Tag: Soft Skills

  • Positive Relationships with Individual and Organization Outside

    Positive Relationships with Individual and Organization Outside

    How to Develop Positive Relationships with Individual and Organization Outside of Your Business

    It’s vital for a business to develop as many external contacts as possible. This simple approach can lead to valuable/positive relationships and opportunities that would not otherwise have occurred. How Do You Know Your Company Wants Help From The Outside? Below are some of the best ways you can develop relationships with individuals and organizations outside of your business. Do You Really Want to your Own a Business?

    What is Meaning about Positive Relationships? Positive, productive relationships demand the best of us. For a friendship or marriage to allow both people to flourish, each person is an active participant in helping create the other one’s positive future.

    “A direct relationship between two variables in which as one increases, the other can be expected to increase, Also called direct relationship. Compare negative relationship.”

    “Positive relationships with others, Will be happier and more fulfilled and feel more supported, supportive, and connected.”

    Define of Positive Relationships; “Positive correlation is a relationship between two variables in which both variables move in tandem. A positive correlation exists when one variable decreases as the other variable decreases, or one variable increases while the other increases. In statistics, a perfect positive correlation is represented by 1, while 0 indicates no correlation and negative 1 indicates a perfect negative correlation.”

    Develop Your Communication Skills and Communication Channels

    Before you reach out to certain individuals and organizations, it’s important to prepare properly and have the skills and knowledge required for communicating in an effective way.

    For instance, if you want to interact with local government representatives and agencies in a more productive way, you may need to hire a consultant or someone who has completed an online masters in public administration and who has a great working relationship with the public sector.

    “Communication is the act of conveying intended meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs and semiotic rules.”

    In other situations, it may be a good idea for you or someone in your organization to enroll in an online master in public administration degree course or similar program provided by universities like Norwich University, so that you have a permanent person in your company who can deal with government entities that can help your business.

    Attend Networking Events

    Most people prefer to deal with other individuals and businesses they are familiar with. This means you and your business need to get public exposure.

    Attending networking events like Chamber of Commerce meetings, conferences, and industry seminars is an effective way to do this. The more times you are seen at these events, the more people will become familiar with you and start to trust you.

    Give Your Own Presentations

    Initially, when you attend networking events you may be there to listen to other people. However, eventually you could participate more in these events by giving your own presentations in the area you have expertise in. This once again could lead to a lot of new opportunities, including business offers and referrals from those who listen to your presentations. Why You Should Be Balancing Your Books on Every Single Month.

    Join Online Communities

    Today’s business owners live busy lives and it’s not always possible to attend networking events. In other cases, the people you want to interact with may not attend these types of events or they live a long distance away. This is where the Internet can come to the rescue because a wide range of online business communities exist.

    These communities are usually open to novice business owners, established business owners and people who have a keen interest in the same industry or niche. Interacting with other community members is extremely easy and most members of these websites are more approachable online.

    Build Your Own Online Social Profile

    It’s important to maintain professional online social media profiles. A huge number of people prefer to use the Internet to find out about a business or the people in a business. Become an Instagram Millionaire but How?

    The more informative your social media profiles are, the more impressed others will be, and the more likely it is that they will want to find out more about you and your business.

    Networking and building positive relationships with individuals and businesses outside, your own organization is an important step if you want your business to succeed and grow. This is not as difficult as it may sound, especially if you follow the steps above.

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  • Why To Be a Best Leader become First Be a Great Follower?

    Why To Be a Best Leader become First Be a Great Follower?

    Why To Be a Best Leader become, First Be a Great Follower?

    To differentiate leader from follower is difficult; they have several similarities as well as also have some differences. In leadership, one should have to take risk and lead the team; have ability to see opportunity that other cannot see. Both should be able to learn from someone or something. Leaders must be independent and isolated and should not rely on anyone but himself and have to be entrepreneurial, and make workplace culture better by working with generous purpose. So Now talking about, Why To Be a Best Leader become First Be a Great Follower?

    Good leadership is needed to solve problems and to navigate unexpected circumstances Followers only need to be competent during the battle and must be able to carry out orders by their leader, with their own ability while at other times; they have no need to be that competent. They could ask for help from their friends but in contrast, Leader cannot ask for help from his followers or else his followers would consider him incompetent. Being a follower is easier than being a leader because leader has to be isolated and should have ability to solve his own problems.

    Leadership can be as successful or effective or both

    • Successful leadership but not effective: In this pattern, leader’s style may not compatible; but follower does the job because of leader’s power and position. They obey the command and follow his idea.
    • Effective leadership: the followers may do the job willingly to cooperate because the leader’s request satisfies the follower’s needs or goal.
    • Successful leadership: it emphasizes upon position, power and close supervision.

    Characteristics of Good Followers

    As leader, it is very important to know about that how to follow and how to lead. Many people believe that if you want to become a good leader then you must be a good follower.

    Some characteristic about good follower:

    • Well finisher: Good followers always concentrate on their task and complete their task according to preplanned.
    • Clear vision: they understand their power and position and it is equally important to understand their role as a leader.
    • Loyalty: Good followers always try to avoid telling bad things about their boss/leader in public. It does not means that they are completely agree with their boss/leader but only do not want to do things in public because to influence the public it is needed to become public loyal.
    • Good followers are obedient enough and humble.
    • Awareness of surrounding: Good follower is well aware of surrounding situations and people. They always try to learn about people behavior and their thinking and how they affect in his work and what is going wrong and then make changes according to demands.
    • Own thinking: To becomes a good follower, you are able to think on your own and decide what is right and what is wrong. Good followers always take side to leader and support them when they are doing right.

    A Great Leader as a Good Follower

    Many qualities are same between leaders and followers. A great leader follows the same trait as followers do but change their style and do some modification in it. Great leader knows their boundary and limitation very well.

