What Is Intelligence, Anyway?

What Is Intelligence, Anyway?

By Isaac Asimov

What is intelligence, anyway?

When I was in the army, I received the kind of aptitude test that all soldiers took and, against a normal of 100, scored 160. No one at the base had ever seen a figure like that, and for two hours they made a big fuss over me. (It didn't mean anything. The next day I was still a buck private with KP - kitchen police - as my highest duty.)

All my life I've been registering scores like that, so that I have the complacent feeling that I'm highly intelligent, and I expect other people to think so too.

Actually, though, don't such scores simply mean that I am very good at answering the type of academic questions that are considered worthy of answers by people who make up the intelligence tests - people with intellectual bents similar to mine?

For instance, I had an auto-repair man once, who, on these intelligence tests, could not possibly have scored more than 80, by my estimate. I always took it for granted that I was far more intelligent than he was.

Yet, when anything went wrong with my car I hastened to him with it, watched him anxiously as he explored its vitals, and listened to his pronouncements as though they were divine oracles - and he always fixed my car.

Well, then, suppose my auto-repair man devised questions for anintelligence test.

Or suppose a carpenter did, or a farmer, or, indeed, almost anyone but an academician. By every one of those tests, I'd prove myself a moron, and I'd be a moron, too.

In a world where I could not use my academic training and my verbal talents but had to do something intricate or hard, working with my hands, I would do poorly.

My intelligence, then, is not absolute but is a function of the society I live in and of the fact that a small subsection of that society has managed to foist itself on the rest as an arbiter of such matters.

Consider my auto-repair man, again.

He had a habit of telling me jokes whenever he saw me.

One time he raised his head from under the automobile hood to say: "Doc, a deaf-and-mute guy went into a hardware store to ask for some nails. He put two fingers together on the counter and made hammering motions with the other hand.

"The clerk brought him a hammer. He shook his head and pointed to the two fingers he was hammering. The clerk brought him nails. He picked out the sizes he wanted, and left. Well, doc, the next guy who came in was a blind man. He wanted scissors. How do you suppose he asked for them?"

Indulgently, I lifted by right hand and made scissoring motions with my first two fingers.

Whereupon my auto-repair man laughed raucously and said, "Why, you dumb jerk, He used his voice and asked for them."

Then he said smugly, "I've been trying that on all my customers today." "Did you catch many?" I asked. "Quite a few," he said, "but I knew for sure I'd catch you."

"Why is that?" I asked. "Because you're so god damned educated, doc, I knew you couldn't be very smart."

And I have an uneasy feeling he had something there.

Q&A: What Impact Does Career Development Exert on Employee Performance?

What Impact Does Career Development Exert on Employee Performance?
	How can we make sure that our career development initiatives enhance our employees' performance? What impact does one usually have on the other? —Connecting the Dots, software/systems, Newcastle, England
	Most businesspeople intuitively understand the connection between well-designed initiatives for career development and heightened employee performance, which in turn contributes to an organization's succession planning and leadership development programs. Simply, career development plans allow individuals to realize their full potential. Quantifying the direct impact of career development initiatives on employee performance is extremely difficult, however. Therefore, many organizations instead opt to assess the impact of career development through the use of broader organization effectiveness measures: things such as employee retention, employee engagement, internal mobility, bench strength, percentage of skill/competency gaps closed and turnover rate of high potentials. You should consider incorporating these measures into any assessment of the effectiveness of your career development initiatives. These are the areas that draw the attention of senior management, whose support is critical to your efforts. Determining the return on investment of any individual development initiative can be a waste of time and poor use of the company's resources. You are more likely to enhance performance when you: Target developmental spending toward closing key organizational competency gaps and addressing drivers of employee satisfaction and retention (i.e., engagement). Competency gaps are typically documented during business strategy/planning. Senior management then needs to prioritize the gaps that are most important to address, given their connection to critical business goals and the amount of investment required to close these gaps. If goals are not set for career development outcomes such as retention and engagement, you should take the opportunity to suggest that they be incorporated. Align your development process with broad organizational goals and your HR strategy. This process should encompass career development planning, implementation and measurement. The development process needs to connect individual development planning to the key organizational competency gaps and goals. Performance management, as well as aligning your compensation accordingly, provides an effective mechanism for making this connection. Use a reasonably broad spectrum of career development tactics that includes training, career paths, individual development planning, mentoring, developmental assignments and 360-degree feedback. Many organizations have instituted formal individual development planning and training. While these establish a strong foundation to build upon, their effectiveness in building competency is limited. True learning, and hopefully enhanced performance, comes only when an individual applies these new skills, gets feedback on performance and obtains coaching from those who are more proficient. SOURCE: Don Haack, Capital H Group , New York City, December 23, 2005.

Q&A: Layoff Decisions

How Do I Decide on Layoffs?
	I have to decide which employees to lay off in my department as part of a companywide downsizing. Our employees have job descriptions on which annual appraisals are based. Should that be my starting point? I want to delete some job descriptions and make new positions that combine various tasks. I considered having employees in different positions keep a log of their activities for several weeks, which would be used to track their job activities. I'm searching for a formal way to assess this situation, and don't want to make these staff cuts based simply on my notions and observations. I have only been in this position one year. I am about to make a major change and want to support it with good data and rationale. —Bearing Bad News, health care, Peoria, Illinois
	Instead of looking at this as a firing decision, view it as a hiring decision. In other words, use this as an opportunity to redesign work, increase employee and customer satisfaction, and select the most qualified people. This makes the process becomes more positive and effective. The negative emotions that surround downsizing help no one. Start with a clean piece of paper and list all the tasks that need to be done once the downsizing is accomplished. Begin with the results you want, and then list the tasks that must be completed to ensure those results. A thoughtful review of what the customer truly values helps you eliminate non-value-added work that creeps into jobs over time. Think through each necessary task and estimate the actual time necessary to do it in a quality manner. This activity will help you more effectively communicate which tasks your staff no longer will be able to complete. The reality of any significant downsizing is that some work you currently accomplish must be eliminated. Failing to properly identify and communicate these changes is one of the best ways to end up in a no-win position: less staff and the same workload. Once you know which tasks remain and how much time each will take, you should design new positions that make sense given these needs. The requirements, skills and experience necessary for each job will flow from the work that must be completed. If the downsizing has been announced, you may find it helpful to engage current employees in the selection process. Ask each potential candidate to prepare a specific, point-by-point document that details their demonstrated successes and experience with each major job task. Asking employees to self-identify their abilities, rather than just their interest in a position, may result in some candidates voluntarily opting out of the selection process. If the downsizing must be planned without input from employees, look at performance reviews and other measurements that relate to the specific tasks for each new position to justify your selections. Remember, selections must make sense to you, your superiors and the affected employees. Good performance data describes previous successes and predicts the likelihood of future ones. If everything else is relatively equal, I typically would keep employees with the most seniority. Employees who have a longer-term commitment likely are more willing to work through these changes if they are for the good of the company. SOURCE: Richard D. Galbreath, Performance Growth Partners Inc ., Bloomington, Illinois, January 30, 2006.

