REPOST: Are you ready for a promotion?

Promotions are granted upon managers’ discretion, but many employees are under the impression that they must wait to be noticed in order to qualify for one. This SF Gate article recommends what hard-working employees can do to secure their place in line for a promotion.

Image source: SF Gate

The truth is you may indeed deserve a promotion after years of helping make your boss and employer successful. However, promotions don’t just happen incidentally. The mystique of being promoted is largely up to you in how well you connect with others and own your career development.

Being promotable does not always mean being visible in a positive way by demonstrating a good work ethic backed up with reliability. If it were, chances are you would have been promoted by now.

Deserving a promotion and receiving one are two different things. In order to be in line for a promotion there are some things you can actively do rather than wait for others to notice. One of the most obvious yet overlooked areas is in communicating with your boss on a regular basis. Don’t make the mistake of assuming your boss knows all of your strengths and contributions.

Another area that often keeps promotions at bay is not meeting enough people by staying in your comfort zone. If you need help in meeting others in your company, inquire about mentoring programs. Mentors are great sources of information and can help with introductions.
Blue Jeans Now Allowed At Beaufort County Schools

Students in one school district in Eastern Carolina will now be allowed to wear blue jeans to school.

Last night the Beaufort County School Board relaxed the student dress code for the 2013-14 school year.

Pants can now be any color and yes, blue jeans will be allowed. But those pants cannot have holes in them, nor can they sag or be too tight. The school system says belts will not be required.

The school board didn't make any changes to their policy on shirts. Collars are still required, though the shirts do not have to be tucked in.

The old dress code was adopted in 2007 and limited pants to tan khaki, solid navy blue or solid black.

Communication is even more critical if you report to a boss in a different location. Frustration in being overlooked for a promotion could be lessened if your boss knew about your career goals and interests in adding to the company’s success.  Take the initiative to meet with your boss, asking for additional responsibilities or new projects that interest you. Volunteer when possible for assignments that will help broaden your work experience.

The most important factor in being promotable is keeping up a good attitude even though you might have been passed over for a job you wanted, it’s never too late to start building a good case when the next opportunity becomes available.

Be patient; promotions will happen as the company grows. In the meantime, focus on your job and make it a priority to accomplish the tasks assigned to you. Avoid getting caught up in the noise of office gossip and being sidetracked from what you do best. Listen for opportunities while developing good working relationships with hiring decision makers.

Read more about David Bergen’s steady career progress as top-ranked executive for Fortune 500 companies such as Levi Strauss & Co. and The Gap by following this Twitter account.

Nokia Lumia 925 Hammer & Knife Test

REPOST: Levi’s® Stadium – Home of the San Francisco 49ers

In a press release, Levi Strauss & Co. announces partnership with San Francisco 49ers in an effort to engage in sports and music fans in the Bay Area and around the world.

Two Bay Area Icons – Levi Strauss & Co. and San Francisco 49ers -- present naming rights deal to Santa Clara Stadium Authority Thursday

Proposed partnership announced today at Levi’s Plaza in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO and SANTA CLARA, CA – Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) announced today that it will present the Santa Clara Stadium Authority a proposal for a 20-year, $220 million naming rights agreement for ”Levi’s® Stadium” on Thursday, May 9, 2013.

The apparel company is proposing a naming rights partnership with the Santa Clara Stadium Authority and San Francisco 49ers that would make the company an official sponsor of the 49ers, and feature premium interior and exterior branding of the new Levi’s® Stadium.

Levi Strauss & Co. CEO Chip Bergh said, “Levi’s® Stadium will connect two iconic Bay Area brands that share similar values, a rich heritage and a pioneering spirit. Joining the incredible legacy of the 49ers organization is a perfect fit for the Levi’s® brand – and a chance for us to engage with sports and music fans across the Bay Area and around the world.”

San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York said, “49ers have worn Levi's® jeans since the Gold Rush era. We are so honored to have the perfect partner for the premier outdoor sports and entertainment venue in the world. A model of innovation and sustainability, Levi's® Stadium will bring to life all that is special about the Bay Area.”

The San Francisco 49ers and Levi Strauss & Co. share deep roots in Bay Area history: in 1873, Levi Strauss & Co. created the first blue jean by adding copper rivets to denim pants for the working man of the American West. The 49ers franchise has won five Super Bowl trophies and was the first major league professional sports team to be based in San Francisco more than 60 years ago.

City of Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews said, "This partnership is a tremendous opportunity for Levi's®, the 49ers, the City of Santa Clara and the entire Bay Area. As powerful advocates for our communities, we share a vision for the new stadium constructed on the pillars of innovation, sustainability and an unparalleled entertainment experience. I am looking forward to this being brought for consideration by the Stadium Authority to approve aligning this great, global brand with our great City tomorrow evening."