    Good leadership is the golden key to get best performance. Need to imply your own clear sets of values and belief and also have to make clear vision for all. Develop some creative ideas for the organization to make changes and reach up to desire goal. From this perspective, leaders are always try that people follow the process and in this way leader always think themselves as a follower.

    There is very important reason to leaders that they have to follow because no one can do it alone and have to create and utilize the energy, ideas and full potential of everyone.

    Leadership requires a close study of human behavior. It is the people who are the factors of importance. There are many different points of view about leadership. One belief is that leadership has to be taught while some are of the view that leaders can’t be made by teaching or training. New Roles of Human Resource Management in Business Development.

    In this modern age, new leaders are coming but most of them fail to cultivate their inner strength, ability to guide the people, to lead the people. There are three basic steps which are followed mostly in the process of training. Information is the first step, gets from simple reading and continuous study which then converted into knowledge.

    Wisdom is the transformation of knowledge. Trained person has to be able to transfer the knowledge into the practice. As a result of training, one should become more self-confident. On receiving training, knowledgeable person becomes capable of taking his own decisions and at this stage; person visualizes the truth-real understanding.

    There are few requirements to reach to the truth, in ascending direction that are desire to learn, listening to the teacher, learning, retention, understanding, reflection, rejection of false views and truth.

    Human relationship gains the most attraction for a leader for the obvious reasons that the leader leads people. For any business, workforce is the basic requirement and for accomplishment leader has to understand people.

    Common logic reason behind the successful leader is the development of proper appreciation human nature. For this, one should have enough confidence and has to explain to other members about task and targets and how that can be accomplished.

    Leader should also explain the subordinates about their position and also impact of success or failure on the ultimate goal. If the goal achieved, that is a success of team not a success of leader alone. Leadership Explained by the Internet.

    The leader has to do the required morale boosting apart from handling the work and must to be in touch with his people. It is necessary to show adequate interest in their personal problems. It is better for his people must perceive as their leader becomes the real guardian of their interests.

    This is necessity to do this as it helps to maintain respective distance from the people. This concept of distant has been mostly appreciated, and understood by successful leader.

    Thus, taking an overall view, the leader has to be a dynamic person and should have capability to turn the adversity in his favors and to gain this. The leader must have the capacity to concentrate, and focus attention on the goal with an aptitude to take timely decisions and have to be sincere in his dealing. He has to show his faithfulness and loyalty towards his mission and the people, and should possess a fair knowledge of his job and profession. Be The Change You Want to See in The World.

    Why To Be a Best Leader become First Be a Great Follower

    So what does a great follower look like? I would suggest great followers share at least five characteristics:

    • They are clear: They understand their role, You can’t be a good follower unless you have clearly identified the leader. While you may be a leader in your own realm, everyone has a boss including you. Great followers not only accept this fact, they embrace it.
    • They are obedient: While obedience may be a politically incorrect concept, it is essential for organizational effectiveness. No one should be allowed to give orders who can’t obey orders. This is how great leaders model the standards of acceptable behavior to their own followers.
    • They are servants: This is crucial, Great followers are observant. They notice what needs to be done to help the leader accomplish his or her goals. Then they do it joyfully, without grumbling or complaining.
    • They are humble: Great followers don’t make it about them, he/she also to be humble, shine the light on the leader, make their own boss look good especially in front of his or her boss.
    • They are loyal: I have written on this before, Great followers never speak ill of their boss in public. This doesn’t mean they can’t disagree or even criticize. “Yes” people aren’t very helpful in the long run. It just means that they don’t do it in public. Great followers understand that public loyalty leads to private influence.

    Many Thinks, Why To Be a Best Leader become First Be a Great Follower?

    The Mark Zuckerberg’s of this world corporate leaders propelled into their positions because of what they created are few and far between. Most leaders start in much humbler, entry-level positions and work their way up the corporate ladder, and this is a good thing. Emerging leaders who work their way up learn about what motivates them and their co-workers. They also learn about what makes a team work well together to achieve goals. They also learn what good and not so good leadership is, and this allows them to develop empathy and compassion for those they will one day lead. In essence, they learn key “follower-ship” lessons that will serve them well when they become leaders.

    According to Barbara Kellerman, a leadership lecturer at Harvard University, there is a lot a person can learn about being a good leader by being a good follower. Good followers, she says, are passionately committed and deeply involved. They actively support a good leader (one who is effective and ethical). Do Good Always! Bad followers, on the other hand, do nothing to contribute to the group or the organization.

    Good followers learn to “read” their colleagues, co-workers, customers, and other audiences. They understand what motivates them and what upsets them, skills that they can use when they become leaders. Good followers also learn important diplomacy skills, like the ability to get along well with others while not ignoring differences for example, working well with a colleague who has different political beliefs. Good followers also need to learn to be courageous. Kellerman notes that good followers can aid the leader when he or she is doing the right thing but they also have to have the courage to stand up to the leader if he or she is doing something wrong (Moran, 2014).

    Good followers also learn important collaboration skills that will serve them well as leaders-Good followers and good leaders understand that followers (good and bad) can make or break a leader by influencing how and what goals get achieved-Good followers will assist their leaders in achieving goals. Bad followers can actively sabotage the achievement of goals (Moran, 2014). Good followers also learn to think for themselves and will stand up to a leader who may be heading in the wrong direction (Moran, 2014).

    Being a good follower does not end when one becomes a leader. It is important that emerging leaders understand that they must continue to practice good follower-ship in their leadership roles; they become good follower-ship leaders. During a keynote speech in 2012, former HP executive vice president Vyomesh Joshi said the key to being a great leader was to practice good follower-ship. In other words, leaders who have been good followers and who practice good follower-ship principles as leaders understand how to work with people to bring out the best in them.

