People who practice and understand the essence of Leadership, that is, “Integrity, Authenticity and Commitment to Something Larger Then Self”, will see social media as a way to collaborate and exchange ideas with people all across the planet to produce radical changes to industry, politics and education. All of us are well aware of the “Arab Spring or Occupy Wall Street Movements, but these two well documented happenings are really just a faction of the changes that social media has brought about.

So the question to ask yourself, is what is the positive change you want to see in the world and how can Social Media help?

With the exception of things for the body (meds, treats, cute shoes for walking, aspirins, vitamins, make up and the like) everything is now on my small iPhone. I’ve got apps for working out, synching, calendars, itineraries, travel clock (ha ha), notes, phone numbers, digi recorder and music, if a training.

Amazing. To be in business today one MUST have a smart phone and a bunch of cool apps. Oh while on the road one of my fun things to do is play words with friends with guess who…yep my daughter. And next time, this list will be on my phone and not on a piece of paper.

“She saw more than what we were. She saw what we were to become.”

The Positively Powerful Woman of Global Leadership Award will be given to Kay Kallander for her many contributions as Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning American Baptist Homes of the West (ABHOW); for her design and launch of The Grove, an acclaimed memory support program; chairpersonship of EMERGE, Aging Services of California’s leadership development program; the launch of Leadership ABHOW; her contributions as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging; representation of the U.S. in Australia at the first Alzheimer’s Association/E-Rotary conference on Alzheimer’s disease; leadership in the  structure of the innovative Leadership AAHSA fellowship program in which she serves as the lead coach and being the recipient of the 2008 AAHSA Mentor of the Year award.

Kay Kallandar is a role model for what it looks like to “have it all” – family, meaningful career, servant leadership and the ability to be positively powerful with grace, humor and style. Florence Nightingale was a history maker. So too, is Kay Kallander.

For her many contributions, Kay Kallander will receive the first Global Leadership Award in the Positively Powerful Women Awards’ 4 years history. She embodies what the Positively Powerful Women Awards stand for: “The empowerment of all people through the celebration of women’s accomplishments in ways that inspire all others to live their dreams.” This annual award is given to women who have founded or lead legacy organizations…organizations that have stood the test of time. During a  gala awards luncheon May 20, 2011 at the Phoenix Ritz-Carlton, Kay Kallander will be honored as royalty for her hard work, resourcefulness, diligence and stand for excellence in global leadership for the aging and health services. While she preferred to remain silently in service (as do so many women making a significant difference), Kay was assured that the commitments near and dear to her heart would share the spotlight with her. Consider these statistics:

• With over 100,000 vacant positions and an ever-growing need for healthcare workers, the career outlook is excellent for the nursing field. Nursing is a highly regarded profession. A 2004 Gallup Poll announced that the public again voted nurses number one for “honesty and ethical standards of various professions.” For those who have a passion for the care of others, we will salute you.
• This year, the first baby boomers turn 65. While Alzheimer’s is not normal aging, age is the greatest risk factor for the disease. “Too many of America’s baby boomers will spend their retirement years either with Alzheimer’s or caring for someone who has it.” For care givers and those searching for a cure, thank you.
• In partnership with Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., AAHSA convened a National Summit on Affordable Senior Housing and Services on May 25, 2010. The event brought together nearly 100 experts to discuss role of affordable senior housing and service models to help lower-income seniors “age in place”; share promising practices and policy initiatives; and identify barriers to the of models. Aging in place, ABHOW’s CCRCS, nursing care, affordable housing and assisted living are important initiatives for us all to consider.

If you would like more inspiration on what is possible when one chooses nursing as a profession, please read on. Then let your imagination about your contributions soar.

Kay Kallandar’s management expertise and commitment to quality are grounded in frontline experience. A registered nurse, she joined ABHOW in 1985 as director of nursing at Plymouth Village in Redlands, Calif., after 12 years of nursing work in hospital and home health settings. Throughout her career, she has volunteered as a nurse through World Vision, traveling to such countries as El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Tanzania and working in refugee camps in Cambodia and Thailand.

Once at ABHOW, she took on ever-expanding roles, becoming assistant administrator then executive director of Plymouth Village before joining the corporate team in 1996 as senior vice president and chief operations manager. She moved into her current role in 2001.

