Before I get into the pros and cons of using PDFs in your content, consider this – almost half of all website page views currently come from mobile users. This is important because, when it comes to viewing content, the easier it is to access, the better. And PDFs are just not conducive for viewing on small screens. There are, however, times when a PDF may be a viable option, but deciding whether or not to use one really depends on the content you are presenting.

When PDFs Can Be Useful

Printable Documents, Forms, & Flyers – If you are requiring people to download and fill out a static form or document (i.e., offline registration, etc.), a PDF is ideal because it preserves the original dimensions of your document. Whereas content designed for screens is meant to adapt to different devices and screen sizes. Flyers are also optimal as PDFs, but should only be used as supplemental material. Any critical information (the who, what, when, where, and why, registration URL, etc.) should be presented as text / HTML because itâ€s A LOT easier to view and update if your event/webinar/class information changes – thereâ€s nothing you can do about a PDF that someone has already downloaded.

Newsletters – While I would still highly encourage you to add all your content as text / HTML on a page, a newsletter is one area that can benefit from being turned into a PDF. It allows for users to save the information to view and / or print out later and can provide more complex layout options (like a mix of columns and rows).

Tables – If you need to create a table that has so many data columns that it pushes your content out of the set content space and makes a user scroll horizontally, putting that data into a spreadsheet and creating a PDF would be a much better option.

When Not to Use PDFs

A PDF should not be a substitute for actual content on your page. If it can be created using text / HTML, thatâ€s how it should be presented (again, there are some exceptions as seen above). Your ultimate goal should be to present information as easily and as readily accessible as you can for your audience, in as few clicks as possible.

Some things to think about:

• PDFs donâ€t load well on mobile devices and require lots of pinching / panning / zooming, etc.
• Some browsers force a file download instead of opening the PDF directly, which leads to multiple clicks to get to the content.
• PDFs are limited in how much analytical data they can provide. For instance, we can tell exactly how long someone spends reading a webpage, but not a PDF.
• Larger file sizes can be prohibitive for mobile users in rural areas or areas with a poor or limited data connection.
• PDFs are not accessible to visually impaired users or users that must navigate with assistive technology (i.e., screen readers).
• PDFs often donâ€t rank well in Google searches and donâ€t contribute to SEO for your content, which can make your message harder to find.
• Users are not able to link to a specific part of the document like you can with a webpage.

Every time Gov. Roy Cooper announces a press conference, I can’t stop myself from singing the last few lines of a Hamilton song. With COVID-19, life as we know it can all change in unpredictable ways every time Gov. Cooper takes the podium during gubernatorial press conference every Tuesday.

Since Gov. Cooper declared a state of emergency on March 10, he has virtually unlimited ability to change how we live. He can force people to stay in their homes, shutter schools, close businesses or restrict their hours, end gatherings, or any combination thereof. The Governor can change these measures at any moment, with or without notice. His decrees have the force of law, and apparently cannot be challenged when you consider the impotent response from Republicans.

Set aside for a moment how you feel about the specific restrictions Gov. Cooper has implemented and ask: Should one man have this much power?

Should a Governor, no matter how many votes he may have received, have unfettered control over our day-to-day lives? As the COVID pandemic wears on, the answer is increasingly becoming clear: No. Not indefinitely. Not completely. Not ever. It’s time to re-write North Carolina’s emergency powers law for the new reality. Our current law is too broad. Luckily, there are a few simple provisions we can add that are already on the books in other states that would better serve the people of North Carolina.

A Very Bad Law

The source of the Governor’s unlimited power is North Carolina’s Emergency Management Act. The law sets up disasters and emergencies, with the former generally preceding the latter. Disasters generally last 60 days and allow for different types of relief money to flow to where they’re needed.

But the act also gives the Governor or the General Assembly the ability to declare a state of emergency, which remains in effect until whoever implemented it declares it to be over. The law then spells out special powers that the Governor has during these emergencies. Subsection C lists things the Governor can do on his own. These include marshaling state resources, directing law enforcement, and firing public officials who aren’t carrying out their duties. Then the law goes into powers the Governor has with the concurrence of the Council of State. These include mandatory evacuations, rationing and price freezing, regulating traffic and controlling public gatherings.