    Why-To-Be-a-Best-Leader-become-First-Be-a-Great-Follower

  • What is Master the Art of Scheduling?

    What is Master the Art of Scheduling?

    “Where are you on the schedule?” Develop the ability to predict the amount of time as a sequence of key tasks that a project should take. And yet we all work with software developers who hate the pressure of committing to a schedule because to complete work usually takes “as long as it takes.” But you can’t effectively run a business without the confidence to work toward a schedule.

    When you recognize the value of time management skills, you become the overseer of your life, with your schedule as your command center. Many people think that creating a schedule is as easy as jotting down the time and activity on a piece of paper. However, scheduling is so much more than that.

    A well-planned schedule of everyday tasks is more than just a reminder of what needs to be done. It also allows you to make time for important tasks that are in line with your goals. It makes you become aware of how you spend your time each day. It helps you to recognize areas that need adjustments so that you can achieve balance between your personal life and your profession. So how should you schedule your time each day? What are the tools you need to become a “master scheduler?” Here are the strategies to learn:

    Gather Your Scheduling Tools

    In general, you would need three essential scheduling tools, and these are:

    A daily planner,

    A weekly planner, and

    A monthly planner

    The daily planner helps to keep you on the right track each day. It enables you to concentrate on exactly what tasks need to be done and how much time you have for each.

    The weekly planner serves as your overview of the events planned out for that week as well as the tasks that you need to accomplish. It helps you get to see what is ahead of you, because focusing only on the everyday tasks might cause you to forget about what is in store for tomorrow, or the day after that.

    Now, you might think that you do not need a monthly planner if you have a weekly one. However, it always helps to have all the dates of the month laid out on a single page. This will enable you to see the important dates of that month and plan your week and days around them.

    However, it is possible to keep a monthly planner without the weekly planner. Just make sure that there is enough space for you to jot down your weekly tasks on the monthly planner.

    There are plenty of planners whether digital or printed out there, so choose your layout carefully. Most of the time, you will find that many planners already have daily, weekly, and monthly sections. This is helpful, especially if you want to carry your planner around. Take care not to purchase more than one type of planner, because you would only end up feeling confused as to which one you should write your next set of tasks.

    One suggestion on how to organize your different planners is that you should have a portable daily planner, and a desktop or wall-mounted weekly and/or monthly planner. This is because you will likely need to check your daily planner constantly throughout the day, while you only need to jot things down and review your weekly/monthly planner once a week. A large monthly planner is helpful as well, because you will want to see everything at a single glance.

    Once you have your scheduling tools, the next step is to create a scheduling routine.

    Create a Scheduling Routine

    Do you take time at the end of each day to plan for the following day? If you do not, then now is the best time to build this habit. A master scheduler should set aside a time each day to plan for tomorrow, each week for the week ahead, and each month to review everything and plan for the next month.

    In most cases, it will only take ten to twenty minutes to plan for the following day and thirty minutes to plan for the week and month ahead. However, the time you would invest in planning will save you from many problems in the future.

    After you have set a fixed “scheduling” time, you should then establish a routine on how to schedule your time. Here are the recommended steps:

    1. Time-block non-negotiable appointments

    Certain parts of the day may be out of your control; such as board meetings or dentist appointments. You should secure them all first, otherwise you might end up with overlapping appointments.

    It must be emphasized that you should also time-block the hours when you will be sleeping. Have to establish a fixed sleeping schedule to stay healthy and sharp the following day. Do not rob yourself of sleeping hours by cramming on certain tasks. Instead, focus on planning your day carefully so that you will have time to accomplish them all.

    1. Schedule your Important Tasks

    At this point, you would be able to see the times lots during the day when you do not have anything scheduled yet. If so, then you can refer to your list of priorities to allocate the different tasks into your day, week, or month.

    For example, if your most important task for the day is to write a thousand words for your personal book project, and if you do not have anything scheduled between seven and ten a.m., then you can block this task within this time.

    1. Schedule your Urgent Tasks

    After you have secured the times lots for your important tasks, you should then move on to blocking in the urgent ones. It helps to use a different colored-pen or highlighter to separate the important from the urgent.

    Do not forget to factor in breaks and an allowance in time for emergencies. In other words, you should never time-block one task after another without at least ten minutes of contingency time. This way, you will not be behind schedule in the next task when there was an unexpected extension in the task before it.

    Here is an example:

    •             Important Task —- 7:00 am to 9:00 am
    •             Contingency Time —- 9:00 am to 9:15 am
    •             Urgent Task —- 9:15 am to 11:30 am
    1. Review your schedule and make adjustments if necessary

    Once you have your entire day planned out, you can go back and assess your schedule as a whole. If you notice that you have spread yourself too thin, consider delegating certain tasks to others, rescheduling them, or canceling them altogether. Once you are satisfied with your schedule, the only thing left to do is to take action.

    As with any other skill, it takes constant practice to become better at scheduling and managing your time well. Nevertheless, it takes more than just scheduling and planning to do a great job every day without feeling burned out. That is because you also need to develop an efficient system. Read the post How to Make Establish an Efficient System? to learn more about that.

  • How to Learn of Hone Your Ability to Concentrate?

    How to Learn of Hone Your Ability to Concentrate?

    The ability to concentrate is a skill that becomes stronger over time. Through constant practice, you will be able to concentrate more effectively for an extended period of time. However, if you constantly find it difficult to focus on tasks, or if you find yourself wasting your time on unimportant activities, then you need to address this problem as soon as possible.

    Ability: Human Resource Management; An acquired or natural capacity or talent that enables an individual to perform a particular job or task successfully. See also aptitude. Law; The power to carry out a legal act or satisfy a legal obligation.

