Strategies for Building Effective Relationships Essay Example for Free

Strategies for Building Effective Relationships Essay Building effective relationships requires time and effort. The most effective relations take many forms and are fruitful, effective and satisfying. This only occurs when the parties involved cultivate a level of high trust in their relationships, also called inter-dependence. For this paper we will discuss the basic skills that a leader must possess in order to succeed in building effective relationships. We will also discuss some of the methods used to build effective relationships with superiors and peers. Finally we will look at the role of the leader in different participatory management methods. Leader Skills These features not only facilitate a relationship to mature and deliver exceptional results, but just as importantly, they also preclude a relationship from unravelling under the weight of confusion and external stimuli – a vital aspect in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing world Anyone coming up thru the ranks in the military and in the civilian sector knows that in order for a leader to be successful that they must possess certain leadership skills. Although not all inclusive, these skills will set up a leader to be successful. These skills include: organization and time management, selling skills, resource acquisition and management, technologically savvy, persuasive and negotiating skills, and ethics (Javitch, 2009). Companies are not only looking for leaders who will be able to take over and get the job done, they are looking for leaders with the ability to be organized. Keeping everything running smoothly is part of a good leader. This includes the proper manage ment of time. A good leader creates and follows a schedule, leaving room for unforeseeable changes that occur. Another skill that a leader should possess are selling skills: Wheater it is a product to be sold, a business opportunities or a new processes, a good leader must be able to sell the item or idea both inside and outside the organization. The next skill a leader should possess is resource acquisition and management: In today’s shrinking markets, the ability to locate and effectively use assets goes a long way towards the success of process implementation. This includes knowing how to manage these  processes in order to succeed. Continuing with skills that leaders should possess is knowledge of a leader being technologically savvy. This requires a leader to have the ability to learn and operate current technologies: This skill is of utmost importance, since software and hardware change on a regular basis. A good leader must be able to follow those changes in order to stay relevant in todays’ world of business. The next skill that leaders should possess is the ability to persuade and negotiate. A leader must be able to persuade others to execute a certain action and then negotiate the terms. These skills are important in both the selling of products and convincing other leaders to implement a particular process or program. The last skill but certainly not the least important are ethics. Discerning the proper from the inappropriate at the workplace is getting increasingly tough, as the line separating the two keeps blurring. A leader must possess the moral ground to distinguish between right and wrong and the strength to take the appropriate action no matter the consequences. It takes a great deal of persistence and willpower to create an ethical working place, but the leader knows that it will foster the professional and personal growth in the organization as the years progress. These are just a few of the many skills that a leader must possess. A leader still has to have strength, courage, listening skills, writing skills, and a slew of others skills in order to be well rounded and balanced. While the above skills are not all inclusive, they are a good starting point for leaders. Methods for Effective Work Relation Now that we have addressed some of the skills that a leader must possess we must discuss some of the methods that a leaders can used to build effective relationships with their superiors and peers. Effective work connections create the foundation for success and fulfilment in a job. A leader can sink their career and work associations by their actions and the behaviors they display at work. No matter their education, title, or experience, if a leader cannot play well with others, they will never achieve their goals (Miksen, n.d). It can be that that if there are no effective work relationships then there are no promotions, pay increases, goal accomplishment, and job satisfaction. To build effective work relationships a leader must: bring suggestions to the table, not play the blame game, keep  commitments, share credit, don’t blind-side a coworker or boss, and help other co-workers when they need it (Miksen, n.d). Bringing to the meeting table solutions to a problem earns leaders the respect and admiration from coworkers and bosses. There are some personnel who devote an extravagant sum of time pinpointing problems, yet they offer no way to solve the problems. Anyone can find a problem, the challenging part is finding thoughtful solutions. A leader that brings solutions to the table is sought out by everyone, thus creating relationships with others. The next method to build effective work relations is not playing the blame game. A leader that does so alienates supervisors, and coworkers. Remember that as a leader you need allies at work. While it may be required to ascertain who was involved in a problem, it does not require them to be publicly identified and blamed for the failure. If a leader does this then it will create adversaries. These adversaries will, in turn, help a leader to be unsuccessful. Remember that as a leader one of the skills that you must possess is to be organized and a m anager of time. This skill crosses over to helping build effective