Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to choose between a ‘right way’ of getting things done and an ‘easy way’? It could be a choice between cutting corners and producing standard. It could be a choice between letting your subordinates or even yourself off with sub standard work, or striving for the best even if it means a big sacrifice. That’s right. I’m sure that for all leaders, experienced or not, we’d certainly have come across this, right? After all, the easy versus right dilemma is an everyday issue for a leader or manager, isn’t it?

This article of Leadership Lessons hence aims to help leaders explore how they can tackle this decision and make the wisest decision.

Many a time, we, as leaders, do our best to provide value-based leadership for our subordinates. However, despite our ‘hopes’ and ‘wishes’ to provide this moral leadership, us leaders often falter in the face of adversity. For instance, the mental fatigue of ceaselessly ensuring standards slowly corrodes into our willpower, draining whatever resistance we have left. The desire to make the popular decision when all our subordinates are for compromising standards slowly eat into our moral courage, depleting our sense of righteousness. At the breaking point, the easy way will seem to be the right way, and we’d be able to derive a plethora of justifications to support our decision.

As tempting or popular as this may be, let us not forget the consequences of forsaking the right way. First and foremost, we, as leaders, lead by example, whether we like it or not. As such, by showing the ‘wrong example’, our subordinates will only grow to either loose respect for us and give up on our leadership, or take advantage of our weakness for their benefits. Clearly, while an easy decision may ease their immediate frustration and perhaps, gain us some popularity, our failed leadership would result in more unhappiness for them and ourselves in the long run.

Secondly, making compromises for comfort’s sake would certainly do some damage to our intended goal. If it is to ensure standards or satisfy a quota in sales or quality for example, cutting corners would mean that we would possibly fall short. If the goal is less quantifiable, say to create a ‘go-all-out’ culture in your workplace, then clearly actions speak louder than words, and the easy decision speaks. Ultimately, this decision would not just mean that we failed ourselves, but also that we failed our superiors and shortchanged our subordinates for giving less than our best.

Having said this, how, then, can we avoid such a pitfall? One tested-and-proven strategy would be to always focus on our outcome. When our mind decides to wander down the path of the pseudo benefits of the easy way, remind ourselves of our mission and allow our mind to decide if a particular course of action would bring us closer or further away from our goal. It also helps to consider the identity which we wish to portray to others. Is it one of morals or weakness? This way, we keep in view the long term implications of a short term decision. Another method would be to refresh ourselves that making a decision that we’ll regret in the future not only affects us but would also disappoint our bosses and shortchange our subordinates, of whom may be giving their best for our sakes.

The next time you are put in a position to decide between the right and easy, which would you choose? So long as you keep the larger picture in mind, I’m sure that you’d make a wise decision, right?

About the Author

Lucas Lin is a renowned expert in the field of leadership and management. Having held leadership positions ranging from management executive to operations manager, Lucas is in the prime position to offer advice on leadership and consulting services to leaders across the hierarchy as he developed an intimate knowledge of value-based leadership.

Visit Lucas Lin for Timeless Leadership Lessons at http://leadership-lessons.com

I recently returned from a corporate retreat to an island destination and was completely shocked by the inappropriate behavior displayed by my management team. At no point during my four years of college did I ever witness such debauchery. Middle-aged men and women were smacking each others’ asses, taking shots in the resort’s hot tub and making racial jokes left and right.





What would possess normally respectable, work-minded individuals to act this way? I hypothesize that many of the members of my management team were not the coolest kids growing up and have resultantly grasped their fat paychecks, impressive titles and taken on the Van Wilder-eque persona to capitalize on their lost years of coolness. Based on my week of observations here is a list of how to be considered “kewl” in Corporate America:







1. Talk About Alcohol: Talk about how much you drank, how much you are drinking and how much you plan on drinking. The more outrageous and detailed the better. “Yeah Mike from Department X and I were slugging back tequila shots until 2am last night” or “Back in the day my buddy and I used to crush a keg just the two of us”.