    Concentrate: A concentrate is a form of substance which has had the majority of its base component (in the case of a liquid: the solvent) removed. Typically, this will be the removal of water from a solution or suspension, such as the removal of water from fruit juice. One benefit of producing a concentrate is that of a reduction in weight and volume for transportation, as the concentrate can be reconstituted at the time of usage by the addition of the solvent. Completely different to clustered.

    The good news is that there are tested-and-proven tips on how you can concentrate better. Apply the following tips and notice how you will then be able to finish your important tasks on time.

    Eliminate distractions

    Distractions come in all shapes and sizes. It could be the uncomfortable chair you are sitting on, the messy desk you have to work on, or the loud noises from outside. Whatever your case may be, it is important to get rid of them before you begin your task. That way, you can no longer use them as an excuse to procrastinate.

    Here are some suggestions:

    I. Hang up a “do not disturb” sign.

    II. Play instrumental “concentration enhancing” music to drown out the background noise.

    III. Set your phone on silent mode and store it away.

    IV. Block certain websites that keep you from focusing.

    Focus on one task at a time

    Multi-tasking keeps you from being able to provide quality output. It also stresses your mind out, whether you are aware of it or not. This is because you are not really “accomplishing” multiple things at once, but rather you are rapidly switching from one task to another.

    Instead, set aside a time block for a particular task and do absolutely nothing else except that task within that time frame. You could even set a timer so that you will not have to glance at the clock every now and then to check how much time you have left.

    Take short breaks between tasks

    Most people – even the most productive ones out there – can concentrate on an important task for no more than two hours at a time. Likewise, it takes approximately fifteen minutes of rest to replenish this concentration “energy.” Therefore, you can use this as a rule of thumb to schedule breaks.

    For instance, after working non-stop on a task for two hours straight, set a timer to signal you to take a fifteen-minute break. Then, do something relaxing, such as taking a walk or having a snack. After fifteen minutes, you will be ready to take on another two-hour long task, give or take.

    Focus on challenging tasks during your peak hours

    Identify which part of the day you feel most confident and energized, and use this time to work on the tasks that require the most concentration. For most people, mornings are the times when they feel as if they can handle anything. For others, this happens during the evenings when everyone else is exhausted from work.

    Reward yourself after accomplishing a challenging task

    Our minds are programmed to repeat a certain behavior if we are rewarded for it. Therefore, to condition yourself to practice improving your concentration each day, do not forget to reward yourself after a job well done. It could be something as simple as playing a video game for an hour, watching an episode of your favorite television show, or enjoying a delicious, albeit sinful, snack. That way, you can be more driven to finish the task so that you can get your reward.

    Aside from these tips, it always helps to remind yourself to take good care of your body. Always make it a priority to get enough hours of sleep, eat nutritious meals, and hydrate throughout the day. When your body is healthy and full of energy, it is only natural for your mind to be sharp and focused.

    At this point, you must be excited to start working on your tasks. However, you might want to learn how to manage your schedule first, especially if you have multiple tasks to handle each day. Find out how you can acquire this skill in the post What is Master the Art of Scheduling?

  • How to Make Establish an Efficient System?

    How to Make Establish an Efficient System?

    Efficient (of a system or machine) achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense, preventing the wasteful use of a particular resource. Working in a well-organized and competent way. Performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort; having and using requisite knowledge, skill, and industry.

    Abraham Lincoln once gave a sound piece of advice regarding productivity. He said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the Axe.”

    It is apparent that he means that he can do a much more efficient job with the right tool. On the other hand, chopping away on the tree with a dull Axe might cut it down as well, but less efficiently and probably for a longer period of time. In other words, the best way to make the most of your time is by establishing an efficient system. To be more specific, you should first create the most conducive environment, and choosing the best tools, for the task.

    To help you establish an efficient system, there are two main things to do. The first one is to choose the right tools you need to accomplish the task in the best possible way. The second is to organize the space in which you will be doing the task.

    Choose the Best Tools for the Task

    Can you tell off the bat which tools you need the most to accomplish certain tasks? If you cannot, try remembering the following guidelines:

    1. The tool should be the most user-friendly.

    While this does not apply to all cases, it helps to remember to go back to the basics. Often, the tool that is easiest to use is also the more efficient. It does not require much time to learn how to use it and to manipulate it.

    An example of a simple, user-friendly time management tool is the to Do list. It is simple as jotting down tasks on a piece of paper and crossing them out once you are done.

    1. The tool should help you focus.

    Some people who want to enhance their time management skills often tend to buy a number of “organizational tools,” such as planners, calendars, and so on, but then end up not using most of them at all. Worse, some would attempt to use them all at once and end up confused. Therefore, the best solution is to pick no more than one tool you will truly use for a particular project, goal, or task, and then stick to it.

    1. The tool should be the most efficient and effective.

    If a tool requires too much time to set up before you can use it, then it had better be four times more efficient than the other models. Otherwise, you would only end up accumulating wasted time from using it. The bottom-line is to choose a tool that will strike a balance between efficiency and effectiveness by looking at how well it can help you with the task and how quickly it can be used.

    Aside from these, other factors you can consider are accessibility, cost, visibility, and so on, depending on the specific tools you need. After all, some tools are to be used for personal goals and tasks, while others are for professional use or team projects. Nevertheless, it helps to keep these three core guidelines in mind before you decide to choose a certain tool for your project.

    Organize and Develop an Efficient Work Space

    A space that is clean and organized does not just mean it is neat and tidy. Rather, it expands to keeping only the things you need in sight. Everything else that does not serve any purpose to your goal is merely a distraction. This rule applies not just to your physical surroundings, but your digital space as well.

