Liberation

Liberation

By Marco Gracian in Project Pilipinas

Ego and Self Esteem

Self-Esteem

We’re all born with self-esteem. There is no such thing as a shy baby – it just expects (and of course needs!) to be loved, taken care of, served etc. A baby never doubts himself or his sense of value – he cannot even conceive of doing so.

Then life happens: children get hurt, disappointed, ignored, yelled at, talked down to… so many things happen that shake us from that natural foundation.

Of course at the time we were too young to have the knowledge or resources to deal with the problem, so we come up with a plan B – stories that we tell ourselves about why we’re still worthwhile. This is what we call the “Ego” (this has little to do with Freud’s conception).

So some children have the story that they’re smart: they do well at school because they crave the love and attention they think this gets them. They have forgotten that they can be loved for just who they are. Others do it by being funny, show offs, rebellious… walk into any school and you’ll see these stories being formed and reinforced.

These stories are NOT us. They are not even true. Ironically, it is these stories that keep us from our personal power.

Ego

The Ego is a dissociated entity – it is an intellectual construct that is not plugged into our true nature. As such, all energy spent on the story is like blowing hard on a piece of paper to keep it floating. When your breath runs out – it comes crashing down.

The Ego feeds off other people’s responses. If they pay attention to you, it feels good. If they ignore (or criticize) you, the Ego panics – it’s happy little world is now threatened and it will do whatever it can to get back to the status quo. Even if that means sabotaging positive changes!

The Ego creates a strange pseudo-confidence that only functions in very tightly managed circumstances (if at all!). Outside of that we tend to lose confidence (like when we try and learn something new and feel afraid of failing).

One reason for this fear is “cognitive dissonance” – we have a mental image of how we want to be perceived, which we try to project to the outside world. This is the flawless “perfect person” most of us think we should be. But inside, we don’t feel like that. So we have an internal battle or clash between who we try to make others think we are and what we think we really are. The larger that gap, the more psychic pain we feel in trying to “perform”.

A performer is either constantly rehearsing to stay “in the zone” or she risks getting performance anxiety when she starts up again. Contrast this with an enthusiast that just loves what she does and doesn’t care how good it is. She cannot get performance anxiety as she has nothing to prove (but only enjoys)! Often her rate of progress (measured by time spent on a task) is also faster.

The Ego constantly demands external acceptance to keep it afloat. If you with hold this

acceptance, it starts to get desperate and will eventually crash. This is the source of much of people’s “bi-polar” experience in life: great highs followed by periods of lows.

Power and Force: The Question Of Ego

The desire to be “one up” or be better than someone else in some way is an Ego driven desire. Someone with true Self Esteem simply does not care if others are better or worse than him, because his sense of value and importance does not come from being compared to others (i.e.,external reinforcers).

Many people are drawn to developing themselves because they think it will give them power over others. Unfortunately they initially miss the point: true power comes from inside – it is about being able to move through the world unhindered. Like a candle that shines in a storm just as brightly without any fear of ever going out.

Power is the ability to be in command of the self at any moment so that no matter what the

external circumstances are you have complete access to all your internal resources so you can make the maximum positive impact that is possible for you at that time.

So power is independent of external forces. When people seek power over others – they use Force, not true Power!

Force ends up doing as much harm to the operator as to the subject – because it reinforces the ego boom-bust cycle. In fact, the more Force “Power” you have the more erratic these cycles become (i.e., higher highs and lower lows).

You see this in people that get thrust into “power positions” by fate: e.g., new rock or film stars, business gurus, politicians. If they have not been prepared for their sudden rise to power (e.g., through many years of hard work to understand the illusion of what they end up with) they go through an intense period. Sometimes they come out with true inner power. Sometimes they come out more neurotic than ever before – addicted to sex, drugs, alcohol or other problem behaviours.

Another important distinction between Power & Force is that people tend to resist being forced.

However, they are naturally inclined to surrender to Power.

