HRs Role in Employee Termination

HRs Role in Employee TerminationHRs Role in Employee TerminationHRs Role in Employee TerminationWhen it comes to terminating employees, HR can help shape the process, guide the conversation and minimize potential damage to both company and employee. But it cant assume the responsibility nor make the task pleasant for anyone involved.Still, HR should always be a significant part of any termination in any company, says Amy Schrameck, rtlich director of human resources for a large retail company. HR provides checks and balances, enayas company policy and procedures are followed and, often working with the legal department, makes sure all actions conform to legal guidelines.Jeanne Knight, a former HR director for high tech companies, prefers to become involved before termination becomes necessary. Through proactive coaching and training with managers, we can help them understand that they shouldnt get to the point where they want to fire the person today, she says. If they come to us whe n they first suspect a problem, we can help them manage the process that can lead to improved performance or create a well-documented path toward termination.Your Companys Culture Determines HRs InvolvementAt companies where HR is seen as strategically partnered with executives and business lines, its common for HR to be called in early to help shape the discussions and steer the actions. These companies also typically have a well-defined process for performance reviews and employee termination. At other companies, HR may have to be more assertive about becoming involved, developing a track record and building trust to prove your value in this process.Help Managers Have Clear ConversationsAccording to Knight, a career coach in Melrose, Massachusetts, a key HR role is helping managers have clear, forthright performance conversations with employees. Managers dont like having those conversations, she says. Theyre uncomfortable, and that can result in lack of clarity.HR can help the man ager clearly define goals, objectives and performance expectations and might provide wording. HR also can follow up to make sure the employee clearly understands expectations and next steps.Clear communication, a well-documented process and early HR support for managers can eliminate the firing surprise factor for employees. The worst thing that can happen is that an employee is shocked by being fired, says Knight. Thats when you have lawsuits.Adds Schrameck, In fact, we find that employees ultimately terminate themselves, because they dont change their behaviors or improve their performance.When the Ax FallsWhen its time to terminate, both Schrameck and Knight recommend doing it right away rather than waiting for a specific time of day or weekday. Its going to feel bad no matter what day you do it, says Knight. More important than when you do it is how its handled.Schrameck says the conversation should be short, sweet and to the point. HR can coach managers on what to say and may s erve as an objective observer during the termination conversation, ensuring managers use appropriate language and avoid escalating a potentially emotional situation.According to Schrameck and Knight, managers shouldTell the employee that because he has not adhered to agreed-upon performance expectations, he is being terminated immediately.Be empathetic but not sympathetic.Avoid wavering if the employee becomes emotional or promises to reform.Clearly state what will happen next Im going to walk you down to HR now well complete some paperwork, and you can arrange to get your things.Tell the employee additional questions can be handled by HR.Exceptions to the RuleIf you think a terminated employee might become extremely emotional, consider scheduling the discussion for when the fewest people will be around to observe the scene. And if there is even the remotest possibility of violence, put the security staff on notice, or let another trusted member of management know what is about to t ake place, says Schrameck.The Fundamental Goal of TerminationBoth Schrameck and Knight stress the primary goal is to maintain the employees dignity throughout a difficult process. Just because were terminating an employee doesnt mean theyre a bad human being, says Schrameck. We want to walk away having handled them professionally and with respect.Knight concurs. HRs role through the whole process is to help the employee leave with dignity. Even more fundamentally, HR can shape the culture of the company, where employees dont live in fear and where employment processes are equitable, she says.In the end, when HR intervention results in a smoother process and fewer disgruntled employees, managers should come to value your expertise and call on you at an early stage whenever there is the potential for termination.

