# data[].attributes.body
I liked this article because it shows that being a good manager don't always come natural it is something that is taught .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Listed below are ten things you can do to become a better manager. Pick one. Do it today. Pick another one for tomorrow. In two weeks you will be a better manager.

Select the Best People

As a manager, you are only as good as the people on your team. Give yourself a better chance to succeed by picking the best people from the start.

Be a Motivator

Human beings do things because we want to. Sometimes we want to because the consequences of not wanting to do something are unpleasant.

However, most of the time we want to do things because of what we get out of it.

It's no different at work; people do good work for the pay, or the prestige, or the recognition. They do bad work because they want to take it easy and still get paid. They work hard because they want to impress someone. To motivate your people better, figure out what they want and how you can give that to them for doing what you want them to do.

Build Your Team

It is not enough that people are motivated to succeed at work. They have to work together as a team to accomplish the group's objective. After all, if we just want them to all "do their own thing" we don't need you as a manager to mold them into a team, do we? Here are some ways to improve your team building skills:

Be a Leader, Not Only a Manager

You have built the best team from the best employee available. You motivated them to peak performance. What is missing?

Motivating a team is worthless unless you provide direction; unless you turn that motivation toward a goal and lead the team to it. It is the ability to lead others that truly sets a manager apart from their peers. Remember that leaders are found at all levels of the organization, so be one.

Here are a couple of examples, one good and one bad:

Improve as a Communicator

Communication may be the single most important skill of a manager. After all, all the others depend on it. You can't be a leader if you can't communicate your vision. You can't motivate people if they can't understand what you want. Communication skills can be improved through practice. Here are two exercises you can use to improve your ability to communicate effectively.

Get Better at Managing Money

A company has to make money to stay in business. That means bringing money in the door, and it means spending less than you bring in. Depending on your function in the organization, you may have more influence on one area or the other, but you need to understand both. You can help your company, your employees, and yourself be getting better at managing the company's money.

Don't be put off by the numbers, or by the fact that "it's math." Start learning more about money management by reading these articles:

Get Better at Managing Time

The one thing you will probably have less of at work than money is time. The better you get at managing time, yours and others, the more effective you will be as a manager.

Here are two key skills:

Improve Yourself

Don't focus so hard on your people that you forget about yourself. Identify the areas in which you are weak and improve them. The fact that you are reading this article shows you understand the concept. You need to put it into practice.

Practice Ethical Management

Enron-like scandals have driven home the point about how important ethics is in business. If you want to avoid similar mistakes, here are some things to consider:

Take a Break

You are less effective as a manager if you are over-stressed. You are less tolerant. You snap at people more. No one wants to be anywhere near you. Take a break. Give yourself a chance to relax and recharge your batteries.

Your increased productivity when you return will more than make up for the time you take off. Have a good laugh or go lie on a beach somewhere.

Bottom Line

Management is a skill that can be learned. You can improve as a manager by working every day to get better. Bookmark this page and come back every day for the next two weeks. If you pick one subject each day and work on improving in that area, you will be a better manager before you know it. And others will notice it too.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Here Are 10 Things You Can Do Today to Become a Better Manager

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Listed below are ten things you can do to become a better manager. Pick one. Do it today. Pick another one for tomorrow. In two weeks you will be a better manager. As a manager, you are only as good as the people on your team.

# data[].attributes.body
This article shows what characteristics makes a good manage

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
5 min read

A Note From The Editor

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
LinkedIn Influencer, Mark Graban, published this post originally on LinkedIn.
A key thing I've learned in my career and my own work experience:

"Bad managers tell employees what to do, good managers explain why they need to do it, but great managers involve people in decision making and improvement."

There might be more to management to that, but I think that's a pretty good start. " Lean management," or the Toyota management style, encourages leaders to live in that "good to great" range ( with apologies to Jim Collins).

Bad managers bark orders. They are directive and tell employees what to do, without any explanation or context. I saw that style of management quite often during my first two years at General Motors (read my previous post about that experience) and the workplace was incredibly dysfunctional as a result.

There are top-down, "command and control" managers in every type of workplace, unfortunately. Managers who are controlling and have all the answers want their employees to " check their brains at the door," and often say so quite explicitly - or they spread that message in more subtle ways.

At GM, front-line employees complained that they were "hired for their backs and their arms, not their brains." In hospitals, healthcare professionals (even those with master's degrees) have complained, "They just want us to do what we're told." This is not a recipe for quality, productivity, or good customer service.

A friend of mine lives in a high-rise condo building. One example of "telling" was the general manager telling employees that the doors to the resident gym must now be kept closed at all times. For years, previously, the doors had been left open unless a resident wanted privacy and chose to close them.

My friend asked one of the employees, "Why are the doors closed all of the time now?" The employee replied, "I don't know, [the manager] just told us to."
Related: Why Every Patient Deserves the Care & Caution that Surrounds the American Ebola Patients (LinkedIn)
It's disrespectful to just give directives without letting people understand the reason(s) why. There might have very well been a good reason why the doors were now to be kept closed. Had the manager taken just a few minutes to share a reason why, the employees would feel better about themselves and would more likely keep the doors closed. If employees are following directives out of a fear of being "written up," they aren't in a position to provide great service.

