Amir's blogg

Look at yourself and Look forward

2010-07-19T02:40:00.000-07:00

If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.
Henry Ford

By living your life with the goal that every action you take has to move you forward, you will quickly see possibilities which you never saw before. Your mind will seek out new opportunities to move you forward.

I am sure we all have friends or family members who either spend their time at best, standing still, or at worse, going backwards in life.

Look at your life now, compared to how it was 5 years ago. Have you gone backwards, stood still or moved forward? If it’s the first two, then it’s time to shift your view of life!

Let’s look at which areas of your life you should shake up.
Family
Are you spending enough time with them? What can you do to bring more balance in your life?

Health
Over the last few years have you gained a few extra pounds? In moving forward could you change your eating habits?

Social
To move forward in life it helps to meet new people and experience new things. Can you widen your social horizons?

Relationships
Are there relationships in your life which are holding you back? Do you need to develop new relationships?

Goals
Do you know where you want to be in 5 or 10 years time? To progress in life you have to have clear goals.

Wealth
Money, or the lack of it, can hold you back. Put a plan in place which will provide a financial nest egg for the future.

Career
What are your career goals? Do you see yourself in the same role in 5 years? If not, what do you have to do to plan your next move?

Belief
How you see yourself, your thought? Exactly your belief can make your dream comes
true..

Life must be understood backwards; but... it must be lived forward.
Soren Kierkegaard

Take some time out to look at where you are now.
Decide that all your actions should now to be framed with the aim of moving forward.
Remember, go anywhere as long as it’s forward!

How to Boost your Self Esteem

2010-07-03T04:08:00.000-07:00

(10 Ways to Boost Your Self Esteem)

"Enthusiasm finds the opportunities, and energy makes the most of them."
-- Henry Hoskins

"You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face, and show the world all the love in your heart."
-- Carole King

1. Be Positive. encouraging statements. Repeat them constantly and your mind will act on them. Work at feeling good about yourself and become more self-reliant. YOU are a capable person! Don't allow those inner voices to convince you otherwise.

2. Build your confidence by picturing yourself accomplishing something, you have always wanted to do. Close your eyes and see every detail of how you would behave, how you feel about achieving it and how others respond to it. Now put it into action and when you achieve it you will feel elated.

3. Keep a journal. Write down your feelings and thoughts about situations and determine how you could make them better by looking at them in a different way. You will learn more about yourself and how you react to certain situations so you can stop and turn them around.

4. Be optimistic. When you catch yourself being a pessimist STOP! Think about all the good points that can be made about the situation and realize that any situation can be turned around easily to a positive one if your willing to try.

5. Establish goals based on what you can realistically achieve. Take it one step at a time and encounter any problems as a learning experience and keep on going until you reach it. Perfectionism is not necessary and invites stress and failure. Avoid it!

6. Self Belief Rely on your own opinions of yourself and not what others think. Base your life goals on your values and not those of others. You are the only person who can say what is right for you!

7. Lighten-up, don't take things so seriously or personally. Try to see the humor in everything. Your perspective will completely change if you look at things from a serious and humorous point of view.

8. Kill negativity. When you notice you are having doubts or judging yourself, STOP! Tell yourself, I can do it! I am a good person and I can do anything I put my mind to. You have the power to control your inner critic, don't allow it to control you.

9. Spare time for yourself Take at least 30 minutes a day for yourself. Use it to read, take a walk, meditate or pamper yourself. You will be better prepared to deal with problems and find solutions from the time you spend in solitude.

10. Relax in a chair, close your eyes and remember the last time you really laughed. Try to get that same feeling by imagining that its happening right now.

How to be a good manager

2009-10-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

Most people know in broad terms what a manager is, although usually they cannot define it exactly. But to ask them what managers do is to invite scores of different answers. Today what they are not is “bosses” who just order workers what to do. Rather they are team leaders and work with their team to achieve common objectives. Not everyone who has “manager” in their job title is a manager. Some people are given the title to make them look more important to a firm’s customers. For example some businesses call every sales person a “sales manager”.

On the other hand there are management jobs that do not have “manager” in the job title – such as an orchestral conductor, the leader of a Himalayan climbing expedition, or a commissioned officer in the armed forces. The work of managers can be broken down under six main headings. Firstly they set their team’s objectives. Then they must organise, by working out what needs to be done and allocate people to these tasks. Thirdly they must communicate lucidly so that each person understands what they are responsible for. They must also motivate each person in the team to give their willing effort.

They must set targets for their team. And finally they must develop the knowledge and skills of the individuals in their team. That looks a pretty daunting list. But if you look at a simple example it becomes less alarming. Imagine that you plan a long weekend away with several friends and they ask you to lead it. Your objectives will be where you go, when, how you get there, what you intend to do when you are there and what type of accommodation you want. You must decide who is responsible for booking travel, accommodation and so on and make it clear who does what. You may need to chase some people to make sure they complete their tasks by the agreed time. You might also have to show someone how to read a timetable, or use a map and compass to navigate across country, or make a youth hostel booking. And you will need to get everyone to agree to the plan and their individual tasks if the trip is to be a success.

LeaderHard work yes, but not too daunting if you can focus everyone’s energy and skills to the task in hand. The other thing you must always remember is that you as the leader carry the responsibility, even if other team members let you down.

Team MakerEverybody in a team must work to the same aims, otherwise there is chaos – these objectives must be set by the manager. This usually involves dealing with other managers in the organization because most functions depend on one another. For example, a sales manager should not aim to sell more than the production department can make, or the IT manager aim to computerise the firm’s accounts without consulting the managers in the affected departments. The manager should also let his or her own team have their say in case they spot any problems or can suggest better ways

is the manager’s responsibility to ensure that everyone gets appropriate training and experience to remain on top of their job. This may involve identifying people’s training needs and letting the training department do the training, but sometimes the manager must train people. Training and development is not only important to ensure the job is done as well as it can be, but it is also a great motivator of people.

knowledgeableFrom the above it looks as if managers have a lot to do. But some of these tasks – such as setting objectives, work organisation, setting targets and identifying training needs might take only a very few weeks in the year. Managers spend most of their time sorting out problems, communicating with people and especially enthusing their team members. And good managers never forget that the collective knowledge and experience of their team members is almost always far greater than their own – so they avoid arrogance. of doing things. Once agreed, the manager lets every team member know what the objectives are, clearly and
without ambiguity.

Clear ObjectiveThe manager must work out what needs to be done to achieve the objectives, breaking down the work into individual tasks, and selecting people to perform each job. This means allocating the work by matching the skills and experience of individuals to the needs of each particular job. It also means using materials, tools and so on as efficiently and economically as possible.

CommunicatorA key management skill is the ability to communicate. This is not just “telling” people what to do, however clearly. Managers listen to their team, encourage their ideas and, where practical, adopt these into the plan. They also offer reassurance if members of the team have any worries or concerns. And if a team’s ideas cannot be incorporated in the plan, the manager should explain why, but still let the team know that its contribution was valuable. It is better to persuade than to tell. Another important element of communication is creating trust. A manager has to be honest or lose the respect of the team. Managers should not bluff. If they do not know something they should say so – and offer to find out. If they promise to do something, they should always do it or explain why they were unable to do it. And if they make a mistake they need the courage to say “I was wrong” and to apologise. Once a manager loses the trust of the team he or she can never successfully lead that team again.

Motivator How a manager communicates is an important part of motivating the team. The things that motivate people at work are that their job offers interest and challenge, that their contribution is recognised, that they have the opportunity to develop their careers – though training, practicing new skills and hopefully through promotion. Contrary to what some people will tell you, all these are more important than more money. Something as simple as a smile and a “well done” can work wonders. Good managers also inspire their colleagues. They are always optimists in front of their team – however pessimistic they are in private. If there are problems, such as a sudden inrush of work, they don’t tell their team to work harder but roll up their own sleeves and get stuckin. And if someone makes a mistake, good managers don’t say: “You have a problem. What are you going to do about it?” They say: “We have a problem, what shall we do to solve it?”

Clear TargetsHaving set objectives for the team, and organised the work that needs to be done to achieve them, the manager must monitor progress. This is done by setting targets both for the team and often for individuals within the team. The manager can then measure what is happening against these targets and inform both the team and higher management. This monitoring helps to highlight any problems that may occur before they become serious.

GroomerJobs are changing at an exhilarating pace. So skills and knowledge soon get out of date unless they are regularly updated. It is the manager’s responsibility to ensure that everyone gets appropriate training and experience to remain on top of their job. This may involve identifying people’s training needs and letting the training depa rtment do the training, but sometimes the manager must train people. Training and development is not only important to ensure the job is done as well as it can be, but it is also a great
motivator of people.

Brain StormingFrom the above it looks as if managers have a lot to do. But some of these tasks – such as setting objectives, work organisation, setting targets and identifying training needs might take only a very few weeks in the year. Managers spend most of their time sorting out problems, communicating with people and especially enthusing their team members. And good managers never forget that the collective knowledge and experience of their team members is almost always far greater than their own – so they avoid arrogance

Effective negotiation

2009-10-01T03:28:00.000-07:00

In this economy, being able to close important deals and negotiate better prices and terms is more essential than ever. But if you’re worried that being a good negotiator means having to fight dirty, you’re wrong – a negotiation should be an opportunity for give and take that results in a win-win situation for the participants involved. Learning how to negotiate effectively can help you achieve these winning results while strengthening business relationships.

Start improving your negotiation skills with these dos and don’ts:

Don’t appear needy.People can smell desperation. This will weaken your position and allow opponents to get you to make too large a concession or give too deep a discount.

Don’t take it personally.Getting your emotions involved will cloud your ability to make sound arguments and judgments. To keep yourself from losing your cool, think of yourself as a professional deal maker who will not be personally affected by the outcome of the negotiation. Take your emotions out of the equation.

Be prepared to walk away.Being able to say “no” and mean it ensures you don’t end up making a bad deal. Before going into negotiations – and before your emotions and the heat of the moment become part of the mix – set your walk-away point. Then if the terms offered do not match up to your expectations, walk away. This not only strengthens your position, it will also win you some respect.

Don’t force it.By dragging out negotiations that are going nowhere, you’re wasting time and causing a lot of frustration. By pressuring your opponents to make an agreement they don’t want or can’t afford to make, you’re creating bad feelings that could lead to mistrust and a wary working relationship. Remember, it’s about give and take, and when neither party is willing to budge, the negotiation is over.