2. Perfect the Back Slap: The most effective tool when you are trying to peer pressure someone to drink more, dance more or make a regrettable decision is the firm and swift back slap. “Come on Katie let’s see you funnel a beer!” [followed by overly aggressive back slap].





3. Talk About Sex: Make innuendo about any and everything. Throw in a couple “that’s what she saids’” and bonus points if you talk about having sex with people other than your significant other. Also, make bets on who you think will hook up by the end of the night. “Married coworker X is totally going to bang engaged and 15 year junior coworker Z!”





4. Do Not Call People by Their Names: Do not use the person’s proper name. Either call them by their title, “Hey HR get over here” or a nickname you made up on the fly “Hey Wets-the-Bed-After-Vodka-Shots can you grab me a beer?”





5. Talk About How “Wild” Everyone is: Emphasize to everyone how wild and fun the company is for being able to party so “hard”. When you return to the office, continue to reminisce by saying things like “Remember how much we drank man!” Upon return set up a slideshow of pictures in the lunch room or conference room of everyone getting wild and crazy so you can relive the extremeness.





6. Curse: Curse like a f-ing sailor. Didn’t you know it’s almost as cool to swear as it is to smoke? Drop F-bombs like you are trying to destroy the f-ing universe.





7. Over-Emphasize Your Hangover: Do what you need to do to look like the person that partied the hardest the night before. Beat yourself up, brush your teeth “with a bottle of jack”, put Vaseline in your hair – anything to look like hell crusted over.





8. Talk About Video Games: Make sure that you let your friends know that you love to play old-school video games. None of these new, fancy games, but I’m talking about old-school games like tecmo super bowl for the original Nintendo.

About the Author

Focusing on both timely and timeless Pop Culture commentary, description of events, interviews, images and videos, TheDailyContributor.com, one of the internet’s popular blogs, comes closer to defining Pop Culture with every post.

There are many business skills that need to be learned during your online business venture, but there is one that needs to be mastered. That skill is the ability to not give up, despite many failures along the way.

Here are 9 things that you can do when you feel like quitting your online business. It has worked well for me and others. It can help you too.

1. When you do feel very stressed out, frustrated, angry, and about to quit, take some nice, deep cleansing breaths. This will relax your mind and body.

2. If you feel like quitting, step back and give yourself some breathing room. Don’t spend too much time online. Instead, spend shorter times going through your business (15 minutes each time).

3. Exercise is one of the best stress relievers that you should do on a daily basis. Walking, running, dancing, or whatever form of exercise you choose has many benefits for a stress free mind while building your online business. Do this on a regular basis.

4. Shut the computer down for the day and turn your attention to other things in your life that make you feel absolutely great. Anything that takes your mind off your business can and will help.

5. Tell yourself that you are a winner. Winners like you never quit, and quitters never win. You are not like them. You have to know that you are a winner no matter what.

6. Don’t give up and quit when you feel like it. Success could be just around the corner. Desperation has a way of getting your mental juices flowing and there just may be a solution in that flow. Now, if you were just one step away from reaching your goal, would you take that step? What a shame it would be to stop making the effort, when just a little bit more would make it all worthwhile. What a shame it would be to have taken all those steps, only to miss the very last one. The next step you take may very well be the one that makes all the others count. At some point success is just one step away. Keep going and you’ll be there.

7. Many successful people online today overcame many obstacles and road bumps along the way. Every time you feel like quitting, think about those people and know that they never quit when things were down for them.

8. Reading motivational books and listening to tapes can be a great way to stay motivated. It has great powers to inspire people. Everyone does it and you should too.

