Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands – Crowned September 6, 1898

Dr. Sun Yat-sen, President of China – Elected December 29, 1911

The images provide compelling insight into what the world was like 100 years ago.

Three leaders from around the world and their cultural setting.

Mohammed V, Sultan of Turkey – Crowned April 27, 1909

For more information on these three leaders:

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Mohammed V, Sultan of Turkey

Dr. Sun Yat-sen, President of China

“The Me Me Me Generation: Millenials are lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents: Why they’ll save us all” Currently Trending with Gen Y

The cover story for the May 20, 2013 issues of Time Magazine highlighted important

Time Cover: The Me Me Me Generation

mixed attitudes towards the Millennial (or Gen Y) generation.  The article begins by claiming through scientific data that Gen Y is the most narcissistic generation to have ever lived, and concludes by saying  that their narcissism has led them to be optimistic, accepting of differences, and entrepreneurial individuals with much to offer with the right guidance. Currently Trending with Gen Y

As one would expect, Gen Y has turned to social media and blogging to respond to the article with sites such as: Currently Trending with Gen Y

• The Huffington Post
• Tumblr

The responses range from humorous to mildly provocative and tongue in cheek.  The Gen Y generation seems to have a sense of humor about the article and at the same time engages in the type of behavior highlighted in the article, mainly a narcissistic obsession with themselves. The article is certainly currently trending with Gen Y circles, though the content of the article does not add much new content to the ongoing debate on Gen Y’s impact on the world. Currently trending with Gen Y

Diversity of Employees

There is a visible disparity between the diversity of players on professional sports teams and the diversity of their coaching, operations and management teams. This issue is getting more attention and subsequent criticism recently, particularly in the NFL where there are currently four head coaches that are a minority and five GMs that are a minority.  While diverse coaches abound in the lower ranks of teams, they have hit a glass ceiling that has kept them from getting to the head coaching or GM position. This has become an area of concern for the NFL and there are many discussions taking place regarding how to address this issue. However, there has been little action taken beyond the existing Rooney Rule.  The Rooney Rule, named for the Pittsburgh Steelers owner, has been in place for ten years as is the subject of debate this offseason after no minorities were hired for any of the eight head-coaching jobs filled this year. The rule mandates that teams interview at least one minority for head coach vacancies and senior football operations vacancies. But, with paltry results in recent years, there’s a question of whether it is outdated.  The NFL continues to examine how to address the lack of diversity in the highest ranks and whether or not there is an equal playing field for minority and non-minority coaches looking to move up the hierarchy.  As Christopher L. Gasper points out in his Boston Globe column, “But in a league in which 67 percent of the players are minorities… it’s not a venial circumstance that 87.5 percent of the head coaches are white.”

Diversity of Players

There has been a great deal of press in the past few months around the topic of the diversity of professionals sports teams’ athletes.  However, the diversity being discussed has not concerned the race or ethnicity of professional athletes, it has been about their sexuality. Robbie Rogers, a US Men’s National Team soccer player, ignited the discussion when he both revealed that he was gay and retired from the sport all in a short blog post he penned back in February of this year.  His revelation was followed in April by a lengthy Sports Illustrated article by NBA player Jason Collins where he revealed that he was gay. As a free agent Collins is currently looking for a team to play with next season.  Rogers on the other hand, just came back to the sport of soccer by joining the LA Galaxy. He debuted as the first openly gay male professional athlete in a major sport on Saturday May 25^th when he entered the Los Angeles vs. Seattle game in the 77^th minute as a substitute to a standing ovation of the 28,000 fan present. The shift in cultural values in the US in recent years has meant that players are more willing to take the risks of coming out about sexuality than in years past, when doing so would have meant that they wouldn’t be able to play the sport they love.