35% of Americans would give up the right to vote for a raise

35% of Americans would give up the right to vote for a raise35% of Americans would give up the right to vote for a raiseWith the economy on the upswing and job creation on the rise, things are looking up and workers are hoping to cash in. Everyone wishes theycould just march into their bosss office and ask for pay raise (if you try this, there are things you shouldavoid doing), but its not that easy. And whilesome companies have paid bonuses and boosted pay after the new tax bill passed, more than half of U.S. workers did not receive a raise in 2017.So, what would Americans do for a salary increase? Just about anything.LendEDU surveyed 1,238 employed people in the U.S. and asked what they would be willing to sacrifice for a 10% raise. The results were interesting, to say the least.Over one-third of respondents (34.98%) said they would give up the right to vote in all elections for life just to secure an extra 10% in pay, while 9% said they would give up their childs or future childs right to vote for the rest of their lives.Over half of the people surveyed (55.9%) thought thatputting in an extra 10 hours per week for life was worth a bump in pay, apparently not realizing that working 25% more hours for a 10% bump isnt exactly a good tradeoff.Some other notable things respondents said theyd forego for a 10% raise88.61% would stop watching Game of Thrones for life73.42% would give up all alcoholic beverages for the next five years55.9% would work an extra 10 hours per week for life53.55% would give up all social media for five years50.65% would give up watching movies for the next three years50.4% would work one day every weekend for the next year43.86% would give up exercise for the next five years40.06% would give up dental care15.27% would give up all of their vacation days for the next five years18.9% would give up access to health insurance for the next five years12.2% would break up with their partner or significant other5.33% would eat a single Tide Pod

What it Takes to Be an Art Dealer, Questroyal Fine Arts Louis M. Salerno Advises

What it Takes to Be an Art Dealer, Questroyal Fine Arts Louis M. Salerno AdvisesWhat it Takes to Be an Art Dealer, Questroyal Fine Arts Louis M. Salerno AdvisesMany species dealers own their own art galleries in order to exhibit and sell art. Running an art gallery is similar to having a small business however, there are some key differences between an art gallery and a retail business. To be an art dealer requires a special skills set. What it Takes to Be an Art Dealer In this exclusive interview with Fine Art, gallery owner and art dealer Louis M. Salerno, Owner of Questroyal Fine Art, LLC offers professional advice for budding art dealers Good Eye I think there are two things every dealer needs a good eye, or ability to visually identify artists and quality, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Finding the right paintings to offer to your clients is a dealers number one priority usually if you choose correctly- meaning you choose a work you would buy yourself that is of sound co ndition and value- then the painting will sell itself. Knowing what this type of painting looks likes is the part that requires a good eye- you need to be able to tell the difference between quality works and so-so works. Luckily, this is a skill that can be learned nearly anyone can visit museums to compare works of art or read books about an artists life and paintings. Training your eye can take a while, but its something that will exponentially improve over time. Entrepreneurial Spirit I also say an entrepreneurial spirit because it is the common denominator amongst the most successful art dealers I know. Most of my peers do not come from a formal art education or background rather, they found their love of art and dedicated themselves to learning about it. They then transformed this love into innovative marketing strategies and infectious adoration of their product- two things that always draw in buyers. * * * * mora Info on Art Galleries What Are the Various Types of Ar t Galleries? Art galleries, which are spaces to exhibit and sell artworks, range in a wide variety of models..Learn more.How Do You Open an Art Gallery? When starting a business such as an art gallery, what are the necessary first steps to take?...Heres how.An art gallery and an art museum are both places to go see and experience art. What Is the Difference Between an Art Gallery and an Art Museum? More about Fine Art Art conservation is vital to preserve artworks for many generations.Working as a freelance curator or in-house museum curator are both satisfying career choices. Learn more about working as an art curator.Artists often make creative breakthroughs by attending an artist residency. Check Fine Arts listing of Artist Residencies from around the globe.

