IMPORTANCE OF MANAGEMENT:

Managers influence all the phases of modern organizations. Sales Managers maintain a sales force that markets goods. Personnel managers provide organizations with a competent and productive workforce. Plant managers run manufacturing operations that produce the clothes we wear, the food we eat, and the automobiles we drive.

Our society could never exist as we know it today nor improve without a steady stream of managers to guide its organizations. The well known management author Peter Drucker highlighted this point when he said that Effective Management is probably the main resource of developed countries and the most needed resource of developing ones.

In short, all societies, whether developed or developing, need a huge lot of good managers.

THE ROLE OF MANAGEMENT:

Essentially, the role of managers is to guide the organizations toward goal accomplishment. All organizations exist for certain purposes or goals,and managers are responsible for combining and using organizational resources to ensure that their organizations achieve their purposes.

The role of the Management is to move an organization towards its purposes or goals by assigning activities that organization members perform.

If Management ensures that all the activities are designed effectively, the production of each individual worker will contribute to the attainment of the organizational goals.

Management strives to encourage individual activity that will lead to reaching organizational goals and to discourage individual activity that will hinder the accomplishment of the organization objectives. 

There is no idea more important than managing the fulfillment of the organizational goals and objectives. The meaning of the Management is given by its goals and objectives.

All managers, must have a single minded focus on the fulfillment of the organizational goals.

LEADERSHIP TYPES AND STYLES

Most of us are members of many different social groups, and several of those groups have leaders. In this lesson, we define and discuss both instrumental and expressive leadership in groups. We also cover three leadership decision-making styles: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire.

Instrumental vs. Expressive Leadership

Many of us choose to be in social groups because there are number of benefits that we receive as members. We may choose to be in a group for instrumental (or task) reasons so that the other group members can help us accomplish something. Or, we may choose to be in a group for expressive (or emotional) reasons so that the other group members can provide us with companionship, love, and security.

Think about our social groups in the context of leadership. There are typically two types of leadership: instrumental and expressive. Instrumental leadership focuses on achieving goals. Leaders who are dominantly instrumental work to maintain productivity and ensure that tasks are completed. They make good managers because they get the job done. However, they are often so focused on the task that they can alienate other members of the group.

Expressive leadership, on the other hand, focuses on maintaining group cohesion. Leaders who are dominantly expressive work to maintain warm, friendly relationships and ensure the collective well-being of the group. They make good bosses because they truly care for their employees. However, they are sometimes lacking efficiency and organizational skills.

Although most leaders are dominantly instrumental or expressive, both styles are needed for groups to work effectively. So, the most effective leaders have the ability to use the style that best fits the situation. They can switch from being instrumental and focusing on the task, to being expressive and focusing on collaboration, whenever they see a need.

Authoritarian Decision-Making

Beyond dominant leadership types and abilities, leaders also vary in their decision-making styles. There are three basic styles of leadership decision-making: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire.

Authoritarian leaders make decisions on their own with no input from group members

Leaders who use authoritarian decision-makingmake all of the major group decisions and demand compliance from the group members. Authoritarian leaders typically make decisions on their own and tell other group members what to do and how to do it. Authoritarian leadership can be beneficial when a decision needs to be made quickly or when a project or situation is particularly stressful.

For example, imagine you were a member of the Greek army during the Trojan War. It would have been beneficial for Odysseus to practice authoritarian decision-making in order to determine who would perform each task of building the Trojan Horse. You and the other soldiers would not have had to worry about making complex decisions, but instead, you could focus on your individual tasks. Imagine what would have happened if all of those soldiers had spent days debating while in the midst of a war!

While authoritarian leadership can be beneficial at times, it is often the case that it's more problematic. This type of decision-making is easily abused, and authoritarian leaders are often viewed as bossy and controlling. Because authoritarian leaders make decisions without consulting the group, many group members may resent the leader because they are unable to contribute ideas.

Democratic Decision-Making

The next type of leadership decision-making is democratic. Leaders who use democratic decision-makingencourage group discussion and believe in decision-making through consensus. Democratic leaders still make the final decision, but do so only after carefully considering what other group members have said. Usually, their decision goes with the majority. Democratic leaders are generally the most popular. They make members of the group feel included and promote teamwork and creativity.