A good condo manager would explain why the doors now need to be closed. And, if there wasn't a good reason why, they wouldn't force the change on a whim.

A great condo manager would involve the employees in coming up with solutions to whatever problem is being solved by keeping the doors closed. The employees, when being posed with the problem, might come up with the idea of "close the doors" or they might come up with something better. Either way, they would feel a greater sense of ownership over the idea since they were involved in its creation.

During my time at GM, the better of the two plant managers I worked for taught us that Lean leaders (in the style of Toyota leaders) will always explain why something must be done, in those rare instances when they have to give a directive. The dynamic changes from "thou shalt wear safety gloves (because I'm the boss and I told you so)" to "you must wear safety gloves (because it's necessary for your safety and we don't want you to get hurt, even though you might think there is little risk)."

Bad managers tell. Good managers explain why.

Great managers go beyond this.

Great managers might engage the employees in figuring out how to reduce the safety risk that makes gloves necessary in the first place. Maybe an employee would suggest that a different, but equally effective, chemical be used. We don't know unless we engage our employees.

In 90% of workplace situations, I'd guess, the manager shouldn't be telling people what to do, even if they are making the effort to explain why. Great managers engage people in designing their work and they continue to engage them in ongoing improvement. As I learned from former Toyota employees and the books of Taiichi Ohno, work procedures " should not be forced down from above but rather set by the production workers themselves."
Related: The VA Scandal: Problems Caused by the System (Targets & Incentives), Not Bad Individuals (LinkedIn)
This mindset and approach requires that leaders set aside their egos and century-old habits. of top-down management. Managers won't have all of the answers. Instead of dictating how things get done (and expecting obedience and compliance), managers need to work together with employees to define how the work is done. Managers need to ask employees what ideas they have for improving the workplace, through the practice of " Kaizen."

Our employees are adults and they deserve our respect. They deserve great leaders who can work together to help everybody succeed and do what's best for their customers (or residents).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Bad Managers, Good Managers and Great Managers Do

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
5 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. LinkedIn Influencer, Mark Graban, published this post originally on LinkedIn. A key thing I've learned in my career and my own work experience: "Bad managers tell employees what to do, good managers explain why they need to do it, but great managers involve people in decision making and improvement."

# data[].attributes.body
This article shows 7 ways that a manager could be remarkable in the workplace.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For many businesspeople, the last thing you want to worry about (or do) is managing people. You want to get out there and meet customers and create awesome products and bring exciting new opportunities through your front door. But unless you've hired people to take on the task of managing your employees, then you're still on the hook.

The good news is that you can make that task a little bit easier for yourself by remembering these 7 essential leadership keys, and your organization will benefit as a direct result.
1. Delegate wisely
The key to leadership success is to learn to effectively delegate both the responsibility for completing assignments and the authority required to get things done. Many bosses feel that they need to control every little thing that their employees do. This is a recipe for disaster. When you delegate work to employees, you multiply the amount of work you can accomplish while you develop your employees' confidence, leadership and work skills.
2. Set goals
Every employee needs goals to strive for. Not only do goals give employees direction and purpose, but they ensure that your employees are working towards the overall organizational goals. Set specific and measurable goals with your employees, then regularly monitor their progress toward achieving them.
3. Communicate
Far too many bosses communicate far too little. It's often difficult for busy business owners and executives to keep their employees up-to-date on the latest organizational news. Regardless, you must make every effort to get employees the information they need to do their jobs quickly and efficiently.
4. Make time for employees
Above all, leadership is a people job. When an employee needs to talk with you--whatever the reason--make sure that you set aside the time to do so. Put your work aside for a moment, put down your smartphone, and focus on the person standing in front of you.
5. Recognize achievements
Every employee wants to do a good job. And when they do a good job, employees want recognition from their bosses. Unfortunately, few bosses do much in the way of recognizing and rewarding employees for a job well done. The good news is that there are many things bosses can do to recognize employees that cost little or no money, are easy to implement, and that take only a few minutes to accomplish.
6. Think about lasting solutions
No matter how difficult the problem, there is always a quick solution, and leaders are happiest when they are devising solutions to problems. The trouble is that, in our zeal to fix things quickly and move on to the next fire, we often overlook the lasting solution that may take longer to develop. Although it's more fun to be a firefighter, the next time you have a problem to solve in your organization, deal with the cause of the problem instead of simply treating the symptoms.
7. Don't take It all too seriously
Without a doubt, running a company is serious business. Products and services must be sold and delivered, and money must be made. Despite the gravity of these responsibilities, successful leaders make their organizations fun places to work. Instead of having employees who look for every possible reason to call in sick or to arrive to work late or go home early, organizations work hard and play hard end up with a more loyal, energized workforce.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
7 Keys to Becoming a Remarkably Effective Leader

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For many businesspeople, the last thing you want to worry about (or do) is managing people. You want to get out there and meet customers and create awesome products and bring exciting new opportunities through your front door. But unless you've hired people to take on the task of managing your employees, then you're still on the hook.

