This post brought to you via the blog Generacion Y from award-winning Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez -

I have heard hundreds of times that the university – like a cemetery – could not be invaded by the demons of repression. I imagined them milling around the steps, without the power to enter this zone of letters and mathematical formulas where the students are sheltered. But this supposed immunity lived only in my fantasies, as Cuban history shows successive transgressions suffered by the universities in my country. Before the gaze of the statue of Pallas Athena, the ideological castigation has broken into these precincts dedicated to knowledge and scholarship countless times.

During the first half of the Twentieth Century, several student protests went so far as to demand the resignation of the president, bearing witness to the social force that emanated from the student desks. Painted on the walls around La Colina, where the University is located, you can still see the youthful nonconformity that later revolutionary purges reduced to apathy. The University Student Federation (FEU) has ceased to be a hotbed of ideas and actions that more than once shook the city, and become, to the students, a representation of power. Thus, the organization lost all its rebel character and its leaders are no longer elected for their charisma or popularity, but rather for their political reliability. The slogan, “The University is for Revolutionaries,” has contributed to imposing the mask as the safest way to achieve a diploma.

In these two years since Raul Castro came to power, expulsions for ideological reasons have continued – and are on an upward course – in the centers of higher education. When Sahily Navarro, daughter of a prisoner of the Black Spring, was prevented from returning to her classroom, I learned that the battered student league had gone from agony to necrosis. A few days after the headstone of sectarianism was placed over the remains of the FEU, Marta Bravo was expelled from her teacher training program for demanding reforms in the country. The notes of a requiem was composed by those who fired the teacher Darío Alejandro Paulino, after he opened a Facebook group to discuss issues with regards to the faculty of Social Communication. With these sad events, the federation – once led by Julio Antonio Mella – has confirmed its death at the hands of the dragons of dogmatism and intolerance, who now freely roam the university campus.

something to…

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Our good friend speaker and author, Ty Bennett is hosting a great series next week. He has had great success as an entrepreneur, a speaker, and an author. According to Ty, “In all of my experience I have found that business is all about relationships.”

With that in mind – he has titled the week of Valentines Day – Relationship Week and has invited you to listen in as he interviews a leading expert every day on an area of relationship building. These experts include bestselling authors Stephen M. R. Covey, Bob Burg, Mike Robbins, and Kevin Hall. I will also interview social and new media leaders David Riklan and Gilbert Melott, radio talk show host Laura Kennedy and CEO Dave Blanchard.

So take advantage of the great opportunity to join me, Ty and all of the other participants next week. It should be enlightening and help us all get to the root of all business – relationships.

Check out the LINK BELOW to register:

https://leadershipinc.infusionsoft.com/go/Relationship/gilbertmelott/

and join…

Bob Burg

Bob Burg, coauthor (with John David Mann) of the Wall Street Journal and
BusinessWeek Bestseller, The Go-Giver and the just-about-to-be-released
“Go-Givers Sell More” will discuss how the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success
can accelerate your sales success.” Best-known for his business classic,
Endless Referrals, Bob will show you how five seemingly counterproductive
Laws are actually the keys to becoming the success you desire to be.

Kevin Hall

Kevin Hall is the author of the newly released book Aspire! Discovering Your Purpose
Through The Power of Words. Kevin is a highly sought after business consultant,
speaker and coach. He has been recognized for his groundbreaking
approach to uncovering the hidden, and often secret, meanings of words.
Kevin will share unique insights into the language of relationships.

Stephen M. R. Covey

Stephen M. R. Covey is co-founder and CEO of CoveyLink Worldwide.
He is the author of The SPEED of Trust, a groundbreaking and
paradigm-shifting book that challenges our age-old assumption
that trust is merely a soft, social virtue and instead demonstrates that
trust is a hard-edged, economic driver—a learnable and measurable
skill that makes organizations more profitable, people more promotable,
and relationships more energizing.

Dave Blanchard

Dave Blanchard is the Chairman and CEO of The Og Group. In the last three
years alone, Dave has debriefed well over one thousand, five hundred
6 Advisor Assessment Reports (3,000+ hours), coached over
five hundred clients (7,000+ hours) and delivered well over 200 speeches.
He has acquired through vast experience a wealth of information regarding
how people think and the impact this can have on an organization. Dave’s
seven principles to connect with people are life changing.

David Riklan

David Riklan is the founder of the largest website of it’s kind www.selfgrowth.com.
As a recognized authority on social media and internet marketing
David has successfully built an email distribution list of more than 1 Million people.
He is also the founder of www.selfgrowthmarketing.com where
David teaches social media and internet marketing.

