Leadership Development - Can horses teach you about leadership development?

Leadership Development - Can horses teach you about leadership development?
Leadership development is a term that includes many
personal self development skills and professional skills
that get lumped into the term leadership development.

Having been a leader all my life in many different venues I
would have said that my leadership skills were good until I
began working with my horses on a daily basis. Thus began
my journey and my learning that leadership skills go deeper
than surface skills and abilities.

A little history on how I got into this work - with more
than twenty years in corporate America in leadership,
management, consulting, and training, I was looking for a
new stress-reducing hobby. I found horses or they found me
and I was hooked.

So we began, my love for horses coupled with my
entrepreneurial nature led me to quarter horse breeding and
performance showing more than ten years ago. Working on a
daily basis with mares that had babies by their sides and
watching them grow from young horses into adulthood I began
to learn my leadership skills in a whole new way.

Although I had many years of leadership experience and
classroom education, the lessons from my interactions with
my horses were coming faster and deeper than they ever had
from the classroom. I found that I couldn't get by with
just saying the words of leadership without having my
inside self and my outside self in alignment. My horses
showed their confusion and inability to move forward on my
commands.

Now the people that I managed were just as confused but
people have been taught for years to put on a polite face
and cover up what they are feeling inside. So instead of
showing confusion they would go away and feel frustrated
and unhappy. I am sure though they hid this from me. They
may even have complained to their peers about not knowing
what I wanted. Do you think the people you lead might be
feeling some of these same emotions?

Just because the people we lead or manage do not show us
these feelings doesn't mean they aren't feeling them.
Horses on the other hand don't have the polite filters in
place so they show us exactly how they are feeling. They
show us in an instant whether or not we are giving commands
that are clear and understandable. They don't need to hide
what they are feeling to make sure they are staying on our
good side. Frankly they don't care.

Leadership took on a new meaning for me. With their ability
to see through any incongruent behavior on my part my
horses insisted that I learn my leadership abilities better
and in a new deeper way if I wanted to accomplish my goals
with them.

As an instructor in leadership development, executive and
personal coaching, I began to see the possibilities for
helping others grow and learn in this new, faster way: this
new way of learning that sticks. I began holding workshops
and coaching sessions to teach others these new lessons
using my horses as a medium for learning.

The results of this learn-by-doing method, using simple
exercises shared with a highly responsive, beautiful horse,
is exceptional and lasting.

Leadership development skills learned with a horse as your
partner are skills that immediately become an integral part
of you and with this method you really become a leader.

----------------------------------------------------
Jean Starling holds an MBA in International Business and is
an Author, Business Strategist and Executive Coach. Go to
http://www.leaderstakingthereins.com to get your Free
Leadership Home Study Course and learn how to be the leader
that people want to follow. Contact Jean at
mailto:jean@leaderstakingthereins.com .

What to Do When the Employer Asks If YOU Have Questions

What to Do When the Employer Asks If YOU Have Questions
Most of us get so nervous about what the employer is going
to ask us during an interview that we completely forget to
prepare for an equally important portion of the
face-to-face conversation: the part where the employer
turns the tables and say, "Do you have any questions for
me?"

At some companies, this may be just a formality. Sometimes
the interviewer is just being polite and looking to answer
any queries you may have about the position, the company,
and so on.

But at other companies (consulting firms or newspapers, for
example), the way you ask questions and the quality of your
questions says volumes about whether or not you are right
for the job. A person interviewing for a journalistic
position should be comfortable probing for information and
should display curiosity. For this candidate to say, "No, I
don't have any questions," may throw up a huge red flag to
the employer, saying that you might not have what it takes
after all.

What might you be asked? Here are some sample questions
candidates might want to ask an interviewee:

* "Why is this position vacant at present?"

* "How often is this position vacated and filled?"

* "What are some of the toughest problems I would face in
this role?"

* "What sorts of things would you like me to do differently
than the person who previously held this position?"

* "What are the company's long-term goals for this
position?"

* "How much freedom or autonomy would I be given in this
role?"

* "What is the career trajectory like for someone who
enters at this level?"

