Ever wonder why you can never get ahead? What if you could control your success by watching out for the reasons of failure and fix them? I have your answers for you.
Here are the Top 10 Causes of Failure in Leadership: 1. Inability to Organize Details 2. Unwillingness to Render Humble Service 3. Expectation of Pay for What You Know Instead of What You Do with What You Know 4. Fear of Competition From Followers 5. Lack of Imagination 6. Selfishness 7. Intemperance 8. Disloyalty 9. Emphasis of Authority of Leadership 10. Emphasis of Title Let me expand on each of the causes for further understanding. Inability to Organize Details If you are in a position of leadership such as a supervisor for a job or lead worker for the shift, you have a big responsibility. As a leader you have to be ready to do whatever you require of your staff. I have seen many a supervisors that feel as soon as they become a supervisor, they no longer have to do the dirty work. You are not going to be respected by your staff until you do the dirty work. I have had many supervisors, but only a couple have I had respect for. The first one was when I worked at Burger King. I would pick up extra shifts if I knew that this supervisor was working, otherwise I would refuse extra shifts. I liked this supervisor because she would help us get our work done instead of focusing on the work she needed done before the end of her shift. Unwillingness to Render Humble Service I have had many supervisors that when emergencies happen they are nowhere to be found. Instead supervisors should be willing to do whatever is required to help out. There were many times, I worked around the clock as a supervisor because we were shorthanded. It wasn't fun by any means, but I also was able to become full staff a lot quicker because employees saw what I was willing to do to help out. Expectation of Pay for Knowledge Instead of Using Their Knowledge Just because you have a degree doesn't mean that you can and will apply that knowledge. More employers will hire a person for their experience rather than education. Fear of Competition From Followers When you focus on your fears, your fears come true. I had a superintendent that would lock his office any time that he wasn't in it. You could tell that he trusted no one and in return, no one trusted him either. On the other hand, another superintendent would leave his door open even if he was at the Capitol lobbying for more money for the school district. He was the best superintendent I have ever had. Students loved to sit by him at ball games instead of fearing him. Lack of Imagination As a teacher, I have noticed that if you don't have a student's attention, they will not pay attention to you or the lesson. However if they are playing a game, students don't even realize they are learning something. If you are not able to be creative to keep ahead of competition, you are going to get lost in the shuffle of things. Just because you are successful now, doesn't mean that you will continue if you lose your imagination. Selfishness Great leaders don't take credit for what their staff do for them. Good leaders look good because of the great staff that are under them. In turn leaders than return the favor by giving credit back to those who deserve it. Intemperance Intemperance is when you do not use moderation in what you do or say. So if you overindulge in how you do things, be prepared to not be listened to. One example of not using moderation or restraint is when you are talking about other staff or client issues. If one staff person hears you gossiping about another person, they wonder whether or not you are going to do that with them as well. Disloyalty When you are not loyal to those you should support, don't be surprised to lose your followers. Being disloyal can include not completing tasks as you are asked, being dishonest, and theft. Emphasis of Authority of Leadership Great supervisors do not instill fear in their staff instead they support their staff to do better than they have ever done. I worked at one facility where the supervisor used fear to control her staff. This was a contracted job that cleaned another company's business. The supervisor told us that we were not allowed to talk to the other company about our problem for fear of getting fired. This supervisor was also the owner, so there was not another person to go to for complaints. You shouldn't have to fear your supervisor ever. Emphasis of Title A successful supervisor proves their leadership by what they do not what they say. If you have to say you are a supervisor to prove your role, then you are not a leader. Doors of a real leader are always open and are not afraid to let others use their office even if they are not there. Once you know the characteristics of failure of leadership, then you can correct what you may or may not be doing to succeed in leadership.
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When thinking about tests especially the ACT many people freeze up and their mind goes blank. I believe that if you have an idea about what the test is and how to attack, the better you will do. Think of any goal that you have ever set for yourself. You know that when setting goals for yourself it is hard at first to accomplish the goal, but the more you work at it, the better you become.