Gilbert Melott

Gilbert Melott is the Founder and CEO of Nextvoice247. Nextvoice247
integrates social media to build business, create product and events,
and develop the talent of emerging leaders and entrepreneurs.

Mike Robbins

Mike Robbins is an expert in teamwork, communication, and
the power of appreciation and authenticity. Mike is the bestselling author of
Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken and Focus on The Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation. Mike’s lessons on authenticity are refreshing and
impact both business and personal relationships.

Laura Kennedy

Laura Kennedy has lived a life of adventure and trailblazing. She uses those experiences to motivate others to reach for and obtain the gold ring. As a highly sought after business coach and radio talk show host, Laura impacts individuals and organizations with her wit and wisdom. Laura’s networking tips will have you networking like a pro.

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Brand Cohesion |

Photography that speaks for you

emerging leader interview with Danny Bocanegra from John Exley on Vimeo.

My first emerging leader interview ever! My good friend the young entrepreneur Danny Bocanegra is a former all-star Wide Receiver at the University of Albany who has founded the company Selfless Tees. Selfless Tees is a lifestyle brand and clothing company on a social mission. The company crowd-sources its designs and gives a percentage of profits to partners, which are charities and nonprofits. Danny is a grad student and he spent the summer volunteering in Africa, which accelerated his dream to launch his venture.

In my interview, Danny talks about his awesome experience in Africa and how he sold t-shirts to fund the trip and donate mosquito nets to people in need. Finally, Danny talks about the reward and advantages he sees from starting a company in college. The way he has grown from and applied his leadership experience in Africa and as a successful football player to his entrepreneurial pursuits has positioned him as an emerging leader.

Danny Bocanegra, Founder Selfless Tees (Galatomi) in Africa

Audio interview with founder of social entrepreneur Danny Bocangera.
http://www.whistletree.com/public/play/4774UBI8T14N8G8Q

Danny Bocanegra, Founder of Selfless Tees (formerly Galatomi).

Follow him: http://twitter.com/DannyBoc

Email him: dan.bocanegra@gmail.com

It’s hereeeee….yes! The Holiday’s are fast approaching!  I challenge you to go into this season with a new plan, a plan to continue your path to success while having a joyfilled personal life too! It CAN be done!

By this time of year many of you are over-stressed, over-worked and UNDER joyed. YIKES! Let’s change that. With these 3 simple steps you will be able to relax, enjoy and love on those most important to you. Don’t worry it has nothing to do with taking a hiatus from work or stopping your cash flow.

Step 1. Be Planned and Prepared

Let me teach you how to be more planned and prepared than ever before. Take 30 minutes and brainstorm all of the things you personally have to do every year during this time to make the Holiday’s happen. Things like:

• Get your family Christmas picture taken
• Write thank you notes to your clients for Thanksgiving!
• Mail out Christmas and Holiday cards, including adding new people to your list!
• Mail out packages
• Hang the tree lights outside
• Get your hair colored and cut
• Make a list of everyone you are buying for this year; secretary, teachers, staff, friends
  
• Make reservations at the restaurant for your staff lunch/dinner

I seriously could make a list of a hundred things that you MIGHT need to get done. But the point is, brainstorm all of it…down to the last detail and then put a date next to each item.

Step 2. Put forth EFFORT

When someone applies effort to any situation it speaks volumes about how much they care! Have you messed up lately? Whether you have messed up in a project, at work, at school, or in a relationship it can be improved by EFFORT.  What better time than the holiday’s to apply effort? Go early to shop for your lover’s gift rather then two days before Christmas. THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES.  If you are planned and prepared you will have more time to put forth EFFORT.  I promise.

Step 3. Set the right Priorities

Having success and cash is awesome! It allows us to do so much and give so much back to people. But we all know that all the money in the world won’t replace a hug or companionship.  The holidays are about IMPRESSING UPON THOSE YOU LOVE HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THEM…NOT ABOUT IMPRESSING PEOPLE WITH GIFTS.

You are about to embark on the best Holiday season of your life!

Until next time…FIND JOY!

Jen Lovelady

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russell simmons & hip-hop change the world from VoiceBox | Nextvoice247 on Vimeo.



Courtesy

Global Grind

Russell Simmons has long been a hero of mine for what he has  accomplished on multiple business fronts. As an entrepreneur, it has been about nailing the things that would make a business successful. We are glad to bring you this post from blogger Sarah van Schagen.