For example, think about King Arthur and his knights. Most of us are familiar with the famous round table, where all of the knights plus King Arthur would sit in equal status. They would discuss problems in the kingdom together and come to a consensus before King Arthur would take action.

While democratic leadership has been described as the most effective decision-making style, it does have a downside. The time that it takes to reach a group consensus can be crippling for a project. In order for every group member to be heard, discussion can last for a very long time. This can lead to frustration and sometimes even uncompleted projects.

Laissez-Faire Decision-Making

Laissez-faire, loosely translated, means 'to leave alone' in French. Therefore, leaders who use laissez-faire decision-making let the groups make their own decisions. They are only minimally involved, basically sitting back and letting the group function on its own. Laissez-faire is usually the least effective style of leadership decision-making.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY AND HOW TO FOSTER IT

 Why is creativity important? Is this a question you have asked yourself? Creativity should not be underestimated. Creativity in children is so important. Creativity helps teach cognitive skills such as mathematics and scientific thinking. Creative thinking involves imagination, basic use of the scientific method, communication, physical dexterity and exertion, problem posing, problem solving, making interpretations, and using symbols which help with future literacy skills.

 THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY AND HOW TO FOSTER IT

 1-Creativity promotes emotional development-

Creative expression provides many opportunities for expressing emotions and working through those emotions to gain relief and understanding of them.

To help your child do this you could encourage a child who is angry to draw or paint a picture of how they are feeling. You could play varied types of music that invoke different emotions and then ask your child how the music makes them feel.

 2-Creativity promotes social development-

In young childhood, creativity is often a social act. Singing, dancing, puppetry, and theater all teach the child to pay attention to others as well as develop an understanding of social rules like give and take, and cooperation.

Have a dance party with other children or have the child and their friends put on a play or puppet show.

 3-Creativity supports physical development-

Working with art materials such as crayons, scissors, paint brushes, play dough and paint promote fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination.

To promote gross motor skills try dancing, mural painting, theater, or large construction projects like building things with boxes.

 4-Creativity supports language and literacy development-

By engaging in creative play or projects, children can learn new vocabulary words as well as learn to associate pictures with words.

As mentioned above try playing different kinds of music and creating a conversation with the child about how it makes them feel; this will boost language expression and understanding.

Expose your child to plenty of instruments and talk to them about their favorite one and what sound each instrument makes. Ask them open ended questions about their art work such as “how did you feel when you drew this” or “how does this painting make you feel?”

 5-Creativity promotes cognitive development-

Creative activities help children to develop attention skills and cognitive learning. Their imagination is in full use and it encourages them to come up with new ideas and to think outside of the box since creativity involves exploration and problem solving.

Through creative activities such as playing with play dough, children can learn pre-math skills such as the concept of less and more. When children match shapes or colors in their creations they are learning the math skill one to one correspondence.

Creative activities can help them learn about grouping and classification, physical properties of objects, and cause and effect. Painting and play dough are all great ways to explore these concepts.

There are four components of creativity as described by Psychologist Ellis P. Torrance: fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration.

Fluency is the ability to produce a number of different ideas. To promote fluency provide children with plenty of opportunities that stimulate the thought process.

Ask open ended questions and questions that ask the child’s opinion. Encourage the child to explore and experiment and this will enhance cognitive growth.

Flexibility is the ability to approach different situations and develop solutions from a number of different perspectives.

Foster flexibility by allowing plenty of opportunities to explore and experiment. Allowing children to experiment and make mistakes unleashes their creative thinking and a sense of wonder. They feel free to imagine, invent, create, and try out new ways to do things.

Asking questions during an activity or when a problem arises such as “how is another way we could do this or solve it?” encourages children to think outside of the box.

Originality is the ability to have a new or novel idea.

To promote originality, provide a variety of supplies and experiences in which children can use their imagination and create.

By painting or constructing something out of play dough they are creating something out of nothing.

Elaboration is the ability to extend ideas. Give children new ways of doing old ideas and activities. For instance, providing pipe cleaner and other items to stick into play dough would allow children to elaborate in their play.

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Critical Thinking: What Is It and Why Is It So Important?