Benchmarking - In Depth

Benchmarking - In Depth
by Torben Rick

The idea behind benchmarking is simple: the most effective way to implement change is by learning from the positive experiences of other organisations. Why re-invent the wheel? Why not look at what others have done that could increase your own productivity and quality? Benchmarking top companies in a similar line of business and with similar work processes can help a company identify the practices behind their success, and then adapt them to its own needs.

Benchmarking has evolved from a clear-cut measurement technique to a strategic management approach. These days, the emphasis is on adaptation and innovation, not on adoption and imitation. It is based more on a holistic development and learning process than on a restricted product and market view. Benchmarking is no longer a short-term and problem-oriented project, but a continuous process. In the past, the so called "benchmarks" - the actual measures of comparative performance, the "top-of-the-class" achievement or best practices - were the most important factors. Nowadays, there is a greater interest in the so-called "enablers", i.e. the actual processes and activities that bring about exceptional performance and allow maximal achievement. And benchmarking is no longer just an occasional project, but an integrated part of long-term business strategies.

Benchmarking is often associated with manufacturing companies, but it can be equally useful in non-manufacturing organizations and for processes other than production, distribution and the like. First Chicago, the largest bank in the US Midwest, is one example of a service organization learning to improve its human resources management. At First Chicago, the management identified ten areas important to the progress of the bank and decided to embark on a benchmarking project. In the initial planning phase the two factors of empowerment and autonomous teamwork were singled out as critical to the success of the bank. A project team was set up to survey the literature on the two topics. This was followed by intensive discussions within the team after which a list of critical benchmarking questions was drawn up, including measures of how empowerment and teams work in practice and what results can be gained. The team soon realized that there was little to be learned from within First Chicago or indeed the rest of the banking industry. So, the search for benchmarking partners was not directed towards banking competitors but towards partners that had the most to offer on these two topics.

The benchmarking targets selected consisted of 14 companies but only one bank. These partners were contacted individually to secure the co-operation essential to any benchmarking study. Data was collected from the partners through visits, meetings and telephone interviews. With the benchmarking questions as a guide, practices and performances were studies and documented. The final analysis was reported to the management in a formal document which included the role of management in matters of empowerment and teamwork. Other subjects raised by the report were the need for training and support, the keys to implementation, the importance of rewards and recognition, and the results and risks associated with various activities. A lot of lessons were learned and a lot of interesting methods were discovered. It is sometimes possible to find a best practice in one benchmarking partner, a practice that can be directly adopted by the organization. However, First Chicago studies were complex, so no single best practice for empowerment and team-building could be identified and implemented in the bank. Rather, First Chicago could draw on the experiences of several of its benchmarking partners to pick various ideas and techniques which could be adapted to the bank's own business objectives and corporate culture.

Good benchmarking typically employs a step-by-step approach with a benchmarking team to head the project. This team is responsible for planning the study, finding benchmarking partners, observing and documenting the partners' processes, identifying performance gaps and their root causes, and choosing the best practices that are then to be adapted and implemented in the organization. If you want to use benchmarking as a strategic approach, don't forget to:

• establish a benchmarking programme that legitimizes benchmarking in the eyes of senior management and key shareholders, and links it closely to organizational missions and goals.
• support the benchmarking study by selecting powerful sponsors for the study, commissioning competent teams and providing training.
• sustain the process over time by showcasing successes and case histories, updating the status of the benchmarking operation in the organization, and recognizing and rewarding exemplary benchmarking efforts.

If you want to get the best out of Benchmarking, make sure you can say 'Yes' to the following questions:

• Do we know how to put products and processes side by side to match them fairly?
• Have we specified which aspects are to be compared?
• Are we sure that we are making comparisons at equivalent, appropriate levels?
• Do we know how and where to find the critical information we need?
• Can we distinguish what is special and essential in others and apply it to ourselves?
• Have we examined each best practice found to ensure it really applies to us?

Are You 90% Sure You'll Hit That Targe

Are You 90% Sure You'll Hit That Target? Check Out Your Knowledge Calibration
Knowledge@Wharton

Do managers think they know more than they actually do? Are they overconfident? What does it mean if overconfidence is rampant in a company's executive suite? Questions such as these are critical for those involved in studying management behavior and decision making. Confidence and its relationship with the ability to make accurate decisions is a subject that sometimes has been ignored by traditional research – though it requires more attention. The basic issue is: Are people accurate when they are confident and confident when they are accurate?

As consumers, of course, people deal with this question all the time—and an example can help illustrate the problem. Consider a shopper who wants to buy a new shirt at the best possible price. There are three possibilities. First, she might buy the shirt at a particular store because she is highly confident that she has found the best price and then later learn that the same shirt was available for less money elsewhere. Second, she may later learn that most other stores have higher prices --- even though one or two stores may stock the item at a slightly lower price. And third, she may be far from confident in her judgments about the best price and still often be correct.

