Reflection can improve your teams performance

Reflection can improve your kollektivs performanceReflection can improve your teams performanceMost of the leaders I work with are masters of multitasking. Their days are filled with meetings, conference calls, client visits and resolving complex problems. In short, they spend their time gulping water from a firehose, with no visible end in sight to the relentless pace.Does this sound familiar?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraInterestingly, there are some leaders who seem to manage this intensity much better than others, particularly those who have made reflection a practice. They seem to more seamlessly navigate their daily challenges and better leverage knowledge and past experience when doing so.The secret These leaders structure their workweek to include time for introspection, and they promote this practice with their own teams.The process that Lauren has employed since beco ming the VP of sales in a heavily-regulated healthcare company was developed out of frustration.I was rushing from meeting to meeting on a daily basis, she told me. Most of the time, Id get to the end of the week and realize that Id barely had time to sit down and just think. That concerned me because we were dealing with some particularly challenging accounts and I wasnt sure that wed actually formulated a strategy that would be difference-making. We were clamoring to put out fires, without reflecting on what we were learning.Thats when Lauren instituted a ban on Friday afternoon meetings after 3 p.m. She wanted her team to have space at the end of each week to consider the progredienz of their projects, review the insights theyd gained from client interactions and plan their objectives for the following week. Team members are encouraged to disconnect from the intense pace for at least 30 minutes and spend that time in a reflective space.We have a lovely campus with walking trails, so I actually go outside for a walk during that time, Lauren said. It allows me to become more centered, and somehow I come back feeling less stressed and with more answers.Laurens practice of spending her reflection time outside is supported bystudiesthat indicate that nature improves cognition and mood. Simply put, a walk in the park can improve your mental well-being and allow you to more readily improve your working memory. Its more than just a momentary escape from the office.Researchalso proves that encouraging your team to adopt a reflective process is likely to improve job performance, especially when reflection is coupled with an examination of the strategies employed to solve problems.To capitalize on what science is showing us about the power of reflection, there are four main factors you can use to leverage this process with your teamEstablish the timeCreating space in the week for your team to reflect has a much more meaningful impact when its designed during business hours. Establishing meeting-free zones which are dedicated to reflection time sends a powerful message to your team that you take the practice seriously enough to devote paid hours to it.Simply encouraging your staff to reflect isnt enough, especially in intense, deadline-focused cultures where employees are likely to perceive busyness as the mechanism for achieving success and upward mobility. Defining a time for employees to reflect makes it more socially acceptable to engage in the practice of doing so.Choose the right locationIf youre one of those people who feels better after a walk in the park, its no surprise. Studies show that spending time in nature not only improves mood and reduces anxiety, it also enhances cognition, especially working memory. In Japan, for example, the practice ofshinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is a prevalent practice that is part of the countrys national public health program.Being in the presence of trees has been proven to reduce stress hormone prod uction and blood pressure while boosting the immune system - an antidote to the tension created in hard-driving work settings.Teams that work in an urban environment should take advantage of nearby locations that provide exposure to nature. If these are not readily available, consider creating indoor or outdoor spaces with plants and trees, and seek out meeting rooms with natural light, especially those with windows overlooking green space.Structure the processOnce youre in those meeting rooms, how you structure your team meetings can be difference-making for your business. Rather than a staff meeting that includes the typical status updates on projects, structure your meetings to encourage insight sharing. This can be accomplished by including team insights at the end of every meeting agenda when individual team members are encouraged to share key take-aways from the discussion.When individuals know that theyll be asked to offer their insights at the end of a meeting, it encourage s higher buchung thinking, listening and processing, which naturally builds reflection into your meeting process. Sharing in a team setting also allows the organization to benefit from the teams collective insights and harness them to achieve better outcomes.Apply proven techniquesTechnology is wonderful, and each of us has a preferred digital device. Yet,scienceindicates that going old school has its value, especially when designing a reflective process.To capture your ideas when reflecting, handwriting your notes is so much more effective than typing those ideas into your mobile device or laptop. Journaling by hand allows you to retain conceptual information over a longer time period, enhancing your capacity to apply that information when confronted with future challenges.The data are compelling. Improving performance may not be best accomplished by pushing employees to work harder or longer. Although seemingly antithetical, the secret to creating a winning team is to give them pe rmission to slow down, so the benefits of reflection can shine through.This article first appeared on Smartbrief.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from jngste im bunde Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Float Like a Stingray, Be Like a Power Plant

