Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Earth is my mother Essay Essays

Earth is my mother Essay Essays Earth is my mother Essay Essay Earth is my mother Essay Essay Essay Topic: Equus The author’s intent in authorship was to understand for herself and to be able to show Navajo sandpaintings as â€Å"dynamically sacred life entities whose significances lie in the procedure of their creative activity and use† ( page nineteen ) . Sandpaintings. created from different colored littorals and sacred objects. are non art. They are representations of fabulous existences and fables created for the intent of restoring someone’s wellness and harmoniousness. The survey of sandpaintings and their assorted significances permits the reader considerable penetration into Navajo land-tied spiritual beliefs. universe position. creative activity myths. society. history. and even constructs of clip. The writer. Trudy Griffin-Pierce. provides small autobiographical information in the book. She mentions her vagabond Air Force upbringing and how her early readings were devoted to books about Native American civilization. particularly the Navajo. Although she is distantly related to the Catawba Indians of South Carolina. she ever felt a affinity with the Navajo and lived for a clip with a Navajo household. larning their traditions. history. and linguistic communication. This bond drew her to Arizona after she completed her undergraduate grade in art at Florida State University. N. Scott Momaday. in his â€Å"Forward† . adds that Ms. Griffin-Pierce is a really originative creative person. capable of understanding and discoursing the artistic dimension of the Navajo universe. She makes the imaginative and inventive Navajo system of belief without our apprehension. Ms. Griffin-Pierce received her doctors degree in anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1987. where she is presently Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department and Teachs three classs. The information on her web site at the University of Arizona reveals that this was her first published book. She has written four newer books. The Encyclopedia of Native America ( 1995 ) . Native Americans: Enduring Cultures and Traditions ( 1996 ) . Native Peopless of the Southwest ( 2000 ) . and Paridigms of Power: The Chiricahua Apache Prisoners of War and Naiche’s Hide Paintings ( in imperativeness ) ; and two articles. â€Å"When I am Lonely the Mountains Call Me: The Impact of Sacred Geography on Navajo Psychological Well Being† . and â€Å"Navajo Religion† . All of her Hagiographas centre on the history of Indians in the United States’ Southwest. She is presently analyzing aging and dementedness among Arizona’s Native Americans. In Earth is my Mother ; Sky is my Father. Ms. Griffin-Pierce inside informations Navajo spiritual beliefs. universe positions. historical myths. social construction. and astronomical constructs before she discusses the usage and construction of Navajo sandpaintings. Basic Navajo spiritual beliefs are still followed by many Navajos who chose non to absorb the dogmas of Christianity presented to them in the 1800’s. There is no word for â€Å"religion† in the Navajo linguistic communication. Spirituality. wellness. harmoniousness. and beauty are inseparable. The existence is an across-the-board whole where everything has a alone topographic point and good relationship to all other living things. God is the â€Å"Unknown Power† worshipped through His Creation. The Navajo besides have a close relationship with the Holy People. with whom they interact daily. ( page 34 ) Navajo spiritual beliefs are closely tied to their intense yearning for and their love of their fatherland. which they consider the â€Å"point in infinite from which all constructs of the universe proceed† . ( page fifteen ) The land and the Earth is their foundation of all belief. admiration. and intending in human being. and the four sacred mountains are the centre. There are no lasting spiritual centres. The Native American Church is a local mescal airy faith. The Navajo have a round construct of clip that permits their mythic. religious universe to coexist with their physical universe. The writer suggests that the Navajo sacred sandpaintings can non be understood unless we accept the Navajo’s â€Å"mythopoetic context of superimposed clip. infinite. and meaning† . ( page 7 ) Navajo spiritualty affirms humanity’s topographic point in nature as a whole. Their ceremonials restore the interconnection of all life. They believe sickness consequences from failure to keep mutual duties with the environment. violation of ceremonial regulations. and evildoings against one’s ain head and organic structures. Her intent in composing this book is to portion a more humane. more affiliated position of the universe and its parts in restoring humanity’s alliance with the existence. ( page 9 ) Navajos still worship Gods and goddesses of specific intents. Their divinities include the Sun ; Changing Woman. who brings the earthly seasons ; and their kids. Hero Twins. Monster Slayer. Born-for Water. First Man and First Woman. First Boy and First Girl. the prankster Coyote. and the Speechless Ones. who can non express words. ( page 34 ) These are frequently depicted in the sandpaintings. Navajos have a construct of the â€Å"Holy Wind† . reminiscent of the Christian Holy Spirit. as a being that exists everyplace and is in all living existences. For them this means that all living existences are related and that humanity has a duty to care for other living existences. Curiously. in Navajo Creation narratives. the Holy People spoke. American ginseng. and prayed the universe into being with their sacred words. Since everyone has an interior signifier and is portion of the Holy Wind. each has a Holy Person located within. Oneness with the existence creates a duty to handle one’s chap animals with the same regard one has towards oneself. ( page 73 ) . The Navajos were among the last American Indians to migrate from Asia to North America and were tardily in geting in the Southwest. They settled in the geographical country bounded by the four Sacred Mountains in the Four Corners country of the Southwest. Their geographical isolation protected them from diseases brought by the Spaniards and provided them with entree to stealing their Equus caballuss. sheep. and caprine animals. They learned weaving from the Pueblos. The Navajo social construction was and is matriarchal. kin. and household based. and they dwell in stray household groups structured by the atomic household. the matrilocal extended household. close relations. and other relations. Many Navajo live in frame houses today. but some still choose well-constructed Hogans. ( page 21 ) Navajo ceremonial healings affecting sandpaintings are conducted by extremely trained practicians called â€Å"chanters† who have learned to sing the luxuriant Navajo rites. The Navajo melody pipe can bring around witchery. exorcise shades. and set up unsusceptibility to illness. A melody pipe is a priest. non a priest-doctor. and neer enters the shaman’s characteristic enchantment province. Most melody pipes are work forces. Women become pathologists. or priest-doctors who get cognition in a enchantment province. ( page 39 ) Navaho ceremonies are rites ( rattling is non used ) or chants ( rattle accompanies singing. The major rites ( Blessingway and Enemyway ) use drypaintings with pigments made from workss. including maize. pollens. Indian meal. flower petals. and wood coal. The writer explains that Enemyway is a signifier of dispossession against the shades of foreigners. force. and ugliness. The intonation ceremonials ( Holyway. Evilway. or Lifeway ) use sandpaintings of different colourss of sand. ocher and wood coal. Other sacred objects. flora. and bowls of H2O are incorporated into both types of ceremonials. ( pages 40-41 ) There are 100s. if non 1000s. of different sandpainting designs. A sandpainting is a topographic point of entry where occults enter and go forth. attracted by their similitudes in the picture. The constitution of this tract lets the immorality or unwellness in the patient be replaced by the good. or mending power of the supernatural being. ( page 43 ) The mending ceremonials last for several yearss. It takes four to six people three to five hours to finish a sandpainting six provender in diameter. The workers begin in the centre and work outwards. ( page 45. The Navajos’ basic construct is that the powers of the celestial spheres and Earth are drawn into the sandpainting for the intent of mending. Time is compressed so that powerful mythic events of the past coexist with the present and reconstruct harmoniousness and good being to the individual being healed. ( page 58 ) The sandpainted image is intended to allow the ill individual project his or her head through clip and infinite. lifting above present earthly restrictions. The Navajo layered worldview becomes meaningless during a ceremonial as all beds of celestial spheres and belowground become one. The Navajos study the configurations and star agreements chiefly for finding of seasons. and they are non portion of the ceremonial nucleus of sandpaintings. even though word pictures of fabulous Gods of creative activity in the signifier of configurations may be used. ( page 103 ) One of the more interesting myths is how Younger Brother went to the sky state and met an interior circle of hostile existences whom he left to remain with the friendly Star People in the outer homes. These friendly Star People. whom the Navajo name â€Å"The People† . and the hostile existences are still incorporated into sandpaintings. The writer concentrated on the â€Å"Mother Earth. Father Sky† sandpainting because it is the most familiar to foreigners and presents the most elaborate word picture of the Navajo celestial spheres of sandpaintings in usage today. ( page 175 ) She describes the intricate. careful. elaborate procedure involved in doing a sandpainting. Mother Earth and Father Sky must be indistinguishable in form and size. The act of making a sandpainting is mending because it focuses everyone’s ideas on the rules of balance and order. ( page 177 ) The picture becomes â€Å"alive† to function its transcendent intent when the melody pipe strews sacred pollen on it and blesses those go toing. ( page 183 ) . The sacred and blessed sandpainting forces the patient to reconnect in clip and infinite to past and show sacred forces and reminds the patient of her connection to worlds present physically or spiritually. ( page 194 ) This book accomplishes the author’s stated intents and does discourse the subjects in item. However. the information is disorganized and scattered. doing the book itself difficult to read. The author’s intent was to learn the reader how to understand and appreciate the devising. content. and intent of Navajo sandpainting. which she accomplishes. Some of the information presented about Navajo spiritual beliefs is oddly similar to Christianity. and the writer does non sufficiently discuss whether or non these were original to the Navajo who migrated to the Americas or picked up and changed a spot from what Christian missionaries tried to learn them. The Navajo ties to the spiritual symbolism of their land is unusually similar to early Hebrew idea. but no reference is made of that. The textual beginnings used by the writer are all documented research documents or books that are reasonably recent in day of the month. One would wish earlier beginnings had been consulted on some issues. but their handiness is non known. The writer combines rather deadening elaborate information with her myths and more lively text. doing the book itself a challenge to finish. BIBLIOGRAPHY Southwest Studies Program. Biography of Trudy Griffin-Pierce. University of Arizona. hypertext transfer protocol: //web. Arizona. edu/~swst/faculty/tgpierce. htm. Griffin-Pierce. Trudy. Earth is my Mother ; Sky is my Father. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1992.