# data[].attributes.body
This article shows how to ensure a manager is doing a great job managing a business.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I recently spoke to Jill Geisler, who is the author of Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know. Her companion "Great Bosses" podcasts on iTunesU have been downloaded 8 million times - and counting. Jill heads the leadership and management faculty of the Poynter Institute. She teaches, writes and consults on critical issues for leaders and counts among her clients The Boston Globe, CNN, and the Washington Post. In recognition of her lifetime contributions to journalism, the University of Wisconsin honored her with its "Distinguished Service to Journalism" award, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association named her to its Broadcast Hall of Fame, and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences inducted her into its prestigious Silver Circle.

In this interview, Jill talks about what it takes to be a happy manager despite the poor economy, how social media can create a happier work environment, and more.
What does it take be a happy manager in a bad economy?
It takes three things: strategic thinking, emotional intelligence and a passion for helping people do their best work, even in the face of diminished resources.

When managers think strategically, they are able to look at bigger picture goals and determine what of the many demands on their time they will make a priority.

With emotional intelligence, they can help their teams recover from setbacks and frustration while using targeted feedback to encourage their progress. (Remember, feedback is a renewable resource that costs managers nothing and pays great dividends.)

And that passion? It transforms them from yesterday's parental-type supervisors into what I believe today's best bosses must be: agents. Employees want to work for someone who approaches them as an agent would: "Sign on with me and I'll help you get to where you want to go. I'll be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. I'll guide you so you'll build a track record that serves you well here or wherever life takes you."
How can social media help build a happier work environment?
Social media is a game changer for internal relationships among colleagues and external relationships with customers. Some organizations view social media, first and foremost, as risk that must be managed. But it's wiser to think of social media as an invitation to creative communication. To instant feedback and problem solving. To putting a human face on people who once were only titles and offices. To building collaboration and relationships. The biggest risk is regulating it so tightly that people can't or won't engage.
What do you recommend for younger leaders as they develop their skills?
Don't worry about your age. Too many of the new managers I coach fear that have a neon sign over their heads that flashes "Untested-Green-Inexperienced."

But the word "new" has other meanings, including "Fresh-Innovative-Improved."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How To Be A Great Manager That Employees Want To Work With

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Jill Geisler I recently spoke to Jill Geisler, who is the author of Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know. Her companion "Great Bosses" podcasts on iTunesU have been downloaded 8 million times - and counting. Jill heads the leadership and management faculty of the Poynter Institute.

# data[].attributes.body
This article shows the strategies used in the workplace.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Learning Objectives

1. Explain the concept of emotional intelligence.

2. Describe the four types of communication in the workplace.

3. Explain the various communication styles and identify your own style.

4. Define nonverbal communication and describe the importance of it in an HR setting.

Communication and Emotional Intelligence (EI)

One of the most important aspects to good communication is emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence is different from IQ. First, EI predicts much of life success, much more than IQ, in fact (Goleman, 2005). According to Daniel Goleman, a researcher on EI, there are five main aspects or domains to EI:

1. Knowing your emotions

2. Managing your emotions

3. Motivating yourself

4. Recognizing and understanding other people's emotions

5. Managing relationships

First, let's discuss knowing your emotions. If we don't know how we feel about something, it can be difficult to communicate. It may seem obvious to know what we are feeling from moment to moment, but oftentimes we do not. How we feel impacts our body language as well as our verbal communication. For example, let's say you just got home from work and had a really crummy day. When you get home, you find that your spouse has not unloaded the dishwasher yet, as you had agreed. Tie this with a crummy day, and you might communicate differently about it than if you had a great day.

On the other hand, if you recognize that you are tired and a bit cranky, your awareness of these emotions allows you to manage them. The third aspect of EI, motivating yourself, goes without saying in a management or human resource role. This is the key not only to career success but also to personal success.

The last two domains of EI revolve around being able to see and understand emotions in other people, which in turn can benefit the relationship. Let's say, in the situation above, you get home and the dishwasher isn't unloaded, but you recognize immediately through body language and facial expressions that your spouse is extremely upset by something. Seeing this emotion in someone else may help you decide if you should mention the dishwasher-or not-at this specific time. But what if you didn't recognize this emotion and raised your voice to your spouse about the unloaded dishwasher? It will probably result in an argument. Using this example, I am sure you can see how this translates into the workplace. Emotional intelligence allows us to work better with people, understand them, and communicate with them.

Human Resource Recall

Do you think you are a good communicator? What could you improve?