While at Plymouth Village, Kay Kallander launched The Grove, an acclaimed memory support program that ABHOW has since expanded to five communities with several more programs in development. Her goal is for The Grove to be in every ABHOW CCRC. Designed for her MBA thesis at the University of Redlands, The Grove emphasizes residents’ abilities rather than disabilities and encourages staff to enter the world of residents. She has shared The Grove’s approach with national and international groups. In 2004, she represented the U.S. in Australia at the first Alzheimer’s Association/E-Rotary conference on Alzheimer’s disease.

Kay Kallander’s work has led to other invitations to lead and speak. She served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. She currently serves as chair elect of Aging Services of California. In addition, she is a trustee for American Baptist Seminary of the West and an advisory committee member for the health care administrator certificate program at the University of Redlands, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree and was named Alumni of the Year in 2001.

Much of her focus today is on cultivating the next generation of senior living leaders.  She understands that a commitment to excellence must include the intentional formation of leaders. She helped structure the innovative Leadership AAHSA fellowship program in which she serves as the lead coach. She received the AAHSA Mentor of the Year award in 2008. (AAHSA is now named LeadingAge.)

In addition, she is chair of EMERGE, Aging Services of California’s leadership development program, and she launched Leadership ABHOW, the company’s yearlong initiative to create a ready reserve of trained and licensed team members who can move into management-level positions as they become available. In her teaching and coaching, Kay Kallander’s aim is always the growth and self-development of others. She motivates people by first having faith in them. As one AAHSA fellow put it, “She saw more than what we were. She saw what we were to become.”

It’s this belief in potential, coupled with her passion for excellence, which brings Kay Kallander into relationship with emerging leaders. She invests in others because she is ultimately a person of hope. In the words of another AAHSA fellow, “Kay affords people the opportunity to turn their potential into reality, their dreams into destiny. Her impact cannot be measured because there is no telling where her influence will stop.”

Kay is known for her commitment to excellence in the service of others. For more than 25 years, she has advanced the senior living profession through pioneering efforts in Alzheimer’s care and memory support, planning for the future of aging services, and mentoring of the next generation of leaders.

As senior vice president for strategic planning for American Baptist Homes of the West (ABHOW), Kay Kallander guides the company’s award-winning initiatives in quality management, governance, leadership development, and communications. She oversees the accreditation process for ABHOW’s continuing care retirement communities, and she promotes the companywide commitment to Quality First, a national initiative of American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging to build public trust through exceptional service. ABHOW’s Quality First efforts are considered best practices across the nation.

Note: After this post appeared, we received this message from Michele Hollaran. Her thoughts provide background on why we said in our post, Kay has it all. “Kay has been my role model for many years. What… is so important to Kay, is her family. She is an exemplary wife, mother and person of deep faith. When I think of all the people who have touched my world in a profound way, Kay is right up at the top of the list. She has been by my side, lending me support and hope, more times than I can count. She is a positively powerful person in every aspect!”

For more information on the 2011 Positively Powerful Women Awards please click here.

Rev. Dr. Cathy Clardy Patterson, Pastor, Fountain of Life Church will receive the first Positively Powerful Woman Award for Spiritual Leadership for her vision as expressed through the founding of Fountain of Life Church and her global ministry; for  serving on the ministerial staff at Tanner Chapel AME Church in Phoenix; for her academic credentials and contributions; for her success in the world of business as only the second African American woman in U. S. history to be named a Managing Director of a major investment bank; and for being a role-model as a community leader.

Rev. Dr. Cathy Clardy Patterson founded the Fountain of Life Church (“FOL”) in 2006 with 12 individuals “like the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Disciples they set forth in obedience to the Word of God.”  Rev. Patterson believes that the church, following in the footsteps of Jesus, must meet people where they are and minister to their needs.

Rev. Patterson entered the ministry in 1999 and was granted a license to preach by the Presiding Elder of the Phoenix-Albuquerque District of the Desert Mountain Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (“AMEC”).  Rev. Patterson was ordained by the AMEC in 2002 as an Itinerate Deacon and upon her successful completion of the denomination’s 5-year course of study she was ordained as an Itinerate Elder in 2004.  Rev. Patterson earned her Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Rev. Patterson’s academic credentials also include: a Juris Doctorate from The Harvard Law School; a Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University (where she was designated a University Fellow by the faculty); a Bachelor of Science in Management and Industrial Relations from Minnesota State University at Mankato where she was the first graduate of the University’s Honors Program.