Critical Thinking: The Basics 

Critical thinking is a decision making process used to solve problems. There are two aspects that define critical thinking:

1. Critical thinking is based on evidence and logical reasoning. Emotions and memorization are not a part of logical thinking.
2. Critical thinking requires evaluating and improving your own thought processes. As the Foundation for Critical Thinking explains, critical thinking relies on universal intellectual values like clarity, relevance and consistency.

Critical Thinking Skills: How They Can Help You

Logical reasoning and critical thinking techniques have many positive effects, including:

• Improved cognitive skills;
• A foundation of logical decision making on which you can draw, even in stressful situations; and,
• Higher academic and professional achievement.

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?

Here are a few specific examples that explain why your critical thinking skills are worth developing:

• Critical Thinking Forces Intellectual Self Improvement

Focusing on evidence over emotion or ego allows you to think critically and consider hard facts as you assess your performance. At its core, critical thinking is inward-focused. The goal is to maximize your ability to think rationally. This sort of critical reflection is key to improving your cognitive skills. In turn, it leads to increased overall intelligence and improved test performance.

• Critical Thinking Allows You to Become a Better Team Player 

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There can be multiple answers to the same problem, and this realization is important to the critical thinking process. It allows you to be a better listener and collaborator when you’re working as part of a group, as well as to become more flexible in your problem solving. Plus, focusing on logical reasoning rather than on emotion or interpersonal team dynamics helps you check your ego at the door. That way, you more easily can be a valuable part of a team.

• Critical Thinking Leads to A More Creative Mindset

According to Linda Elder and Richard Paul, of the Foundation for Critical Thinking’s Critical Thinking Community, experienced critical thinkers will naturally make more connections across subjects. Interdisciplinary logical thinking leads to professional and academic success.

• Critical Thinking Helps You Stay Calm and Rational Under Stress

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Even in very stressful situations, critical thinkers can rely on their logical decision making skills to make sound decisions. Especially as you prepare for standardized tests, using logic to help you sort through life’s challenges can be extraordinarily helpful.

Think about the impact critical thinking skills can have in context. Whether as part of a group project in school or in the workplace, being an attentive listener who can identify connections that might otherwise go unnoticed gives interdisciplinary logical thinking professional and academic value.

BEFORE DOING ANYTHING, YOU HAVE TO THINK CRITICALLY SO YOU WILL A BETTER REASON FOR YOUR ANSWER

WE MUST NOT FAIL

1. We must not fail, we must not fail,
   However fraud or force assail;
   By honour, pride, and policy,
   By Heaven itself!—we must be free.
2. Time had already thinned our chain,
   Time would have dulled our sense of pain;
   By service long, and suppliance vile,
   We might have won our owner's smile.

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3. We spurned the thought, our prison burst,
   And dared the despot to the worst;
   Renewed the strife of centuries,
   And flung our banner to the breeze.
4. We called the ends of earth to view
   The gallant deeds we swore to do;
   They knew us wronged, they knew us brave,
   And all we asked they freely gave.
5. We took the starving peasant's might
   To aid in winning back his right,
   We took the priceless trust of youth;
   Their freedom must redeem our truth.
6. We promised loud, and boasted high,
   "To break our country's chains, or die;"
   And, should we quail, that country's name
   Will be the synonym of shame.
7. Earth is not deep enough to hide
   The coward slave who shrinks aside;
   Hell is not hot enough to scathe
   The ruffian wretch who breaks his faith.
8. But—calm, my soul!—we promised true
   Her destined work our land shall do;
   Thought, courage, patience will prevail!
   We shall not fail—we shall not fail!

THE TEN GOLDEN RULES FOR ENTREPRENEURS

Rule 1: Have a visionYour vision is your destination. You’ll need a map to help you reach that destination, which will be made up of goals and results. The vision is the vital part, otherwise you won’t know where you’re heading and your goals will be irrelevant.

Rule 2: Use your influenceAll businesses need business partners to grow. Tycoons know the importance of filling

the gaps and weaknesses in their own skill set or business idea, by finding the parts of the jigsaw puzzle to create the best chance of success.

Rule 3: Build your confidenceIf you don't believe in yourself or your idea, why should anyone else? Gain confidence through gaining experience, skills and knowledge. Change your perception of failure to realise that it gives you useful feedback. Feedback provides essential learning to help know what not to do the next time.