Ego Protection Mechanisms

• Ego has a story to maintain (known as “Saving Face”)

• It will manipulate others to their detriment to save face

• It tries to create fear in you to prevent you from doing something where you might lose

face – i.e., where your story might get exposed as a lie (e.g. Performance Anxiety)

• It tends to blame others for mistakes or try to rationalize failures

• It is external to the self, so constantly needs to be reinforced merely to exist!

Ego Based Beliefs Are Weak

• They need external support (validation, acceptance, admiration etc) or they crumble.

• They prevent you from making the mistakes you need to in order to learn. Your learning

increases with the amount of things you’re willing to do wrong!

• It is more important to “save face” (i.e., preserve the story) than it is to get results. This is

the source of much of the destructive “Corporate Politics” that can be witnessed.

• It gives your true power away – you need others to validate, accept and admire you

instead of finding everything you need inside yourself!

How to Take Control of The Ego

• Know Your Self

• Your Identity – Who Are You?

• Your Values – What Is Important To You?

• Your Expectations – How Should The World Treat You?

• Deliberately Challenge The Story – have objectives that are not tied up with looking

good. E.g., when playing tennis, don’t play to win, but see if you can make the ball spin

one way or another.

This is about feeling the fear and doing it anyway. It is about putting movement back into

those parts of life that have become paralyzed by the Ego’s attempts at maintaining its

story.

Remember: What You Resist, Persists! So just accept it and get on with life anyway.

We all tend to be “addicted” to certain ways of being. We’ll unconsciously manufacturer

situations or excuses to feel angry, sad, frustrated, helpless etc. If you discover that you’re

getting “upset” once again, don’t take it too seriously. It’s just your body detoxing from

years of bad habits!

• Let Go Of The Outcome – this does NOT mean don’t have any goals! Simply don’t rely

on your goals for your sense of value. Goals are about directions not about points.

POWER

POWER -THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND BUILDING LASTING RELATIONSHIPS AND POWERFUL ORGANIZATIONS.



*The power in people.

*Why network building is a powerful opportunity.

*Principle behind the word "Work."

*The "SHIP" that never sinks the organization.

*How to empower individuals for a lasting organization.

*How to sustain relationships.


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Hi guys! we will be having another POWER seminar. This time the portion of the proceeds will go to the PGH-Children's ward on Christmas day.

Let's support our cause invite your friends and make the children happy this coming Christmas day! :)

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Ticket price is 1,000 pesos only.


***If you buy your ticket on Dec 10 its already 1,500pesos
so buy it now to get a low price.

We only have limited tickets. Get yours now.


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The Habit Change Cheatsheet: 29 Ways to Successfully Ingrain a Behavior

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle

Our daily lives are often a series of habits played out through the day, a trammeled existence fettered by the slow accretion of our previous actions.

But habits can be changed, as difficult as that may seem sometimes.

It’s possible.

Keep it simple
Habit change is not that complicated. While the tips below will seem overwhelming, there’s really only a few things you need to know. Everything else is just helping these to become reality.

The simple steps of habit change:

1. Write down your plan.

2. Identify your triggers and replacement habits.

3. Focus on doing the replacement habits every single time the triggers happen, for about 30 days.

That’s it. We’ll talk more about each of these steps, and much more, in the cheatsheet below.

The Habit Change Cheatsheet
The following is a compilation of tips to help you change a habit. Don’t be overwhelmed — always remember the simple steps above. The rest are different ways to help you become more successful in your habit change.

1. Do just one habit at a time. Extremely important. Habit change is difficult, even with just one habit. If you do more than one habit at a time, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Keep it simple, allow yourself to focus, and give yourself the best chance for success. Btw, this is why New Year’s resolutions often fail — people try to tackle more than one change at a time.

2. Start small. The smaller the better, because habit change is difficult, and trying to take on too much is a recipe for disaster. Want to exercise? Start with just 5-10 minutes. Want to wake up earlier? Try just 10 minutes earlier for now. Or consider half habits.

3. Do a 30-day Challenge. In my experience, it takes about 30 days to change a habit, if you’re focused and consistent. This is a round number and will vary from person to person and habit to habit. Often you’ll read a magical “21 days” to change a habit, but this is a myth with no evidence. Seriously — try to find the evidence from a scientific study for this. A more recent study shows that 66 days is a better number. But 30 days is a good number to get you started. Your challenge: stick with a habit every day for 30 days, and post your daily progress updates to a forum.