Diversity of Fans

Tennis is a sport not known for its diversity of players or fans. But, the US Tennis Association is currently undertaking a multipronged push to expand its fan base. One such effort involves providing tennis clinics in diverse neighborhoods so that kids of all backgrounds can learn about the sport and hopefully participate as they grow up and become fans.   This and other efforts are the brainchildren of current USTA Chief Diversity Officer David Anthony Abrams. David was quoted in an article by Martha C. White saying, ‘”The demographics of the country have changed and continue to change,” he says. “To continue to grow, we really have to reach out to anyone and everyone who can hold a tennis racket.”’

What does all of this focus on diversity in sports mean? For franchises and operations personnel of sports teams it means paying attention to the needs of fans that may be different than in the past.  Seeking to attract fans from different cultures, races or backgrounds will mean adjusting marketing and outreach strategies. It will also mean diversifying their employees and players so that fans see familiarity in the people they interact with and cheer on the field.

As sports are diversifying it will be critical that teams quickly manage any bad behavior of coaches, fans and players. One way of approaching this is by setting a no tolerance policy in place for discrimination. This would include fans screaming racial and homophobic epitaphs at players and coaches using inappropriate language.

Like the rest of society, sports are becoming more diverse. What will make the difference is if the sports teams embrace this diversity and make their sport a welcoming place for all players, personnel and fans or if they will dig in their heels and resist change. For the sake of all of us, let’s hope they seize the moment and open up to create unforgettable moments for us all to enjoy.

Jan Ernst Matzeliger: Inventer who revolutionized the shoe industry

Jan Ernst Matzeliger was born in Paramaribo, Surinam (Dutch Guiana), South America. His father was a Dutch engineer who married a native Black Surinamese woman. At the age of ten, young Jan worked in the machine shops supervised by his father, where his talents and mechanical aptitude were nurtured. In 1871, at the age of 19, he sailed the world and settled in Philadelphia 2 years later.

Hearing about the rapid growth of the shoe industry in Massachusetts, Matzeliger went to Lynn in 1877 in search of a better job. He taught himself English and he eventually landed a job as an apprentice in a shoe factory operating various shoe making machinery during a time when most white people would look down on him because of his race. He was a devout Christian, teaching Sunday school at The North Congregational Church, one of the few churches in the area that would accept African-Americans.

In the early days of shoe making, shoes were made mainly by hand. For proper fit, the customer’s feet had to be duplicated in size and form by creating a stone or wooden mold called a “last” from which the shoes were sized and shaped. Since the greatest difficulty in shoe making was the actual assembly of the soles to the upper shoe, it required great skill to tack and sew the two components together. It was thought that such intricate work could only be done by skilled human hands. As a result, shoe-lasters held great power over the shoe industry. They would hold work stop-pages without regard for their fellow workers’ desires, resulting in long periods of unemployment for them.

Matzelinger set out to try to solve the problem of this stranglehold by developing an automatic method for lasting shoes. Over the course of ten years, facing much derision and sacrifice, he came up with a prototype for an automated shoe-laster. Matzeliger’s machine was able to turn out from 150 to 700 pairs of shoes a day compared to the 45 maximum limit completed by the expert hand lasters. By 1889 the demand of the shoe lasting machine was overwhelming. A company was formed, The Consolidated Lasting Machine Company, where Matzelinger was given huge blocks of stock for his invention. His machine had revolutionized the entire shoe industry in the U.S. and around the world.

Unfortunately, Jan Matzelinger didn’t live to see the fruits of his labor. Because he had sacrificed his health working exhausting hours on his invention and not eating over long periods of time, he caught a cold, which quickly developed into tuberculosis. He died at age 37 on August 24, 1887.

Jan Ernst Matzeliger’s invention was perhaps “the most important invention for New England because it increased shoemaking speed by 900%.” His invention was “the greatest forward step in the shoe industry,” according to the church bulletin of The First Church of Christ (the same church that took him as a member) as part of a commemoration held in 1967 in his honor. In 1992, the U.S. made a postage stamp in honor of Matzeliger.