Further, like many things in life, it’s beneficial to:

Do your research.Good negotiators come prepared. They find out what their opponent’s needs and wants are and what competitors can offer. They anticipate objections so they can counter them with arguments or other concessions.

Practice, practice, practice.Like anything else, getting good at negotiating requires practice. Develop your confidence by practicing whenever you have the chance, whether it’s at a flea market or at home with your family members. Get used to negotiating in your daily life.

Ask for it.Many people dislike negotiating because they feel embarrassed or scared asking for things they want. But if you don’t ask for something, you’ll rarely, if ever, get it. In fact, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you can get if you ask for it. If the answer is “no,” then you have a starting point for your negotiations.

Those who are good at negotiating usually enjoy it. So don’t dread or fear negotiations. See it as a fun exchange, a battle of skills, practice grounds for future negotiations, and more importantly, as a way to build up the client-vendor relationship and win terms, prices and deals that are advantageous for you and your business.

Urgent vs Important

2009-09-24T01:35:00.000-07:00

Use Time Effectively, Not Just Efficiently

Time stressors are some of the most pervasive sources of pressure and stress in the workplace, and they happen as a result of having too much to do in too little time.

With this kind of pressure all too common, effective time management is an absolute necessity.
You probably use a day-planner and to-do list to manage your time.
These tools are certainly helpful, but they don't allow you to drill down to one of the most essential elements of good time management: distinguishing between what is important and what is urgent.

Great time management means being effective as well as efficient. Managing time effectively, and achieving the things that you want to achieve, means spending your time on things that are important and not just urgent.

To do this, and to minimize the stress of having too many tight deadlines,

We need to distinguish clearly between what is urgent and what is important

Important activities have an outcome that leads to the achievement of your goals.

Urgent activities demand immediate attention, and are usually associated with the achievement of someone else's goals, or with an uncomfortable problem or situation that needs to be resolved.

Urgent activities are often the ones we concentrate on.
These are the "squeaky wheels that get the grease."
They demand attention because the consequences of not dealing with them are immediate.

The Urgent vs Important Matrix is a useful tool for thinking about this.

How to Use the Tool:

The Urgent/Important Matrix is a powerful way of thinking about priorities.
Using it helps you overcome the natural tendency to focus on urgent activities, so that you can keep enough time clear to focus on what's really important.
This is the way you move from "firefighting", into a position where you can grow your business and your career.

The matrix is drawn as shown in figure 1, with dimensions of Importance and Urgency.

How to use this matrix to prioritize your activities:
Firstly, list all of the activities and projects you feel you have to do.
Try to include everything that takes up your time at work, however unimportant.
If you manage your time using an Action Program, you'll already have done this.

Next, assign importance to each of the activities –
you can do this on, say, a scale of 1 to 5: Remember, this is a measure of how important the activity is in helping you meet your goals and objectives.
Try not to worry about urgency at this stage, as this helps get to the true importance.

Once you have assigned importance to each activity, evaluate the urgency of each activity.
As you do this, you can plot the listed items on the matrix according to the assigned importance and urgency.

Now study the matrix using the guidelines below, and schedule your work according to your priorities.

Urgent and Important ("Critical Activities"):
There are two distinct types of urgent and important activities: Ones that you could not foresee, and others that you have left to the last minute.

You can avoid the latter by planning ahead and avoiding procrastination.

Issues and crises, on the other hand, cannot always be foreseen or avoided. Here, the best approach is to leave some time in your schedule to handle these. Also, if a major crisis arises, some other activity may have to be rescheduled.

If this happens, identify which of you urgent-important activities could have been foreseen and think about how you could schedule similar activities ahead of time, so they do not become urgent.

Urgent and Not Important ("Interruptions"):
Urgent but not important activities can be a constant source of interruption. They stop you achieving your goals and completing your work. Ask yourself whether these tasks can be rescheduled, or whether someone else could do them.

A common source of such interruptions is from other people coming into your office.
Sometimes it's appropriate to say "No" to people, or encourage them to solve the problem themselves.
Alternatively, try allocating time when you are available, so that people only interrupt you at certain times (a good way of doing this is to schedule a regular meeting so that all issues can be dealt with at the same time).
By doing this, the flow of work on your important activities will be less disrupted.

Not Urgent, but Important ("Important Goals"):
These are the activities that you can plan ahead for to achieve your goals and complete your work.
Make sure that you have plenty of time to achieve these, so that they do not become urgent.
And remember to leave enough time in your schedule to deal with unforeseen problems.
This will maximize your chances of keeping on schedule, and help you avoid the stress of work becoming more urgent that necessary.

Not Urgent and Not Important ("Distractions"):
These activities are just a distraction, and should be avoided if possible.
Some can simply be ignored. Others are activities that other people want you to do, but they do not contribute to your own desired outcomes.
Again, say "No" politely and firmly where this is appropriate.

If people see you are clear about your objectives and boundaries, they will often not ask you to do "not important" activities in future.

Create SMART Goals

2009-09-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Create SMART Goals
Internationally renowned business philosopher Jim Rohn says, "We want to set the goals that our heart conceives, that our mind believes and that our bodies will carry out." We are intelligent beings and as intelligent beings we need to have

SMART goals. The acronym S.M.A.R.T. outlines the set of criteria that your goal must follow in order for it to be a well-focused and achievable goal. That set of criteria is:

Specific: Do you know exactly what you want to accomplish with all the details?
Measurable: Are you able to assess your progress?
Attainable: Is your goal within your reach given your current situation?
Relevant: Is your goal relevant towards your purpose in life?
Time-Sensitive: What is the deadline for completing your goal?

Create Specific Goals
Jack Canfield in his book, The Success Principles, states that "Vague goals produce vague results." There is no place in your life for vague goals. Your subconscious mind will fulfill whatever it focuses on and if your goals are ambiguous or incomplete, then you will achieve results that are also ambiguous or incomplete. You want to make your goal as detailed as possible in order to achieve the specific results that you desire. A specific goal is one that is clearly defined in such a way that anyone could come by and understand what you intend to accomplish. Your goal should contain a detailed description of what you want to accomplish; when you want to accomplish it by; and the action(s) you will take to accomplish it.

Bad Thought: "I want to write a book."

Good Thought: "I want to write a book on time management that is at least 200 pages in length and have it done by December 16th. I'll commit myself to writing at least 2pages every workday until I reach completion."

Create Measurable Goals
Always set goals that are measurable in some way. You need to establish a measuring stick for assessing the progress towards your goals because if you can't measure it, you can't manage it. A good measurable goal will be one where anyone can come up to you at the deadline and, by viewing the results, determine whether or not you have completed your goal. You also want to be able to see the progressive changes that you make on your goal so that you can judge whether or not you are reaching the completion of your goal. Select a standard unit of measurement that will enable you to see exactly how far you have come from the start of your goal and how far away from the completion of the goal you are.

Bad Thought: "I want to be rich."

Good Thought: "I want to generate $100,000 in passive income within 5 years from this date."

Create Attainable Goals
Having high goals that stretch you is important, but you need to also need to create goals that are realistic for your situation and skill level. Many people unfortunately set their goals and dreams so high that they are just not very realistic and, as a result, they never seem to reach their dreams in life. Creating goals that are not attainable is very disempowering and will only serve to demotivate you in life. Remember to set high goals, but be realistic about your goals. On the same note, goals that are too easily accomplished do not stretch you or make you grow as a person because they are not challenging enough. You will want to find that right mix of goal that is challenging, but not extreme.

Bad Thought: "I want to become a millionaire in 2 months."

Good Thought: "I want to become a millionaire within 10 years by starting my own personal development company and doing seminars all over the world and by creating a line of passive income products."

Create Relevant Goals
Having goals is great, but what is the underlying purpose for those goals? You want to create goals that are in-line with your personal mission statement or your purpose in life. Relevant goals ensure that you are dedicating your effort towards goals that are focused towards who you are as a person. It is similar to a college curriculum that focuses on specific courses for each major. All of us should create a mission statement for ourselves which is basically our purpose in life and all of our goals should spawn from that mission statement. Goals are just a means of achieving that mission in life. A goal can be very evil in nature and still abide by all the other criteria, but relevancy is the ethical check on that goal to make sure that this particular goal fits within your purpose in life.

Bad Thought: "Within one year, I want to become a warlord and have many loyal soldiers who will commit acts of terrorism on my behalf."

Good Thought: "By the end of the year, I want to build a philanthropic foundation that helps feed the homeless."

Create Time-Sensitive Goals
Every goal that you create must be time-sensitive in nature. Not having a time element attached to your goal breeds procrastination. We would simply be motivated to put the goal off for a later time and never get around to it. Goals must have definite starting points and ending points and milestones along the way.

Bad Thought: "I am going to do my homework."

Good Thought: "I am going to finish my homework by 8pm tonight and I'll achieve this deadline by spending one hour on each subject."

By spending some time towards making sure that your goals fit the SMART criteria, you will ensure your success.

Chang in routine (Life)

2009-08-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

When it comes to changing your life, it can seem like it will take years before you actually make
substantial changes. You might feel like giving up before you even get started.

What you need is a way to kick start the changes that you want to make in your life – and here
are ten ways to get started today.

1 Change Your Routine
One of the simplest ways to start improving and changing your life is to change something that you’ve always done. And it doesn’t have to even be related to the goal that you have in mind.

Here are some simple ways to change up your routine today:
Take a new route to work Eat a meal during a different time of day (i.e. eat breakfast at dinnertime) Change the order of your exercise routine
Get up earlier or later than you normally do Do different chores around the house or ignore chores that you always do

2 Look in your closet
In Feng Shui decorating principles, when you use certain colors and positions of furniture in your house, you can affect greater changes in your life. Taking this idea a step further, when you want to change something about your life for the better, doesn’t it make sense to start changing your surroundings?
A simple way to do this (without spending your money redecorating your house) is to simply change your appearance for a day.

Here are some simple ways to change up your routine today:
Wear a skirt instead of pants (ladies, of course) Try a different shirt with a suit – one that you’ve never paired together before
Wear a scarf to accessorize
Wear a different piece of jewelry

3 Don’t lie
What would your day be like if you didn’t lie about anything? Think about it for a moment. We all seem to lie about something during out day, even if we don’t realize it. When our food comes at a restaurant, we might say that there’s nothing else that we want, even if the wrong order comes out. Or when we’re heading to a movie, we might say to our friend or partner that we really don’t care what show we’re going to, even if there’s one that we really want to see.

