Encouraging Employee Creativity

Today's economy runs on those who are creative, can find new solutions, and enhance strengths where weaknesses abound. Developing creativity in employees seems difficult for those executives that think in terms of action and output.

Below you will find a few tips for encouraging creativity and leads to higher performance and knowledge among workers. Creativity can be a messy process but does lead to higher levels of performance and innovation in the long-run.

Variety of Work: Exposing people to new ideas and positions throughout the organization leads to higher creativity.

Collaborative Work Environments: People who work  together share ideas and thoughts. Egalitarian approaches work the best.

Appreciate Novelty: New things and different people might annoy some but these people and their ideas are necessary.

Letting Employees Explore Ideas: Some ideas are not fully developed and need to be explored.

Encourage Mindfulness:  Helping people be aware of the moment and understand their thoughts and feelings at that times allows new ideas to come forward.

2017 International Conference on Education and Global Studies

CALL for PAPERS - IConEGS 2017 @ Kyoto, Japan
2017 International Conference on Education and Global Studies (IConEGS 2017)
April 4-6, 2017, Kyoto, Japan
http://tw-knowledge.org/iconegs

We cordially invite you and your colleagues to participate and submit papers to 2017 International Conference on Education and Global Studies (IConEGS 2017) that will be held at International Community House, Kyoto, Japan, on the 4th–6th April 2017. . We welcome submissions from all over the world and we encourage you to join us in Kyoto, Japan to share your research and knowledge. To submit abstracts/papers for presentation or participate as an audience member, please visit the conference website for more details. All submissions will be subject to a double-blind review process. All accepted manuscripts will be published in the conference proceedings, under an ISSN reference, on CD-ROM support.

The objectives of the conference are:

1. Provide a platform for the researchers to seek further opinions, comments and suggestions.
2. Contribute knowledge in the fields of education and global studies.
3. Provide wider opportunities for participants to interact and create networking.
4. Deliver your research findings to global audiences.
5. Participate in a truly international, interdisciplinary and intercultural event.

The conference venue Kyoto is Japan's capital for more than 1,000 years. Kyoto was the center not only for politics, but religion, philosophy, art, culture, and cuisine. The cherry blossoms (sakura) usually bloom in the last week of March and the first two weeks of April in Kyoto (roughly between 20 March and 14 April). In an average year, the blooms peak on 1 April in Kyoto. Once they bloom, they are notoriously fickle: sometimes almost all the trees will come into full bloom (mankai) at the same time and stay in full bloom for a week or even longer. We believe that you will enjoy your stay in Kyoto. If you need any assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Conference Website: http://tw-knowledge.org/iconegs
Online Submission: http://192.169.244.28/iconegs2017
Enquiries: Conference.EGS@gmail.com
Submission Deadline: December 10, 2016

Grabbing Your Mental Gear and Learning the Skills to Achieve Your Goals

Motivation is hard to develop if you don't have solid goals and the right mental gear to make things happen.Self-efficacy and Self-Esteem are the tools we need to get things done and our skills are the right gear. Without basic beliefs about our abilities and inherent worth we cannot achieve those things that are needed. The world is not going to hand you anything...you will need to work for each piece you achieve. If you don't believe in yourself no one else will.

There are billions of people out there that are seeking to get something out of their environment. They are inherently and biologically designed to fulfill their needs. They push their needs in complex ways on the environment around them. Each has developed a strategy to compete and achieve homeostasis with their environment.

Accomplishing great things means you will need to do something different and change your approach to the world around you. It requires you to grab your mental gear and make new efforts and efforts that get you on the right path. This mental gear should include a general belief in your skills to achieve your goals and the inherent belief that you are worthy of  achieving these goals.

You can own your successes.

Its not easy in world where everyone seems to need something from each other and are furthering their own interests as the expense of others. If your goals have value, are beneficial to yourself and society, then you are entitled to work on them. You have the right to purse your goals in the face of adversity and continue to push for your goals.

That doesn't mean you will always achieve them so you will need to be prepared to enjoy the process as much as the goal achievement. Be persistent and focused on what you want. Keep your motivation high by maintaining your good spirits and balancing out your life. Getting ahead, is about starting the journey with right beliefs that keep you motivated and learning the right skills that get things done.

Fed Rate Hike and the Nature of the New Economy

I read a CNBC article by Ron Insana entitled A Fed rate hike now would be a disaster for the economy which brings up some good points about how the Zero interest rate policy, quantitative easing, and negative interest rate policy no longer have the muscle to spur the economy. I also agree that government should work with stakeholders, even global if necessary, to find new tools. There are two points such as global nature of the economy and economic fundamentals to further this argument.

1. Global: We live in a global economy and therefore stimulus in one country doesn't necessary stay in that country. It is like putting water into a bucket with many holes. The impact is blunted and muted by how interconnected we are. To create meaningful stimulus with these methods requires greater coordination among countries.

We must also understand that our policies and activities influence many nations. While we seek to bolster our own economy we are inherently reliant on other economies that supply, buy, and finance our activities. Therefore, new economic theories and tools will need to be created that understand and work with this complexity.

2. Fundamentals: Easy cash is helpful but is only one piece in the pie that creates the environment for growth. We can't neglect things like government debt, infrastructure, education and other pieces that create a total growth environment. Because the economy and its factors are complex it is helpful to focus more on regional hubs and local clusters when understanding the economy to master the main mechanisms of growth.

Furthering this thought, the fundamentals of the economy rely on 5 economic elements of linkages (People, Finance, Resources, and Information), Intellectual/Human Capital, National Structure, Culture, and Leadership. Technology will help businesses and people to connect together for value creation, creative abilities of workers should be enhanced and fully employed, government should be effective and trustworthy using resources wisely and protecting people's inherent rights, a culture of creativity and productivity should be encouraged to foster entrepreneurship and innovation, and solid leaders with the capacity to lead people into the next era should be allowed into the stagnant political system.

Quality Deck Shoes on Discount

Who doesn't love deck shoes on discount? Shoes are one of the first things people look when meeting you for the first time. You wouldn't normally advertise to your friends that you found shoes on discount, but that depends if you are a practical or emotional buyer. Sometimes discounts don't lead to savings as the product doesn't have high value while at other times you can save money and get something fashionable.

I do a lot of sailing and moved into competitive sailboat racing working that requires a lot of deck running. My old soft bottom shoes were not longer going to cut it so I went in search of high quality non-scuff deck shoes that grip even when the water has splashed up on the deck. After searching online I decided to stop at my local West Marine to do some comparison shopping.

What did I find?

A whole array of deck shoes designed specifically for sailing. According to the sales agent, Sperry offers high quality boat shoes that last in salt water and provide a durable non-slip sole. Beyond functional they also are fashionable and can be worn in other locations when your not on ship.

The ones I selected where Sperry's Haylard 2 Eye Deck shoe. Normally running between $50 and $100 they were on sale for $32. The advantage of the shoe is that it is durable, has a sole designed for non-slip that protects against injury, and can be used for casual wear.

The worst thing you can do is buy shoes that hurt your feet and lead to injury through sliding on the deck, falling down, or over into the water.

Items on sale don't mean they are worth less than other brands. Sometimes summer season ends and new items must be put in place. You also find that only a few sizes are available so the entire selection is discounted. Sales could also be used to draw customers in. In this case it seems that summer is ending and new shoes are being brought aboard.

You can check out of their other shoes at Sperry