12 Ways to Improve your Email Leads

12 Ways to Improve your Email Leads12 Ways to Improve your Email Leads12 Ways to Improve your Email Leads Bodnar and Jeffrey L. Cohen, co-authors of The B2B Social Media Book (Wiley, 2012)Excerpted with permission of the publisher John Wiley Sons, Inc.,from The B2B Social Media Book Become a Marketing Superstar by Generating Leads with Blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Email, and More by Kipp Bodnar and Jeffrey L. Cohen (c) 2012 by Kipp Bodnar and Jeffrey L. Cohen.1.Do I know you? Make schmelzglass more personal by choosing a senders name that people recognize, instead of your company name. This could be the chief executive officer (CEO), the head of sales or marketing, or another notable person from your company.2.Whats it all about? Use the subject line to set expectations for recipients. Let them know the contents of the emaille before they open it. Dont say things like Our Companys Weekly Update or Monthly Email Newsletter. Be specific with subject lines.3.Offer them the wo rld The fruchtwein successful lead generation emails present one compelling offer, a clear CTA, and expectations of whats on the other side of the click. This is called a dedicated send and can be sent to a segmented list of prospects or customers based on datathat they are interested in.4.The mouse has landed Every click on an email offer needs to take prospects to a clear landing page. These should be optimized so that visitors know exactly what to do when they arrive. If they clicked on an offer to receive an ebook, they should come to a page that tells them what to do to get that ebook and nothing else.5.All links rise with the tide Human behaviordoes not always match our expectations. Most would think that the click-through rate for any individual link would be higher if there were fewer links. Social media scientist Dan Zarrella conducted an email study and found that the more links that were contained in an email, the higher the click-through rate of all links.6.Put down wha t you want to hearDont send email simply to keep regular communication going. Create an ongoing plan of relevant content-based offersfor social media marketingthat will drive leads.If you have a steady flow of content on the geschftliches miteinander blog, consider compiling that into an ebook with the addition of an introduction from an outside industry expert. This adds new context to information your prospects may have already seen.7.You talking to me? Any standard email program allows you to segment your sends to appropriate members of your audience. Although an email opt-in allows you to continue to contact subscribers without them taking additional action, if you provide information that does not relate to them, they will unsubscribe.8.Nurture leads throughout the buying cycle An initial email opt-in is a top of the funnel action. A prospect is interested in your products or services and wants to learn more. That person also might be exploring how you deal with prospects. Once he or she has received a variety of information and has demonstrated movement along in the buying cycle, that prospect needs to be considered part of a different segment. The prospect is not a lead until he or she fills out an offer form.9.Test, test, test One of the best things about digital marketing is the ability to test elements of an offer and review which one has better results. This makes your next campaign even better. The fruchtwein important thing to test with an email is a subject line. This determines whether recipients open the email or not. Test different offers and calls to action.Subtle differences do not yield widely different results.10.Evaluate plain vanilla text emails versus the chocolate of HTML Most email programs can receive an HTML, or designed, email and do not require plain text email. But many programs have images turned off by default. This means that an email that is one big image may look blank to subscribers. And with the increasing use of mobile de vices, there is a revived interest in creating and sending a plain text email along with an HTML email.11.Everyone is reading email on the go Have you looked at the emails you send on a mobile device? Are your offers clear? Do recipients know what to click on? Smartphones can display HTML emails, but everything is small. Optimize these emails for mobile devices.12.How often is too often? Just as more links drive more traffic through all links not less more frequent emails, of relevant, quality offers and content, provide more engagement. In early 2011, MarketingProfs, the marketing content, education and events company, changed their weekly email to a daily email.According to Ann Handley, chief content officer, based on site traffic and other engagement metrics, The design of the email is created to be short, quick, easy to ingest. It is very scannable, so recipients know what to expect and find out quickly if there is something for them.Author BiosKipp Bodnar, co-author of The B2 B Social Media Book,is an Inbound Marketing Strategist at HubSpot, the inbound marketing software leader. He is co-founder of SocialMediaB2B.com, the leading online resource for social medias impact on B2B marketing.Jeffrey L. Cohen, co-author of The B2B Social Media Book, is a Social Strategist at Radian6. He is co-founder of SocialMediaB2B.com.

