Leading the Pack With Your Unique Skills!

Each person is born with certain innate skills and abilities that help hem survive in the world. Cultures may determine which skills are rewarded and which are not. Exposure and discovery of our skills is half the battle while the enhancement of such skills is another. If you want to be successful consider finding what makes you unique and capitalize on them.

Most people are creatures of the herd which means they follow each other in fashion, work, mannerisms, and ideas. This is great for social cohesion but not so great if you want to break out of the mold and do something unique. To move beyond the herd requires doing something new that others might not even consider.

Those skills you are born with will naturally have an impact on what things you are good at. Sometimes you can find a match in life and employment. For example, a person who is strong at calculating numbers would make a great accountant, scientist, or mathematician. Another person who is strong at creative writing would be better in journalism, marketing, or similar fields.

The biggest problem is discovering what makes you unique and then determining how to capitalize on such uniqueness by turning it into an advantage. That requires trial, error, exploration, practice and reflection. Sometimes it is possible to take tests and assessments to narrow down where your thinking and physical skills lay.

Don't be afraid of criticism. It is difficult for people to grasp the concept that we are not all born the same, wanting the same things, or doing the same things. History has shown us that people who strike out on their own path are the ones that do things others are likely to remember. Certainly many do fail but those who do succeed do so in a big way.

To advance your career and personal life take some time to think about your skills and try and understand where your strengths lay and how you might better apply them. If you have a knack for some skill try and enhance those skills and incorporate them into your professional and creative output. Over time you will find that you are not only advancing in your career but also feel more fulfilled as a person.

"We are all born with a unique genetic blueprint, which lays out the basic characteristics of our personality as well as our physical health and appearance... And yet, we all know that life experiences do change us." Joan D. Vinge

The Benefits of Laughter for Grumpy Managers

Life is full of trials and tribulations but how we view life makes all of the difference. People look for the magic bullet and the fountain of youth by spending thousands of dollars on clothing, cars, cosmetics, pills, and surgery. The ultimate guide to happiness is in the way you view the world. Laughter is one of the best medicines to keeping yourself positive, happy, and productive.

Laughter has been noted in a number of studies of having benefits for physical health, psychological health, and social graces. It improves upon a number of areas of your life while costing you nothing but a change in your attitude and a new appreciate of life. If you are a grumpy business manager then laughter will likely be a good prescription for you.

Imagine for a moment that you are so focused on your career that you take little enjoyment from other activities in your life. Because you are so serious you are unable to find the comical side of life. Eventually your serious nature will impact not only your health but also your business prospects.

Encouraging more laughter is all mental that creates a habit. It is often the way we think about issues and how we find the silly side of life. If we are optimistic, feeling good, and thinking about the positive side of issues we are much more likely to enjoy laughter than if our thinking is negative.

Some of the beneficial ways to improve laughter beyond patterns of thinking is to watch funny shows, engage in a more spontaneous life, and try and find the positive side of each situation. If you have ever watched Family Guy or The Office chances are you are already to find some of the funny stuff going on.

Having a non-serious side can also be a great benefit for getting along with others. Being positive and laughing about most issues that might torque will help put people at ease around you. It shows a level of confidence that wouldn’t have been expressed otherwise.

Laughter is one of those things we can do for free and costs us nothing but a change in mood. Laughter is a learned skill much like thinking positively is a learned skill. Once we change how we view each situation and decide to enjoy the funny side of life things will seem just a little more jolly. Take a few minutes to laugh at yourself switch from CNN to the Comedy Channel for self-maintenance.

How Does Chinese Culture Influence Online Education?

Online education is growing and spanning the earth as Internet access becomes more entrenched in people’s lives. The study of culture and its impact on online education hasn’t been studied with any real vigor. According to a study by Zhang (2014) Confucius cultures maintain many of the same attributes when engaging in school online. School administrators should consider the impact of culture on the online education modality and how that impacts learning. 

It is first beneficial to understand what culture is. It can be seen as, “the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another” (Hofstede, 2010). Culture is that which we carry with us from our shared social upbringing uniquely tied to our place of origin. 

When students move online the way in which they perceive the information and how they interact with authority figures isn’t likely to change. Those who were raised in cultures that have a high respect for professors are likely to have wider power-distance relationships. This is certainly different than lower power-distance relationships where students challenge the professor. 

In this case, the professor takes a more profound role with higher levels of societal respect. Students are less likely to challenge the professor or question the professor’s knowledge. This will naturally have an impact on the level of interactivity within the classroom as well as the need for quality instruction. 