And remember, since this reverse question-and-answer
portion always comes at the end of the interview, you
should be careful only to ask questions that haven't been
answered yet throughout the course of the discussion!

Just as you would practice answers to interview questions,
practice posing these questions to the interviewer. Again,
you can use a friend or family member to pretend that he or
she is the mock interviewer.

Above all, stay on your toes, listen carefully, and don't
just recite things from rote memory. Participate in the
conversation rather than trying to fit it into a particular
mold. If you are flexible and yet deeply involved in the
conversation, that will reflect very well on you in the end.

Keep the six Ps in mind: Proper, Preparation, Prevents,
Particularly, Poor, Performance. And then relax and win.

----------------------------------------------------
Ken Anczerewicz is an author and publisher devoted to
providing time & money saving resources designed to help
career & job seekers of all ages achieve their financial
goals. You can check out his best recommendations for
creating your own income stream by clicking here now:
http://www.resourceriver.com

How to do a bad job implementing a competency framework

How to do a bad job implementing a competency framework
Lots of organisations today use competencies to underpin
their HR initiatives - talent management, recruitment and
selection, training and development. But it is so easy to
get it all wrong just by doing any of the following.

1. 'Sell' competencies as an HR initiative.

They might not sound strategic to the non HR person, but
competency models have the potential to deliver millions in
extra revenue and output - don't underestimate or undersell
them. Line managers love competency models as they provide
a language to describe performance, give feedback and
target coaching. Getting buy in from line managers and
involving them in the development of the competencies will
ensure successful implementation later on.

2. Ignore the application.

Before researching and developing your competency model,
you should identify how you intend to use them - otherwise
you risk leaving an investment tool sitting on the shelf.
Including them in recruitment and selection will initially
only impact new employees, performance appraisal will
impact across the organisation but might require some years
to rollout.

3. Develop competencies based on the status quo.

Outstanding performers in complex jobs such as leadership
roles, can deliver twice as much output as average
performers. Developing a competency model based on what
your outstanding performers do/say/think will raise the
overall performance of your business. However, if you want
to encourage or reward existing performance levels in your
organisation then workshop the behaviours and values
everyone in the organisation already has in spades and
restate these in a shiny new model.

4. Define competencies which are 'nice to have' or
aspirational.

To deliver value, competencies must be defined with a job
of work in mind. Including competencies which have no
relevance to a particular role or function means behaviours
are encouraged or rewarded which do not add more or greater
output. This can also lead to lack of role clarity and
confusion. When competency modelling, define the work and
performance measures of a job as a first step to ensure the
competencies are grounded in reality.

5. Spend hours word crafting to get the perfect end result.

No competency model will be word perfect each and every
time. Phrases such as 'Customer Service' or 'People
Leadership' will mean different things to different people.
Managing people's expectations about how many drafts and
redrafts the model will go through is an important aspect
to getting buy in. Spending hours or even days word
crafting a competency model is not time well spent.
Spending time on how we might measure and coach for better
'Customer Service' is, however, a better use of time and
resource.

6. Use them for downsizing and for inspiring great
performance This is a serious point.

Competencies used in any downsizing or redundancy exercise
should have a limited shelf life. They need to be thrown
out or significantly repackaged if you want to use them
again.

So do all of the above and you can rest assured that you
have underoptimised your greatest HR tool.

----------------------------------------------------
Pam Kennett is Founder and Director of Chiswick Consulting
Limited a management consultancy which provides advice and
direction to clients in marketing and human resources. Pam
has been a management consultant for more than 15 years.
Contact her at pam@chiswickconsulting.com or visit
http://www.chiswickconsulting.com/competencies.shtml .

What to Look for in a Men's Watch

What to Look for in a Men's Watch
There are many accessories that suit a man nicely, but
there is nothing that has the touch quite like a fine
luxury watch. While there is a wide array of men's watches
to choose from, there are certain facets that make up the
perfect watch. Everybody is going to have different tastes
and different expectations, but every watch should have
specific features.

The first thing you want to look at is the bracelet of the
men's watch. A quality watch is going to have a durable
and stable bracelet that is made of stainless steel.
Stainless steel is going to look much sharper and more
expensive than leather, and is far more practical in
general. The great thing about stainless steel is that it
can be worn with virtually any outfit and every occasion
imaginable.