4 Think like an optimist
Many experts will tell you that when you change the way you look at things, you will change your life – and it’s true. If you’re sitting around expecting the worst of things, you’ll be certain to find the worst of things. You’ll find all of your mistakes along the way to your goals. You’ll notice all of the problems with your plan. And then you’ll stop trying because you’ve noticed that everything is going wrong.

5 Don’t have any expectations
How many times have you been disappointed? Probably hundreds of times, right? However, if you think back to your times of pain and loss, many of these instances were the direct result of having some goal in mind that wasn’t reached or some expectation that wasn’t met.

6 Make a mistake
Too often, you can start to believe that making changes in your life means that you have to be perfect. However, logically, you know that no one is perfect, even if they seem to be. Perfection has become a burden that we have placed on ourselves – even though it’s not realistic

7 Talk to a stranger
Although the world is more connected than ever was before - with the inventions of the Internet and cellular phones - it seems that we’ve become more disconnected. We seem to forget that we aren’t the only ones that walk down out streets or have problems. And this might be hindering your ability to change your life.

8 Quit your job
You don’t actually need to quit your job in order to change your life, but if you’re not happy about the job that you have, what are you still doing there? The object of this tip is to help your recognize things that you are settling for instead of making room for the things that you’ll really enjoy having in your life.

9 Find an old hobby
Remember when you were a kid and you wanted to be a basketball player? You went to the garage and started to bounce a basketball up and down. You didn’t think about how good you really were at it; you just wanted to do it because it made you happy.

10 Thank someone that you love
When we’re changing ourselves, we forget how often others have stood by us when we weren’t in the best of places in our lives. Instead of taking this support system for granted, today is a great time to thank the people that you love.

The idea of change is one that we are frightened of. It signifies moving away from what has ‘worked’ for us in the past and moving towards something unfamiliar. However, when you stop to just make smaller changes in your daily life, you can start the process more easily. Change doesn’t have to be startling and unnerving; it can be as simple as doing something different than you would have before: reading a new book or driving a new route to work. However, in these smaller changes, you can find the strength for the bigger changes.

Think Big, Dream Big

2009-07-16T03:02:00.000-07:00

Make your dreams comes true

Welcome dreamers!

You have many outstanding qualities - creative ideas, a vivid imagination; perhaps you even view yourself as a visionary.

Yet, at the same time you may also feel disappointed - in yourself or in life itself.

If your creative ideas usually fizzle out, it may be due to a lack of dedicated work. If so, know that not even Albert Einstein could get away with that.

Einstein said,
"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

Don't believe that? Then read what Thomas Jefferson said,
"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."

Dreamers have a tendency to indulge in "magical thinking," believing that one day great things will "magically" happen for them.
Living in a world of lovely fantasies can seem so desirous, yet it's no fun when you wind up living in your dreams instead of living out your dreams.

This is no way for a creative person to live. You deserve better. It's time for you to create a future that "will come true". Here's what you need to keep in mind:

Become more active and less passive.
Be cautious of letting yourself be seduced into an excess of passive activities. Rather than spending a great deal of time lounging in bed, reading the paper, watching TV or surfing the Net, experiment with more physically vigorous activities.

Nothing succeeds like success. Find an activity that you like to do (it doesn't have to be going to the gym). For me, it's tennis and Pilates. Take pride in what you do. And enjoy it! As you become more active, you'll be enacting Isaac Newton's first law of motion:

"An object at rest tends to stay at rest and
an object in motion tends to stay in motion".

Next time you're simply sitting and staring into space, remind yourself that you're an object at rest. Until you find a way to shift into motion, you'll tend to stay at rest. So discover the motion that makes you come alive. Then get going! Challenge yourself to pay more attention to details.

Have you had the experience of learning a new word and then suddenly you see that word everywhere? Clearly, the word has been there all the time. But your antennae never picked it up. Since dreamers tend to focus on the 'whole' and gloss over the 'details', challenge yourself to reverse that direction.

Look around you. Right now, without getting up from your seat, notice something you hadn't noticed before. Look with wide-open eyes. Observe either a new object or observe a new detail about a familiar object.

This exercise works even with your own body. Put your left hand out in front of you. Pretend you're a neurosurgeon specializing in hands. What details do you notice about your own hand that you hadn't noticed before? Now put your two hands next to each other. Notice at least 3 differences between your two hands.

Yes, there's always more to observe. As a dreamer, your strength is your creativity; your weakness is your lack of attention to details. Once you begin to notice the details that make up the whole, they'll be no stopping you!

Transform vague, passive language into concrete, active language.

Become more attuned to the subtle ways in which you speak evasively or in generalities. For example, as a way of obscuring your personal responsibility, you might tell a friend:

"I have a cash-flow problem" instead of "I'm in debt."
"It's a lazy day today" instead of "I feel lazy."
"I'm getting out of shape" instead of "I am out of shape."

Make it a habit to avoid euphemisms.
Practice declaring 'what is' as clearly and straightforwardly as you can.
That way, there will be little opportunity for sidestepping reality.
You may initially feel uncomfortable speaking in this precise manner.
But give it a shot. It becomes more natural with practice.
And the perk for you will be: a firmer grip on what your situation really is.

Leaving Positive Impression

2009-07-02T01:11:00.000-07:00

Does Body language matter?

If you succeeded in leaving a positive impression your chance of getting a job will become higher, your social relations will improve and people will admire you.

I avoid using vague advices like “Be confident” or “Be a good listener” and these commonly heard phrases but instead i use will effective and practical advices that are backed by Deep psychological principles. If you followed these advices the first impression you will leave will be positive 99% of the time.

I didn’t say 100% of the time because sometimes the impression people form of you depends on their own past experience. For example if you saw someone who looks just like your arrogant boss you will tend to think of him as arrogant even if he was not.

The Psychology of Impression Formation
A person takes about 5 to 10 seconds to form an impression of someone else And then he uses the other 5-10 minutes to confirm his judgment. So if you made a good use of the first five seconds then your chance of leaving a positive impression will become much higher. I know you may be thinking that 5 or 10 seconds is a very short period of time and that nothing much can be done in them but if you read the following section you will discover that lots of things take place in these five seconds but you never used to focus on them.

How to Leave a Positive Impression

Eye Contact
The first thing you can do is proper eye contact. Proper Eye contact shows respect, interest and that you are not shy. Proper eye contact means that the eye contact should be around 70% to 80% of the time.

Handshake
Another thing that happens in the first few seconds is the handshake, a firm handshake combined with proper eye contact leaves the impression that you are a confident person. people who don't shake hands in a firm way will most likely leave the impression that they are not confident.

Smile
If you did the previous two points you will appear to be confident but in the same time you may appear to be a little cold and that’s why you need to add a smile on your face. This smile will not only make the other person think that you have got a sense of humor but he will also feel more comfortable in dealing with you

Straight back
Sit with your back straight and your shoulders stretched. A straight back leaves the impression that you are confident happy or interested in what you are listening to Never ever cross your legs or fold your arms when sitting because this leaves the impression that you are not that comfortable or even afraid. Don't place an object like a bag or a file between you and the interviewer because this leaves the same impression that folding your arms leaves

Do not Scratch nose
if you felt like scratching your nose do not do it because this shows that you are negative evaluating something, after all your emotions are private and you shouldn't let anyone know what are you thinking about unless you want that

Blue color
If you can wear blue clothes then do it, in the psychology of colors blue gives the impression of loyalty and honesty, wearing blue will leave an unconscious impression in the mind of other people that you are loyal and honest.

Research has actually proven that confident people, those who smile often and those who maintain above average eye contact are usually perceived to be more attractive than their peers.

Re-Assign responsibility of Team members

2009-06-30T04:12:00.000-07:00

Kill Negative thoughts

The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. Dwight D. Eisenhower

Fortunately, you can re-engage members of your team and build back their pride and commitment. But you'll need to make a continuous effort and a strong investment in positive human capital management techniques.

The first step is to understand what an engaged team member looks like:
Engaged people go above and beyond their job descriptions to get things done.
They're committed to the organization's success, and they're willing to do what's necessary to reach goals.

It's important to understand that while many "average" employees are not quite fully engaged, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're completely disengaged.
However, these average employees need re-engagement as well.

To reach a level of full engagement, you must build a people-focused workplace - one that recognizes that your people genuinely are your most important resource.

Re-Assigning Team worker
To achieve this, you need to meet people's expectations and provide a great work environment.
There are several key management practices that are fundamental to this process.
By providing these workplace conditions and continuously reinforcing their practice throughout the company, you can re-engage people who have fallen out of step with your purpose and vision.

This can be more classify into 4 areas:
Fact-Finding –
Activities that help you (a) understand disengagement and your current situation and (b) monitor your situation on an ongoing basis.

Establishing an Environment for Engagement –
Activities that help engagement flourish.

Hygiene Factors –
Activities that help avoid de-motivation by managing people's stress, putting people in the right jobs, and providing feedback.

Motivators –
Practices that help increase motivation and engagement.
Not all ideas will apply to all situations however, as a whole, these are the conditions and practices that will help you build people's engagement. We'll now look at each of these in detail.

1. Fact-finding
Ask yourself when you ever felt unenthused and unengaged.
This is a good place to start your re-engagement process.
When you understand the sorts of things that caused you to disconnect with your company in the past, you may gain some insight into what members of your team are feeling right now.

Talk to your people about their expectations and issues.
Having clear expectations is a fundamental factor in re-engaging people.
If people feel that they've been treated unfairly or have not been provided with the employment conditions they expected, you need to know.
Once discrepancies are found, work toward a resolution as soon as possible. This lets people know that you care and you take their needs seriously.
Schedule regular "one-on-ones" with members of your team.
Talk with individual team members about what they believe is expected of them, and then clarify and make modifications as necessary.
When you keep communication open, you can often avoid potential conflicts and misunderstandings that can grow worse and lead to major problems.

Survey employee engagement on a regular basis.
With any kind of change process, it's usually a good idea to regularly ask your people questions related to their dedication and commitment to the company.
Use the issues you've identified as a starting point, and construct a questionnaire to discover what you're doing well and where there's room for improvement. Use the results to begin a re-engagement plan that will help you build a stronger and more devoted workforce.