Definition and Examples of Codification in English

Definition and Examples of Codification in English The linguistic term codification refers to the methods by which a language is standardized. These methods include the creation and use of dictionaries, style and usage guides, traditional grammar textbooks, and the like. [S]tandardization aims to ensure fixed values for the counters in a system, wrote James and Lesley Milroy in Authority in Language: Investigating Standard English. In language, this means preventing variability in   spelling  and  pronunciation  by selecting fixed conventions uniquely regarded as correct, establishing correct meanings of words...uniquely acceptable word forms (he does  is acceptable, but  he  do  is not) and fixed conventions of  sentence structure. The term  codification  was popularized in the early 1970s by  linguist  Einar Haugen, who defined it as a process that leads to minimal variation in  form (Dialect, Language, Nation, 1972). The Evolution of English Codification is an ongoing process. The English language evolved over centuries from Old English to Middle English after the Norman Conquest in 1066 to Modern English in about the mid-15th century. For example, different word forms were dropped, such as having nouns with different genders or additional verb forms. The proper order for words in a sentence coalesced (subject-verb-object) and variations (such as verb-subject-object) pretty much disappeared. New words were added, such as 10,000 of them being incorporated from French after the conquest. Some of the duplicate words changed meanings, and some were lost altogether. These are all examples of how the language has codified. Spellings and meanings continue to change and be added to the dictionary today, of course, but the most important period of codification [in English] was probably the 18th century, which saw the publication of hundreds of dictionaries and grammars, including Samuel Johnsons monumental Dictionary of the English Language (1755) [in Great Britain] and Noah Websters The American Spelling Book (1783) in the United States (Routledge Dictionary of English Language Studies, 2007). During the languages evolution, Dennis Ager wrote, in the   Language Policy in Britain and France: The Processes of Policy, three influences were...paramount: the kings English, in the form of the administrative and legal language; literary English, in the form of the language accepted as that used by great literature- and for printing and publishing; and Oxford English, or the English of education and the Church- its main provider. At no point in this process was the State openly involved.He continued, Codification also affected the spoken form of the standard language. Received pronunciation was codified through the influence of education, particularly that of the 19th-century public schools, followed from the early 20th century by cinema, radio  and  television (BBC English).  Nonetheless  it is estimated that only 3-5  per cent  of the population of Britain  speak  received pronunciation today...and hence this particular form of the language is accepted by society only in the sense that it is widely understood. Even though English is a flexible language, continually borrowing words from other languages (an estimated 350 different languages, in fact), adding words, definitions, and spellings to the dictionary, the basic grammar and pronunciation ​have remained relatively stable and codified.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Beans and More Beans

Beans and More Beans Beans and More Beans Beans and More Beans By Maeve Maddox Considering the flurry of comments triggered by my inclusion of a bean idiom in a recent post, I decided to give the humble bean a post of its own. The noun bean is Germanic in origin. August Fick (1833-1916) German comparative linguist, suggested that bean was cognate with faba, the Latin word for bean, but according to the OED, â€Å"phonetic considerations render this doubtful.† Originally, the word bean referred only to the broad bean (Faba vulgaris), but now it refers to any seed that resembles it. Human beings and beans have had a long relationship; Egyptians buried them with their dead, and Homer mentioned them in the Iliad. On the ancient Roman feast called the Lemuria (or Lumuralia), the pater familias (father of the family) got out of bed at midnight to walk around the house barefoot, throwing black beans over his shoulder. The rite was intended to exorcise any malevolent spirits that had accumulated in the household during the previous year. Pythagoras instructed his followers â€Å"not to love beans,† but he may have been warning them against meddling in politics, not forbidding them to eat beans; beans were used as markers in political elections. Artistotle equated the bean with venery (pursuit of sexual pleasure); to him, â€Å"abstaining from beans† meant â€Å"keeping the body chaste.† As common objects of daily life, beans found their way into literary and proverbial use. â€Å"Not worth a bean† came to mean worthless. Chaucer (1343-1400) uses the expression in â€Å"The Merchant’s Tale.† The hero of the tale is a knight who, after 60 years of bachelorhood, finally decides to marry: â€Å"For no other way of life,† he said, â€Å"is worth a bean.† A person who â€Å"does not have a bean† is poor indeed, although the bean in this expression may originate elsewhere than with the legume. A slang term for a sovereign or a guinea was bean. â€Å"Not to have a bean† meant â€Å"not to have a cent.† â€Å"Not to know beans about something† is to know nothing about it: Charles Faddis Does not Know Beans About Nuclear Energy â€Å"To spill the beans† is â€Å"to reveal a secret†: Drunk Whistleblower Spilled The Beans On Chemtrail Front Company For CIA The business world has a couple of bean expressions all its own. A â€Å"bean counter† is a contemptuous term applied to an accountant or other financial expert by people who feel that creativity is more valuable than mere record-keeping. A beanfeast or beanfest is an annual dinner given by an employer to his employees. The word bean is slang for head: â€Å"Im a bit short on brain myself; the old bean would appear to have been constructed more for ornament than for use, dont you know†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œP. G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves Wodehouse and other British writers used â€Å"Old Bean† as a friendly term of address: â€Å"You don’t mind my asking, do you old bean?† â€Å"Use your bean† means â€Å"think!† The little cap called a beanie gets its name from this meaning of bean, as does the baseball term bean ball, â€Å"a ball thrown at a batter’s head.† This application of bean has also given us a verb bean, â€Å"to hit someone on the head.† A beanery is a cheap restaurant, presumably because the meals are heavy on beans. The American city of Bostonfamous for its baked beansis often referred to as â€Å"Bean Town.† The expression that inspired this post is â€Å"full of beans,† meaning â€Å"full of energy and high spirits†: [In winter I try] to rise and shine, full of beans, every day.   [Reba] seems fresh, fit and full of beans, projecting herself the way I’m told she always does When I defined â€Å"full of beans† as â€Å"full of energy and high spirits,† several readers informed me of another meaning: â€Å"full of baloney† (or what bologna becomes once it is digested.) â€Å"Full of beans† in the sense of â€Å"energetic† probably originated as stable slang. Bean-fed horses were observed to be in good condition and lively, as in these examples from the OED: 1870  Ã‚   Daily News 27 July 5  Ã‚   The horses [] looked fresh and beany. 1843  R. S. Surtees Handley Cross II. vii. 199  Ã‚   [Hounds, horses], and men, are in a glorious state of excitement! Full o beans and benevolence! Another 19th century use of â€Å"full of beans† noted as stable slang was applied to a person â€Å"whom sudden prosperity had made offensive and conceited.† I suppose that such a stuck-up person could be seen as â€Å"full of beans† in the sense of being â€Å"full of it.† Apparently both meanings are current, so don’t be surprised if you get a puzzled look if your meaning doesn’t match that of your listener. I’ll end with what is probably the best-known bean quotation in popular culture, Rick’s farewell to Ilsa in the movie Casablanca: Ilsa, I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 1017 Patterns of Sentence StructureHyphenation in Compound Nouns

How To Do Facebook Video Marketing The Right Way - CoSchedule Blog

How To Do Facebook Video Marketing The Right Way Blog Facebook is doubling down on video. In fact, 32 billion  views  per day on Facebook.   That’s a mind-blowing statistic, right? The implications for content marketers and social media managers is clear. We need to be investing in video content. But, if youre not a professional videographer, then how do you get started? That’s what we’ll cover in this post. Why Should You Care About Facebook Video? The amount of video watched on Facebook is hard to ignore. That isn’t the only reason why video is important on Facebook, though. There’s also the issue of declining organic reach on the platform. The newsfeed algorithm now makes it harder to earn high organic reach. If video content is particularly popular, however, then there may be an opportunity for content creators to capitalize. If you weren’t feeling the urgency to get started before, you should be now.How To Do Facebook Video Marketing The Right WayStill not convinced? Here are some more fast facts about Facebook video: Get More Mileage Out Of Your Videos With Features From Video content takes effort to create. So, why not make the most of your hard work? With 's robust social sharing features, getting maximum mileage from your video posts is easy. Social Video allows you to upload your videos straight to your calendar and publish them all in one spot: After you've created your post, schedule it to send at the best time automatically with  Best Time Scheduling: Finally, stop manually re-scheduling your videos and let ReQueue take care of it for you: Best of all, you can try all this stuff out free for 14 days! Start your trial below (and put the advice in this post into practice). Facebook Video Marketing Mechanics And Best Practices Before we run full steam ahead, let’s get our footing first. Which Video File Types Are Supported? Facebook recommends .MP4 and .MOV files. However, those aren’t your only options. Find every supported format here or use this cheat sheet: Is Native Facebook Video Better Than Posting YouTube Links? Facebook prefers video directly uploaded onto its platform. This may be because it sees itself in competition with YouTube. Directly uploading your video makes it easier for its algorithm to put your video in front of an interested audience. This means your video uploaded directly might get more views, shares, and comments. In fact, a study done  by quintly  found that native Facebook videos received 186% higher interaction rates than YouTube videos as of December 2016. On #Facebook, native video appears to outperform YouTube links.However, native Facebook video tends to have a shorter shelf life. According to Videomaker, However, by the same token, Facebook posts have a shorter lifespan. In the stream-like flow of the news feed, once a video stops getting likes and shares it quickly sinks to the bottom, rarely to be heard from again. It’s hard to search for old Facebook videos and linking to them directly is problematic. These are huge hurdles. There may be times where either Facebook or YouTube may be best for your video. Figure out which one is best in your case by asking a few questions: Will people care about this video a month from now? If not, the advantage goes to Facebook. Is this video evergreen (meaning it has long-term appeal)? If so, the advantage goes to YouTube. Is this video more than a couple minutes long? This could go either way, but you many want to default to YouTube in this case, for reasons we’ll touch on next. TIP: Remember, you can always upload videos to both Facebook and YouTube, too. What Are Facebook's Video Length Requirements? The maximum length for video on Facebook is 45 minutes. However,  according to Tubular Insights, the best length for engagement is around 1:30. Facebook recommends focusing on storytelling, rather than video length. According to Facebook Business, Video length is less important than telling a cohesive and concise story. Your video ad shouldn’t be longer or shorter than it takes to tell your story well, so create a storytelling arc from the first frame to the last that keeps your audience interested along the way. So, how long should your video be? The answer varies, but here are some general suggestions: In general, keep your videos short and to the point. If you have a longer video, consider breaking it up into short, easily digestible episodes. Pay attention to your Facebook video analytics (more on this later on). See what works best. Then, repeat. Facebook videos under two minutes perform best.What Kinds Of Videos Should I Shoot? There are all kinds of different video categories you could create. How do you know which types of videos your audience will like best? The answer will depend on your audience. Here are some ideas to get you thinking: How-to videos. Consider creating quick videos demonstrating how to perform a task. Entertaining videos. These could include videos based on memes, animals doing something goofy, or whatever your imagination can dream up. Behind-the-scenes videos. What’s it like to work at your company? Could you offer a behind-the-scenes look at how you created something (like a cool piece of content or an event)? Product demonstrations. Show off how your product or service works. Customer testimonials.  Anyone can talk themselves up. Someone else singing your praises is better. Live video. Live video is Facebook's latest video content type that allows users to broadcast video updates straight to your profile page. Your only limit is your creativity. When it comes to Facebook video, you're limited only by your creativity.What Equipment Do I Need? This depends on your budget. Facebook recommends investing in quality production. If you can afford it, it’s best not to go cheap. A great video idea, combined with polish and effort, can generate incredible results. What if you don’t have access to a production team, though? You’re not out of luck. Select Your Camera Type If you’re shooting video on your own, your first step is gathering equipment. Smartphone. Most smartphones can shoot hi-res video. They may not produce professional-quality results. However, this option can work well enough in a pinch. This guide from MakeUseOf has tons of information on shooting quality smartphone video. Digital SLR. Many professional-quality still cameras can shoot awesome video too. Expect to spend at least $500 for a decent entry-level digital SLR. Handicam. If you’re able to spend a few hundred dollars, an amateur digital camcorder may be enough to get started with. Professional video camera. If you have an in-house videographer, they will probably ask (nay, demand) you invest in professional equipment. Don’t argue with them. Just give them what they need. Getting gear to do #Facebook #video #marketing doesn't have to be expensive.Select Your Mic Audio quality shouldn’t be overlooked here. Smartphone microphone. Smartphone condenser mics can improve your audio quality for not too much money. There appear to be more options available for iOS, which may be something to keep in mind if you’re an Android user. Camera microphone. Like most things, you get what you pay for here. Start at $50 and go up from there. Select Your Tripod A tripod can make a major difference in keeping video stable. Smartphone tripod. A small smartphone tripod can go a long way toward shooting better video. Alternately, consider using a smartphone adapter for a full-size tripod. Monopod. These one-legged tripod alternatives are affordable and lightweight. Actual tripod. The most expensive option. Not coincidentally, this is also the best option. TIP: Don't underestimate the value of a quality tripod. It can make an enormous difference between having a stable shot, or a rocky video.] How Should I Shoot My Video? Never shot video before? No problem! You don’t need to be the next Spielberg to shoot decent videos (although it does help to have experience). Shoot Mobile Video Vertically This goes against old-school best practice of shooting in landscape view. However, vertical videos look better on mobile devices. When shooting video on your phone, go vertical. This will produce the best results for people on their phones. Shoot mobile video vertically, rather than horizontally, for easier mobile viewing.Remember The Rule Of Thirds The idea behind the Rule Of Thirds  is to split your frame into thirds along a 9x9 grid. This helps produce balanced shots that look visually appealing. Fit Your Subject In The Frame This is pretty basic. Show people above the waist. Don’t cut off heads or arms in the frame. Make sure people can see what’s happening clearly. Here's a quick example I just shot on my phone: The subject is positioned off-center (following the Rule of Thirds), with everything in the frame, and nothing cut out of the shot. Make The First Few Seconds Attention-Grabbing People scrolling through their news feed have short attention spans. Make your first few seconds count. According to Facebook, you've got about three seconds to hook your viewer into your video. Even then, only 65% will continue into the next ten seconds.   In other words, leave out dramatic build-ups or introductions, and get right to the point. Creating #Facebook video? Skip dramatic build-ups and get right to the point.How Should I Promote My Facebook Videos? You’ve shot your video. Now, how do you get people to watch it? Start with these tips. Write Strong Post Copy Include videos in your posts, and write copy that entices views. Here are a few ways to do this: Write a post that asks a question, while implying the video has the answer. This can get people interested in watching the video. Hype up your video. Get people excited to watch. Write in a way that inspires curiosity. If you want to make sure that you're nailing your messages and encouraging fans to watch your video, try our Social Message Optimizer. To start, type in a draft of your post, hit the video button, and select  Score My Message: Select Facebook and scroll down for an overview of what your message does well, and what could use some improvement: As you continue down the page, you'll see suggestions on how you can improve your message and boost your score: Scroll back up to the top of your page to edit and re-score your message: Recommended Reading: How to Write For Social Media to Create the Best Posts Embed Video From Facebook Elsewhere Did you know you can embed Facebook videos on web pages? It works similar to embedding video from YouTube. That means you can easily embed your Facebook videos in blog posts or static web pages. Simply click the arrow in the upper right corner of any video. Then, click Embed: Next, you’ll see an embed code: If you’d like to include the entire post (and not just the video), click the box. It's worth noting this method will embed your video in an iframe. These can potentially break RSS feeds. If you'd like to avoid this potential issue, click Embed Video. Then, click Advanced Settings to bring up the Embed Video Player Configurator. Next, click Get Code: Finally, follow the on-screen directions to copy and paste the Javascript code into the right places. If you're using WordPress, switch to  Text view and paste the top code at the top of your page: The end result looks like this: Sound FX: Packers vs. ChiefsThe #Packers look pretty amped up for the preseason finale! #GBvsKC Posted by Green Bay Packers on Thursday, September 1, 2016 Done! TIP: Know someone who might be interested in your video? Send them the embed code too. They just might put it somewhere on their own site. Add A Featured Video To Your Facebook Page Have a video you really want people to see? Feature it on your page. Visit your Facebook page. Then, click Videos: Next, click Add Featured Video: You’ll then be able to choose from any of your uploaded videos: Your video will then display under the About section on your profile’s main page. Here’s an example of what this looks like: Use Facebook Featured Videos to enhance your brand page.Upload A Video As Your Cover Photo To Make Your Profile Pack A Punch Did you know you can make your cover image a video? Social Fire Media  found that cover videos should include: A video that is 820x462 pixels wide. Video should be between 20 to 90 seconds in length. To upload a video as your cover photo go to your Facebook business page: Select  Change Cover  and Choose From Videos  or  Upload Video: Select the video you want to use as your cover photo: Click confirm, and your video should replace your cover photo. Consider Video Advertising Or Paying For Promotion Paying to promote your video, or turning your video into an ad, can help drive more reach and views. Just be sure to follow Facebook’s design guidelines for video ads. We also recommended reading Wordstream’s guide on using Facebook ads  too. Recommended Reading: Facebook Marketing Strategy: Why You Need One ( How to Build It) How Can I Drive More Traffic From Facebook Video? Facebook recently removed call-to-action links from native videos. However, there are still ways to drive traffic back to your site with your video content. Let’s walk through a couple simple tips. Include Links In Your Post Copy You can still include a link in your post copy accompanying your video. This simple detail is easy to overlook. Tag Other Accounts Mentioned In Your Video If your video references other companies, personalities, or anyone with a Facebook page, consider tagging them. This will help your video get distribution in their fan’s news feeds too. How Can I Measure My Success? Facebook video marketing is a lot of work. It’s important to know if your efforts are paying off. Data and analytics can show if you’re meeting your goals. They can also inform your strategy, showing what’s working, and what needs improvement. Fortunately, Facebook offers robust analytics functionality with Facebook Insights. Visit your page, and click Insights: Then click Videos on the left: Here, you can see: Total minutes of video viewed. Number of video views. Change over time. You can also see detailed analytics for individual videos: Select the video that you want to see stats around, and you'll see a full breakdown of all of the analytics for your video: If you're looking for even more social media analysis check out 's Social Engagement Report: How Should I Set Facebook Video Marketing Goals? Follow the SMART goals framework: So, that’s how you set goals. Now, which metrics should you track? Here are some possible options: Engagement. Are people liking and sharing your videos? Are they leaving comments too? Views. How many people are watching your videos, and for how long? Traffic. Are your videos linking back to your blog or website? If so, how much traffic are they driving? Follower growth. If you’re paying for video ads, are those ads helping you reach a new audience and expanding your Facebook following? Revenue. If you’re running video ads that direct to an ecommerce page or signup form, how much money are you earning from those conversions? TIP: Don't skip measurement. If you want budget to shoot more video, you'll probably need to show your boss why it's worthwhile. Data can do that for you. How Can I Schedule And Publish My Facebook Videos? Great question. recently launched our new social video functionality. It’s now possible to schedule social media video posts for Facebook within our app. (You can also schedule videos on Twitter too, but that’s another topic for another time.)

