Category: New York Times

community, family, happiness, new product development, New York Times

A Charmed Life

Christa Avampato

I took my baby niece to the Magic Kingdom. To be perfectly honest, she is so gorgeous that we always get stopped by complete strangers who want to tell her how cute she is. I think she looks like me.


My sister, Weez, and I were sitting with her on the ferry boat ride over to the Magic Kingdom when, as usual, some stranger sat down next to us and told us how perfect-looking my niece is. We smiled and modestly said thank you, though we really just wanted to respond, “We know. We get that ALL the time.” 

This particular woman was also very curious about us as well. Where are we from?, where do we work?, etc. I told her I live in New York City on the Upper West Side. “You do?” she responded. “Do you go to all of those fancy restaurants and have lots of friends there?” “I do,” I replied. “I have a pretty spectacular life there. I’m very lucky.” “You certainly are!” she cried. “Can I have that life?”

This overwhelming sense of gratitude and appreciation hit me. I really am lucky. I really do live a charmed and happy life. So why have I not been realizing that for the past few weeks? Why have I been silently worrying and fretting?

Take a look at this: http://tinyurl.com/99vpmx. It’s an opinion piece from today’s New York Times about happiness. Recent studies show that our situation relative to others is more concerning to us than our absolute situation. If I lose my job, and everyone else around me keeps theirs, then I feel very, very bad. But if I lose my job, and so does everyone else I know, then my general happiness really isn’t effected too much. Apparently “poor me” feels far worse than “poor us.” If we’re all in this together, then it’s really not so bad. If I’m all alone up the creek without a paddle, then it’s depression city. 

So is the key to happiness not our actual situations but rather surrounding ourselves with people who think we live a charmed life, or at least a life as good as theirs? 
career, corporation, leader, leadership, New York Times, Obama, politics, Thomas Friedman

The value of and quest for alignment

Christa Avampato

I walked around all day today with a smile from ear to ear because this morning I woke up more hopeful about our future than ever before. The afterglow of the election was shining brightly on people’s faces everywhere I went – at work, on the subway, in the grocery store. Construction workers at ground zero, my co-workers, doormen of apartment buildings in my neighborhood. I’m getting emails from friends telling me how excited they are about our future. And that excitement is infectious. Obama will be the greatest President this nation has ever had. I believe. As Thomas Friedman said in his column today, “The Civil War is over. Let Reconstruction begin.”


The critical activity that lies before Obama, and us, now is one of alignment. I thought a lot about the difficulty of achieving this state, especially among parties, factions, and classes that are sometimes so disparate with competing interests and values. I’m working on a project at work that is nearly at completion and just when I think I have alignment, something threatens to derail us and I have to gently and firmly coax that detail back into line. It is amazing how much daily effort and time alignment costs; it is an endless pursuit. 

So how will Obama get to alignment and how will we help him get us there? I’ve found that focusing on the finish line and getting others to place their focus there is most helpful. Playing pool helps.

An old boyfriend of mine was a very good pool player, and he taught me how to play. When I first met him, I wasn’t very good. I always focused on my cue ball, not on the ball I was trying to hit. And without fail, I would miss my shot. What I needed to do was get my eyes in line with exactly where I needed to hit that prized ball to sink it, not on the ball right in front of me that I would hit with my cue stick. I needed to keep my eye on the prize in the distance- that ball that I couldn’t quite get to directly. My game dramatically improved. 

The same strategy that works for pool can work for alignment. Get everyone looking toward the same goal, the same prize. And then you will find that they are less concerned that their desired road must be taken to reach that destination. As the leader, you choose the road that’s leading the group to the common goal, and cast the players according to their strengths and curiosities. Alignment is possible, even in the most fragmented of circumstances, if we as leaders are committed to making that alignment priority number one, every day.     
Business Week, economy, job, multi-tasking, New York Times, simplicity

Growing by Shrinking

Christa Avampato

We’re in the midst of watching our economy contract. These are frightening times, uncertain times for many people. I was inspired by Nicholas Kristof’s column this week as he attempted to find a bright spot in all the gloom that is filling our news channels and our own minds. I was flipping through Business Week and saw an ad for IBM with the following headline in bold type: “Sometimes Growing Starts With Shrinking”. How can we connect Kristof’s ideas and the IBM ad? 

