My first kiss. The first time I saw my first-born. When I knew I passed my PhD exam. Those exquisite moments in time. It turns out, I- and you- can relive those moments. Because they are encoded in specific cells in our brain.
I began my blog about 2 years ago (1 June 2010). I did so for a few reasons. The first reason was to meet as many people as I could, to explain things as I see them, and share my knowledge. It’s the curse of being an ex-academic; one who teaches, researches, publishes, and engages in discussions with knowledge-seeking folks.
I was speaking with someone about some information she heard on the Anderson Cooper TV show. While that show was about divorce (four key errors that will indicate you are bound to divorce), Dr. Gottman mentioned something that intrigued her. That feelings of contempt (which is a form of stress) damages one’s immune system.
I attended a regional entrepreneurial meeting today (remember, this post is emanating from my queue, so this really happened about a month ago), listening to Mark Dumas tell his story. How he started his company, how he grew his company, and how he sold his company. And, what was remarkable about his story is how it was really unremarkable. Continue reading
Map of the geographic boundaries of the various United States Courts of Appeals and United States District Courts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The economy is changing. And, as the economy improves, companies can be in trouble- unless they have been well managed with talented leaders. Because those employees who feel they’ve been betrayed or let down by the company will leave. Statistics show that during upturns between 30 and 50% of the talented individuals depart. And, it also is a function of the employee’s age, gender (1/3 of the men will stay for more money, but less than ¼ the women would do so), tenure, and how many months since their last promotion and/or salary bump. It also reflects if the employee feels left out of the loop (the manager has too many employees in his/her group), how much travel is involved in the position, the hours worked, the weekends they need to be present, as well.
Most of you know I consider myself a chemical engineer first. Oh, I’ve got lots of other hats- but I approach almost every problem using my chemical engineering training. Which is why I use Bayesian statistics to make decisions. Don’t panic- it is scientific, but, at least its veneer is simple to comprehend- it is basically normal logic. It works for scientific analysis, project management, even for vacation planning.
You take a shower. As you come out, you notice beads of water all over your body.
Nothing’s wrong. Your body was designed that way. Your skin contains materials that repel water, to keep you protected. Those hydrophobic compounds (phospholipids) that surround your cells are membranes of polyvalent phosphatidyl choline (PC).
So, here it comes- or not. The PPACA (Obamacare) stipulates that health care insurers are required to justify their health care premiums. And, should they spend less than 80% of those premiums on benefits (this is called the medical loss ratio ) for small companies and individuals or 85% of large company insurance costs on benefits, they are “legally overcharging” these subscribers.
Leadership. Many of us talk about it. Some of us exercise it. We all need to learn more about it- not because we will all be leaders, but so that we can understand and recognize true leadership- and follow those who can help us reach new heights. Continue reading
