April 4, 2011 Managing Yourself: How Globally Competitive Are You? Part Two Racquel’s Spring Essentials BrideZilla What to Wear This Spring
Quote of The Week “When you are reluctant to change, think of the beauty of autumn.” -Unknown
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Editor’s Note Hi Readers, You might have seen the TV show Bridezillas and thought it was just fiction, but many brides literally become monsters planning for their special day. We give you five tips to help you avoid wedding meltdowns. Plus, what’s hot in spring fashions and much more in this week’s Your Style.
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Managing Yourself
How Globally Competitive are you? Part II
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n addition to “the global mind-set” it is good to have a development plan and engage in various exercises that with will aid in building the three capitals we have been discussing. Place more emphasis on your weakest areas. According to the Harvard Business Review, “organize these activities into the categories ‘read’, ‘surf ’, ‘watch’, ‘do’, and ‘listen’.” Building intellectual capital In order to influence people who are different from us, it is necessary to understand what those differences are. For example, Chinese culture is high on “uncertainty avoidance”, which makes sense considering the history of their authoritarian rule and conflict among tribes and regions. Hence, for one to thrive in China, any change process must be detailed and precise. Learning about cross-cultural differences and similarities goes beyond the classroom. Pay attention to publications that have strong global coverage and in-depth reports, such as the Economist and watch international television programs like The Charlie Rose Show. Also, take advantage of lectures or seminars with international speakers focusing on commerce in different countries. Building intellectual capital is by far the easiest of the three capitals. Building psychological capital Personality traits are unique to individuals, thus, psychological capital is the most difficulty to build. According to research done for professional development in the field of psychol-
ogy, improvements are limited because of how much one can change. Consider how you feel about people, places and things that are foreign to me and why. Secondly, consider whether you need to change your feelings in any way and how this could be beneficial. These are deep refection exercises to start with and upon answering these questions, you are ready to enhance your social capital. This exercise is to expose oneself to new thoughts and experience, so make every attempt to socialize with individuals outside of your social circle, try out food from different cultures, even watch international movies, especially from outside of the USA. Building social capital Connecting with people who are different from you can help to increase your social capital, both from subcultures in your country and people from other countries. This increases you chance of learning something new. Traveling outside of your country is a sure way of building your social capital but can be expensive, so have lunch with a foreign colleague if possible and reestablish connections with high school and college friends who may have migrated and ask them to share their experiences. Facebook and LinkedIn are great tools. People now stay more connected than they did ten years ago. However, as one executive from the study made it clear, “The fact that I now know more about you does not mean that I like you or that I want to work with you.” The Harvard Business Review states, “The world may be flat in terms of technology and interconnection, but it is still quite bumpy in the sense that employees from different parts of the globe may work in very different ways.” In essence, leaders with the ability/capacity to distinguish beyond political and cultural barriers are the ones who will excel overseas.
Source: Harvard Business Review
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Racquel’s Spring Essentials
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any brides have been dreaming about their special day since childhood, choosing their wedding gowns, number of bridesmaids and the entire floral arrangement years in advance. However, some brides become so consumed with having a perfect day that they become tyrants. This is a personal testament as I was in the wedding party of one such bridezilla. Her attitude was so unbearable that she lost a few very close friends after the ordeal. We all agree that the wedding day should be the happiest day of a woman’s life, but this is no excuse to make everyone miserable. Planning a wedding is stressful and your inner bridezilla can rear her ugly head before you even realize what is happening, so if you or one of your friends are tying the knot soon, here are a few tips to keep your cool:
“We all agree that the wedding day should be the happiest day of a woman’s life, but this is no excuse to make everyone miserable.”
BrideZilla Organization is Key, but Expect the Unexpected Careful planning will enable a smooth execution, giving you less things to stress about. Though everything may not go according to plan, it will make things much easier to control. Anything that can go wrong will, from your husband running late, to your dad forgetting his inside shirt. Understand that every ‘i’ won’t be dotted and every ‘t’ crossed. Offer Your Help You are the one getting married, but don’t just sit back and dictate. Offer your car to run errands. Order take-out when planning sessions run late. Pick up your maid of honour’s dress from the shop if she’s running late. Be Willing to Compromise If the particular champagne you want to serve is not available, no need for a temper tantrum. Ask about a suitable alternative. Your wedding will be no less memorable if you serve Cristal instead of Dom Perignon. The spirit of compromise is a good thing to take into your marriage seeing that two lives will now become one, so save you husband-to-be, the caterer, your bridesmaids and everyone else the drama by meeting them halfway. advertisment
Remain Calm You might not be able to find the exact shade you want for the bridesmaids’ dresses. A groomsman is not too keen on that coral vest because it looks like pink. Problems will crop up, but try to take them in stride. If you feel yourself ‘losing it’, take a moment for yourself and cool off. Ask For Help - Don’t Demand It There is a big difference between asking and demanding. Don’t boss your best friend, sister or mother around just because she loves you and will go out of her way to make you happy. One bridezilla friend emailed me a list of errands and only called to find out if I’d completed them. I did not attend her wedding, nor did I send a gift. And don’t forget to express thanks for the assistance you receive.
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What to Wear This
Spring
his is the season of newness and change, so while you are spring cleaning your home, why not take the time to revitalize your wardrobe as well? See what’s hot this spring.
Wedges Wedges can dress up any look and they are very comfortable, so give your stilettos a break for the season.
Maxi Dress These are not going away anytime soon. They come in a variety of styles including strapless, halter and V-neck designs for all shapes and sizes.
Short Skirts Loose-fitting short skirts are perfect for spring. If short skirts are not your style, opt for selectiosn that come nearly to the knee and taper in slightly.
Denim It is always good to get a new pair of jeans seeing that styles are always changing.
Touches of Metal This can give off a sparkle to complement your skin tone and can be worn casually by day and dressed up for night.
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Floaty Top Everything does not have to be skintight, so floaty, body-skimming tops are perfect, especially in bright colours.
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