December 18, 2009 — The City of Fairfax Schools launched its December newsletter today, featuring an introduction by Janice Miller, Chairman of the City of Fairfax School Board. She wrote:
When the City School Board first began working on the Road Map to Academic Success in 2005, our mission was to develop a document that provided information to parents regarding the curriculum students need to take from kindergarten to 12th grade to succeed not only in school — but to be prepared for life.
Spearheaded by former City Schools Superintendent George Stepp, he designed the Road Map over the course of a year with the assistance of Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jan Mulvaney, former Fairfax High Student Services Director Carole Kihm, and other educators from Fairfax County Public Schools.
“The key to student success lies in parents knowing what all the options are for their children,” explains Dr. Mulvaney. “We aren’t advocating pushing students beyond what they can handle — emotionally or academically — but it is amazing to see what they can do given the chance.”
Click here to more about the Roadmap and what the four City of Fairfax Schools are doing to ensure all students are on a path to success.
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Hello, and welcome to our December news blast. We’re very pleased to announce that this month our own Stephanie Cohen, CEO of Golden & Cohen, was named one of SmartCEO Magazine’s 2010 Smart100 CEOs.
“After another competitive year of nominations, the selection committee has chosen Stephanie Cohen to join an elite group of 100 of Greater Washington’s leading CEOs and their organizations,” announced SmartCEO magazine’s Makenna Coyne. “Combined, this group employs more than 150,000 people, boasts revenues in excess of $9 billion, and has won almost 1,500 business awards. In addition, the group shares a philanthropic spirit by donating time, energy and money to local Washington area charities.”
Each winning company reported revenue in excess of $5 million annually and was selected based on the CEO’s leadership, strategic vision and character, said Coyne noting that Cohen was an obvious choice to be part of the 2010 list due to her initiative to organize and host last year’s DC Health Summit (www.dchealthsummit.com), her charitable work with the ALS Association’s DC/MD/VA Chapter (which helps empower people with Lou Gehrig’s disease), and other nonprofit organizations, and her sheer determination to fight for her client’s rights.
“I am incredibly excited to be acknowledged for the work that I do on behalf of my clients,” says Cohen, who with her husband and business partner Scott Golden has run her firm since 1992. “I have a passion for this work, and truly want to make a difference. I know I can’t change the world, but I can do my part in improving things by helping one person at a time.”
TUNE IN DEC. 19 to hear Stephanie Cohen on Executive Leadership Radio
Stephanie Cohen has been invited to talk about her leadership style and how she and her husband / business partner Scott Golden have built their company into one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the DC Metro region. Tune in on Saturday, Dec. 19 to WHFS 1580 AM. The show will air from 10-11 a.m. Or, log onto www.bigtalker1580.com.
IN THIS ISSUE
Click below to read about our thoughts on healthcare reform and what it’ll mean to our clients. You’ll also find useful advice from DC attorney Brian Leventhal about the importance of writing good contracts. And new this month we’ll be featuring entries from Stephanie’s new book, “You Gotta Laugh: My life in the trenches of the health insurance business.”
From everyone at Golden & Cohen, we wish you and yours a very happy and healthy holiday season!
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Hello, and welcome to the new City of Fairfax Schools website, www.cityoffairfaxschools.org.
We’ll be using this powerful online tool to post current information about the four City Schools with the goal of doing an even better job of communicating with our parents, residents and business owners about the good work being done by the students, teachers, and the City of Fairfax School Board.
We’ve also revamped our award-winning newsletter, City School Close-Up. Click here to view the November 2009 issue We hope you find the new layout easy to scan, and as equally informative and useful as our traditional 8-page printed newsletter has been since we created it in 2001. Be sure to sign up here to receive future issues in your email inbox.
In this, our inaugural issue of Close-Up Online, we have very good academic news! The Standards of Learning (SOL) scores for the City of Fairfax Schools are on the rise (see graphs and stories below).
“The City Schools are making good progress academically,” says Fairfax County Public Schools Cluster VII Superintendent Linda Burke, who presented the scores to the City of Fairfax School Board at its October work session. “While test scores do not tell the whole story about the quality of a school, they do reflect how well students are learning the core curriculum.”
Superintendent Ann Monday also explains what those SOL scores mean. You’ll also find graphs of the stellar scores for the City Schools, and an analysis of what they mean for our schools and our students from each of our four City School principals.
We’ll look forward to reaching out to you each month through “Close-Up Online“http://cityoffairfaxschools.org/closeup/, and encourage you to click the “Tell A Friend” tab at the top of this newsletter so all of your friends, neighbors, relatives, and fellow city residents can learn about what is going on in their local schools.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving, and continued school success.