For example, let's say you set a healthy living goal after eating for years on junk or convenience foods. At first this may be hard because the food that you ate before might taste really good. Looking at a salad or veggies and believing they could tastes as good as greasy french fries gets your face all scrunched up into a disgusted look. But the more you work at your goal, the better you do. The ACT is the same thing, once you work on the strategies that are out there, you are going to do better on the test and get the scholarships that you want. Let me introduce you to the ACT and what it is all about. The ACT helps people get into the right schools along with scholarships to alleviate the burden of the cost of college. It is not like any high school test of remembering facts and figures. You can control your score if you know how to. No, I don't mean cheating. I mean preparing ahead of time. When you are training for a marathon, you learn the steps that it takes to go from the couch to running a full marathon. You can't expect to go from the couch to a 5k overnight. The ACT is no different. Kaplan Method Kaplan University suggests that you become a savvy test taker by using these four basic steps: learn the test, learn the Kaplan method and strategies, learn the tested material, and practice, practice, practice. Learn the test Even though the ACT doesn't require you to memorize any facts or figures on the test. Kaplan does however suggests you to memorize the directions to each part of the test. You have precious minutes that you don't want waste on the directions. If you memorize them ahead of time, then you only have to scan for any changes and move on. If you study for the test using the Kaplan method, you will learn the types of questions that the test asks, so you can then create your own test questions. Creating your own questions allows you to use everyday reading material like an ACT test. You will get used to the method so much that it becomes second nature. So when it comes to the test, you won't have to spend precious minutes trying to rack your brain to remember each type of question. You will get extra points by guessing on the test. Other standardized test doesn't allow for guessing, but the ACT encourages it. I had a student who took my class for the first time and was given a baseline ACT. I wanted to see what he knew so I could better serve him. He finished the ACT in an hour. The test normally takes three!!!! I encouraged him to take more time on the test but he refused saying I don't know it now so why bother. I looked over his answer key and he had only answered maybe half of the questions. The other questions he left blank. Because of this, he got a 14 on his baseline score. Needless to say after taking my class, he learned that it was ok to guess. He took the ACT twice and received a 10,000 scholarship to college. You'll know how to write a high-scoring essay...That is if you decide to take that portion of the test. Learn the Kaplan Methods and Strategies Colleges want to know if you can think strategically and creatively which is exactly what the ACT tests for. Colleges don't want students who want to get scores the easy way. Just like a poorly written resume will knock you out of the running for a job, a poor ACT score will knock you out of the running for a good school. Changing the way you think about the questions will help. This is called the ACT Mind-set. Learn a plan of attack for each subject test. Learn the unofficial ways of getting right answers fast. Have you ever been told to skip around answering the easy questions first? The Kaplan method encourages that too. Learn the uncharacteristic aspects of the ACT format. The answer is always in front of you. Learn the Tested Material I have been helping students increase their scores on the ACT for over a year now and one of the leading fears is the math test. The Kaplan method gives you every concept that you need to learn in order to be successful on the ACT. In fact the math test tests about 100 different concepts. If you learn these concepts and know the answer has to be in front of you, then you'll ace the math portion. The science test gives you many different tables and graphs along with diagrams that are meant to be intimidating. Once you learn how to attack them, they will no longer be intimidating. The English language is hard to learn, but the Kaplan method gives you the specific rules that you need in order to master that test. Some of the reading passages are long and hard to understand but once you understand the different types of questions and what they are looking for; then the reading passages will not defeat you. (yes, even those who feel they are not good readers.) Practice, Practice, Practice The more you practice, the better you will be come on the test. Think of any sport, race, musical, or theatrical event you have even been in. If you practiced for said event you did better. The same goes for doing well on the ACT. Once you practice, you will feel more confident the day of the test. What are some strategies that you use to ACE the ACT? I would like to hear from you. Please email me your ideas at [email protected] Taking the ACT is not like any other test you have ever taken. There are no facts or figures that you have to remember. All of the answers you need to succeed is printed right on the test. The ACT Test consists of four main tests and a optional writing test. The four main tests include reading, English, science, and math. The writing test doesn't have to be taken unless the college that you are applying for requires it.