Which is why what occurred during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing is so senseless and tragic. Boston is blessed with great sports teams and has built a sub-culture around the region’s

Boston Marathon 1910

teams and their fans. At the pinnacle of this sports mecca, is the annual 117-year-old Boston Marathon. This international sporting event is held on a holiday that commemorates the start of the American Revolution, ‘Patriots Day.’  The marathon heralds the start of spring and it brings together people from around the world.  There is a feeling of excitement in the air as locals gather to cheer on elite athletes and friends that are running, as well as to take in the spectacle.  For one day it makes no difference what local sports team you support, everyone is a fan of the marathon.

The tragic bombing incident, followed by the dramatic chase and lockdown of Boston, will forever mark the marathon. We will always remember the images of tragedy and we will commemorate and mourn the lives cut short and the lives irreparably damaged. As a city, we will also remember the people who ran towards those that were injured without thought of themselves, those that opened their homes to strangers, who gave away their medals to those unable to finish the race and who gathered in the thousands to hold vigil for a little boy who wanted peace.

Personally, I was able to quickly ascertain that my loved ones were safe. But, my attention quickly turned to my other “family” of the New England Revolution, as I am an ardent fan of the team and knew that many of the players had gone to watch the marathon. I let out a sigh of relief when Rev’s midfielder Lee Nguyen tweeted that all were safe. It would only emerge hours later that two team members, Matt Reis and Chris Tierney, had loved ones that were gravely injured in the blasts and had narrowly escaped with their lives.

As a Revs fan I have been touched by the outpouring of support for Boston from other sports teams and cities including the Chicago Tribune when they used the front page of their sports section to show solidarity on the day after the bombing and the New York Red Bulls, who wore Boston armbands in support of their arch rivals in a game played just days after the tragedy. I was particularly moved by the march to the stadium on Saturday night that was the combination of the NY Red Bulls and New England Revolution supporters.

What Can I Do?

When tragedies like this strike, many are often left wondering, “what can I do to help?”  While there may be little we can do to actually prevent an event such as what happened at the Boston Marathon, there is much that we can do to affect change at the individual level and help reinforce the idea that the positive outweighs the negative in our world.  If we all work together to affect change at the personal level, we can cumulatively make a big positive impact on our communities.

A practical example of this is the MLS “don’t cross the line” campaign against discrimination. The campaign advocates equality for all. Yet, we still see violence happening with our fans such as when a Portland Timbers fan was assaulted recently by visiting San Jose Earthquake fans in the parking lot of the stadium. We also see animosity between players resulting in anti-gay slurs being hurled by players at other players. So, what can we do as MLS fans to stop the violence and to make a difference in this time of tragedy?

• Take the violent words like hate or kill out of our spoken and written language when we refer to other teams or players
• Watch the language that we use on social media which spreads quickly and can be violent and profane
• Treat other players and teams as we would want to be treated
• Advocate that MLS teams decline sponsorships from companies that openly support a biased agenda that does not show respect for all players and fans.

Am I advocating that we stop being competitive? No, I am not. I believe that we can cheer on our beloved teams and enjoy the competition that comes with sports while still being respectful of individuals on those teams.  I can cheer long and loud for my Revs without turning to violence in my actions or words.

Making changes in the culture of MLS will not turn back the clock and reverse the tragedy that happened at the marathon.  But, if we take responsibility for the beautiful game that we love, we can help the healing process.  By making changes, we can help players, teams and fans feel that being a MLS fan or attending a game is something they can look forward to without fear. We can create an environment where an openly gay player can play on a team without fear of retribution and taunting and where fans do not fear supporters from other teams.  By taking these steps and respecting fans and players from all teams we can change at least our corner of the world for the better. Our actions create more respectful and tolerant communities that we all want to be a part of.  By emphasizing the positive we can refocus our attention to all of the good that exists in the world and in doing so, contribute to the healing process and to making us all #BostonStrong.