    You can achieve this by taking these simple steps:

    1. Clear all the items off the area first. This will make it easier for you to separate the items and tools you want to use from the ones that only serve as distraction.

    For instance, if your computer desktop is cluttered with all sorts of icons and folders, then create a folder and label it “Mess.” After that, move everything into it in one full sweep.

    1. Re-build or re-organize the area by choosing the tools that you need. Everything else must be removed or stored away more efficiently.

    If we go back to the same example, when you are left with a clear desktop, you can then choose from the “Mess” folder the ones you need for a particular project or goal. Everything else can be deleted or sorted out until you can safely delete the “Mess” folder.

    1. Develop an efficient system for your project or goal.

    Now that only the tools you need remain in the area, your final step is to use them to create an efficient system. It is important to ensure that the system is simple, easy to use, and effective, because you may be using it so often it becomes a habit.

    Let us say you make a living as a medical transcriptionist. Since your desktop is now uncluttered, you now only have your transcribing tool, a spreadsheet icon of a file that helps you track your progress, and folder of projects on it. Your final step is to systematize how you work so that you can maximize your time and efficiency. It can be simple, such as:

    Step 1: Click the spreadsheet icon to monitor and review project.

    Step 2: Open transcribing tool.

    Step 3: Open project to be transcribed.

    Step 4: Put on headset, adjust volume, and start transcribing.

    Once your tools and system are polished and organized, it is guaranteed that all the tasks you need to accomplish will become easier to do. All you need to do at this point is to take action.

  • How to Set the Right Goals?

    How to Set the Right Goals?

    A goal is a desired result or possible outcome that a person or a system envisions, plans and commits to achieve: a personal or organizational desired end-point in some sort of assumed development. Many people endeavor to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.

    It is roughly similar to purpose or aim, the anticipated result which guides reaction, or an end, which is an object, either a physical object or an abstract object, that has intrinsic value.

    Setting the Goals

    Goal setting may involve establishing specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bounded (SMART) objectives, but not all researchers agree that these SMART criteria are necessary.

    Research on goal setting by Edwin A. Locke and his colleagues suggests that goal setting can serve as an effective tool for making progress when it ensures that group members have a clear awareness of what each person must do to achieve a shared objective. On a personal level, the process of setting goals allows individuals to specify and then work toward their own objectives (such as financial or career-based goals). Goal-setting comprises a major component of personal development and management.

    Goals can be long-term, intermediate, or short-term. The primary difference is the time required to achieve them.

    Short-term goals

    Short-term goals expect accomplishment in a short period of time, such as trying to get a bill paid in the next few days. The definition of a short-term goal need not relate to any specific length of time. In other words, one may achieve (or fail to achieve) a short-term goal in a day, week, month, year, etc. The time-frame for a short-term goal relates to its context in the overall time line that it is being applied to. For instance, one could measure a short-term goal for a month-long project in days; whereas one might measure a short-term goal for someone’s lifetime in months or in years. Planners usually define short-term goals in relation to long-term goals.

    In any endeavor, the first step is to establish a clear goal. The more detailed and clear it is, the easier it will be for you to make choices and establish steps that you need to take towards accomplishing it.

    However, before getting into the subject of setting goals, let us first talk about the Goal-Setting Theory of Locke and Latham. Learning this will help you visualize the results that you truly want and need.

    Dr. Edwin Locke, the author of the article “Toward a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives”, published in 1968, explained that people become motivated towards doing their job when they are given clear goals as well as proper feedback. He also pointed that having a specific and challenging goal motivates people to boost their performance.

    Twelve years later, Locke and Dr. Gary Latham published “A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance,” their seminal work. It not only highlighted the significance of setting definite and challenging goals, but also provided five key components that will guide you to set them successfully. These are Clarity, Challenge, Commitment, Feedback, and Task Complexity. Here are the steps on how you can use them:

    Establish clear goals.

    It is important to be detailed with what you want to accomplish. By doing so, you can track your progress and determine which areas you need to improve on and which ones are helping you to get closer to your goal.

    Perhaps the most efficient way to establish goals is by applying the SMART criteria. This was first explained by George T. Doran in the November 1981 issue of Management Review. It has since become the primary tool used in setting goals.

    “SMART” stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable (or Assignable), Relevant, and Time-bound. Here is how you can apply each criterion:

    1. Specific – the goal has to be so clear it leaves no room for doubt. Detail what is important to you, what you expect from it, how you will know when it happens, and so on.
    2. Measurable – this puts emphasis on the need for measurable factors to help determine whether you are improving or not. Without measurable factors, you would find it impossible to stay motivated.
    3. Assignable or Achievable – a goal may be specific and measurable, but it can be unachievable if it is unrealistic. It is important to ensure that you can either achieve the goal-related tasks yourself, or assign some of the tasks to someone who can.
    4. Relevant – it is important to work towards a goal that is in line with your principles and purpose in life. For instance, you can consider whether the goal is worth the time, energy, and resources and if it is of true value to you.
    5. Time-bound – a time frame is an essential part of goal setting, because it helps you commit and increases your focus. A goal that is not time-bound is usually shipped off to “someday” land and never seen again. Therefore, you must set a target date.

    Here is an example of a SMART goal: “I will finish writing the first draft of my twenty-thousand-word romance fiction novel entitled “Oceans Away from Sarah” before December 25, 2016.”

    Set the Right Goals

    Ensure that the goals are challenging

    The more challenging yet realistic a goal is, the more motivated you will be to accomplish it. First, consider whether the goal you want makes you feel excited. Why does the thought of accomplishing it makes you feel good? Visualize the goal and determine the steps you need to take to turn it into a reality.

