Hasta La Gadget!

When they’re not charging their opponents, one women’s rugby team is tackling the body love revolution.

Members of the Harvard Women’s Rugby team shot a series of photographs celebrating body love and acceptance featured on their Tumblr blog, Rugged Grace.

Over the course of two days in May 2014, the women photographed themselves at the Kundalini Yoga Boston studio. The team decided to celebrate body love by sharing what they loved about each woman’s body and personality, and writing those messages on each others’ skin.

“The project was inspired by the amazing body positivity and acceptance that we saw on our team,” rising senior Helen Clark told The Huffington Post in an email. “It’s so refreshing to see a group of women being proud of the strength they’ve achieve through hours of training, and to see them celebrating the physical manifestations of that strength. While many female athletes struggle to balance societal expectations that say women should be small and delicate with the expectation that athletes need to be strong, our team has created a culture that celebrates every kind of body.”

Shelby Lin, a player who graduated this summer, told The Huffington Post that the process reaffirmed the appreciation the team members had for each other:

We simply asked our teammates to write what they loved about each other, and refrained from giving much direction or expectations. From that there was an outpouring of appreciation about each others bodies, attitudes, and characters. I didn’t expect the process to be so emotional, but after each day I felt full of pride for the women involved and how much we respect both ourselves and each other.

Outgoing senior Xanni Brown told HuffPost how playing rugby has made her more aware of the body image pressures women face, and equipped her with the tools to withstand them.

“This team didn’t ask me to change anything about myself, just to love my teammates exactly as they were too,” she wrote in an email. “I hadn’t even really realized before then how many messages I was getting — that all girls get — about ways they should change.”

According to Clark, the team is hopeful that their images will inspire other women to love their bodies as they are.

“We are hoping that people will be inspired by the photographs to celebrate their own strength and to recognize the beauty of the women in their lives,” she told HuffPost. “We want to send the message that women’s bodies are not merely decorations for billboards and magazine advertisements, but rather the physical presentation of strong, powerful people.”

See more of these inspiring images on the original Tumblr.

What, exactly, does the United States stand for in the Middle East? More important, what would the average Iraqi, Syrian, Egyptian or Yemeni say that it stands for? The suggestion that the United States is retrenching might seem absurd, given that Yemenis can hear the buzz of drones overhead. The notion that the United States is in the business of supporting democratic pluralism might clash with their reading of our Egypt strategy or our will-they-or-won’t-they waffling over whether to actively support Syrian opposition fighters. Day by day, with chaos blossoming, it becomes clearer that if we do have a strategic narrative for the Middle East, we certainly have not articulated it effectively. In marketing terms, we are not making the sale.

Other nations could be forgiven for failing to grasp our priorities and values. “Don’t do stupid [stuff] “ may make sense to the American public, but it means little to the rest of the world, and it means nothing to those vulnerable to the evangelism of groups such as the Islamic State, now choosing between the difficult work of politics and the terrible promise of jihad. What role will U.S. foreign policy play in their choice? Have they come to see U.S. power as a threat? Or have they seen firsthand the capacity of U.S. aid workers, nongovernmental organizations and men and women in uniform to serve as partners in their aspirations for a better life? If we don’t think seriously about the way our strategy plays out in the eyes and lives of such people — if we don’t think about the narrative — we will lose them for a generation.

This cuts to the core of the policy challenges we face in Iraq and Syria. Many wonder, with good reason, how we can reliably identify moderates to arm and aid, questioning whether today’s moderates will turn out to be tomorrow’s extremists. We know with certainty, though, that the Islamic State and militant groups like it will fill their ranks with those who have been given no reason to trust in politics, let alone nonviolence. Preventing radicalization is difficult; de-radicalizing hard-line believers is nearly impossible. So it is smart for nations such as the United States, Turkey and Jordan to build relationships with resistance leaders and invest in them as a tool to preempt extremism.

The United States, acting in coalition with regional partners, should offer a better choice. Our commitment to this narrative must be active, visible and credible, keeping in mind that the prison at Guantanamo Bay hobbles our pitch, as torture did, and as the drone campaign threatens to do if it is not better justified. It’s not enough for U.S. policymakers to come down from the mountain with stone tablets bearing the words “pluralism,” “rule of law” and “human rights.”

While Adm. Mike Mullen was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he assigned two staff members the task of drafting a new U.S. strategy. The result was “A National Strategic Narrative,” released publicly by the Wilson Center in 2011. We protected the identities of its authors under the pseudonym Mr. Y, a nod to George Kennan’s outline for containment in his iconic “X-article.” That narrative seems prescient now for its description of the new strategic environment — first and foremost, because it emphasized the need to work with other nations to design a common approach in an open world. The narrative rightly declared an end to an order in which the United States could seek control and the beginning of a system in which we would need to compete for influence. We need a foreign policy that reflects the bold clarity of these findings.

