February 26th, 2009 by ewwink

Most people have one. Yet attending to their demands and idiosyncrasies can be nerve-wracking. Wise people engage good boss management strategies. After all, bosses are not exalted and invincible gods. They are human beings with special roles and authority as well as the requisite levels of human weaknesses, problems and pressures.
Assess Leadership Style
Recognize leadership skills inherent in your own boss. This assists you to better understand your boss. You also benefit by becoming a better manager.
Leader #1: The Press Leader
These leaders pretend to be drill sergeants. Low self-esteem and a strong fear of failure drives them. They are impressed by outward displays of project management and busyness.rather than by results. The leader treats people as expeditors who obey orders. They tolerate no mistakes. Trivial details snare their energies and attention. They oversupervise and manage by punishment.
How to handle The Press Leader: Quickly discover on-the-job limits. Determine whether your boss is simply tough or ruthless. The tough leader precisely delegates authority balanced with appropriate responsibility. The ruthless one disregards human factors. If you choose to resist the press leader, do it privately, not within view of colleagues. This way your leader will not lose face. Support your position with plenty of evidence. Otherwise you lose.
Leader #2: The Laissez-Faire Leader
This leader abandons staff. These leaders provide little or no support in tough times. They stipulate little of what is expected of employees. They provide virtually no project management guidance on how to accomplish tasks. While the Press Leader may hover over an employee’s shoulder, this leader does nothing to train or guide. The Press Leader overmanages. The Laissez-Faire Leader overlooks.
Managing The Laissez-Faire Leader: The individual who is self-motivated and needs little praise will work well under this type of leader. This leader craves facts such as costs, statistics and research findings. Provide these facts and figures for your boss, while at the same time trying to stress some human elements. Encourage your boss to clarify exactly what is to be accomplished.
Leader #3: The Participatory Leader
The Participatory Leader is adept at communication procedures. Under this type of boss, employees are given precise feedback and recognition when deserved. The Participatory Leader strives to involve employees in the assessment process. He or she is inspirational and innovative. The Participatory Leader customizes the type and amount of feedback required for each employee.
Managing The Participatory Leader: The most effective way of dealing with the Participatory Leader is to feed back the same techniques that he or she uses with subordinates. Keep them informed of what does and does not work. Since this type of leader is interested in results, your opinions will be heeded.
Leader #4: The Develop Leader
This leader goes a step beyond the Participatory Leader. The Develop Leader fosters staff self-esteem, autonomy and competence. Techniques for success are isolated and taught to subordinates as the need arises. The Develop Leader empowers staff and nurtures a feeling of reverence, not in the boss, but in employees themselves.
There is often a high staff turnover rate for employees of develop leaders. But it is a good one because it is upward. Because this type of leader creates such a high level of competence amongst the ranks through professional development and project management, there is always someone to take over when someone moves up.
Keep Your Boss Happy
? Learn what your boss expects and values.
? Strive for high quality results.
? Solve as many problems as possible without the help of your boss.
? Keep your boss informed.
? Be your strongest critic.
? Get regular feedback from your boss.
? Differ with your boss only in private.
? Save money and earn revenue.
? Be a good leader yourself.
? Promote only valuable ideas.
? After all. Your boss is not interested in the storms you encountered, but whether you brought in the ship.
February 24th, 2009 by ewwink