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons is the co-founder of Def Jam Records, a sometime reality star, and an entrepreneur who’s launched a number of successful ventures including clothing lines Phat Farm and Baby Phat. He’s also a yoga-practicing vegan who’s hoping to use his resources to make change in the world of hip-hop—and the world at large.

Describing himself as “hip-hop to the bone,” Simmons is quick to hail the power of that community in influencing politics, pointing to a recent change in drug policy in New York State. “That was because Jay-Z and Puffy and Rev Run and LL Cool J and many other people came out to rally,” he says. “A lot of politicians joined them, but the artists made the noise and created the energy and made the change.”

Simmons has high hopes for rallying that same energy in the fight against climate change—an issue, he admits, the community has yet to truly embrace. But he’s harnessing more than the power of lyrics and videos to get the message out. He’s recently given birth to a new-media company called Global Grind—a hip-hop HuffPo, if you will—featuring news stories, video clips, and celeb blog posts on topics ranging from music and entertainment to “politricks.”

Simmons has also taken on the role of spokesperson for the America’s Greenest Campus campaign, an effort to get college students (a key hip-hop demographic) to reduce their carbon footprint. The contest ran through October and offered prizes to the school with the most participants, the school with the largest percentage of carbon emissions reduced, and the creator of an online ad for sponsor SmartPower.

During a recent phone call—and between bites of a Gardenburger-topped salad garnished with both salad dressing and ketchup (a combination his staff poked fun at, he says)—Simmons talked about his commitment to reducing his own footprint, the brand power of hip-hop, and the importance of well-informed consumers.

Q. Tell me about the America’s Greenest Campus contest. Why have you signed on to help publicize this campaign?

A. The hip-hop community has not been as concerned about the environment as they could be, so if I can loan my voice and my resources … into growing it very quickly, then I believe that companies can create more awareness on this subject. It’s something that I’m very committed to, so I want to tie this educational vehicle, Global Grind, directly to this “America’s Greenest Campus” idea, and I want to see how I can help others to lighten their footprint.

Q. What role can young people play in helping change the way we think about climate change in this country?

A. [This campaign] is an educational tool and an empowerment vehicle. People don’t understand what it is to lighten their footprint, what steps to take. So if we give them the simple steps and we tell them exactly how much it affects the environment if they make certain changes—being a vegetarian, doing other things that make a dramatic difference in how much weight they carry in the world—people want to know that. When they realize that by changing simple things they can make a difference, it’s an empowerment vehicle.

Q. You’ve said that you used to live a life of overconsumption and abundance—how have your priorities changed over time?

A. One thing is that I’m an animal activist. I felt very disturbed about the way humanity treats its species on this planet. It was a spiritual matter, and it was not connected, at first, to the environment. And then when I found out that your footprint is so much heavier because you eat animals—that’s [a bigger] cause of global warming … than all forms of transportation put together—it became a part of my discussion when I was trying to get people to stop eating animals and abusing themselves by eating them. I didn’t realize how much they were abusing the planet as well.

Q. Hip-hop culture definitely trumpets a life of luxury and overconsumption, and that message is going straight to the youth, so it feels a little bit contradictory to say “hey, green your campus, lessen your footprint” but also be telling them “have the pimpest car and the blingiest bling”—

A. I’m going to interrupt you. First of all, the abuse comes from the top down. The president’s flying around in a private plane. Stop playin’! Everybody’s abusive and every channel’s abusing us … All the people pointing the finger at hip-hop need to point at themselves.

If hip-hop decides to buy something that’s popular in culture and talk about it, that certainly doesn’t make them more abusive. They’re more conscious, not less. They’re less homophobic, not more. They’re less violent, not more. They’re less racist, not more. But it’s wrong [to say that] in general, they’re less concerned.

I will say that it is a community that needs to be enlightened more. But that’s not the issue—their mission of getting ahead. That’s a mission America sends on every network, in every promotion, on every channel, and every commercial.

Because they sing about the things that people buy? I think that’s a reflection of us. They are reflections of us, and our dirt is coming right out of their mouths …

Q. Do you think the hip-hop community can lead the charge to help shepherd these changes?

A. You’ve gotta hope so, because the biz is depending on hip-hop to pick which color diamond is popular. The only way [the Maybach] beats Phantom Rolls Royce is to get rappers to choose it. Tommy Hilfiger’s praying that hip-hop discovers him again. So is Coca-Cola; [they’re] worried what hip-hop says versus Pepsi.

We need them; they’re the best brand-building community in the world. If we can get a large number of hip-hoppers to take this on, then they will have a greater impact in lots of forms of media.