4. Write it down. Just saying you’re going to change the habit is not enough of a commitment. You need to actually write it down, on paper. Write what habit you’re going to change.

5. Make a plan. While you’re writing, also write down a plan. This will ensure you’re really prepared. The plan should include your reasons (motivations) for changing, obstacles, triggers, support buddies, and other ways you’re going to make this a success. More on each of these below.

6. Know your motivations, and be sure they’re strong. Write them down in your plan. You have to be very clear why you’re doing this, and the benefits of doing it need to be clear in your head. If you’re just doing it for vanity, while that can be a good motivator, it’s not usually enough. We need something stronger.

7. Don’t start right away. In your plan, write down a start date. Maybe a week or two from the date you start writing out the plan. When you start right away (like today), you are not giving the plan the seriousness it deserves. When you have a “Quit Date” or “Start Date”, it gives that date an air of significance. Tell everyone about your quit date (or start date). Put it up on your wall or computer desktop. Make this a Big Day. It builds up anticipation and excitement, and helps you to prepare.

8. Write down all your obstacles. If you’ve tried this habit change before (odds are you have), you’ve likely failed. Reflect on those failures, and figure out what stopped you from succeeding. Write down every obstacle that’s happened to you, and others that are likely to happen. Then write down how you plan to overcome them. That’s the key: write down your solution before the obstacles arrive, so you’re prepared.

9. Identify your triggers. What situations trigger your current habit? Most habits have multiple triggers. Identify all of them and write them in your plan.

10. For every single trigger, identify a positive habit you’re going to do instead. Some positive habits could include: exercise, meditation, deep breathing, organizing, decluttering, and more.

“Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” - Mark Twain

11. Plan a support system. Who will you turn to when you have a strong urge? Write these people into your plan. Support forums online are a great tool as well. Don’t underestimate the power of support — it’s really important.

12. Ask for help. Get your family and friends and co-workers to support you. Ask them for their help, and let them know how important this is.

13. Become aware of self-talk. You talk to yourself, in your head, all the time — but often we’re not aware of these thoughts. Start listening. These thoughts can derail any habit change, any goal. Often they’re negative: “I can’t do this. This is too difficult. Why am I putting myself through this? How bad is this for me anyway? I’m not strong enough. I don’t have enough discipline. I suck.” It’s important to know you’re doing this.

14. Stay positive. You will have negative thoughts — the important thing is to realize when you’re having them, and push them out of your head. Squash them like a bug! Then replace them with a positive thought. “I can do this! If others can do it, so can I!” :)

15. Have strategies to defeat the urge. Urges are going to come — they’re inevitable, and they’re strong. But they’re also temporary, and beatable. Urges usually last about a minute or two, and they come in waves of varying strength. You just need to ride out the wave, and the urge will go away. Some strategies for making it through the urge: deep breathing, self-massage, eat some frozen grapes, take a walk, exercise, drink a glass of water, call a support buddy, post on a support forum.

16. Prepare for the sabotagers. There will always be people who are negative, who try to get you to do your old habit. Be ready for them. Confront them, and be direct: you don’t need them to try to sabotage you, you need their support, and if they can’t support you then you don’t want to be around them.

17. Talk to yourself. Be your own cheerleader, give yourself pep talks, repeat your mantra (below), and don’t be afraid to seem crazy to others. We’ll see who’s crazy when you’ve changed your habit and they’re still lazy, unhealthy slobs!

18. Have a mantra. When I wanted to quit AIM GLOBAL back then, it was “POWER!”. This is just a way to remind yourself of what you’re trying to do.

19. Use visualization. This is powerful. Vividly picture, in your head, successfully changing your habit. Visualize doing your new habit after each trigger, overcoming urges, and what it will look like when you’re done. This seems new-agey, but it really works.

20. Have rewards. Regular ones. You might see these as bribes, but actually they’re just positive feedback. Put these into your plan, along with the milestones at which you’ll receive them.