Top Choices of Example of a Resume

Top Choices of Example of a Resume Functional resumes are perfect for individuals who dont have a lot of work experience about the job they are applying for. Even in the event that youve never held an official job, its still true that you have life experience thats applicable to the work search. Your jobs could be varied, your experience and techniques vast, and it can be hard getting it all on paper. It is crucial that you tailor your resume for each job application to raise the fit between you, the job and the employer. In many other nations, a curriculum vitae is fundamentally the exact thing as a resume. There arent any formal education requirements to be a cashier. Resume objectives can be a little controversial. The Research When you produce your scholarship resume, youll need to sort through the situations youve done in life that might be considered pertinent to a college career. Whatever They Told You About Example of a Resume Is Dead Wrong...And Heres Why Its poss ible to organize your resume in many diverse ways, but the next order works well. Taking a phrase or two or observing the very saatkorn format as the sample will be sufficient to make certain that youre on the proper path and that your resume starts in the proper way. Even though the power of example can be enough a lot of the times, its also helpful to be aware that the incipient portion of the resume should ideally contain an objective statement. It might be hard to produce a formulation of your own which will gather your whole knowledge in 1 phrase. Also, you will need to get some resume objective samples at your disposal to have a look at them before actually writing your very own objective statement. The GOOD example indicates a Summary that presents similar data in a means that is considerably more meaningful to a prospective employer. Keep in mind, your personal statement is meant to sell yourself. A personal statement on your CV is an excellent way to provide your work application extra effects. The Example of a Resume Cover Up The samples below are a representative range of all the available examples on our site. You will binnensee thousands of such samples available. If youre interested in an infographic format, below are some infographic samples to check out. To begin with, the majority of the samples you will discover are free on the net, so anyone can gain access to them. Actually, understanding how to explain a eu-agrarpolitik in your CV is chiefly about confidence. However tempting it may be to stretch the truth, lying on your resume is always a poor idea. Possessing a loose idea in your head free of timeline will almost always bring about failure. The very first impression is normally the lasting impression, and therefore it is by far the most important one. Possessing a positive mindset is essential to keeping things in perspective and reminding you your unemployment is just short-term. A special life situation needs a unique resume. Work ought to be a joyous, an enjoyable experience in a positive working atmosphere. Not everybody is good at handling others, so in case you can offer hard evidence of your people skills by quantifying the impact youve made through exceptional customer support, youre going to be irresistible to possible employers. If youre in a creative position (like graphic design), think about using a nontraditional resume. As with other creative resumes, it isnt meant for the majority of employers, so you might want to get a traditionally formatted resume on hand to complement it. Be certain to include quantifiable information to truly drive home how valuable you can be to a prospective employer. For example, you could attempt sending out a definite number of resumes weekly. A number of the templates could possibly be available for free while for others you may need to pay a price. By comparison, your reference list shouldnt include things like close relatives like parent, sibli ng, and spouses. Below, you will locate a list of resume examples that may assist you with your work search. The Unusual Secret of Example of a Resume You will see such samples for all of the jobs and fields of experience. Writing a resume for employment in the art industry can be difficult. If youre searching for jobs as a cashier, you will want to make sure that youre employing the very best job seeking skills. What will be able to help you to acquire work in the area which you desire is a well-written and convincing career-change-level resume. Recruitment consultants often utilize ATS also. Resumes usually get only a fast review, or so the committee may not take the opportunity to review a long resume. Accounting and finance managers may wish to see your technical understanding.

87 Percent of Workers put Love Before Careers

87 Percent of Workers put Love Before Careers According to Spherions recent WorkSphere survey, 70 percent of workers believe its more important for them to focus on their personal lives first and then their careers. A whopping 87 percent of respondents said that when it comes to pursuing love, they would not delay or decide to forgo marriage or enter into personal relationships for the sake of their careers. The survey of more than 2,000 adult workers revealed that todays workers are willing to sacrifice their careers for love whether that means not taking a new job because it does not offer spousal benefits (46 percent) or taking a back seat with their own job for their spouses professional success. The survey found that both men (72 percent) and women (73 percent) are willing to focus less on their careers for the sake of their lebensgefhrtes career and family life. Around one-in-10 (9 percent) workers said they have already taken a back seat in their career to help their spouse or partner advance instead, and 26 percent of workers are extremely or very willing to do so.Workers are even mixing business with pleasure as 26 percent of respondents reported that they met a spouse or partner at work.These findings illustrate that many workers are making their personal lives, their relationships and their families their top priorities, even ahead of their careers in many instances, Sandy Mazur, Spherions division president, said. For most employees, work-life balance is a top priority and their job responsibilities must be able to be integrated into their personal lives for them to define their careers as successful.Other key highlights include61 percent of employees disagree that having a spouse or partner can slow down a persons career advancement.Just 18 percent of employees said they would delay or decide not to have children because of their career73 percent of workers who se employer offered benefits to their spouse or partner were more likely to stay with the employer because of the spousal/partner benefits72 percent reported that they are more satisfied with their job because their employer offers benefits to their spouse or partner