Rule 4: Make a commitmentCommitting to follow through once a decision is made is an invaluable ally on your road to success. Be prepared to work hard and make sacrifices. Commit to a common goal and make it happen, but commit to yourself and your health too.

Rule 5: Aim for resultsTycoons make things happen. They’re driven by results. Planning for your success is as important as achieving success. You need to know exactly how you got there so your success can be duplicated, scaled up and multiplied, and it's that which turns an entrepreneur into a tycoon.

Rule 6: Take actionAction is the bridge between your vision and results. Action involves figuring out how to get from where you are now to where you want to be. Without action there would be no results.

Rule 7: TimingAnticipating the changing needs of the market and partners is crucial. Timing when to enter a market or not will help you to optimise success, as will knowing the right time and circumstances to start your business.

Rule 8: PerseveranceTycoons go the extra mile. Perseverance, sheer determination and tenacity are core 

characteristics of the mindset of a tycoon. Successful entrepreneurs battle against all the odds to build their business and always appreciate when it’s time to get out. Try to have flexibility to work outside your own comfort zones in order to bring your dreams to fruition.

Rule 9: Be caringRelationships with people are key. Business and personal relationships should be cherished. Treat people how you yourself would want to be treated. Always remember that people are the lifeblood and engine room of any business.

Rule 10: Use your intuitionListen to your instincts. They can protect you from making poor business decisions and guide you down the right path.

REASONS WHY WE FAIL

There is loads of information out there that focus on matters of success and achievement along with the techniques to get you there. But while there is much information about what leads to success there isn’t much about the major causes of failure.

One of the most influential writers on success and achievement, Napoleon Hill, made note of these 30 major causes of failure in his most influential book of all time -“Think and Grow Rich.”

While it is important to remember that there is a solution to every problem, we find that there are other causes of failure that derive from our own self. This article focuses on these types of failures – if one is really serious about making moves during their existence – it is highly recommended you are sure to rid yourself of these causes of failure immediately.

1) Lack of Well Defined Purpose in Life

It is much more difficult to stumble upon success than there is of focusing your intent on achieving a specific goal and striving towards its realization. Find out what you want out of life, and go for it.

2) Lack of Ambition to Aim Above Mediocrity

Success requires hard work, motivation, and persistence.  If one is content with being one of the crowd, one will not reach high positions in life because he lacks the internal desire.

3) Lack of Self-Discipline

Discipline can only be acquired through self-control. It is not something that is received over night. It takes much power to control your negative qualities such as over indulgence in many different procrastination-inducing activities.

4) Procrastination

No matter what you read about the law of attraction. Only thinking about something will not make it happen. If you keep putting something off, it will never be done.  Get started on what you need to do, don’t wait for the ‘right time’.

5) Lack of Persistence

At this time of existence, our generation is overrun with a high amount of self-indulgence as well as instant-gratification expectations. Because of this we are automatically searching for ways to feed our laziness while expecting everything to be done for us. Due to this when people find the going getting tough, they duck out too early instead of pushing through. This is one of the biggest causes of failure.

6) Negative Personality

Those with negative personalities set from the get-go will not get very far in life. Through pessimism one will find themselves unconsciously taking on other qualities that lead to failure.

7) Fear of Criticism or Rejection

Those who would rather not try than fail will inevitably experience failure. Life is for experiencing. There fine line between simply going through the motions of life and actually living it. No one is perfect; no one gets it right the first time. Ask yourself, is your desire for something stronger than your fear of failing at it or the other way around?

8) Lack of Well Defined Power of Decision

It has been proven that people who succeed reach decisions promptly and change them slowly. Those who fail to make decisions or make them slowly have a better chance at failure in the given situation. There is little difference between indecision and procrastination.

9) Lack of Concentration

If your mind is spread all over the place, the amount of concentration on any given thing wears thin. Keep your concentration on your main chief aim, do not move it elsewhere unless need be.

10) Lack of Enthusiasm

If you aren’t enthusiastic about whatever it is you are trying to accomplish, you can’t expect others around you to be convinced of your success let alone yourself. Develop a deep passion for your efforts.

Now that you’ve read this don’t move on to the next article or site, stop for a minute. Take a self-inventory for a second. Are you falling victim to any of these causes of failure?