21. Take it one urge at a time. Often we’re told to take it one day at a time — which is good advice — but really it’s one urge at a time. Just make it through this urge.

22. No Exceptions. This seems harsh, but it’s a necessity: when you’re trying to break the bonds between an old habit and a trigger, and form a new bond between the trigger and a new habit, you need to be really consistent. You can’t do it sometimes, or there will be no new bond, or at least it will take a really really long time to form. So, at least for the first 30 days (and preferably 60), you need to have no exceptions. Each time a trigger happens, you need to do the new habit and not the old one. No exceptions, or you’ll have a backslide. If you do mess up, regroup, learn from your mistake, plan for your success, and try again (see the last item on this list).

23. Get rest. Being tired leaves us vulnerable to relapse. Get a lot of rest so you can have the energy to overcome urges.

24. Drink lots of water. Similar to the item above, being dehydrated leaves us open to failure. Stay hydrated!

25. Renew your commitment often. Remind yourself of your commitment hourly, and at the beginning and end of each day. Read your plan. Celebrate your success. Prepare yourself for obstacles and urges.

26. Set up public accountability. Blog about it, post on a forum, email your commitment and daily progress to friend and family, post a chart up at your office, write a column for your local newspaper (I did this when I ran my first marathon). When we make it public — not just the commitment but the progress updates — we don’t want to fail.

27. Engineer it so it’s hard to fail. Create a groove that’s harder to get out of than to stay in: increase positive feedback for sticking with the habit, and increase negative feedback for not doing the habit.

28. Avoid some situations where you normally do your old habit, at least for awhile, to make it a bit easier on yourself. Realize, though, that when you go back to those situations, you will still get the old urges, and when that happens you should be prepared.

29. If you fail, figure out what went wrong, plan for it, and try again. Don’t let failure and guilt stop you. They’re just obstacles, but they can be overcome. In fact, if you learn from each failure, they become stepping stones to your success. Regroup. Let go of guilt. Learn. Plan. And get back on that horse.

Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones. - Benjamin Franklin

Project Pilipinas

Stages of personal transformation:


1. Seeker: One seeks for the answers to one's questions.
(questions about life, spirituality, relationships, money, health)


2. Realization: One realizes the answers through experience, studying or with a mentor.


3. Self-Actualization: One acts upon what one knows. This is true wisdom.


Most people get 'stuck' to just knowing and reading and attending seminars. They don't practice what they know or preach.


If you are having problems at work, school or business then develop yourself more. Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. If you know drinking or smoking is bad then stop. If you know that eating too much is bad then stop. If you know throwing trash anywhere is bad then don't do it. If you know that not saving money is bad then start saving and live below your means. If you don't have money then make a way. If you know exercise,praying and meditation is good then do it. If you know you are having a hard time in social interactions and lacks the skill of social dynamics then do something about it. If you having problems handling your relationship or asking a girl out then again do something about it. Action the obvious.


God helps those who help themselves. That is God's will. You decide what to wear what to eat what to do with your life not God.


How do you know your leader is an effective leader? Look at what he does and not what he says. It's not what you say or put in your facebook/twitter status that defines you its what you do.


Knowing is not enough we must do Amazing.


L.I.K.E.

Peaceful Warrior

‎***One of the most powerful movies of our time. Must Watch.***

"Everyone wants to tell you what to do and what's good for you. They don't want you to find your own answers, they want you to believe theirs. I want you to stop gathering information from the outside and start gathering it from the inside."

..........................

"Pain is a relatively objective, physical phenomenon; suffering is our psychological resistance to what happens. Events may create physical pain but they do not in themselves create suffering. Resistance creates suffering. Stress happens when your mind resists what is…the only problem in your life is your mind's resistance to life as it unfolds."

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"Take out the trash inside your head. Clear your mind of everything you don’t need (doubt, past failures, future victories, ego … etc.) that's been keeping you achieving your full potential."

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“Habit is the problem. All you need to do is be conscious about your choices and be responsible for your actions.”

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“Don’t fall into the trap — If only I had this, I’d be … If only … , I’d get to be happy.”