    Commit yourself to the goal

    Committing to your goal means that you are going to devote your time, energy, and resources to accomplish it. It also means you recognize its importance in your life and that you will not give up. It also helps to remember that plans can change, but the goal should remain the same.

    Track your Progress to Get Feedback

    As you work towards your goal, you must continuously enhance your skills, plans, and tools. That way, you can become even more efficient and effective. The only way to know how and what to improve on is by receiving feedback.

    Feedback is easily given by a team leader and one’s peers in major projects, but if you are on your own, then you need to track your own progress to receive it. Therefore, you must create a way to measure your progress as soon as you start working towards your goal. Through these standards, you can determine how far along you are.

    Calibrate the complexity of the task

    If a certain task towards your goal is too challenging it becomes unrealistic, you can take a step back and make the necessary adjustments. In other words, do not charge head-on if you are unprepared for it, because you will only end up feeling too pressured. This is dangerous, because it can cause you to give up altogether.

    Instead, consider the factors that are causing the task to be too complex. Reflect on whether you need more time, additional skills, or better tools for it. Maybe you need to break it down into smaller, more manageable parts. It is also possible that you need to delegate it to an expert. All these adjustments may even help you achieve your goal more efficiently.

    Once you have established a clear goal, the next step is to generate tasks that are in line with it. By doing so, you would then be able to determine the time you need to accomplish it. How to Set Your Organize Priorities? posts will help you to identify which tasks are important each day, and which ones to set aside.

  • How to Set Your Organize Priorities?

    How to Set Your Organize Priorities?

    There are specific skills and steps that you can learn to effectively manage multiple priorities and to actually assess which activities you need to work on first then next in order to tame your daily and weekly schedule. I’ve tried to organize the best time management advice I can find into one place and make it “research administrator-friendly.”

    The ability to prioritize is highly important in terms of achieving your goal. It helps you to identify and focus only on the essential tasks. It frees you from falling into procrastination or getting distracted by less important tasks. By harnessing this skill, you will be less stressed and a lot more organized and put-together.

    To become proficient in prioritizing, you can start by applying former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle.

    Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle

    In 1954, he mentioned that there are “two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.” In this sense, these two concepts can be defined as follows:

    Important tasks are those whose results lead to the achievement of our personal or professional goals.

    Urgent tasks require your immediate attention. However, they are typically related to the goal of someone else (such as your boss). Nevertheless, we focus on them more because there are negative consequences to not doing them right away.

    At this point, you may want to reflect on three things.

    First, identify which tasks or activities are most important to you. Are they in line with your goal? How far along are you in terms of accomplishing it?

    Second, look back on how you spend your time each day. Do you focus on what is urgent? Were you able to find time for what is important?

    Finally, consider how you can make time for what is important and still be able to do what is urgent. Alternatively, think about whether you can sacrifice what is urgent for what is important.

    One strategy that can help you focus on the important tasks first is to do them at the start of your day. The reason why this is effective is that you would still make time for what is urgent later on in the day. After all, you will always find a way to do what is urgent to avoid the consequence.

    Make sure to write down all your thoughts until you can flesh out a concrete plan out of them.

    The Pareto Principle

    It is easy to prioritize when you are in control of your time and resources. However, things take a more challenging turn when you are faced with many issues that will force you to make quick decisions.

    If ever you find yourself in this situation, then you can take a page out of Italian economist Wilfredo Pareto. According to him, eighty percent of the effects of most events come from twenty percent of the causes. To make his point clear, he explained two examples.

    The first one is that 80 percent of the properties in his homeland are owned by only 20 percent of the population. The second, on which his principle is initially based, is that 20 percent of the pea-pods in his garden held 80 percent of the peas produce.

    To this day, the Pareto Principle is being used by many professionals to gauge almost anything, such as by stating that 80 percent of a corporation’s sales come from only 20 percent of its products.

    Going back to the concept of Prioritization, you can apply the Pareto Principle by applying the following steps:

    1. Identify the main problems.

    Take note of every issue that is holding you back from achieving your goal or task. If you are working as a team, consult each member to get their own insights. You might also need to consult your progress chart.

    1. Determine the main cause of each problem.

    According to the concept of Root Cause Analysis, there are three common root causes behind any problem. These are Physical Causes, Human Causes, and Organizational Causes.

    When something breaks down or fails to operate due to some tangible or observable aspect, then it is due to a Physical Cause. One example is you being unable to finish a three-page report due tomorrow because your laptop computer crashed.

    If a person failed to do something, or did something wrong, then the problem is from a Human Cause. An example would be your co-worker failing to send you an email of the survey results for your report tomorrow.

    In situations where, despite the effectiveness of tools and the efficient skills of the people involved, the process itself caused the problem, then it is considered to be due to an Organizational Cause. One example is the pyramid scheme, in that the products are effective and the salespeople are passionate and trained. Yet, the system itself fails to be sustainable.

    Based on this perspective, it is easy to identify the root cause of some problems. However, if you find it a challenge to do so, then you should ask yourself these questions to help you deduce the issue until you can identify the root cause.

    What happened?

    How did it happen?

    Why did it happen?

    Will it happen again?

    Why or why not?

    1. Rearrange the problems in order of priority.

    After you have identified the root cause for each problem, you should then create another list of the same problems. Only this time, you will be enumerating them based on how important it is for them to be solved. This way, you will instantly know which one to focus on solving first before you move on to the second, third, and so on.

    1. Come up with the solutions.

    Now that you have analyzed and organized all the problems, the final step is to solve each of them. Start with the most important problem to be solved, and then brainstorm on the best steps to take to address it.