The next thing to look at is the face and strap color. The
new style seems to be bold and exciting colors for the dial
and strap. However, be cautious about purchasing an
extravagant watch if you are looking for an every day
versatile watch. That bright red or green dial is not
going to be professional for that important business
meeting you have to lead later in the week. Choose your
colors according to how you intend on using the watch.

The third facet to look at when looking for a men's watch
is the face. It is important that you select a face that
is comparable to your wrist size. If you have a large
wrist and you select a medium size dial, it is going to
look like you have a women's watch on your wrist. The
latest trend is extremely large dials which can be seen
being worn by many of the top actors today.

Lastly, be cautious of watches that use water resistance as
a huge selling point. I do not know about you, but most
people do not wear their watch when they go swimming. So
really how important is water resistance to you. As oppose
to looking at the water resistance level, pay closer
attention to how waterproof the watch is. If anything,
your watch is going to get wet in the rain or when you are
washing your hands.

Not everyone has the same standards or expectations for
their men's watch, but there are certain facets that every
quality watch should contain. When looking for your watch,
make sure that whatever you choose meets these specific
standards and you will find the perfect watch for you.

----------------------------------------------------
For information on purchasing mens watches from
watchesonnet visit our mens watch section
(http://www.watchesonnet.com/gents_category.asp ) to read
more about mens luxury watches visit our blog at
(http://www.watchesonnet.com/luxurywatches/ )

Marketing Rehab

Marketing Rehab
British singing sensation Amy Winehouse may be the best
musical marketing story since Madonna. In case you weren't
paying attention to the music scene - or to the tabloids -
over the last year or so, Amy Winehouse is the 24-year old
singer, songwriter, (and the latest celebrity train wreck)
who sings the hit "Rehab."

If you've heard her sing, you'd know her distinctive style
in an instant. And if you've ever seen the singer, I
guarantee you'll never forget her. Covered in tattoos,
with heavy eye-makeup and her trademark beehive hairdo,
Winehouse is impossible to miss.

Sadly, her enormous critical acclaim and six Grammy
nominations have been overshadowed by her public
self-destruction and reckless drug and alcohol abuse.
She's a favorite target of the tabloids and is right up
there with Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan when it comes
to personal train wrecks. In fact, People magazine calls
her "a perfect storm of sex kitten, raw talent and poor
impulse control." Amy Winehouse makes Janis Joplin look
like a saint. Let's just hope she doesn't share Joplin's
fate.

What's any of this got to do with marketing, you ask?
Consider the fact that in the cutthroat music industry, the
chances of stardom are one in a gazillion. And when
someone bursts on to the music scene like Amy Winehouse,
you have to sit up and take notice. Her unique, soulful
singing style, her distinctive looks and, yes, even her
wacky behavior, create a remarkable brand identity. In
"Sethspeak," Winehouse is a purple cow in a huge herd of
me-too musical cattle.

Sure, she's immensely talented, but so are thousands of
other performers. What makes Amy Winehouse stand out is
that she's so... Amy Winehouse! She's carved out an
unforgettable image and an unmistakable identity.
Unfortunately, her personal turmoil is now part of that
image but, if it doesn't kill her, it definitely keeps her
in the news.

Minus the drama, marketers should learn from Amy Winehouse.
I'm not suggesting that you don a beehive wig or run out
and make a drunken spectacle of yourself. But you do need
to develop a brand. You need to be distinctive. And you
need to decide what you stand for. Does Amy Winehouse
stand out in a crowd? There's little doubt about that.
But do you? If not, what can you do to grab your share of
the spotlight? (Preferably, without breaking any laws!)
What can you do to make sure that you're not singing the
same tune as your competitors? Think about it, then go
forth and build your brand!

----------------------------------------------------
Lou Bortone is an author and entrepreneur with extensive
experience in marketing, branding and promotion. Before
starting his own company, Lou was a marketing executive in
the television industry Today, Lou helps entrepreneurs
navigate their online businesses with creative services
such as copywriting, video production and brand-building.
Visit http://www.OnlineBrandingGuy.com