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When most people think about innovation, they imagine sprints, whiteboards, late nights, and the relentless pace of deadlines. Whats often missing from this image are genuine acts of kindness and empathybut perhaps they should be at the center. As the leader of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a global youth STEM education community, Ive seen firsthand the power of Gracious Professionalism. This ethos is about more than producing quality work: Its about valuing othersteammates, competitors, and the broader communityand showing respect at every turn. Gracious Professionalism empowers everyone, regardless of role or tenure, to lift others up and help create a culture rooted in acceptance and shared success. While the term may sound gentle for the high-stakes world of science and technology, its influence is anything but passive. Gracious Professionalism demonstrates that even in a competitive corporate landscape, it is possibleand powerfulto lead with trust, respect, and a spirit of cooperation. Companies that embrace this mindset can gain a real edge in innovation, talent recruitment, and long-term success. The origin of Gracious Professionalism Gracious Professionalism was the vision of the late and much beloved Pappalardo Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, Woodie Flowers, PhD. He was also a distinguished advisor to FIRST and longtime collaborator and friend of Dean Kamen, FIRSTs founder and a lifelong inventor. Woodie believed deeply in the power of blending competition with kindness. His philosophy emphasizes striving for excellence while valuing others and treating everyoneteammates, competitors, and community memberswith respect. Today, Woodies legacy lives on through millions of FIRST participants and alumni. The mindset appears in small but powerful moments within our competitive youth robotics events, like when a team lends an opponent a spare part for a malfunctioning robot, or when a student pauses to encourage a teammate who is experiencing self-doubt. These everyday acts of support and empathy keep Woodies profound vision very much alive. From robotics to the real world As demand grows for durable skills like collaboration, resilience, and ethical leadership, Gracious Professionalism is more relevant than ever in the workplace. Ruhi Lankalapalli first encountered Gracious Professionalism as a FIRST participant. Today, as a manufacturing engineer at Medtronic, she credits this ethos with shaping her approach to work and leadership. Gracious Professionalism has shaped how I work and leadit has helped me build trust quickly, collaborate effectively, and stay focused on long-term success. Ive taken on many projects, spanning several teams at Medtronic, and maintaining the values of Gracious Professionalism has been crucial to building strong partnerships and finding common ground, she said. When I stepped into my current role in Medtronic, I was invited to join a major project within just two months. Though I was new to the position, I stood out because of how I collaborated with the team and embraced new challenges, which set me apart through the ways I support others and contribute to a stronger team culture. It shapes corporate culture The impact of Gracious Professionalism extends beyond individual growth. It builds organizational cultures rooted in trust, teamwork, continuous learning, and ethical decision making. The result? Greater innovation, stronger employee engagement, and long-term business success. Qualcomm, the global wireless technology company, is a longtime supporter of FIRST and has hired many program alumni who practice Gracious Professionalism in their everyday roles. Our employees who grew up participating in FIRST are known within Qualcomm for their ability to handle challenges with a positive attitude and a collaborative approach, said Angela Baker, vice president, corporate responsibility, and chief sustainability officer at Qualcomm. Their ability to balance competition with respect and kindness is consistent with our value of winning together. Their dedication to continuous improvement accelerates their own career growth while also contributing to our companys long-term innovation pipeline and their work ethic helps us deliver results. The impact of Gracious Professionalism Gracious Professionalism is not just about being kind: It is a strategic advantage. Employees who practice this ethos develop essential skills like collaboration, empathy, and creative problem-solving, making them invaluable contributors and culture-builders. In a world where agility and integrity are essential for businesses success, Gracious Professionalism proves that the most powerful path forward is one built on respect, excellence, and a collective drive to growtogether. Chris Moore is CEO of FIRST.
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E-Commerce
In 2006, as the modern sustainability movement gained momentum, I launched The Lazy Environmentalist on Sirius Satellite Radio. The shows premise was simple: Millions of people wanted to reduce their environmental impact, but not if it meant sacrifice or inconvenience. So we sought stories and solutions that elevated sustainabilitys appeal. Thats how I found Plasma Boy. Plasma Boy Two decades ago, Portland, Oregon, had a thriving drag racing scene. A city known for its progressive, artsy vibe was also home to legions of racing fans obsessed with speed. John Wayland, aka Plasma Boy, was one of them. His racing vehicle was a souped-up yet diminutive 1972 Datsun named The White Zombie, stuffed with forklift batteries inspired by his day job in a local warehouse. Plasma Boy had one of the fastest street-legal race cars in the country. I wanted to hear about it. Josh, you wouldnt believe it, he said, kicking off our interview. The other night I was at the track, and I blew the doors off a Corvette. Amazing! How did you do it? I asked. Eight hundred pounds of torque. Zero to 60 in under three seconds. But the best part? After the race, I walked up to the guy and asked how he liked getting beat by a car running on American-made energy. Thats when the phone lines lit up. Calls from across the country flooded in, but they werent from an environmentalist crowd. These were commercial truck drivers, traveling the nations highways, all asking the same thing: How could they convert their personal pickups and muscle cars to electric? They werent motivated to save the planet. They were drawn to speed, power, patriotism, and a healthy dose of self-reliance. In that moment, a simple truth crystallized for me: The key to solving climate change isnt hearts and minds; its outcomes and results. When solutions are desirable on their most obvious meritsstronger, faster, cheaper, you name itpeople want them, regardless of their views on the climate crisis. Thats the bar for success. Its how we get solar panels and batteries installed, bike lanes built, and EV school buses deployedall at speed and scale. It brings the low-carbon future closer, not as a moral imperative but as an enticing upgrade. Today, that lesson from Plasma Boy shows up with a greater frequency. Solar plus batteries Just ask Mary Powell, CEO of Sunrun. When we spoke on the Supercool podcast, she said it plainly: Most people arent waking up thinking, How do I save the planet today? Theyre thinking, How