Aside from our economy, I have been thinking about examples of shrink leading to growth. The ipod – making our music libraries physically shrinking from 100’s or 1000’s of albums, tapes, and CDs into one powerful device helped Apple find new life. The same can be said of many electronics such as cell phones and computers. 
 
Let’s consider travel. There have been a myriad of articles that encourage travelers to select a few key cities for a vacation and take in all they have to offer rather than doing a whirlwind trip and only skimming the surface of many cities. It creates more powerful and lasting memories, not to mention providing for some relaxation – the whole purpose of many vacations. 
Another example that struck me was all of the research being done now on multi-tasking. By attempting to do many things at once, it turns out that we do all of them more poorly than we could if we focused on one at a time. I notice this all of the time at work as I’m trying to balance a whole host of projects and objectives. Some studies even show that a lack of focus caused by multi-tasking increases stress levels, worsening general health levels, and lowering IQs.    
Now consider our economy: Think about the benefit of shrinking our spending to increase our savings. Barry Schwartz talks about shrinking the number of options we consider as a means of being happier with the choices we make. And then one of my favorite mantras can bring an immeasurable amount of peace to your life: simplify, simplify, simplify.
All of this is meant to show that shrinking isn’t always bad and can even be good for us if we’re willing to put aside our belief that bigger and more always equals better. Sometimes doing and having less provides abundance in ways we never expected.   
business, Business Week, clarity, creative, economy, government, money, New York Times, politics, simplicity, social work

The agony of confusion and the ecstasy of clarity

Christa Avampato

By nature, I’m a passionate person. There are a few subjects that really get me going – happiness, creativity, health and wellness, the environment, puppies. (Not necessarily in that order.) And simplicity – I’m big on that. If we all worked on making our world and our lives simpler, we would all be better off. In some circles complexity and confusion are celebrated, relished, even chased because it’s a mark that what those people in those circles are doing is “very important” if no one else can understand it. How ridiculous, not to mention wasteful – something we can no longer afford to be in our economic situation. 

I was shocked to hear the news today that the House didn’t pass the “bailout”. The Dow tumbled along with stock prices of major companies, and panic is spreading, slowly and quietly. It’s unsettling. Someone said to me today that she didn’t really ever understand the plan, and it’s too bad that it was never explained thoroughly and clearly to the American people. I almost see her point – I do think it was explained by major media outlets like Business Week and the New York Times. You just needed to have the patience to wade through the lengthy articles. And if you don’t understand something, ask around and get some help. Don’t just throw up your hands and say “forget it.” What really happened in the coverage is that no one made it simple to understand if you didn’t have a degree in economics or an MBA. 

Simplicity and clarity are absent in many areas of our lives: in meetings at work, in relationships, in the many contracts with very small print that govern our well-being, financially and health-wise. Companies spend a lot of time, effort, and money because of confusion in roles and responsibilities, objectives, and priorities. Simplicity saves a lot of heartache. And we get to simplicity by being real, honest, and straight-forward in our intentions and actions. 

Clarity builds trust and integrity; it makes people feel that they are a part of an effort because they understand it and can clearly articulate it. Being clear and concise is a sign of maturity – it’s the responsible thing to do regardless of circumstance. Confusion never pays in the long-run and only delays the inevitable. If only our government and financial markets understood that – maybe we’d find ourselves and our economy in much better shape. 
The image above can be found at http://ozguru.mu.nu/Photos/simplicity.gif
crime, New York Times, theft

Vandalism: a sign of the times?

Christa Avampato

Theft is a common topic on the news, in newspapers, magazine, we hear about it on the streets. I never realized how depressing and violating it is until it happened to me, today. I walked to my car, parked in my lovely neighborhood, this morning and started it up. You’d think the muffler was missing it was so loud. I turned the car off, took a peek under the car and saw that a very large pipe was dragging on the ground. Didn’t look good.