9. Giving up is NOT an option. Look for other ways to improve your business until you do find what works for you.

About the Author

If you want to make money online but not sure where to go or where to start, I am inviting you to visit my website where I show you 10 of the best ways to earn AT LEAST $100 per day online:
http://www.top10to100workathome.com

In order to achieve our goals we must fight through the hard times and frustrations and just keep going until we have achieved our goals. The harder and faster we work and are more productive in our time and daily actions we are getting closer to our dreams and goals in reality. Nothing is impossible as long as you believe in your self and have the desire and faith and imagination. Now everyone has these in them the only difference between 3% people in this world are those 3% are motivated and determined to never quit until they have achieved what they want. The other 97% are lazy in some ways but try to get what they want but when times get hard they quit and go back into their comfort zone where there is no frustration and having to fight and battle through that.

The funny part is most people quit when they are just about to be successful and have a break through and achieve what their hearts desire. Before any reward is given to and before any achievement takes place there will be some failure and frustration you must go through and anyone can go through it but many are afraid and just quit and start making excuses but really you can only blame your self for quitting right when you were about to be a success.

I have something I want to share with you which I got from a book called think and grow rich by napoleon hill. There is a chapter and has instructions that go like this and follow these steps if you want to make the money you always wanted to:
1.Fix the exact amount of money you want in your head
2.What you will give back for that money
3.Establish a date for when you want that money to be there for you
4.Create a plan for your self to attain that money
5.How much money and by when you want it by
6.Read your written statement every morning and night and believe you have that money

These steps can take you to where you want as long as you have a right plan and system you will be consistent with and follow through daily and no slacking. This is very powerful information and can be worth a million dollars if done correctly.

Now if you do not have a plan or you do not have any huge income stream to attain the money you want I have something for you but you need to be an action taker and a massive action taker. Become an entrepreneur online and make those dreams come true. http://www.signupandmakedollars.com/

About the Author

Successful entrepreneur working from home making the money I always wanted and living the life of financial freedom. Also love helping others achieve the same wealth and happiness.

A successful business depends on the performance of its employees and the performance of employees depends on their job satisfaction. Many factors can lead to a satisfied or dissatisfied employee. Among the most important factors stated by employees are autonomy, fair policies, recognition, benefits, morale, team work, autonomy, workload, promotion and salary.

Employees who look forward to going to work each day will do a better job. Feeling like a valuable part of the team and being recognized for their contributions is something most employees place very high in their list of job desires. Employers can facilitate this by ensuring a fair workplace where teamwork is stressed and grievances are quickly and fairly remedied. Suggestions made by employees should be considered and the employee given recognition if implemented.

Another good way to make employees feel like something more than a spoke in the wheel is to allow them flexible schedules. This promotes a feeling that their work is valued more than merely their presence. Employees who can somewhat set their own schedules come to work to work, and not just to punch the clock and serve their time. There are many ways for a business to do this and often companies find that flexible schedules work better for productivity also.
No one wants to come to work every day into a Machiavellian court. Office politics are among the most complained about negative work factors. Teamwork should be stressed and backstabbing not tolerated. Most people have a natural tendency toward fairness and when they aren’t seeing it they tend to become jaded and less productive.

Employees also want to know exactly what is expected of them. They don’t want to work in an environment that gives expects them to use their judgment and then punishes them if their judgment is not what management had in mind. Clear goals and expectations are always better.

When judging an employee’s performance, managers should use clear, transparent factors such as missed work, met deadlines, peer ratings, etc. This goes a long way in promoting a feeling of fairness in workers and eliminates the feeling that some people are getting special treatment. Prominently display rating factors and their results. These evaluations should be updated regularly and high performing employees should be rewarded.

Employees are not inherently disgruntled like many managers like to think. But they will quickly become disillusioned if they feel they are being treated unfairly or that their contributions are taken for granted. An office that works hard to eliminate these negative factors will be a productive office.

About the Author

Len Casey wrote this article for Ratelines.com. Ratelines has been a valuable resources of investment information for nearly 6 years. For recommendations on great cd rates or different money market rates , please visit his site.

Change, whether it is wanted or unwanted brings out our best and worst. The Stop Your Drama Methodology incorporates 8 principles and multiple tools for navigating change or reinventing any part of your life or business.