"Everything has a purpose, even this, and it's up to you to find it. "

"A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does"

"I call myself a Peaceful Warrior... because the battles we fight are on the inside"

"There is no starting or stopping - only doing."

"There's no greater purpose than service to others. "

"People are not theirs thoughts, they think they are, and it brings them all kinds of sadness."

"The first realization of a warrior is not knowing."

“Don’t pin your success on outcomes.”

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Dan Millman: Life has just three rules?
Socrates: And you already know them...
Dan Millman: Paradox, humour, and change.
Socrates: Paradox...
Dan Millman: Life is a mystery. Don't waste time trying to figure it out.
Socrates: Humour...
Dan Millman: Keep a sense of humour, especially about yourself. It is a strength beyond all measure.
Socrates: Change...
Dan Millman: Know that nothing stays the same.

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"You haven't yet opened your heart fully, to life, to each moment. The peaceful warrior's way is not about invulnerability, but absolute vulnerability…to the world, to life, and to the Presence you felt. All along I've shown you by example that a warrior's life is not about imagined perfection or victory; it is about love. Love is a warrior's sword; wherever it cuts, it gives life, not death."

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"If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality."

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"Moderation? It's mediocrity, fear and confusion in disguise. It's the devil's dilemma. It's neither doing nor not doing. It's the wobbling compromise that makes no one happy. Moderation is for the bland, the apologetic, for the fence-sitters of the world afraid to take a stand. It's for those afraid to laugh or cry, for those afraid to live or die. Moderation…is lukewarm tea, the devil's own brew."

Definition of an UPLINE

Definition of an UPLINE:

They love you but they're not your lover.

They care for you but they are not your family.

They are ready to share your pain though you're not related.

They are . . .

UPLINES!

True UPLINE scolds like a Dad, cares like a Mom, teases like a Sister, irritates like a Brother & finally loves you more than a lover!

Share this to all your great UPLINES who mean a lot to you!

Salamat po sa lahat ng mentors namin.

Doc Ed Cabantog

Francis Miguel

John Asperin

Arnel Limpin

Jurgen Gonzales

Jun Espinosa

up Mylin Ebdane

up Carlo Buenaventura

up Roy Zaldua

up Charles Langurayan

up Joseph Lim

up Ramon Alburo

up Jehoram Alburo

up Denn Mark Ebora

up Marco Mallari

up Rodel Gannaban

up Mike D Tan

up Frederick Rodriguez

Why Random Thoughts in Binary?

Random - Something that is unpredictable, has no pattern or objective

Thoughts - The act or process of thinking

in - used to indicate inclusion within space, a place, or limits

Binary - composed of two pieces or two parts

The Story - It all started back in college, i was majoring in Computer Science, LOL the end. kidding aside i was

really into programming and computer related geekiness and one of my most favorite topics is BINARY..

Ones or Zeroes, SWITCH ON or SWITCH OFF, YES or NO ETC.

I love to write though i'm not good at it i still do. I used to air sentiments via NOTEPAD, how pitiful? HAHA

and a friend of mine convinced me to start a blog.. I started with friendster blog back in 2003 and shifted to

different sites, blogspot, multiply, mindsay, i.ph, wordpress, livejournal and a few more..

and the rest was history.. sorry kinda lazy typing.. hahaha!

now though i'm not a computer geek any more i'm still using BINARY. 1 + 1 = 1,500

that's the Power of Binary..

editing this anytime soon. LOL

Creating an Amazing Today

Do you realize that ninety percent of the limitations you face, will be the ones you place on yourself?

Your prosperity has nothing to do with the government, the stock market, interest rates, or the economy. Your relationships have much more to do with you, than the people you have them with. And no one has a bigger say in your health that you do.

You determine your salary and your worth by what you believe you are worth and choose to accept. You determine whether people offer you opportunities. You have a great deal of control to how people react or respond to you. And you choose the food that makes up the raw materials your body regenerates with, the amount of sleep you get, and your exercise habit.

So what kind of day will you have today?