Float Like a Stingray, Be Like a Power Plant Float Like a Stingray, Be Like a Power Plant When the sun hides and the winds die theres one massive source of renewable energy that doesnt sleep the sea. Though there are many konzeptions that aim to capture the power contained in the movements of the planets waters, Columbia Power Technologies is poised to go commercial in the coming years with its Stingray. The company just won a contract from the DOE to put the device in a real ocean for a real test with real output to the real grid. The design of the StingRAY is conceptually simple. Two floats sandwich a rotary generator. As the floats pivot with the rise and fall and back and forth of the waves, they turn the generator. The generator is spun clockwise and counter clockwise continuously as the wave comes and leaves, says Ken Rhinefrank, Columbias vice president of research. Two spars connect to a damper below the surface of the water and the entire unit will be connected by an umbilic al to the sea floor where transmissions will send the energy to a substation.To get to that design required years of experimentation. Whats efficient for a wave of seven seconds is not necessarily whats efficient for a wave of eight seconds. And the size and power of each wave changes radically throughout the day and the year. The average meter-wide wave has about 34 kilowatts to it. In the summer, though, those waves shrink to the 15-kilowatt level, while in the winter they might be as strong as 50 or 60 kilowatts. So Rhinefrank and his kollektiv investigated literally thousands of shapes, he says. After several iterations, the Stingrays spar has become cylindrical rather than a cube and the floats are contoured. Thanks to these changes, the Stingray has increased its efficiency by mora than 200 percent in the past few years.The StingRAY utility-scale wave power system. Image Columbia Power TechnologiesBut its not just the size and length of the waves that vary. Changing wave direc tion was another challenge Columbia needed to meet head on, as it were. Rhinefrank and his team settled on a single point mooring system to keep the Stingray at the optimal angle to the waves. Imagine a boat anchored with a single line. The boat will turn to face the waves as they change direction. Hour by hour waves change direction, Rhinefrank says. The device does what we call weather vane to head into the median wave direction.The biggest hurdle the team faced was finding a way to stay operational with storm force waves. Other wave energy capture devices have a range of motion, around five to ten meters, and they have a heaving point absorber that prevents unlimited vertical movement. There are problems associated with that end stop, says Rhinefrank. With larger forces theres a good chance of damage. To avoid that, when it gets above a certain wave height they lock the device down so theres no end stop collisions and the device isnt beating itself to death. Rhinefrank, though, wanted his device to be operational year round and did not want to have to shut down the device when the energy was at its best. So the Stingray has a 360-degree range of motion. When a wave pushes it too hard, the float will be driven up and over and is free to return to the forward position, he says. To put the ocean to use powering our land-based needs, the StingRAY needs to be tested in real waters. The first step is to demonstrate a single device and the demonstration has to show commercial viability in order to obtain investment to start a farm, says Rhinefrank. Its expensive developing a new technology, even more so in the ocean where forces and storm waves create loads which can be more than 100 times what you would see in average conditions. Once a single Stingray has proved its viability, itll be time to test a farm. Rhinefrank estimates that that might happen in the year 2021. Until then, the oceans power will just be something to marvel at. Michael Abrams is an indepen dent writer.Learn more about the latest energy technologies at ASMEs Power and Energy. For Further DiscussionIts expensive developing a new technology- even more so in the ocean where forces and storm waves create loads which can be more than 100 times what you would see in average conditions.Ken Rhinefrank, Columbia Power Technologies

