Category: Business

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Business teaching

Teaching in Order to Learn

It amazes me whenever it happens. Whenever I teach, I learn just as much as the students. I have seen it when I lead kids in large group on a Sunday morning. And I have seen it in the workplace as well. 

For the last two weeks at work, I’ve had the opportunity to teach a person my duties. I’ve been in my role for under ten months and there are many things about my job that are still new to me. The person who taught me retired in late June. Since then, I have been applying what she taught me. Now I have the chance to do the same for another person.

As I have shown her the systems, the exceptions and the why behind the way we do things, I have been energized. Sure, I am not using the same words, and every experience is different. In fact, that is part of the teaching/learning process that thrills me. I can paraphrase what I was taught and see the results in a whole new way.

We have this tendency to believe once we are done with our formal schooling, we are done with education. This fallacy keeps us from growing. I have found it is much better to keep learning. And one of the best ways to learn is to teach others what we do.

Blogging is one way we can do that. And that is why I am going continue writing about my experiences and the lessons I’ve learned through being a writer, illustrator, and a graphics manager.

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Business

3 Myths About Starting a Company in the Midwest

Lucas Oil Stadium Exterior, Indianapolis

Source: 3 Myths About Starting a Company in the Midwest

This Entrepreneur.com article proclaimed what Hoosiers and Buckeyes have known for quite some time. The Midwest is a great place to run and thrive in business.

While it’s true we don’t have the high office lease prices of the left and right coast, and we don’t have twenty-four-hour sushi bars, We do have quite a bit of business going on among amber waves of grain.

Most of my experience with the area has been in the Indianapolis area, but I am learning quite a bit about Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio these days. 

Indianapolis has become a tech powerhouse thanks, in part, to Salesforce. Dayton has seen great growth in medicine and tech startup industries. In all these cities, I’ve witnessed hardworking, innovative leaders that are taking the best of technology and making their businesses sing. Truly, the Midwest, especially around Indiana and Ohio, is a great place to start a business.

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Business Business Cartoons Interview

I am sure I would fit into your work culture.

Cartoon of a clown and a business man. The clown says,
©2017 Kevin Spear

Last October, the Halloween obsession was people dressing up like clowns and charging people. There were stories about people turning the tables and attacking the clowns. All that month, I kept hearing Send in the Clowns swirl around in my mind. There was a time when clowns were considered fun and humorous. Now, they are seen as a threat and a maligned subgroup.

One thing is for sure, when you go for a job interview, don’t dress as a clown or act like one, unless that is one of the job requirements. Even then, I would leave the clown shoes at home.

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Business

Yes, Change is Hard – Inc. Magazine Article

4 o'clock shift at the Ford Motor Company
4 o’clock shift at the Ford Motor Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This morning, I read this Inc. Article on making change happen within a company.

Change Is Hard: 8 Great Ways to Make Sure You’re Constantly Evolving – Inc.

I have witnessed how hard change is at a newer as well as older company. And I have also had the privilege working for a company where change was the only thing constant. All the companies I’ve worked for wanted change but discovered pushback from customers as well as employees. It is ironic that the very change that will benefit customers can be rejected by those same consumers.

Whether you are a leader or follower, change is vital for companies and people to thrive. As the article says, it begins with you. It also takes lots of clear communication to explain why the change is needed and how it will benefit stakeholders in the long run.

One thing the article touched on was how the messy middle affects change. We talked about that in one of my MBA classes. A change initiative feels exciting in the beginning. But when you are in the middle of the change, it is so tempting to go back to the old ways. It takes a lot of determination, self-examination, and clear communication to make change happen.