Do You Not Hear What I Don't Hear?

As communication specialists, my colleagues and I will get caught up with words and punctuation quite often. Which word should we use here? Should that be a dash or an ellipsis?

But as humans, we are constantly communicating nonverbally and often without even thinking about it.

Now there are specialists out there who can tell you what crossing your legs or rubbing your nose means, but I am more interested nonverbal cues a bit higher up – specifically eye contact.

I’ve run a little experiment several mornings while trying to make a left-hand turn onto a busy street during morning rush hour. Wearing my sunglasses, car after car will pass me by. But if I take the glasses off and make direct eye contact with the driver of the car about to pass me, I have a pretty good chance of someone letting me. Though I have caught a few cold drivers notice my eye contact and veer away quickly to pretend they didn’t see me.

Clearly I’ve mastered the exclamation point of eye contact. Now for that elusive dash/ellipsis gradient …

-- Alicia

The Power of Determination

For as long as we’ve known her, we at Lilja have believed Mary Ann Blade, CEO of Minnesota Visiting Nurse Agency (MVNA), to have magical powers to move barriers on behalf of MVNA’s clients – 90 percent of whom fall below the poverty line. As we found out at her retirement party, her staff also has witnessed the power of Mary Ann’s will and determination to perform the seemingly impossible.

From programs that help pregnant and parenting teens be the best parents they can be, to helping a senior citizen sort through a shoebox full of medicines, her innovation and leadership has left an indelible mark on our community. And at the heart of it all is a woman who has worked tirelessly to make a difference.

After 20 years, Mary Ann celebrated her last day at MVNA Feb. 13. The Star Tribune's Warren Wolfe recently sat down with Mary Ann to discuss the agency’s history and Mary Ann’s future plans.

I’ve had the honor of following many MVNA nurses as they make their rounds visiting clients’ homes where they are welcomed with open arms and a friendly smile. They are just as determined as Mary Ann to make life better, brighter and easier for their clients.

Congratulations, Mary Ann, and the entire MVNA team, on all your accomplishments!

-- Alicia

As the News Media Evolves, Print Still Shows Signs of Life

Last week, Apple and News Corporation launched the iPad-only news app: The Daily. Its mission: “to provide the best news experience by combining world-class storytelling with the unique interactive capabilities of the iPad.”

As an owner of an iPad, I have enjoyed seeing how traditional outlets have adapted their product to this revolutionary device. Naturally, the arrival of The Daily comes with great curiosity and excitement, especially as many traditional media outlets – particularly print – are in survival mode.

But while many print publications are seeing a decline in readership, one is experiencing remarkable growth.

Long-time Lilja client Game Informer magazine reported a six-month average paid circulation of 5,073,003 in the December 2010 Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) Fas-Fax Report released Feb. 7, 2011.

Of the top 25 consumer titles by total paid and verified circulation listed in the report, Game Informer saw the largest increase of 33 percent since December 2009. Game Informer now ranks as the fifth largest consumer magazine in the United States.

As Game Informer publisher Cathy Preston explained: “Our growth exceeds industry expectations for a print magazine – especially when you consider that 62 percent of our subscribers are from the hard-to-reach 18 to 34-year-old male demographic.”

Congratulations, Game Informer.

-- Alex Cook

The Wall

I learned to ski when I was seven. It wasn’t a question of whether or not I would ski, or even if I liked to ski. It was a given; everyone skied in our family, including my mother, who gamely learned to ski after she started dating my father in college.
 

So when my father took me to the top of Mt. Normandale (now Hyland Hills) and showed me approximately how to get down, I followed him, scared all the way. 

After conquering my early fears, I learned to love skiing. I mean REALLY LOVE IT. I married a good skier and between us, we raised three good skiers. Year after year, we returned to our favorite family ski area, Snowmass at Aspen. But there was one part of the mountain I avoided: the dreaded Wall and Hanging Valley Glades, all of it double black territory.

So let me tell you why, after 48 years of skiing, I decided to ski that part of the mountain. One could say it took me that long to build up my courage. But I was not confident; I was scared. My husband told me that I would have at least one moment of oh sh**, I can’t do this, and I did. It hit me while standing at the very top of the steepest slope I have ever skied. The moguls were the size of my VW Beetle. The hill was vertical. Literally straight down. 

Scared, I “hacked” my way down it. I did not fall. As I strung together more imperfect turns, my confidence grew. And when we made our way down steep chutes filled with trees, I started to have fun.

Life is like that: we face many obstacles, some of them planned, others unknown. But in that moment of facing our fear, we realize we can do it. We’re not in charge, but we can make a turn, and then another, and soon, we realize we have made it down the mountain. 

I may not ski those slopes again, but now I know I can. It is good to know.

23^rd Anniversary--Time flies!

Today marks the 23^rd anniversary of Lilja Inc. I founded the company when I was 32, mother of three young children under the age of six. Now I’m 55, mother of three young adults. Thanks to everyone I’ve met along the way – those who have been our clients, and those who have worked here – you have made our success and longevity possible. 

 -- Mary Lilja