It is beneficial for online instructors in those countries to focus on trying to engage such students with their classmates more and allow for specific interventions to help students keep their moving forward. Having a higher perception of status is not necessarily a bad thing if that power is used to step in and move the class forward. 

Likewise, it is also beneficial for professors to provide quality feedback that tries to explain in greater detail ways in which the student can improve their learning, writing, or test taking. Because such students are less likely to ask questions it is beneficial to give them as much upfront information as possible. Asking questions and receiving information on improvement are two different things. 

Moving overseas into Asian countries is an important step for American universities that seek to broaden their reach, encourage sustainable higher education budgets, and use the power of the Internet to enhance learning. The process is not impossible but does require additional research into culture and online learning. Culture will have a natural impact on how information is received ad the level of interaction among students.

Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:SAGE Publications.

Zhang, Y. (2013). Power distance in online learning: experience of Chinese learners in U.S. higher education. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 14 (4).

What We Can Learn About Management From Sigmund Freud

As a pioneer of psychotherapy and introspection Sigmund Freud developed a theory of human development that was popular during the 70's and sparked a way of thinking about human development and general management of employee needs. Freud was part of the humanistic movement that tried to understand the nature of human behavior. Even though some of what Freud discussed has been discredited he did bring up a few ideas that help us think about proper management techniques.

As a theory Freud discussed the Id, Ego and Superego that interact throughout the 5 psychosexual stages of development that include oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital stages. Each of these stages are that which a child might experience and develop their personality with. If a person becomes stuck in any one of the stages it will skew their personality. Stuck individuals may develop personality quirks that impact their management styles.

Learning management from Freud isn't necessarily about agreeing or not agreeing with his theories. It is more about finding a mental framework for understanding employee needs, their rational side, and their balanced side as expressed in Freud's Id, Ego and Super Ego. Putting a framework together for understanding employees is beneficial for understanding behavior in the workplace.

Each employee has some needs that draws them to their place of employment and as long as we understand what motivates these employees we can also understand how to retain them and encourage higher levels of performance. One employee may be more motivated by social recognition while another through a need for accomplishment.

Strong managers understand their employees and take enough time to determine what makes them "tick". Once they understand their employees needs they can work toward adjusting the work environment to help fulfill those needs as well as produce higher levels of output. Such activities are likely to result in higher retention and performance rates.

Let us assume you were watching and paying attention to what themes run through an employee's conversations and you were able to determine the employees motivational buttons such as social recognition and income obtainment. According to Freud such personality was formed through the psychosexual stages and how the Id, Ego and Super Ego were formed.

Knowing that your employee wants to have social recognition and income obtainment will help you design a path of development for that employee. Offering raises for exceptional work and conclusion of projects is one aspect of the job that may work for a time. Adding a social recognition side when higher performance is exhibited is another one.

Where you believe in Freud's theories or not is not really the issue. Becoming aware of the need to understand your employees, what motivates them, and the components of their personality is important. Like Freud, look for their motivations, themes, and interests to determine what interests the employee and what doesn't. It is not an invasive process only a process of awareness into the necessity of communicating with employees, actually listening to what they need, and trying to find win-win situations for both the employee and the company.

oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages

Source: Boundless. “Freud's Psychosexual Theory of Development.” Boundless Psychology. Boundless, 27 Jun. 2014. Retrieved 01 Jan. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/human-development-14/theories-of-human-development-70/freud-s-psychosexual-theory-of-development-267-12802/

oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages

Source: Boundless. “Freud's Psychosexual Theory of Development.” Boundless Psychology. Boundless, 27 Jun. 2014. Retrieved 01 Jan. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/human-development-14/theories-of-human-development-70/freud-s-psychosexual-theory-of-development-267-12802/

oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages

Source: Boundless. “Freud's Psychosexual Theory of Development.” Boundless Psychology. Boundless, 27 Jun. 2014. Retrieved 01 Jan. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/human-development-14/theories-of-human-development-70/freud-s-psychosexual-theory-of-development-267-12802/

Call for Papers: International Conference for Academic Disciplines (Las Vegas 2015)

Submission Deadline: Feb 3^rd, 2015
Date: 16th to 20th March 2015
Las Vegas, United States of America

Join us at UNLV for a 5-day multidisciplinary conference that blends in research, sunshine and cultural bus tour programs. Take a break and make it a productive week in Las Vegas. Send us your research abstract now.