Communication Directions

As you already know, communication in companies is key to having a successful organization. Those companies who communicate well with their employees end up with more loyal and motivated workers. Those that don't communicate well, though, see increased turnover, absenteeism, dissatisfied customers, higher product defect rates, lack of focus on business objectives, and lack of innovation ¹. Proper communication can result in a sense of belonging and self-worth, leading to less turnover and absenteeism, which is mentioned in the opening scenario. These issues are also discussed in Chapter 7 "Retention and Motivation". In Section 9.1.3 "Communication Styles", we discuss some of the ways we can stay connected with our employees.

Four main types of communications occur within a company: upward communication, downward communication, diagonal communication, and horizontal communication. Each type of communication can serve a different purpose in human resources, and many messages may be sent in a variety of ways.

Upward communication is when the lower levels of an organization communicate with the upper levels of an organization. Some examples might be an employee satisfaction survey using online survey tools such as SurveyMonkey. These kinds of tools can be used to determine the changes that should occur in a company. Oftentimes human resource departments may develop a survey such as this to find out how satisfied the employees are with things such as benefits. Then the organization can make changes based on the satisfaction level of the employees. Employees might also engage in upward communication in a given work situation. They might tell their manager their plate is full and they can't take on any new projects. This is considered upward communication, too.

Downward communication is the opposite of upward communication, in that the communication occurs from the upper levels of an organization down to the lower levels of the organization. A manager explaining how to do a task to an employee would be considered downward communication. Development of training programs to communicate safety in the organization might be another example. A change in a pay or bonus structure would be communicated using the downward approach as well.

Figure 9.1 Types of Communication Flow in Organizations

A diagonal communication approach occurs when interdepartmental communication occurs with people at different levels of the organization. When the human resources assistant speaks with the marketing manager about the hiring of a new employee in marketing, this would be considered diagonal communication.

Horizontal communication occurs when people of the same level in an organization, for example, a marketing manager and a human resource manager, communicate usually to coordinate work between departments. An accounting manager might share information with a production manager so the production manager knows how much budget they have left.

Within all the communication methods we discussed, there are a variety of approaches. Of course, the most obvious is the informal communication that occurs. An e-mail may be sent or a phone call made. Meetings are another way to communicate information. Companies can also use more formal means to communicate. A blog would be an example. Many companies use blogs to communicate information such as financial numbers, changes to policy, and other "state of the business" information. This type of information is often downward communication. However, blogs are not just for upper management anymore. Companies are using microblogs more and more to ensure that people in various departments stay connected with each other, especially when tasks tend to be very interdependent.

Companies also use social networking sites to keep in touch, such as Twitter and Facebook. For example, Alcatel-Lucent, a 77,000-employee telecommunications company in Europe, found that using social media keeps a large number of employees connected and tends to be a low or no-cost method of communicating. Rather than sending e-mail to their employees telling them to expect updates via these methods, the news is spread via word of mouth as most of the employees blog or use Facebook or other social media to communicate. In fact, Alcatel-Lucent has over eight hundred groups in its system, ranging from business related to ones social in nature (Gaudin, 2010). Use of this type of technology can result in upward, downward, horizontal, and diagonal communication all at once.

Companies also use intranets to communicate information to their employees. An intranet is an internal website, meaning that others generally cannot log in and see information there. The intranet may include information on pay and vacation time as well as recent happenings, awards, and achievements.

Communication Styles

In addition to the communication that occurs within organizations, each of us has our own individual communication style. Many organizations give tests that may indicate their candidate's preferred style, providing information on the best job fit.

Our communication styles can determine how well we communicate with others, how well we are understood, and even how well we get along with others. As you can imagine, our personality types and our communication styles are very similar. Keep in mind, though, that no one person is "always" one style. We can change our style depending on the situation. The more we can understand our own dominant communication style and pinpoint the styles of others, the better we can communicate. The styles are expresser, driver, relater, and analytical. Let's discuss each of these styles next.

People with an expresser communication style tend to get excited. They like challenges and rely heavily on hunches and feelings. Depending on the type of business, this can be a downfall as sometimes hard data should be used for decision-making purposes. These people are easily recognized because they don't like too many facts or boring explanations and tend to be antsy if they feel their time is being wasted with too many facts.

People with a driver style like to have their own way and tend to be decisive. They have strong viewpoints, which they are not afraid to share with others. They like to take charge in their jobs but also in the way they communicate. Drivers usually get right to the point and not waste time with small talk.

People with a relater style like positive attention and want to be regarded warmly. They want others to care about them and treat them well. Because relaters value friendships, a good way to communicate well with them is to create a communication environment where they can feel close to others.

People with an analytical communication style will ask a lot of questions and behave methodically. They don't like to be pressured to make a decision and prefer to be structured. They are easily recognized by the high number of questions they ask.

Table 9.1 Which One of These Communication Styles Do You Tend to Use?