do I lower my bills? How do I keep the lights on? How do I get more control? That insight has been key to Sunruns transition from Americas largest rooftop solar company to its largest home battery installer. In Q1 of this year, Sunruns solar customers added 61% more battery storage, more than double the 2024 industry-wide average. Sunrun is leaning into the results and outcomes homeowners seek: control over costs and peace of mind when storms strike. The carbon reduction benefits are there, but secondary. City bike lanes The same dynamic applies in cities. Kyle Wagenschutz, partner at City Thread, has spent his career helping U.S. cities build protected bike lanes at a startling pace. He doesnt position bike lanes as an emissions reduction solution. He focuses on how they enhance peoples daily lives. As Kyle told me: Were not trying to convince people to love bikes. Were showing how bike infrastructure makes their lives better in ways they already care about. Wouldnt it be great if your commute were less stressful because bikes were in their own lane? Wouldnt it be great if your kid could walk to school safely just like you did growing up? For drivers, its about less stress and fewer distractions. For parents, it means more freedom and safety for their children. The result of elevating lifestyle benefits over climate urgency? Cities like Austin, Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Providence have rapidly expanded their bike networks, building hundreds of miles of bike lanes in months, instead of decades. EV school buses When it comes to school transportation, Ritu Narayan is running the same playbook. As CEO of Zum, Ritu is electrifying school buses across America, but she didnt start with climate as the hook. I have two children. Thats why the company was founded, said Ritu. Every single morning and afternoon, you feel the pain. If that system doesnt work, nothing else works. The pain point was a broken, outdated system. School districts were overspending on bloated diesel fleets and managing their operations with walkie-talkies, chalked curbs, and paper schedules. Zum fixes that by applying an AI-powered software layer to optimize routes and right-size fleets, thus eliminating waste and improving service. In Oakland, those efforts reduced the school bus fleet from 136 to 74 buses, operational gains that made electrification possible and now increasingly profitable. Last year, Oakland became the first major school district in the U.S. to adopt a 100% fully electric fleet, saving money while modernizing operations. For parents, that means safer, more reliable rides, real-time visibility, and cleaner air in their neighborhoods. As Ritu said, We started by making lives easier and saving districts money. Electrification follows from there. That translates into a better experience for everyone, climate benefits included. Josh Dorfman is CEO and host of Supercool.
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E-Commerce
New York Citys congestion pricing program has only been in place for a few months, but it’s already reduced traffic, increased public transit ridership, led to fewer delays for school busesand drawn the ire of President Donald Trump. Trump has taken steps to kill the program, but on Tuesday, a federal judge temporarily blocked that effort, keeping the toll program alive until at least early June. Congestion pricingwhich implements tolls on drivers who enter specific (and often gridlocked) areas of Manhattan in order to reduce traffic, lessen air pollution, and raise money for public transitwent into effect on January 5. In the first three months of the program, congestion pricing collected $159 millionfunds that will go toward badly needed transit upgrades, including infrastructure repairs and accessibility additions. It was the first program of its kind in the U.S., though congestion pricing has already been successful in cities like London, Stockholm, and Singapore. When Trump took office, his administration quickly took aim at congestion pricing. In February, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said he was revoking federal approval for the initiative. (Congestion pricing was approved under President Joe Biden.) The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which oversees congestion pricing, sued to block that move. Duffy then told New York Governor Kathy Hochul in April that if the state didnt end congestion pricing, it could see serious consequences, including withholding funding and approvals for highway projects beginning May 28. But a federal court judge in Manhattan has ruled to keep the program runninguntil at least June 9. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman issued a temporary restraining order to the Trump administrations efforts. Liman ruled that the Trump administration could not immediately kill congestion pricing, nor could it retaliate against the state by withholding DOT funding. Weve wonagain, Hochul said in a statement. Though Hochul delayed the implementation of congestion pricing in the summer of 2024, she has since become a supporter of the program, especially as it has come under attack by Trump. Congestion pricing, she says, is the solution for clearing up traffic, cleaning city air, and investing in public transit. So heres the deal: Secretary Duffy can issue as many letters and social media posts as he wants,” she added, “but a court has blocked the Trump administration from retaliating against New York for reducing traffic and investing in transit. The MTA’s lawsuit against the Trump administration will now decide the future of congestion pricing. Judge Liman, a Trump appointee, said in Tuesday’s ruling that New York “would suffer irreparable harm” without a restraining order against the Trump administration’s efforts to kill congestion pricing, the New York Times reported. Liman may issue a longer-term protective order beyond the June 9 date, per the Times. Congestion pricing imparts a $9 toll on drivers during peak hours in a zone that covers most of Manhattan below 60th street. In just one month of the program, the impact was undeniably positive, transit officials said. During afternoon peak hours, drivers in the entire congestion relief zone are seeing travel times drop up to 59%. As of February, weekday bus ridership had already grown 6%, while weekend ridership was up 21%, compared to January 2024. In May, a New York Times analysis looked at the impact further, citing how local buses, and school buses, were less delayed, car crash injuries were down, parking violations were down, and fire response times were also slightly down. Public support for congestion pricing has also been on the rise. Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director for the Riders Alliance, a nonprofit that supports public transit in New York City, echoed the governors statement that Judge Limans ruling was a victory for the city, and for transit riders specifically. Congestion relief is perfectly legal and thoroughly vetted. Opponents exhausted all plausible arguments against the program and now the increasingly outlandish theories are falling flat too, he said in a statement. “We are eager to keep saving time on the bus and look forward to more reliable and accessible subways thanks to this policy that continues to win support.”
Category:
E-Commerce
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