 

Website: http://www.internationaljournal.org/vegas.html

Exchange Your New Year's Resolutions for Goals

New Years is the that special day where people boastfully pronounce their resolutions to any passerby who will listen. Like most New Year's resolutions they are short lived and die off in a few short weeks after pronouncement. This year, instead of making resolutions, look to bring in the new year with some well thought out goals. This will help you give your life a kick in the pants as you march down a brighter path.

Goals are different than resolutions. Resolutions usually seek to solve a problem and are not always well thought out. This is one reason why resolutions don't often have staying power. Goals are a commitment to achieve some objective and require greater thought and action to successfully achieve.

A popular New Year's resolution is to work out and get into shape. With no real plan in place you walk into your closest gym and sign up for that expensive gym membership that will continue to charge you even though you don't go anymore. You also buy yourself a new pair of running shoes, a great outfit and the latest book catering to some new diet fad. Your ready to go!

Within a few short weeks you abandon the gym and return back to your old habits because you didn't realize there was a lot of work involved in your broad resolution. At the end of it all you spent a lot of money, your enthusiasm quickly died and you eventually gave up. New Year's Resolution "get in shape" died quickly.

Setting a goal may help you more as you will be forced to think through not only the goal but how you manage to achieve it. It is beneficial to take time considering what is important to you and then break down the steps you will need to fulfill your goal. Make sure that your goals have some end point where new goals can be met. Your New Year's Resolution should move from "get in shape" to "lose five pounds" this year.

Steps to Setting Goals

Step 1: Set your goals based upon those things that are really important to you.

Step 2: Goals should have a clearly defined end point like five pounds, volunteer 30 hours, etc...

Step 3: Break your goals down into action steps that require smaller completable steps (i.e. read one health book a month or frequent the gym 30 minutes 3X a week).

Step 4: Assess your goal achievement a few times throughout the year to ensure that you are on track or need to adjust your effort to put yourself on track.

Step 5: Set new goals at the end of the year and celebrate whatever you did happen to accomplish last year.

Looking Professional by Saving Your Quality Work Shoes

A high quality suit speaks volumes about professionalism but what about shoes? Dress clothing gives the right first impression that can impact your image for a long time. The right tie, shirt, and suit is one level of dressing well but additional attention to detail makes all the difference. Anyone can put on a suit but few consider the details of their accessories to create a total impression.

Shoes get worn out, the heels wear down, and they need a little care to keep them fresh. Those with a discerning eye will see beyond the suit and evaluate the watch, shoes, and accessories to determine the sense of style and focus on detail of the person. People who dress up every once in a while don't often consider the smaller pieces that say a lot about an individual.

Worn out shoes are one sign a person doesn't take their career or image seriously. Showing up to an important business meeting with scuffed or worn out shoes is in poor taste. You may not believe this but people will judge you buy your shoes and how well you take care of them. Shinny shoes signal that you are serious and pay attention to details that may transfer to your job.

Worn out heals not only look bad but also can be bad for your back. Rub marks occur where your heals receive the most pressure based upon your personal body mechanics and where the heel rubs on the ground. Keeping your heels in good shape will not only protect your posture and protect from back pain but will also give an impression of professionalism.

Like many of you I have spent a great many years buying cheap shoes because I always wore out the heel within a year's time. This made the rest of the shoe relatively useless once the heel was mangled. Since I did this on a regular basis I decided that buying expensive shoes really wasn't doing me any good as I am simply throwing away more money in the trash.

One day I found $190 pair of leather dress boots from Aldo on sale for 50% off. I was impressed by my purchase and wore these shoes on a regular basis. Who wouldn't feel good about wearing expensive latest style shoes? A problem arose when in a year I wore down the heal to the point that it was noticeable to just about anyone who bothered to look.

I extended their time by wearing them only in casual events with jeans during the evening hours. Eventually that also was not practical. With a saddened heart at being duped like everyone else into accepting price and quality as the same thing I started looking for a long term solution. A little search on Google and I came across a neighborhood leather and shoe repair shop.

For a grand price of $20 I not only got new heels but also a serious polish on my boots. To save your shoes will require you to buy high quality leather shoes to start and then ensure that you keep up with maintenance. No point in spending more money for new expensive shoes if you can double or triple their life with a little effort. Some shoes are not only stay in style but are worth the extra effort.

Looking good without spending a lot of money is beneficial. You can buy one or two pairs of high quality work shoes (brown and black) and ensure that they are polished and heels are in good working order to keep your image spit shined. No one will know your shoes are on their second life if they are in good shape. If you look around enough you may find some high quality and trendy shoes on sale so you don't throw your money into the trash bin.