Think globally, act locally. Give a little, get a lot. Be the change you want to see. You’ve heard these sayings a million times but have you ever realized them? Have you ever paused to acknowledge the power you have to affect change? Yes, you. Real power to implement real change. This blog entry is about my step forward into that realization and about how embracing a group of strangers has actually empowered me – something I wasn’t expecting.

These strangers are strangers no more. They are the Atlanta Committee for SOS Children’s Villages USA, where I serve as secretary. We are diversity in the flesh: Germany, Senegal, Sierra Leone, India, South Africa, Gambia, Moldova and, of course, the United States. A little bit about this organization: SOS Children’s Villages is one of the largest non-profits of its kind. In 2009 it celebrated its 60th anniversary. Established in 132 countries, its primary work focuses on abandoned, destitute and orphaned children requiring family-based child care – not foster care as we know it – but long-term care in a home with a mother who cares for the children as if they were her own. Children grow up in their own culture, in a community familiar to them, and in many cases, with their own siblings. Family is at the heart of the SOS organization.

SOS has been in the news lately. There are two SOS facilities in Haiti and similar to the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, SOS was already on the scene when the earthquake occurred in Haiti. The SOS Cap Haitian facility was largely untouched and opened its doors to the community, helping children and families who had no where else to turn. And when 33 Haitian children were stopped by authorities at the Dominican Republic border without their parents or legal permits to leave the country, the Haitian government entrusted those children to an SOS Haitian facility until the situation could be sorted out. Some of the children have family members living in Haiti and with the temporary help of SOS, they could return to their families and communities when the time was right.

SOS has three villages in the U.S., but if you were to ask the person next to you if they know about SOS, chances are the answer would be “no.” That is something we are working very hard to change. This year, several Atlanta bi-national chambers of commerce, as well as the Atlanta Beat soccer team and the Georgia State Soccer Association, have joined forces to celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup (held in South Africa) with a celebration of their own: the Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010, and SOS is the benefactor of this event. Talk about a dynamic and amazing group of 30+ individuals working in concert to make this happen, and pinch me – I am part of that group! I feel so honored and blessed to be connected with them. Not to mention, a portion of the proceeds from the event will go to help children in Haiti. It is a wonderful opportunity to help not just one child, but also many in a time where the need is very great.

You wouldn’t think that just by showing up and giving a little bit of my time, it would make a difference. There are people in our group far more talented and experienced than me. And yet, it does make a difference. I have discovered support is the fuel that propels the efforts of any group. It’s the momentum that starts things rolling. And even when things aren’t going smoothly, as long as you have support, you can work it out. In the process of working it out, you become empowered. You realize you can make a difference. And that realization takes you a step further into the process – you’re totally in and totally jazzed.

So I want to ask you: are you in or are you out? What are you doing to make a difference? It’s not as hard as you think. And you don’t need extra superpowers to be effective. You can do it all just being you. Something to think about, and I hope you do.

For more about SOS Children’s Villages, please visit:
Website USA: http://www.sos-usa.org/Pages/default.aspx
Website International: http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/
Facebook: SOS Children's Villages – USA

For more about the Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010, please visit:
Website: http://www.atlsoccerfest.com/
Facebook: Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010
Twitter: Twitter.com/atlsoccerfest

Next blog: updates and more about the Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010. I hope to have some pictures as well. It’s going to be a blast! Stay tuned.

Yesterday, the creative team headed downtown to hear Michael Bierut (pronounced bay-root) speak at the Portfolio Center. He’s a bit of a celebrity to us design types, as a partner at the infamous Pentagram in New York City. A bit drained from the usual day of design adventures and heroics, the topic of grabbing a drink rather than attending the planned event came up multiple times. Traffic was worse than usual due to a circus zebra on the loose and we already knew we were going to be late.

However, we kept a straight path and showed up at the event about half an hour late. As luck would have it, Bierut hadn't started speaking yet so we squeezed into the back, with standing room only. Just the introduction of Mr. Michael Bierut and his accomplishments was enough to spark my design spirits. As he went through his “life as a font,” there were so many aspects of his experiences to feed the creative soul. He is a real person with children who are more critical of him than probably most clients. He is an icon of design with clean and thoughtful work. And my personal favorites, he enjoys running to work out his ideas and he likes to brainstorm in words, not sketches.

Two feelings usually strike after hearing someone of this prestige speak. There is a feeling of shame for not doing enough to feed your design passion, followed by an intense desire to do everything all at once. A glass of beer doesn't deliver on the desire part. We made the right choice. Bierut wins.

I recently had a great opportunity to speak at the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Leadership Institute in San Diego. In that capacity, I was representing the IABC/Atlanta chapter, where I currently serve on the board. The topic of discussion focused on how local IABC chapters can leverage social media to their benefit. I've done this before, but social media is still a challenge to speak on with any degree of authority, as the field is constantly changing and tactics are so innovative.
 
I was very lucky to be paired with a dynamic speaker, Preston Lewis of Bonfire Communication. Between the two of us, we crafted a program that focused on strategy development and goal setting rather than focusing on the technology. We both feel strongly that social media is more a product of behavior than a communication outlet and are convinced that any use of social media must be driven by sustainable goals.
 