One of the biggest worries that I hear from parents is "Will my child be ready for the real world when ______ is old enough?" My response is to use moments in life as perfect teaching moments. For example, if you have a child or children who complain about what is for supper, then have them plan the meal the next time or next week. Give them parameters which the meal must meet. This includes being well balanced meals with foods from every food group. Then have them buy the groceries, prepare and clean up the meal. Children can pick the day in which they are going to complete this task. This will teach them how much work you as parents put into planning and preparing things around the house and hopefully teach them some things along the way. Be careful not to make it a punishment, because they won't get anything out of it.
Planning the Meal Children love to be included in the decisions that the family makes and planning a meal is the perfect way to make a child feel special. At first you and the child could plan the meal together to teach them how to find things you already have in the house and what you might need to buy at the store. Planning together also teaches the child or children what is important in a meal such as including healthy foods rather than junk food. When you include food from all of the food groups, children are not as hungry after the meal. This is also a good time to start teaching children to read the food labels and talk about what makes a food healthy or not such as looking for how much fat, salt, carbs, fiber, and protein is in a food. Going to the Grocery When going to the grocery store, use this as an opportunity to teach children about the prices of food and how to get the best deal. For example looking for the generic or sale foods. Parents can prepare children ahead of time by showing them the sales ads from the different stores and comparing prices. Check to see if the grocery store will allow comparable pricing on the competitions sale prices. This is also a good time to show children the food labels to choose healthy choices for foods they are buying. When the child is supposed to plan and prepare his/her own meal, they should pick out only the foods required for their meal and pay for it themselves. It is a wonder how much they look for the cheaper prices when they know it is coming out of their own pocket. If parents give the money and can afford it, allow the child to keep the change after they are done and see if they spend wisely then. Preparing the Meal When teaching children how to cook, make sure you are teaching them how to be safe. Fires and burns are the biggest causes of accidents in the kitchen. You might have to watch your child cook to ensure they are safe depending on how much you trust their abilities in the kitchen. But remember cooking can be a fun learning experience with children. Children love making memories with you and cherish them for a long time. When you have child prepare the meal teach them about how to set the table as well. Cooking is full of teachable moments because you can teach about how to measure out ingredients, cutting foods, reading a recipe, temperature, etc. This is a good time to talk about the different vocabulary that is used when cooking and what the difference is between the different words. When reading a recipe it is different than reading a book or newspaper and can be very confusing to children. Measuring out ingredients talks about fractions which is also very confusing to children. Eating the Meal With the hectic lives that we live today, there is not much time spent sitting at the table enjoying the meal. But it is can be the most special time of a child's life because this is a time when you can catch up on your day or their day. There is a lot of times when I see children leaving the table 10 seconds after the meal has started because they are done and don't want to sit at the table. This is a good time to teach children to sit and have a conversation with you about what they did for the day. Sitting and enjoying what you are eating is also a good thing because it can be a time to teach when to recognize you are full and don't want any more to eat. Rushing through our meals is one of the reasons so many are having stomach problems such as heartburn, indigestion, bloating, and gas. When a child has prepared the meal, this is a good time to show your appreciation for what they have done. Clean up Teach children what happens after the meal is over and how to best clean up. Teach them how to fill the dishwasher and wash dishes. This teaches children responsibility. You could even encourage them to clean up after themselves after the meal. Parents spend their life teaching their children how to live in the real world. Teaching responsibility early is the best way to hold children accountable but it is never too late to teach children life skills. Have you ever heard the phrase "Those that can do, and Those that can't teach" I am not exactly sure if I agree with this statement because in my years in the workforce I have had many a people try and teach me the job that was in front of me. I can tell you right now; they were not very good teachers. But they weren't well on their way to something else either. With the different jobs that I have had I learned a few things about the bad teachers and a few about the good. I have come up with a top 5 list of why not everyone can teach.
