OWA Platinum Sponsors are invited to provide a feature article on any product, service, or company related topic that they'd like to share with members via our newsletter. This issue includes articles from VSP and Safilo. Thank you to all of our sponsors for their incredible support and enthusiasm!
You have probably heard the terms agile thinking and agile leadership recently, but may not know what they mean precisely. Kate Renwick-Espinosa, the incoming President of VSP Vision Care, spoke to us about these buzzwords and how they can apply to your career.
Research proves that learning agility is an important asset in business leadership. What does it mean to be agile?
For me, agility is figuring out how to handle situations where you know the outcome you want, but are not sure about the best path to get there. Agile leaders are open to taking different paths to achieve a desired outcome. They are willing to put themselves in unfamiliar territory.
Why is learning agility valued in leaders?
The market is constantly changing and increasingly complex. Leaders need to be open to learning alongside their team as they take on and adjust to new challenges. If you want to be successful in the future, you can't rely on what has worked in the past.
Can you learn to become a more agile learner?
I think so but you need to be committed. Start by taking on an assignment that you would not typically want to handle. These assignments can sometimes result in the best insights. I also suggest seeking out new people to work with. You would be surprised how much you learn by being exposed to a different perspective.
Can you share an example from your career where being an agile learning benefited you?
As VSP Global's first Chief Marketing Officer, I was responsible for supporting all our lines of business, including Eyefinity which is a practice management technology business. There was a period of eight months when I had to step in and lead the Eyefinity team. Unfortunately, I didn't know anything about software. It was a difficult time that forced me to be very open with my team and enlist them to help me learn. In the end, I learned far more from the team than they learned from me.
Giving and receiving feedback is an important component of agile learning. Can you explain why?
Agile learning depends on self-awareness and being open to other people's views and feedback. This is important because only an outside observer knows how others perceive you. You may know how you intend to come across to others, but it may not match what others experience. Feedback offers an incredible opportunity to learn and to grow if you are agile enough to apply it.
Although important, giving and receiving feedback can be tough. What is your advice for delivering feedback to team members and peers?
It is tough, but extremely important. I recommend reading "Thanks for the Feedback" by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen. It makes the point that most of us are naturally not great at giving feedback so we should continually work on receiving and using feedback better. I also recommend asking someone if you can give them feedback before you do so. This way, they can tell you if it is a good time or not. It also lets you know if they're open to receiving feedback.
And receiving feedback?
A few tips I try to follow when receiving feedback:
Launching this fall, the Polaroid Sunglasses brand will release a free UV mobile app along with a UV sensor card that measures UV radiation for iPhones and the Apple Watch. Available from the iTunes store, the app which is also compatible with iPhones (iPhone 5, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus) as well as with iPads and iPod Touch, is aimed towards parents and alerts users when radiation reaches dangerous levels and offers information on polarized lenses and lens technology, including directions on where to purchase high quality Polaroid polarized sunglasses.
Knowing when radiation reached a dangerous level is especially important for parents because an average child's eyes get about three times more exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays compared to an average adult's. Children are more likely than adults to be outdoors, especially in the summer and on snow days. The need for protection increases as sand, snow, and water reflect UV light. On top of outdoor exposure, children's eyes are also more sensitive to UV rays than adults' because they are clearer and more delicate. Their pupils are also larger, allowing it to let more light through.
Exposure to UV radiation can lead to keratitis, an inflammation of the cornea that causes pain and itchiness. Wearing sunglasses that block 100 percent of UV rays and up to 96 percent of blue light is a simple, safe and cost-effective way to protect the eyes. The level of eye protection depends on the lens filter and material.
Polaroid Sunglasses 'Ultra-Sight polarized lenses let less than 1 percent of UV rays pass through up to 400 nanometers, exceeding the protection available in most other sunglass lenses available. UV400 lenses block all harmful UVA, UVB and UVC rays, eliminate glare and provide crisp, correct vision and accurate color perception. The core element is the polarizing light filter. UV light absorbers and shock-absorbing layers are fused to both sides of the lens so it's light, flexible and impact resistant. A scratch-resistant layer on both the outer surfaces completes the lens structure.
"We are committed to protecting children's and adults' eyes from the sun's damaging rays. Our eyes need to be equally protected from the sun as does our skin and UV-filtering lenses are of the utmost importance for children in particular," said Luisa Delgado, CEO of Safilo Group, the fully integrated Italian eyewear creator and worldwide distributor of Polaroid sunglasses.
Polaroid is a worldwide leader in eye care and optics and a pioneering international eyewear brand that owes its name to the invention of polarized lenses, changing the world of technology and optics.
Polaroid Sunglasses for adults and children are available at better optical, department store and sunglass specialty retailers.
See the video created for the Polaroid UV app here: https://youtu.be/dAisUNc2Mr0.
For more facts and eye care and eyewear advice, go to www.polaroideyewear.com/kids and www.polaroideyewear.com.
Safilo, an OWA Platinum Sponsor, is introducing a new eyewear collection — Kids by Safilo. It is a ground-breaking eyewear project devoted to 0-8 year olds, conceived for children's necessities, designed with a medical-scientific approach, and engineered with advanced technologies and materials.
The design of Kids by Safilo eyewear was guided by a clear understanding of children's unmet needs. On a global scale, one in every six children has visual defects, and approximately 15% of those refractive errors require prompt correction. For this reason, Safilo developed a unique collection designed to respond to the complex demands of children's eyewear, thereby improving children's quality of vision and their healthy development.
As the ideal blend of innovation and comfort, the new eyewear collection perfectly matches children's requirements and, at the same time, their parents' expectations. Through the collaboration with SIOP (the Italian Society of Pediatric Opthalmology) and in compliance with the design guidelines of WSPOS (World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus), Safilo has created a product with the adoption of a medical-scientific approach to meet the key needs of children's eyewear:
Safety: Frames are flexible, safe, and free from sharp surfaces and edges.
Comfort and Fit: Frames are lightweight and stable, thanks to the presence of a lower bridge and to the special design of the temples with a horizontal bend. Moreover, due to the enhanced design of the front, the lenses cover the children's entire field of vision, ensuring effective correction.
Resistance: Frames are made with flexible, stable, and washable materials to prevent them from becoming deformed or weakened.
Aesthetics: Frames are discreet on the child's face and almost invisible on the youngest ones. The collection is based on a dedicated color approach featuring a transparent front that complements the child's face.
The Kids by Safilo optical frames are made entirely in Italy and developed from light, safe, and bio-based materials: soft rubber moulded over the internal temple and bridge and high-performance polymers for the front and temples. These bio-compatible, hypoallergenic, non-toxic, and washable materials guarantee the safety of the product.
Attending VEW? If so, be sure to check out the Safilo Presents: Kids by Safilo presentation on Friday, September 18, from 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Speakers Include:
Register at www.visionexpowest.com/Safilo or call Vision Expo at 1.800.811.7151.
Back to: September 2015 : September 2015 Newsletter