These three possibilities show that confidence and accuracy do not always go hand in hand. The relationship between the two is called knowledge calibration. Calibration refers to the match between confidence and accuracy, rather than accuracy itself. In other words, accuracy reflects what consumers know; confidence reflects what they think they know; and calibration reflects how well the two correspond to one another.

A recent paper by J. Wesley Hutchinson, who teaches marketing at Wharton, and Joseph W. Alba, a marketing professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville, sets out to explore these themes. In the paper – titled "Knowledge Calibration: What Consumers Know and What They Think They Know" – the researchers consider the methods and models used in calibration research. They then adopt a time-based perspective to review a wide variety of empirical results. Finally, Alba and Hutchinson examine the theoretical explanations that have been given for calibration phenomena and offer suggestions for future research.

Discussing his research, Hutchinson explains that the relationship between confidence about knowledge and its accuracy has implications beyond consumer research. For instance, CEOs routinely ask sales managers about the likelihood that sales targets will be met in the next few quarters. Stock market analysts, in turn, pose the same question to CEOs and CFOs. "Our research applies to any situation where some uncertainly about predicting the future exists," says Hutchinson. "When people make predictions, in addition to telling you what they think will happen they also tell you something about their confidence." For example, a sales manager might suggest that he or she is "90% sure" that a certain target will be hit.

Since hubris is as dangerous in corporate boardrooms as it is in politics or on the sports field, Hutchinson warns that it is crucial to watch out for danger zones that fuel overconfidence. Among them:

1. When someone making a prediction is very confident, that person is almost always over confident. Grill a manager who is "90% sure" about landing a deal, and the real odds may turn out to be closer to 70%.
2. When you think you are guessing, you are probably performing better than chance even though your odds of being right may not be high. "Intuition is a good guide in taking you beyond 50-50 odds to 60% or 65%," says Hutchinson. "Asking people to go with their gut instinct is not bad advice."
3. What are the chances of being right when you are thinking something over, or "sleeping on it?" Hutchinson points out that when managers mull over a decision, unless they uncover new information or generate new insights, the process of repeatedly going over old information makes them overconfident without changing the probability that they are right.
4. Another danger zone is the so-called truth bias. People assume that their information is correct—though their basis for believing so may be very slim. "We all remember facts or factoids; they are part of our knowledge about the world," says Hutchinson. "We may forget where we read them, but we assume that what we remember is true. As a result, we exaggerate the validity of things that come to mind." But memory can play tricks.
5. The final danger zone is that people can be misled. This is sometimes done deliberately or viciously—but often it happens because questions may be posed in such a way as to prompt the answer that the questioner wants.

How can managers increase their knowledge calibration and protect themselves against these danger zones that lead to overconfidence? Hutchinson offers several recommendations. Among them:

1. If you are dealing with an issue about which there is some slight uncertainty, always assume at least a 20% chance that you are wrong. This, Hutchinson notes, has two beneficial effects. First, on average, this will be closer to reality. And second, just considering the effects of being wrong—for example, what course should be followed if a certain supplier doesn't make the deadline—will improve the decision-making process. "The world is a stranger place than we think, and time-overruns are more common than finishing a task early," Hutchinson says.
2. "Recognize that you are not an expert about everything," says Hutchinson. "Carefully examine the areas of your expertise and find the boundaries of your knowledge." Research shows that people who have expertise in a certain area tend to over generalize that. The fact that someone is an expert in one industry does not imply that that knowledge will extend to other areas. "Expertise is domain specific," notes Hutchinson. "As people move beyond their immediate area of expertise, their ability drops off sharply but their confidence does not. The disconnect between expertise and confidence, paradoxically, puts experts at risk."
3. Look for base rates. Each decision and situation is different. Executives, however, sometimes tend to ignore the details. "Don't be afraid to play the odds rather than trying to beat them," says Hutchinson. "Don't be overconfident about trying to influence things that are outside your control."
4. Test your opinions by looking for disconfirming information. Hutchinson explains that overconfidence often arises because once we have decided something is right, we tend to look just for information that supports us. "We have our own little yes men in our heads, and they take us down paths where we look more and more correct," he says. "It is crucial to go out of our way to look for facts that challenge our beliefs."
5. Finally, Hutchinson suggests that managers should create external sources of memory. "Memory is wonderful, but it's not flawless," he says. "A lot of biases are biases of memory. The more that people create external sources of memory—for example, simply by putting things in writing—the more helpful it is."

While some of these danger zones and recommendations might appear to be little more than common sense, they are often forgotten amid the hectic pace of corporate activity. Hutchinson points out that recognizing the dangers and acting on the recommendations can help improve decision-making. They can also help managers strike a better-calibrated balance between predictions and their outcomes.

Keys to Success

Keys to Success
American Productivity & Quality Center

Although simple in concept, performance measures are not easy to introduce into an organization. Once sources of data are identified, it may take months to introduce new measures. The process can be slowed down by data gathering problems, inadequate benchmarks, a lack of internal history, or fear of what might be shown. Such barriers can be overcome with a strategic approach to the design, implementation, and communication of a performance measurement system. The most crucial observed strategic strength by far is sponsorship by senior executives. Top-level management, who are key users, need to be involved in the initial design and subsequent modification of the system.

Designing the Performance Measurement System
Performance measurement systems vary but must be simple and easy to use for those gathering and analyzing data. Consider the alignment that occurs in truly integrated measurement systems, as well as predictive measurement, employee buy-in, and methods of data gathering and reporting.

Establish a strong correspondence between performance measures and the strategy by incorporating predictive measures into the system. Simple structures will yield the most effective performance measurement systems. Focus the measurement system on a single idea or theme one that is easily grasped theme or represents a key goal to ensure that the organization comprehends the link between performance measures and the business strategy. Consider a continuous, or closed-loop, measurement system.

Align measures at the operational, or local, level in the organization and across processes. Most successful performance measurement systems include measures that can be "rolled up" from local levels. Local measures are more actionable, and employees have a better understanding of their importance.