The goal is a strategy shaped together with the Middle Eastern world: leaders and peoples alike, borrowing the best impulses of the bottom-up Arab Spring and the traditionally top-down U.S. approach to engagement. Our promise to the Middle East must be one in which collaboration helps the people of the region achieve shared values by a route of their own choice. Make no mistake: We risk losing the argument. The Islamic State is mastering information warfare; it has a savvy Twitter presence and a glossy newsletter that highlights battlefield successes alongside — of all things — the work of its consumer protection authority. It has declared a hasty, heady victory in pursuit of its ultimate goal: the 7th-century caliphate restored. Its message has gained a frighteningly broad ­following.

What to do? Many perceive drones plus “don’t do stupid [stuff]” is our foreign policy, and it certainly isn’t an adequate narrative. For every jihadist our airstrikes might kill, left behind are scores of Iraqis and Syrians whose only contact with the United States came by way of a Hellfire missile. Instead, we need a “track two” surge, a dynamic partnership with Middle Eastern citizens seeking stability, economic growth and freedom from corruption. Such a surge would be international, drawing on the interests of neighboring states in preventing the spread of extremism. It would also be a whole-government initiative, drawing on considerable U.S. resources in the field of peace-building.

The United States must put itself forward as the partner of choice, offering a narrative of forward movement and a genuine lifeline to those slipping into the grasp of jihad.

This piece originally appeared in The Washington Post.

What do an architect, a stand-up comedian, a professional volleyball player, and a hedge fund manager have in common?

They were all hired away from promising careers in their respective fields by a creative agency named after a breakfast food. See, at Omelet, we believe that reform-minded individuals with diverse backgrounds, let’s call them the misfits, are the ones who can help you accelerate change and evolve faster than your competitors.

As access to new technologies, data streams, capital, and sales tools become increasingly commoditized; your greatest competitive strengths will lie in your people. And when you’re in the business of ideas, as we are, you win by providing better solutions to the problems – old and new – that keep your stakeholders up at night. In order to stand out in a crowded field, you have to approach these problems differently, with a fresh perspective. You have to provide insights and ideas that others in your line of work oversee. And that’s where the misfits shine.

That architect I mentioned? We hired her three years ago, with no marketing experience whatsoever, because we saw value in applying her critical reasoning skills to our client service model. Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “Surgeons can bury their mistakes, but we architects have to cover ours with ivy.” That kind of lateral thinking can fulfill a real need in an organization like ours. Add to that a great sense of humor and a natural ease with clients, and it’s no surprise that this former architect is one of our rising stars.

How about that stand-up comic? Like the architect, he had zero experience in our business. In fact, he was moonlighting at a bakery when he walked in off the street and told our receptionist, “My super powers are creating ideas, connecting with people, and parallel parking.” With that one brilliant line, he got an impromptu interview with a Creative Director, and was eventually hired as a copywriter. By demonstrating a natural aptitude for storytelling, a hunger to learn, and a relentlessly positive attitude, he beat out dozens of more experienced candidates.

So the question becomes, how can the next generation of industry leaders apply this misfit math to a unique business model, structure, and culture? Here are three lessons we’ve learned from our own experiences, both good and bad, and the wisdom of some pretty smart folks:

1. Hire for personality

As Richard Branson has proven so relentlessly, year after year, decade after decade, you can build an enduring empire on the shoulders of great personality. “The first thing to look for when searching for a great employee is somebody with a personality that fits with your company culture. Most skills can be learned, but it is difficult to train people on their personality.” Well said, Richard. We always evaluate talent with an eye for those fearless, entrepreneurial personalities that can thrive in our culture of organized chaos. It’s difficult to glean from a resume, but the ability to step into punches, pivot quickly, and celebrate both successes and failures is more important to us than pedigree.

2. Hire for unexpected compatibility

Out-thinking the competition requires the right mix of left-and-right-brain characteristics; of art and science; of strategy and creativity. Samar Birwadker, Founder and CEO of Good.Co, is a vocal proponent of hiring people who are the exact opposite of those team members they’ll be working with. We love this odd couple philosophy, and are constantly tinkering with our lineups to find untapped value. What happens when you pair up an MFA with an MBA, or a Hollywood writer with a hard-science analyst? You won’t know until you try, and the results might surprise you.