Leading & Leadership

Goals

Your thinking skills can be considered directional skills because they set the direction for your organization. They provide vision, purpose, and goal definition. These are your eyes and ears to the future, allowing you to recognize the need for change, when to make it, how to implement it, and how to manage it. You find vision by reaching for any available reason to change, grow, and improve. Just as you perform preventive maintenance on your car, you must perform preventive maintenance on your organization. Do NOT believe in the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," for the people who do, go broke! Treat every project as a change effort. Treat every job as a new learning experience.

Good organizations convey a strong vision of where they will be in the future. As a leader, you have to get your people to trust you and be sold on your vision. Using the leadership tools described in this guide and being honest and fair in all you do will provide you with the ammo you need to gain their trust. To sell them on your vision, you need to possess energy and display a positive attitude that is contagious. People want a strong vision of where they are going. No one wants to be stuck in a dead-end company going nowhere...or a company headed in the wrong direction. They want to be involved with a winner! And your people are the ones who will get you to that goal. You cannot do it alone!

When setting goals, keep these points in mind:

• They should be realistic and attainable.
• They should improve the organization (morale, monetary, etc.).
• All the people should be involved in the goal-setting process.
• A program should be developed to achieve each goal.

There are four characteristics of goal setting (U.S. Army Handbook, 1973)

• Goal Difficulty: Increasing your employees' goal difficulty increases their challenges and enhances the amount of effort expended to achieve them. The more difficult goals lead to increased performance if they seem feasible. If they seem too high, employees will give up when they fail to achieve them.
• Goal Specificity: When given specific goals, employees tend to perform higher. Telling them to do their best or giving no guidance increases ambiguity about what is expected. Employees need a set goal or model in order to display the correct behavior.
• Feedback: Providing feedback enhances the effects of goal setting. Performance feedback keeps their behavior directed on the right target and encourages them to work harder to achieve the goal.
• Participation in Goal Setting: Employees who participate in the process, generally set higher goals than if the goals were set for them. It also affects their belief that the goals are obtainable and increases their motivation to achieve them.

The Six Steps of Goal Setting

Although finding a vision can be quite a creative challenge, the process of getting that vision implemented can be fairly easy if you follow the six steps of:

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Vision — Goals — Objectives — Tasks — Timelines — Followup

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Step 1 - Vision

The first step in setting goals and priorities is to personally develop what the organization should look like at some point in the future — a vision. A junior leader, such as a supervisor or line manager, will mainly be concerned with a department, section, or small group of people. While senior leaders set the vision for the entire organization. However, both types of visions need to support the organization's goals.

The mission of the organization is crucial in determining your vision. Your vision needs to coincide with the big picture. The term “vision” suggests a mental picture of what the future organization will look like. The concept also implies a later time horizon. This time horizon tends to be mid to long term in nature, focusing normally on 2 to 7 years in the future for visions affecting the entire organization. However, leaders such as supervisors or line managers tend to have shorter time horizon visions, normally 6 months to a year.

The concept of a vision has become a popular term within academic, government, defense, and corporate circles. This has spawned many different definitions of vision. But, the vision you want should be a picture of where you want your department to be at a future date. For example, try to picture what your department would look like if it was perfect, or what the most efficient way to produce your product would look like, or perhaps if your budget was reduced by 10 percent, how you could still achieve the same quality product.

Vilfredo Pareto, a 19th century economist, theorized that most effects come from relatively few causes; that is, 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the possible causes (Juran, 1988). For example, 20 percent of the inventory items in the supply chain of an organization accounts for 80 percent of the inventory value. This is known as the Pareto principle or the 80-20 rule.

Some leaders fall into the time wasting trap of going after the 80 percent of items that only have a value of 20 percent of the total net worth. Your visions need to picture the 20 percent that will have the greatest impact on your organization. Although it is nice to have small victories every now and then by going after that easy 80 percent, spend the majority of your time focusing on the few things that will have the greatest impact. That is what a good leader does.

Once you have your vision, it needs to be framed in general, unmeasurable terms and communicated to your team. Your team then develops the ends (objectives), ways (concepts), and means (resources) to achieve the vision.