Use a variety of approaches to obtain buy-in. Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria, for example, can communicate measures and motivate employees. Gather information for performance measurement systems from outside sources, such as customers, distributors, suppliers, etc.

Implementing and Operating the Performance Measurement System
Performance measures provide data to support other internal quality systems that enable change. The analysis of accessible, real-time data is the actual source of competitive advantage not the measure itself. So executives must be actively involved in reviewing the measures and leading the implementation effort. Dedicate top-notch resources to the implementation and operation of the performance measurement system.

A high level of accountability must also exist at the operational level; employees need fully understand the company's goals and their relationship with performance measurement. Routinely review the measurement system so that it evolves with changing needs. Continuous two-way communication regarding the status and results of the measurement system, possibly through training, is important in terms of continually improving the system.

Automate data gathering. Have systems and processes to ensure the integrity of the measures. Simple, intuitive tools are most effective for managing and communicating performance measurement information.

Communicating and Driving Behaviors
Formal communication at all levels is key to develop links between employee tasks and corporate goals and measures. Enhance employee understanding and support for performance measurement through customized, ongoing communication. Publications, special meetings, success stories, and simple graphics convey measures and results. Use incentive compensation to manage individual performance or contribution to balanced scorecard goals.

In Need of a Change

In Need of a Change
By Trevor Wood
Quality World

The key to effective organisational change flows from the sound management of the process for cultural change, strategic and business planning, role and process design, management development and performance management. Before embarking upon organisational change, you must review the quality and effectiveness of what you currently have in place and then design a change management programme that is tailored specifically for you. Ideally an organisational change programme contains only new processes or improvements that are necessary. The change management process should ensure that not only has effective organisational change been achieved but that a change management culture has been created.

You can get 'off-the-shelf' change management programmes but regardless of whether these organisational change initiatives have been successful elsewhere, they do not guarantee organisational change success. Is there a better way to achieve organisational change?

Change or die
Many organisations will say that if they cannot manage cultural and organisational change they cannot energise resources or create the innovative environment needed to survive - ie if they do not change they will die. There are a number of processes which impact upon organisational change.

Many organisations undertake reorganisation changes on the assumption that this is all that is needed to keep the organisation energised and focused on organisational change initiatives. While this can help maintain cultural vitality it is implementation of the vision and values in the strategic plan that will drive the culture and organisational change initiatives. Establishing a culture of constant organisational change is essential for long-term organisational success. Once a culture has been successfully changed, management will be relieved of the daily operational struggle to focus on value-adding organisational change initiatives. This represents more effective utilisation of valuable resources.

The cultural change gap is the difference between the outdated corporate culture and what cultural change is needed. Without a cultural change programme to manage the gap, the organisation gradually sinks into a culture rut - a habitual, unquestioning way of behaving. Sadly, often there is no adaptation or cultural change, only routine motions, despite the fact that the company is unsuccessful. A cultural rut can go on for years, even though morale and performance suffer. Bad habits die hard. A cultural change shock occurs when the sleeping organisation awakes and finds it has lost touch with its original mission.

Strategic planning
Strategic planning for organisational change ensures that a company is doing the right things. In the context of a change management programme, a strategic plan explains what organisational change is needed. Once it has determined what the right things are to do, organisational change devolves accountability to change management for doing them right.

In large organisations, strategic organisational change plans may be prepared at different levels in the organisation and/or may define the role of particular functions across the whole organisation. Smaller organisations do not need this many plans, and often have only one organisational change plan, which covers the strategic and business plan. The strategic change planning process first identifies 'critical stakeholder needs' and environmental threats to success. It examines current competencies, values and resources to determine what organisational change is needed to respond to these needs, threats and opportunities. Strategic organisational change plans usually contain a vision, corporate values and broad aims. The strategies define the products or services to be delivered, markets to be served, key result areas, processes and technologies used to deliver them.

Business planning
If strategic organisational change plans explain what the organisation must achieve, business plans explain how they will achieve it. Change management is the process for delivering the strategic requirement. Business plans may be used inside the organisation to provide direction to staff and outside the organisation when seeking investment funds. They should contain organisational change and development strategies for marketing, operations, human resource management and finance.

Job and process redesign
The purpose of job and process redesign is to ensure that staff are involved with and inspired by the change programme. All organisations or organisational units can benefit from redesign. Good redesign aligns resources with the organisational change strategies being pursued. Redesign is driven by effective resource use and not by downsizing.

Management development
The skills needed by managers in organisations ready for change management are quite different from those associated with traditional operations management. Skills in change management enable managers to build constructive relationships with their colleagues. Communication, motivation and leadership skills are essential. Because managers need to make strategic organisational change decisions they need to be able to step back and see the big picture. Managers equipped with the skills needed for change are not afraid to delegate.

Driving organisational change
Managers ready to take on organisational change missions will be experienced in integrating performance management into business planning. This integration is achieved by first establishing the common organisational change goals that will drive business plans, then by linking the organisational change goals to the roles, competencies and performance improvement measures needed to achieve them. Individual performance development plans there- fore should include assessment of role requirements and competencies needed to achieve organisational change goals. A performance management system will only be effective in supporting organisational change if it is objective, valued by both employees and managers, judged to be fair and realistic and proven to make a positive contribution to personal and organisational development.

Trust or Bust

Trust or Bust
by Dr. Arky Ciancutti

We are a society in search of trust. The less we find it-in business, in government, in personal interactions-the more precious it becomes. An organization that commands trust from the public has a powerful competitive advantage. It inspires customer loyalty, reaches out successfully to new markets, retains the best people and fosters more innovation.

Without trust from top to bottom, the organization is left with a costly them vs. us mindset across functions and between locations. Them vs. Us is so common that we are tempted to conclude that it is inevitable, and we enjoy endless jokes about engineering vs. marketing, marketing vs. sales, field vs. corporate, labor vs. management, my turf vs. yours. The first sign is often a negative buzz in the coffee room, as departments and locations blame each other for shortfalls in their interdependencies. The organization relies more and more on almost arbitrary and accidental habits of interaction within its workforce. Senior management begins getting incomplete information. Them vs. Us generates hidden fear instead of innovation, indirect instead of direct communication, activity instead of accountability.