By discussing social media as just another communication channel within a larger communication strategy, the program helped chapters see how they can use social media to achieve their goals rather than simply as a reaction to assumed pressure.
 
IABC Leadership Institute

The IABC's annual Leadership Institute brings together more than 200 leaders from around the world for two days of best-practice sharing and leadership development. The focus is to help leaders manage their chapters and regions efficiently so that they can provide superior professional development and other services to their members.

Visit http://atlanta.iabc.com/ to learn more about IABC/Atlanta and how to become a member.

For the third year, Realm is a proud Diamond Sponsor of the Georgia Foreign Trade Conference (GFTC) in Sea Island, Ga. The three-day conference is a time for us to reconnect with our client partner, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), and meet other key decision makers in the industry. One of the greatest opportunities is to get a pulse for the shipping industry and see how others are weathering the economic climate.

Just as UPS is an economic indicator for the United States government, the GPA represents a similar perspective for Realm and our other client partners in the transportation space. The GFTC gives us an unedited glimpse of what shippers, 3PLs, truckers and railroads have been experiencing globally over the last year, and the opportunity for industry leaders to share their visions for the year ahead. This provides us with valuable information we can share with other client partners going into 2010, enabling us to help them see opportunity and avoid pitfalls.

Here are the 2010 GFTC highlights:

•  Governor Sonny Perdue gave a riveting address that not only explained why GPA is vital to Georgia’s economy but to the entire Southeast economic recovery effort. He explained that perseverance and unwavering support from Georgia’s leadership has been a huge part in moving GPA from the sixth to the fourth largest port in the United States. Governor Perdue also congratulated Doug Marchand, former GPA executive director, on his 15 years of service and being voted “Georgian of the Year” by Georgia Trend Magazine.

•  Dr. Walter Kimmsies, chief economist from Moffat & Nichol, gave an in-depth view of the world economy and his personal view of how the shipping industry has been affected and influences the global marketplace. He spoke to three clear themes:

1. The U.S. economic state is being hampered by a weakened financial system and global imbalances driven by China.
2. Trends remain steady but the U.S. needs more exports to balance trade.
3. Bulk container volume could exceed volume growth as emerging markets economies mature.

All three themes have been evident in prior years, but after more than 20 billion dollars in reported losses, attendees seemed especially interested in the 2010 forecast.

The results: The consensus was that container volume could and hopefully, should return to 2007 volumes by 2012 providing that the financial systems stabilize, China moderates it’s currency stance and there are further removal of trade barriers.

•  Another great presentation at the conference was the expansion update of the new Panama Canal given by the Panama Canal Authority CEO Alberto Aleman Zubieta. Fascinating is the word that comes to mind about this topic. The shear volume of earth moved in the various excavation projects is beyond words. The planning and coordination of such a huge project is daunting.

After 2014, shippers will be able to ship cargo from Asia to the East and West coasts in nearly the same amount of time. The ports of Savannah and Brunswick will greatly benefit from this innovation since both ports enjoy easy and timely road and rail access to more of 70 percent of the U.S. population within 24 hours.

Many ports along the East coast and Gulf are expanding capacity in order to accommodate the larger Post-Panamax vessels. Channel dredging, container field expansion and heavy lift equipment upgrades are just a few of the appropriations being made to get ready for the larger ships. GPA expansion projects along with the Panama Canal completion will increase port throughput from its current capacity of 2.62 TEUs to 6 million TEUs by 2018.

All in all, having the opportunity to stay abreast of the shipping industry and look forward to industry opportunities allows us to make better decisions about our own business and help direct our client partners. We hope to be in attendance and a key sponsor of the GFTC for years to come.
 

For more information about the 2010 GFTC, click here.

I am sincerely exhausted with the shear volume of declarations crying that we are in a communication revolution. We are not.

For most of us the revolution is over. That's right. I am declaring the revolt over. I am not even sure I would actually grant it revolution status, as it happened so fast!

I'd say we experienced something more akin to a coup d'état. Amazingly, the entire country, if not the world, decided within a 3 year period that we are going to change our whole method of consuming information.

Move past the social media nonsense, and really see what has shifted. It's about social behavior. People who are riding the wave (most of the population) have connected, and continue to grow their connections, with like minds in a way that builds information groundswell faster than ever before.

The variety and speed at which information is evaluated, sorted and absorbed is faster than ever. Individuals expect their experience to be rich, entertaining and communal - and for once the technology is truly there.

It's hard to see who leads the new regime. In a lot of ways, it feels like mob rule with no clear leader. The only thing for sure is that things have changed, and we aren't going back to the good old days of stringent message control again.

Everyone has their anecdotal story about how "what they did 15 years ago doesn't work anymore." The statement itself is so 2 years ago! But I am watching one in particular.

If you wanted to get some popcorn and watch a show, the Toyota recall would be the one to watch. Huge brand equity. Phenomenally poor start off the line. Competitors, backed by government interests, out for blood. Nothing less than the US auto market on the line.

How will a company like this communicate in our post-revolutionary society? It's going to be a great case study someday.