Rev. Patterson has had a wide-ranging career in law and finance.  She practiced law at major firms in both Washington D.C. and New York.  Rev. Patterson eventually was lured to Wall Street where she held a series of progressively responsible positions at two of the largest investment banks in the world. During her tenure on Wall Street she closed more than $16 billion in complex structured securities transactions.  Ultimately she became only the second African American woman in U. S. history to be named a Managing Director of a major investment bank.

Rev. Patterson moved to Arizona to accept a position as a Sr. Vice President of ING /Pilgrim Securities.  Currently, in addition to her pastoral duties she is the CEO of a consulting firm. 

Rev. Cathy has always given back to the community.  Since her arrival in Arizona she has served on the ministerial staff at Tanner Chapel AME Church in Phoenix where in addition to having the opportunity to preach and teach the Word of God she served as the Vice Chair of Tanner Community Development Corporation.

Rev. Patterson has also been active in a number of civic organizations, having served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Scottsdale Cultural Council, a member of the Advisory Board for the University of Phoenix and a member of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee for Arizona Opera.  She is currently the Chair of the Board for Arizona Cares, Inc, and a member of the African American Christian Clergy Coalition. 

Rev. Patterson has been happily married to Mr. Ross Patterson, Jr. for 21 years. Mr. Patterson has a heart for mission work whenever there is a need he is the first to respond.  His recent missionary endeavors have included extensive work with the Lost Boys of the Sudan, survivors of Hurricane Katrina and developing an outreach ministry for men.

About the Awards Program. The Positively Powerful Woman Award is given to servant leaders who have founded or lead legacy organizations that have stood the test of time. On May 20th, 11:30am to 2pm, at the Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix we will honor women as royalty for their hard work, resourcefulness and diligence. Following the Luncheon will be networking and “Conversations On Leadership” for professional & business development. Positively Powerful Guest Speakers include Diana Gregory, Susan Ratliff and Dr. Kay Lovelace-Taylor. You will leave inspired to go for your vision with new friends and information that will assist you in getting where you want to be…faster. The public is invited to attend. Dr. Joel P. Martin Triad West, Inc. president is the producer. Click here to become a sponsor and to attend the Awards and Seminar which follows.

“An award-winning entrepreneur with a passion for empowering others!”

Colleen J. Payne-Nabors will receive the 2011 Positively Powerful Woman Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership for her vision as expressed through the founding of six successful companies including the award winning Mobile Cardiac Imaging, LLC, (dba) MCI Diagnostic Center. Under her leadership as founder and CEO, MCI Diagnostic Center has become one of the most successful and well-positioned companies in the medical industry. Inc. Magazine listed her company as one of the 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America for 2007, 2008 and 2009.

MCI Diagnostic Center provides “excellent patient care and state-of-the-art diagnostics and treatments with the most advanced, modern equipment available.” It has grown to include a team of dedicated physicians who are experts in their fields, a staff trained at many of the country’s leading teaching hospitals, Board Certified radiologists, a skilled management team and medical professionals that are courteous and compassionate. MCI Diagnostic Center is located at 7018 South Utica Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma  74136. For more information, phone them at 918.744.1001 or email them at mobile@mobilecardiac.com.

Colleen J. Payne defeated all odds, overcame all obstacles and built this multi-million dollar business from the ground up. She is a superb business person who has a passion for assisting others.  Because of her humor, candor, integrity and ability to empower others, she is a sought-after speaker who works with organizational leaders who want to create, organize and lead successful businesses that have a competitive edge. Her book I Did it My Way and…It Worked! is a savvy, no-nonsense approach to business and entrepreneurship.

Colleen has written numerous leadership and business articles, and has been featured in many publications, including Washington G2, Black Enterprise, Influence Magazine, and Inc. Magazine. She has appeared on national and local television with segments on Fox News, ABC, CBS and NBC. She was named as one of Tulsa’s Most Influential People in 2008, was the SBA’s Small Business Person of the year in 2007 for the State of Oklahoma, and was selected as Business Innovator of the Year in 2003 by Black Enterprise Magazine.

About the Awards Program. The Positively Powerful Woman Award is given to servant leaders who have founded or lead legacy organizations that have stood the test of time. On May 20th, 11:30am to 2pm, at the Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix we will honor women as royalty for their hard work, resourcefulness and diligence. Following the Luncheon will be networking and “Conversations On Leadership” for professional & business development. Positively Powerful Guest Speakers include Diana Gregory, Susan Ratliff and Dr. Kay Lovelace-Taylor. You will leave inspired to go for your vision with new friends and information that will assist you in getting where you want to be…faster. The public is invited to attend. Dr. Joel P. Martin Triad West, Inc. president is the producer. Click here to become a sponsor and to attend the Awards and Seminar which follows.