And positive motivation is almost never the cause. But it is the eventual victim.

Many don't realize that leadership can intentionally create a culture of earned trust, deliberately and systematically, at virtually no additional cost. Some who see the possibilities don't see the payoff, but both the possibilities and the payoff are plentiful.

The New Competitive Edge
Free markets demand that we keep our competitive edge. But to the business manager scrambling to keep up, Adam Smith's "invisible hand" can feel more like a clenched fist jammed into the small of the back. New business thinking is adding a dimension to its search for competitive edge: it is looking into the collective team mind for a new kind of resource. As we step into this territory, we begin to deal in meaning, trust, inspiration, depth, paradox, transcendence, and connection-as well as with their dark-side counterparts: doubt, fear, conflict, isolation, and just plain feeling stuck.

The Business Case For Trust
Once a foundation of mutual trust is established, some very low-hanging fruit becomes visible:

• Sustainable competitive advantage. An environment rich in trust creates an engine for innovation. There is no ceiling to the combined intelligence and creativity of the team-and no team is just like any other, since each team's true identity emerges in the safe environment of mutual support. These teams can extend trust authentically to the customer, resulting in an extraordinary level of loyalty.
• Self-regulation. In the trust-based, or Leadership organization, people at all levels are inspired to resolve open issues without unnecessary or intrusive supervision by leadership. Most become committed to developing habits of reliability and follow through.
• Efficiency. The business built on trust eliminates the Them vs. Us energy lost to suspicion, unresolved issues, forgotten commitments, unclear agreements, missed deadlines, and the associated propensity toward blame, gossip, resentment and frustration.
• Inspired performance. The connected team discusses and processes ideas at every stage, so incremental "fixes" and improvements are made as needed. This results in superior products, fewer excuses and better cycle time.
• Capacity for change. Trust-based organizations have a knack for holding opposite conditions and points of view simultaneously. They may, for example, have tightly structured, disciplined development processes, and still be able to react quickly to changing market needs or internal situations such as mergers.
• Meaning and retention. Making trust a central principle anchors the organization and allows people to become a part of something bigger than themselves, something more than a paycheck-and that results in attracting and keeping people who like productivity and creativity.

Why Trust Works
The principle behind the trust-based organization is that we have an innate, passionate desire to contribute. Opposing this urge to contribute is fear-fear of rejection, failure, loss, retribution, or embarrassment. When we feel that our opportunity to contribute is thwarted, what we want most feels unavailable. This pushes the balance toward the fear side. Because we still care about the job, we get frustrated. Depending on individual habits and on how well the organization guides employees on how to deal with frustration, the results can be quite non-productive. Positive motivation begins to erode.

Earned trust tips the balance between the urge to contribute and fear. In an environment where leadership is visibly as accountable for trust as everyone else, we are far more likely to plunge in, to be creative and generous with our talents, to subordinate selfish territorial agendas to the common productivity.

Creating Trust Quickly
Trust is confidence, the absence of suspicion, confirmed by a track record and our ability to correct that track record. Building the culture on trust covers all these bases—emotional and performance, active and passive—and it also works quickly, which is essential for success in the marketplace. Proceeding randomly, it can take years to establish trust. But the following addresses the issue of speed:

Folk Theorem I.
People are more willing to trust, more quickly, when principles that promote trust have been explicitly and universally accepted.

We are willing to continue that trust for as long as peoples' behavior, particularly the behavior of key leaders, is consistent with those principles, or can convincingly be brought back into line with those principles.

Built On Trust
Learning Center's Trust Model is an ongoing process of examining the specific areas in your organization that must be addressed in order to build a culture of earned trust. These might include growth, profitability, closure, commitment, communication, speedy resolution, respect, and accountability. Leadership frames the guidelines, demonstrates good faith for a time, and then initiates buy-in and maintenance processes throughout the organization and often extending to customers. Given leadership's commitment, productivity results will be visible within weeks, and growing.

Key Questions

• Is your firm built on closure? Do all of the business transactions, within and across functions, end with credible agreements including who will do what, and when it will be delivered? Is nothing left dangling? "I'll get you that report" isn't closure because it doesn't include time. "I'll do what I can" isn't closure because it does not specify the deliverable. If closure doesn't happen every time, your organization is focused to that extent on activity more than accountability.
• Do your teams or individuals exchange false commitments? Commitment is an "intention of no conditions." This means that there are no hidden "ifs", "ands", or "buts." It isn't a guarantee and it is an unconditional promise, though not a guarantee. A false, half-hearted or soft commitment is saying or implying "yes" but really meaning "maybe," without the pure intention to produce the final outcome on time. Since no one knows the commitment is soft, receivers subsequently make real commitments to others, creating a house of cards that ends with a disappointed or over-charged customer each and every time. Which brings us to:

Folk Theorem II.
When the organization learns about a problem from the customer, it is already too late.

Leadership Accountability
An important clue to locating areas for highest payoff in your organization can be found in your discomfort. What are you wondering about? Where do you sense lack of resolution in your team? You might get your leadership team, or your immediate team, together and communicate your discomfort. Ask for input, and wait for it. Don't be surprised if others have been sensing the same issues. Ask for their help in identifying precisely the nature of the issues, and for ideas for win-win closure. Make some promises yourself. Listen carefully. Ask for true commitments, with realistic timelines, built on trust. If your team welcomes the communication it may be time to institute your own Trust Model throughout the organization. Then a big part of your society is no longer in search of trust.

Buddha as a Leader

Buddha as a Leader

The Buddha has often been described as one of the greatest leaders of all time. But just what characterizes a good leader? What are the duties and qualities of good leadership? And what can we learn from the Buddha as a leader that we can apply to our chaotic world?

