Archive → March, 2010
Four Questions About Leadership
I hear four questions asked about leadership often. This article gives a short answer to each of these important questions.
Why Does Leadership Matter?
Parents universally hope that their children develop leadership qualities. They know that leaders are people who are effective in what they do, are respected by others, and typically rewarded for those skills in a variety of ways. It is in these formative years that, through our parents, we first see leadership as desirable and important.
As young people we look up to people around us that motivate and listen to us; people that seem like “real-life” heroes. We consider these people leaders.
As we grow we begin to relate leaders to their jobs – ministers, teachers, police officers. And later Mayors, Presidents, and CEO’s . . .
As adults all of these thoughts and experiences define why we think leaders have desirable traits and play roles we admire (and why we desire these things for our children).
All of these experiences and thoughts help us define why leadership matters – it matters because leaders make a difference and can shape the future. It matters because leaders are valued and valuable. In everyone’s mind leadership, especially when it is good, matters.
What is a Leader?
A leader is a person who sees something that needs to be done, knows that they can help make it happen, and gets started.
A leader sees opportunity and captures it.
A leader sees a future that can be different and better, and helps others see that picture too.
A leader knows they can’t do it alone.
A leader is a coach.
A leader is an encourager.
A leader views change as their ally.
A leader is willing to take risks today for something better tomorrow.
A leader is a learner.
A leader is a communicator.
A leader is a coordinator.
A leader is a listener.
A leader takes a long view – letting their vision keep their daily steps on track.
A leader is passionate.
A leader motivates and inspires.
A leader values results.
A leader cares about more than results though; she cares about those who are following her lead.
A leader makes a difference in the lives of others.
A leader is all of these things and much more.
Are People Born Leaders?
Sure they are – I mean everyone is born, right?
You might say that riddle-like answer misses the point. You say the real answer is that some people are truly born to lead.
And I would reply that your common statement implies that others aren’t born to be leaders.
So let’s examine that difference of opinion…
When people describe someone as a “born leader” they typically mean that the person is motivating, a good communicator and charismatic. And it is true; some people are blessed at birth with more natural ability in these ways.
But leaders can be great with different innate characteristics as well.
And there is no single small skill set that defines the perfect leader or guarantees success.
Everyone is born with a unique set of natural abilities. And all of us can develop skills and styles to complement those natural abilities.
Who is a Leader?
This question on the surface is the easiest question I’ve asked so far. After all, I’ve already given some examples.
People in certain roles are leaders, whether they’ve studied for the role, like a doctor, lawyer, teacher or minister… got elected to the role, like a county councilman, mayor, Senator or President… or worked up the through the organization like a supervisor, manager, Vice President or CEO.
You can ask most anyone the question “Who is a leader?” and those are the kinds of answers they will give you.
They are right, of course. But they are only partially right.
Leaders aren’t leaders because of a job title.
Leaders are leaders because they lead.
Which takes me back to my previous question – “Are people born leaders?” Yes they are. But it isn’t just a few that have been hand picked by our Creator or random genetics.
We have all been picked – genetics has selected us all.
We were all born to lead, in our own way.
We may not be the Chairman of the Board. We may not be the person on the stage.
We may not lead with oratory or flair.
We may lead by compassion.
We may lead by example.
We all can lead.
We all have the ability to be remarkable leaders.
Leadership isn’t about position.
Leadership isn’t about power.
Leadership is about potential – your potential.
You are a leader. Claim and believe this to be true, for it is. Stake your claim and make a difference in the world around you.
Your opportunities for leadership are endless. The rewards are boundless.
My answers to four questions lead to a question for you…
Where will you lead?
Bedroom Collection
A bedroom provides a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere to the person and hence it should be properly furnished with the entire bedroom collection. A bedroom reflects a person’s style and personality. It reflects the nature of the person staying in that room. Everything about the room has to be keeping in mind his taste and likings. A child’s bedroom has to be more colorful and spacious while a teenager’s bedroom should have furniture that provides storage space for books and accessories. Therefore the furniture for the bedroom has to be chosen keeping in mind the age and needs of the occupant.