Q. Are there any artists in particular who have taken on this cause?

A. I don’t have a rapper that I can point to the way I can point to Leonardo DiCaprio. But I’m going to work now as an individual, and I’m trying to find some leaders in the community who can make a huge difference.

Q. Have you done any work to move along environmental changes in the music industry—or have you seen any promising changes in the way the industry is run?

A. I don’t know that they’ve done a lot of work yet. The reason I signed on [to this campaign] is because I felt they were not serving this initiative. They work on many things that are social and political, but this has not been one. It’s not been on the forefront in their minds, and that’s why I’m trying to make a difference now by joining on. I’m not joining on because they have a lot of hip-hoppers involved in the environmental movement. I’m joining on because they don’t, and I think that we can put it in their face and they’re conscious people and a lot of them will join.

Q. What about your clothing lines? Have you made moves to ensure they have minimal impact on the earth?

A. Not as much as I should. It’s something we’ve talked about a lot. In fact, we had a discussion about making a lot of organic cotton for Wal-Mart yesterday.

Q. What’s holding you back on that front? What needs to happen so that it makes sense from a business point of view?

A. You have to get customers to value it. Some of these choices we want to make—in order for us to be competitive and still make a difference, we have to be profitable. There is a resistance on the part of some consumers that is making it more difficult. We have to promote the value of organic choices to the consumers … We’re working on it. It’s a marketing exercise.

Q. Do you feel it’s your role as a public figure to use your status to promote change?

A. I try to go to work every day and make sure my businesses have a light footprint in every area. I stopped my licensees a long time ago from making fur; my new companies are not making leather. I’m trying, you know? I try to every day do a little better, but that’s for me to sleep at night. If you live by example, if you speak in a way that people can digest it and see the value in it, then you can get people to join in. I know that as [people] learn to do better, they do better, they feel better, and they sleep better as a result of making a good choice.

This article is brought to you from the Seattle Editor of The Grist.

by Sarah van Schagen

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the power of asking intelligent questions from john exley | Nextvoice247 on Vimeo.

It’s 9:15 in the morning and I’m sitting in my Public Speaking class in pure disbelief. My attention has suddenly left my professor and concentrated solely on my laptop. I had just loaded my TweetDeck and there it was: Kat Cole [http://www.twitter.com/katcoleatl, http://www.linkedin.com/in/katcole], the Vice President of Training & Development for Hooters Restaurants USA

Kat Cole, emerging leader

(whom I had just started following on Twitter a few hours before amidst a near all-nighter) had replied to me on Twitter.

It’s the moment of truth: in the face of opportunity, what do I ask a person of such notable success?

Why Asking Intelligent Questions is Important

It’s simple. Have you ever dreamed of talking to your idol? Someone you really look up to, or someone whose level of success you desire to reach? If you had the chance to talk to her or him for just a few minutes, what question would you ask? Such a scenario demonstrates the importance of intelligent questions.

If I am to learn, how will I unless I ask intelligent questions?  Once you are able to develop some go-to questions to ask, simply caring and showing your genuine curiosity can be the foundation to building a relationship.

The Moment of Truth

What an inspiring background. At only 26, Ms. Cole was promoted to the corporate executive level for Hooters Restaurants. Additionally serving as a public speaker, consultant, President of the Georgia Restaurant Association, and MBA student, I was intrigued to know what advice she might have concerning my plans for after graduation.

In the face of opportunity, I responded to her message on Twitter. I asked her, “What’s your advice regarding gaining 3 years of experience after graduating vs. going right to grad school?”

That afternoon, she sent me her number and said that she would make time for me the very next day. I called her and we ended up chatting for 45 minutes, as she gave me some really thought–provoking, open–ended advice and told me gripping stories of building restaurant chains in Australia at 19 years old. I took four pages of notes. It was motivating.

Fine–Tune Your Skills

Study. Asking intelligent questions is an art, and you must master it. To master an art, you must become a student of the ‘game’. Make lists of insightful questions you come across or think of. If they turn into a disorganized laundry list, categorize them. Here are a couple of good resources that I have learned a great deal from; the founders of each ask terrific questions and host strong interviews:

Mixergy [http://www.mixergy.com], founded by Andrew Warner [http://www.twitter.com/andrewwarner]

Learn From My Life [http://www.learnfrommylife.com]
 founded by Moe Abdou [http://www.twitter.com/moeabdou]

Putting The Intelligent Question To Use

Have you ever met someone who gives you the impression that they are unzipping their head and dumping their brain on your lap? Unloading on you with their knowledge and continual onslaught of near-unsolicited information? Such behavior is the exact opposite of the characteristics you want to embody as a genuine ‘asker’ of intelligent questions. Further, such is the impression most have of the typical salesman. Contrast that with a person who asks thoughtful, intelligent questions. The latter is the sign of a person of good character who is interested in you.