    Now that you know how to apply Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle and Pareto’s Principle, you can choose from a variety of time management tools in organizing all this information. A simple chart on a spreadsheet should do the trick, and it can look something like this:

    Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle

    Today’s List of Tasks

    Important Tasks Urgent Tasks

    Task 1 – 8:00 am to 9:30 am Task 1 – 11:00 am to 12:00 am

    Task 2 – 10:00 am to 10:30 am Task 2 – 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

    Pareto’s Principle

    Ranking Problem Root Cause Solution:

    1 Problem A Root Cause A Solution A

    2 Problem B Root Cause B Solution B

    3 Problem C Root Cause C Solution C

    By using these tools, you will surely be able to get more tasks done throughout your day. Of course, this does not mean that these tools alone will enable you to focus on getting the job done. There will be times when we fail to focus on a task because of unexpected occurrences and distractions. However, you can overcome these challenges by improving your ability to concentrate. The next chapter can provide you with tips and strategies on how to do just that.

  • What are Interpersonal Skills and Their Types?

    What are Interpersonal Skills and Their Types?

    This may be the understatement of the year: right now there is an incredible need for engineers. All skill sets and experience levels are in high demand from start-ups to giant corporations, but that doesn’t mean that every engineer will be employed or successful.

    Interpersonal Skills also called Human Relations Skills, Interpersonal skills are often called “People Skills” because they describe a person’s ability to interact with other people in a positive and cooperative manner. Unlike technical skills that people attend school for, interpersonal skills are considered soft skills that are typically developed over time through interactions.

    Having good interpersonal skills is desired in most careers. The best members of a team often have strong skills that help them communicate and problem solve with other people in an organization. There is a long list of interpersonal skills, but among the most important for working in a team or workplace are conflict resolution, communication, problem solving and patience.

    Interpersonal skills in the thriving STEM fields, interpersonal skills are becoming increasingly important in career advancement. They are just as important as the technical skills, as they help create personal branding and a well-rounded network of professionals, opening opportunities and creating relationships with peers. Following are the five key interpersonal skills that engineers and other STEM professionals should develop for career success:

    Interpersonal Skills and Their Types

    (I) Communication Skills: Communication skills are required equally at all three levels of management. A manager must be able to communicate the plans and policies to the workers. Similarly, he must listen and solve the problems of the workers. He must encourage a free-flow of communication in the organization.

    Engineers and other STEM professions place the higher value on technical skills than communication. However, effective communication is equally as important. In order to succeed and be innovative in their position, they must be able to communicate their ideas.

    (II) Creativity Skills: The technical skills to find and fix system issues is just as valuable as the creativity to find new ways to solve problems. People who continually push the envelope to find and develop new products, processes etc., get the recognition from peers and management.

    (III) Adaptability Skills: Like creativity, the ability to continually push and change is invaluable. Challenges arise daily and as an employee and job seeker, you must be able to adapt, be creative, and communicate the issues to work towards a solution.

    The world of work is changing at an ever increasing pace so employers actively seek out graduates who can adapt to changing circumstances and environments, and embrace new ideas, who are enterprising, resourceful and adaptable.

    (IV) Collaboration Skills: Product creation, service execution, and system innovation do not happen by one person. Steve Jobs may have been an incredible driving force behind Apple’s success, but there were countless engineers, developers, and other professionals working to create, market and sell their products.

    Collaborating in a team setting is not only necessary for a job seeker and employee, but is absolutely essential. Collaborative skills that we have identified as promoting the core concepts and supporting class norms are listed below. This list of collaborative skills has been used successfully by instructional teams to identify skills that address the ways students and teachers should interact to realize class norms. The list is not exhaustive and some classrooms may have to add skills to fully meet their needs.

    (V) Leadership Skills: Leadership skills is the ability to influence human behavior. A manager requires leadership skills to motivate the workers. These skills help the Manager to get the work done through the workers.

    We all know what a leader is, however becoming one takes thought. If you aspire to make a difference in your company/ city/ the world in any profession, leadership skills have to come into play. Developing these skills over time as you build relationships will help you achieve success beyond your career.

    Advanced Interpersonal Skills

    Interpersonal Skills
    Human Relations Skills or Interpersonal Skills

    Advanced Interpersonal Communication training sessions can be custom designed to suit your employees, address specific issues and industry. Pictures, questions, and material will all be modified to suit training requirements and objectives. Contact our staff for more details.

    This Advanced Interpersonal Skills Session is designed to help your team members, management, and all staff communicate effectively with respect, build rapport, interact professionally and control their emotions for better business relations.

    Objectives for the Advanced Interpersonal Skills

    Being in control of your emotion is a benefit to you and your workplace. Learn how to be able to change your mood, attitude, and perception at the drop of a hat.

    Questioning techniques will assist you in both control and information gathering. Learn how to quickly change a subject, motivate others and communicate more effectively using communication techniques.

    Rapport is about similarities and connections. We show participants how to connect with others more with simple and effective mirroring techniques.

    Reading body language will come in use throughout your life. We develop this area and discuss how participants can take advantage of this form of communication.

    A positive mindset will move mountains. Everything will seem easier and you will feel empowerment with a positive outlook. Learn how to create the mindset for optimum performance and feel great when you need.

    More behavioral tools for the participants here as we develop some techniques to improve on existing behavior.

    learn about the four social categories and how to improve on your social category if you feel you need. We also discuss personalities and provide insight into why you do many of the things you do. This section also teaches you about others and their needs around you in the workplace.

    Advanced Interpersonal Communications are a requirement today to work closely as teams and with other people. This session is designed to carefully address any areas of concern and help individuals increase their awareness of their interpersonal skills, including any unintended communications they may be making. This session provides a greater understanding of non-spoken communication and allows a much-improved level of interpersonal communications to be implemented in the company, improving management to staff and interdepartmental relationships, which also leads to greater productivity, happier staff, and a much higher standard of customer service provision.