I called my boss to get his advice and he said it sounded like a clamp had come off and that I should just take it to a repair shop and get it fixed. Didn’t sound like too big a deal. My mom and step-father said the same thing. I called my wonderful insurance company who arranged and paid for a tow to a nearby station about five miles away. 

When the tow truck arrived, the tow man looked under the car once it was up on the truck. Once elevated, it was clear to see that a clamp hadn’t fallen off. Someone had taken a saw to my exhaust system and cut out the catalytic converter.

I had held it together pretty well all morning, but when I saw my car bring put up on the truck and carted away, I got a little teary. I just can’t understand how anyone, no matter how desperate, could literally harm someone else’s property, inconvenience them financially and logistically. As it turns out, with this particular kind of violation, I am not alone. 

I called my friend, Steve, once I returned from the auto repair shop, and he said to me that he saw some article about this recently. After a quick search on Google, I found a New York Times article which ran in March that discusses the increase in this type of theft. CATs are a hot item because they contain so many precious metals that can be stripped out and sold. A thief can get about $200 per CAT from a chop shop and it takes about two minutes to take one from a car like mine. No doubt that same thief hit several other cars in my neighborhood on the same night. To replace it costs anywhere from $450 – $1000 and that’s just the part, not the labor. Thankfully, my car insurance covers vandalism so I’m getting off with a $500 deductible and they’ll pay the rest, including a good portion of a rental car I’ll need to get back and forth to work. Certainly not what I want to spend my money on, but I’m grateful for any help I can get in this situation. 

For me, this is just one more reason to urge me to make the switch to a public transportation life.   
career, employment, job, New York Times, work

Me, Inc. brand promise

Christa Avampato

After the articles in the New York Times yesterday and today regarding an all-time high in the increase of month-over-month unemployment, I am thanking my lucky stars that I have a good job. I also feel for my friends who are just graduating from school with large loans and a smaller number of job prospects than graduates had just one year ago. And I think of my friends who want to move on from where they are, and are frustrated with the lack of openings to move to. 

In my career, I have changed jobs fairly often, mostly because the industries I was in demanded it. In theatre and in nonprofit, you often have to move on to move up. I recently met two people with the completely opposite type of resume. One has been at his job for 8 years and the other for 24 years. In years past, that kind of dedication would be relished by companies. Today, many companies wonder why anyone would stay one place for so long, and they wonder why I have changed jobs as often as I have. It seems that we are in a time when all career moves, regardless of tenure at a company must be justified.  

What if we could turn the paradigm of job hunting on its head? What if we, and possible employers, looked at every employee as their own CEO of their own brand, “Me, Inc.” and evaluated what all of those “Me, Inc.”s could do for the company? My friend and mentor, Richard, is a perfect example of this kind of outlook. His personal brand promise is that he realigns companies, or specific departments within companies, especially those that are in turmoil, and gets them going in the right direction again. Once finished with the alignment, he leaves a competent team in place and moves on. He doesn’t enjoy keeping the boat going on course once it knows its destination. He prefers the messy of business of turning it around rather than maintaining smooth sailing.

What if we could all do that – what if we could drop into an organization, do work that plays to our strengths and what we enjoy, and then pass it on to someone for the next step necessary, and the step that that next person happens to be good at and enjoys? Why does it need to be about stick-to-it-iveness? Why can’t it be about doing what we love, in the areas in which we are talented, for as long as that lasts? ‘d like to believe that the answer is that we can, and should do that, and eventually the working world will catch on.  

The photo above can be found at http://www.logoblog.org/wp-images/logo-branding.jpg 

diet, eating, health, New York Times, wellness

My love for sweets is in my genes

Christa Avampato

I could eat sweets morning, noon, and night and never get sick of them. My sweet of choice: Entenmann’s chocolate-covered donuts. I could easily scarf down a box of those in one sitting. I don’t (or haven’t recently anyway) but it’s within my capabilities. I know this isn’t good for me. I’ve tried every trick imaginable to banish my sweet tooth. I am envious of people who claim, “I’m just not that interested in sweets.” Until I consider how absolutely delicious sweets are, and then I am grateful that I can get more for myself if others don’t like them.