Winners of Three Innovation Showcases Selected

Winners of Three neuerung Showcases Selected Winners of Three Innovation Showcases Selected Winners of Three Innovation Showcases SelectedLou Auguste (left) and teammate Dhaval Palsana present the Mobile Whole Slide Imaging (mWSI), one of the three winning products at the U.S. ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW) in Washington, D.C. Nine hardware entrepreneurs were selected as the winners of the 2015 ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW), a global competition with events in India, Kenya and the United States. This year marked the first time that the program, which highlights hardware-led social innovations that improve the quality of life in communities around the world, was presented outside of the United States. Ten finalists faced off at each of the competitions, where they pitched and demonstrated their products in front of a panel of experts. In addition to winning a share of $150,000 in cash prizes, each of the nine winners also received an extensive design and engineeri ng review from a team of industry experts. Akash Agarwal, Syauqy Aziz and Rajeev Kumar were selected as the winners of the inaugural ISHOW in India. The event, which was held in partnership with Villgro Innovations, took distribution policy April 20 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Pune, in conjunction with the ASME Additive Manufacturing+3D Printing Conference. Henri Nyakarundi (left) pitches his innovation the portable solar-powered Mobile Solar Kiosk to the judges at the ASME ISHOW in Kenya in June. The MSK was selected as one of the three winning products at the event.Agarwal, founder of New Leaf Technologies, won for his companys GreenCHILL off-grid refrigeration system, which uses renewable energy sources like biogas, waste heat, dry cow manure and other farm waste for cooling milk, fruit and vegetables before they are transported to market. Azizs winning entry, BlumbangReksa, enables farmers to monitor the water condition of shrimp embankments and ponds and to access data in cluding dissolved oxygen, temperature, humidity, pH, salinity, total dissolved solid and other parameters, in real time via text and the Internet. Kumar, co-founder of Neurosynaptic, was recognized for his companys ReMeDi (Remote Medical Diagnostics) solution, a robotic system that has been designed to conduct medical tele-examination of patients from remote locations. The product has made healthcare accessible to 45 million people in 30 of Indias poorest districts. The winners of the 2015 ASME ISHOW in Kenya, with members of the judging panel (left to right) Dickson Ayuka, creator of Ujuzikilimo Henri Nyakarundi, inventor of the Mobile Solar Kiosk judge Dr. Mucemi K. Gakuru from the University of hauptstadt von kenia Sanivation team members Andrew Foote and Emily Woods and judge Kamau Gachigi, executive director of Gearbox. The three winning innovations at the U.S. ISHOW, held May 14 the District Architect Center in Washington, D.C., promised novel healthcare and energ y breakthroughs. Lou Auguste was named as one of the winners for his product, Mobile Whole Slide Imaging (mWSI), a low-cost diagnostic system that uses two linear motors, a microscope and a smart phone to transmit digital images of slides to pathologists throughout the world. Kamila Demkova was recognized for Wave Carpet, a patented, flexible carpet that is capable of harvesting the power of ocean waves to generate electricity or produce fresh water. Malvi Hemani was selected as the events third winner for TocoTrack, a low-cost tocodynamometer, or external contraction monitor, which automates the monitoring of uterine contractions for midwives. In addition, this years Dr. Abdi Zaltash Champion Award, recognizing a new technology that shows great promise, was awarded to Jordan Garrity for the Practical Utility Platform (PUP). The award was established in memory of longtime ASME member Dr. Zaltashs commitment to ASME and support of young engineering innovators. Brian Bosire, Henri Nya karundi and Emily Woods were the three winners of the inaugural ISHOW in Kenya, held in partnership with the Gearbox maker space on June 24 at the Best wildwestfilm Hotel in Nairobi. Bosire was recognized for his entry, UjuziKilimo, an electronic device that works with mobile phones to help rural farmers measure soil characteristics and relay that information by text to an analysis center, which then responds with information regarding crop breed, fertilizer required, pest control, and other farm management tools. Nyakarundis innovation, the Mobile Solar Kiosk (MSK), is a durable, portable solar-powered kiosk that can be used to charge up to 30 mobile phones or small devices at a time in both rural and urban areas. Emily Woods was named the events third winner for her entry, Sanivation, a complete sanitation service that offers in-home toilets for families in poor urban areas and converts the waste collected from the units into charcoal briquettes that can be used for fuel. The wi nners of the ISHOW in Kenya received 3D printed trophies created by Catapult Design.In addition to increasing the number of competitions, the ISHOW program, which launched in 2007, also began focusing mora exclusively on hardware-led innovations this year. There are unique challenges facing social entrepreneurs with hardware-based ventures, said Noha El-Ghobashy, ASME managing director, Global Development. Investors tend to shy away from hardware because of the complexities associated with supply chains, with manufacturing, and with getting physical products to end users, especially in the developing world. This takes an ecosystems, and thats what were trying to do with the ISHOW. Were trying to raise awareness and build that ecosystem.Funding for the prizes awarded at the three ASME ISHOWs was provided by the ASME Foundation. In addition, The Lemelson Foundation, the ISHOW Impact Inventing Sponsor, provided funding to allow ISHOW organizers to host Demo Days and create video case s tudies of the competitors.For more information on the ASME ISHOWs in India, Kenya and the United States, and to learn more about the nine winning innovations, visit www.thisishardware.org/.