  • What are Managerial Skills?

    What are Managerial Skills?

    Managerial Skills; A skill is an individual’s ability to translate knowledge into action. Hence, it is manifested in an individual’s performance. Skill is not necessarily inborn. It can be developed through practice and through relating learning to one’s own personal experience and background. In order to be able to successfully discharge his roles, a manager should possess three major skills. These are conceptual skill, human relations skill and technical skill. Conceptual skill deals with ideas, technical skill with things and human skill with people. While both conceptual and technical skills are needed for good decision-making, human skill in necessary for a good leader.

    The conceptual skill refers to the ability of a manager to take a broad and farsighted view of the organization and its future, his ability to think in abstract, his ability to analyze the forces working in a situation, his creative and innovative ability and his ability to assess the environment and the changes taking place in it. It short, it is his ability to conceptualize the environment, the organization, and his own job, so that he can set appropriate goals for his organization, for himself and for his team. This skill seems to increase in importance as manager moves up to higher positions of responsibility in the organization.

    The technical skill is the manager’s understanding of the nature of the job that people under him have to perform. It refers to a person’s knowledge and proficiency in any type of process or technique. In a production department, this would mean an understanding of the technicalities of the process of production. Whereas this type of skill and competence seems to be more important at the lower levels of management, its relative importance as a part of the managerial role diminishes as the manager moves to higher positions. In higher functional positions, such as the position of a marketing manager or production manager, the conceptual component, related to these functional areas becomes more important and the technical component becomes less important.

    Human relations skill is the ability to interact effectively with people at all levels. This skill develops in the manager sufficient ability (A) to recognize the feelings and sentiments of others; (B) to judge the possible actions to, and outcomes of various courses of action he may undertake; and (C) to examine his own concepts and values which may enable him to develop more useful attitudes about himself. This type of skill remains consistently important for managers at all levels.

    A table gives an idea about the required change in the skill-mix of a manager with the change in his level. At the top level, technical skill becomes least important. That is why people at the top shift with great ease from one industry to another without an apparent fall in their efficiency. Their human and conceptual skills seem to make up for their unfamiliarity with the new job’s technical aspects.

    A Table of Skill-Mix of different Management levels and Managerial Skills

    Different Management levels

    Explanation of Managerial Skills

    (I) Conceptual skills: Conceptual skills are skills that allow a person to think creatively while also understanding abstract ideas and complicated processes. A person who has conceptual skills will be able to solve problems, formulate processes and understand the relationship between ideas, concepts, patterns and symbols.

    Conceptual skills are used frequently in the business world where managers can use their ability to conceptualize to view and visualize the entire company that they work for in order to develop the best plans for the business’s success. Most companies consider conceptual skills to be a requirement for their management staff.

    Conceptual Skills
    Conceptual Skills

    Some people are born with conceptual skills and have an intuitive sense while others must acquire the skill through learning. Other common skills valued with conceptual thinking include critical thinking, implementation thinking, innovative thinking and intuitive thinking.

    For those individuals who are not born with an innate sense of these skills, there are ways to develop the skill set. In an individual’s personal life and professional life, these skills can be developed by first taking the time to look around. Observing the way that other people and other businesses implement strategies as well as reading related publications (in the individual’s field or hobby area) can help increase the range of possibilities a person sees. Then, an individual must be willing to change direction and to pursue new goals whenever an opportunity arises that makes sense. If a problem occurs, do not look for the simple and fast fix. Look for a lasting solution instead that is a best-case scenario.

    (II) Human Relations Skills: Human Relations Skills is Interpersonal skills, Interpersonal skills are often called “people skills” because they describe a person’s ability to interact with other people in a positive and cooperative manner. Unlike technical skills that people attend school for, interpersonal skills are considered soft skills that are typically developed over time through interactions.

    Interpersonal Skills
    Human Relations Skills or Interpersonal Skills

    Having good interpersonal skills is desired in most careers. The best members of a team often have strong skills that help them communicate and problem solve with other people in an organization. There is a long list of interpersonal skills, but among the most important for working in a team or workplace are conflict resolution, communication, problem solving and patience.

    (III) Technical Skills: Technical skills are a person’s abilities that contribute directly to the performance of a given job, such as the computer, engineering, language and electrical skills. Someone with excellent abilities in any of these technical areas has the potential to secure a career in a related field.

    Technical Skills
    Technical Skills

    A person with technical writing abilities may get a job creating instruction manuals for complex products and equipment. A data expert may get a specialized job in database management or data analysis. A person with crafting abilities may get a job assembling fabrics or other products. Someone with excellent skills in automobile mechanics may get a position in an automobile repair shop.

    Other Managerial Skills also Important

    Communication Skills: Communication skills are required equally at all three levels of management. A manager must be able to communicate the plans and policies to the workers. Similarly, he must listen and solve the problems of the workers. He must encourage a free-flow of communication in the organization.

    Administrative Skills: Administrative skills are required at the top-level management. The top-level managers should know how to make plans and policies. They should also know how to get the work done. They should be able to coordinate different activities of the organization. They should also be able to control the full organization.

    Leadership Skills: Leadership skill is the ability to influence human behavior. A manager requires leadership skills to motivate the workers. These skills help the Manager to get the work done through the workers.

    Problem Solving Skills: Problem-solving skills are also called as Design skills. A manager should know how to identify a problem. He should also possess an ability to find the best solution for solving any specific problem. This requires intelligence, experience and up-to-date knowledge of the latest developments.

    Decision Making Skills: Decision-making skills are required at all levels of management. However, it is required more at the top-level of management. A manager must be able to take quick and correct decisions. He must also be able to implement his decision wisely. The success or failure of a manager depends upon the correctness of his decisions.