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said, “It is very fitting to see two of the Bay Area’s best-known brands coming together to showcase the best our region has to offer. Every time a fan turns on their television to watch a 49ers home game from Levi’s® Stadium, the entire region will be on center stage. And, in a few short weeks, we are hopeful that we will host Super Bowl 50 or 51 and experience the enormous economic boost and lasting legacy for the entire Bay Area.”

Levi Strauss & Co. announced the proposal for Levi’s® Stadium today during its annual Community Day, in which thousands of employees around the globe give back by volunteering with local non-profit organizations in 170 projects in more than 46 countries around the world. San Francisco 49ers CEO, Jed York, today joined Levi Strauss & Co. employees at one of 31 volunteer projects in the Bay Area.

David Bergen is the former chief information officer of Levi Strauss & Co. Learn about his contribution into the company by visiting this Facebook page.

Analytics and business intelligence: When a degree isn't enough

In this data-driven world, the IT industry is struggling to cope with a technology that’s evolving faster than ever before. The tools and procedures needed to manage vast amounts of data continue to become complex and higher education cannot keep up with them. Barb Wixom, associate professor of commerce at the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce and author of the 2013 State of Business Intelligence survey, suggests that a degree on analytics and business intelligence isn’t enough. Students need access to real, big data sets in order to further learn about analytics and how data can be used to achieve business outcomes.

Image source: sophialiteraria.wordpress.com

This need can be addressed through academic alliance programs that help professors create meaningful and data-centric course blueprints and pedagogy that expose students to the real world of data and analytics. Ideally, the course plan is one that provides a broad coverage in marketing and analytics and engages students at a practical-level with hands-on learning. 

Image source: All America City Award

However, there are universities offering courses on data science and business intelligence that still lack the connection to organizations that can offer students the access to real-world cases, software implementation, and other IT processes. This is why there are IT graduates who cannot meet the requirements of the companies they apply for, forcing them to transfer to other careers and causing the widening talent gap on data and technology.

Image source: business-english.pl

The long-term solution for this case is to strengthen partnerships between institutions of higher education and business organizations. Cooperation between these two sectors is needed in order to redefine the curricula and target the specific skill sets required in the 21st century workplace.

David Bergen is the former CIO of Levi Strauss & Co. Visit this blog to read up on his perspective on the talent gap problem.

REPOST: Would you wear these? Jeans made from recycled plastic bottles

Levi's transforms recycled bottles and other plastic waste into soft, high-quality denim.  Read this article from TODAY.

Image Source: TODAY

 

They don’t look like they’re made from trash – and that’s the whole idea behind Levi’s new Waste-Less jeans.

The company says at least 20 percent of the material that goes into making this denim comes from recycled plastic bottles and food trays. That means about eight 12- to 20-ounce bottles are reborn in each pair.

“It’s good for people and better for the planet,” said Jonathan Kirby, vice president of men’s design at Levis Strauss. The company plans to turn about 3.5 million recycled bottles and other plastic waste into soft, high-quality denim for its Spring 2013 Waste-Less collection. And just to make sure you don’t miss that fact, Levi’s puts a tag on each pair: “These jeans are made of garbage.”

“We decided to take something that was trash and turn it onto something that was valuable and viable,” Kirby told me. “The end goal is to get people to think a little bit differently about what they do with their waste. We want them to realize that a piece of trash can actually become something else that’s relevant to them.”

Right now, this sustainable denim is being made into jeans for both men and women, as well as the classic Trucker jacket for men. The jeans start at around $68, which Kirby calls “a very fair price for a product of this quality and value.” How do they do it?

The recycled plastic – brown beer bottles (yes, they’re plastic), green soda bottles, clear water bottles and black food trays – is collected from communities across the country and shipped to a manufacturing plant where it is broken down into tiny pellets and spun into polyester fibers. That polyester yarn is then woven with cotton into denim.

The Waste-Less jeans are thin and lightweight, darker than some other denim. The inside of the jeans also looks different. They’re not the typical blue and white. These are more brown and blue.

“The brown bottles and the food trays give the fabric that unique shade and color,” Kirby explained. “You can actually see the recycled material in the garments themselves.”

Is this really good for the earth?

The recycling of plastic bottles has increased dramatically during the last few years. The International Bottled Water Association recently reported that 39 percent of the plastic water bottles in the United States were recycled in 2011. That’s up from 32 percent the year before.

Of course, something has to be done with all of this waste plastic before recycling truly takes place. It must be made into new products, such as plastic lumber, carpets, new containers or clothing. Environmentalists call this “closing the loop.”