Janice Miller, Chairman
City of Fairfax School Board
Click here to read the November issue of Close-Up
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I’m sending you this special newsletter this month from my colleagues, Scott Golden and Stephanie Cohen, owners of the Gaithersburg, MD health benefits firm Golden & Cohen.
They invited me to write an article about the importance of stress-free performance appraisals for this, their November newsletter. Since a revised edition of my 2003 book is currently at the printer (The Essential Performance Review Handbook will be out in the Spring), I was happy to participate.
I think you’ll enjoy the following articles that focus on the current health care reform bill before Congress and the impact it will have on all of our insurance rates. Also below is an interesting Q&A between Stephanie Cohen and therapist Susan Richman about how to manage stress during the holidays. Since staying stress-free is so important – in every area from holiday madness to performance appraisals – I think you’ll find Susan’s advice useful and informative.
I thank you in advance for welcoming this special news blast into your inbox, and look forward to sending you the December newsletter from Sharon Armstrong & Associates in a few weeks.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Sharon Armstrong, president and founder, Sharon Armstrong & Associates
Author, Stress-free Performance Appraisals (second edition coming in 2010)
The Essential HR Handbook (www.theessentialhrhandbook.com)
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Hello, and welcome to the November issue of our e-news blast. What a month it has been in terms of health care reform. As you know, the House of Representatives on Saturday, November 7 passed a sweeping health care bill by a vote of 220-215.
The passage of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, gave proponents of health care reform a step forward. But whether the bill will become law remains uncertain because it’s not yet clear when the Senate will vote on its bill – and if it passes, the House and Senate bills would have to be reconciled into one document and voted on again.
Soon after the House bill was passed, Scott Golden, CFO and co-founder of Golden & Cohen, was interviewed by Sheryl Nance-Nash of Insight magazine on the impact of proposed healthcare reform on the economy. Read that below.
This month, we’d also like to share some expert advice from two professionals that we work closely with.
First, HR expert Sharon Armstrong, owner of the human resourses brokerage firm Sharon Armstrong & Associates and author of Stress-free Performance Appraisals, gives insight into how bosses can better evaluate their employees.
In another stress-free story, therapist Susan Richman answers Stephanie Cohen’s questions about how we can all stay calm during the stressful holiday seasons.
We hope you enjoy their advice as much as we did. Here’s to keeping your life stress-free and healthy!
Regards,
Stephanie Cohen, CEO, stephanie@golden-cohen.com
Scott Golden, CFO, scott@golden-cohen.com
Jack Cohen, COO, jack@golden-cohen.com
Visit us online: Golden & Cohen, www.golden-cohen.com
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Trust. How important is that idea in your organization? Do your followers trust you? How about your customers or clients?
I’ve been thinking about how vital trust is to organizations ever since I saw the findings of the 2009 Trust Barometer, which showed that trust in business is currently at a 10-year low in the US. Interestingly, 4,475 opinion leaders in 20 countries in two age groups (25-34 and 35-64) were sampled.
The survey found that only 17% (that’s one in five respondents) said they trust what they hear from business leaders. What kind of business results are you going to get with a 17% “trust rate”? So, you ask, how can we increase trust in today’s business environment? I would suggest that we heed LLI’s faculty member General Jim Anderson’s advice about being a “vivid, living personal example” to both our followers and those who lead us.
By “being the change we want to see” I’m confident that we can boost the “trust factor” in all of our organizations and that the results will show both at the bottom line and with improved engagement. In this issue, you’ll find a follow up to the article by Lincoln Leadership Institute faculty member Bob Prosperi that we ran in last month’s newsletter. His photos are featured in the local press celebrating the important November 19 Remembrance Day.
Regards to you and yours and wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Steven B. Wiley, president and founder
Lincoln Leadership Institute
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October 2009 — Here’s a reality check from Scott, Stephanie and Jack, Golden & Cohen. The impact of rising health insurance rates isn’t lost on us. Like most every company in the U.S., this year we experienced a significant increase in the rates for our own staff.
We knew we had three real choices: reduce benefits, increase cost to employees or have the company absorb the increase and keep the employees whole. We selected the last option because we are in the best position to “eat” the cost.
The reason is simple. We want to keep morale high and ensure our employees are focusing on their jobs — not worrying about their health insurance. Like most small firms, employee retention and the well being of our employees is one of our top priorities.
If you are in a similar boat, but made a different choice, we’d love to talk to you because we are hoping to understand what employers are thinking in these tough economic times.
