Easy Being Green

What does it mean to "go green?" A year ago, I couldn't have given you an answer. Following the implementation of a "Green Initiative" at my firm, however, I can now share with others the ways I live a greener lifestyle.

The firm's "Green Initiative" started small: doing away with Styrofoam cups, placing recycling bins in coffee areas and encouraging employees to turn off computers and lights when leaving the office. It now includes relying on motion-sensitive lighting, using recycled paper for marketing items and distributing reusable shopping bags and coffee mugs to all employees.

My commitment to "going green" at work lead me to support this environmental cause in my personal life. In addition to recycling at home, restricting electricity usage and walking to the grocery store and pharmacy rather than driving, I also find myself purchasing "green" products. As Vaidyanathan and Aggarwal (2007) explain, there is, "strong empirical evidence that consumers induced to make small and seemingly harmless active commitments to an environmental cause are more likely to remain consistent with that commitment and have greater intentions to purchase products that support that cause" (p. 244).

I've abandoned some brand loyalties and switched to purchasing "green" dishwasher soap, laundry detergent and light bulbs. I am also buying groceries at stores such as Whole Foods, which support environmentally-friendly shopping, and I am considering the purchase of a hydrid vehicle.

Kermit the Frog claims it isn't easy being green. I would disagree. My dedication to my firm's "Green Initiative" has come easily and has impacted my lifestyle.

How has your own life changed as a result of your commitment to a cause?

Reference: Vaidyanathan, R. & Aggarwal, P. (2005). Using commitments to drive consistency: Enhancing the effectiveness of cause-related marketing communications. Journal of Marketing Communications, 11(4), 231-246.

Motivated by a Carrot and Stick? Don't be an 'Ass!

It is easy to get caught up in the routine of expecting a reward for a job well done. Be it a raise, promotion or bonus, we often work to get something, rather than to accomplish something. The greater our effort, the more we expect in return. I fall into this trap myself. If completing a task at work will result in recognition or a reward, I generally put more effort into it than a task I feel may not be rewarded.

Conversely, fear of what will happen as a result of under-performing can also become a primary factor of motivation. Everyone knows that slacking off at work has negative consequences. Conern over being disrespected, demoted or even fired can push us to do our best work. It is odd to think that what keeps many people pushing forward at work is that they are scared of what will happen if they let up.

Shah and Shah (2007) explain this phenomena using Jeremy Bentham's "The Carrot and the Stick Approach." "It comes from the old story that to make a donkey move, one must put a carrot in front of him or dab him with a stick from behind" (p. 3).

In considering your own motivation at work, is there a dangling carrot, in the form of a reward, which inspires you to do your best work? Or is it the the stick, in the form of fear, which pushes you to accomplish goals?

Don't be an 'ass! Rid yourself of the need for the carrot and stick by using other forms of motivation. For example, establish a sense of pride for successful task-completion and learn to find happiness in a job well-done. Set goals at a higher standard that encourage you to perform better and exert maximum effort (p. 3). Become a more confident person based on your work successes.

Stop dwelling on the reward that may await you, or the consequence that could be looming. Motivate yourself by making your work a reflection of YOU!

Resource: Shah, K. & Shah, P. (n.d.) Motivation. Retrieved July 10, 2007, from http://www.laynetworks.com/Motivation.html.

Good Listening at Work: Easy as One, Two, Three!

There is always room for improvement when it comes to listening. How often do you converse with someone only to have difficulty recalling what the person said? Do you ever share your thoughts with someone, but feel as though they’re not really “getting” where you’re coming from? Such communication problems can be the result of poor listening.

Good listening skills, while critical in every aspect of life, are of utmost importance in the workplace. According to Lu (2005), “Listening is critical for success in today’s fast-changing, competitive, global organizations” (p. 45). In my own career, I’ve been involved in an ongoing process of bettering my listening skills. Good listening skills are critical to my professional reputation and help me to be seen as competent and dedicated to my job.

In order to constantly improve my listening skills, I keep in mind these three steps for becoming someone who truly listens, rather than someone who just hears.

1. Be "all ears." Display genuine interest in the sender’s message and resist distractions.

In a work setting, it helps to control the environment and shut out distractions if possible: close your office door, take the call off speakerphone or put aside whatever you may have been working on just before the communication began.

2. Make note of the speaker’s verbal and nonverbal behavior and any emotions they may be expressing in relation to the message.

These cues provide great insight as to the overall meaning of the message. Remember to reciprocate the sender’s cues with your own smiles, nods and hand gestures where appropriate.

3. Remember the saying, “There's no such thing as a stupid question.”

No not be afraid to ask questions in order to gather the greatest amount of information from the sender. Ask away! This will show the speaker you really care about what he or she is saying.

Listening is obviously quite complex, but these three easy steps will give you an advantage the next time you converse with a colleague. Becoming a better listener will pay off professionally, as well as personally and academically. If you are curious as to where your listening skills currently stand, you can always assess yourself by using Lu's Listening Style Inventory. Good luck on your journey to better listening!

Reference

Lu, J. (2005). The listening style inventory (LSI) as an instrument for improving listening skill. Sino-US English Teaching, 2 (5), 45-50.

Columbus or bust!

On most of the 50+ trips I made on I-71 between Cincinnati (my hometown) and Cleveland (my home from 2005 through this past spring) over a four year time span, I never gave much thought to Columbus as I’d pass through. Columbus was a distance marker in my drive. Not quite a halfway point between the cities, but close. Driving through usually meant heavy traffic, OSU bumper stickers on every other car and some interesting odors wafting from that plant just south of the city. It did not cross my mind even once that I might end up a resident of Columbus (and, therefore, a Buckeyes fan.)

Earlier this year, after another overly gray and snowy winter in Cleveland, followed by a dismal spring and daily conversation of “Cleveland is dying,” I found myself wanting to make a move a bit further south. (Please note, I think Cleveland is a great city and I miss it, but I personally needed a change of pace.) Being closer to my family and friends from home sounded quite appealing. Finding the MCM program at Franklin and learning I could relocate to my firm’s Columbus office sealed the deal. Columbus or bust!


It wasn’t a big move. It’s still Ohio and its the same lifestyle I lead in Cleveland. I’ve been surprised, however, at how much I’ve already fallen in love with living here. I love the atmosphere on a nice evening at Goodale Park. I love eating outside on the Statehouse lawn during my lunch break. And I LOVE the energy on campus on a Saturday afternoon when the Buckeyes are kicking off.

There’s nothing better than exploring a new city and discovering all of those quirky things that make it the city it is, or re-discovering the city you live in and enjoying it in a whole different way. I enjoy going to new places, trying new foods and meeting new people. Moving to Columbus has given me the opportunity to do all of those things. I’m excited to share with all of you my adventures and the ways I’ve been “livin’ it up” in Columbus, in hopes that you too are living life to its fullest in this great city.