The Leader as Visionary

Like the captain of a ship, a leader must have a definite goal; only then can he chart his course and steer his ship in the right direction. Having given up his royal rights, wealth and family, Prince Siddhartha had one goal - to find the cause of suffering and a way out of suffering. Despite much hardship and setback, he never veered from his course but persevered till he gained Enlightenment.

But the Buddha did not stop there. He made it his mission to lead all sentient beings out of the samsaric cycle of suffering. It is this vision which defined his forty-five years of teaching and shaped his role as leader of an order(sangha) and a following that is still growing strong today.

Guided by this vision, the Buddha's mission was an all-embracing one. It is a mission founded on compassion and love for all sentient beings, regardless of race, creed or status quo. Addressing his first group of disciples, the Buddha instructed them to go forth and spread the teachings for the good and happiness of the many. In this respect, the Buddha was revolutionary, displaying extreme courage in his advocacy for the emancipation of the persons belonging to all the four castes, in his dismissal of the Brahmin as the supreme authority and in his admission of women to the sangha.

The Leader as Role Model

A leader must be an exemplary figure, someone we can respect and emulate. The Buddha, having purified himself through many lifetimes, embodied all the Perfections (paramita). He was extraordinary, virtuous and righteous in every thought, word and deed. He says as he does and does as he says. Such integrity and consistency won him the trust of his followers.

As a leader, the Buddha led by example. His simple and humble lifestyle is a reflection of his teachings. In his daily routine, the Buddha wasted no time on idleness and frivolity. For forty-five years, he devoted his time and effort for the good of others, starting his day before dawn and working till midnight.

Compare this with many world leaders who live in the laps of luxury while half of the world's population suffer from poverty and hunger, and we can understand why many people lament the lack of good leaders in our times. In his advice to the rulers of his time, the Buddha emphasized the importance of leadership according to the Dharma.

A ruler must first establish himself in piety and righteousness, and avoid all the vices. Sovereignty and the rule of power are subjected to the rule of righteousness, not the rule of force. Here is the ideal model of a value-based leadership. The Buddha highlighted ten principles which a ruler ought to be possess:

1. Dana - alms-giving

2. Sila - morality

3. Parricaga - unselfishness

4. Ajjava - integrity

5. Maddava - gentleness

6. Tapo - self-restraint

7. Akkhoda - non-anger

8. Avihimsa - non-violence

9. Khanti - patience

10. Avirodhana - agreeability

The Leader as Mediator

As a leader, the Buddha demonstrated both skills in mediation and impartiality in judgment. In the Ummagga Jataka, as Prince Mahausadha, the Bodhisattva (the Buddha in a previous birth) showed his ability to resolve problems and arguments. As advisor to the King, he displayed wit and intelligence in the protection of his people.

The Buddha displayed his skills at resolving conflicts between opposing parties on several occasions. Once a dispute broke out between the Sakyans, to which the Buddha belonged, and the Koliyas, to which his mother, Queen Maya, belonged. Unable to arrive at an agreement over the distribution of the waters of the river Rohini, the two parties were on the verge of war. The Buddha settled the dispute by asking:"What do you consider as more valuable - water or human lives?"

The Leader as Manager

The Buddha was a great human resource manager. With an acute knowledge of human beings, he knew the strengths and weaknesses of those around him. Based on their dominant traits, the Buddha categorised people into six groups:

1. those lustful and passionate

2. those with hatred and anger

3. those with delusion

4. those with faith and confidence

5. those with wisdom and intelligence

6. those with hesitation and doubt

He delegated duties to his followers in accordance with their abilities and temperament. In addition, he showed his appreciation by conferring upon them due respect and recognition. Trainers of managerial leadership could learn much from the Buddha in this respect to develop an effective workforce.

The Leader as Protector

The Jataka stories, which tell of the previous births of the Buddha, abound with numerous examples of the Bodhisattva's courage and self-sacrificial spirit to safeguard the interests of his group. In the Mahakapi Jataka, the Bodhisattva in a previous birth was the leader of a troop of monkeys living in the Himalayas.

One day, the king of the state saw that the forest was abundant with mango trees, set his men upon the monkeys. To flee from the king's men, the Bodhisattva used some bamboo vines to build a bridge so that the monkeys could cross over to the other river bank. Unfortunately the bamboo vines were too short.

To bridge the gap, the Bodhisattva stretched himself out, clinging on to one side with his hands and the other with his tail so that the monkeys could cross over on his back. Among the monkeys was Devadatta, his arch-enemy. Seeing his opponent in a disadvantaged position, he stamped hard on his back as he made his way across.

The Bodhisattva was in immense pain but remained clinging on to the bamboo vines till the last monkey was safely across. The king, upon witnessing such a courageous and selfless act by such a monkey, ordered his men to bring himdown from the trees and tried to save him. Asked why he endangered his life to save his subjects the Bodhisattva replied:"O King! Verily my body is broken. But my mind is still sound; I uplifted only those over whom I exercised my royal powers for so long.?

After the Bodhisattva's death, the king in honour his self-sacrificing spirit, erected a shrine and ordered that daily offerings be made.

Another aspect in which the Buddha exercised his role as a protector is in teachings of the Buddha was open to all, in the Buddha's four-fold party of monks, nuns, lay men and lay women followers, admission was not so liberal.

While this may invite criticisms that the Buddha was prejudicial, it is necessary not for his personal interests but to protect the Buddhist community from corruptive and evil forces and to ensure its long-term survival. The Buddha also set out criteria and rules and regulations, especially the vinaya code, to protect the well-being and order of his community.

The Leader Shows the Way

During his 45 years of missionary work, many followers became enlightened after listening to his teachings. 2500 years later, the Buddha continues to inspire millions of people around the world to follow his path. This, above all else, is the most important role of the Buddha as a leader - one who is able to inspire others to bring out the best in themselves, to develop their full potential and gain the ultimate goal of Nirvana.

Author - Ven. Sobhita Thero–advisor of Bodhiraja Buddhist Society

Source : http://www.4ui.com/eart/167eart1.htm

Ten Common Mistakes in Resumes and Cover Letters !!

Steps in getting a new job, get an employer's attention, make sure that your cover letter stands out.