2. Establishing an Environment for Engagement
Be honest and forthright about your own role in people's disengagement.
A little humility goes a long way toward re-engaging someone.
What if your management practices have contradicted any of the above points?
What if you've been weaker in your commitment recently, and you've contributed to the current situation?
Admit it, apologize for your actions, and construct a solid plan to move forward.
This is a great way to start rebuilding your team's trust and show how supporting one another can make huge differences for everyone.
By demonstrating your commitment to your people, they will likely respond with a renewed commitment to you and the business.
Practice participative management.
People usually want to participate and be involved.
They want and need to feel that they matter and that their contributions are valued.
To engage them, provide lots of opportunities for them to be involved with decisions.
It's also important that people feel able to voice their ideas and raise issues - without judgment or fear of punishment.
To re-engage people, help them feel confident that you'll welcome their contributions and that you'll really listen to what they say.

Be a model for commitment to the organization.
When employees believe their boss and senior management are committed to the company, that can provide proof that the company is indeed worth committing to.
If you have doubts or express negativity toward the business, you can't expect members of your team to be totally dedicated and engaged. They take their cues from you, and they'll react to your opinions and actions.

3. Hygiene Factors
Identify and manage stress and burnout.
Overworked employees can have a difficult time engaging.
They simply have too many competing needs, the greatest of which is their own survival.
If you want engaged people, develop a genuine concern for their health and welfare. By using regular one-on-ones and staying connected to members of your team, you should be able to keep on top of their workload and stress factors.
Do what you can to alleviate their stress by using the tools on our Stress Management pages, and refer your people for assistance as necessary.

Put people in the right jobs.
As you get to know members of your team through regular contact and feedback, think about ways to capitalize on their unique strengths and talents.
Rather than focusing on a specific smaller problem or disciplining someone, look at the bigger picture: Does the person fit the job? You may need to regroup which tasks go with which jobs, or allow people to rotate jobs in order to enrich their learning opportunities.
Work with members of your team to meet your company's needs. When people know you're dedicated to their success, they will, in turn, dedicate themselves to your success.

Provide fair and regular feedback.
Most people respond incredibly well to praise and recognition.
For effective employee engagement, this can be difficult if you restrict yourself to a formal program or yearly performance appraisals.
Make a conscious effort to observe when people are doing things right, and show them every day that they're appreciated.
When you need to provide corrective feedback, make sure it's timely, and centered on a specific task.
For more on hygiene factors and motivators, see our article on Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory.

4. Motivators
Provide growth opportunities.
A big factor in employee engagement is building long-term commitment.
This is important because it retains knowledge within the company and reduces turnover.
Provide incentive for people to stay long term by discovering their talents and figuring out ways to use those talents within the organization.
This can be a powerful method of re-engagement. However, be careful that you don't try to re-engage someone by promising too much.
Be genuine in your offers - otherwise, you can do much more damage to your reputation and to the person's welfare in the long run.

Help people understand the big picture.
Too often, people don't understand what's going on in the organization outside of the small world around their own jobs.
When that happens, it's easy for them to become disconnected and disillusioned.
Make sure that members of your team know the company's vision and strategy.
They need to recognize the roles they play in the organization's success.
To do this, keep people well informed, and make sure they stay focused on the big picture.

Align personal and organizational goals.
Make sure that people's goals are tied to departmental and company goals (this is related to understanding the big picture).
A key part of engaging people is ensuring that the company's success matters to them.
If you can link personal success and accomplishment to overall company goals, then you provide the basis for an engaged workplace.

Central idea of presentation
If you've done all you can to engage someone, and they are still not engaged, you may need to take disciplinary action, either to emphasize the need for change or to remove someone who is blocking the team's progress. If you don't, you risk jeopardizing your whole team's progress. This is not an option to take lightly, so talk to your HR department as a first step.

Summary
Employee engagement is a critical factor in a company's success. When you have people who are committed to your business, they'll stay with you long term and they'll work very hard to make the organization a success. It's extremely important, therefore, that you actively re-engage people who are disconnected with the company and that you work to build and maintain an engaged team. The keys to employee engagement are great management practices, including strong teams and a firm sense that what your people do on a daily basis matters to their boss and to the business as a whole.

The bottom line is that people need to feel wanted. Show them how much they're needed and why. Be honest and trustworthy - and acknowledge, with everything you do, that your people truly are the company's most valuable resource.

What is RSS?

2009-06-25T03:12:00.000-07:00

What is RSS?

RSS (Rich Site Summary) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it.

Why RSS? Benefits and Reasons for using RSS
RSS solves a problem for people who regularly use the web.
It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in.

You save time by not needing to visit each site individually.
You ensure your privacy, by not needing to join each site's email newsletter.
The number of site offering RSS feeds is growing rapidly and includes big names like Yahoo News.

What do I need to do to read an RSS Feed? RSS Feed Readers and News Aggregators
Feed Reader or News Aggregator software allow you to grab the RSS feeds from various sites and display them for you to read and use.A variety of RSS readers are available for different platforms.

Some popular feed readers include Amphetadesk (Windows, Linux, Mac), FeedReader (Windows), and NewsGator (Windows - integrates with Outlook).
There are also a number of web-based feed readers available.
My Yahoo, Bloglines, and Google Reader are popular web-based feed readers.Once you have your Feed Reader, it is a matter of finding sites that syndicate content and adding their RSS feed to the list of feeds your Feed Reader checks. Many sites display a small icon with the acronyms RSS, XML, or RDF to let you know a feed is available

History
The RSS formats were preceded by several attempts at web syndication that did not achieve widespread popularity. The basic idea of restructuring information about websites goes back to as early as 1995, when Ramanathan V. Guha and others in Apple Computer's Advanced Technology Group developed the Meta Content Framework. For a more detailed discussion of these early developments, see the history of web syndication technology.

RDF Site Summary, the first version of RSS, was created by Guha at Netscape in March 1999 for use on the My.Netscape.Com portal. This version became known as RSS 0.9. In July 1999, Dan Libby of Netscape produced a new version, RSS 0.91,[2] which simplified the format by removing RDF elements and incorporating elements from Dave Winer's scriptingNews syndication format.[7] Libby also renamed RSS "Rich Site Summary" and outlined further development of the format in a "futures document".[8]

This would be Netscape's last participation in RSS development for eight years. As RSS was being embraced by web publishers who wanted their feeds to be used on My.Netscape.Com and other early RSS portals, Netscape dropped RSS support from My.Netscape.Com in April 2001 during new owner AOL's restructuring of the company, also removing documentation and tools that supported the format.

Two entities emerged to fill the void, with neither Netscape's help nor approval: The RSS-DEV Working Group and Winer, whose UserLand Software had published some of the first publishing tools outside of Netscape that could read and write RSS.

Winer published a modified version of the RSS 0.91 specification on the UserLand website, covering how it was being used in his company's products, and claimed copyright to the document.[10] A few months later, UserLand filed a U.S. trademark registration for RSS, but failed to respond to a USPTO trademark examiner's request and the request was rejected in December 2001.[11]

The RSS-DEV Working Group, a project whose members included Guha and representatives of O'Reilly Media and Moreover, produced RSS 1.0 in December 2000.[12] This new version, which reclaimed the name RDF Site Summary from RSS 0.9, reintroduced support for RDF and added XML namespaces support, adopting elements from standard metadata vocabularies such as Dublin Core.

In December 2000, Winer released RSS 0.92[13] a minor set of changes aside from the introduction of the enclosure element, which permitted audio files to be carried in RSS feeds and helped spark podcasting. He also released drafts of RSS 0.93 and RSS 0.94 that were subsequently withdrawn.[14]

In September 2002, Winer released a major new version of the format, RSS 2.0, that redubbed its initials Really Simple Syndication. RSS 2.0 removed the type attribute added in the RSS 0.94 draft and added support for namespaces.

Because neither Winer nor the RSS-DEV Working Group had Netscape's involvement, they could not make an official claim on the RSS name or format. This has fueled ongoing controversy in the syndication development community as to which entity was the proper publisher of RSS.

One product of that contentious debate was the creation of an alternative syndication format, Atom, that began in June 2003.[15] The Atom syndication format, whose creation was in part motivated by a desire to get a clean start free of the issues surrounding RSS, has been adopted as IETF Proposed Standard RFC 4287.

In July 2003, Winer and UserLand Software assigned the copyright of the RSS 2.0 specification to Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, where he had just begun a term as a visiting fellow.[16] At the same time, Winer launched the RSS Advisory Board with Brent Simmons and Jon Udell, a group whose purpose was to maintain and publish the specification and answer questions about the format.[17]

In December 2005, the Microsoft Internet Explorer team[18] and Outlook team[19] announced on their blogs that they were adopting the feed icon first used in the Mozilla Firefox browser . A few months later, Opera Software followed suit.[citation needed] This effectively made the orange square with white radio waves the industry standard for RSS and Atom feeds, replacing the large variety of icons and text that had been used previously to identify syndication data.

In January 2006, Rogers Cadenhead relaunched the RSS Advisory Board without Dave Winer's participation, with a stated desire to continue the development of the RSS format and resolve ambiguities. In June 2007, the board revised their version of the specification to confirm that namespaces may extend core elements with namespace attributes, as Microsoft has done in Internet Explorer 7. According to their view, a difference of interpretation left publishers unsure of whether this was permitted or forbidden.

What is RSS?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It is a way to easily distribute a list of headlines, update notices, and sometimes content to a wide number of people. It is used by computer programs that organize those headlines and notices for easy reading.
What problem does RSS solve?
Most people are interested in many websites whose content changes on an unpredictable schedule. Examples of such websites are news sites, community and religious organization information pages, product information pages, medical websites, and weblogs. Repeatedly checking each website to see if there is any new content can be very tedious.
Email notification of changes was an early solution to this problem. Unfortunately, when you receive email notifications from multiple websites they are usually disorganized and can get overwhelming, and are often mistaken for spam.
RSS is a better way to be notified of new and changed content. Notifications of changes to multiple websites are handled easily, and the results are presented to you well organized and distinct from email.

How does RSS work?
RSS works by having the website author maintain a list of notifications on their website in a standard way. This list of notifications is called an "RSS Feed". People who are interested in finding out the latest headlines or changes can check this list. Special computer programs called "RSS aggregators" have been developed that automatically access the RSS feeds of websites you care about on your behalf and organize the results for you. (RSS feeds and aggregators are also sometimes called "RSS Channels" and "RSS Readers".)
Producing an RSS feed is very simple and hundreds of thousands of websites now provide this feature, including major news organizations like the New York Times, the BBC, and Reuters, as well as many weblogs.

What information does RSS provide?
RSS provides very basic information to do its notification. It is made up of a list of items presented in order from newest to oldest. Each item usually consists of a simple title describing the item along with a more complete description and a link to a web page with the actual information being described. Sometimes this description is the full information you want to read (such as the content of a weblog post) and sometimes it is just a summary.