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Smart card Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Smart card - Case Study Example This proved to be a hindrance to the growth of the car because of the high waiting time. 2. There were 4 models of the car: Smart fortwo pure model for $11,590; Smart fortwo Passion Coupà © for $13,590; Smart fortwo Passion Cabriolet for $16,590; and smart fortwo BRABUS for 17,990 (smart fortwo, 2009). The advantages of owning a Smart Car includes low price, and low expenditure on fuel. However, the disadvantage is that only 2 people can be seated in the basic versions. The target customers for Smart Car are the small sized-families with no or one child with low budget. Those who have high travelling requirements also may intend to buy this car. This is because of its high fuel efficiency and low price. Before purchasing the car, it should be made sure that the car follows the safety features of USA. 3. In order to market the product, the company conducted city-tours, introduced the concept of Smart Towers in order to build the brand image. The car is marketed as a fuel-efficient, affordable stylish smart vehicle. The strategies shall be very effective in countries such as China because of the price range, and the fuel-efficiency of the car. Road shows in the major cities will help it get focus. The company shall try to get more mileage in road shows, have celebrity endorsers and the focus shall be to highlight the high fuel-efficiency and low price range aspect of the car. 4. The Smart Car which witnessed high demands during the time of launch has taken a drop in demand owing to similar launches by other companies. Various reasons can be attributed to this drop: Economic slowdown; Availability of more such products; poor distribution network. In order to boost the sales, the company needs to improve its marketing and branding exercises. The company also needs to improve its distribution channels. The company shall try to include Mercedes-Benz and smart car centers in the overall distribution channels rather than just relying on the

Nature vs. nurture debate within the context of the biopsychosocial Essay

Nature vs. nurture debate within the context of the biopsychosocial approach using a pretend cloning scenario - Essay Example ’s life story is important in knowing to its full extent the story of how the illness started and how the social and psychological domains affect the patient. It integrates the social interactions of individuals mentally, physically and emotionally in conceptualizing decease and illness. It has also been presented that the infliction and gravity of pain depends on sub-aspects such as gender, race, ethnic origin and tradition (Frankel et.al., 2003). The biopsychosocial aspects are the factors which shape an individual, it provides an individual experience and knowledge. Because of this, an individual who was born and lived during the 1950’s will have different characteristics if that individual was born and lived during the 1970’s. This is because that individual would have a different environment due to change and development, and most experiences will be different from one point or the other. These are the reasons why in a biopsychosocial point of view, parents and nor child will not prosper (Levine, 2009). The issue of cloning is closely connected to the debate of nature versus nurture in terms of how the cloned organism lives. Scientists speculate that cloned organisms will have more or less the same characteristics as its parents (Levine, 2009). This is because the genes and DNA structure of the cloned individual have the same structure as the parent of the clone. This is the nature aspect of the issue. On the other hand, it is also important to look into the nurture aspect which defines the environmental and social influences that impacts the life of the cloned individual. Yes, the cloned individual may have the same physical and biological attributes as the parent clone, but it may not have the same reaction to the present conditions wherein it will live because of the learning experience it will encounter. Although it has the same physical attributes as the parent clone, it may react differently to the situations around it because of the how it will

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Wireless Network System for an IT Training Centre Essay

Wireless Network System for an IT Training Centre - Essay Example This information is then transmitted through the air with the help of a transmitter and received at the other end through a receiver and demodulated. Since both transmission and reception of the signals have to be carried out at the same point, therefore a device known as an ‘Access Point’ (AP) is used which is a simple transmitter/receiver or transceiver. By assigning different frequencies to different users many users can access the network simultaneously without interfering. As is evident, the access to a wireless network can be gained only if the users are having devices which have a wireless facility. These devices such as notebook computers and tablet PC’s are widely available in the market and their prices have fallen by large amounts in recent times making them affordable. Â  Depending on the designing technology used WLAN’s are mainly of three types. ‘Narrowband wireless LAN’s’, ‘Spread Spectrum wireless LAN’s’ and ‘Infrared wireless LAN’s’. Narrowband WLAN’s, as is understood from the name, use the narrowband signal for communication. Therefore the speeds achieved are low in this case but the problem of interference is greatly reduced as is the case with narrowband signals. The problem of low speeds is solved by the Spread Spectrum WLAN’s which use wideband signals. The drawback of this technology is that the number of users accessing an access point is lesser and the security is also weaker than Narrowband WLAN’s. However, in spite of these drawbacks, it is the most widely used technology. The infrared WLAN’s don’t find many uses as the speeds as well as the range, in this case, is very low. Infrared WLAN’s are used only when the devices and access points are placed close to each other and when they are in the line of sight. The requirement of devices to be in the line of sight is because RF signals cannot pass through opaque objects. Â  