Top Ten mistakes that job seekers often make when writing their cover letter, and how to avoid them.

Though the cover letter should be an exercise in attention to detail, there are far too many blunders that happen all too often in the job marketplace. The following are the top ten cover letter blunders that you should always make sure to avoid. Committing one of these all too common career crimes is the equivalent of telling the interviewer that you definitely don’t want the job. Unattractive Layout One of the first ways to get your resume noticed – for the wrong reasons – is to have a layout that is unattractive or inconsistent. For example, changing the spacing throughout the resume would be one way to achieve this; alternating between capital letters and boldface type to separate sections would be another way. Be sure that your resume is set up to look neat and sharp, and that you follow a consistent design scheme the whole way through. Inappropriate Stationery One of the great thing about having a great supply of stationery and writing paper is that it can really say something about who you are as a person. Though this is a great way to express yourself to friends and family, it doesn’t work as well with a potential employer. Save the cutesy flowers and animals for friendly correspondence; write all professional papers on a heavier stock of professional paper. Too Fancy Fonts Just like the elaborate stationery that can work against you in business correspondence, employing the use of too decorative fonts can also damage your reputation as a professional and business savvy job seeker. The best font to use is a Times or Arial font. Something basic, and that can be found on almost any word processing program. Making Corrections Perhaps it’s the fact that businesses themselves have been becoming more and more relaxed these days, but job seekers seem to take this philosophy to an extreme. Time and time again, candidates seeking employment think it’s okay to make a correction on their resume with white out or – even worse – a pen or pencil. Other candidates have opted for a quick Post-It note explaining the slip-up. If you make a mistake on your resume, go back and make the change directly to the document, and reprint it. There is no excuse for any resume to be less than perfect. Incorrect Information When sending out a cover letter, you should always have a specific name of the person to whom it is being sent. One common mistake – and it’s a mistake that can really bother a sensitive interviewer – is finding incorrect information on the cover letter. For example, if the cover letter send to “Chris Jones” reads “Dear Mr. Jones” when Chris is actually Christine. The same goes for incorrect information as it relates to the company name and address. The easiest way to avoid this mistake? Take a moment to give the company a call and double check the mailing address and name and spelling of the person’s name to whom you are sending the resume. Typos A major problem that is often encountered when an interview is reading one’s resume is a whole slew of typos. More and more, this type of error (even if the typo is one small one) is becoming enough a reason for interviewers to exclude someone from the running altogether. A quick spell check and a careful edit are two ways in which you can prevent this from happening to you. Inappropriate Tones In any sort of business correspondence, job seekers need to walk a distinct line between familiarity and professionalism. The tone of any cover letter should be polite without being obsequious, and professional without being too stiff. Don’t be afraid to show a little bit of your personality, just don’t show it all up front. Comparisons and Clichés In everyday language, it is likely that you will hear at least one overused cliché or obvious comparison come out of the mouth of someone you know. As is the nature of such phrases, they only serve to make you sound unoriginal. Avoid using clichés and obvious comparisons when writing a cover letter, as it’s likely that someone else is writing the exact same thing. No Signature One of the most important things employers are looking for nowadays is an employee with a great attention to detail. Sending off your cover letter without having signed it is one sure way to assure the interviewer that your attention-to-detail skills are certainly lacking. Missing Resume Another sign that a candidate is lacking in the attention-to-detail department: sending a cover letter without a resume. Though it seems like a ridiculous mistake to make, there are far too many people that send out a cover letter and forget to include what is really important here, their credentials. http://de.essortment.com/coverlettersre_rfru.htm

Developing Will Power and Self Discipline !!

Most people admire and respect strong individuals, who
have won great success by manifesting will power and
self discipline. They admire people, who with sheer
will power, self discipline and ambition, have
improved their life, learned new skills, overcame
difficulties and hardships, reduced their weight, rose
high in their chosen field or advanced on the
spiritual path.

The truth is that everyone can reach high levels of
will power and self-discipline through a practical
method of training. These inner power are not reserved
for a few special people.

Will power and self discipline are two of the most
important and useful inner powers in everyone’s life,
and have always been considered as essential tools for
success in all areas of life. They can be learned and
developed like any other skill, yet, in spite of this,
only few take any steps to develop and strengthen them
in a systematic way.

What is will power?

It is the inner strength to make a decision, take
action, and handle and execute any aim or task until
it is accomplished, regardless of inner and outer
resistance, discomfort or difficulties.

It bestows the ability to overcomes laziness,
temptations and negative habits, and to carry out
actions, even if they require effort, are unpleasant
and tedious or are contrary to one’s habits.

What is self discipline?

It is the rejection of instant gratification in favor
of something better. It is the giving up of instant
pleasure and satisfaction for a higher and better
goal.

It manifests as the ability to stick to actions,
thoughts and behavior, which lead to improvement and
success. Self-discipline is self-control, and it
manifests in spiritual, mental, emotional and physical
discipline.

The purpose of self-discipline is not living a
limiting or a restrictive lifestyle. It does not mean
being narrow minded or living like a fakir. It is one
of the pillars of success and power. It bestows the
inner strength to focus all your energy on your goal,
and persevere until it is accomplished.

Both of these abilities are required for daily actions
and decisions, and also for making major decisions and
attaining major success. They are required for doing a
good job, for studying, building a business, losing
weight, bodybuilding and physical exercises,
maintaining good relationships, changing habits, self
improvement, meditation, spiritual growth, keeping and
carrying out promises and for almost everything else.

One of the most simple and effective methods to
develop will power and self-discipline is by refusing
to satisfy unimportant and unnecessary desires.
Everyone is constantly confronted and tempted by an
endless stream of desires and temptations, many of
which are not really important or desirable. By
learning to refuse to satisfy every one of them, you
get stronger.

Refusing and rejecting useless, harmful or unnecessary
desires and actions, and intentionally acting contrary
to your habits, sharpen and strengthen your inner
strength. By constant practice your inner power grows,
just like exercising your muscles at a gym increases
your physical strength. In both cases, when you need
inner power or physical strength, they are available
at your disposal.