Shhh! The Library is a Great Place for Job Seekers

Shhh The Library is a Great Place for Job SeekersShhh The Library is a Great Place for Job SeekersShhh The Library is a Great Place for Job SeekersBeing out of work can be stressful, frustrating, and worst of all, utterly boring. Once youve contacted all your contacts, applied to all the jobs on all the job boards, and exhausted every other avenue you can think of, what do you do with yourself? Go to the good ol public library Its an island of peace and tranquility that can soothe your embattled soul. And it might even open up some new ideas for the job huntIf youre like most adults (unless youre accompanied by your school-age kids), you probably havent been to the library since you were in school. So it may come as a surprise to you to know that most public libraries have evolved into multimedia resources extraordinaireOne thing that hasnt changed is that its quiet at the library, which makes it one of my favorite escapes.There are books (of course), but there are also DVDs, audio b ooks, music CDs, entrepreneurial magazines, computers with internet access, discount tickets for cultural venues, and lots more. So whether youre in the mood for an inspiring biography, a favorite old movie, or a trashy novel to take your mind off things, get thee to a libraryOh, I almost forgot the best part Everythings FREEDo you have any other freebies that can help job seekers fill their spare time with productive, positive activities? Leave a comment

Autonomous vehicles may change work for millions of people

Autonomous vehicles may change work for millions of peopleAutonomous vehicles may change work for millions of peopleIts rare that anything affects the livelihoods of 9.5 million workers, or the lives of nearly all Americans. But because most of the country relies on some form of transportation, autonomous vehicles and the digital technologies they represent could mean major changes for a large percentage of people living and working in the United States.A recent article by fellows at the Brookings Institution hypothesizes that the impacts of so-called digital mobility will not only touch workers in their immediate path, such as drivers, but also change the job functions of people who design, build and maintain vehicles. But thats not all The people who create and preserve environments such as roads and highways will also have to adapt when a driver isnt behind the wheel.Altogether, the Brookings Institution estimates that 3.9 million drivers, 3.8 million auto support workers and 1.8 million transport support workers will be impacted. That does not mean theyll be fired, or that their jobs will be retired. But they will have to adapt to a new landscape of transportation, where todays model has become obsolete.RecommendationsThe Brookings Institution estimates that every state will feel the effects of digital mobility, but states in the Midwest with large manufacturing centers will likely be impacted the most.To anticipate a coming age where autonomous vehicles increasingly become the norm, fellows at the Brookings Institution say a few questions need to be answered. First, experts need to get an idea of what new jobs will be created by autonomous vehicles and general digitalization, and which positions will disappear in coming years because of them. Then, they need to decide what skills workers need in this new economy, so the transition does not lead to instability. And finally, state and local governments need advice on where to focus their development efforts so they can promote opportunity instead of losing jobs.Change does not have to be bad, and inroads in digitalization do not have to mean that millions of people become unemployed because theyre no longer qualified or necessary. But now is the time to start looking into how companies and the government can address this digital boom, before its upon us.