#1 Forgetting What it is Like at the Bottom Everyone one of us had to start somewhere, usually it is at the bottom. At the bottom of the totem pole everything is new to you. You have no idea what the routine is like and what to do. This is true even if you've had a job similar to the one you're currently in. When training a trainee, it is required to slow down and explain the basics of the job so the new person can understand. This can be hard for a trainer to do because he/she may feel rushed to complete the tasks at hand and cannot do that with a trainee. However this is not easy for all people to do. After you learn a job, you learn tricks or shortcuts that work for you to make the job easier and more efficient. Doing the job your way becomes second nature to the point where you may forget what it is like at the bottom when you just learned the job. When training someone you cannot take the shortcuts that you may have developed because what works for you may not work for someone else. Although you can explain why you take the shortcuts you do but don't assume the new person will take the same shortcuts. #2 Trainer has a hard time breaking down tasks into easier components After you have been at a job a while tasks become second nature that you complete them easily without thinking. It is not easy to break down the tasks into smaller parts. The best way to complete this is to think of all of the steps that it takes to complete the task. My husband does this to me a lot. He has been a farmer for his entire life. I have lived in the city my entire life. That is until I met him. Don't get me wrong, I know which animal beef(cow) or pork(pig) come from and not necessarily from a grocery store. However, I don't know all the ins and outs of farming. It's even worse when he explains his job which is fixing agriculture equipment. My husband goes right into a task and starts telling me the end of the task expecting me to know exactly what to do. Obviously this doesn't work. As you are thinking about the steps of each tasks, write them down. If need be give this list to the trainee so they have a checklist of how to complete each task to help them remember the steps. I know this is not always convenient because sometimes a trainer doesn't know they are training someone until he/she gets to work. But this is something that management can do ahead of time. #3 Lose Patience with Trainee This is a big deal and happens a lot. The trainee has gone through the training successfully but is still in his/her probationary period. The trainee is working on his/her own and he/she makes a mistake or forgets something. The trainer is nowhere in sight to help the person out. When the trainer comes back and finds out what the trainee has done proceeds to yell at the trainee for messing up. When training someone new remember there is a learning process in which the trainee or student observes what is done, tries it out with lots of help (scaffolding), and gradually that help is taken away until they are not receiving any help. This may not happen all at once so don't get frustrated with the trainee. When my husband and I were first dating, he was making this beautiful grill stand out of metal for his mother. I thought this was great because maybe he would want to make me one. Boy was I naive! No not even close! Instead my husband thought it would be a great idea of a project we could do together.( Insert rolling of the eyes here) He had an ulterior motive: He wanted me to learn the tools that he uses so I could help him with things around the farm. We pick out the metal from what's laying around the farm. This means that the metal is pretty rough looking and rusty. We have to clean the rust off, buff any rough spots, cut it to size, weld, paint, etc. So he teaches me how to clean the rust off of some of the pieces. He is standing next to me and watching me to do just fine. The next thing I know, he is gone and doing something else. If you know anything about using a buffer with metal, you know that sparks fly off. If you are not paying attention, these sparks go in directions you don't want them to. Well I wasn't paying attention, and before I knew it, I burnt a hole in my sweatshirt. You're probably thinking that I should have felt the heat. My husband had already thought about this without telling me because he had me wear three layers of clothing that day. I was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, a short sleeved t-shirt, and a long sleeved t-shirt. (It was mid-July) Needless to say, my husband yelled at me when he came back and noticed that I had burnt a hole in my shirt. Yelling at the trainee within the probationary period will just make you have to train a new person. Instead pay attention to where the trainee is and what they are doing. Be within range for asking questions and help. Be proactive and ask them how they are doing and if they have any questions or what he/she is planning on doing next. #4 Have no experience training or situation at hand I don't think my husband had much experience with teaching someone else how to learn something from scratch, so it was hard for him to break things down for me to understand at first. He is getting better. This happens more than you think. For example when I am subbing in a classroom, I have a hard time dealing with bad behavior because I was taught to respect others no matter what. So when I am dealing with a student who has no respect for authority it frustrates me. Over time, you learn how to handle situations based on what has worked or not worked in the past and changing it to fit the situation. #5 Attitude of Teaching or Training I don't know how many times I have been trained by someone who doesn't want to train anyone. They are just there to do their job and get a paycheck. The last thing the employee wanted to do was train someone. This sends a bad taste in the mouth of the trainee because the trainer has a bad attitude toward the job, trainee and world in general. Do you really think the trainee is going to do a good job knowing some of the attitudes around the job? Do you think the trainer did a good job training the trainee? Probably not. So when deciding who to train others think about what the person's attitude is going to be before giving the job away. Maybe think of some incentives to training others. If you can put extra staff on so the trainer doesn't feel like they have two jobs to complete that shift; their own and training. Do you have any suggestions for training someone knew? Let me know. |
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