School choice isn’t always an easy thing to have. I sometimes wish that my kids were born and raised in one district where we had never had to make the tough decisions about where to live, whether to use the magnet systems, if private schools are worth the money…But one thing I’ve noticed about the Charlotte Mecklenburg schools system is that there are a lot of northern transplants- like myself. And being a newcomer to the Charlotte Schools, or any other district can be overwhelming. Especially when choosing your home has an impact on your child’s education. I’m an advocate of the school listings that different web sites put out for that reason. But even with a list of public school rankings in hand, I recommend that parents look for these specific traits when visiting the Charlotte Schools.
Attitude in the Charlotte Schools
When I talk about observing the attitude in the Charlotte Schools, I’m not talking about the students. I’m talking about the office staff, the faculty, the janitors, and the principal- everyone. I can tell you from years of experience that a poorly run school is obvious in the stress level and demeanor of everyone. School offices will always be busy places- don’t get me wrong. All Charlotte Schools should have a certain amount of controlled noise and chaos. But a principal who is in charge and highly effective will show in a friendly, effective, and organized staff. I’ve had experiences where the secretary has welcomed me with a smile before the door swung shut and others where I was clearly little more than a problem to be tolerated. If you have a choice of Charlotte Schools, definitely pick one where the general attitude is helpful and pleasant.
Now here’s an uncomfortable truth of the Charlotte Schools. Money matters. I know everyone likes to think that magnet schools and desegregation have somehow equalized education. But the better Charlotte Schools still tend to be in the most affluent parts of town. It’s not just the money. It’s better educated parents, moms who can afford to stay at homes, and parents who aren’t so stressed out working minimum wage jobs that they don’t have the time and energy to help their kids with homework. Does this mean if you’re not well off that you are going to be stuck with substandard Charlotte Schools? No, but it does mean that you need to know what a good school looks like.
Teacher Retention in the Charlotte Schools
One important criterion to look at when evaluating Charlotte Schools are the teacher retention rates. Good schools keep good teachers for the long haul. In fact, I read a parent review from a woman whose child attended J.H. Gunn and one of her chief complaints was that a change in school leadership had led to teacher turnover. Now a new principal may intentionally weed out some teachers when he or she takes over in a new school. But look at the long range records of the Charlotte Schools you’re considering. If it’s a school with a lot of teachers leaving in less than five years- something is amiss. Overall, your best bet is to listen to what other parents say and get your own feeling for Charlotte Schools.
February 23rd, 2009 by ewwink

Quotes can be pretty influential on our life. Little did we know that just a few strings of words could really make a difference in our life. There are quotes on friendship, relationship, leadership, success and many others that can be pretty inspiring and impactful on us. But is it true that quotes on leadership can make you be a real leader?
Some people are still skeptical regarding the hidden potential of the leadership quotes. You are definitely not to be blamed if you are one of them.
Quotes actually serves more than just the purpose of inspiring someone. These quotes are actually very useful tool in offices and schools. Good quotes on leadership are the ones that are able to move you. Not all quotes can be inspiring as such it is important that you choose one that is able to leave an impact on you after you finish reading it.
Quotes comes in all length and personally, I would prefer the ones that are short and to the point. Succinct and to the point – that should be your ideal quote.
But why use quotes? Well, quotes are actually great sources of inspiration when you are down in the dumps. Quotes on leadership can give back the life in you and spur up all determination to lead again.
Being a leader is not an easy task and that is why you will definitely got to have all it takes to be one. Quotes of leadership are just like your back up support that reminds you of who you are and what exactly do you do in life.
“A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.” -Dwight David Eisenhower
Quotes such as this helps to remind you of certain traits or qualities that might have brushed past you while you were leading. Humor, decisiveness, care and concern towards fellow co-workers are just some of the attributes that these quotes posses to keep you reminded of your role and responsibility as the leader.
But the question is, does these quotes really works as well as it should be? As aforementioned, not all quotes are worth remembering. Some quotes are just too long winded such that you lost the meaning halfway through reading it. Just choose one of your favorites and know it like it’s the back of your hand.
These quotes are just like positive affirmations that get registered into your brain if you keep on repeating it to yourself. This is a good thing of course as over time, you will realize that you will soon base your leadership on the set of qualities that are said within the quote. As such, it will definitely be handy to know a few quotes.
You do not need to memorize the thick book of quotes just because you think that with more quotes you memorize, the better you will be. Unfortunately it does not work that way. Quotes are meant to the left as it is, and not as a bible that you should read and remember by hard. Quotes on leadership can make you be a real leader indeed.
Go grab a quote and make it yours today!