Kari Heistad is the CEO of Culture Coach International, an ardent New England Revolution fan and a photographer for New England Soccer Today and MLS-UK. She is part of the editorial board of MLS-Norway. 

As a nation we reached a diversity tipping point in November 2012 when President Obama won re-election. The President and his staff actively targeted their outreach efforts to a selection of voters with the belief that the diversity in the US matters and that the issues important to women, immigrants, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Gay and young voters were significant enough to win the President his re-election.  These efforts and beleifs paid off in Obama’s victory, but what does this victory teach corporate America about diversity?   Diversity in Corporate America

In the end President Obama garnered 93% of the black vote, 71% of the Hispanic vote, 73% of the Asian vote, 90% of gay voters, 41% of women voting and 60% of voters under the age of 30.  The numbers reflect what was necessary to win, a majority of the votes from minority groups in the United States.  Obama’s strategy allowed him to beat Romney, as Romney failed to understand the collective power of the diverse groups in the United States. Certainly Obama’s ability to attract a large number of diverse voters helped deliver him a second victory, but, what does the President’s re-election have to teach corporate America about diversity? That the diverse population of the US has grown to a critical mass and is now affecting major outcomes within the US. For corporate America, this means that the era of workplace diversity being a “nice to have program” has ended and the era of diversity programming being a “need to have program” has begun.  Companies must work to understand the values and needs of the growing diverse population in the United States, or they will lose their employees and customers. Diversity in corporate america

The US is the Least Diverse We Will Ever Be diversity in corporate america

Right now, we the American people are the least diverse we will ever be.  The wave of diversity growth that is taking place in the US is a result of many factors that have combined to produce a gradual yet significant change in demographics.  Immigration for the past three decades has shifted from originating predominantly in Europe to originating from Latin America and Asia. During this same time period, white Americans have been having fewer children and are increasingly marrying across racial and ethnic groups.  Immigrants have higher birthrates than those people of childbearing age born in the US. With all of these factors combined, the US has reached the point where the majority of children born are now Hispanic, black, Asian or multi-racial.  The US stands at a turning point in history where the white population is declining and in the coming years the older less diverse generations will make way for the younger and more diverse generations. diversity in corporate america

But what is the significance of this diversity for corporations? One implication is that “business as usual” will not suffice and that employers will have to examine who they are and how they do business in order to ensure that they are attracting and retaining top talent.  Because the top talent is going to begin to look much different than it has in the past, employers can reasonably expect that these employees may have different values and needs than past or current employees.  In order to accommodate these differences, companies should look closely at their human capital needs and how their company culture might have to change in order to attract their future top performers.  Smart and forward thinking companies are already making changes that will result in more inclusive cultures. These cultures will be more appealing to young professional Americans.  For it is not only the racially and culturally diverse that are looking to work for inclusive and diverse companies, Gen Y as a whole has grown up with this culture and expects to see this mirrored in their workplace environment.  Those companies that are more conservative and slow to change may have a hard time retaining the diversity that they are able to attract, let alone attracting significant diversity to begin with.  Look to Romney’s campaign to see the implications of this route. diversity in corporate america

Changing Demographics Requires Changing Diversity in Corporate America

Given the demographic changes and the impact they will have upon corporations in the coming years, what then is the way forward? In order to create a workplace that effectively attracts and retains top talent, we need to create a workplace culture that is built upon the values that those workers are looking for from their employers. CCI stipulates that these include: the value of respecting differences; including new ideas and ways of doing business; a willingness to challenge the status quo in order to find a new competitive edge; and a flexible workplace that allows employees to tailor their workday in a way that maximizes their productivity.  Many of these values can be introduced and reinforced through a company’s D&I program.