Definition

Communication style in which you put the rights of others before your own, minimizing your own self-worth

Communication style in which you stand up for your rights while maintaining respect for the rights of others

Communication style in which you stand up for your rights but you violate the rights of others

Implications to others

my feelings are not important

we are both important

your feelings are not important

Verbal styles

apologetic

I statements

you statements

Nonverbal styles

looking down or away

looking direct

staring, narrow eyes

Potential consequences

lowered self-esteem

higher self-esteem

guilt

pitied by others

feared by others

Let's discuss an example of how these communication styles might interact. Let's assume an analytical communicator and a relater are beginning a meeting where the purpose is to develop a project time line. The analytical communicator will be focused on the time line and not necessarily the rapport building that the relater would be focused on. The conversation might go something like this:

Relater:
What are you doing this weekend? I am going to my son's baseball game. It is supposed to be hot-I am looking forward to it.

Analytical:
That's great. OK, so I was thinking a start date of August 1 st for this project. I can get Kristin started on a to-do list for the project.

Relater:
That would be great. Kristin is a really hard worker, and I'm sure she won't miss any details.

Analytical:
Yes, she's OK. So, your team will need to start development now with a start day coming up. How are you going to go about this?

How do these two personality styles walk away from this conversation? First, the relater may feel ignored or rejected, because the analytical communicator didn't want to discuss weekend details. The analytical communicator may feel annoyed that the relater is wasting time talking about personal things when they have a goal to set a project time line. These types of small miscommunications in business are what can create low morale, absenteeism, and other workplace issues. Understanding which style we tend to use can be the key in determining how we communicate with others. Here is another, personal example of these communication styles and how a conversation might go:

Expresser, to his partner:
I am really excited for our hiking trip this weekend.

Driver:
I still think we should leave on Thursday night rather than Friday.

Expresser:
I told you, I don't think I can get all day Friday off. Besides, we won't have much time to explore anyway, if we get there on Thursday, it will already be dark.

Driver:
It won't be dark; we will get there around 7, before anyone else, if we leave after work.

Expresser:
I planned the trip. I am the one who went and got our food and permits, I don't see why you have to change it.

Driver:
You didn't plan the trip; I am the one who applied for the permits.

Strategic HR Communication Style in Organizations

(click to see video)

This video addresses the importance of determining company communication style.

How Would You Handle This?

She Said What?

As the HR manager, you have a meeting scheduled in a few minutes with Adeline. Adeline is the accounting manager for a small firm in Boise, Idaho. She has four people who report to her, Alan being one of them. Alan manages three people in his position as account director. Adeline just left a meeting with one of Alan's employees, who complained of Alan's communication style and threatened to quit. She said that Alan belittles them and withholds information. She also complained of Alan making inappropriate comments, which were meant as a joke but were offensive. How would you handle this?

How Would You Handle This?

https://api.wistia.com/v1/medias/1360833/embed

The author discusses the How Would You Handle This situation in this chapter at: https://api.wistia.com/v1/medias/1360833/embed.

Figure 9.2

What Are Each of These Images Telling Us?

Figure 9.3 Active listening involves four phases (Steil, et. al., 2011).

Key Takeaways

Emotional intelligence can be improved over time, unlike IQ, which stays stable throughout life.

Emotional intelligence includes knowing and managing your emotions, motivating yourself, recognizing and understanding other people's emotions, and managing relationships.

There are four types of communication at work: downward, upward, horizontal, and diagonal. All types of communication can happen at once, especially with the use of blogs and social networking sites.

Companies that use good communication tend to have less turnover and less absenteeism.

There are four main types of communication styles: expresser, driver, relater, and analytical. The better we can understand our own style of communication and the communication styles of others, the easier it will be to communicate with them.

Passive, aggressive, and passive-aggressive behaviors are not healthy ways of communicating. Assertive behavior, on the other hand, respects one's own rights and the rights of others.

Nonverbal communication is one of the most important tools we can use to communicate how we feel. Watching others' body language can give us signals as to how they may really feel.

Listening is also an important part of communication. Active listening occurs when we are interested in what the other person has to say, and we check with the speaker to make sure we understand what they have said. Competitive or combative listening is when we are focused on sharing our own point of view. Passive listening is when we listen to someone, but do not verify that we understand what someone is saying.

Exercises

1. Learn more about your EI by going to http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=1121 and taking the test. Then answer the following questions:

1. What did the test say about your EI?

2. What are some things you can do to improve your EI? What strategies might you use to improve your EI?

2. Which communication style, the expresser, driver, relater, or analytical, do you typically use? How can you get better at understanding other people's style and get comfortable communicating in their style?

3. Do you tend to be passive, assertive, or aggressive? Give an example of when you used each style and discuss the result.

4. Take a few hours and watch the body language of the people in your workplace or personal life. Pay careful attention, really being aware of body language. What was the situation? What kinds of body language did they show?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explain the concept of emotional intelligence. Describe the four types of communication in the workplace. Explain the various communication styles and identify your own style. Define nonverbal communication and describe the importance of it in an HR setting. One of the most important aspects to good communication is emotional intelligence (EI).