Here are a few exercises:

- Don’t read the newspaper for a day or two.

- Drink water when thirsty, in spite of your desire to
have a soft drink.

- Walk up and down the stairs, instead of taking the
lift.

- Get down from the bus one station before or after
your destination, and walk the rest of the way.

- For one week, go to sleep one hour earlier than
usual.

- If you like ice cream, don't have any, for a day or
two.

These are only a few examples of the many exercises
that can be conducted in order to develop will power
and self-discipline. You might think that practicing
these exercises is being tough on yourself, but they
add much to the storehouse of your inner strength.

By following a systematic method of training you can
reach far, have more control over yourself and your
life, attain your goals, improve your life, and gain
satisfaction and peace of mind.

Show and prove to yourself that you are strong and in
control, and practice the above exercises for a little
while, before passing any judgement.

By Remez Sasson

What is Assertiveness?

What is Assertiveness?

Assertiveness is the ability to express yourself and your rights without violating the rights of others. It is appropriately direct, open, and honest communication which is self-enhancing and expressive. Acting assertively will allow you to feel self-confident and will generally gain you the respect of your peers and friends. It can increase your chances for honest relationships, and help you to feel better about yourself and your self-control in everyday situations. This, in turn, will improve your decision-making ability and possibly your chances of getting what you really want from life. "Assertiveness basically means the ability to express your thoughts and feelings in a way that clearly states your needs and keeps the lines of communication open with the other" (The Wellness Workbook, Ryan and Travis). However, before you can comfortably express your needs, you must believe you have a legitimate right to have those needs. Keep in mind that you have the following rights:

1. The right to decide how to lead your life. This includes pursuing your own goals and dreams and establishing your own priorities.
2. The right to your own values, beliefs, opinions, and emotions -- and the right to respect yourself for them, no matter the opinion of others.
3. The right not to justify or explain your actions or feelings to others.
4. The right to tell others how you wish to be treated.
5. The right to express yourself and to say "No," "I don't know," "I don't understand," or even "I don't care." You have the right to take the time you need to formulate your ideas before expressing them.
6. The right to ask for information or help -- without having negative feelings about your needs.
7. The right to change your mind, to make mistakes, and to sometimes act illogically -- with full understanding and acceptance of the consequences.
8. The right to like yourself even though you're not perfect, and to sometimes do less than you are capable of doing.
9. The right to have positive, satisfying relationships within which you feel comfortable and free to express yourself honestly -- and the right to change or end relationships if they don't meet your needs.
10. The right to change, enhance, or develop your life in any way you determine.

When you don't believe you have these rights -- you may react very passively to circumstances and events in your life. When you allow the needs, opinions, and judgments of others to become more important than your own, you are likely to feel hurt, anxious, and even angry. This kind of passive or nonassertive behavior is often indirect, emotionally dishonest and self-denying.

Many people feel that attending to their legitimate needs and asserting their rights translates to being selfish. Selfishness means being concerned about only your rights, with little or no regard for others. Implicit in your rights is the fact that you are concerned about the legitimate rights of others as well.

Selfishness and Aggressiveness

When you behave selfishly, or in a way that violates the rights of others, you are, in fact, acting in a destructive, aggressive manner --rather than in a constructive, assertive manner. There is a very fine line that divides the two manners of action.

Aggressiveness means that you express your rights but at the expense, degradation, or humiliation of another. It involves being so emotionally or physically forceful that the rights of others are not allowed to surface. Aggressiveness usually results in others becoming angry or vengeful, and as such, it can work against your intentions and cause people to lose respect for you. You may feel self-righteous or superior at a particular time -- but after thinking things through, you may feel guilty later.

What Assertiveness Will Not Do

Asserting yourself will not necessarily guarantee you happiness or fair treatment by others, nor will it solve all your personal problems or guarantee that others will be assertive and not aggressive. Just because you assert yourself does not mean you will always get what you want; however, lack of assertiveness is most certainly one of the reasons why conflicts occur in relationships.

Specific Techniques for Assertiveness

1. Be as specific and clear as possible about what you want, think, and feel. The following statements project this preciseness:
   • "I want to..."
   • "I don't want you to..."
   • "Would you...?"
   • "I liked it when you did that."
   • "I have a different opinion, I think that..."
   • "I have mixed reactions. I agree with these aspects for these reasons, but I am disturbed about these aspects for these reasons."
   It can be helpful to explain exactly what you mean and exactly what you don't mean, such as "I don't want to break up over this, but I'd like to talk it through and see if we can prevent it from happening again.
   Be direct. Deliver your message to the person for whom it is intended. If you want to tell Jane something, tell Jane; do not tell everyone except Jane; do not tell a group, of which Jane happens to be a member.
2. "Own" your message. Acknowledge that your message comes from your frame of reference, your conception of good vs. bad or right vs. wrong, your perceptions. You can acknowledge ownership with personalized ("I") statements such as "I don't agree with you" (as compared to "You're wrong") or "I'd like you to mow the lawn" (as compared to "You really should mow the lawn, you know"). Suggesting that someone is wrong or bad and should change for his or her own benefit when, in fact, it would please you will only foster resentment and resistance rather than understanding and cooperation.
3. Ask for feedback. "Am I being clear? How do you see this situation? What do you want to do?" Asking for feedback can encourage others to correct any misperceptions you may have as well as help others realize that you are expressing an opinion, feeling, or desire rather than a demand. Encourage others to be clear, direct, and specific in their feedback to you.

Learning to Become More Assertive

As you learn to become more assertive, remember to use your assertive "skills" selectively. It is not just what you say to someone verbally, but also how you communicate nonverbally with voice tone, gestures, eye contact, facial expression and posture that will influence your impact on others. You must remember that it takes time and practice, as well as a willingness to accept yourself as you make mistakes, to reach the goal of acting assertively. As you practice your techniques, it is often helpful to have accepting relationships and a supportive environment. People who understand and care about you are your strongest assets.