1. Clear the Fog
Where drama is, clarity is not. If you feel like you are shoveling coal in the boiler room instead of navigating the ship, then you have a clarity issue. When you are clear, your decisions are easy and emotions are steady. Clarity helps you handle the winds of change and life flows. First get clear about your values and vision. Everything flows from there.

2. Identify the Gap
The distance between where you are and where you want to be is the gap. The bigger the gap, the more potential for drama. If you can identify those times when you are moving faster than your resources allow, or when what you want seems too far out of reach, find a way to shorten the gap, by taking only the next right step. When you learn how to identify the gap, you can shorten it instead of suffering.

3. Tell Yourself the Truth
Drama is often the result of undisciplined thinking, manifesting as over-reaction to some imagined problem, regret about the past, worry about the future, or denial about the present challenges. To stop your drama, learn how to separate fact from feeling. Knowing your feelings won’t change the facts, but knowing the facts can change your feelings. Consciously changing your thoughts and feelings is the beginning of stepping into a new truth.

4. Reinvent and Realign
When your actions do not align with your values and beliefs you will experience an integrity gap. The integrity gap is when your desires are in conflict. You have the power to reinvent a new you that aligns with your values so that your life is congruent and you are not pulled in opposing directions.

5. Stop Relationship Drama
Where you struggle, you will find a relationship problem. Besides the relationship you have with yourself, there is the relationship you have with others. Then there is the relationship you have to the situation, to your past, your imagined future, to time, money, food and everything else in your life. If you want immediate change, change your relationship to the area where you struggle.

6. Master Your Energy
Down to the smallest unit, everything in the universe is energy. The five types of energy are physical, environmental, emotional, spiritual, and mental. Since even thoughts are energy, remember that negative thoughts drain your energy and can contribute to illness. Slow down and make decisions from inspiration rather than from desperation. Take charge of your energy by mastering your environment, your physical health, your emotions, spirituality and thinking.

7. Release Resistance
Resistance is an energetic state in the form of non-acceptance to what is. Before you can make any change you must quit fighting the current by blaming, excusing, and judging. Accept where you are, then be willing to do what is required to make the shift.

8. Become a Creator
Instead of waiting for things to happen to you, initiate change. Become fully responsible for the contents of your life. Entertain the possibility of what you want by asking, “What if.” Until you consider another reality you cannot create a new one.

About the Author

Ready to Stop Workplace Drama? Marlene Chism, author of Stop Workplace Drama , invites you to learn more about her new book and Stop Your Drama Methodology , eight principles to help leaders gain clarity, and reduce workplace drama. Receive free gifts for stopping by during Stop Your Drama Month.

Bill Gates stops to think at least twice a year. Bill escapes to his wilderness lodge every six months for one week. It is during these times that he develops strategy for Microsoft. It was one of these thinking sessions that helped him to move his company to embrace the Internet and the related opportunities.
How often do you stop to think? Really think? About your business; about your future; about your life? Too many business owners are too busy running the day-to-day business to bother thinking about what they are doing or plan to do. What a shame. I suggest that you should invest at least one day every three months thinking. And do it alone. Try it – one out of 90 days thinking. That is only four days a year thinking. That is not a lot to ask. But imagine how much more that would be than your competition.
Schedule that undisturbed time to think. No phone calls. No email. No interruptions. If you believe that you can’t afford do that – what does say about your business? What could be more important that thinking about your future? Yet we too often are too busy doing stuff without thinking. Your business will survive and thrive only if you think. Your life will be more satisfying if you think. You might also schedule some strategic planning time with your team – but you need the time alone to think.
You could say that Bill Gates has time to think because he is the richest guy in the world. The reality is that, he is the richest guy in the world – because he takes time to think.
What questions might you ask yourself during these thinking sessions?
What business are you in?
Where is the industry going?
What trends do you see?
What threatens your business?
What are the unknowns?
How can you distinguish yourself from the competition?
What other questions should you be asking?
What issues/ decisions are you avoiding that you need to confront?

Think smarter and you will do smarter!