The purpose of life is right there in front of your eyes

The purpose of life is right there in front of yur eyesThe purpose of life is right there in front of your eyesOnce upon a time, some 13.799 billion years ago, a state which we call the singularity sparked the void. Its a state in which the laws of physics as we know them dont work a state that supposedly birthed the Universe. With it, we got space and time, energy and matter, all dancing and kissing as everything began to expand. Every atom, every star, every galaxy, every planet shot out of that one, lonely point of infinity.These creations of ordinary matter, which include the speck of dust we call Earth, however, only make up 0.3 percent of the Universe. Around 68 percent of it is occupied by dark energy, an unknown entity responsible for the expansion of space. A further 27 percent is made up of dark matter, abedrngnisher mostly unknown entity. The remaining 5 percent is what we know and study, including that humble 0.3 percent of the total.Even then, within this tiny fraction, the Milky Way has to contend with some 200 billion galaxies, the Sun with a septillion stars (a one with 24 zeroes), and our miniature home with somewhere in the range of another septillion planets. In the broader cosmological drama, not only is Earth not the main actor, but the idea that it has any meaningful role to play at all is absorbed and then dwarfed by sheer quantification.And yet, here we are - in this parteicular moment, occupying two different coordinates of space. Right now, I am somewhere, doing something, and you are somewhere else, reading this. In some past, I have written this for you a conscious observer, who I do not know, who I will never meet. You have felt things and you have thought things in your life, just as I have felt things and I have thought things in my life. As the present unfolds, your rich, complex history is colliding with my own to generate an entirely new history, one of consequence, one previously non-existent.With the magic of technology, in spite of our relative smallness, there is a different kind of largeness in the connection making this interaction possible a juxtaposition highlighted by the great astronomer Carl Sagan when he asked us to briefly pause for a moment to look at the following image.Look again at that dot. Thats here. Thats home. Thats us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived thereon a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.Its as beautiful and as true of a summation as we can hope for. But as its charm wears off, what do we do about the tension? How do we reconcile these seeming contradictions that we are large in our collection of experiences but small in the Universe that on the surface everything matters but in the sky, very little of it does that the stories we tell ourselves seem true and meaningful in the moment but once we step away from them, they fall apart? What - if anything - is there for us hold onto?If we zoom onto Earth for a moment, taking a 100,000-foot view, watching what is going, say, as a hypothetical Martian would, one conclusion would be easy to come to Humans are different from other animals on the planet. We are all a product of evolution, yes. We still have similar instincts, sure. But at the level of consciousness, there is something that distinguishes us - something that allows us to challenge evolution itself.The physicist David Deutsch argues that its because we are what he calls the great explainers. We can create knowledge outside of our physical body - like math, philosophy, literature - and then collectively build on it to learn about reality in a way that allows us to master more and more of the problems that arise in our ecology. Thats, for example, why we have been able to use science to make so much progress in the last 400 years, going from building simple telescopes to landing people on the Moon.There is, however, an even more fundamental cause Humans are a more complex, more networked species with more interconnections than the rest of the participants in the animal kingdom. Our unique conscious experience has gifted us with languages that allow us to create culture - a social reality that lives, breathes, evolves unlike anything else in nature. Our individual brains are nodes in an enormous network of brains that synergize to create something larger than their constituents, indeed allowing us to create knowledge as Deutsch suggests, but also so much more.Modern soc iety has a bias towards the material, the world of matter. If we cant see it, we find it hard to treat as real. As such, immaterial things emerging from complexity, like culture, are seen as less meaningful than matter. If you cant touch it, then it must not be real, right? Except, thats not how it works. Culture may not be tangible, but it influences matter in a way that is. Our brains are programmed by culture, technology is a physical embodiment of culture, violence is reduced by culture.In the 20th-century, the study of phenomenology began to catch traction with a simple idea The starting point of our philosophical inquiry should be our direct conscious