Step 2 - Goals

The second step involves establishing goals, with the active participation of the team. Goals are also stated in unmeasurable terms, but they are more focused. For example, "The organization must reduce transportation costs." This establishes the framework of the your vision.

Step 3 - Objectives

Definable objectives provide a way of measuring the movement towards vision achievement. This is the real strategy of turning visions into reality. It is the crossover mechanism between your forecast of the future and the envisioned, desired future. Objectives are stated in precise, measurable terms such as "By the end of the next quarter, the shipping department will use one parcel service for shipping items under 100 pounds and one motor carrier for shipping items over a hundred pounds." The aim is to get general ownership by the entire team.

Step 4 - Tasks

The fourth step is to determine tasks. Tasks are the means for accomplishing objectives. Tasks are concrete, measurable events that must occur. An example might be, "The transportation coordinator will obtain detailed shipping rates from at least 10 motor carriers."

Step 5 - Timelines

This step establishes a priority for the tasks. Since time is precious and many tasks must be accomplished before another can begin, establishing priorities helps your team to determine the order in which the tasks must be accomplished and by what date. For example, "The shipping rates will be obtained by May 9."

Step 6 - Followup

The final step is to followup, measure, and check to see if the team is doing what is required. This kind of leader involvement validates that the stated priorities are worthy of action. For the leader it demonstrates her commitment to see the matter through to a successful conclusion. Also, note that validating does not mean to micro-manage. Micro-management places no trust in others, where as followingup determines if the things that need to get done are in fact getting done.

Supervision for Leaders

Supervision is keeping a grasp on the situation and ensuring that plans and policies are implemented properly (U.S. Army Handbook,1973). It includes giving instructions and inspecting the accomplishment of a task.

There is a narrow band of adequate supervision. On one side of the band is over-supervision (micro-management); and on the other side is under-supervision. Over-supervision stifles initiative, breeds resentment, and lowers morale and motivation. Under-supervision leads to miscommunication, lack of coordination, and the perception by subordinates that the leader does not care. However, all employees can benefit from appropriate supervision by seniors with more knowledge and experience who tend to see the situation more objectively.

Evaluating is part of supervising. It is defined as judging the worth, quality, or significance of people, ideas, or things (U.S. Army Handbook,1973, p304). It includes looking at the ways people are accomplishing a task. It means getting feedback on how well something is being done and interpreting that feedback. People need feedback so that they can judge their performance. Without it, they will keep performing tasks wrong, or stop performing the steps that makes their work great.

Use checklists to list tasks that need to be accomplished. Almost all of us have poor memories when it comes to remembering a list of details. List tasks by priorities. For example, "A" priorities must be done today, "B" priorities must be done by tomorrow, and "C" priorities need to be followed up within a few days.

Double check on important things by following through. Strange things can happen if you are not aware of them. Paperwork gets lost, plans get changed, and people forget. If you have a system of checks and double checks, you will discover mistakes, have time to correct them, and minimize any disruptions. Following through may seem to be a waste of your time and energy, but in the long run, it pays off. You will spend less time and energy correcting mistakes and omissions made long ago.

Inspiring Your Followers

Getting people to accomplish something is much easier if they have the inspiration to do so. Inspire means "to breathe life into." And in order to perform that, we have to have some life ourselves. Three main actions will aid you in accomplishing this:

1. Be passionate: In organizations where the is a leader with great enthusiasm about a project, a trickle-down effect will occur. You must be committed to the work you are doing. If you do not communicate excitement, how can you expect your people to get worked up about it?

2. Get your followers involved in the decision making process: People who are involved in the decision making process participate much more enthusiastically than those who just carry out their leader's order. Help them contribute and tell them you value their opinions. Listen to them and incorporate their ideas when it makes sense to so.

3. Know what your organization is about!: The fundamental truth, as General Creighton W. Abrams used to say in the mid-1970s, is that “the Army is not made up of people. The Army is people. Every decision we make is a people issue.” Your organization is the same. It may make a product or sell a service, but it is still people! A leader's primary responsibility is to develop people and enable them to reach their full potential. Your people may come from diverse backgrounds, but they all have goals they want to accomplish. Create a "people environment" where they truly can be all they can be.