All of that is normal, long-standing policy. But the Emergency Management Act then includes a subsection C that basically renders everything above it moot. Here’s the crucial part:

[D]uring a gubernatorially or legislatively declared state of emergency, if the Governor determines that local control of the emergency is insufficient to assure adequate protection for lives and property, the Governor has the following powers: To impose by declaration prohibitions and restrictions in the emergency area. These prohibitions and restrictions may, in the Governor’s discretion, as appropriate to deal with the emergency, impose any of the types of prohibitions and restrictions … and may amend or rescind any prohibitions and restrictions imposed by local authorities.

To put it in layman’s terms: If the Governor believes that local governments can’t handle the emergency, the Governor can impose any restrictions, controls or mandates he wants. There’s no oversight, no necessary justification and no expiration. The powers are complete and last as long as the Governor decides he wants them. It’s not just me reading it this way. State courts validated this interpretation of the law in August.

Modernization Gone Awry

As it turns out, this poorly written law has only given the Governor absolute power since 2012. That’s when a new law went into effect that rewrote North Carolina’s Emergency Management Act. Though the GOP had taken over the General Assembly by then, this law was a Democrat creation authored by Rep. Grier Martin (D-Wake) and signed into law by then-Gov. Bev Perdue. Called the Modernize NC Emergency Management Act,” the law largely left the state’s 1970s-era emergency law in place but for some reorganization. The new law also delineated between an emergency and disaster for the first time. But the law also added in subsection C mentioned above. Earlier versions of the law did not include this catch-all power abrogation. Instead, the Governor needed the Council of State to exercise the broadest reach of emergency power.

The Fix

Going back to Council of State concurrence would be a healthy step. But there’s a simpler, more elegant solution: Put an end date on states of emergency, and require the General Assembly to sign off on extending it.

Our emergency management law does not envision an emergency that never ends. But we’re now nine months into one with no legal end date. Remember, the emergency lasts as long as the Governor decrees. This is unusual across the country. Very few states use unlimited state of emergency declarations, and during COVID-19, these states have renewed their declarations as many as 11 times. Colorado law, for example, allows a state of emergency to last 30 days, after which it must be renewed. That is a reasonable period of time. North Carolina should set its state of emergency declarations at 30 days, with the ability to renew.

But North Carolina should add one more check on this power requiring legislative approval to extend a state of emergency. This isn’t an untested proposal. Alaska, Kansas, Utah, and Washington all have similar laws that require their state legislatures to approve a Governor’s state of emergency to last longer than 30 days. It’s an obvious fix for an unprecedented problem.

North Carolina has always been among the states most wary of executive power. Governors couldn’t run for a second term until 1977, and we were the last state in the country to give the Governor veto power (in 1996). That’s why it’s so surprising that our state gives the Governor such broad, unchecked emergency powers.

It’s time for the General Assembly to rein in this wannabe emperor during the next legislative session.

If you are familiar with the concept of focusing on your strengths, then perhaps you know why sometimes People, Teams or even Organizations fail.

Have learned through StrengthsFinders (not an endorsement - ) training and during multiple conversations with mentors, that it is best to focus on building up your strengths rather than focusing on improving upon your weaknesses. Many studies have demonstrated that trying to improve a weakness is far less constructive than spending time building up your strengths. Especially (imo) once you are over 25 and have a more solid assessment of your skills and abilities. And while there is great merit in emphasizing strength building activities you should still be cautious of using tools like Strengths-Finder, as it could result in a skewed view. A possible more accurate and objective assessment is by asking others, who know you very well, to fill out the questionnaire.

What many neglect to do in light of their deficient abilities in certain areas is to partner up with others whose strengths may complement their own. A colleague with a different skill set might be able to offer constructive advice or even assist to ensure you and others become more effective, collectively and independently. It is precisely this kind of situation that illustrates how important it is for leaders to diversify the skillsets on their Teams. Another issue is that wasting resources developing a skill beyond what is necessary when it isn’t something one is both good or passionate about is generally an unproductive use of our top commodity, Time! Individuals need to assess whether the time they invest to develop any skill is necessary and/or beneficial based on their top strengths and passion.