RSS aggregator programs
Think of an RSS aggregator as just a web browser for RSS content. RSS aggregators automatically check a series of RSS feeds for new items on an ongoing basis, making it is possible to keep track of changes to multiple websites without needing to tediously read and re-read each of the websites yourself. They detect the additions and present them all together to you in a compact and useful manner. If the title and description of an item are of interest, the link can be used to quickly bring the related web page up for reading.
Here is a screen shot of an RSS aggregator in action. On the left is a list of the RSS feeds being monitored, along with an indication of the number of unread items in each feed in parenthesis. On the right are the details of the most recent items in a selected RSS feed (in this case, the New York Times).

There are many RSS aggregators available. Some are accessed through a browser, some are integrated into email programs, and some run as a standalone application on your personal computer.

How do I find out if a website has an RSS feed?
It is getting more and more common for websites to have RSS feeds. They usually indicate the existence of the feed on the home page or main news page with a link to "RSS", or sometimes by displaying an orange button with the letters "XML" or "RSS". RSS feeds are also often found via a "Syndicate This" link. Text "RSS" links sometimes (there are lots of variations) point to a web page explaining the nature of the RSS feeds provided and how to find them. The buttons are often linked directly to the RSS feed file itself.

Once you know the URL of an RSS feed, you can provide that address to an RSS aggregator program and have the aggregator monitor the feed for you. Many RSS aggregators come preconfigured with a list to choose from of RSS feed URLs for popular news websites.

How is the RSS feed file produced?
Unless you are maintaining a website or want to create your own RSS feed for some other purpose, how the RSS feed is produced should not be of concern and you may skip this section.
The special XML-format file that makes up an RSS feed is usually created in one of a variety of ways.

Most large news websites and most weblogs are maintained using special "content management" programs. Authors add their stories and postings to the website by interacting with those programs and then use the program's "publish" facility to create the HTML files that make up the website. Those programs often also can update the RSS feed XML file at the same time, adding an item referring to the new story or post, and removing less recent items. Blog creation tools like Blogger, LiveJournal, Movable Type, and Radio automatically create feeds.

Websites that are produced in a more custom manner, such as with Macromedia Dreamweaver or a simple text editor, usually do not automatically create RSS feeds. Authors of such websites either maintain the XML files by hand, just as they do the website itself, or use a tool such as Software Garden, Inc.'s ListGarden program to maintain it. There are also services that periodically read requested websites themselves and try to automatically determine changes (this is most reliable for websites with a somewhat regular news-like format), or that let you create RSS feed XML files that are hosted by that service provider.
Tying it all together

Here is a diagram showing how the websites, the RSS feed XML files, and your personal computer are connected:

The diagram shows a web browser being used to read first Web Site 1 over the Internet and then Web Site 2. It also shows the RSS feed XML files for both websites being monitored simultaneously by an RSS Feed Aggregator.

Other uses
In addition to notifying you about news headlines and changes to websites, RSS can be used for many other purposes. There does not even have to be a web page associated with the items listed -- sometimes all the information you need may be in the titles and descriptions themselves.

Some commonly mentioned uses are:
Notification of the arrival of new products in a store
Listing and notifying you of newsletter issues, including email newsletters
Weather and other alerts of changing conditions
Notification of additions of new items to a database, or new members to a group
One RSS aggregator is all that you need to read all of the RSS feeds, be they headlines, alerts, changes, or other notifications. RSS is shaping up to be a very popular and useful means for communicating.

First Impressions

2009-06-22T00:08:00.000-07:00

I often listen “ First impression “ is the “ Last impression”

If you know your basic direction,
Recognize what you need

Value
Strengths
Weaknes

you will be in a position to sort out what kind of organization you should work for.
Most important is to try to match your strengths with the company’s needs.
Success in one company does not guarantee success in another
The first link with a company often occurs when you read its recruitment advertisement in a newspaper
Such ad tend to glorify the company
The job
The person needs to fill the post.
You need to find out much more about a company you are considering joining.
Talk to friends, colleagues, people who have left the company
If possible
Those who are currently working thereYou might pick up some company gossip from the local bar.
Keep your eyes and ears open to the media and specially the pages of the financial press.
Get hold of the company’s annual reports from the last two or three years and those of its chief competitors and compare them

Remember
However, that their report is prepared primarily for shareholders or potential shareholders, bankers and financial institution and the financial press.
Consequently, it tries to show the company in the best possible light.
The company reports will contain much accounting jargon; don’t let it put you off.
With careful read thought and some common sense, you should be able to deduce a considerable amount about the

Company’s products
People,
Customer
Markets,
Physical
Location,
Objectives

Financial strength
The comparative analysis over several yeas is often the richest source of information
Reputation
What is the company’s reputation in the market?
Strength
How fast and how much is the company expanding?
Requirements
What exactly does the job require?
Expectations
Don’t be put off by high demands, you may not be perfect, but nobody else is either?
Needs and wants
Does the company have reputation for efficiency and profitability?
Size
How big is the organization unit in which you will work?
Perfection
Where exactly will you fit in the chain of command?
Self actualization
To what extent will you be on your own?
Self worth
How generous is the salary in comparison with other companies in the same field?

DO IT

2009-06-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

A Simple Process for Creativity

DO IT is a process for creativity.

DO IT bundles them together, and introduces formal methods of problem definition and evaluation.

These help you to get the best out of the creativity techniques.

DO IT is an acronym that stands for:

D - Define problem
O - Open mind and apply creative techniques
I - Identify best solution
T - Transform

These stages are explained in more detail

How to Use the Tool:

1. Define the Problem
This section concentrates on analyzing the problem to ensure that the correct question is being asked.

The following steps will help you to do this:
Check that you are tackling the problem, not the symptoms of the problem. To do this, ask yourself why the problem exists repeatedly until you get to the root of it.
Lay out the bounds of the problem. Work out the objectives that you must achieve and the constraints that you are operating under.

Where a problem appears to be very large, break it down into smaller parts. Keep on going until each part is achievable in its own right, or needs a precisely defined area of research to be carried out. Summarize the problem in as concise a form as possible. Robert W. Olsen suggests that the best way to do this is to write down a number of 2 word problem statements and choose the best one.

2. Open Mind and Apply Creative Techniques
Once you know the problem that you want to solve, you are ready to start generating possible solutions. It is very tempting just to accept the first good idea that you come across. If you do this, you will miss many even better solutions.

At this stage of DO IT we are not interested in evaluating ideas. Instead, we are trying to generate as many different ideas as possible. Even bad ideas may be the seeds of good ones.
You can use the whole battery of creativity techniques covered earlier in this section to search for possible solutions. Each tool has its particular strengths and benefits, depending on the problems that you want to solve. While you are generating solutions, remember that other people will have different perspectives on the problem, and it will almost certainly be worth asking for the opinions of your colleagues as part of this process.

3. Identify the Best Solution
Only at this stage do you select the best of the ideas you have generated. It may be that the best idea is obvious. Alternatively, it may be worth examining and developing a number of ideas in detail before you select one.

When you are selecting a solution, keep in mind your own or your organization's goals. Often Decision Making becomes easy once you know these.

4. Transform
Having identified the problem and created a solution to it, the final stage is to implement this solution. This involves not only development of a reliable product from your idea, but all the marketing and business side as well. This may take a great deal of time and energy.
Many very creative people fail at this stage. They will have fun creating new products and services that may be years ahead of what is available on the market. They will then fail to develop them, and watch someone else make a fortune out of the idea several years later.
The first stage in transforming an idea is to develop an Action Plan for the transformation. This may lead to creation of a Business or Marketing Plan. Once you have done this, the work of implementation begins!

DO IT was devised by Robert W Olsen in his book ‘The Art of Creative Thinking’.

Suggestions:

DO IT is a structured process for creativity. Using DO IT ensures that you carry out the essential groundwork that helps you to get the most out of creativity tools.
These steps are:

Problem Definition: During this stage you apply a number of techniques to ensure that you are asking the right question.

Open Mind: Here you apply creativity techniques to generate as many answers as possible to the question you are asking. At this stage you are not evaluating the answers.
Identify the best solution: Only at this stage do you select the best solutions from the ones you came up with in step 2. Where you are having difficulty in selecting ideas, use formal techniques to help.

Transform: The final stage is to make an Action Plan for the implementation of the solution, and to carry it out. Without implementation, your creativity is sterile.

Stress and Emotions (How to Balance?)

2009-05-23T02:29:00.000-07:00

Before we can see how stress affects our emotional balance, we have to understand what stress is.Simply put, it is anything that interferes with the smooth interrelationship we have with life.When we are faced with situations we are uncomfortable with and have doubt we can handle, we create stress in our lives.

It is not the situation we are faced with, but our reaction to it that creates the stress.

Emotions must also be understood. E-motion, simply put, is energy in motion. It is the feelings that drive us. Love. Hate. Joy. Sorrow. Reverence. These are all things we feel without conscious thought. It is how we handle them that matters. Emotion has the power to create physiological change and it is extremely important that we master our own emotions to create the changes we choose.

There are many events that we create stress about, and most of them are with us in everyday life. Family relationships can set the stage for tremendous stress. By family, I not only speak of the biological family, but the work family and the world family that we relate to every day.
Other common stressors may include school, jobs, personal relationships and changes in our lives, such as marriage, divorce, and the loss of a loved one.

Some of the causes are inherent in everyday life while others, such as acts of terrorism, are seen less often, but are no less a challenge to our health and emotional balance. The first thing we notice about stress is what it does to our physical bodies. We create many obvious signs that show us when we need to relax and "de-stress." Most often, the first thing we do is hold our breath and tighten our muscles. By doing this, we block the energy in the body and to the brain. This, over time, creates physical ailments and distortions in our thought processes that will need medical/ holistic intervention.

What do you do when you get stressed?
Do you find your neck aching and stiff?
Do you have headaches?
Are you unable to function?
There are many ways you will respond to stressful situations and each of you has your own unique ways of doing so.

What about the mind? Stress interferes with the natural use of the mind and its thought processes. What you could ordinarily do in ten minutes may take an hour. You may lose focus on what you're doing and be "somewhere else." You may become depressed or anxious about things you would normally love to do. Your sleep patterns may be altered. You may find yourself in a circle of emotions that keeps going around and around with no apparent way out.