work relationships. As a leader you must keep your obligations. In any organization, work is interrelated. A leader that fails to keep deadlines and obligations, affects the performance and output of other employees. If a commitment cannot be kept, as a leader inform all affected employees who need to know and arrange for a new makeup date, making all conceivable efforts to honor the new deadline. Another method to build effective relationships is to share credit for ideas, accomplishments, and contributions. A leader must make the effort, time, and expend the energy, to thank, reward, recognize and identify the assistances of the personnel who aided them succeed. This is a fool-proof tactic to developing effective work associations (Miksen, n.d). One more method to building effective work relationships is to never blind side a coworker, or boss. As a leader always address difficulties, first, with the individuals openly involved. If an employee learns about an issue during a staff gathering or from an email sent to their supervisor, as a leader you have just blindsided the fellow worker. A leader will certainly not construct effective work associations unless their coworkers trust them. The final method to build effective work relationships it to aid fellow workers in find their skills. Remember that each employee in a group has abilities, expertise, and knowledge. A leader  that helps colleague to harness their capabilities, increases the benefit for the organization immensely. Some of the benefits include compliment, praise, and notice contributions. You dont have to be a manager to help develop an encouraging, inspiring atmosphere for employees. Frequently carrying out these actions will cultivate effective work relationships. Partners will value you as a teammate. Superiors will have confidence that you play on the right team. As a leader you will achieve your work objectives, and you may even experience fun, acknowledgement, and personal motivation. It does not get any better than that. Leaders Role in Participatory Management Participatory management is a system in which employees of an organization take an active role in the decision-making process as it relates to the way the business operates. There are numerous methods depending on the level of participatory management a business engages in. Some examples are information management, mentoring and training management, teaching management, recognition management, and finally shared decision-making management (Rampur, 2012). In information management information is shared readily with all employees. This includes earnings and operational budgets, financial projections, as well as information related to long-term strategic planning. This method provides transparency in all business aspects and allows for employee input and suggestions. The next type of participatory management is mentoring and training management. This type of management provides ongoing training, skills development, professional enrichment and mentoring to employees at all levels. This allows all employees to cross-train in different areas of the business, take on new or additional responsibilities, and give their newfound skills a hands-on try under the supervision of a mentor. This method encourages all employees to share knowledge and information with the goal of being a diversely trained, well-rounded workforce. Another type of participatory management is teaching management. This method features a teaching component in which employees are guided on the fundamentals of the decision-making process. Employees receive insight into a particular problem, issue or strategy and the cognitive tools necessary for breaking down the issue into problem-solving components (Rampur, 2012). Using this management style,  employees continually enhance their knowledge of how the company operates and are able to bring ever-improving skills to the workplace. One more form of participatory management includes a forum in which employees are recognized regularly for their achievements and contributions. The reward approach is designed to increase performance, motivate employees and provide positive reinforcement for a job well done. Employees also have the opportunity to see how their contributions directly affect the company in a positive manner. The final method of participatory management is shared decision-making management. In this method employees participate in focus group, complete surveys, participate in brainstorming sessions and often work in self-monitored groups on specific tasks and projects. Management typically provides parameters for employees to work within and to contribute suggestions and ideas, and many also feature a formal review process to ensure every idea is weighed and vetted carefully. As a leader there is purely no healthier way to make people feel valued than to ask them openly, for their advice. A leader can pat people on the back and recognize their efforts but this is not as effective in encouraging people as incorporating them in the decision making process. Employees who play a part in deciding what to do feel a much greater amount of ownership over making it happen. Depending on the organization and the leader will determine which method of participatory management to use if any. Conclusion Leaders are many things to different people. They are the ones making decisions, communication with people, resolving issues. A leader has to have many attributes to be effective. This includes being able to cultivate relations with other people and departments, not to mention being able to lead, develop and enhance coworkers, and the organization. For this paper we have discussed the basic skills that a leader must possess in order to succeed in building effective relationships. We also discussed some of the methods used to build effective relationships with superiors and peers. Finally we looked at the role of the leader in different participatory management methods.