Training and Coaching

As a leader you must view coaching from two different viewpoints: 1) coaching to lead others and 2) being coached to achieve self-improvement.

Training and coaching are two different things, although some people use them interchangeably. Training is a structured lesson designed to provide the employee with the knowledge and skills to perform a task. Coaching, on the other hand, is a process designed to help the employee gain greater competence and to overcome barriers so as to improve job performance.

You might picture it as when you were in school. During physical education, the gym teacher (trainer) taught you how to play basketball. Next you went out for the school team. You had a basic understanding of the game and its rules, but the coach personally taught you (coaching) the finer points of the game.

Training and coaching go hand-in-hand. First you train people with lots of technical support, and then you coach them with motivational pointers.

Both training and coaching help to create the conditions that cause someone to learn and develop. People learn by the examples of others, by forming a picture in their minds of what they are trying to learn, by gaining and understanding necessary information, by applying it to their job, or practice.

Both coaching and training have a few points in common:

• Evaluate to determine knowledge, skill, and confidence levels.
• Define objectives that can be measured periodically. It helps to break them down into step-by-step actions.
• Clarify direction, goals, and accountability. To foster accountability, involve the person or team in the decision making.
• Encourage peer coaching by reminding them that everyone has a stake in each other's success.
• Coaching is more than telling people how to do something, It involves giving advice, skill-building, creating challenges, removing performance barriers, building better processes, learning through discovery (the aha method), etc.
• Deal with emotional obstacles by helping them through change, reviewing and pointing out ways that they hold themselves back, comforting them when they become confused, etc.
• Give feedback by pointing and hinting towards solutions; try to stay away from critiquing errors.
• Lead by example! demonstrate the desired behaviors.

Learning

The first condition of learning is that the person must be motivated to learn. You cannot teach knowledge or skills to people who are not motivated to learn. They must feel the need to learn what you are teaching. Most employees are motivated to do a good job. They want to be able to perform their tasks correctly. Their motivation is being able to perform their job to standards in return for a paycheck, benefits, challenges, job satisfaction, etc.

The next condition of learning is to involve them in the process. Keep their attention by actively involving their minds and emotions in the learning process. Have them participate through active practice of the skill or through discussion. You cannot keep their attention with a long lecture. Normally, people pay attention for a short time - less than 30 minutes. They need to use what is being taught or their minds will wander. If you lecture for an hour, very little will be remembered. Instead, give a brief lecture (less than 10 minutes), demonstrate, and then have them practice. Provide feedback throughout the practice period until they can do it on their own. If it is a large complicated task, then break it down into short learning steps.

The Five Points of Leadership Power

Al Capone once said that “You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.” However, while almost anyone can use power, it takes skill to use leadership. Leadership power is much more than the use of force. Leadership is influencing others to truly WANT to achieve a goal, while power forces others to achieve a goal.

Power refers to a capacity that a person (boss) has to influence the behavior of another so that he or she acts in accordance with the boss' wishes. This power is a capacity or potential as it implies a potential that need not be actualized to be effective. That is, a power may exist, but does not have to be used to be effective. For example, an officer in the Army has certain powers over enlisted personal, but that power does not have to used to be effective. The mere knowledge of an officer's power by an enlisted person has some influence over him or her.

A person has the potential for influencing five points of power over another (French & Raven, 1959):

• Coercive Power — Power that is based on fear. A person with coercive power can make things difficult for people. These are the persons that you want to avoid getting angry. Employees working under coercive managers are unlikely to be committed, and more likely to resist the manager.
• Reward Power — Compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that others view as valuable. Able to give special benefits or rewards to people. You might find it advantageous to trade favors with him or her.
• Legitimate Power — The power a person receives as a result of his or her position in the formal hierarchy of an organization. The person has the right, considering his or her position and your job responsibilities, to expect you to comply with legitimate requests.
• Expert Power — Influence based on special skills or knowledge. This person earns respect by experience and knowledge. Expert power is the most strongly and consistently related to effective employee performance.
• Referent Power — Influence based on possession by an individual or desirable resources or personal traits. You like the person and enjoy doing things for him or her.