Stress also affects the spiritual perspective. What was once taken for granted now becomes paramount. "Why is this happening?" is a very common question to those under stress. If there is a belief in a higher power, "Why is He/She doing this to me?" will be the question. Everyone wants to either blame something, or connect with that magical power that will save us and fix it for us.

What does this do to our emotional balance?
It is very easy in the presence of stress to get caught in a "loop" of emotions that keep us re-acting. We need to recognize when we are caught up in this circle and act consciously to create a more desirable situation.

For this we need to "Defuse" the stress we are creating.
Simple list of ways to do this.
1. Breathe and relax the body. Lack of air and blocked energy will affect both your physical and mental/emotional being.
2. Pamper your emotional self. This may well be the most important thing you will ever do for yourself!
Spend time with nature. Walk on a beach, in the forest, by a lake.
Take a bubble bath.
Sit in a field and watch the birds. Listen to them; feel their presence.
Listen to soothing music.
Have a massage.
Meditate.
Spend time with friends.
Meet with a spiritual advisor.

The list of ways to pamper yourself is endless, so find what it takes for you to relax and nourish your inner self. What makes you joyful and feel less stressed? Experiment. Follow your heart; it will always, always lead you to what you need most at the time.The emotional battle that stress creates is between the heart and the head. Listen to the heart and avoid the "chatter" you hear from the mind.

When you hear the thoughts that tell you that you "should" be doing anything other than what your heart tells you, evaluate the situation and choose to listen to your heart. It may be the most important choice you have ever made.

We need to become aware of our reactions to stress and make new choices that will benefit us in all ways. Without this awareness the cycle of stress and unconscious reaction will continue to rule our lives. With awareness we can make new choices, and act instead of re-act in patterns of old, destructive behavior.

Take the time. Make the time to become familiar with your reaction to uncomfortable situations and become the master of them. You have a choice. You can let them continue to rule you or you can take back your power and live in harmony with life.

Leadership In Tough Times

2009-05-21T03:07:00.000-07:00

As organizations adapt to changing business environments, the need for effective leadership is especially critical. When times are good, leading a company or a team is exciting. Resources are plentiful, customers are satisfied, and opportunity is everywhere. However, when the economic conditions are challenging, this excitement and positive energy tend to weaken. People often feel the pressures of work, and they fear for their job security. These worries and fears present a major challenge for leaders who want to keep their teams on target and productive.Good leadership is good leadership, regardless of the economic climate. However, during difficult times, top-notch leadership skills become even more important. Second-rate leaders might be able to keep a company going in a strong economy, but you need high-performing leaders to succeed in tough times. Of course, you need leaders who can control costs and conserve cash.

However you also need leaders who see opportunity - and who will strive to seize that opportunity - despite all the negativity. You need leaders who remain committed to their people. And you need leaders who can transfer their own positive outlook to the people around them.Create New OpportunitiesIn an economic downturn, you need to conserve your resources so that you can survive. However, you also need to position yourself to benefit as competitors falter, and to be ready when the economy recovers. An economy in decline is often an opportunity to regroup, rethink, and renew. To take advantage of new opportunities, consider doing the following:

· Review your strategy

- Figure out which objectives you're meeting, which ones need more emphasis, and which ones you should reconsider or drop as the environment around you changes.

· Lead by example

- Now, more than ever, you have to lead 'from the front' by setting an example. Take personal responsibility for customer care and contact. Actively pursue new business. Show that you're willing to make extra effort to commit to the organization's success.
· Add value

- One of the ways that leaders can gain greater market share and improve operations is by really listening to their customers. Look for innovative ways to add value without adding costs, and win customers who aren't being well served by your competitors.
· Use market conditions to create a stronger business model for the future

- If you're a senior manager, consider looking for bargains, in terms of mergers and acquisitions, which will improve your company's future competitive position. Whatever level you're at, negotiate keener rates with suppliers, which you can continue to enjoy after the economy recovers.
· Take the opportunity to trim costs

- Encourage cost-consciousness within your team or organization. Now is a great time to do this - everyone knows that times are tough, and people will be more willing than ever to cut unnecessary costs.
· Implement a continuous improvement plan

- Look at your systems and processes to find efficiency opportunities. Lead the way in building a culture of continuous improvement (members only). You can use these savings to pursue the numerous opportunities created by the downturn.

Commit to Your People Negative messages are all too common during economic downturns.
People are losing their jobs, unemployment rates are going up, and personal and corporate bankruptcies are increasing. This can weaken morale, both in the workplace and in society as a whole, and it can tip people into panic, severely damaging their productivity. It doesn't have to be that way. Don't abandon your people.

Use this time to reinforce how important they are, and build the skills they need to help the company survive.

· Invest time in leadership skills training

- Leadership is key to success. The better your leaders are, the better it is for you, your team, and the organization. OK, you may not want to spend a lot of cash on leadership training, however, when times are slow, you may be able to invest much more time than before in management and leadership development.

· Retain your best people

- Part of good leadership is keeping costs under control. However, profits are made by your people. Don't cut back on attracting quality people, and make every effort to retain your best team members by treating them with dignity and respect.

· Be creative with recruitment and retention

- Salary increases may not be possible, but you can do lots of other things to create attractive work conditions.

· Build a motivating workplace

- It's easy to focus too much on specific tasks and the bottom line, especially at a time when resources are limited and "cash is king". As a leader, however, you can't let that stop you finding ways to motivate your workforce. suggests the following:

· Treat people fairly

- When you can't avoid layoffs, give people as much warning as you sensibly can. Talk honestly about what's happening, and how cutbacks will affect them. And if you're cutting people, try to cut the volume and scope of the work you do so that you don't overload those who are left.
· Provide useful work for which people are recognized

- Be careful about reassigning the workloads of people who have been laid off. Take time to determine who is best suited for which tasks, and remember to give lots of praise. Match people's skills and interests with the work you need done.
· Foster good relationships at work

- If you have to stop the Friday company-sponsored lunch at a restaurant, replace it with a low-cost potluck event. Try to avoid cutting it entirely.
For more ideas on building motivation in the workplace, and improving individual motivation and performance.

Project Positive EnergyGood leaders provide hope and vision. These two qualities can keep a workplace going, even during tough times. People need someone they can trust - someone who is inspiring, and knows how to get things done. As a leader, make it a priority to do the following:

· Expect great things from your people

- Within reason, the more you demand, the more opportunity you give people to perform, which can be highly motivating. However, don't push too hard, and remember to communicate your expectations.
· Keep in touch with your people

- Staying connected builds relationships and trust. In tough economic times, you need your staff to perform especially well. The more they know you care, the more likely they are to respond to your call for action.
· Be visionary -

Leaders with vision, passion, energy, enthusiasm, and real engagement with their staff, are the key drivers of economic growth. Stay focused on the big picture, and manage to the best of your abilities. Take care of yourself - Respect your own feelings and emotions during difficult times. Where appropriate, share your concerns with people you trust, and build a network of people you can talk to, however work hard to remain upbeat - if you're constantly worried, others will sense this.

Get enough rest to keep yourself fresh, and manage your emotions to keep your creativity and self-confidence high.

Improve your Conversation

2009-05-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

Improve your Conversation
(communicate in a different way)
A management Article
By: Brian Tracy

One key to becoming a great conversationalist is to pause before replying.
A short pause, of three to five seconds, is a very classy thing to do in a conversation.

The Benefits of Pausing

First benefit,
You avoid running the risk of interrupting if the other person is just catching his or her breath before continuing.

Second benefit,
You show the other person that you are giving careful consideration to his or her words by not jumping in with your own comments at the earliest opportunity.

Third benefit,
After pausing you will actually hear the other person better. His or her words will soak into a deeper level of your mind and you will understand what he or she is saying with greater clarity. By pausing, you mark yourself as a brilliant conversationalist.

Ask Questions
Another way to become a great conversationalist is to question for clarification.
Never assume that you understand what the person is saying or trying to say. Instead, ask, "How do you mean, exactly?"

This is the most powerful question I've ever learned for controlling a conversation.
It is almost impossible not to answer.
When you ask, "How do you mean?" the other person cannot stop himself or herself from answering more extensively.
You can then follow up with other open-ended questions and keep the conversation rolling along.

Paraphrase the Speaker's Words
The third way to become a great conversationalist is to paraphrase the speaker's words in your own words.
After you've nodded and smiled, you can then say, "Let me see if I've got this right. What you're saying is . . ."

Demonstrate Attentiveness
By paraphrasing the speaker's words, you demonstrate in no uncertain terms that you are genuinely paying attention and making every effort to understand his or her thoughts or feelings.

And the wonderful thing is, when you practice effective listening, other people will begin to find you fascinating.

They will want to be around you. They will feel relaxed and happy in your presence.

Listening Builds Trust
The reason why listening is such a powerful tool in developing the art and skill of conversation is because listening builds trust.

The more you listen to another person, the more he or she trusts you and believes in you.

Listening also builds self-esteem. When you listen attentively to another person, his or her self-esteem will naturally increase.

Listening Develops Discipline
Finally, listening builds self-discipline in the listener.

Because your mind can process words at 500-600 words per minute, and we can only talk at about 150 words per minute, it takes a real effort to keep your attention focused on another persons? words.

If you do not practice self-discipline in conversation, your mind will wander in a hundred different directions.

The more you work at paying close attention to what the other person is saying, the more self-disciplined you will become.

In other words, by learning to listen well, you actually develop your own character and your own personality.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, make a habit of pausing before replying in any conversation or discussion. You will be amazed at how powerful this technique really is.

Second, continually ask, "How do you mean?" in response to anything that is not perfectly clear. This gives you even more time to listen well.

How To Stay Calm

2009-05-15T04:33:00.001-07:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

How To Stay Calm

View more presentations from Amir Saif .

What do you value in your job?

2009-05-12T00:42:00.000-07:00

Management series

Inspiration from Management book

Analyze from some questions (Your values)

An ordered environment and security?

The chance to help others?

Freedom and flexibility?

Being your own boss?

The chance to achieve?

Power, recognition or authority?

A tangible finished product?

Facts and figures to work with?

Congenial people to work with?

The chance to travel and meet people?

A glamorous lifestyle?

A high salary?

A company car and other perks?

This is not always easy, it can take quite a time for dominant value to emerge, people have much value and so it is necessary to work out your priorities.

Experience will help to show what they are. But be open to their changing.

Your values are your natural aptitudes and strengths.

Review your personal balance sheet regularly and above all with an eye on tomorrow.

