Civility is STYLISH & Kindness is FASHIONABLE

Make the World More BEAUTIFUL with Civility and Kindness!

Together, let's Celebrate May - GLOBAL Civility Awareness Month!

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What is Civility?

What is Civility?

What is Civility? How can I be more civil in thought, word, and deed? Civility begins with ME.

Together, let's Celebrate May - GLOBAL Civility Awareness Month!

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Civility - Where Does it Begin?

Where does Civility begin?

May 1st launched "May - GLOBAL Civility Awareness Month."  I will share an Inspiring quote each day during May to Inspire Civility.

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May is Global Civility Awareness Month!

May is Global Civility Awareness Month!

Image Impact International is the proud sponsor of Global Civility Awareness Month which is officially featured in Chase's Calendar of Events. Our new Civility Council created 31 Days of Civility to inspire Civility each and every day. We invite you to spread our daily civility message throughout your networks.Tweet it, forward it, blog about it and most of all, talk about it!  Help us to Inspire Civility by starting the conversation.

A Lack of Leadership Civility in Removing Working from Home Option

In the wake of Yahoo! and Best Buy removing the working from home option for their employees, I have been asked about my perspective on the concept of telecommuting. Any of you who have worked with me know my answer: if the job is conducive to working from home, then provide this option to your employees, whether it is one, two, or more days per week.

According to a November 2012 CareerBuilder survey of over 3,900 full-time employees in the nation, 33% stated that "Ability to Work from Home" was an important factor in their job satisfaction and job retention.

From an employee perspective, this is a very important factor to me personally as it provides the flexibility I need to function optimally in the learning and education field. I am able to work without distraction, produce much more efficiently, think more clearly, not to mention the benefit of having no traffic stress in driving to and from the office.

From an employer's perspective, I have managed teams that included administrative assistants through senior managers and cannot imagine not providing the opportunity for them to work from home. They are professionals and as long as they are available for meetings when necessary, respond to emails and calls, and accomplish their projects timely, I have no concern whether they work from home, a coffee shop (as long as protect any confidential data and the laptop itself), or in the day or evening. Being flexible so that each person can function at their optimum for the team and the company is more important to me as a leader, than is requiring them to be in the office simply for "face time" and "monitoring", which are by the way, very antiquated methods of treating professionals.

In the survey I conducted for "The Power of Leadership Civility" section of the book I coauthored, The Power of Civility, participants stated a number of ways that leaders demonstrate civility. Two of these can be applied to the issue of working from home. 

One, is "being respectful." Allowing team members to work from home is a sign of respect, of saying "I believe in you," "I respect you as a professional." Second, "expecting and trusting that employees want to do their best." A professional is a person who takes their job and responsibilities seriously no matter where they happen to be working. Demonstrating trust in your employees is an important leadership quality.

When leaders demonstrate civility, turnover and employee stress are reduced, and productivity and trust are increased. These factors are much more important to me as a leader than is simply face time in the office.  

Treating employees like young children who need close monitoring is not a very respectful approach to working with employees in today's world of technology. If a business is doing poorly, it is not because people are working from home. Rather, there are other causes, such as poor leadership, poor quality service, poor quality products, competition, corruption, lack of innovation, the economy, and more. Could the leaders of Yahoo! and Best Buy be looking for what might be a "scapegoat" rather than tackling the real issues leading to poor company performance? This leads to an unfortunate consequence (perceptions or real) of workplace incivility, not just within their organizations, but externally as well.

Happy Easter!

Teaching Children Political Civility Is Like Teaching Good Sportsmanship

Today Americans are casting their votes for the next president as well as other political offices. Many of us have strong political views. It is how we express these that is of importance to our children. Teaching children civility in politics is like teaching them good sportsmanship.

• In politics as in sports, competition results in winners and losers. It is true that how you play the game and how you respond whether you win or lose really does matter - integrity, honor, and respect are important and demonstrate the level of ones character.  
   
• In politics as in sports, players and supporters often put their hearts into the game. If your candidate wins, don't rub it in to the losing candidate/team. Be sincere and thank the losing candidate/team for their participation in the process.   
   
• Remember what goes around comes around. There are term limits and your candidate and/or party may hit the homerun after the next election. I grew up hearing, "Everything is only temporary." No matter your political affiliation, in the U.S., this is true.   
   
• If your candidate/party loses, avoid showing anger and storming around the home. As a parent, you are the role model in how to civilly accept defeat. We all have a right to our opinions, though it is important to consider the impact of your response on your children's perception of good (poor) sportsmanship.  
   
• We often teach children that name-calling is rude and unkind. Yet, so many adults seem to forget this when it comes to sports and politics. For example, in politics, some people refer to Romney as Vom-Mitt, and to Obama as O-Bummer. (You likely have heard more such uncivil terms.) Avoid using such terms to describe the presidential candidates, especially around your children. Practice what you preach!   
   
• If your party or candidate isn't successful in this election, don't make excuses or blame others in your political camp, outside your political camp, or the media.

Some additionaltips for parents in teaching political civility:

• Are you connected with your children on Facebook? Be sure to remain civil in your political posts. Set a good example for your children.  
   
• Create an environment at home where your children feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions. Ask your children for their opinions of the election and candidates. Discuss. Don't devalue. Rather explore. Rather than saying, "That isn't true!" or "You're wrong!," or "That is stupid!," you could say, "tell me more about your thoughts."   
   
• Create an environment at home where your children feel comfortable asking questions. To do this, you must be open to hearing questions and responding civilly and with an open mind about the "other side" or "that party."  
   
• Spend time together watching the election outcomes, the political commentaries, and let them ask questions about the process. Ask your children how they might have done things differently if they were the candidates. Share with them how to respond to negative opinions and comments. Discuss with your children that there is a difference between debating and being uncivil.   
   
• Be accepting if your child doesn't want to share who they would be voting for if they had the opportunity to vote. Our U.S. voting system is devised to keep privacy of votes (note the curtains, walls, and voting "booths").  
   
• Demonstrate respect by not talking negatively about friends, family, or coworkers who have a different political viewpoint than you have. While you may be wondering in your mind about the choices these individuals are making, "what in the world are they thinking!," this needn't be shared with or around your children. 

Parents are critical role models for their children. How you do and don't respond to politics and the election has a huge impact on your children. A civil or uncivil impact is up to you!