# data[].attributes.body
This article brings out a guideline for managers to follow if they want to be successful.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When you hear the term inspirational leader, you may get images of someone who's achieved considerable success, or is a brilliant strategist able to amass a personal fortune. Or perhaps you consider someone who gives rousing motivational speeches worthy of a TED talk - an iconoclast who changes the national dialogue. While at first blush we may think of inspiring leaders as those that perform grandiose actions, more than five years of research into what really inspires others has led me to believe the opposite.

What truly inspires people is actually in reach of your average manager in any organization: a personal, authentic, one-on-one connection.

A study by Dale Carnegie Training revealed that nearly three-quarters of employees are not fully engaged at work. Of those who are, the number one factor that contributes to employee engagement is their relationship with their immediate supervisor. This mirrors what Gallup research has shown for decades - personal relationships matter the most. (In the Carnegie study, belief in senior management and pride in the company also topped the list, which are driven by similar concepts of connection and communication.)

If you want to be a great manager who inspires others to greatness, you don't have to don a new outsized personality or break a mold. You simply have to choose to communicate, connect, and bring your full presence to those you lead.

Here are five strategies that continually come up in my research for how to be a leader others want to follow:
Be straightforward.
Trust is the gatekeeper to connection. A great manager doesn't sugarcoat bad news, evade the facts, or attempt to spin. She respects her employees enough to give them the truth, even if it's not the most palatable thing to hear on a Monday morning. Great managers inspire their team by being authentic, direct, and honest.

Not only does being honest foster trust, it also encourages an open culture that's good for business. According to a 2010 study by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB), "firms whose culture encourages open communication outperform peers by more than 270% in terms of long-term (10 year) total shareholder return."

A straightforward style also leads to efficiency, as it decreases rumor and misinterpretation which thwart productivity.
Exhibit leadership maturity.
When you get to a leadership level, you lose your ability to gripe - especially to those at lower levels. You become a representative of the company. The company's policies need to be aligned with your own personal values.

You can't just pay lip service to management decisions but must actually believe the value in what you're proposing. This means being reflective and aligning yourself behind the corporate direction, and finding a way to credibly and honestly represent it.

The opposite - so often on exhibit in companies - is a cancer. If a manager constantly complains about corporate policies, they lose followership and their employees lose hope.
Put the right people in the right jobs.
Writing about the thesis of his bestselling book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins argues that leaders of successful companies differentiate themselves by starting "not with where but with who. They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats."

Gallup research shows that people are happiest and most engaged when they apply their strengths to their job. Instead of changing people to fit the job, great managers try to put the right people in the jobs in which they can perform well.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When you hear the term inspirational leader, you may get images of someone who's achieved considerable success, or is a brilliant strategist able to amass a personal fortune. Or perhaps you consider someone who gives rousing motivational speeches worthy of a TED talk - an iconoclast who changes the national dialogue.

# data[].attributes.body
This article shows how management should Communicate effectively with staff, ensure your important employee communication get read and understood by staff

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
HR Communications - Effective Tools and Tactics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Communicate effectively with staff, ensure your important employee communications get read and understood by staff. Teach with videos and reinforce with a quiz.

# data[].attributes.body
This article brings out the importance of communication in management and human resources.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Importance of Communication in Human Resources Management | BORDEAN | EuroEconomica

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Importance of Communication in Human Resources Management

# data[].attributes.body
Various forms of communication from your human resources department are essential for workplace structure.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Human resources communication is necessary in the workplace.

Memo image by firelover123 from Fotolia.com

Various forms of communication from your human resources department are essential for workplace structure. Human resources communications include guidelines, policies, notices and procedures that help you manage your workforce. Communication between human resources and the employee base is important to sustain employee satisfaction and morale. When little or no communication between human resources and the workforce exists, you may see a decline in productivity and performance because employees feel they are unappreciated and undervalued.

Orientation

The employer-employee relationship begins with new employee orientation. It's the first and most important form of human resources communication because orientation is how new employees learn the basic of how your company operates. Whether you coordinate formal, classroom-style orientation sessions or simply review the employee handbook and take new employees on a tour of the facility, this first example of human resources communication necessary for welcoming new employees.

Employee Handbook

Written policies and guidelines contained in your employee handbook are another form of human resources communication. The handbook should provide workplace guidelines, information about safety measures, disciplinary and corrective action policies, performance evaluation processes, dress code and the company's philosophy and values. In addition, employee handbooks always must have a written statement about the organization's commitment to fair employment practices.

Benefits and Wages

Information about benefits and wages is critical. For new employees and employees who need to make changes to group health coverage, human resources should provide advance notice about open enrollment dates and procedures for selecting employee benefits. Many employers assemble packets of enrollment forms and documents for employees to take home, study and review to ensure they're making wise decisions about insurance, retirement savings, tax withholding and other employee contributions and payroll deductions.

Business Information

Whenever your company anticipates changes that will impact the workforce -- and most, if not all, will in some way -- it's imperative that you explain those changes to employees. News about business conditions, industry trends, employee promotions and transfers and grand openings of new locations are types of information human resources should pass along to your workforce.