experience. Before we can describe matter, we have to first contend with the fact that there is something right here - something strange going on if we just stop and look a world constructed in front of us that simply is before we can even get to analyzing it. Why has evolution allowed us to see different colors? Why can we thin k, be aware, when a simple stimulus-response feedback loop might have done the job?Whatever the answer to these questions is, the point is that the social reality - produced at the intersection of an infinite set of conscious experiences - is just as real as the physical reality. And its not just a subjective phenomenon, either, which only applies to what you make up in your own mind. Its a whole different plane of existence that has emerged - just like stars and galaxies and planets emerged, just like life itself emerged - and its continuously evolving and, slowly, dominating the world of matter.Contained within this life-force, we find everything that makes our speck of dust just a little brighter kindness and morality, love and community, hope and innovation, curiosity and science, beauty and art. The value of all these things is so obvious that only a blind, mistaken mind would dare to use reason to try to intellectualize their meaning away. From a phenomenological point of view, these things are simply there, and they affect your conscious experience very lucidly, and they dont care what you think about them.Humans have had a complex, contradictory history. On one end, given our impact on the ecology and on other sentient beings, its hard to overlook that we are perhaps the most destructive force that has ever walked this planet. We kill, we conquer, and then we kill again. And yet, there is more In spite of the missteps, humans are also the only known creatures in the Universe that have been able to use culture to show the eignung for a reality without violence. At least within our own sphere of existence, progress has leaned towards a gentler, more loving way of being.Homo Sapiens have roamed the planet for about 200,000 years. A typical mammalian species lives for around 2 million years. Still, somehow, in that short period, we have been able to wipe out diseases, split the atom, and escape Earths atmosphere. Best of all? If the rate of cultural ch ange continues at the present pace, then there is more and more to come in shorter and shorter time-frames, as long as we endure. We are still a young species. If we open up our imagination even just a little bit, its not hard to see how the possibilities are potentially endless.We may not yet be anything more than a fraction of a ripple in the infinite sea of space-time, but all evidence points to the fact that perhaps we could be. We may not be special based on our spatial position in the cosmos, but the emergence of our social reality and the potential it offers means that everything that we do matters, in both big and small ways.Our collective cultural consciousness is a great web tangled into the very fabric of reality. Each of us is connected to it. Each of our actions shape some part of it. Each of our thoughts produce a current that alters its aim. Once it came into being those thousands of years ago, there was nothing that we could do to stop it from evolving. And evolve it will, whether we like it or not, whether we choose to consciously participate in its formation or not.The purpose of life is right in front of us Its to create a reality we want to inhabit - to reach towards the better end of our conscious experience. At each moment, in every second of life, we are given a choice about how we want to conduct ourselves in this world, and though it might not always seem like it, each of these choices are of consequence. They each interact with culture to give it a new form a form that we are responsible for creating by either doing what is right or doing what is wrong in that specific moment.A grandfather telling stories to a young boy may just nudge that boy to one day write his own stories, ones that help ease the burden on all our minds. An especially caring teacher may infect a little girl with an engineering passion that later gives her the vitality to make the breakthrough that permanently changes our relationship to outer space. And of course , both that boy and that girl may just inspire millions of other people, who may inspire many millions more, in a long, unbroken chain of interactions until perhaps, one day, the ideas of war and hate and poverty will be foreign to us - or at least take a different form, one that is, again, a little kinder, a little gentler.After 13.799 billion years of darkness, light finally emerged. This light may be so infinitely small as to not be of consequence, and we may not be the only carriers of it in the Universe, and it may not even mean what we think it means - all of these could be true. But ultimately, we dont know. All we know is that its here, and the only way to find out is by spreading its brightness.Want to think and live smarter? Zat Rana publishes a free weekly newsletter for 30,000+ readers atplan Luck.Thisarticlewas originally published onDesign Luck.