Bedroom furniture is available in both traditional and contemporary styles. Also custom made furniture is an option. The beauty and the high quality craftsmanship are the two most important features of bedroom furniture. A spacious bedroom may contain the following bedroom collection: Bed, wooden library shelf, wooden dressing table, night stand, study table, television cabinet, computer table, side table, sofa sets and cupboards. For creating a perfect bedroom, at least few of the items are required in the bedroom furniture collection. But for a great bedroom getaway, you will have to look further than the simple list. In addition to a simple regular dresser, a lingerie dresser, highboy dresser or an armoire can be used to make a bigger impression.
The key to create a perfect bedroom suite is to get the entire bedroom collection at once. There are many furniture stores and websites that offer a wide range of bedroom collection. They are in various shapes, sizes and colors. A person can choose and pick from the wide collection to personalize his bedroom. If a person buys the furniture for his bedroom from different manufacturers at different times, there is often a mismatch among the furniture in the bedroom. This would not only make the bedroom loose all his charm but also negate the beauty of the other furniture in the bedroom. When buying the furniture for the bedroom, it is also very essential to measure the exact dimensions of the various bedroom furniture set in order to make sure that you buy the furniture that fir the bedroom perfectly.
Even though the beauty of the furniture is very vital, it is also important to purchase quality piece of furniture that has been made by great craftsmanship. This ensures long lasting of the furniture. Some furniture may look very good in the outside, but it may not be prepared with skilled craftsmanship. Therefore a little research is needed to know about the quality of the furniture before finalizing on the furniture to buy to buy for the bedroom. Also great discounts and offers are given out by various stores on the purchase of the complete bedroom collection. Hence buying the entire bedroom collection can save up a lot of your income.
Selecting The Right Fundraiser
Selecting the right fundraiser is the most important decision you’ll make. Among the key factors are the timing of your fundraisers each year, the quality of the merchandise, selling considerations, delivery considerations, and ultimately, the net profit to your organization.
Think of yourself as running a small business building a reputation for innovation and quality products. What are your financial goals versus expected unit volume numbers, sales revenue versus profit percentage, quality of goods versus cost, acceptable market price points, etc?
If you think like a business leader, then you’re on the right track.
First choose a type of fundraiser
There are different types of “best” fundraisers and you have to select what’s best for your organization at this particular time.
Your fundraising choices are:
1 – Event-based fundraisers
2 – Direct donation fundraiser
3 – Fundraisers with immediate product delivery
4 – Fundraisers with delayed product delivery
The first decisions you have to make are on the fundraiser category, selecting a fundraising company or distributor as your supplier, and then the actual fundraiser itself.
Decision factors
How do you make that decision? A professional fundraising consultant can often be a big help. You can also check the web, use your personal contacts, review your group’s past records, etc. Most importantly, take some time to gather the information you need to make the right decision.
You can design a simple survey that you can give to past organizers and other key influencers such as local merchants and organizational leaders. Offer clear choices to ease evaluation of replies. Print it out and get quality feedback from within and without your organization on what’s worked well before and what needs improving.
Then, put together a spreadsheet for evaluating and ranking fundraisers. Break the ranking criteria into categories with sub headings in text boxes across the spreadsheet. Numerical rankings should be assigned to what criteria are most important to your group at this particular time for this fundraiser.
Things to consider when evaluating offerings:
1. Quality of the merchandise items offered
2. Quality of support materials provided such as catalogs
3. References of supplier
4. Availability of free samples or catalogs
5. Service level of supplier such as pre-sorting goods, etc.
6. Hidden costs such as freight, paying for brochures, etc.
7. Hassle factors like replacement goods and refunds policies
8. Special delivery needs such as refrigeration for some foodstuffs
9. Specific needs of organization
10. Previous vs. projected financial performance
Seek wisdom from past experience
Results will vary with the amount of fundraisers done previously, number going on at same time (yours and others), time of year, etc. Look at this fundraiser in context of others – done this one before, done it every year, competing group just did it, or our cheerleaders did this one before and it was a big hit.