VALUE CONFIRMITY
Conformity has negative connotation but may would admit to wanting it to some degree. To value conformity, order and structure is really to value security, a job that has a regular routine, in which roles are clearly defined and set procedures are used, can provide it. If you value security, look for a well defined job that give company benefits, such as health insurance and in adequate pension scheme.

VALUE HELPING OTHERS
It could be said that all jobs benefit mankind, if only in the smallest way, but clearly some do so more directly than others. If you want to help others but don’t’ want to be nurse, doctor, teacher or social worker you could join the personnel or training department of large companies.

VALUE FREEDOM AND FLAXIBILITY
Some people hate regimentation in any form. A commuter style routine, clocking in and out at specific times, may fill you with horror. If you value your freedom then make sure your job allows you a tolerable amount of flexibility.

VALUE ACHIEVEMENTS
The need to achieve is often instilled in a child by parents and the need for parental approval can last into adulthood as an unconscious drive: a desire to achieve without really knowing why and without being satisfied. If you do value achievement, make sure it is recognized and rewarded.

VALUE POWER
Most people value power but few will admit it. To want power may disguise a need to be in control of your immediate environment and therefore your destiny to responsible, independent, to give order rather than receive them. If you value power, choose an industry or company where power is recognized as a legitimate goal.

VALUE TANGIBLE PRODUCT
If, as a child, you loved making models, drawing pictures, building sand castles, you may find that one of your priorities at work is to see something tangible produced. If you need to satisfaction of turning raw material into a finished product, avoid jobs, such as the Civil service, that don’t provide tangible results: you will be better of in an industry such as manufacturing, engineering or publishing.

VALUE FACTS AND FIGURES
Accounting, computing and research oriented jobs are attractive if you prefer dealing with data to people. It may be that outside that office you have a rich, emotional, if not turbulent, personal life and that in your job you need something that makes no demands on your inner resources.

VALUE WORKIN WITH PEOPLE
For many, working with compatible colleagues has as much or more value than high salary, if you interpret quality of life in terms of communication of ideas and rewarding friendships rather than material perks and incentive, you will be happier in a job where it is no sin to chat with those around you. You may find journalism, public relations or local politics suitable.

VALUE FINANCIAL SUCCESS
Some people grow up knowing nothing more than the they want to be rich. Money, what it can buy the opportunities it affords is upper most in their plans. Getting rich is your first priority, go for the high salaries and generous perks offered by large corporation or set up in business on your own.

So, do you know your value?

Visualization

2009-05-07T03:40:00.000-07:00

Visualization
(Practice Makes Perfect)
Facing a challenge?
Use the same visualization techniques as top athletes to techniques as top athletes to boost your performance and super‐charge your ability to super‐charge your ability to succeed!

The troubled is that often we simply do not have we simply do not have either the time or the opportunity to practice opportunity to practice things in the real world.

Practice makes perfect p or so the saying goes. so the saying goes
However there is a very powerful technique known f lt h i k as ‘Visualization’ that is used by many world‐class db ld l athletes to boost their performance on the field.

Applying this same technique to other aspect of life enables a person to practice things mentally, h ll before encountering the real event. l Visualization is the process of running through scenarios in your mind, actually visualizing the ii i d t ll i li i th events and your role within them and mentally enacting them.

The amazing thing is that enacting them The amazing thing is that scientific research has shown that at a subconscious level the mind does not discriminate between real world events and this visualization. The process of mentally practicing things or visualizing is the same as having h l h h actually done it!
Using this technique in advance of any difficult or d f d ff l challenging situation is going to give you a huge h performance boost.

Just imagine running through an upcoming job Just imagine running through an upcoming job interview repeatedly until you had it perfect in your mind. When you come to the real interview, you will already have done it many times in your head; you will be far more relaxed and confident and will h ll th i ht t h dY b d have all the right answers to hand. You are bound to impress!

Practicing, mentally or otherwise does not mean however that you should shut your eyes to what may h h be required of you in any given scenario.
There is little point in practice, either mental or real, when h l lh you are practicing the wrong thing. This is not going to help h h hl create a successful outcome.

You need to make sure that you play through your visualizations in a way that takes into account not only what you want, but also lh b l the demands of all the other aspects of your scenario.When other people are involved, you need to take into account their desires and needs or where your scenario involves simple techniques , make sure you have those techniques completely understood.

Visualization allows you to approach Visualization allows you to approach difficult and stressful situations with confidence and aplomb and is a vital p life skill. When combined with other positive thinking techniques the effects can super‐charge your successful outcomes. Visualization will work for anything, from asking for a ork for an thing from asking for a date to running the marathon.

So why not try it. Next time you face a y y y challenge, why not visualize yourself handling it perfectly and see how powerful it is for yourself.

Memory Building

2009-05-03T23:23:00.000-07:00

Memory Building

(Brain Exercises)

Easy Genius
Awakening Your Whole Brain toBuild a More Powerful Memory
A book from
Chance Massaro, M.A. and Steve Wallis, M.A.

Your brain is very like the rest of your body in that the more it is used the stronger it remains.

We exercise our bodies by walking, by walking, stretching and putting mild strain on our bones and muscles.

We know this to be a great influence on our brains as well.

We exercise our brains by thinking in lots of different ways. Here, then is a little fun set of exercises which will keep your brain elastic and plastic and ready to serve you for years to come.

1. Move your eyes from extreme left to extreme right, from extreme up to extreme down and roll them around. 30 seconds a day will make a noticeable difference in just one month.

2. Move your arms and legs across the midline of your body. Wiggle the toes of your left foot while wiggling the fingers of your right hand.

3. Sing! Sing Verdi, sing Row row row, just sing!

4. Add, subtract, multiply and divide. Any simple math will activate and preserve your left brain.

5. Imagine general to specific. Think “car” then think “hybrid”, think “cat” and think “lion” etc. Now do it backwards: think “Empire State Building” and then “skyscraper or “Dubai” then “Middle East country”.

6. Wash your hands (shave, dress) differently each day. Trade clothes with someone your size!

7. Take your brain for a trip around the world: imagine New York (picture it in you mind), then London, then Paris, then Bonn, then Milan then Teheran etc until you get to Hawaii.

8. Picture people. Think of the people you know and recreate their face in your
imagination. Recreate their voice, gestures too.

9. When you watch TV or other people in your environment imagine moving like they move.

10. Imagine yourself as something non‐human: be a tree, a car, a flower, a bird etc. Imagine how the world seems to that entity.

11. Breathe easily and deeply and really experience your breath. How many places in
your body can you feel yourself breathe?

12. Become compulsively curious. Constantly ask yourself and others “Why?” and “How?” and “What color?” and “How fast?” and “Where?” etc.

13. Learn a new game, a new language, a new route to the bathroom.

14. Play with associations; wherever you are ask yourself “What does this remind me of?” This can be very entertaining.

15. Write poetry. Learn poems by heart. Read poems aloud.

16. Collect jokes in a notebook or journal. Share jokes every day, ask people for the joke of the day. Remember the humor formulation poem: magnify, minify, slapstick, pun…rearrange
context, opposite fun.

How To Stop Absorbing Other People’s Negative Emotions

2009-04-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

Adapted from Dr. Judith Orloff’s new book “Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life” (Harmony Books, 2009)
Emotional freedom means learning how to stay centered in a stressful, highly emotionally charged world.

Since emotions such as fear, anger, and frustration are energies, you can potentially “catch” them from people without realizing it. If you tend to be an emotional sponge, it’s vital to know how to avoid taking on an individual’s negative emotions or the free-floating kind in crowds.
Another twist is that chronic anxiety, depression, or stress can turn you into an emotional sponge by wearing down your defenses. Suddenly, you become hyper-attuned to others, especially those with similar pain.

That’s how empathy works; we zero in on hot-button issues that are unresolved in ourselves.
From an energetic standpoint, negative emotions can originate from several sources.
What you’re feeling may be your own; it may be someone else’s; or it may be a combination.
Here are some strategies from Emotional Freedom to practice.
They will help you to stop absorbing other people’s emotions.
Emotional Action Step: How To Stay Centered In A Stressful WorldTo detach from other people’s negative emotions:

First, ask yourself
Is the feeling mine or someone else’s? It could be both. If the emotion such as fear or anger is yours, gently confront what’s causing it on your own or with professional help. If not, try to pinpoint the obvious generator. For instance, if you’ve just watched a comedy, yet you came home from the movie theater feeling blue, you may have incorporated the depression of the people sitting beside you; in close proximity, energy fields overlap. The same is true with going to a mall or packed concert.

Keep distance
When possible, distance yourself from the suspected source. Move at least twenty feet away; see if you feel relief. Don’t err on the side of not wanting to offend strangers. In a public place, don’t hesitate to change seats if you feel a sense of depression imposing on you.

True Focus
For a few minutes, center yourself by concentrating on your breath: This connects you to your essence. Keep exhaling negativity, inhaling calm. This helps to ground yourself and purify fear or other difficult emotions Visualize negativity as gray fog lifting from your body, and hope as golden light entering. This can yield quick results.

Think Positive
Negative emotions such as fear frequently lodge in your emotional center at the solar plexus. Place your palm there as you keep sending loving-kindness to that area to flush stress out. For longstanding depression or anxiety, use this method daily to strengthen this center. It’s comforting and builds a sense of safety and optimism.

Shield yourself
A handy form of protection many people use, including healers with trying patients, involves visualizing an envelope of white light (or any color you feel imparts power) around your entire body. Think of it as a shield that blocks out negativity or physical discomfort but allows what's positive to filter in.

Choose positive surrounding
Look for positive people and situations. Call a friend who sees the good in others. Spend time with a colleague who affirms the bright side of things. Listen to hopeful people. Hear the faith they have in themselves and others. Also relish hopeful words, songs, and art forms. Hope is contagious and it will lift your mood.

Keep practicing these strategies.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you’re on emotional overload.
From these simple strategies to cope, you can have quicker retorts to stressful situations, feel safer, and your sensitivities can blossom.

Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction.

2009-04-27T01:44:00.000-07:00

ARCS
Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction.

A Learner model John Keller in 1983.
Opportunities to help others learn come up all of the time in the workplace.
When you help a staff member deal with an angry customer, you have an opportunity to help her learn.

When a team member comes to you frustrated by a recent change in a work system, you have an opportunity to help him understand why the change was necessary. Whether you regard this as 'training' or not, this kind of learning doesn't just take place in formal classrooms, seminars, or online courses. And you don't have to be a trainer to want to help people learn new things, and better understand their roles within the organization.