About the Author

GA© George Torok is a specialist in creative thinking skills <http://www.Torok.com> He helps business owners and professionals think clearer and act more effectively. As host of the weekly radio show, Business in Motion, he has interviewed over 500 business leaders. <http://www.BusinessinMotion.ca> He has learned the creative thinking and creative doing process. Learn more about his programs at Torok.com Arrange a speech, executive briefing or workshop by calling 905-335-1997.

Robotics is referred to as the science of building, manufacturing and designing robots. It is an engineering discipline designed to improve software, hardware and design concepts of robots all over the world. It has contributed much to the fields of safety, military, surgery, packing, mass production, assembly, space, underwater and earth exploration, transport and laboratory research.

More popular in Japan, the concept of robotics has been used to cater to many needs and development aspects of human civilizations. As of today, there are various robots being used to build infrastructures, do domestic work, assist in nuclear labs and many more.

The term robotics was first coined in 1920 by Czech playright Karel Capek, and recorded such term in 1941 by Isaac Asimov.

Over the centuries robotic stories have abound either on literature or on the silver screen. In such literary pieces, robots have been depicted to perform tasks more reliably, accurately and faster than humans.

Milestones in robotics

Robots do not only do simple tasks, they now possess what we call artificial intelligence to perform tasks on their own. There have been latest inventions of certain types of robots that perform tasks that were only deemed impossible by inventors all over the world. Robots nowadays have speech recognition capacities, artificial emotions, personalities, gestures and even certain facial expressions.

Though some robots have difficulty in walking, inventors are continuing on their research to solve this problem. Other than that, robots are magnificent inventions that can perform functions that we human usually refuses.

Though robotics, man was able to design robots to do difficult, dangerous and highly technical skills that humans find difficult to do. Explorations become easier, productions faster, weaponry more sophisticated, and other aspects of life more advanced. All of these courtesy of robotics.

Career in Robotics

Since this type of job is highly technical and requires high level of skill, most people take up certain courses to become experts in robotics. Degrees such as robotics engineering, vision and robotics, mechatronics, and Digital Systems are the preferred courses of those who would like to specialize in this field. There are also robotics courses offered online.

Increasing number of robots means robot related jobs are also rising. That is why slowly, the study of robotics is being offered by various universities around the world.

Locomotion in Robotics

Thanks to robotics, robots can now walk, fly, skate, swim, and climb. They can also mimic how a snake crawls with specialized parts. As walking is one dynamic challenge being faced by inventors, a lot of changes have been introduced to improve this locomotive aspect of robots. Techniques in walking include, hopping, passive dynamics, dynamic balancing, and ZMP technique. Means of locomotion may include legs, wheels, treads and rollers. Robots also have “arms” and “hands” to help it perform specific functions.

In the pharmaceutical industry robots are also designed to grip objects and to dispense medicines as quickly and in greater quantities at the same time. They are also designed to discard hazardous waste materials. GP

About the Author

Ruhfus are specialists in hydraulic cylinders and recommends Emics, a privately owned laboratory specialising in calibration services.

At the International Coach Federation Conference in Orlando, Florida, keynote speaker and best selling author Peter Block said, “Community is the structure of belonging.” Then he followed it with, “We need the feminine in the workplace.”

What? I did a double take. I (and every woman reading this post) have known this for 30 years -it becomes ‘enlightening’ news because it is coming from Peter Block?

Thank you, Peter. I admire your courage for saying it, and, more importantly, meaning it.

I agree with everything Peter said – in fact, I agreed with it 30 years ago!

But is this revelation coming too late? At a time when all else failed? Who was listening to the generations of women fighting for this recognition for the last several decades?

Will society view this wise statement more profound coming from a man rather than a woman?

The wonderful, beautiful characteristics of a woman need to take a front row seat in the work place. Heck, they should be on stage.

Being feminine is a woman’s birthright!

What’s really needed in the workplace?

Feminine Influence. “What does that mean?”