Things You Wont Like About Entrepreneur Resume and Things You Will

Things You Wont Like About Entrepreneur Resume and Things You Will The Battle Over Entrepreneur Resume and How to Win It An expert summary is a brief paragraph at the very top of your resume that highlights your abilities and qualifications. Possessing a very clear and professional resume is critical in the medical field. There are lots of jobs which dont expect a Phd, a masters degree or just a bachelors. Agricultural Resume is a sort of resume thats being submitted by an applicant who would like to work in agricultural research, agricultural area and farming operations. The manager is the principal decision maker of the business the majority of the time and so is anticipated to think fast and produce solutions to problems confronting the corporation. The recruiter might want to know why you opted to return to a desk job. ur occupation is to ensure they provide you with the interview. Naturally, each job will call for unique abilities and experiences, so make certain you read the work description carefully and concentrate on the skills listed by the employer. Creative thinking sometimes takes a smart, capable small business owner to some other amount of succeeding. At exactly the same time, there is not any need to emphasize your age. Initially thought, you may initially think an entrepreneur doesnt require a resume, they work for themselves and theyre need to submit an application for another 9 5 job is far from the question. When folks are reading your resume, theyre attempting to piece together your story in a brief time period. Whats Truly Going on with Entrepreneur Resume Job landseekers deserve to discover decent content quickly. Freelancing 101 is an occasional series to help the growing number of freelancers in the marketplace. Top Entrepreneur Resume Secrets Now you have a notion of what things to cover, it is the right time to get started making new connections with your own entrepreneur CV. One of the huge assets of an entrepr eneur is the quantity of daily hands-on experience you will entail. A knowledgeable and knowledgeable entrepreneur is a catch for virtually any organization. The perfect candidate is going to be relocated and the employer, needless to say, will cover the move. The Dos and Donts of Entrepreneur Resume You will obtain the entrepreneurial mindset and relevant skills it requires to successfully launch and grow your organization. Working on a startup or small business indicates plenty of effective abilities and traits no matter your outcome. There are lots of reasons why an entrepreneur would return to work. He imagines new ways to solve problems and create value with a constant hunger to make things better. The Awful Secret of Entrepreneur Resume HR managers look through thousands of applications weekly and theyre acquainted with all present samples. Employers should have the ability to come across strong keywords throughout your resume to be able to yield the most effective possible outcomes and provide you the best chances at exposure. Using CVs are varied from 1 region to another. Freelance work ought to be included as a boost to your resume, and is less valuable if youre doing work that doesnt relate to your field or wouldnt lead to a reference. No matter the reason, youve got to prepare a good Entrepreneur resume. Including your startup or company on a resume would be quite much like the way you would incorporate any other work experience. If you want to see creative resumes made with Enhancv, which you are able to easily make with no design experience whatsoever, take a look at our Successful Resumes page. Running a company is a big responsibility. Accounting and finance managers might want to see your technical understanding. To begin with, there are a number of reasons why folks need a resume for the entrepreneur. Some famed entrepreneurs, however, can nonetheless be self-effacing. Whether youre a business proprietor, operations man ager, or just a serial entrepreneur, if youre searching for a job youre going to want a resume. A little small business owner is a person who starts a business on a little scale. Interestingly enough, most entrepreneurs and company owners dont compose a work description for themselves. Every small company aspires to raise and become multinational someday.

Unanswered Questions on Pharmacy Technician Resume Sample

Unanswered Questions on Pharmacy Technician Resume Sample The Dos and Donts of Pharmacy Technician Resume Sample Most employers utilize computer scanners in reviewing resumes so you must make sure that youre only writing words that are associated with the job. After that, dont forget to write about the certifications and training which you have taken for the job. Resumes, specifically, show a possible employer yur skills, education, and experience in the area. Getting the Best Pharmacy Technician Resume Sample Writing a resume from scratch may be daunting job, no 2 ways about it. If you wish to ensure that youve got the best resume possible to help you receive the job that you want, then doing it yourself is always a superb idea. You must think about writing a bit mora different resume within different jobs, a modern resume template will be quite useful in doing this. To help you receive your job of choice, be certain to submit a compelling resume. Things You Wont Like Ab out Pharmacy Technician Resume Sample and Things You Will Pharmacies are always watching for Pharmacy Technicians with the competencies and expertise to help them manage the many distinct functions of the business enterprise. To learn more on what it requires to be a Pharmacy Technician, take a look at our complete Pharmacy Technician Job Description. A pharmacy technicians job is to work with the main pharmacist and help her or him in delivering the most suitable medication to the clients. The duty of the pharmacy technician is to offer assistance to pharmacists so the pharmacist can free some time for the more intricate facets of their duties. The Start of Pharmacy Technician Resume Sample When it is for hospital or retail pharmacy positions, they need those who would give the very best service to their clients. A pharmacy assistant is part of the health care community and their job profile is supposed toward human well-being. If you would like an excellent pharmacy tech job, then you require a conspicuous resume that will stick out. Youre now ready to look for work in the pharmacy tech field. If you want to make online flipbooks for a provider then Yudu is a fantastic selection. By using our Pharmacy Technician resume sample, you are certainly going to enhance your probability of landing the job that you desire. The certified pharmacy technician resume sample can function as a helpful resource for anybody fighting to compose her or his own. Moreover, keep in mind that the space on your resume is limited so even when you have far more, make an effort not to list more than three important responsibilities. You might also see Pharmacist Resume Templates If youre a seasoned candidate, note down your professional knowledge in a chronological way. Pharmacy technicians have to do lots of things in a brief time.