Principles of Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Law - Essay Example Doctrine of Judicial Precedence This doctrine is based on the principle of stare decisis which simply means to â€Å"stand by what has been decided and do not unsettle the established† (Dernbach and Richard 1981, p.35). The decision is based on two principles, ratio decidendi and obiter dictum, which means the reason for the judgment and other things, said pertaining to the case respectively. It is important to note that, though the obiter might not be part of the judgment, but it can be used in future judgments because of its persuasive nature (Knoops 2005, p.2). Original precedence present themselves in the nature that the present case is coming to the court for the first time and the presiding judge does not have the opportunity or chance to look at past decisions to make a decision on a point of law (Rossini 1998, p.34). This is what is known, as reasoning by analogy and the decision made in the case at hand will be binding at future cases. For example in the case of DPP v Smith (2006), where the defendant had gone to visit her former girlfriend and held her down cutting out her valued hair, the learned magistrate held that it was not actual bodily harm resulting out of assault. On appeal, it was held that even if the issue of the hair was to be determined scientifically or medically, the hair above the scalp was still regarded as hair regardless of its nature. The judges therefore decided that this was actual bodily harm and therefore the case provided precedence for future cases. Binding precedence on the other hand or those whereby a case has been made and future judges or the present judge must abide by it regardless of his or her own opinion. This therefore means that courts in the lower ranks must follow the particular decision regardless of any new issue arising and the cases presented must be similar to the previous decision or must have facts that are almost similar to the case at hand. The judicial system in England and Wales are such that courts are bound and they must follow the cases and decisions made in the upper or superior courts as the decisions in these cases provide precedents that must be followed in future cases with similar circumstances. These cases must therefore be followed or applied by courts down the hierarchy. It is important to note that magistrates or subordinate courts do not set precedent but they must follow the cases set by the superior courts, in this case the House of Lords or the appellate courts (Antoine 2008, p.118). Persuasive precedents are those in which the court decides whether to follow the precedence set or not to follow it. This precedence is not binding to the court and the court can follow them or ignore them depending on the legal principle in the case (Mitchelle and Minel 2003, p.73). These precedents can come from the lower courts or the magistrate courts and only the legal principles present in them can be applied in the upper courts. In R v R 1991, the Court of Appeal prov ided a persuasive precedence for an upper court, the House of Lords holding that a man can be found guilty of rape as against his wife. The Privy Councils in England and Wales are also influential providers of persuasive precedence to the courts of law though the decisions are not as binding as decisions made in a court of law. For example in R v Mohammed 2005,

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Short Essays Essay Example for Free

Short Essays Essay Ans. 5: If the stars move across the sky in circles centered directly overhead, the loacation of the observer would either be north pole or the south pole. This could be the location because the earth moves around the axes. This can be exaplained by looking at the following justification: Anyone who would be looking at the sky, would be always standing at the top of the earth. Therefore, the objectcs present at the celestial sphere which are classified relative to the ground willl occur at the same point of the sphere. In order to locate a person, we can mark the horizon diagonally to the mid of the celestial sphere, in such a way that the centre of the earth and the slestial sphere are identical. The observer’s view of the sky doesn’t matter, whether the sky’s view of the observer is the cut off position that is spotted by the horizon therfore the horizon is always kept perfect. The next points for reference would be the North Celestial Pole and the South Celestial Pole. If the person is standing at the equator, the pole would be horizontal through the Earth. If the observer is located at one of the poles, then these poles would go from the earth vertically. The north and the south celestial pole would be marked at the intersections. These intersections would be the result of exrtending the earth’s pole out to the celestial sphere. If we are at the southern hemisphere, the south celestial pole would be below the horizon, which makes it to be on the opposite side of the celestial sphere and for northern hemisphere, this situation is inverted. Ans. 9: Ptolemaic Model: The Ptolemaic model describes the obvious movement of the planets in a very direct and a straight way. this apporach is achieved by supposing that each planet of the solar system moves on a small and tiny sphere or circle. This circle is better known as epicycle. This epicycle moved on a larger sphere or circle. This larger sphere is called as a deferent. It was assumed, that the stars move on a celestial sphere around the outside of the planetary spheres. Copernican Model: Copernican Model is better known as the sun centred solar system. This model explained that the true movement of the planets is not in a uniform circular motion, around. Due to this reason, the Copernican model would still need to have those small nad tiny circles on which the planets move, called the epicycles. The main feature of the Copernican model that differs this model from the ptolemaic model was the retrograde loops. These loops of the planets, the way they are seen from the Earth, arise physically as a result of the plantes motion altogether combined with the Earth’s motion. The Ptolemaic model was considered wrong because it was not precise and as the time passed by the predictiopn in the model proved to be worse and worse. Although this model was very good to predict the position of the planets. Rather than having larger epicycles, earth moving around the sun could also explain the retrograde motions of the planets. Ans. 10: The ptolemaic model accounts better for variations in the brightnesses of the various planets with time. The ptolemaic model contains Epicycles. These epicylces are tiny circles on which the planets move. The epicycles were establish to clarify variations in brightness of the planets as compared to the eccentrics. Eccentric circles are the circular paths that are intended to be seen from some internal point moved from the centre of the circle. These circles allow better estimations of the celestial movements. The copernican model doesnot account for the brightness issue because the Planets in the solar system closer to the Sun tend to moved faster rather than the planets which are further away from the sun. This way, at times a planet could be on the similar side of the sun as the earth and this could make them appear brighter and on the other hand, a planet that could be on the opposite side of the sun from the earth will tend to appear dimmer because it was far away. Therefore the ptolemaic model tends to take care the issue of brightness of the planets as it has different circles for all the planets to revolve around. This makes each planet to appear brighter individually. Ans. 15: High tides are the result of the difference between the gravitational pull of the Moon on the either side of the Earth. The Tidal forces gradually slow down the rotation of the Earth. These Tidal forces slowly increase the dimensions of the orbit of the Moon. The level of the sea rises atleast twice a day. This level is divded into 2 parts. When the sea reaches the highest level, it is said to be high tide. The sea is said to be at low tide when it is at its lowest level or somewhere in between the midway to the highest level. the tides of the earth are defined as the deformation of the ocean and also of the Earth. A gravitational pull is exterted by the moon toward the earth. This is done when the moon is pulled on by the earth. As you get away from the moon, the gravitational force applied by the moon or any other object decreases gradually. Theorotically the pull by the moon on the near by side of the earth is about 7% greater. Therefore it can be said that the difference between the earth’s turn in its axis and the high tide is a result of the gravitational pull by the moon. References: Wikibooks (2008). Astronomy. Retrieved September 7, 2008, from http://en. wikibooks. org/wiki/Astronomy

Pro Capital Punishment Essay Example for Free

Pro Capital Punishment Essay According to my research there are some people who believe the death penalty is right just because it is safer to end one condemned life than to risk the lives of other innocent people. The death penalty is most commonly legal only for the most extreme cases, such as premeditated murder. Even in the event of murder, out of the 15,000 committed each year, we are only now reaching the 1,000 execution mark after thirty years! This plainly shows that those who may be pro capital punishment still use it sparingly. Also backing up the belief for using capital punishment are numerous stories of murderers who, after being released from prison, simply killed again. One such account reads, â€Å"In 1985, 13-year-old Karen Patterson was shot to death in her bed in North Charleston, S.C. Her killer was a neighbor who had already served 10 years of a life sentence for murdering his half-brother Charles in 1970. The murderer, Joe Atkins, cut the Pattersons phone lines, then entered bearing a machete, a sawed-off shotgun, and a pistol. Karens parents were chased out of their home by Atkins. Karens mom ran to the Atkins home nearby, where Joe then murdered his adopted father, Benjamin Atkins, 75, who had worked to persuade parole authorities to release Joe from the life sentence.† Other accounts show that a life sentence simply is not always enough to stop a person from repeating their crimes. â€Å"In 1965, Robert Massie murdered mother of two Mildred Weiss in San Gabriel, Calif., during a follow-home robbery. Hours before execution, a stay was issued so Massie could testify against his accomplice. Massies sentence was commuted to life when the Supreme Court halted executions in 1972. Receiving an undeserved second chance, Massie was paroled, but eight months later robbed and murdered businessman Boris Naumoff in San Francisco.† From a religious standpoint a religion that does endorse capital punishment under certain circumstances is Islam. According to the Qu’ran in Al’ Ma’idah 5:33 â€Å"The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make corruption (Fasad) in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be banished from the land; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement† This shows that they believe in the death penalty for those who simply cause corruption or bring disgrace upon Islam, especially if the perpetrator is a former Muslim. The other justification for the death penalty, according to Islam, is murder. If anyone kills a person unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land it would be as if he killed all people. And if anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people (Quran 5:32). This obviously states that murderers should undergo the same penalty as the crime they commited. My personal beliefs about capital punishment are fairly in the middle of the road. On the one hand I do not believe it is sinful for criminals to be put to death, as the Bible clearly endorsed the idea in the Old Testament In Genesis 9:6 it says â€Å" Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.† The New Testament of course contains more of the â€Å"grace† approach and therefore I tend to lean more that way. Although even in the New Testament the Bible states in Romans 13: 4 â€Å" For he ( the police, judges, etc.) is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.† Clearly this endorses capital punishment for evildoers. On the other hand, people in America are judged as guilty by a group of people who do their best but can hardly be 100% sure on their verdict. Human error may cause and no doubt has caused some innocent people to be condemned to death while some of the guilty roam free among us. That makes me uneasy, and is very disturbing. But is that a legitimate reason to do away with the death penalty? That is a hard question to answer, but I believe the answer is no. I believe there are certain cases where capital punishment is absolutely necessary, but I have to say that I would not want to be the one who makes that decision. How do you judge which life is more valuable than another? The other question has to do with whether or not capital punishment is truly a deterrent to others from committing crimes. There are strong arguments on both sides of that question but it is hard to judge when because of the appeals process and other delays and red tape, only a small percentage of those sentenced ever get put to death. I refer back to the fact that only about 1000 people have been executed during the last 30 years when there have been nearly half a million murders in America! So the argument that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime carries no weight to me. Therefore, it is still my personal belief that capital punishment should be used, with discretion, after a fair trial, and in certain cases, but I also believe that once the decision has been made, it should be executed with much greater speed. Death row shouldn’t be a mile long. I believe that once the judge has given the sentence, there should be a much faster process to the day of execution. I hate the thought of an innocent person being executed, but even worse are the hundreds of thousands of victims who are left without feeling that justice was done for their loved ones and the millions who are at risk because of the leniency of our justice system. My partner and I got along quite well. We had an easy time discussing our material and he was not difficult to deal with. He spent the time given researching, and kept in touch with me to review our presentations. When we met the next day, he was there at the time agreed upon and +wasn’t full of complaints, which I appr eciate. Brandon is a good partner and I would work with him again.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Brief History of Bonn Essay -- Thebaean legionaries, germany

With traces of humans dating back 50,000 years, Bonn is considered to be one of Germany’s oldest cities (History). The city of Bonn â€Å"celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 1989, based on the date of its first written mention by the Roman writer Florus in 11 BC† (History). â€Å"Friedrich Schlegel once called Bonn a â€Å"friendly† town and it has been a friendly town throughout the whole 2000 years if its existence, which dates back to the foundation of the Drusus fort in the year 13 BC (Schleifer).† Around 11 BC, a Roman army placed a unit in what is present day downtown. However, before this occurred, the army moved members of a Germanic tribe, the Ubii, to Bonna which is Latin for Bonn. After many years, the army released the small camp linked to the Ubii-settlement. Around the 1st century AD, the Roman army then took a spot to the north of emerging Bonna in what is now the section of Bonn-Castell to build a military fort called Castra Bonnensis, whi ch means Fort Bonn. This Fort was used through the 5th century AD and continued to stand in the Middle Ages, where the fort was called Bonnburg. The structures were not of much use until the Frankish kings who were in control at this time decided to use them as part of the city wall in the 13th century. Barbarian invaders destroyed much of the original city of Bonna, and when the time came for the barbarians to take over, the troops switched their allegiances to save themselves from certain death. It is from these barbarians that the medieval city of Bonn began to rise (Bonn). â€Å"One well-documented event was the martyrdom of two Thebaean legionaries. The Thebaean Legion was an all-Christian legion, which refused to worship the emperor as a god. As punishment, the Thebaean Legion's commander, Ma... ...rk: Berghahn Books, 2010. Print. "Bonn." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. "Bonn: A Brief History." A Brief History of Bonn. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. "Bonn Travel Guide." Travel Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. de Bruyn, Gerd . Post tower : Helmut Jahn, Werner Sobek, Matthias Schuler. Berlin; Boston: Birkhauser Verlag, 1997. Print. "Drachenfels (Siebengebirge)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Apr. 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. Website Flagge, Ingeborg. Architektur in Bonn nach 1945 : Bauten in der Bundeshauptstadt und ihrer Umgebung. Bonn: Rohrscheid, 1984. Print. Grosser, Dieter. German Unification: The Unexpected Challenge. Oxford: Berg, 1992. Print. "Hans Riegel Bonn = HARIBO - A Traditional Brand with History." Hans Riegel Bonn = HARIBO - A Traditional Brand with History. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Christianity and the Beowulf Poet :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