My grandfather was a candy maker and I have always jokingly attributed my love of sweets to my genes. As it turns out, my penchant for sweets is not entirely within my control. There is now scientific proof that my little joke, like most, also holds some truth. In today’s Health section of the New York Times, there is mention of a research studies about a gene variant that allows people to process sugar more quickly than those without the gene variant. When studied in two groups of people, those with the gene variant always ate more sugar, though there was no difference in the amount of starch, fat, or protein that was eaten.

All these years, I’ve been beating up on myself a little for my seemingly endless craving for anything sweet. In actuality, I just happen to have exceptionally gifted genes when it comes to processing sugar. What luck!

New York Times, technology

How to make, do, fix everything

Christa Avampato

There is no shortage in the world of people and their respective websites that tell you how to do something. A few months ago I found a site that is actually created by Barnes and Noble, Quamut. I’ve been poking around on it. Very well-written, very dense, and the number of topics is incredibly broad.

The New York Times did a piece on Quamut with some interesting insights. I won’t steal their thunder and will just provide the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/technology/28ecom.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=quamut&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin. Instead, I want to focus on the generosity of these sites. In an effort to virtually “strut their stuff”, experts are on-line writing out more how-to manuals than ever before. All for free. If you want to learn to play the guitar, fix a toaster, or hike the Appalachian Trail, someone (and likely many people) want to give you instructions, tips, tricks of the trade, and their experience.

Who says the world is a selfish place? Check out http://Quamut.com/

Harvey Atler, health, melodic intonation therapy, music, New York Times

A stroke victim learns to speak through song

Christa Avampato

I find is fascinating that speech is formed by the left side of our brain, while singing, though it uses the same muscles, is formed on the right side of the brain. That division may have saved Mr. Harvey Alter, a stroke survivor, from never being able to speak again.

After his stroke, and the resulting Broca’s aphasia that is caused, Mr. Alter could say only short words after month of therapy. Now, the conversation is flowing with much less difficulty thanks to melodic intonation therapy, a therapy that helps stroke victims learn to speak again by first teaching them to sing.

In today’s New York Times(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/health/22stro.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1208867443-SaFTSaS+Lm2ZuHy3sjUsiw), the details of the therapy, as well as Harvey Alter’s dramatic recovery are both touching and inspiring. “Happy Birthday” opened the door to a new life for him, the confidence to believe that he could heal himself. So while music may be good for the soul, melodic intonation therapy makes it also good for the mind.

live blog, New York Times, news, writing

Live Bloggers on the Inside: the Iraq Hearings

Christa Avampato

Photographers, main stream media journalists, and videographers have a tough time getting into some spaces and collecting the information for their stories in real time. This past week, General Patraeus testified in front of Congress at the Iraq hearings. Though film crews could not immediately get the scoop into stations across the country, bloggers in the court room were getting the information out into the streets on cyberspace as the testimony unfolded. The Lede blog from the New York Times did a terrific job covering the conference. Check out the coverage of the Lede blog at http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/watching-the-iraq-hearings-with-petraeus-and-crocker/#comment-380099

I am especially interested in this kind of coverage because of my experience in live blogging. This is just one poignant example of the power of immediate publishing. While newspaper and magazine articles, as well as newscasts, have some time to work through the material and polish it up,l live bloggers give the story and the feeling of the event as it’s happening. It’s the next best thing to a ringside seat at any event.

All of this leads me to believe that it’s possible that live bloggers are the go-to journalists and archivists of the future. Why wait for the nightly news, or for the morning paper, when you can virtually be at the event yourself? Even old world media is adopting what many companies in other industries have known all along: speed is life. And if the largest of the media institutions are to survive, live bloggers may be just the lifeline they need.