5 Ways to Deal with a Rude Hiring Manager

5 Ways to Deal with a Rude Hiring Manager5 Ways to Deal with a Rude Hiring ManagerYou land a job vorstellungsgesprch with a company that youre longing to work for. So when you go in for your job interview, you dont just want the hiring manager to like you- you want him to recommend you for the job But when you finally meet, the hiring manager isnt just unfriendly, hes downright rude. You can still salvage a job interview, even with a rude hiring manager.Here are five ways to handle a rude hiring manager1. Stay calm.By their very nature, job interviews are stressful. And if your emotions are already running high, it might not be easy to objectively assess if the part is being rude or not. So if the hiring manager says something that you find objectionable, take a deep breath and stay calm. It could be that youre taking the persons remark the wrong way, or that you might have misunderstood the intention behind the comment. Give the interview- and yourself- a little more time before pos sibly making any rash decisions.2. Dont take it personally. Although its easy to assume that you might have said something to irk your interviewer, chances are, you probably didnt. The hiring manager just might be having an off day, so try not to blame yourself for his mood. Removing your own emotions from the equation can help you focus on the questions- and less on how your interviewers grin looks more like a grimace.3. Know whats acceptable- and whats not. Its one thing if the hiring manager is a little icy during your job interview. Its a totally different ballgame if your interviewer acts unprofessionally. That can range the gamut from asking inappropriate or even illegal interview questions (for example, Whats your religion? or Are you pregnant or planning to become pregnant soon?). If your interviewer acts in an unethical manner, or crosses the line with his questions, you have every right to refuse to answer those questions.4. Make it a game. Some hiring managers ask strange interview questions just to see how job candidates will respond. The same can hold true for their behavior, too, which is meant to see if they can rattle you or not. If you really want to work for the company, turn the job interview into a game Maintain your professionalism by answering every question as calmly and as thoroughly as you can, despite how rude the hiring manager might be acting.5. Know when to call it quits. Its important to work for a company that promotes a healthy work environment. So if the hiring manager is offensive or the interview is going south fast, consider whether youd really want to work for that company. Above all, listen to your gut. If your instincts are telling you that this isnt the right fit, a rude hiring manager just might be a blessing in disguise.Know someone looking for a job? Refer a friend to with this link- youll get a month free service and theyll get 30% off

The Career-Breaking Flaw That Is the Broken Promise

The Career-Breaking Flaw That Is the Broken Promise The Career-Breaking Flaw That Is the Broken Promise Theydiminish the value of your wordPeople want to count on you when you say you will do something. If you regularly drop the ball, people will rely on you less.They cause you to lose opportunitiesIf you regularly break your promises, people will not want to have you on their projects, teams, and/or committees.They lower yourself-esteemYou may not know why you dont come through on your commitments, but knowing that you arent holding up your end of a deal can make you question your own integrity.Do you writedown action items and then complete only some of them? Do you miss deadlines? Do you make commitments andinconsistently deliver? If you said yes to any of these questions, you are breaking promises, andthat means you are hurting your reputation and future career prospects.Here are four ways to abflug building a reputation for reliability, delivery, and contribution after youve b roken a promiseDont forget the things that you promise to doThe best way to do this is to keep a written record of your promises. When you take action items voluntarily or via assignation, put them on a list. This keeps the specifics of your responsibilities in an easily accessible physical place. Youmight otherwise forget them if you store them only in your mind.Clarify what is expected of youEnsure that you and those you work with are synchronized. Match what you believe you are supposed to be doing with the expectations other people have of you. Get confirmations in writing. An example of this might bewriting a summary of a meeting which identifies the action items you are to take and sharing it with others.Give people the opportunity to respond by saying something like, If there is something that you anticipate me doing that is not on this list, please reply and let me know right away so I can be sure to fulfill all of myresponsibilities.Take on lessThere will almost always be m ore things for you to do than you can possibly attend to. Do only those things that are of highest importance and be clear that you will not be doing the rest.Make sure others share your priorities.Use as promised in your communicationsWhen writing follow-up emails or talking to people, state specifically that you are delivering on your commitment. For example, say, We discussed the trigger list for creating your list of things to do. As promised, I am sending the list to you attached to this email.If you might miss a deadline or have to stop one project to give attention to another, renegotiateYou will need diplomacy and tact to deliver your message and receive understanding and acceptance that things have changed. However,you will also get credit for integrity and keeping your eye on the ball.

