pattern, and the characteristic of the interactions, and consequently the relationships, between you and them.

Immerse Yourself in `Leadership Deep Dive

Immerse yourself in a leadership development program for senior executives that is rooted in ideas and practices developed by Weatherhead's top ranked Organizational Behavior Department. Emerge from this transformational experience with a new realization of the power of your leadership. Join the hundreds of executives who have benefited from our proven approach to developing great leaders.

Instructors

Diana Bilimoria, Ph.D
Richard Boyatzis, Ph.D.
David Cooperrider, Ph.D.
Ronald Fry, Ph.D.
Melvin Smith, Ph.D. 

Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management, in Cleveland, Ohio (US)

For executives and managers who work in the Middle East, or are interested in traveling to this region, the Leadership Deep Dive program is offered in Dubai on the dates below.  It's a 9-day program, conducted over 3 sessions:

• September 23rd - 25th 2014
• November 17th - 19th 2014
• January 13th - 15th 2015

Please contact me at Ron.Villejo@ronvillejoconsulting.com, for more information or to enroll.

How Deeply Would You Dive Into Your Leadership?

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How deeply would you dive, in order to transform yourself, your team, your organization, and society at large?

Please contact me at Ron.Villejo@ronvillejoconsulting.com for more information.