Successful past fundraising ideas could and should be repeated, but remember that your customer base is often close to eighty percent the same customers from year to year. Spice it up; try something new and different that will increase your revenue.
Effective use of Flash Photography
Did you ever put your flash unit in manual mode? Did you ever manually turn on the flash when taking a day time outdoor photo? For many the answer to both questions is “no”. For most amateur photographers flash is just a solution for taking photos when there is not enough natural light. Although a legitimate use of flash photography there is much more ways to efficiently use flash. In this article we will cover the various types of flash units available, the different scenarios under which they can be used, the advantages of using flash to achieve better photos and the common mistakes people do when using flash photography.
As with any other technology knowing how it works behind the scenes and what your options are can help in better utilizing it for your advantage. Flash photography has been around for more than a hundred years. It started with a dangerous and manually controlled technology that used a powder that was lit by either fire or electrical current. These flash solutions were both dangerous and hard to use since the flash was not automatically synchronized to the camera’s shutter. Modern flash units use an electronic flash tube that is synchronized with the camera’s shutter. When turning the flash on the photographer does not need to worry about flash timing – the camera takes care of it automatically.
There are two types of flash units: Internal and External. The internal flash unit is built-in to your camera. It can be controlled through the camera’s menus. Some low end cameras only allow the use of their built-in units. Some low end cameras and all high end cameras also allow the attachment of an external flash unit. External flash units are either attached to the camera’s body through a dedicated slide-in slot or are connected to the camera using a cable. They vary in strength – how much light can they generate for how long – and in mechanical characteristics – can they be tilted or skewed or are they fixed in relation to the camera’s body. Regardless of the connection type external flash units are electronically connected to the camera and are synchronized with the shutter.
When setting your flash unit to automatic mode the camera fires the flash in scenarios where not enough light is available. Many times the camera will make a wrong judgment and will either fire or not fire the flash when the opposite was needed. Also in some scenarios the camera will not be able to tell that firing the flash will actually result in a better photo. One problem when using a flash is washed out photos. When the flash is too strong or the object is too close to the camera the result is a washed out photo there are not enough details and the object appears to be too white or too bright. Another problem is a photo with too many details: in some scenarios the flash can create artificial shadows and lights which result in a photo that includes details that are exaggerated relative to their appearance in real life. For example when taking a photo of an older person skin wrinkles and imperfections can look much worse than they really are in real life.
It is important to know the limitations of the flash unit. Any flash unit has a certain amount of light that it can generate. Usually this amount can be translated to an effective range for using the flash. When trying to take a photo with the object too far – more than the flash unit range – the object will appear dark. When trying to take a photo with the object too close to the camera the object will be washed out or too white. It is important to know your flash range and make sure that your object is within that range.
If you need to take a photo with your objects not within your flash unit range it is better to turn off the flash completely and use a tripod with long exposure. Using the flash in such scenarios can fool the camera into setting a high shutter speed which results in a photo darker than a photo taken without using the flash at all.
In some scenarios the camera will not automatically fire the flash although using the flash would have resulted in a much better photo. One such scenario is taking a photo during day time when the object is shadowed. For example if the object is wearing a hat the hat can block the light from the object’s face or when the object is lit from the side the object’s nose can block the light creating a shadow. In such scenarios the flash unit can be set to “fill in” mode. The flash will be fired to fill-in those shadowed areas but it will not be fired strong enough to wash out the photo.
Another scenario is when the sun is behind the object. One example is taking a photo on the beach against a sunset. If taken without a fill-in flash the result will most likely be a silhouette of the object. If taken with a fill-in flash and the object in range the result will be a clear photo of the object against a sunset.
In conclusion your flash unit can be a great tool. Although for many using the flash in automatic mode is enough for the more sophisticated photographer who wants to achieve higher quality photos understanding and experimenting with the flash unit can yield great results. Following some simple rules such as making sure objects are within the flash unit range and using fill-in flash when shadows can appear on the objects is easy and significantly improves your photos.