The Sandler System of Sales [http://www.sandler.com/] is one of the most successful, worldwide sales systems and it builds its entire program on salesmen speaking 25% of the time and listening 75% of the time. When conversing, the only way you can achieve such a ratio is through the art of asking pointed, inquisitive questions.

If you are in the business of sales (even if you are simply selling yourself to recruiters), it is important to put the intelligent questions that you have developed to use. It will help you immensely to understand your customer and provide the perfect solution to their needs.

A Challenge for YOU

No matter what your age or level of success, I challenge you to interview someone whom you admire. First, do your best to research the person in–depth. Become highly knowledgeable of their area of expertise; whether it is an industry that they have excelled in, a sport, a specific course at school, or a particular niche in life that they are most interested in. The key is that you are genuinely interested in the person’s passions. Develop 5-10 intelligent questions that you are most curious about. Then, call or email the person and ask if they can spare twenty minutes for you to interview her/him.

Ideas? Use Skype [http://www.skype.com] to conduct the interview and (if it is okay with the person you interviewed) record it and post it on your blog, YouTube, or send it to the person. Don’t forget: always, always say thank you!

The Finale

What’s the purpose of asking a question if you don’t listen thoroughly to the answer?

Listen.

Practice listening. And listen some more. Whether you are meeting with a customer, talking to a potential mentor (or mentee), in an interview, or simply trying to build a relationship with someone you care about, asking intelligent questions can have a powerful impact. It can also go a long way in developing your personal and professional persona – but you must listen. The power of asking intelligent questions is that you can establish credibility and build a relationship with just about anyone; even your idol.

I encourage all of you to dedicate yourselves to helping others, especially those who have helped guide you along your journey in life. Return the favor! Listen always – look for opportunities to learn – share your experiences – and repeat.

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Many thanks to Ms. Kat Cole for her mentorship and for inspiring me to write this article.

Courtesy of Talent Revolution and The ShiftAge Trend Report. We are very proud to be part of the team bringing you this very insightful and long-view thinking and a chance to plan for our future.

One of the top tools we use here at TR is the Shift Age Trend Report. In a time of constant change, companies and entrepreneurs of all ages need to be educated on the trends of the future.”
- Amanda Hite Founder, CEO Talent Revolution

SAVE $50 and get your first Shift Age Trend Report for FREE with the following code: TalentRev1 (Case Sensitive!) Click here to SUBSCRIBE HERE to the Shift Age Trend Report .

The timing is now to start planning for 2010 (and beyond). What a better tool than a trend and forecast report from the emerging futurist called “The CEO’s futurist” in America today, David Houle.

Take a sneak peak at the compelling SHIFT AGE TREND REPORT here: theSHIFTAGE_TRENDREPORT_teaser-2.pdf

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Jen Lovelady, the CEO of JOY IT UP! is an entertaining, savvy and insightful Coach and Mompreneur.

Bringing 12 years of motivational speaking and experience to the table, she is on a mission to revolutionize the way people run their lives and homes. She brings passion, creativity, fun and straightforward training to provide the best and fastest results-driven training on the market! We are very happy to welcome Jen to the Nextvoice247 team as an ongoing contributor discussing issues on home, work, family, relationship and women’s issues.

As entrepreneurs we are passionate and on a mission to change the world with our product or service. We are enthusiastic and driven to climb to the top! But as entrepreneurs we need to take our loved ones on the ride with us! It will be no fun to reach the top and look around and have no one there to enjoy what we have built!

I am a busy mom of 4 little ones, building 2 companies alongside my family. It can busy difficult to balance the chaos of kids and family. I know how hard it is to shut off my creative driven mind and BE PRESENT with my family when I am dying to work into the late hours of the night.

But I chose to be intentional in putting my kids and family as a high priority in my life. Their perception of how important my work is to me…is their reality! We do have some control over that by refraining from the ball-in-chain of your phone and computer during family time.  The people closest to us need to see us choosing THEM over WORK. SHOW them how much we care…

I teach women all over the globe how to get a handle on life and home by joining a Mom’s 8 week accountability program called JOY IT UP! And that my friend…is what life is about! Finding JOY in LIFE and BUSINESS!

Until next time… FIND JOY!