Christianity and the Beowulf Poet In my initial study of Beowulf it seemed to me that the Christian references in it were overlaid onto the essentially pagan tale that makes up the bulk of the poem. So I innocently decided to investigate this incongruity as the topic of this paper. And so I found myself smack-dab in the middle of an argument that has evidently raged for the last one hundred years or so. I found sources that ran the gamut from the position that Beowulf was a quintessentially Germanic pagan work that had been corrupted by some revisionist monastic scribe (Mooreman 1967), to the assertion that the author intentionally created a Christian allegory along the lines of Book 1 of The Faerie Queen (McNamee 1960). I have chosen the middle ground in formulating my thesis, which after further study of the text and a wide range of criticism seems to make the most sense. The author of Beowulf is indeed the author of those Christian passages, but his intention is less to proselytize than to demonstrate tha t Christianity and his audience's Germanic heritage were not incompatible. We know that eighth century Anglo-Saxon poets relied upon their native Germanic traditions and techniques to shape even overtly Christian poetry (i.e. The Dream of the Rood) and so it was with the Beowulf poet. The tales of Beowulf were already ancient legend when the poet began his work (whenever that was; dating the poem seems to be another of those old controversies with dates ranging from the 7th to the 11th centuries). The author skillfully uses this material to construct an entertaining tale while at the same time attempting to reconcile the concepts of the pagan wyrd (fate) and dom (renown or worth) with the Christian concepts of grace and final judgement. So it is that we have a poem that is overwhelmingly a pagan story, suffused with the old Germanic warrior culture ethos, yet sprinkled with many loosely Christian comments and a few explicitly Christian passages. However, it should be noted that while we refer to these passages as Christian, no reference to Christ is t o be found within the poem. The first of the Christian passages occurs when we are introduced to Grendal: God had condemned them as kin of Cain. The Eternal Lord avenged the murder in which he slew Abel.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Concepts of Leadership

Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience (Jago, 1982). This guide will help you through that process. To inspire your workers into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things you must be, know, and, do. These do not come naturally, but are acquired through continual work and study. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they are NOT resting on their laurels.Definitions of Leadership Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Another popular definition of Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal (Northouse's (2007, p3). The U. S. military has studied leadership in depth. One of the ir definitions is a process by which a soldier influences others to accomplish a mission (U. S. Army, 1983).Note that all three definitions have one process in common — a person influences others to get something accomplished Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership knowledge and skills. This is called Process Leadership (Jago, 1982). However, we know that we have traits that can influence our actions. This is called Trait Leadership (Jago, 1982), in that it was once common to believe that leaders were born rather than made.These two leadership types are shown in the chart below (Northouse, 2007, p5): Factors of Leadership There are four primary factors of leadership (U.  S. Army, 1983): Leader You must have an honest understanding of who you are, what you know, and what you can do. Also, note that it is the followers, not the leader or someone else who determines if the leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then t hey will be uninspired. To be successful you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being followed. Followers Different people require different styles of leadership. For example, a new hire requires more supervision than an experienced employee does.A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than one with a high degree of motivation. You must know your people! The fundamental starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and motivation. You must come to know your employees' be, know, and do attributes. Communication You lead through two-way communication. Much of it is nonverbal. For instance, when you â€Å"set the example,† that communicates to your people that you would not ask them to perform anything that you would not be willing to do.What and how you communicate either builds or harms the relationship between you and your employees. Situation All situations are different. What you do in one situation will not always work in another. You must use your judgment to decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. For example, you may need to confront an employee for inappropriate behavior, but if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results may prove ineffective. Bass' Theory of LeadershipBass' theory of leadership states that there are three basic ways to explain how people become leaders (Stogdill, 1989; Bass, 1990). The first two explain the leadership development for a small number of people, while the third one is the dominant theory today. These theories are: Some personality traits may lead people naturally into leadership roles. This is the Trait Theory. A crisis or important event may cause a person to rise to the occasion, which brings out extraordinary leadership qualities in an ordinary person. This is the Great Events Theory. People can choose to become le aders.People can learn leadership skills. This is the Transformational or Process Leadership Theory. It is the most widely accepted theory today and the premise on which this leadership guide is based. Management versus Leadership While management and leadership have a great deal in common, such as working with people and accomplishing the goals of the organization, they do differ in their primary functions (Kotter, 1990): Management's main function is to produce order and consistency through processes, such as planning, budgeting, organizing, staffing, and problem solving.While leadership's main function is to produce movement and constructive or adaptive change through processes, such as establishing direction through visioning, aligning people, motivating, and inspiring. Boss or Leader? Although your position as a manager, supervisor, lead, etc. gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organization (called Assigned Leadership), this power does not make you a leader, it simply makes you aboss. Leadership differs in that it makes the followers want to achieve high goals (called Emergent Leadership), rather than simply ordering people around (Rowe, 2007).Thus you get Assigned Leadership by your position and you display Emergent Leadership by influencing people to do great things. Total Leadership What makes a person want to follow a leader? People want to be guided by leaders they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future. When people are deciding if they respect you as a leader, they do not think about your attributes, rather, they observe what you do so that they can know who you really are.They use this observation to tell if you are an honorable and trusted leader or a self-serving person who misuses authority to look good and get promoted. On the other hand, self-serving leaders are not as effective bec ause their employees only obey them, not follow them. They succeed in many areas because they present a good image to their seniors at the expense of their workers. The Two Most Important Keys to Effective Leadership According to a study by the Hay Group, a global management consultancy, there are 75 key components of employee satisfaction (Lamb, McKee, 2004).They found that: Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organization. Effective communication by leadership in three critical areas was the key to winning organizational trust and confidence: 1. Helping employees understand the company's overall business strategy. 2. Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives. 3. Sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employee's own division is doing. Principles of LeadershipTo help you be, know, and do, follow these eleven principles of leader ship (U. S. Army, 1983). The rest of the chapters in this Leadership guide expand on these principles and provide tools for implementing them: 1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement – In order to know yourself, you have to understand your be, know, and do, attributes. 2. Be technically proficient – As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your employees' tasks. 3. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions – Search for ways to guide your organization to new heights.And when things go wrong, as they often tend to do sooner or later — do not blame others. 4. Make sound and timely decisions – Use good problem solving, decision making, and planning tools. 5. Set the example – Be a good role model for your employees. They must not only hear what they are expected to do, but also see. 6. Know your people and look out for their well-being – Know human nature and the importance of sincerely c aring for your workers. 7. Keep your workers informed – Know how to communicate with not only them, but also seniors and other key people. 8.Develop a sense of responsibility in your workers – Help to develop good character traits that will help them carry out their professional responsibilities. 9. Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished – Communication is the key to this responsibility. 10. Train as a team – Although many so called leaders call their organization, department, section, etc. a team; they are not really teams†¦ they are just a group of people doing their jobs. 11. Use the full capabilities of your organization – By developing a team spirit, you will be able to employ your organization, department, section, etc.to its fullest capabilities. Environment Every organization has a particular work environment, which dictates to a considerable degree how its leaders respond to problems and opportunities. This is brought about by its heritage of past leaders and its present leaders. Goals, Values, and Concepts Leaders exert influence on the environment via three types of actions: 1. The goals and performance standards they establish. 2. The values they establish for the organization. 3. The business and people concepts they establish.Successful organizations have leaders who set high standards and goals across the entire spectrum, such as strategies, market leadership, plans, meetings and presentations, productivity, quality, and reliability. Values reflect the concern the organization has for its employees, customers, investors, vendors, and surrounding community. These values define the manner in how business will be conducted. Concepts define what products or services the organization will offer and the methods and processes for conducting business.These goals, values, and concepts make up the organization's personality or how the organization is observed by both outsiders and insiders. T his personality defines the roles, relationships, rewards, and rites that take place. Roles and Relationships Roles are the positions that are defined by a set of expectations about behavior of any job incumbent. Each role has a set of tasks and responsibilities that may or may not be spelled out. Roles have a powerful effect on behavior for several reasons, to include money being paid for the performance of the role, there is prestige attached to a role, and a sense of accomplishment or challenge.Relationships are determined by a role's tasks. While some tasks are performed alone, most are carried out in relationship with others. The tasks will determine who the role-holder is required to interact with, how often, and towards what end. Normally the greater the interaction, the greater the liking. This in turn leads to more frequent interactions. In human behavior, its hard to like someone whom we have no contact with, and we tend to seek out those we like. People tend to do what th ey are rewarded for, and friendship is a powerful reward.Many tasks and behaviors that are associated with a role are brought about by these relationships. That is, new task and behaviors are expected of the present role-holder because a strong relationship was developed in the past, either by that role-holder or a prior role-holder. Culture and Climate There are two distinct forces that dictate how to act within an organization: culture and climate. Each organization has its own distinctive culture. It is a combination of the founders, past leadership, current leadership, crises, events, history, and size (Newstrom, Davis, 1993).This results in rites: the routines, rituals, and the â€Å"way we do things. † These rites impact individual behavior on what it takes to be in good standing (the norm) and directs the appropriate behavior for each circumstance. The climate is the feel of the organization, the individual and shared perceptions and attitudes of the organization's mem bers (Ivancevich, Konopaske, Matteson, 2007). While the culture is the deeply rooted nature of the organization that is a result of long-held formal and informal systems, rules, traditions, and customs; climate is a short-term phenomenon created by the current leadership.Climate represents the beliefs about the â€Å"feel of the organization† by its members. This individual perception of the â€Å"feel of the organization† comes from what the people believe about the activities that occur in the organization. These activities influence both individual and team motivation and satisfaction, such as: How well does the leader clarify the priorities and goals of the organization? What is expected of us? What is the system of recognition, rewards, and punishments in the organization? How competent are the leaders? Are leaders free to make decisions? What will happen if I make a mistake?Organizational climate is directly related to the leadership and management style of the l eader, based on the values, attributes, skills, and actions, as well as the priorities of the leader. Compare this to â€Å"ethical climate† — the feel of the organization about the activities that have ethical content or those aspects of the work environment that constitute ethical behavior. The ethical climate is the feel about whether we do things right; or the feel of whether we behave the way we ought to behave. The behavior (character) of the leader is the most important factor that influences the climate.On the other hand, culture is a long-term, complex phenomenon. Culture represents the shared expectations and self-image of the organization. The mature values that create tradition or the â€Å"way we do things here. † Things are done differently in every organization. The collective vision and common folklore that define the institution are a reflection of culture. Individual leaders cannot easily create or change culture because culture is a part of th e organization. Culture influences the characteristics of the climate by its effect on the actions and thought processes of the leader.But, everything you do as a leader will affect the climate of the organization. For information on culture, see Long-Term Short-Term Orientation The Process of Great Leadership The road to great leadership (Kouzes& Posner, 1987) that is common to successful leaders: Challenge the process – First, find a process that you believe needs to be improved the most. Inspire a shared vision – Next, share your vision in words that can be understood by your followers. Enable others to act – Give them the tools and methods to solve the problem. Model the way – When the process gets tough, get your hands dirty.A boss tells others what to do; a leader shows that it can be done. Encourage the heart – Share the glory with your followers' hearts, while keeping the pains within your own. Leadership, Management, Command, & Control Whi le there are plenty of discussions about leadership verses management and the need for command and control nowadays, they are important concepts that every leader must be aware of to successfully guide their organization. In fact, they are the four pillars of every organization as they directly drive the organization. Used properly, the business will grow; used improperly, the business will sink.This blending gives the organization the ability to focus on opportunities and deal with threats: Leadership drives the interpersonal aspects of the organization, such as moral and team spirit. Management deals with the conceptual issues of the organization, such as planning and organizing. Command guides the organization with well thought-out visions that makes it effective. Control provides structure to the organization in order to make it more efficient. Command and Control While most people think of command as simply telling others what to do, it goes far beyond that.Command is the impar ting of a vision to the organization in order to achieve an end-goal. It does this by formulating a well-thought out vision and then clearly communicating it. Command emphasizes success and reward. That is, the organization has to be successful to survive and in turn reward its members (both intrinsically and extrinsically). Visions do not have to come from the top, but rather anywhere within the organization. Informal leaders are often good sources of visions; however, if the vision requires resources, then they normally need the support of a formal leader.In contrast, Control is the process used to establish and provide structure in order to deal with uncertainties. Visions normally produce change, which in turn produce tension. These uncertainties cause tensions that leaders must deal with so they do not impede the organization. This is far different from most people's conception in which they think of control as controlling others. Inherent in evaluation is efficiency—the act of examining the new tool often leads to processes that make it more efficient. This can be good because it can save money and often improve a tool or process.The danger of this is if the command process is weak and the control process is strong then it can make efficiency the end-goal. That is, it replaces effectiveness with efficiency. Leadership and Management Management's primary focus is on the conceptual side of the business, such as planning, organizing, and budgeting. It does the leg work to make visions reality. Do NOT equate the term â€Å"management† with â€Å"controlling people. † Management is more about ensuring that the organization's resources are allocated wisely, rather than trying to control people.In fact, good managers know that trying to control others is extremely difficult if not impossible. Management helps to acquire, integrate, and allocate resources in order to accomplish goals and task. In contrast, Leadership deals with the interpers onal relations such as being a teacher and coach, instilling organizational spirit to win, and serving the organization and workers. For more information read the rest of this guide on Leadership. The Synergy of the Four Pillars While all four processes have their place, they are not implemented separately, but rather in concert. Using the example of implementing a new  social media tool for increasing informal learning: Command communicates the vision or goal to the best people who can implement it.Throughout the process, it adjusts to new knowledge and refines the vision. Management allocates the resources and helps to organize the activities that will make it a reality. This is normally a continuous process, rather than a single activity. Leadership helps to guide, coach, and motivate the people to do their best throughout the entire process. Control looks for opportunities to reduce risks, which in turn makes the process more efficient. Leadership ModelsLeadership models help us to understand what makes leaders act the way they do. The ideal is not to lock yourself into a type of behavior discussed in the model, but to realize that every situation calls for a different approach or behavior to be taken. Two models will be discussed, Managerial Grid and the Four Framework Approach. Leadership Behavior Two large studies by universities found that two types of leader behaviors were important concepts in leadership skills. The first was at Ohio State University that identified these two behaviors (Stogdill, 1974): Consideration – relationship behaviors, such as respect and trust.Initiating Structure – task behaviors, such as organizing, scheduling, and seeing that work is completed. The second was at the University of Michigan that identified these two behaviors (Northouse, 2007): Employee Orientation – approaching employees with a strong human relations orientation. Production Orientation – stressing the technical and production a spect of the job. The researchers from Michigan State thought of these two behaviors at opposite end of a single continuum. Thus, a leader could be strong with one of these two behaviors, but would be weaker in the opposite one.The Ohio State studies viewed these two behaviors as distinct and independent. That is, a leader could be high or low in one or both. For example, in the U. S. Army one of the most important rules is to take care of your soldiers and complete the mission (task) — a leader should be good with both. Bad leaders can do neither or do one, but not the other. Managerial Grid Robert Blake and Jane Mouton (1985) placed the two behaviors on its own continuum and renamed them: 1. Concern for people 2. Concern for task or results The notion that just two dimensions can describe a managerial behavior has the attraction of simplicity.By asking a leader a series of questions would place her at a particular point on the two continuums, which in turn, would place the leader into one of four leadership types: Authoritarian — strong on tasks, weak on people skills Country Club — strong on people skills, weak on tasks Impoverished — weak on tasks, weak on people skills Team Leader — strong on tasks, strong on people skills The goal to good