Many people, at many levels, train others at some point - and they have a role in creating a learning environment that affects the way work is done, and how their teams are taught new things.So how can you help people learn effectively within your company or team?
There are many ways to do this, some of which involve actual 'lessons.' However, the general idea is to create an environment where people are committed to learning, and in which they are supported in their efforts. Motivating People to LearnPeople aren't always motivated to learn.
Some simply don't want to change.

Others think that learning happens naturally, and that it's an inevitable outcome of instruction.
Clearly that isn't always true, because you can teach someone lots of skills, and still not see that person actually apply those skills. That's why you need to motivate people to learn and change. A useful model for doing this is ARCS, which stands for 'Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction.'

This was developed by John Keller in 1983, and it's been used and validated by teachers and trainers across a wide range of learning environments - from universities to the military. Here are the basic components of the ARCS model:

Attention
Capture learners' attention at the start of the session, and maintain it throughout.

· Ask learners questions to make them think about why they should learn the skill.

· Use role-playing or other activities to show the importance of learning the skill. For instance, you could play the role of an angry customer, and have the learner respond to you as a way of demonstrating the best way to handle a difficult situation.

· Use specific examples, and ask learners to offer their own solutions, to stimulate their interest further.

Relevance

Explain to learners how important the lesson is, and how it could benefit them.

· Describe the benefits. For example, by learning strategies for handling angry customers, your staff will be less anxious about dealing with them.

· Relate the lesson to their current jobs and experiences. The learning materials, assignments, and projects should be applicable to their work, and to specific situations they face in their daily jobs.

· Develop a connection between learning the skill and developing their careers. Discuss issues like increased satisfaction, higher pay, and promotion opportunities.

Confidence
Tell learners what is expected of them.

· Set clear objectives for the session, and check in regularly with learners to make sure they're not falling behind.

· Design projects and lessons so that learners experience small successes along the way, before they completely master the skill.

· Give learners enough time to practice skills, so that they'll be successful when they apply these skills to the job.

· Make sure you're teaching at the right level. Learners can lack motivation if something is too difficult - or too easy.

· Allow learners to have input into their learning by helping them create their own learning goals.

Satisfaction
Reinforce successes and motivation.

· Give lots of feedback. Make sure it's specific, timely, and relates to how learners can put the skill into practice on the job.

· Recognize learners' successes. Praise often, and find ways to reward achievements. Let learners know that you and the company value and appreciate expertise and high levels of skill and competence.

· Look at ways to increase motivation. Find out what learners are interested in and passionate about. And find ways to get learners to motivate one another as well.

What type of person are you?

2009-04-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

Management series

Inspiration from Management book

To know how you function In the office.

What you are best and worth at, are all part of knowing yourself.

Some manager’s deal with people in just the rich way: neither too bossy nor too appeasing, they handle staff with tact and sensitivity, careful not to over look individual needs while ensuring that the team or the department thrives as a whoe. They also tend to get the job done for everyone benefits.

Carl Jung pioneered the study of personality types at the beginning of the century.

He thought that people oriented themselves toward the world in either of two basic ways

Introverts
Extroverts

Introverts are most happy when they are by themselves, doing their own thing they do not pursue social activity and often feel uncomfortable in it

Extroverts give their lives meaning from interaction with people and can fee at loss whey by themselves.

Human being are complex and don’t fit into boxes, but some theories are a useful starting point for the difficult task of self analysis.

Jung’s thought that we receive and process data via four functions:-

Thinking
Intuiting
Feeling
Sensing

Before further illustration, critical analysis is required

Concentrate on your thoughts

Try to recognize your basic bent or direction

Work out what your strengths are

Ensure that your weakness are covered

If you decide that you lack challenge or are going in the wrong direction, it may be that they only solution is to change job

JUNG’S FOUR FUNCTIONS

As a manager it is useful to know whether you are in introvert or extrovert and which of the four function is your stronger and which the weakest, also if you can spot the strong and weak functions of your subordinates, it will help you decide who will be most useful for different task and enable you to build effective teams.

Thinker

Enjoys tackling problems with logic

Is strong on analysis but weak on implementing solutions

Is a methodical worker

Is skeptical or projects unless backed up with sound, rational arguments

Sensor

Is good at getting things done, often impatient with the planning stage

Feels at home with routine work

Has a lot of common sense and is practical

Works hard and is usually well organized

Is energetic and single minded?

Intuitor

Enjoys playing with ideas and theories

Is good at seeing the “overview” but misses the details

Is creative and has s strong imaginative sense

Will often get bunches about thing that turn out correctly

Feeler

Enjoys human company

Assesses on personal values not technical merit

Is warm and sympathetic

Is perceptive about peoples, moods, feeling and reactions

May overlook blatant facts in favor of “gut feelings “.

Thank you

Water therapy avoid Heart attack

2009-04-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals,
not cold water,

Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating.
It is not advisable to have a cup of cold drink after a meal.
However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed.
Effects of cold water drinking
It will slow down the digestion.
Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food.
It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer.
It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal. Common Symptoms Of Heart Attack... A serious note about heart attacks –
You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting.
Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.
You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack.
Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.
60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up.
Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep.
Let's be careful and be aware.
The more we know, the better chance we could survive.

DRINK WATER ON EMPTY STOMACH
It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning.
Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value.
We publish below a description of use of water for our readers.
For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases:
Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.

METHOD OF TREATMENT
1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water 2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minutes 3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal. 4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours 5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day. 6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life. The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure/control/reduce main diseases:

1. High Blood Pressure - 30 days
2. Gastric - 10 days
3. Diabetes - 30 days
4. Constipation - 10 days
5. Cancer - 180 days
6. TB - 90 days
7. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards - daily.. This treatment method has no side effects.

However at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.
It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life.
Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.

This makes sense..............the Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals not cold water.

KNOW YOUR SELF

2009-04-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

Think who are you?

Self knowledge is invaluable to any one seriously intent on choosing the right life path.

If you, as a manager, don’t know yourself, you will be led into making ill-advised decisions about your life and work from which it may be difficult of impossible to extricate yourself.

It would be wrong to suggest that self knowledge is they key to managerial success. A good manager will need a range of skills and knowledge which come with experience. You will need to practice skills, take advice, use other’s strengths and work hard.But self examination is a good starting point and is rarely stressed when it comes to choosing the right job for your and doing your present job best.

If you are not enjoying your job, look at situations in the past where you have enjoyed yourself and done well at something.

The chances are that you have strayed away from your natural abilities and a move to recapture them will be rewarding for you and the company you work for.

Critical self analysis

Am I in the right job?

Do you begin to feel anxious in the evening at the prospect of work the next day?

Do you talk obsessively to your partner about your work or about a member of staff?

Do you find yourself working late regularly or not taking your lunch hours because you feel you need to impress or because you have been given or taken on too much work?

Are you offhand or short tempered with your subordinates or peer colleagues?

Are you enjoying your job and clear about where it is taking you?

Do you feel your boss is incompetent and that you could do his/her job just as well?

Are you sick of being delegated to and not delegating?

Do you feel run-down or stressed?

Have you had to give up hobbies or interest because of work?

These are very important and powerful questions, so are you ready to answer or able to handle such type of situation?

The ancient Greeks thought self knowledge so crucial that they had the phrase “know you “carved above their temple entrances.

ANALYSE YOUR NEEDS

To be an effective person or manager you must realize that your satisfaction requirements change.

In the mid of 1950 A.H. Maslow a pioneer in management psychology, put forward the theory that there are five basic need which people aim to satisfy. How many of Maslow’s need does your job fulfill?

PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS

The basic need for food, clothing and shelter

SAFETY NEED

The need for security, continuity, protection against anything that threatens an organized orderly existence.

SOCIAL NEEDS

The need to belong and be accepted in a social context

ESTEEM NEEDS

The need to have status and other respect

SELF FULFILMENT NEEDS

The need to fell fulfilled through the creative use of your natural aptitudes and practiced skills which lead to self actualization

Apply this model and change your thought process.

All of the changing process takes time and don’t expect things can be change in a minutes, it takes time

2009-04-17T04:58:00.000-07:00

Chain Motivation

Is persuasion a gift? Are some people born with the ability to speak well and 'sell' their ideas successfully?It sure seems that way when you're wowed by a motivational speaker, or galvanized into action by a thought-provoking presentation.

In your role, do you ever need to motivate, inspire, or persuade others? Whether you're a senior executive giving a presentation to the Board, a manager giving a morale-boosting speech to your team, or a production manager giving a presentation on safety standards, at some point, you'll probably have to move people to action.

While there are certainly those who seem to inspire and deliver memorable speeches effortlessly, the rest of us can learn how to give effective presentations too. Key factors include putting together a strong message and delivering it in the right

sequence.Monroe's Motivating

Sequence: The Five StepsAlan H. Monroe, a Purdue University professor, used the psychology of persuasion to develop an outline for making speeches that will deliver results. It's now known as Monroe's Motivating Sequence.This is a well-used and time-proven method to organize presentations for maximum impact. You can use it for a variety of situations to create and arrange the components of any message. The steps are explained below.

Step One: Get AttentionGet the attention of your audience.
Use story telling, humor, a shocking statistic, or a rhetorical question - anything that will get the audience to sit up and take notice.

Step Two: Establish the Need
Convince your audience there's a problem. This set of statements must help the audience realize that what's happening right now isn't good enough - and it needs to change.

Step Three: Satisfy the NeedIntroduce your solution.
How will you solve the problem that your audience is ready to address? This is the main part of your presentation. It will vary significantly, depending on your purpose.

Step Four: Visualize the Future
Describe what the situation will look like if the audience does nothing. The more realistic and detailed the vision, the better it will create the desire to do what you recommend. Your goal is to motivate the audience to agree with you and adopt similar behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs. Help them see what the results could be if they act the way you want them to. Make sure your vision is believable and realistic.

Step Five: Action/Actualization
Your final job is to leave your audience with specific things they can do to solve the problem. You want them to take action now. Don't overwhelm them with too much information or too many expectations, and be sure to give them options to increase their sense of ownership of the solution. This can be as simple as inviting them to have some refreshments as you walk around and answer questions. For very complex problems, the action step might be getting together again to review plans.

Modern communication

2009-04-14T01:07:00.000-07:00

Quote
Observe, record, tabulate, communicate. Use your five senses. Learn to see, learn to hear, learn to feel, learn to smell, and know that by practice alone you can become expert. William Osler

Writting better email, this really help me and those who wanted to be a better communicator!!!!