Employee Notices

Human resources communications also include notices that companies would rather not have to provide. When a business is facing closure, ownership change or insolvency, the law requires layoff notice. Preparing employees for layoffs is a task every human resources leader would like to avoid. When a business anticipates a mass layoff, the affected employees generally must receive at least 60 days' notice, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Human resources communications about layoffs should be timely and informative, since employees must know what options they have regarding training and unemployment benefits. In cases of job elimination or when individual employees are laid off, the employer should provide notices as soon as possible. However, these are not subject to the same Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) regulations. Human resources communications about job elimination, involuntary termination and reductions-in-force may include severance agreements, discipline records or termination documentation that give employees pertinent information about terms and conditions of the termination, continuation of benefits and final pay.

About the Author

Ruth Mayhew has been writing since the mid-1980s, and she has been an HR subject matter expert since 1995. Her work appears in "The Multi-Generational Workforce in the Health Care Industry," and she has been cited in numerous publications, including journals and textbooks that focus on human resources management practices. She holds a Master of Arts in sociology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Ruth resides in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Examples of Human Resource Communications

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Various forms of communication from your human resources department are essential for workplace structure. Human resources communications include guidelines, policies, notices and procedures that help you manage your workforce. Communication between human resources and the employee base is important to sustain ...

# data[].attributes.headline
Managing human Resources and Communications Mod 6

# data[].attributes.subject
Managing human Resources and Communications Mod 6

# data[].attributes.body
This article shows the human resources role in a company.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Role of Communication in Human Resource Management

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It is the human resources department's responsibility to hire effective employees and prepare those employees to perform assigned tasks correctly. Communication plays a key role in the relationship.

# data[].attributes.body
This article shows the different types of organizational skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Running a small business often means the buck starts and stops with you. But if you want to attract and keep qualified employees to help spread out responsibilities, you need an organizational hierarchy that promotes communication, defines the chain of command and shows employees how to advance their careers up the ladder. Traditional organizational structures come in four general types -- functional, divisional, matrix and flat -- but with the rise of the digital marketplace, decentralized, team-based org structures are disrupting old business models. Before you establish an innovative way to manage your enterprise, take some time to understand the old mold -- then blaze a trail.

Functional Structure

Under a functional organization structure, people who do similar tasks are grouped together based on specialty. So all the accountants are placed in the finance department and so on for the marketing, operations, senior management and human resources departments.

The advantages of this kind of structure include quick decision making, because the group members can easily communicate. They can also learn from each other, since they already possess similar skill sets and interests.

Divisional Structure

In a divisional structure, your company groups workers into teams based on the products or projects that meet the needs of a certain type of customer. For example, a bakery with a catering operation might structure the workforce based on key clientele, such as a wedding department and a wholesale-retail department. The division of labor in this kind of structure ensures workers making similar products can achieve greater efficiency and higher output.

Matrix Structure

A matrix structure combines elements of the functional and divisional models, so it's more complex. It groups people into functional departments of specialization, then further separates them into divisional projects and products.

In a matrix structure the team members are given more autonomy and expected to take on more responsibility for their work. This increases the productivity of the team, fosters greater innovation and creativity, and allows managers to cooperatively solve decision-making problems through group interaction. This type of organizational structure takes lots of planning and effort, making it appropriate for large companies that have the resources to devote to managing a complex business framework.

Flat Structure

A flat organizational structure attempts to disrupt the traditional top-down management system of most companies. Management is decentralized so there is no everyday "boss." Each employee is the boss of themselves, eliminating bureaucracy and red tape and improving direct communication. For example, an employee who has an idea doesn't have to wade through three levels of upper managers to get the idea to the key person making the decision. The employee simply communicates directly with the target on a peer-based level.

A company adopting this type of structure for everyday purposes typically establishes a special top-down management system for temporary projects or events.

About the Author

Janie Sullivan, a freelance writer living in Apache Junction, Arizona, has had articles published in Small Business Start-Ups and The Adjunct Advocate magazines. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Montana and both a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Phoenix.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Four Basic Elements of Organizational Structure

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Running a small business often means the buck starts and stops with you. But if you want to attract and keep qualified employees to help spread out responsibilities, you need an organizational hierarchy that promotes communication, defines the chain of command and shows employees how to advance their careers up the ladder.

# data[].attributes.body
This shows a break down on what to take into consideration before making a business decision

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Your effectiveness in managing your business decision making will ultimately determine the success of your company. While this is a problem for companies of all sizes, we have found that this is particularly true for companies that are growing rapidly. A critical growth transition occurs as employees are added beyond 50 to 100 people. At this point, without clear mechanisms for managing, communicating and confirming decision implementation it can be easy for your business to spin out of control.

Why is managing decisions important?

A network of interconnected decisions forms the essence of your business. Decisions for your Vision and Mission Statement will define your company's identity and aspirations. These decisions, along with your core values, will determine the business morals and values for your company. Strategic decisions will define your target markets, needed core competencies, value chain participation, competition, and funding. Decision making in management is an essential skill required for the organization to succeed.