In fact, we are always asking the people we meet about why — and why not — they have health insurance. Read on to find information on the “Top 8 Reasons Individuals Don’t Buy Health Insurance,” and our thoughts on why single people might be making a bad choice. You’ll also learn about an incredibly affordable Rx program we’ll be offering in the next few months, Rx ‘n Go. And, you’ll find “7 Strategies to help working parents stay connected to their kids,” by our new psychology partners, Jessica Kramer, a counselor and therapist Bethesda Counseling Associates.
Until next month, here’s to your good health!
Stephanie Cohen, CEO, stephanie@golden-cohen.com
Scott Golden, CFO, scott@golden-cohen.com
Jack Cohen, COO, jack@golden-cohen.com
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Alice’s Challenge of the Month: What to do now if the recession may, indeed, be at its end? — Economists and media pundits are suggesting that the recession is nearing its end — and I am finally seeing signs in the metro DC area that indeed they may be right. My buddies at search firms and recruiting agencies are getting requests every day to fill more jobs, and prospective clients are looking to me to help them in their management challenges. I’m thrilled to no longer be hearing the words: “yes, we want you — but not now,” but rather, “yes, can you conduct a training session next week?”
It’s a relief to be back in the saddle, but I’m also pondering the lessons learned from this challenge. This is something that I regularly ask my clients to consider, for the exercise of reflecting on the actions that led to a success or failure can contribute to deep learning that will guide you through future peaks and valleys.
So, what lessons have you learned in the last 12 to 18 months of economic misery? How can you use this learning to shape your future? Make a list and ruminate on it, for I am confident that the things you come up with will be enlightening and useful not just today, but in the future.
I’m also in the process of thinking about the road ahead, so read on for some forecasts. You’ll also find my bi-monthly interview with an expert and this month’s profile is John White, president of JD White & Associates, Inc. He is a man I have known for decades and deeply respect for he has more than 25 years experience in Human Resource management and in his answers offers keen insights into the recovery at hand. And finally, you’ll find three of my top picks for this month’s Workforce Learning Book Club.
Wishing you a lift in your business, and a lift in your day.
Dr. Alice Waagen, President & Founder
www.workforcelearning.com
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President’s Message, October 2009 — Fall has arrived in Gettysburg, bringing with it the beautiful colors of the season.These crisp cool days are a wonderful time to walk the battlefields and contemplate the leadership lessons that abound here in Gettysburg.
A quote from October 3, 1889 by Major General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain comes to mind:
In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear; but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls. And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by who great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field, to ponder and dream; and lo! the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, and the power of the vision pass into their souls.
His profound words are that much more impressive when you consider that more than a century later, Budget Travel magazine has listed Gettysburg one of “8 Places Every American Should See.” Look for more information on that honor below.
In fact, we are excited to show off our fair town this month to representatives from Intervet / Schering-Plough’s animal health division, and a large group of Superintendents from our amazing national parks across the country. Their leadership teams will be joining us for our Transformational Journey from Gettysburg program.
And that’s not all that’s happening in Gettysburg.
Read on to learn more about the Pennsylvania Civil War (PACW 150), the Commonwealth’s official planning committee for the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War over the next five years. The organization has a fantastic website that is packed with information, including interesting details about the lesser-known leaders of that conflict: http://pacivilwar150.com.
Additionally, below is information about The Wall That Heals, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which Gettysburg College hosted this month. I was especially struck by the fact that we talk about how in the three days of fighting here in Gettysburg there were 51,000 casualties and the wall holds the names of a similar number — 58,000 killed or missing from a much more recent conflict.
These are both wonderful illustrations of how our nation’s history influences us today and can be a useful tool in identifying and refining our own leadership practices.
With my managing director Angela Sontheimer, I wish you a wonderful month filled with strong leadership and courage. We’ll look forward to talking to you again in November.
Steven B. Wiley
President & Founder, The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg
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by Hope Katz Gibbs, communications specialist
and Peter Noonan, FCPS Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services
Creating a set of clear and consistent best practices for student learning has long been a priority for Fairfax County Public Schools. Last fall, the Instructional Services team accomplished that goal by identifying a set of research- based Best Practices for Teaching and Learning that have been proven to increase student achievement and help every FCPS child reach their academic potential.
“We knew that each best practice would need to be applicable from PreK to 12th grade,” explains Diane Kerr, the Fairfax County Public School ESOL coordinator who helped spearhead the initiative.
“We also wanted to concretely define the concepts and terms, so that every teacher, principal, staff member and administrator throughout the entire county has a common understanding.”
Click here to read the Fall 2009 issue of INSIDE.
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