A GM engineers advice for people considering STEM careers

A GM engineers advice for people considering STEM careersA GM engineers advice for people considering STEM careersAlex Archer loves kollektivwork. A former college athlete - including for her alma mater, Stanfords, gymnastics and sailing team - shes found collaboration to be a primary motivator in her life both personally and professionally. Certainly, shes found it to be one of her favorite things about General Motors, where she works as a Design Release Engineer.Because Im on a program team, everyone has the same goals and provides support to one another, she explained. It makes you want to work harder, and our team feels like a family.Working toward a common goal with others, she says, grounds her. But just because the goal may be common doesnt mean it needs to be one-dimensional another thing Archer loves about her field of product design is that it opens itself well to creative thinking and varying skill sets.STEM is a more embracing area than most, because people are passiona te about it and so much of STEM is about working together, she said. You dont have to be a mathematician - there are also creative areas. Theres a place for everyone, and in this field, passion goes a long way.Archer recently shared with Fairygodboss her favorite aspects of life at GM, as well as her two biggest pieces of advice to young people considering STEM careers - check them out belowHow long have you been in your current role, and what were you doing previously?I joined General Motors in 2015 fresh out of Stanford. GMs Virtual Performance Integration Manager, Bob Geisler, came to campus during my senior year, and after talking to him, I knew I wanted to apply for a job here. That soon came to fruition, and my first role at GM welches as an Interior Studio Designing Engineer, where my primary role was creating and providing criteria to creative designers. A year later, I moved to my current role as Interiors Design Release Engineer. From the beginning, Ive felt extremely va lued here and a great sense of belonging.What sparked your interest in design thinking?Initially, I went to Stanford as a collegiate gymnast with the intent of pursuing a pre-medical degree. But then, my freshman year, I took a design thinking class and fell in love. We made 3D puzzles and also created a Rube Goldberg Machine that set off a series of movements and reactions. I liked the mix of mechanical, hands-on work, and design, and I decided to change my major to product design.I felt all the more certain about this decision after helping my grandpa rebuild the engine of a 1937 MG-TA and, shortly after that, joining Stanfords Solar Car team. My grandpa and I took apart the entire engine, cleaned the parts, and made new gaskets and a new oil filter. I really learned how important it was to be exact. For the first time I thought, wow, I could do something with cars in the future. With Solar Car, I made the decision to join Stanfords team to see how interested Id be in automotive. I learned how to run failure analyses, model in SolidWorks, and machine parts in-house. Coming to GM, my experience in SolidWorks helped me get the job as a studio designing engineer and proved to be an even bigger advantage in my current role as a DRE.What drives you at work, and what keeps you interested?Theres so much opportunity at GM. Even though GM is one company, theres a chance to change careers and have new experiences. Im also driven by my mentors. Because Im on a program team, everyone has the same goals and provides support to one another. It makes you want to work harder and our team feels like a family, which is nice being so far from home.What about outside of work?I love to travel. During my first year at GM alone, I traveled to Switzerland, Iceland, and Hawaii, and Ive also made the trip home to Newport Beach (California) several times. Im so happy with the amount of vacation and work-life balance that GM offers.In my spare time, I also restore cars. Im currently wo rking on a 1955 Packard Clipper Constellation I purchased off a vintage car website in 2016. I re-built the carburetor, replaced all the brake lines, rebuilt the brake cylinder and brake drums, and after about a year, got the engine running to driving conditionYou yourself are a mentor to FIRST Robotics students. Can you talk a little more about the importance of mentorship - who has been impactful in your life and career?Ive always had mentors at GM. My first mentor, Mike Orth, retired, but he really helped me when I first started. Hed take the time to not only explain things, but help me gain confidence by pushing me to try solving issues in new ways while always being there to look over it before I presented or submitted my ideas. He also used his spare time to teach me about the history of GM and the automotive industry, which helped me both understand and challenge current processes today.For me personally, mentoring a FIRST Robotics team has been so fun. The students absorb e verything you say and are so interested in academia and the field of engineering, that going to meet the team is always a highlight of my day. Even though its not for a grade, the students are incredibly passionate, and you learn a lot about yourself when mentoring others. Also, my team won for the first time brde year, which is really excitingAs a college athlete - first as a gymnast and then, following an injury, as a member of Stanfords sailing team - youve had experience overcoming obstacles and changing direction. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?Id give myself two pieces of advice. First, start slow. My freshman year was crazy I took way too many hard classes and was in such a new environment. I could never have prepared myself for that. My whole life, people telling me I couldnt do things has always pushed me harder. But you shouldnt always feel that way you dont need to prove yourself to anyone if you know youre doing your best.Second, Id t ell myself that theres always tomorrow. This was important when I first started my career. When you work at your own pace, things will develop. Sometimes you need to be patient.What would you say to a young person whos interested in STEM, but is unsure of intimidated about getting started and finding opportunities?Get involved in extracurricular activities related to STEM. FIRST Robotics, for example, is incredible and something I didnt know about before Michigan. Other programs like Solar Car, Ecocar, SAE - these are all organizations where theres always peers and people to meet who are also passionate about STEM. STEM is a more embracing area than most, because people are passionate about it and so much of STEM is about working together.Id also tell them to shadow mentors. Especially if youre in Detroit, reach out to GM. You dont have to be a mathematician - there are also creative areas. Thats why I love product design its a mix of engineering and creativity. But the most impor tant thing is to not be afraid. Theres a place for everyone, and in this field, passion goes a long way.A version of this post previously appeared onFairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.