leadership is to score at least a 6 on both task and people, which would place the leader in the Team Leader grid. The four leadership types are discussed in more detail below. Authoritarian Leader (high task, low relationship)Leaders who get this rating are very much task oriented and are hard on their workers (autocratic). There is little or no allowance for cooperation or collaboration. Authoritarian leaders mostly display these characteristics: they are very strong on schedules; they expect people to do what they are told without question or debate; when something goes wrong they tend to focus on who is to blame rather than concentrate on exactly what is wrong and how to prevent it ; they are intolerant of what they see as dissent (it may just be someone's creativity), thus it is difficult for their subordinates to contribute or develop.Team Leader (high task, high relationship) These leaders lead by positive example and endeavor to foster a team environment so that all team members can reach their highest potential, both as team members and as people. They encourage the team to reach goals as effectively as possible, while also working tirelessly to strengthen the bonds among the various members. They normally form and lead some of the most productive teams. Country Club Leader (low task, high relationship) These leaders predominantly use reward power to maintain discipline and to encourage the team to accomplish its goals.Conversely, they are almost incapable of employing the more punitive coercive and legitimate powers. This inability results from fear that using such powers could jeopardize relationships with the other team members. Impoverished Leader (lo w task, low relationship) These leaders use a â€Å"delegate and disappear† management style. Since they are not committed to either task accomplishment or maintenance; they essentially allow their team to do whatever it wishes and prefer to detach themselves from the team process by allowing the team to suffer from a series of power struggles within the group. Four Framework ApproachStructural Framework Structural Leaders focus on structure, strategy, environment, implementation, experimentation, and adaptation. In an effective leadership situation, the leader is a social architect whose leadership style is analysis and design. While in an ineffective leadership situation, the leader is a petty tyrant whose leadership style is details. Human Resource Framework Human Resource Leaders believe in people and communicate that belief; they are visible and accessible; they empower, increase participation, support, share information, and move decision making down into the organizati on.In an effective leadership situation, the leader is a catalyst and servant whose leadership style is support, advocating, and empowerment. While in an ineffective leadership situation, the leader is a pushover, whose leadership style is abdication and fraud. Political Framework Political leaders clarify what they want and what they can get; assess the distribution of power and interests, build linkages to other stakeholders, use persuasion first, then use negotiation and coercion only if necessary. In an effective leadership situation, the leader is an advocate, whose leadership style is coalition and building.While in an ineffective leadership situation, the leader is a hustler, whose leadership style is manipulation. Symbolic Framework Symbolic leaders view organizations as a stage or theater to play certain roles and give impressions, use symbols to capture attention, frame experience by providing plausible interpretations of experiences, discover and communicate a vision. In an effective leadership situation, the leader is a prophet, whose leadership style is inspiration. While in an ineffective leadership situation, the leader is a fanatic or fool, whose leadership style is smoke and mirrors. Leading & LeadershipYour thinking skills can be considered directional skills because they set the direction for your organization. They provide vision, purpose, and goal definition. These are your eyes and ears to the future, allowing you to recognize the need for change, when to make it, how to implement it, and how to manage it. You find a vision by reaching for any available reason to change, grow, and improve. Just as you perform preventive maintenance on your car, you must perform preventive maintenance on your organization. Do NOT believe in the old adage, â€Å"If it ain't broke, don't fix it,† for the people who do, go broke!Treat every project as a change effort. Treat every job as a new learning experience. Goals Good organizations convey a stron g vision of where they will be in the future. As a leader, you have to get your people to trust you and be sold on your vision. Using the leadership tools described in this guide and being honest and fair in all you do will provide you with the ammo you need to gain their trust. To sell them on your vision, you need to possess energy and display a positive attitude that is contagious. People want a strong vision of where they are going.No one wants to be stuck in a dead-end company going nowhere†¦Ã‚  or a company headed in the wrong direction. They want to be involved with a winner! And your people are the ones who will get you to that goal. You cannot do it alone! When setting goals, keep these points in mind: They should be realistic and attainable. They should improve the organization (morale, monetary, etc. ). As many people as possible should be involved in the goal-setting process (they will feel a sense of ownership that will drive them to achieve it).A process should be developed to achieve each goal. There are four characteristics of goal setting (U. S.  Army Handbook, 1973): Goal Difficulty: Increasing your employees' goal difficulty increases their challenges and enhances the amount of effort expended to achieve them. The more difficult goals lead to increased performance if they seem feasible. If they seem too high, employees will give up when they fail to achieve them. Goal Specificity: When given specific goals, employees tend to perform higher. Telling them to do their best or giving no guidance increases ambiguity about what is expected. Employees need a set goal or model in order to display the correct behavior. Feedback: Providing feedback enhances the effects of goal setting.Performance feedback keeps their behavior directed on the right target and encourages them to work harder to achieve the goal. Participation in Goal Setting: Employees who participate in the process, generally set higher goals than if the goals were set for them. It also affects their belief that the goals are obtainable and increases their motivation to achieve them. The Six Steps of Goal Setting Although finding a vision can be quite a creative challenge, the process of getting that vision implemented can be fairly easy if you follow the six steps of: Vision —> Goals —> Objectives —> Tasks —> Timelines —> Follow-up Step 1 – VisionThe first step in setting goals and priorities is to personally develop what the organization should look like at some point in the future — a vision. A junior leader, such as a supervisor or line manager, will mainly be concerned with a department, section, or small group of people. While senior leaders set the vision for the entire organization. However, both types of visions need to support the organization's goals. The mission of the organization is crucial in determining your vision. Your vision needs to coincide with the big picture. The term â€Å"visionâ₠¬  suggests a mental picture of what the future organization will look like.The concept also implies a later time horizon. This time horizon tends to be mid to long term in nature, focusing normally on 1/2 to 5 years in the future for visions affecting the entire organization. However, leaders such as supervisors or line managers tend to have shorter time horizon visions —normally a few months to a year. Step 2 – Goals The second step involves establishing goals, with the active participation of the team. Goals are also stated in unmeasurable terms, but they are more focused. For example, â€Å"The organization must reduce transportation costs. † This establishes the framework of the your vision.Step 3 – Objectives Definable objectives provide a way of measuring the movement towards vision achievement. This is the real strategy of turning visions into reality. It is the crossover mechanism between your forecast of the future and the envisioned, desired f uture. Objectives are stated in precise, measurable terms such as â€Å"By the end of the next quarter, the shipping department will use one parcel service for shipping items at or under 100 pounds and one motor carrier for shipping items over a 100 pounds. † The aim is to get general ownership by the entire team. Step 4 – TasksThe fourth step is to determine the tasks. Tasks are the means for accomplishing objectives. Tasks are concrete, measurable events that must occur. An example might be, â€Å"The transportation coordinator will obtain detailed shipping rates from at least 10 motor carriers. † Step 5 – Timelines This step establishes a priority for the tasks. Since time is precious and many tasks must be accomplished before another can begin, establishing priorities helps your team to determine the order in which the tasks must be accomplished and by what date. For example, â€Å"The shipping rates will be obtained by May 9. † Step 6 – Follow-upThe final step is to follow-up, measure, and check to see if the team is doing what is required. This kind of leader involvement validates that the stated priorities are worthy of action. For the leader it demonstrates her commitment to see the matter through to a successful conclusion. Also, note that validating does not mean micro-managing. Micro-management places no trust in others, where as following-up determines if the things that need to get done are in fact getting done. Supervision for Leaders Supervision is keeping a grasp on the situation and ensuring that plans and policies are implemented properly (U. S.Army Handbook,1973). It includes giving instructions and inspecting the accomplishment of a task. There is a narrow band of adequate supervision. On one side of the band is over-supervision (micro-management); and on the other side is under-supervision. Over-supervision stifles initiative, breeds resentment, and lowers morale and motivation. Under-supervision l eads to miscommunication, lack of coordination, and the perception by subordinates that the leader does not care. However, all employees can benefit from appropriate supervision by seniors with more knowledge and experience who normally tend to see the situation more objectively.Evaluating is part of supervising. It is defined as judging the worth, quality, or significance of people, ideas, or things (U. S. Army Handbook,1973, p304). It includes looking at the ways people are accomplishing a task. It means getting feedback on how well something is being done and interpreting that feedback. People need feedback so that they can judge their performance. Without it, they will keep performing tasks wrong, or stop performing the steps that makes their work great. Inspiring Your Employees Getting people to accomplish something is much easier if they have the inspiration to do so.Inspire means â€Å"to breathe life into. † And in order to perform that, we have to have some life ours elves. Three main actions will aid you in accomplishing this: 1. Be passionate: In organizations where the is a leader with great enthusiasm about a project, a trickle-down effect will occur. You must be committed to the work you are doing. 2. Get your employees involved in the decision making process: People who are involved in the decision making process participate much more enthusiastically than those who just carry out a boss' order. Help them contribute and tell them you value their opinions.Listen to them and incorporate their ideas when it makes sense to so. 3. Know what your organization is about! : The fundamental truth, as General Creighton W. Abrams used to say in the mid-1970s, is that â€Å"the Army is not made up of people. The Army is people. Every decision we make is a people issue. † Your organization is the same. It may make a product or sell a service, but it is still people! A leader's primary responsibility is to develop people and enable them to reach t heir full potential. Your people may come from diverse backgrounds, but they all have goals they want to accomplish.Create a â€Å"people environment† where they truly can be all they can be. Training and Coaching As a leader you must view coaching from two different viewpoints: 1) coaching to lead others and 2) being coached to achieve self-improvement. Training and coaching are two different things, although some people use them interchangeably. Training is a structured lesson designed to provide the employee with the knowledge and skills to perform a task. Coaching, on the other hand, is a process designed to help the employee gain greater competence and to overcome barriers so as to improve job performance.You might picture it as when you were in school. During physical education, the gym teacher (trainer) taught you how to play basketball. Next you went out for the school team. You had a basic understanding of the game and its rules, but the coach personally taught you ( coaching) the finer points of the game. Training and coaching go hand-in-hand. First you train people with lots of technical support, and then you coach them with motivational pointers. Both training and coaching help to create the conditions that cause someone to learn and develop.People learn by the examples of others, by forming a picture in their minds of what they are trying to learn, by gaining and understanding necessary information, by applying it to their job, and/or practice. Both coaching and training have a few points in common: Evaluate to determine knowledge, skill, and confidence levels. Define objectives that can be measured periodically. It helps to break them down into step-by-step actions (action steps). Clarify direction, goals, and accountability. To foster accountability, involve the person or team in the decision making.Encourage peer coaching by reminding them that everyone has a stake in each other's success. Coaching is more than telling people how to do so mething, it involves giving advice, skill-building, creating challenges, removing performance barriers, building better processes, learning through discovery (the aha method), etc. Deal with emotional obstacles by helping them through change, reviewing and pointing out ways that they hold themselves back, comforting them when they become confused, etc. Give feedback by pointing and hinting towards solutions; try to stay away from critiquing errors. Lead by example! demonstrate the desired behaviors.Learning The first condition of learning is that the person must be motivated to learn. You cannot teach knowledge or skills to people who are not motivated to learn. They must feel the need to learn what you are teaching. Most employees are motivated to do a good job. They want to be able to perform their tasks correctly. Their motivation is being able to perform their job to standards in return for a paycheck, benefits, challenges, job satisfaction, etc. The next condition of learning i s to involve them in the process. Keep their attention by actively involving their minds and emotions in the learning process.Have them participate through active practice of the skill or through discussion. You cannot keep their attention with a long lecture. Normally, people pay attention for a short time — less than 30 minutes. They need to use what is being taught or their minds will wander. If you lecture for an hour, very little will be remembered. Instead, give a brief lecture (less than 10 minutes), demonstrate, and then have them practice. Provide feedback throughout the practice session until they can do it on their own. If it is a large complicated task, then break it down into short learning steps. The Five Points of Leadership PowerAl Capone once said that â€Å"You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone. † However, while almost anyone can use power, it takes skill to use leadership. Leadership power is much mor e than the use of force. Leadership is influencing others to truly WANT to achieve a goal, while power forces others to achieve a goal. Power refers to a capacity that a person has to influence the behavior of another so that he or she acts in accordance with the his or her' wishes. This power is a capacity or potential as it implies a potential that need not be actualized to be effective.That is, a power may exist, but does not have to be used to be effective. For example, an officer in the Army has certain powers over enlisted personal, but that power does not have to used to be effective. The mere knowledge of an officer's power by an enlisted person has some influence over him or her. Coercive Power — Power that is based on fear. A person with coercive power can make things difficult for people. These are the people that you want to avoid getting angry. Employees working under a coercive manager are unlikely to be committed, and more likely to resist the manager.Reward Po wer — Compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that others view as valuable. Able to give special benefits or rewards to people. You might find it advantageous to trade favors with him or her. Legitimate Power — The power a person receives as a result of his or her position in the formal hierarchy of an organization. The person has the right, considering his or her position and your job responsibilities, to expect you to comply with legitimate requests. Expert Power — Influence based on special skills or knowledge. This person earns respect by experience and knowledge.Expert power is the most strongly and consistently related to effective employee performance. Referent Power — Influence based on possession by an individual or desirable resources or personal traits. This is often thought of as charisma, charm, or admiration. You like the person and enjoy doing things for him or her. Raven (1965) later came up with a sixth power, Infor mational: Providing information to others that result in them thinking or taking acting in a new way. Knowing this points of power allow you to determine what you and others have available in order to achieve full negotiation skills. Leadership & DirectionThe PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) Cycle was developed by Dr. Walter Shewhart as a plan of action for creating processes and products. It is a four-step method that uses not only direction and control to execute, but also provide an iterative process for continuous improvement: It is often called the Shewhart Cycle or Deming wheel. While the four steps of the cycle look easy, it actually takes a lot of work by all team members to complete the cycle correctly. One of Shewhart's students, W. Edwards Deming later used it extensively, thus the PDCA cycle is often known as the Deming Wheel (Smith, Hawkins, 2004).Deming used a modified version—PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) as he believed study (analysis) provided a better description t han check. A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline. And that goal will remain a dream unless you create and execute a plan of action to accomplish it. Every goal that gets accomplished has a good plan behind of it. — Harvey Mackay Plan Good plans start with a brainstorming session that includes all the people involved with the project. This allows everyone to be part of the solution, in addition to gathering the best ideas.Two key questions must be asked when planning (Army Handbook, 1973): What are all the ingredients necessary for its successful execution? What are all the possible forces or events that could hinder or destroy it? As much as possible, get all the answers to these questions. Listen carefully to the judgment of your team. Then plan the positive forces and events, and then take action to prevent any obstructions that might hinder the project. A detailed plan normally includes the who, what, when, where, how, and why: Who does it i nvolve and who will do what? What are we going to do? What will happen if we do not do it?When does it start and end? Where will it take place? How will it take place? Why must we do it? Also, the plan must be organized. Organizing is the process of creating and maintaining the conditions for effectively executing plans. It involves systematically defining and arranging each task with respect to the achievement of the objective. It includes three major steps: Determine all tasks Set up a structure to accomplish all tasks Allocate resources All essential information must be brought out. It is also important to consider timing—when each task must be started and completed. A helpful approach is to use â€Å"backward planning.