The strategy many well intentioned people employ is to get better at a lot of things at once — spreading the improvement in their abilities like one might spread peanut butter on toasted bread. And while this approach does help you improve, it can be because you are often concentrated on things you aren’t as efficient at where just a little effort goes a long way. This feedback loop of seeing progress is addicting (especially to dedicated people) so they spread themselves even thinner to get stronger in even more diverse areas. And while I admit this growth can be positive, I have seen it lead to stress and fatigue, having fallen victim to this strategy myself.

What if you instead could improve more swiftly and with expert resolve by focusing on just 1-3 strengths, mastering these abilities to become even stronger in those areas.

Unfortunately, what some of us often do is perform a root-cause analysis on their weaknesses, spending an inordinate amount of time self-reflecting. Thus descending into an introspective trap until finally discovering a valid excuse under which one can hide unnecessary guilt. The result usually is a waste of too much quality time, energy, and disappointing relationships at work and at home.

Now, turn that thinking around. None of us can deny that we have tasted success, more-or-less within our lifetimes. We have also witnessed its glory many times over from afar. So what if we instead spent time performing a root-cause analysis of what led to that success, others we admire and our own? This shift in focus, from weaknesses to strengths, has the capability of instilling confidence, inspiration and positivity into your well-being and those around you. Further, the most effective people perform an analysis after each successful venture, assuring they stay consistent and achieve their dreams.

So how can we do this? First, starting with common sense is often a good guide. Aim to make the most of your natural and/or developed talents, adding relevant skills to further these as necessary. Simultaneously, seek knowledge that will allow you to expand the boundaries of your current strengths. Doing this will not only help you to build up expertise but will also allow you to concentrate on matters that bring you joy.

Read on to learn more…
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/strengths-based-leadership.htm

The difference between managing and leading is as large as the difference between night and day. We manage stuff and we lead people. Perhaps the biggest single difference is that stuff, budgets, inventories, buildings, etc. donâ€t have feelings. That alone makes managing a whole lot easier than leading, at least to me.

People have feelings. For many of those people, emotions can be easily offended. Thatâ€s why itâ€s vital for a leader to care about their people. You can care about people without leading them but you simply cannot lead them without caring for them. An attitude of genuine caring will shape every other interaction and communication you have with your people. If you do not possess a genuine nature of empathy you will struggle as a leader.

Managing is very much about today. Itâ€s a one day at a time kinda thing. Leadership is of course about today but itâ€s also about tomorrow, the next day, the next week and the next years. Thatâ€s why leading requires vision and managing requires tenacity. Managing is a very specific business, itâ€s the art of steering the ship on a well-defined course. Managing requires facts, data, and objectives. Leadership is the art of turning the unlikely, and at times the impossible, into tangible, reachable, realistic objectives. Organizations seldom manage their way to success. Organizational success requires leadership. Managing is an inside job. Managers utilize their internal resources to make things happen and achieve the goals of the organization. Leaders understand the outside as well as the inside. This provides them with the insights required to see their entire business environment and anticipate needed changes as well as understand potential opportunities.

Leaders influence while managers direct. Itâ€s really not always that black and white but itâ€s almost always that black and white. While leaders focus on what will matter, and on why it will matter, managers tend to focus on how it will matter. Said another way, leaders decide what to do and managers decide how to do it. Unless of course the leader is also a micro-manager and then all bets are off. Leaders are really the heart of an organization. They inspire, coach, vision cast, create and nurture the organizational culture. They keep the organization moving forward through communication and motivation. No organization succeeds without solid leadership.

No offense to leaders but managers are more like the brains of the organization. They make the rules, set up policies, programs, etc. Managers are about business, not people. No offense to managers but they usually see people as just another tool or asset they can use to get the task completed. No organization succeeds without diligent management.

Frequently the skill sets and the more important mindset of managers and leaders are so different that itâ€s challenging for one person to possess both. But “things” tend to work better when managers have a heart and a whole lot better when leaders have a brain. And itâ€s not that one person canâ€t be both a good manager and great leader, itâ€s just that it requires effort and dedication that sadly, too many managers and leaders appear unwilling to make.