“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”
Jane Jacobs
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Friday Reflection
Happy New Year: Welcome to 2020
“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.”
Rainer Maria Rilke
Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia
January 1, 2020 marks the beginning of a new decade, one that holds the realization of fresh challenges and opportunities, celebrations and milestones. Whether or not you entertain making New Year’s resolutions, there is a reflective moment that accompanies the transition from one year to another. It is a milestone that allows us to examine the passage of time and look forward to what comes next. Whatever that may be, our efforts and energies are focused on adding to the breadth and depth of knowledge and experience. In so doing, we are active participants in creating positive outcomes, now and for future generations.
As we bid farewell to the Year 2019, the words of Rainer Maria Rilke remind us to embrace a fresh year “full of things that have never been.” Welcome to 2020 and the many conversations that are waiting for us in the coming months.
We invite you to join the discussion.
Friday Reflection
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Seasons Greetings
Seasons Greetings! From all of us at CEGE Connection, we wish you the joy of family, the warmth of friends and the gifts of laughter, peace, and love.
“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!”
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Friday Reflection
“My faith is in the unknown, in all that we do not understand by reason; I believe that what is beyond our comprehension is a simple fact in other dimensions, and that in the realm of the unknown there is an infinite power for good.”
Charlie Chaplin, My Autobiography
Dr. Binod Sundararajan: How to Get Your Message Out There
Created and painted by the students, staff, and alumnae of the Sacred Heart School of Halifax with artist, Kyle Jackson
Dr. Binod Sundararajan received an invitation from the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute to help them use social media to get their research out to those who would benefit from their findings. Their goal was to increase collaboration in oncology. Without question, this research will benefit many people and build upon existing knowledge and experience. Knowing how to disseminate this type of message using social media venues is an acquired skillset, but it is based on existing communication best practices.
Dr. Binod Sundararajan Associate Director of the Rowe School of Business, Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University.
As Binod explains:
My model for talking about social media interactions is to always practice “effective communication.” Whether you use LinkedIn, Twitter, a Facebook page, blog or YouTube channel, your end goal it to convey a message by creating a conversation.
Know you audience: The audience is out there, waiting for your message. Be prepared by asking yourself if you understand what that audience requires. Who are your stakeholders? Are they internal or external? What would interest them? How would they like the message to be delivered?
Image and brand: Whether you are representing yourself or speaking on behalf of an organization, speak with clarity and integrity. The audience will measure your message by their beliefs and expectations surrounding your name or company/group logo.
I have found that critical listening is a significant factor in gaining trust that fosters long-term alliances. Listening provides us with invaluable information as to why an audience requires a specific message. We can then customize that message and choose the appropriate channel.
Remember, social media is a two-way dialogue. The highest vote of confidence that your message has been received is when someone responds and participates in a deeper conversation. Being available for follow-up, support and guidance will open new possibilities for learning and engagement.
From the CEGE Connection Archives: First published August 15, 2017.
Friday Reflection
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
Helen Keller, The Open Door
Jed Levene: Organize Your Financial Life In 10-Minutes Per Month
Jed Levene, MBA(FS) Class of 2013
One of my favourite quotes is from a motivational speaker named Jim Rohn: “The problem with things that are easy to do, is that they are even easier not to do.”
Not only does this quote apply to my wife’s weekend chore list; it also applies to personal finances. For most people, a mere 10-minutes per month could be the solution to reducing the number one stress in our lives.
The problem with most ‘budgets’ is two-fold. First, they imply that we are sacrificing in order to make them work, when really a cash-flow plan (a friendly way to say budget) is about spending intentionally and not like a drunken sailor with the hopes that you don’t run out of cash before your next paycheque arrives.
The second problem is that worksheets associated with these plans are often way too cumbersome, often containing over 50 categories. Do I really need to decide what I spend each month on gifts, clothes, or at the corner store? No.
There are only two categories you need to look at when you are putting together a cash-flow plan. Recurring expenses, the ones that are pretty much the same each month such as: mortgage/rent, taxes, insurance, daycare, etc..; and Variable expenses which are not consistent: groceries, fun-money, gifts, clothes, etc…
So, here’s the secret – In order to have a successful cash-flow plan, you need to turn your variable expenses into fixed expenses. If you do this, you will know exactly what you have to spend each month.
For example, in my home, here is what we do; My wife and I have a set amount we take out each month for our fun money, and a different amount we take out in cash for groceries. Because we do this, we don’t have to track them.
The only items which require tracking (after we have established an annual budget for each category) are: our vacation spending, what we spend on the kids, and home improvements. It really only takes about 10-minutes each month to track these three categories, because everything else is on auto-pilot.
CEGE Connection Editor’s Note: Republished with permission from OurWindsor.ca and Simcoe.com
Jed Levene MBA(FS) 2013 is President, Rockwater Wealth Management Limited and Investment Representative of Quadrus Investment Services ltd. He is a Certified Financial Planner® and holds a certificate in Behavioural Finance from Duke University. His articles on financial planning appear regularly on Orillia Today, Simcoe.com, CEGE Connection is pleased to advise that Jed has graciously agreed to be a repeat contributor on CEGE Connection.
Dr. Binod Sundararajan: Is Anyone Listening?
BINOD SUNDARARAJAN
Associate Professor of Management; Associate Director, Rowe School of Business; Academic/Research Director, CELNET
Social Media allows us to create and exchange information, ideas, and knowledge. Websites, blogs, photo applications – all act as our link to networking opportunities within a wider audience. Social media has advanced global communication even as it has transformed the way we engage within social and work environments. Our smart phones connect us to places that we may never visit; yet we experience “being there” via a photo uploaded on the other side of the world. We send messages, listen to music, share videos, post selfies, all with nonchalant ease as we go about our daily routine.
CFAME Connection interviewed Binod Sundararajan to discuss the importance of participating in a complex and chaotic communication environment. Does my voice matter? Is anyone listening? Why bother?
According to Binod, every voice matters.
Social media allows us to share critical data that serves the greater good. For example, when a natural disaster strikes, social media transports help from across the world. Social media brings together interdisciplinary teams to work towards solutions that will benefit society. With the advent of social media, knowledge transfer has experienced exponential growth. This is the salient point: articulating your ideas and experience builds upon what others have learned and shared.
Social media will continue to influence and transform our communication styles. To provide context, the statistics are impressive (Smith, 2016). As of July 2015, total worldwide population was 7.3 billion. The internet has 3.17 billion users with 2.3 billion actively involved in social media. Ninety-one percent of retail brands use two or more social media channels. Internet users have an average of 5.54 social media accounts. Even more telling, social media users have risen by 176 million in the last year. What does that look like for any given 24 hours? There are million new active mobile social users added every day. That is twelve each second. Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp handle 60 billion messages a day.
These numbers may appear daunting. Of course, the next question that comes to mind: with so many messages surging through WIFI, is anyone listening?
Next Post: Binod Sundararajan: How to Get Your Message Out There
From the CEGE Connection Archives: First published August 8, 2017
Friday Reflection
“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold.”
Aristotle
Banff, Alberta
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