Has the Internet created the possibility of a true democracy? Everyone has a say and unfortunately everyone thinks that they are right and truthful. This is both liberating and fearful thought and in order for this to work we need to do more then sing “We are the World”. We better figure out a way to understand each other. In the last twenty years or so the powerful Nation have lost the ability to bully other governments around. Large corporations have been humbled by the by likes of Google, EBay and others. The Planet seems to be gearing up to wipe out the human race, with toxic air and water. Everybody has or wants a Nuclear Bomb so that they can see if they wipe out the human race before Mother Nature takes her course.

So as difficult as it is to believe, the song we need to be singing is “Getting to Know You”. This is our intention for the journal. We want to hear from people who understand that it is truly up to them and they are involved in doing something to avoid what looks like hell around the corner.

Quote: “As of 2007, over half of the world’s people live in cities and by 2030, about three out our every five people will be urban dwellers. At the same time as cities are fast growing, the proportion of older people worldwide is rising rapidly; from about 600 million today, the number of people aged 60 and older will double to reach 1.2 billion by 2025. Both these trends are occurring at a much faster rate in developing countries.”

The Famous Steps

This  AAHSA (American Homes and Services for the Aging) presentation by Alexandre Kalache MD PhD, Chief, ‘Aging & Health’ Programme, World Health Organization, provided a very comprehensive picture and idea of the consequences of creating age-friendly cities. Who hasn’t ascended or descended beautifully looking marble steps and gotten a sense of trepidation and anxiety as a result. I know that I have. When Stallone as Rocky went up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art stairs (that wasn’t the City Hall) there wasn’t a handrail in sight.  Not that he’d need one.

Dr. Kalache included in his slide presentation a similar set of stairs… marble, indistinguishable, at  different levels, no handrail on either side plus rows of cactus plants on one. I hope that there is an elevator in that building or a very generous insurance policy covering any falls. The speaker said that the to learn more about how to make your city age-friendly, get the World Health Organization’s report by the same name.

If we are experiencing a global financial crisis, where is the rest of the world?

Maybe what the G7 should do this weekend is to test their ideas on second life, before having a visible conversation with the rest of the world. (China, India, Russia, South Korea, Mexico & Gulf States)

In ways, the current troubles impacting the world economy I believe has something to do with our universal embrace of technology, Its demand for immediacy, the overwhelming display of data and finality of the action. It is sometimes like having a loaded gun in your hands in a crowded room and mindlessly pulling the trigger. We’ve all sent e-mails and wished you could retrieve it once it was gone. There are several TV commercials that point to how easy it is to buy stock using computers.

Balancing Technology with Careful Thought

We have consciously or unconsciously relegated our thinking to machines and being thoughtful is seen suddenly as a liability.  Technology is wonderful and can be extremely efficient but it should not be counted on in predicting the future, that’s our job to get wrong.

Purpose of Leadership

We are all on our way to a place that has no roads, no one has ever been there and our Technology only has the past to work with. Leaders get you into stuff and good Leaders get you out.  It’s essential that Leaders know who they are leading and make decisions that get all of them to where they want to go. Let’s face it, getting to the wrong place fast is not much good or worth the price.

Oprah’s Favorite Things is an annual segment that appears on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In the segment, which is typically aired during the holiday (or summer) season, Winfrey shares products with her audience that she feels are noteworthy or that would make a great gift. In addition, the audience members present during the taping of the episode receive items from that year’s list for free.(Wikipedia)

So in the tradition inspired by Ms. Winfrey, from time to time Positively Powerful will endorse, recommend, and salute to the skies some of our favs. We won’t be getting a commission for this or anything in return, but will be doing this because it is true to our cause. We believe in transformational education, learning, and sharing brilliance. So please meet TED! TED is not a person.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

This site makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free. More than 200 talks from our archive are now available, with more added each week. These videos are released under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely shared and reposted.

We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we’re building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other. This site, launched April 2007, is an ever-evolving work in progress, and you’re an important part of it.

You can join TED for free. You’ll receive regular emails on what going on it the world. Here is a clip with anthropologist Helen Fisher, PhD on “The Science Of Love And The Future Of Women.”