Category: Uncategorized

How to Enhance Global Citizenship in (Emerging) Leaders?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Global Citizenship, Global Education, Uncategorized

The shift is moving us from a culture of mind to a culture of heart where we are connected on a much more profound level with each other (Jay Weidner)

Defining, enhancing, evaluating and understanding global citizenship is no longer a matter of selectivity, but rather a question of understanding that every individual, and every leader, should have the right to familiarize, and educate themselves with. Global citizenship, as defined by the UNESCO, and by the UWS (United World Schools), is the capability of any global citizen to care passionately about and the world we live in.

Furthermore, the UWS sees a Global Citizen, and a global leader, as someone who:

  • Has awareness of the wider world
  • Has a sense of their role as a world citizen
  • Respects and values diversity
  • Wants to tackle social injustice
  • Believes that all children and young people have a right to an education
  • Takes action to make the world more equitable
  • Lives and promotes a sustainable way of life

The UWS, together with UNESCO and with multi-local associations, promotes global citizenship through a number of activities, including partnering with schools and educational institutions from affluent countries with their own community in an are of significant educational poverty. For more information, please visit Global Citizenship and United World Schools

and watch the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajy4KsuRaNQ

Moreover, global citizenship, and global leadership, have become terminologies of the majority, necessary for every leader to comprehend, and to include in their vocabulary if not yet, at the latest by now, and through upcoming activities within all business, leadership, and organizational activities.

Surprisingly enough, the trends of global citizenship and global leadership are spreading faster than imagined. Our world, despite its size, has in the past couple of decades, through technological advancement and other global activities, become a global village, where global citizenship and global leadership both awakens individuals, businesses, and organizations, and also leads to increased actions through and by a number of factors such as ethically and morally correct business and leadership activities.

Philip Kotler, in Marketing 3.0., is one of the examples of progressive global leaders and citizens in his field of expertise to have taken into consideration the millennium, and now, the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN in order to create a world with justice, no poverty, gender equality, equal human rights for all citizens of the world, along with the other sustainable development goals that we ultimately all wish to see come true, the sooner the better.

As part of my vocational teacher studies, I had the pleasure to participate as an observant, and a negotiator/mediator, at a simulated workshop organized by FinMUN (Finnish Model United Nations) in Tampere on November 23rd. The simulation took place at Tampere University, with a current topic upon the Syrian Refugee Crisis, including participants from 18 different countries in the world discussing at a simulated event arranged by the UNHRC (United Nations Human Rights Council), trying to find solutions to solve the largest humanitarian crisis of this century. Unless yet familiar with the humanitarian crisis in Syria, including significant details, please read the following article, written by Kathy Gilsinan and published by The Atlantic, to gain more insight on the topic:

The Confused Person’s Guide to the Syrian Civil War

The fact is that no individual, no business, and no organization can afford to ignore globalism as a part of their business, personal, or organization activities and life. We are all affected, and involved, either directly or indirectly.

And, it is a matter of every business, every leader, every citizen, and every organization to take into consideration and to plan their (strategic) activities, at all organizational levels, in order to influence global events in a positive manner.

As defined by the UNESCO, a global citizen (and, a global leader) is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVSgbU6WVSk

From a combined business, and educational point of view, global citizens, and global leaders, must understand and take into consideration, and include following points into both personal, and business-related agendas:

  1. Literally, understanding where “ones ́s breakfast comes from”. This citation is from the book Geographic Economy (Coe, Kelly & Yeung, 2007). Please, if not already, read this book in order to increase your understanding about the global economy and the driving forces behind it. The content of it will definitely not leave you cold – on the opposite, the book will most definitely increase your awareness and serve as an alarm clock for people not yet fully conscious about how the world economy, and international trade, actually functions at the time being. Strongly recommended for any global citizen, and global leader.
  2. Making sure to integrate, and to centralize, CSR (corporate social responsibility) as a major function in all business-related activities. CSR, when fully and correctly integrated into business, and into leadership practices, is a powerful strategic tool enabling your business to create a competitive advantage in today’s rather harsh business world.
  3. Realizing that global citizenship, and global leadership, are synonyms for the capability of your organization to survive, and to thrive. No matter the size of your organization, or its strategic plans (of expansion, and of creating new market space), understanding global markets and knowing how to best operate in these in an ethically and morally correct manner, is a definite competitive advantage as long as you actually make global citizenship and global leadership central terms included in your organization’s values.

Tips for Making a Difference as a Leader

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Leadership development coaching, leadership mentoring, Uncategorized
ID-10021365
Women Meeting. Image source: Freedigitalphotos.net

Never underestimate the valuable and important difference you make in every life you touch, for the impact you make today has a powerful rippling effect on every tomorrow

Year 2015 is soon over. When you look back at this year, what do you see? What has taken place in your career, in your personal life, in the world around you? Have you achieved the things you wanted to achieve? 

If you have, congratulations upon your achievements. If not, why not? What have you failed to achieve? And, most importantly, why do you think you have failed to achieve your true ambitions and goals? What kinds of obstacles did have you faced this year? How did these obstacles and barriers affect your way of thinking, and your way of achieving your true desires, and making you fulfill your dreams? Did you even stop for a moment to reflect upon what you actually truly want to achieve, or did you stay within your comfort zone, postponing your actual desires?