However, in order to effect change at the level of an organization’s culture, diversity needs to be internally positioned not as an isolated training program, but rather as an Organizational Development initiative that is able to effect organization wide change.   If a company does not currently have a D&I initiative that is structured in this way, then taking some of the following steps will help your organization get started: diversity in corporate america

• Ensure that the D&I work is closely is closely aligned with organizational goals
• Seek and gain senior leadership support and active engagement throughout the entire process. Have them model their own personal engagement with the initiative.
• Engage and support managers in the work. Provide them with the training and resources to become advocates for diversity and inclusion within their teams.
• Provide regular communication to employees about the diversity work, its alignment to organizational goals and why diversity is important

With this switch diversity moves from being viewed as a feel good activity or program, to being recognized as a business imperative where the long-term organizational culture changes in a way that directly drives business results.  In this framework diversity becomes an organizational development process that takes place over the course of many years and provides thousands of opportunities for employees to interact with the messaging behind the culture change.  These interactions help employees to understand, accept and ultimately embrace the creation of a diverse and inclusive company culture.  Which is exactly what the increasingly diverse majority of Americans are looking for. diversity in corporate america

Diversity is a “Need to Have” Program diversity in corporate america

As we saw in the re-election of President Obama, the demographics of the US have shifted and will continue to change and evolve.  Practically speaking, these changes will impact how businesses operate because the majority of employees and customers will continue to look different and have different needs than they did just five years ago.  These changes should motivate companies to take a good long look at the culture of their workplace and the operations that drive their major business outcomes.  Companies should consider this important question: How is diversity affecting my business outcomes today and how will it affect these in five years?  Companies and politicians alike need to understand who it is that lives in their communities and works for their companies.  Ignoring this diversity will result in people voting with their feet as they seek workplaces that values their diverse points of view and the workplace culture they desire.  Diversity has the power to transform and it is the strength of our diversity if we learn to leverage it that will continue to make our country and economy the most diverse and innovative in the world. diversity in corporate america

Ridvan Garden Baghdad

Ridvan marks Baha’u’llah’s time in the garden of Ridvan in 1863 and his announcement to his companions in the garden that he was a messenger of God and the prophet promised by the Bab. The 1st, 9th and 12th days are especially holy days. They commemorate the arrival of Baha’u’llah at the Ridván Garden, the arrival of his family and his eventual departure from the garden.  These are the days that work and school is usually suspended for all Baha’i people.

Gardens are a requirement for Baha’i Houses of Worship. There are currently seven continental Baha’i Houses of Worship in the world. Each has a unique style but they all have four basic requirements: they are circular shape, have nine sides, a dome, and are surrounded by nine gardens with walkways.

The Baha’i faith is a monotheistic religion founded in the 1800s in the geographic region once known as Persia by Baha’u’llah.

Ridvan is one of the holidays included in our top 15 Religious Holidays Guide.  Learn more about this important scheduling and reference tool: http://www.culturecoach.biz/CCI%20Store/top15religiousholidaysguide.html

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International Business Etiquette – Qatar

1. When Muslims greet each other, instead of saying, “good morning” or “hello” they often say “Assalamu Alaikum,” which means, “May peace be upon you and may God’s blessings be with you.” It is good to learn these greetings in Arabic as a sign of respect and effort on your part to learn a phrase of their language.
2. Most Qataris do not eat any meat that has not been prepared to “halaal” (lawful) standards. Pork products are illegal in Qatar and many Qataris think of pigs as unclean animals, so it is very important to avoid pork products.
3. Qataris often value close contact and less personal space, so do not back up or shy away; physical contact among males is common; if a Qatari man tries to take your hand while walking, do not quickly pull it away because this is a great sign of friendship.
4. Be aware that in Qatar the Hijrah (Arabic) date is used as well as the Gregorian date; the workweek typically runs from Saturday to Thursday, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm; Friday is a Muslim holy day; during Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (the two most important Islamic holidays) no business will be conducted.
5. Qataris may leave for 15-20 minutes throughout the day to conduct prayers; when hosting, appointments and meetings should be set between particular prayer times if possible; make sure there is a space reserved where they may go to pray undisturbed.