What Not to Include on a Professional Resume

What Not to Include on a Professional ResumeWhat Not to Include on a Professional ResumeThere are countless tips for job seekers who are looking to create a resume, but sometimes what not to include in a resume is just as important as what you include.I saw hundreds of resumes when hiring writers earlier in my career. There are a few that mucksmuschenstill stand out in my memory- for the wrong reasons.Multiple people submitted resumes including e-mail addresses that sounded unprofessional. One applicant went into detail about their hobby of selling items on eBay. Another had a few sentences explaining why New Jersey was their favorite state to visit. (Check out this list of some of the worst resume mistakes ever, compiled by Salary.com.)Standing out from the pack is important when applying for jobs, but a cover letter is the place to let your personality shine through. A resume should be a concise document that provides an overview of your experience, accomplishments, and skills. Her e are a few suggestions for what to leave off when creating a resume.Typos and errorsThis one is obvious, of course, but it is one of the most important mistakes to avoid. Having any errors on your resume is often the fastest way to getting rejected. Simply using spell check is not enough I recently read something by a business who referred to themselves a though leader rather than a thought leader. Spell check is a useful tool, but you cant rely on it alone. One editing tip is to print your resume and then read it out loud. Changing things up in this way gives you a fresh perspective on it and makes it easier to identify mistakes. Having someone else look it over is also a good idea. In addition to trying to catch typos, make sure that your resumes format is consistent, that all dates are correct, and that your contact info is current.PicturesMany employers today use applicant tracking ordnungsprinzips to screen resumes. Applicant tracking systems cannot always read pictures, and i f the system cannot read your resume, your application will be discarded. Further, some hiring managers will automatically reject all applicants who include photos of themselves, in order to protect their company from any claims of discrimination.Objective statementA resume objective statement is often a vague, general statement along the lines of Interested in obtaining a project management position where I can provide leadership and direct large scale programs. In other words, an objective statement doesnt really say much at all. If you have submitted your application for a job, then it is obvious that your objective is to get hired for that role. Thus, the objective statement is unnecessary.While it is important to use resume keywords, these are best included when detailing your skills and experience.ReferencesIncluding the statement references available upon request, or anything in that vein, is essentially a waste of space. It is assumed that you have references if you dont, th at is something you should address immediately. If you are just starting out in your career, consider using a teacher, professor, or a supervisor from volunteer experience or an internship. For the most part, employers do not ask for references until the interview stage, so you do not need to mention references on your resume at all, especially because space is at a premium.More than two pagesAgain, a resume is intended to be concise. A curriculum vitae, or CV, is a document that includes all of your experience, education, and accomplishments, but only a handful of industries use CVs rather than resumes. If your resume is more than two pages, you need to trim the content. As already mentioned, you do not to include an objective statement or any mention of references. You also generally do not need to include information about your GPA (unless you are a recent graduate, and it was exceptional) or college coursework. Keep your resume limited to information relevant to the job for whic h you are applying.Unexplained abbreviationsAn abbreviation might seem obvious to you, but it is important to be clear and specific. If you list that you earned your bachelors degree at USC, does that mean the University of Southern California, or the University of South Carolina? Applicant tracking systems do not necessarily recognize every possible keyword variation. And keep in mind that, should your resume make it to a hiring manager, they might not know every abbreviation used in your field.Be as clear as you can, but dont bog your resume down in too much detail.Dont try to be funny or cute, and dont use include any filler. When creating a resume, the goal is to provide a clear and concise picture of your background and accomplishments.