An Overview of Australia for Travelers
Australia is a very diverse country geographically and a hot spot for tourism. If you are thinking about heading down under, here is some information on Australia.
An Overview of Australia for Travelers
Australia is its own continent, the only country in the world that can say as much. It covers roughly 3 million square miles and is about the size of the continental United States. The capital is Canberra, but Sydney is the biggest city with 4.2 million people. The climate of Australia is extremely dry inland with more temperate conditions along the coast. The population centers are primarily along the coast due to soaring temperatures inland.
Australia was originally inhabited by Aboriginal tribes. In 1770, Captain Cook claimed the land for Great Britain. In 1788, the first colony was established in New South Wales. Most of the colonists were convicted criminals from Great Britain. Gold was discovered soon thereafter and Australia became a destination for immigrants seeking fortune and a new start in life.
On the far northern coast, Australia is home to one of the amazing sites in the world. The great barrier reef is a water enthusiasts dream. With incredible plant life, the reef is world renowned as a diver’s paradise. A watchful eye is advised given the presence of the Great White Shark in the area.
Australia is a Commonwealth. The federal powers are mapped somewhat after those in the United States, but no bill of rights exists. Unlike the U.S., the individual territories retain significant authority over their own affairs.
People in Australia are called “Australians.” The country has a population of just over 20 million, and the population is growing at a rate of 1.1 percent a year. Australians ethnicity is 92 percent European, 6 percent Asian and 2 percent Aboriginal. No religion dominates, but 27 percent of Australians considered themselves Roman Catholics. Life expectancy for males is 78 years while females live to 83 on average. Literacy rates are a surprisingly low 85 percent.
Australia was often considered the forgotten country. Long distance transportation changed that designation. Now it is one of the hottest tourist destinations year in and year out.
Going Ga-Ga for Designer Diaper Bags
With so many celebrities having babies these days, it is only natural that fashion designers are coming out with fashionable diaper bags. Designers such as Kate Spade, Burberry, DKNY, and many others have released new diaper bags as of late. These bags are as stylish as they are useful, and they are enough to make a girl want settle down and start a family.
While researching this article, I discovered that these bags come in countless shapes and patterns. They are not only being marketed to new mommies, but to their husbands too! A company called Diaper Dudes has an awesome collection of bags for sale. They are simple messenger bag-type designs, with various pockets for diapers, wipes, and baby bottles. They even come with a padded changing pad. These bags are available in a distinct camouflage pattern.
Timi and Leslie diaper bags have been photographed countless times, as of late. They have almost become as popular as the celebrities that sport them. Celebrities using these fine products include Hillary Swank, Jennifer Garner, and Faith Hill. Timi and Leslie have a number of designs available, ranging from backpack-style to smaller purse-like bags. They also come with matching diaper changing pads, and carrying cases for smaller items.
Isabella Fiore also has some brilliant designs. She has been one of my favorite designers for some time now. She has a diaper bag that would be simply perfect for summer. It has a bubble-like design printed on it, and it is very colorful and fun. It is approximately 16 inches long, 10 inches high and 6 inches deep. I love it because it is large enough to accommodate all of your baby’s necessities, but it is no bigger than the average purse. This bag has FUN written all over it!
Coach is another company that is starting to produce some wonderful products with this demographic in mind. They, however, have taken things a step further. Not only do they design and manufacture some wonderful diaper bags, they are now selling baby clothes and toys to match the diaper bags. What a brilliant and thoughtful innovation! All this talk of babies is starting to make me think about starting a family. Now if only I could meet a decent man……
Start Your Own Work At Home Business
Starting a home business is not tedious. In fact, there are many advantages in starting a home based business. You can enjoy the fun of working in a home atmosphere and can work at your convenient schedule. But running an own business requires lot of dedication and effort. You must know how to manage time for work and family. However, your hard work and effort would be rewarded well.