†Look at each goal and decide what must be done to reach it. In this way you plan from the moment of the project ending point and then work your way back to the present in order to determine what must be accomplished for each condition. Backward plann ing simply means looking at the big picture first, and then planning all tasks, conditions, and details in a logical sequence to make the big picture happen. Include all the details of support, time schedule, equipment, coordination, and required checks. Your team must try to think of every possible situation that will help or hinder the project.Once the process of mentally building the project has begun, the activities will come easily to mind. Now, organize all these details into categories, such as needs, supplies, support, equipment, coordination, major tasks, etc. List all the details under the categories. Create a to-do list for each category. This list will become the checklist to ensure everything is progressing as planned. Do Your team cannot do everything at once; some tasks are more important than others while others have to be accomplished before another task can begin. Set priorities for each checkpoint and assign someone to perform each task on the list.Develop a syste m for checking each other and ensuring that each task is accomplished on time. Plan for obtaining all the required resources and allocate them out. Not having the required resources can stop a project dead in its tracks. For this reason you must closely track and monitor costly or hard to get resources. Trial the plan through a prototype (experimental scale). This allows you to actually check the plan on a small scale. Check or Study Throughout the project's execution there are three things that you must be involved in: standards, performance, and adjustments.The standard means, â€Å"is this project being completed or accomplished as planned? Are all the check marks being completed as stated in the planning process? The standard, which is set, must mean the same to you and your people. Performance is measured by completing the tasks and objectives correctly. While the standard relates to the project, performance relates to the people working on the project. If performance does not meet standards, then adjustments can be made in two ways—improve the performance or lower the standards. Most of the time, improving the performance is the appropriate choice.However, a leader may face a situation where the standard is unrealistic or costly, which means it may be lowered. This is usually caused by poor estimates or the inability to obtain the proper resources. Act Now you are ready to execute the plan. If your plans are solid, things will go smoothly. If your plans are faulty, then you might have a very long and hard project ahead of you! Problem Solving There are seven basics steps to problem solving (Butler, Gillian, Hope, 1996): 1. Identify the problem: You cannot solve something if you do not know what the problem is.Ensure you have identified the real problem, not an effect of another problem. One method is the â€Å"five why's. † You ask why five times. By the time you get to the fifth why, you should have found the ultimate cause of the problem . 2. Gather information: Investigate the problem and uncover any other hidden effects that the problem may have caused. 3. Develop courses of action: Notice that courses is plural. For every problem there are usually several possible courses of action. Identify as many as you can. There are always at least two: fix it or don't fix it.Brainstorming with your team will normally generate the most and best courses of action. 4. Analyze and compare courses of action: Rank the courses of action as to their effectiveness. Some actions may fix other problems, while others may cause new problems. 5. Make a decision: Select the best course of action to take. 6. Make a plan: Use the planning tool covered in the first part of the section. 7. Implement the plan: Take the steps to put the plan into action. The Communication Process Communicating with others involves three primary steps: Thought: First, information exists in the mind of the sender.This can be a concept, idea, information, or feeli ngs. Encoding: Next, a message is sent to a receiver in words or other symbols. Decoding: Lastly, the receiver translates the words or symbols into a concept or information that he or she can understand. During the transmitting of the message, two elements will be received: content and context. Content is the actual words or symbols of the message that is known as language — the spoken and written words combined into phrases that make grammatical and semantic sense. We all use and interpret the meanings of words differently, so even simple messages can be misunderstood.And many words have different meanings to confuse the issue even more. Context is the way the message is delivered and is known as paralanguage — it is the nonverbal elements in speech such as the tone of voice, the look in the sender's eyes, body language, hand gestures, and state of emotions (anger, fear, uncertainty, confidence, etc. ) that can be detected. Although paralanguage or context often cause messages to be misunderstood as we believe what we see more than what we hear; they are powerful communicators that help us to understand each other. Indeed, we often trust the accuracy of nonverbal behaviors more than verbal behaviors.Barriers to Communication Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood. — Freeman Teague, Jr. Anything that prevents understanding of the message is a barrier to communication. Many physical and psychological barriers exist: Culture, background, and bias — We allow our past experiences to change the meaning of the message. Our culture, background, and bias can be good as they allow us to use our past experiences to understand something new, it is when they change the meaning of the message that they interfere with the communication process. Noise — Equipment or environmental noise impedes clear communication.The sender and the receiver must both be able to concentrate on the messages being sent to each other. Ourselves â €” Focusing on ourselves, rather than the other person can lead to confusion and conflict. The â€Å"Me Generation† must be tossed aside for effective communication to occur. Some of the factors that cause this are defensiveness (we feel someone is attacking us), superiority (we feel we know more that the other), and ego (we feel we are the center of the activity).Perception — If we feel the person is talking too fast, not fluently, does not articulate clearly, etc., we may dismiss the person. Also our preconceived attitudes affect our ability to listen. We may listen uncritically to persons of high status and dismiss those of low status. Message — Distractions happen when we focus on the facts rather than the idea being communicated. Our educational institutions reinforce this with tests and questions. Semantic distractions occur when a word is used differently than you prefer. For example, the word chairman instead of chairperson, may cause you to focus on the word rather than the message.Environmental — Bright lights, an attractive person, unusual sights, or any other stimulus provides a potential distraction. Smothering — We take it for granted that the impulse to send useful information is automatic. Not true! Too often we believe that certain information has no value to others or they are already aware of the facts. Stress — People do not see things the same way when under stress. What we see and believe at a given moment is influenced by our psychological frames of references — our beliefs, values, knowledge, experiences, and goals. Active ListeningHearing and listening are not the same thing. Hearing is the act of perceiving sound. It is involuntary and simply refers to the reception of aural stimuli. Listening is a selective activity which involves the reception and the interpretation of aural stimuli. It involves decoding the sound into meaning. Listening is divided into two main categories: passiv e and active. Passive listening is little more that hearing. It occurs when the receiver of the message has little motivation to listen carefully, such as we often do when listening to music, television, or when being polite.Nonverbal Behaviors of Communication Eye contact: This helps to regulate the flow of communication. It signals interest in others and increases the speaker's credibility. People who make eye contact open the flow of communication and convey interest, concern, warmth, and credibility. Facial Expressions: Smiling is a powerful cue that transmits happiness, friendliness, warmth, and liking. So, if you smile frequently you will be perceived as more likable, friendly, warm and approachable. Smiling is often contagious and people will react favorably.They will be more comfortable around you and will want to listen more. Gestures: If you fail to gesture while speaking you may be perceived as boring and stiff. A lively speaking style captures the listener's attention, m akes the conversation more interesting, and facilitates understanding. Posture and body orientation: You communicate numerous messages by the way you talk and move. Standing erect and leaning forward communicates to listeners that you are approachable, receptive and friendly. Interpersonal closeness results when you and the listener face each other.Speaking with your back turned or looking at the floor or ceiling should be avoided as it communicates disinterest. Proximity: Cultural norms dictate a comfortable distance for interaction with others. You should look for signals of discomfort caused by invading the other person's space. Some of these are: rocking, leg swinging, tapping, and gaze aversion. Vocal: Speaking can signal nonverbal communication when you include such vocal elements as: tone, pitch, rhythm, timbre, loudness, and inflection. For maximum teaching effectiveness, learn to vary these six elements of your voice.One of the major criticisms of many speakers is that they speak in a monotone voice. Listeners perceive this type of speaker as boring and dull. Motivation and Drive A person's motivation is a combination of desire and energy directed at achieving a goal. It is the cause of action. Influencing someone's motivation means getting them to want to do what you know must be done. (U. S. Army Handbook, 1973) A person's motivation depends upon two things: The strength of certain needs. For example, you are hungry, but you must have a task completed by a nearing deadline. If you are starving you will eat.If you are slightly hungry you will finish the task at hand. The perception that taking a certain action will help satisfy those needs. For example, you have two burning needs — the desire to complete the task and the desire to go to lunch. Your perception of how you view those two needs will determine which one takes priority. If you believe that you could be fired for not completing the task, you will probably put off lunch and complete t he task. If you believe that you will not get into trouble or perhaps finish the task in time, then you will likely go to lunch.Allow the needs of your team to coincide with the needs of your organization Nearly everyone is influenced by the needs for job security, promotion, raises, and approval of their peers and/or leaders. They are also influenced by internal forces such as values morals, and ethics. Likewise, the organization needs good people in a wide variety of jobs. Ensure that your team is trained, encouraged, and has opportunities to advance. Also, ensure that the way you conduct business has the same values, moral, and ethic principles that you seek in others.If you conduct business in a dishonest manner, your team will be dishonest to you, for that will be the kind of people that you will attract. Reward good behavior Although a certificate, letter, or a thank you may seem small and insignificant, they can be powerful motivators. The reward should be specific and prompt . Do not say something general, such as â€Å"for doing a good job,† rather cite the specific action that made you believe it was indeed a good job. Set the example You must be the role model that you want others to grow into.As Mahatma Gandhi said, â€Å"We must become the change we want to see. † Develop morale and esprit de corps Morale is the mental, emotional, and spiritual state of a person. Almost everything you do will have an impact on your organization. You should always be aware how your actions and decisions might affect it. Esprit de corps means team spirit — it is defined as the spirit of the organization or collective body (in French it literally means â€Å"spirit of the body†). It is the consciousness of the organization that allows the people within it to identify with and feel a part of.Is your workplace a place where people cannot wait to get away from; or is it a place that people enjoy spending a part of their lives? Allow your team to be part of the planning and problem solving process This helps with their development and allows you to coach them. Secondly, it motivates them — people who are part of the decision making process become the owners of it, thus it gives them a personal interest in seeing the plan succeed. Thirdly, communication is clearer as everyone has a better understanding of what role they must play as part of the team. Next, it creates an open trusting communication bond.They are no longer just the doers for the organization — they are now part of it! Finally, recognition and appreciation from a respected leader are powerful motivators. Look out for your team Although you do not have control over their personal lives, you must show concern for them. Things that seem of no importance to you might be extremely critical to them. You must be able to empathize with them. This is from the German word, einfuhling, which means â€Å"to feel with†, or the ability to perceive anot her person's view of the world as though that view were your own.The Sioux Indian Tribal Prayer reads, â€Å"Great Spirit, help us never to judge another until we have walked for two weeks in his moccasins. † Also note that empathy differs from sympathy in that sympathy connotes spontaneous emotion rather than a conscious, reasoned response. Sympathizing with others may be less useful to another person if we are limited by the strong feelings of the moment. Character and Traits in Leadership Building Excellence To be an effective leader, your followers must have trust in you and they need to be sold on your vision.Korn-Ferry International, an executive search company, performed a survey on what organizations want from their leaders. The respondents said they wanted people who were both ethical and who convey a strong vision of the future. In any organization, a leader's actions set the pace. This behavior wins trust, loyalty, and ensures the organization's continued vitality. One of the ways to build trust is to display a good sense of character composed of beliefs, values, skills, and traits (U. S. Army Handbook, 1973): Beliefs are what we hold dear to us and are rooted deeply within us.They could be assumptions or convictions that you hold true regarding people, concepts, or things. They could be the beliefs about life, death, religion, what is good, what is bad, what is human nature, etc. Values are attitudes about the worth of people, concepts, or things. For example, you might value a good car, home, friendship, personal comfort, or relatives. Values are important as they influence a person's behavior to weigh the importance of alternatives. For example, you might value friends more than privacy, while others might be the opposite.Skills are the knowledge and abilities that a person gains throughout life. The ability to learn a new skill varies with each individual. Some skills come almost naturally, while others come only by complete devotion to s tudy and practice. Traits are distinguishing qualities or characteristics of a person, while character is the sum total of these traits. There are hundreds of personality traits, far too many to be discussed here. Instead, we will focus on a few that are crucial for a leader. The more of these you display as a leader, the more your followers will believe and trust in you. Traits of a Good LeaderCompiled by the Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters Group: Honest — Display sincerity, integrity, and candor in all your actions. Deceptive behavior will not inspire trust. Competent — Base your actions on reason and moral principles. Do not make decisions based on childlike emotional desires or feelings. Forward-looking — Set goals and have a vision of the future. The vision must be owned throughout the organization. Effective leaders envision what they want and how to get it. They habitually pick priorities stemming from their basic values. Inspiring — Disp lay confidence in all that you do.By showing endurance in mental, physical, and spiritual stamina, you will inspire others to reach for new heights. Take charge when necessary. Intelligent — Read, study, and seek challenging assignments. Fair-minded — Show fair treatment to all people. Prejudice is the enemy of justice. Display empathy by being sensitive to the feelings, values, interests, and well-being of others. Broad-minded — Seek out diversity. Courageous — Have the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Display a confident calmness when under stress.Straightforward — Use sound judgment to make a good decisions at the right time. Imaginative — Make timely and appropriate changes in your thinking, plans, and methods. Show creativity by thinking of new and better goals, ideas, and solutions to problems. Be innovative! Attributes Attributes establish what leaders are, and every leader needs at least three of them (U. S. Army Handbook, 1973): Standard Bearers establish the ethical framework within an organization. This demands a commitment to live and defend the climate and culture that you want to permeate your organization.What you set as an example will soon become the rule as unlike knowledge, ethical behavior is learned more by observing than by listening. And in fast moving situations, examples become certainty. Being a standard bearer creates trust and openness in your employees, who in turn, fulfill your visions. Developers help others learn through teaching, training, and coaching. This creates an exciting place to work and learn. Never miss an opportunity to teach or learn something new yourself. Coaching suggests someone who cares enough to get involved by encouraging and developing others who are less experienced.Employees who work for developers know that they can take risks, learn by making mistakes, and winning in the end. Integrators orchestrate the man y activities that take place throughout an organization by providing a view of the future and the ability to obtain it. Success can only be achieved when there is a unity of effort. Integrators have a sixth sense about where problems will occur and make their presence felt during critical times. They know that their employees do their best when they are left to work within a vision-based framework.