If you have, NOW is the time to take action! NOW is the time to finally plan for year 2016, if you already haven´t. No matter if for the sake of your personal growth as a leader, for the sake of your (small) business, or for the sake of the organization(s) you serve. DREAM BIG, BUT ALSO: BE PREPARED TO WORK FOR YOUR PERSONAL GOALS. No one else is going to do it for you, only YOU personally are responsible for the actions you take. And, no one will ask you, or push you, especially if the goals are for you specifically, or for your small business. You will have to take the responsibility, make the planning, and stick to the goals you set yourself, and the actions you aim to take, and the results you aim to see either within yourself or within your business in the upcoming year(s).

There are no specific rules for making a difference. YOU make the rules. YOU personally have the responsibility for making the rules, for making the planning, and for actually taking the necessary steps in order to make a difference in 2016! Keep this in mind while planning for your future, both on a personal, and on a professional level. And, no matter how difficult it may seem, make sure to plan ahead for at least five years. It is easier said than done, especially in these turbulent times of constant insecurity and change, but nevertheless, make sure to make a five-year-plan both on personal and on professional levels, including:

Where do you/your business want to be in five years from now? 

That is in 2020. Planning your personal, and your professional lives, five years ahead is no easy task. Actual planning for years ahead requires courage, and the ability to take a risk of failing in your actual planning. NEVER MIND. Plan despite of the challenges of planning in the 21st century. Most leaders, small businesses, entrepreneurs and startups actually do fail due to the fact that they are incapable of planning for the upcoming years. BE DIFFERENT! BE BOLD! Take the risk, and make sure to plan for five years, or at least, for three years in advance. REMEMBER – YOU CAN ALWAYS ADJUST YOUR PLANS ALONG THE JOURNEY! Be like a sailor who knows how to adjust his/her sails during the journey – but also a sailor who has planned his/her journey in advance. If you want to cross the Pacific Sea, you must be capable of planning your journey, but also be prepared to meet unexpected challenges and storms during your trip.

How do your business/personal activities improve society around you?

We all want to make a positive difference in society, and in the world. At least this is how the majority works, and aims to lead their lives! Every individual, and leader with awareness and a pure, conscious mind, wants to give back to communities, and to society. It is our duty as human beings, and especially the duty of those who are doing (extraordinarily) well in their careers/personal lives. Make sure to plan ahead for humanitarian activities in your personal/business life – this is something every responsible (business) person, and leader does, and includes in their long-term planning. The purpose of your being here, and the purpose of all your activities, is not only to please your ego, but in fact to develop your higher self, your higher consciousness, take positive actions, and serve as an example to everyone around you. Your personal leadership does not require being a member of any specific organization, representing any specific business, or any specific religion – it is sufficient that you aim to make a POSITIVE difference by being yourself, making yourself and people around you happy, and at ease. Our world knows enough problems. Be a leader who knows how to reduce these problems instead of increasing them.

Take Yourself, Your Goals and Desires, and Your Plans Seriously!

If you TRULY, AND HUMBLY want to make a difference in our world, you MUST believe in yourself, in your dreams, and in your goals. You do not have to move mountains at once, but you have to be willing and ready to make even the smallest of differences in your every day life, and in your every day business. Every act matters, and small improvements when accumulated lead to huge differences in the world! Remember this, especially when you at times question yourself, your actions, and your plans, and whether they really do make a difference. THEY DO. AND, YOU DO. AS LONG AS YOU ACTUALLY DO STICK TO THE GOALS YOU HAVE SET YOURSELF. 

And, remember, no one will be there to push you but yourself, unless you hire someone to actually PUSH YOU & PUSH YOUR GOALS FURTHER IN LIFE, BOTH ON PERSONAL AND ON PROFESSIONAL LEVELS. 

 

Online Navigation and Creating an Online Strategy

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Business, Change Management, Digital Marketing, Online Strategy, Uncategorized

“Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time”.

(George Bernard Shaw)

As an avid user of online services and of certain social media sites I have learned a few things about online navigation. 

I have written a few times about how to save precious time and energy, and how not to get stuck within the online world. Believe me, I am writing from experience, and learning from it, every single day. 

Let´s get straight to the point, just to save your time and energy: 

Create yourself/your brand/your firm a clear social media/online strategy. This includes at least a definition and response to the following questions: 

– Who am I representing? Am I representing myself? How am I representing myself? As an entrepreneur, or as an employee? Or am I representing a brand/company/startup? 

– What am I representing? Am I representing myself, and my services? Or am I representing someone else´s service/s and/or product/s?

– Which social media sites will I use, and why? It is very important to choose the correct media in order to save time and money. You won´t want to waste time, money, or energy on sites that are useless to you. One option is of course to create your own social media platform, and as I have noticed, new social media platforms are being created every day, in almost every single corner of the world.

– How much time/effort am I willing to spend for these social media sites? How much time can I afford to spend online?

– Do I need to do everything on my own, or will I hire someone (a social media company or an entrepreneur) to do it for me/for my company?

– What is my target market/customer segment? Why? 

– What is the best way to approach the target segment/the target customer? 

– What are my core competencies? How do I differentiate myself/my firm from others? 

– How do I measure the efficiency of my/my company´s online presence? Do I/the company need to invest time/money in some other kind of advertising, or is digital presence enough?

This is an insight into the online world, where new jobs, trends, sites, and markets are constantly emerging. It can be somewhat overwhelming, which is another reason for organizing yourself online, defining the amount of time you are willing to spend online, and the most important: being selective regarding your online presence. 

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results”.

(Winston Churchill)