Before starting work at home business, consider the following:
1. Whether you would have the freedom to choose when and where to work?
2. Whether the home business would allow you continue your current job and work at home?
3. Would the business require publicity or gimmicks?
4. Would the home business require heavy investment?
5. Are there any risks in starting a home business?
6. Do you have complete training and support to improve the home business?
7. Do you have acquaintance with any successful home business owner who can help as a mentor to you?
If your answer is positive to most of the above questions, you can start work at home business. Another important consideration in starting a home business is to do what you are really passionate about. This is because of the fact that you can put greater effort without any difficulty because you really love it.
Starting a child day care center, candle business, decorative gift baskets, wall paintings, fashion jewelry, photography, party rentals and some other home business is really inexpensive and straight forward. However these businesses may be time consuming and require lot of effort. But once your business is up and running, you can get better rewards for your efforts.
If you have a pc at home with an internet connection, your home business opportunities are vast. You can start work at home internet business if you have adequate knowledge and excellent communication skill. You can start your own online dating site which can provide more profits from every member that joins you site.
However you would need some investment. The dating website can earn you handsome profits when members subscribe for premium membership and when existing members renew their membership. The main benefit of this business is that you need not have any previous experience for this.
You can start work at home business if you want to enjoy the fun and freedom of working at home. However take the time to get an organized plan for your business. This helps you speed up and improve your home business.
You can allot a room in your home for business purposes. Then arrange the essential things like a chair, computer, cabinet, phone etc. A comfortable chair is very important if you have to work for hours at the computer. Also consider filing the essential paper work in a cabinet. Keep it organized!
If you need to spend more time on your home business, then schedule your household routines accordingly. Time management is very important to start a home based business. You need to have the ability to prioritize your work so that you can achieve success.
Advantages of Earning A Degree Online
The online degrees unique features have made it a popular learning mode for busy professions to earn their degree for career advancement. The online degree programs are growth rapidly and is a todays learning trends and the best alternatives for traditional class-based learning. What are these features that bring the advantages that made online degree program a choice for many online students?
Let review some key advantages of earning a degree online:
1. Study Anywhere
The online degree programs allow the student to study from home or any place they like as long as they have access to internet. This is the key advantages that many online students see it and decide to go for online degree program than the traditional college program.
Many people after starting their working life have many commitments to take care: job, family, children education, home mortgage, car loan repayment & etc. It gets harder to go back to school to get our University degrees as quitting our current job is almost impossible and holding your current life style just to go ahead with a college degree is another decision. Online degree programs which enable us to study from anywhere match perfectly with our need of getting a degree without giving up our job and lifestyle. Thats why many busy people like us choose to pursue our degree online.
2. Flexibility
Your busy working schedule sometimes makes you hard to fit a regular schedule for certain routine. In addition, your job may require you to frequently travel to other locations or countries. This means attending regular classes like what is needed in traditional college learning will be your road block to stop you from go ahead with your degree earning. Flexibility of online degree program that allow you to plan your learning schedule at your own pace is one of key decision for busy working people to go for knowledge enhancement and getting their degree for career advancement.
3. Saving Money
You have the ability to study from home and you don't have to commute. Since you don't have to commute you save money on gas, which is become a huge issue now that gas prices are soaring. Most of learning materials are supplied in electronic texts which will save you some money needed to buy the printed text books. Comparatively, online degree program's tuition fees are lower as compare to traditional degree courses.
4. Earn More Than One Degree At The Same Time
If you can manage your time properly, you can earn more than one degree offer by difference universities through their online degree programs. If you have a degree on your career related field, you are at a better position when goes for career advancement or job promotion as compare to your other colleagues. And if you have more than one degree on the related knowledge that needed for your moves, you will have a better chance to success when come to educational background assessment by the employers or bosses.
In summary, study online gives your many advantages over a traditional college program and it is designed especially for busy working professions to earn their degrees using the enhance internet technology. But, the fact is, not all online students successfully complete their online degree program. There are some characteristics that you need to have in order to success in online study. Check out whether an online degree program is right for you in our next article, A Guide To Online Degrees – How to be A Success Online Student.