Illegal Immigration in America Essay -- Cons of Illegal Immigration, Im

Illegal Immigration in America America's past is made up of immigrants who have came and formed our country. However illegal immigration has now plagued our economy. What happens when you allow millions into the country, both legally and illegally? Exactly what is happening today? You have tens or hundreds of groups, made up of various nationalities, from various places. Forming themselves into isolated communities, and then trying to get the country to change for them. This paper confirms detailed information on how America is being altered by mass immigration and by uncontrolled illegal immigrants. Americans like to believe that people should have the chance to better themselves. That is why people come to the United States to make things better for themselves. They come here to ha...

Adventure Stories in Children?S Literature

Adventure is an important part of children's psyche. Children often dream of strange fortunes, great feats, exciting events, long trips, and everything they can be drawn to from the monotony of everyday life. Heroes of adventure stories are mostly sailors, pirates, cowboys and Indians, convicts, researchers, adventurers and solitaires of all types. The concept of adventure story is quite simple: brave, strong and resourceful hero must make a difficult task, and overcome a lot of danger, but in the end, he wins. The most important features of adventure stories are a romantic setting, an unusual situation, and the special vitality of characters. The beginnings of adventure genre are found in Homer? s Odyssey, Cervantes? s Don Quijote, biblical motifs and medieval novels. Europeans and North Americans were having many real-life adventures in the nineteenth century: explorers were seeking the North Pole, Florence Nightingale was pioneering for female independence as a director of nursing in the Crimean War, and a railroad was being constructed across the United States. If a person could not go to a remote region and overcome the perils lurking there, the best next adventure was the vicarious one offered through books. (Norton, Donna: 59). The most popular writers of children's adventure novels are Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain, J. F. Cooper, Zane Grey, Karl May, Howard Pyle, Jules Verne etc. I will introduce you to the most famous writers of adventure stories in children? s literature. Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe was born in 1660 in London, to James and Alice Foe. His father worked as a butcher and the young Daniel regretted the fact that he could not attend a prestigious school, such as Oxford or Cambridge. Defoe tried his best to be a gentleman, even changing his name from Foe to Defoe. As a result of his controversial writings, Defoe was arrested, imprisoned for a period of time, tried, and sentenced to pay a fine and to stand three times in the pillory. His novel Robinson Crusoe was published in 1719. The story is about a young man who strongly desires to become a sailor. In spite of his family's opposition, he runs away to go to sea. His adventures lead him all over the world, but his most important journey is a spiritual one. The novel is basically about the life and adventures of Crusoe on the island, where he arrived after a shipwreck. A series of disasters happen to him as punishment for his rebellious nature. For example he was forced to spend twenty-eight years of his life on that deserted island. On the island, Crusoe is transformed. As he searches for peace, he must come to grips with his relationship to God. When he finally acknowledges his own Christianity, all the rebelliousness is driven out of him and he begins to live a peaceful existence on the island. This book was inspired by the true story of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor. Robert Louis Stevenson admired it, saying that the footprint scene in Crusoe was one of the greatest in English literature, and most unforgettable: â€Å"One day, about noon, going towards my boat, I was exceedingly surprised with the print of a man's naked foot on the shore, which was very plain to be seen on the sand. This scene was a prelude to his meeting with Friday, one of the savages, whom Crusoe rescues from his captors. Crusoe â€Å"civilizes† Friday and converts him to Christianity. Friday remains faithful to Crusoe until the end. It is not known how Defoe, living in London, came to know enough to write a story about ships, sailing, pirates, and savages. No matter the sources for Robinson Crusoe, it is definitely an entertaining and re alistic adventure tale. Although not written for children, this book was extremely popular with them. It has inspired a new genre, the Robinsonade as works like The Swiss Family Robinson (1812) by Johann David Wyss. Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift was born in 1667 in Dublin, Ireland. Not only he had been involved in some of the most important and heated political events of the time, but he was also a well-known political journalist and satirist whose style was, to say the least, distinctive. He wrote a masterpiece named Gulliver? s Travels (1726). It is a tale of a surgeon Lemuel Gulliver as he voyages to the strange lands. As you follow Gulliver through four traumatic voyages, you are exposed to a host of creatures and situations and systems of their devising. The book consists of four parts where the stories of Gulliver's experiences among dwarfs and giants are best known. It was written as a satire, but it was read by children for its humor and adventure. Allegory is one of Swift's most important satirical tools which means that characters, situations, and places have a significance that goes beyond simply what they are in themselves. It shows Jonathan's desire to encourage people to read deeper and not take things for granted. Since in this book he wrote about certain political figures, he published the book anonymously. He could never have actually named real names in his novel. It didn't take long for people to catch on to the fact that the author was writing about England. And it also didn't take long for the public to discover that the author was Jonathan Swift. Swift's satire is designed to keep you an independent reader, the characters are meant to stimulate you, not to lead you. Swift's aim in this book is for you to come to terms with your ideas on some important questions regarding humanity and to be aware of the factors that influence your beliefs. The novel is written in the form of a travel book. Swift chose this device because travel tends to change our perspective on the world around us. As Gulliver voyages, and we voyage with him, his (and our) viewpoint changes according to the place(s) in which he finds himself and the things that happen to him there. Robert Louis Stevenson Stevenson was born in 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He suffered from tuberculosis and often travelled abroad in search for a healthy climate. His childish mind was greatly developed by his nurse and her stories of ghosts and fairies. Christened as ‘Robert Lewis Balfour', at the age of 18 he dropped the name Balfour and changed his middle name from Lewis to Louis. His first major sucess was Treasure Island (1883). The story is set in the mid-18 century and owes a little in style to Robinson Crusoe. This story had an interesting beginning. While trying to entertain his stepson, Stevenson drew a watercolor map of an island, then followed his drawing with the now famous story of pirates, buried treasure, and a young boy? s adventures. (Norton, Donna: 60). After the mysterious death of the old sailor, the main character Jim Hawkins finds a map of the island with hidden treasure. He wanted to see if it was a true treasure map so he got a crew and they set sail. On their way to the island, Hawkins and his friends will be confronted with the pirates who want the treasure for themselves. Treasure Island is an exciting adventure story, filled with morals that need to be incubated into a growing child. The author narrates these through the protagonist, Jim Hawkins, who is an immature, naturally curious and adventurous young boy. Stevenson? s other famous work is Kidnapped (1886). David Balfour is the protagonist of the book. At the age of sixteen, he is an orphan with youthful dreams that are interrupted by his wicked uncle. He has David kidnapped, hoping to have him sent to America and sold as a slave so he can be the sole inheritor of his nephew? s fortune. The main theme of Kidnapped is good conquers evil. It is both an adventure story and a historical novel. David Balfour's adventures created enough thrill, excitement, and suspense to become a children's classic almost immediately. It is also valued as a novel that relates the history of Scotland in the 18th century. Stevenson never intended to be a writer of adventure stories, but with Treasure Island and Kidnapped he brought that genre to the peak of its achievement in the 19th century and inspired many later writers. His influence can be seen in such diverse works as James Matthew Barrie? s Peter Pan. Mark Twain Mark Twain was born as Samuel Clemens in 1835 in Florida, Missouri. After the beginning of the Civil War he became a reporter, starting to use the pseudonym Mark Twain. He was the greatest American writer of realistic adventure. Twain grew up in the river town of Hannibal, Missouri, where he lived many of the adventures about which he later wrote. His humorous tales of human nature, especially The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), remain standard texts in high school and college literature classes. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a fun-filled adventure story, where the author looks at life through the eyes of boys approaching their teenage years. Through them, Twain reveals that life is an adventure – filled with fun, romance, surprises, humor, sorrow, and fear. Growing up along the Mississippi River, Tom and his best friend Huck play hooky, pull pranks, and even run away to become pirates. The boys are not presented in a romantic manner; instead, they reflect the realities of life. Twain once said that he began writing Tom Sawyer as the recollections of his boyhood memories, and the characters in the book are based upon real people from the author’s childhood. This is much more than a children’s book; it is truly a timeless, classic about childhood that is simply set in an earlier, more peaceful and idyllic time. In the same year (1876) when The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published, Twain began its sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which he called â€Å"another boy’s book. † Huck Finn, a boy of about 12 years, is the son of the town drunk. Widow Douglas adopts him so that she can civilize him and raise him to be a gentleman. Although she is kind and attentive, he is uncomfortable and feels stifled at her house. He does not like going to school, attending church, or wearing neat clothes. Huck must make a difficult decision about whether or not to turn in Jim, a runaway slave, who becomes a friend to him. The novel has a more serious tone than The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, for it deals with social issues like racial prejudice and slavery. This book has been repeatedly restricted in American high scools for its frequent use of the word  «nigger », which was a common term when the book was written. Twain was a master in using colloquial speech and helped to create distinctive American literature built on American themes and language. The Prince and the Pauper (1882) is a story of two boys born on the same day who are physically identical. The story is set in the 16th century, England, under the reign of the autocratic ruler, Henry VIII. During this period, the rich lived in the lap of luxury, while the poor struggled to survive. Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales and son of Henry VIII, lives in the palace, while Tom Canty, a beggar and the son of the drunkard, John Canty, lives in poverty. Through a chance encounter, the two boys exchange roles and experience life as the other. The Prince and the Pauper is a children's adventure tale, since it is narrated in a simple style. but it also contains the elements of social criticism. Conclusion Adventure is something that comes out of the frame of everyday life. Adventure stories in children? s literature are filled with strange journeys, shipwrecks, pirates, looking for the hidden treasure, life on a deserted island etc. Frequency of travel corresponds to children's wishes and their psychology, because children love to travel. All the above-mentioned writers were a little bit strange: they changed their names and were extremely introverted. Society did not understand them. On the basis of their uniqueness, they wrote their most famous pieces. References 1. Norton, Donna. Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children? s Literature. 2. Carpenter, Humphrey and Prichard, Mari. The Oxford Companion to Children? s Literature.

The Personality Assessment Of The Big Five Personality Essay

Personality Assessment Introduction I found the test results of the Big Five personality assessment to be an interesting and very accurate description of myself. After completing this assessment, I was able to analyze my personality in depth. I found this information to be helpful knowledge and provide insight about myself, as well as being crucial in examining my personality traits. The big five is also referred to the OCEAN model of personality, and stands for the main traits used to describe personalities. This acronym stands for openness to experience/intellect, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. After taking the test I was then given percentile scores that allowed me to compare myself with other people who have taken the test online as well, therefore making it a more meaningful comparison. Results After taking the Big Five personality test, also known as the OCEAN model of personality, I found the results slightly surprising to me. The first measure they addressed was openness to experience/intellect, and I scored fairly low at the 20th percentile, meaning I prefer more traditional experiences and familiar experiences. The second one, which was conscientiousness, I scored higher on in the 74th percentile, meaning that I am well organized, self-disciplined, and reliable. The third measure of personality is extraversion, and I scored in the 96th percentile which extremely high. This suggests that I am extremely outgoing, social, andShow MoreRelatedThe Big Five Personality Assessment And Organizational Behavior Preferences1188 Words   |  5 Pagesindividual personality, and how knowing Jesus personally effects individual behavior. Dr Fischer states, â€Å"You cannot fully understand organizational behavior until you understand how unique individuals made in God’s image were made to interact with one another, and how sin, but for God’s grace, can taint that process of interaction† (Fischer, 2006). 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