The feminine is clothed with strength and dignity; she smiles in the face of diversity. She challenges without losing a friend.

Women are in demand. Feminine qualities, recognized elements of success, are a sought after commodity.

Women understand the worth of building relationship. Communicating without need for status. Listening for what’s not being said.
Women know human nature. We are nurturing. We are tough – solid. What is it YOU do for the workplace? Here is a sample of what feminine in the workplace looks like:

How will the feminine show up in the workplace?

The ABCs (A-F) of the Feminized Workplace:

A – Authentic

Women are genuine. We don’t need lies or compliments to feed our egos.

The successful woman listens to her intuition. She follows its guidance – responding accordingly.

Whether it’s during strategic planning or events taking us off our path, smart women receive their inner guidance with courage and trust.
When was the last time you didn’t listen to your intuition? Did you regret it? Developing the discipline to follow your instincts is a worthy goal – with huge payoffs in business.

B – Brave & Bold

Smart women have a strategic plan. We aren’t afraid to carry it out. Having a definite plan gives us peace of mind. We use a plan to follow when the going gets tough, we hit a wall or we don’t know what to do.

C – Conviction

Successful women are at peace with themselves. We don’t have to prove anything. Knowing this makes us confident, and secure in what we believe and the actions we take.

D – Discerning

Successful women know what they want. We have a clear picture of what we are trying to accomplish. Whether it’s to do with our career or life in general, we know what we’re shooting for – what the overall objective is.

E – Engaging

Women have great capacity for connection. Connection is the cornerstone for relationship.

We see the strengths, not the limitations, in others. We want people to be who they are – regardless if it is on the job or not.

F – Focused

Successful women are not willing to “pay the price.” Women no longer need to choose in order to have a satisfying personal and professional life. We prioritize in order to achieve what we want.

As Mr. Block states, “The feminine is needed now more than ever in the workplace.”

I can certainly understand why.

About the Author

Karen Keller, Ph.D. is an expert in women’s leadership and assertiveness training. She specializes in the skills of influence and persuasion, executive coaching, mentoring, sales techniques, management development training, personal life coaching, and corporate training. Discover the Real POWER for Women (& men, too) now!

My friends Pam and Steve are incurable Philadelphia Eagles fans. That’s how I found myself at the movies on Saturday watching “Invincible”. It’s the story of Vince Patelle, a working stiff from South Philly who answered an open call for players and ended up playing for the Eagles.

As the story starts, not much is going right for Vince. He lost his job, his wife, and his furniture, plus his car doesn’t run and he’s broke. Other than that, he’s fine! He is surrounded by well meaning friends who think he can make it in the big leagues and encourage him to try out. That is with the exception of one guy, who reminded me of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, who was convinced that everyone in South Philly was a loser.

Vince listens to the wrong voices.

You can see in Vince’s eyes that he just can’t get past the negative voices around him. His father, his ex and his friend Eeyore seem to drown out the positive voices of a dozen or more supporters.

Finally he listens…

The movie turns when Vince decides he has nothing to lose by trying out and gives it a try. Eventually, one success leads to another and Vince finds himself on the team.

Who do you listen to?

When you listen to the voices around you, do you hear the echoes of past failures or the sounds of future successes? Sales is a tough business and it’s easy to find reasons to get discouraged. I meet sales people every day who tell me all the reasons that they can’t succeed. They have years of failure behind them as evidence to support their case.

But every once in a while, I run into a real idiot. One who is not bright enough to listen to all that evidence. One who won’t listen to the old timers with all their stories of failure.

I love these idiots!

Are you smart enough to be an idiot and not listen to the negative messages around you? Are you willing to take the heat for your optimistic and adventurous spirit? Will you refuse to listen to all of the negative ‘intelligence” around you?

Listen to your supporters.

Silence your detractors.

The result is a symphony of hope, opportunity and success!

About the Author

Steve Waterhouse is the President of Predictive Results, a
Predictive Index assessment,
sales training and
leadership development company serving Florida. He can be reached at 904-269-2299.