3. Hire for aptitude over experience

Marina Gorbis, the brilliant futurist and Executive Director of the Institute for the Future (IFTF), recently said, “Don’t give people job descriptions. Instead give them a new canvas on which to create. Job descriptions narrow the scope of what great people are capable of doing.” We couldn’t agree more. We are always on the lookout for the best athletes, regardless of what position, or even which sport they’re playing right now. And when we find them, we don’t just create roles for them – we create roles with them. So long as they’re motivated, can learn quickly, and, above all else, are willing to put the needs of the team above their own, we’ll give them a shot.

Visionary leaders who understand how to create a culture on collective personality, rather than on a cult of their own personality, have succeeded in large part by hiring smarter than their competitors and developing a bench of unconventional yet exceptional talent. For proof of concept, look no further than Tony Hsieh, who grew Zappos into the retail juggernaut it is today by recruiting, in his own words, those who are a “a little weird somehow,” and letting their true personalities shine with not only their co-workers, but also their customers.

In our current innovation economy, forward-looking organizations, outliers by their very nature, embrace the idea that when you’re on an island, each and every individual has a huge influence on the community – so culture, compatibility, and chemistry become vital to survival.

At Omelet, our island is one of misfit toys, and the hiring practices I’ve outlined here have been instrumental in attracting and retaining (our voluntary turnover sits under 5% annually) an incredibly talented bench of strategic and creative insurgents who were stifled in more traditional structures. Admittedly, they’re not for everyone, but that’s kind of the point, isn’t it?

The ladies of Fifth Harmony have some serious words of appreciation for Demi Lovato.

The breakout girl group, which formed on season two of “The X Factor USA,” stopped by HuffPost Live on Thursday to discuss their new single, “BO$$,” and explained why Lovato had earned that prestigious title.

“To be honest, she’s a real boss. She’s a real boss with dollar signs,” said 5H member Dinah Jane Hansen.

The girls applauded Lovato, who has been a vocal supporter of marriage equality and other advocacy campaigns, for her confidence in her convictions.

“She just stands up for everything she believes in, wholeheartedly,” Lauren Jauregui added.

The group, which wrapped a tour with Lovato earlier this year and is now on the road with Austin Mahone, also chatted about their latest album.

“It’s definitely a bit more sassy and rhythmic and, I don’t know, sexy in a way,” Ally Brooke Hernandez said of the album, which is slated to drop later this year. “But it’s also something that we can all really relate to. And it ranges from fun and girl-empowering to vulnerable. So it’s pretty different.”

Watch the full HuffPost Live interview with Fifth Harmony here:

The goal of this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival was to focus on the future and envision the year 2024. I ended the festival by attending a panel of women who were asked to present their big idea for women and girls over the next 10 years. The ideas presented were bold and inspiring. It encouraged me to think on a larger scale and articulate one big idea for our world in 2024.

So, here it is. I want to see a large and vocal movement of allies who are standing alongside transgender people and helping to create a just world where members of trans and gender non-conforming communities no longer face stigma and violence and have the same opportunities as everyone else.

We have done a pretty good job of advancing public attitudes on gay and lesbian issues, in large part due to enlisting allies. Think David Boise, Madonna and President Obama. But I would argue we have not done the same for our trans brothers and sisters. There are 32 states where gender non-conforming people can legally be fired from their jobs. Transgender people face much higher rates of poverty, violence, unemployment and homelessness than their straight, or even gay, counterparts. Transgender women are often uninsured, and nearly one in two transgender women of color in New York City can expect to test HIV positive in her lifetime.

Let me start by saying that I am an ally. As a lesbian, this may sound strange because in the LGBT community, “ally” usually refers to a person who is heterosexual but supports LGBT rights. I am an ally because I am a cisgender woman (i.e. my experience of my own gender matches my assigned gender at birth) who presents feminine, and I support transgender justice. My partner is transgender. I see the stark difference between the way the world treats me and the way the world treats her. That treatment is wrong and must stop.

The trans community knows this and has been demanding justice for years. Janet Mock, Laverne Cox and others have reached large numbers of people through the media with this message, but where are the high profile, vocal allies? It is our turn to step up and join this fight, raising our voices to demand equality and justice for people who defy the gender binaries and sometimes risk everything, including their lives, to simply be who they are.

As the Executive Director of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City, I work with and on behalf of trans individuals of all demographics. I feel privileged to know them and am inspired by their authenticity. But I hear far too many stories of trans people struggling with poverty, being discriminated against, or even being murdered.

We need to honor these courageous individuals, and ask them what they want from us as allies. Then we need to really listen and then act. I am sure there are many others who have had their lives touched in some way by a transgender or gender non-conforming person, as I have. If you are one of these people, I urge you to come out of the closet, so to speak, and share your love, your stories and your passionate support of the trans community and their right to thrive. Who’s with me?