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Robbie Rogers – former Major League Soccer and US Men’s National Team Player

Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple.   Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently.   Full post here.

There are few openly gay soccer players, such as Robbie Rogers, for good reason.  In the intensely male world of men’s professional soccer, being gay has not been seen as a possibility if you wanted to be successful in your career.  In 2011, David Testo, a former soccer player with the Major League Soccer team, Montreal Impact, came out. He has not played since and is now retired.

There are signs that this may begin to change. I was surprised to watch the rapid response on Twitter from the soccer community to Robbie’s tweet, all of it overwhelmingly positive. From big names in the sport, from men he played with. While Robbie is living in London, the rights to him as a player, should he return to the MLS, was recently traded to the Chicago Fire. A supporters group of the Chicago Fire wrote an open letter to Robbie Rogers saying that they respected him and should he ever choose to return to the MLS they would welcome him to their team.  A former teammate and coach of Robbie’s are now with the MLS team the Seattle Sounders. The team made a quick video on Friday showing their support of Robbie.

See, Robbie both announced that he was gay and that he was “stepping away” from the game at the same time.  If his coming out was linked to his leaving the game, he did not say in his blog post, but one might suppose that there is a strong link.  While some might have hoped that he would follow Jackie Robinson in breaking a sports barrier by staying in the sport, he has still courageously set an example as the first male soccer player on the men’s national team to disclose that he is gay.

It is sad that we live in a world where athletes feel that they need to live secret lives.  Given the response to Robbie Rogers’ post today, I would say that the MLS community is perhaps one league that might be ready to have an openly gay player. Would it be hard? Absolutely. Would there be issues publicly and privately that would need to be addressed? I am sure there would be. But, in my eternal optimism and hope for the future, I believe we can all work toward a time when gay athletes can stop leading secret “don’t ask, don’t tell lives.” In allowing all of our athletes to be who they are, we not only empower them to perform better on the pitch, but we also empower ourselves to be better human beings.

Slide show of Twitter reaction to Robbie’s announcement can be found on the Huffinton Post blog.

Dr. Carter Woodson: Founder of Black History Month

Dr. Woodson was born in 1875, the son of former slaves, and he received a PhD from Harvard University in 1912. During his studies, he noted that there was a lack of information on and celebration of the role of African Americans in American history. Correcting this omission became a passion of his and in 1915 he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life (later renamed the Association for the Study of African American Life and History). In 1926 he started the first Negro History Week (later renamed African American History Week). He chose the second week of February for the timing of this celebration, as it was the same month of the birth of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas. Lincoln and Douglas were both instrumental figures involved in the fight to end slavery, and Dr. Woodson thought that this made it a fitting time period to host the celebration of African American history. Since 1928 each week, and now each month, has had a theme that has helped those people who are organizing Black History months focus on one main topic within the vast subject area of African American history.

In 1975 Black History Week gained national recognition when President Gerald Ford issued a proclamation about the observance of Black History Week. In 1976, the weeklong celebration was expanded into a month. The first celebration of the Black History Month was held at Kent State. President Ford recognized the month as time to “review with admiration the impressive contributions of Black Americans to our national life and culture”. Future Presidents would continue to recognize Black History Month, but it did not become an official month until 1986 when Congress passed the Public Law 99-244 (National Black (Afro-American) History Month). President Reagan explained the purpose of the celebration of African American/Black History Month: “the foremost purpose of Black History Month is to make all Americans aware of this struggle for freedom and equal opportunity… and it is to celebrate the many achievements of African Americans in every field from science and the arts to politics and religion.” Congress has passed additional legislation celebrating Black History Month and the accomplishment of African Americans in the United States.

Black History Month provides a significant opportunity for organizations to have conversations around the history and contributions of African Americans.  Please visit our Black History Month Page for more information about Black History Month as well as ways to engage your employees or volunteers.