“It’s a great way to make sure there’s an end market for recovered materials,” said Darby Hoover, senior resource specialist with the Natural Resources Defense Counsel. “When consumers put plastic bottles into the recycling bins, this helps ensure that there’s a market for them to actually get turned into useful products.”

Hoover points out that this does not decrease the plastic that’s being used to make new plastic bottles – environmentalists would like to see fewer of them used – but it does help keep some plastic waste out of landfills.

“Using recycled content helps decrease environmental impacts across the board as compared with using virgin materials for manufacture,” Hoover told me.

So what does denim made with trash look at feel like? 

Image Source: TODAY

 Levi’s sent me a pair to wear for a few days.

I asked some friends and colleagues to feel the material. Most described it as “smooth”or “soft.” They were completely surprised when I told them there was recycled plastic in the denim and they all wanted to know more.

One person asked if the plastic in the jeans would melt if ironed or thrown in the dryer. The company assured me they will not.

A long-term commitment to the environment

This is not the first environmental initiative for Levi’s. The company’s Water-Less manufacturing technique introduced in 2011 reduces the water used in the finishing process of some products by as much as 96 percent. The company says the Water “We don’t just want to reduce our impact on the environment, we want to leave it better than we found it,” said James Curleigh, global president of Levi’s brand in a statement.

Clearly, Levi Strauss believes it can be a leader in eco-fashion. Vice president Jonathan Kirby told me he’s looking into a number of different sustainable clothing options for next year.

“It’s the beginning of something that will hopefully become a bigger initiative for us,” he said.

David Bergen, former Global CIO of Levi Strauss & Co., has introduced a wide spectrum of software solutions that significantly improve the operations of large-scale businesses.  Follow this Facebook page to get relevant information on the business.

Symptoms of a micromanager

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There is no single formula to being an effective leader. Each organization’s “personality” calls for a different management style, and the range of potential encounters requires a manager to remain flexible in his or her ways. Traditional companies like KFC and other family-run businesses have a code of conduct and a list of situational protocols which are consistently adhered to. Companies like Google and Apple, which require their employees to remain creative and think out of the box, may be more lax with their policies about office decorum and attire. Still, an effective manager is one who remembers to remain within the bounds of his titular duty: managing.



Image Source: biginterview.com


Because of the need to control all aspects of a situation, some managers involve themselves in even the most minute of tasks– those that ought to be left to the employee’s discretion. Known as micromanaging, this behavior is evident when a leader avoids delegating tasks or monitors project completion too closely. A micromanager will require his or her employees to seek written “approval” before commencing with any task, and will compulsively instruct and check in on them as they complete it. Often– and despite knowing the state of the employee’s work– a micromanager will require frequent, over-specific reports in which he or she will almost always find fault. Should a member of the team commit an infraction, a micromanager will insist on “doing it him/herself” rather than giving the employee a chance. Overall, micromanagers are detrimental to team productivity because they undermine the purpose of having a team.





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An effective manager, David Bergen helped Levi Strauss maintain consistent performance as its CIO. Read about his views on leadership on this Facebok page.

Where teens are a key demographic

 Image Source: gurianinstitute.com


Being a demographic without independent purchasing power, teenagers are sometimes disregarded when it comes to planning where to focus brand and marketing strategies. Self-sufficient adults in the 25-55 range are the most sought-after, while infants and children are the next-best audience because their parents tend to want “the best” for them– or at the very least give in very easily to their spontaneous purchasing whims. Teenagers, whose only income is the money gifted by their parents, were traditionally considered risky audience to sell to. There is no nationwide statistic on how much the average teenager can afford, nor can retail companies coerce their parents to purchasing on the teens’ behalf the way baby products seem to have the power to do.



Image Source: popsugar.com


In the last decade, product manufacturers and marketing companies alike have both seen the change in the role of the American teen. Although still dependent, to a certain extent, on their parents’ income, teenagers have taken on a new identity. They are the impassioned youth, voice of tomorrow, and one of the biggest influencers in modern media. Music artists, movie actors, and societal personalities crave teenage approval– so much so that there are even “Teen Awards” to celebrate people and brands that have won the hearts of America’s future.



Image Source: jezebel.com


In appreciating the value of the teenage opinion, major fashion magazines have released issues geared towards 13- to 19-year olds. Teen Vogue, for example, features the same high-fashion couture but makes use of teenage themes, accessories, and real-life scenarios to paint the relevance of the style. If the biggest names in fashion publication is listening to teens, surely there is power in what they have to say.


Companies like Levi Strauss & Co. have had to understand and cater to the teen demand. Read more about responding to the market from the former CIO, David Bergen, on this website.