Keeping track of all these decisions can quickly become overwhelming. Get beyond a few people in your company or organization and communication and alignment on strategic decisions becomes critical. Managing decision making in business clearly determines the likely success of the company.

Decision-Making-Solutions.com has the tools and techniques to address your business decision needs

We have identified the blueprint for managing your business decisions. With this blueprint we can provide tools to manage your decisions and reuse past decisions. Why spend time reinventing the work of others when your time is better spent on differentiating yourself from the competition? Manage the decision making process as an ongoing "conversation for action."

See some of our business decision solutions by following these links.

Decision Knowledge Center
Software as a service for complex business decisions, Decision Knowledge Center guides decision analysis, focuses communication to inspire commitment, and accelerates decision implementation.

Business Vision Statement
A compelling business vision statement will provide a clear and powerful image of your company's future.

Choose Your Business Mission Statement

Competitive Business Analysis begins with your choice of competitors.

Segmentation Strategy
Use your segmentation strategy to increase focus on customer needs.

Choose Your New Business Funding Method

Business decision Analysis
Use our business decision analysis, decision management, and roadmapping services to accelerate your business success.

Ethics in Decision Making
Ethics in decision making can be addressed as part of the business decision making process.

Group Decision Making Process
Learn the essential elements of a group decision making process.

Choosing to Rely on Experts
Factors to consider when relying on experts.
Return from Business Decision Making to Home

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Business Decision Making - Decision Making Solutions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Your effectiveness in managing your business decision making will ultimately determine the success of your company. While this is a problem for companies of all sizes, we have found that this is particularly true for companies that are growing rapidly. A critical growth transition occurs as employees are added beyond 50 to 100 people.

# data[].attributes.body
This article gives strategies on how to successfully make important decisions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Basic Overview of Various Strategic Planning Models

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get a basic overview of various strategic planning models in this topic from the Free Management Library.

# data[].attributes.body
This article shows success Businesses and the millions of decisions they have to make and how they go about making them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Business leaders make thousands of decisions each year, and sometimes, a single decision can have a powerful far reaching impact. In the book, The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time, Verne Harnish explores those "black swan" decisions that brought great success at companies like Zappos, Intel, Tata, Toyota and many others. Below is Harnish's personal list of the greatest business decisions of all time.

#5 Greatest Decision-General Electric. Jack Welch's decision to fully fund a first-in-class training center at Crotonville, led to the development of hundreds of great leaders who practiced the "GE Way".

#4 Greatest Decision-Samsung. Their decision to launch a sabbatical program that sends top talent all around the world continues to be the secret behind Samsung's success as a global brand.

#3 Greatest Decision-Wal-Mart. Sam Walton's decision to hold Saturday morning, all-employee meetings led to a culture of rapid information and decision making, which in turn created one of the biggest companies in the world.

#2 Greatest Decision-Apple. The board's decision to bring back Steve Jobs, after firing him a decade earlier, led to amazing product innovation and to the creation of one of the most valuable companies in the world.

#1 Greatest Decision-Ford. Henry Ford's decision to double the wages of his workers enabled him to attract the talent he needed, and helped insure a class of worker who could afford the very products they were building.

To see all 18 "greatest business decisions of all time" check out the book here.

What do you think are the greatest business decisions in history?

__________

What are your motivation triggers at work? Take the "Your Engagement Profile Quiz" to find out.

Check out Kevin Kruse's new book, Employee Engagement 2.0, and discover how leaders turn apathetic groups into emotionally committed teams.

Kevin Kruse is a NY Times bestselling author and serial entrepreneur. For insider tips and exclusive content, join his newsletter at kevinkruse.com.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Top 5 Business Decisions Of All Time

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Business leaders make thousands of decisions each year, and sometimes, a single decision can have a powerful far reaching impact. In the book, The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time, Verne Harnish explores those "black swan" decisions that brought great success at companies like Zappos, Intel, Tata, Toyota and many [...]

# data[].attributes.body
This article brings out the process on which a business professionals should take when making business decisions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Communicate your decision, and take action.

Let's look at each of these steps in detail. Each step features a list of related Mind Tools resources to help you further.

Step 1: Investigate the Situation in Detail

Decisions often fail because key factors are missed or ignored from the outset. So, before you can begin to make a decision, you need to fully understand your situation.

Start by considering the decision in the context of the problem it is intended to address. You need to determine whether the stated problem is the real issue, or just a symptom of something deeper.

Look beyond the obvious. It may be that your objective can be approached in isolation, but it's more likely that there are a number of interrelated factors to consider. Changes made in one department, for example, could have knock-on effects elsewhere, making the change counterproductive.

Step 2: Create a Constructive Environment for Your Decision

Can you give your decision the attention it needs? Spend some time preparing yourself before diving in to the facts and figures.

Remember that most decisions will affect other people too, so it helps to create a constructive environment in which to explore the situation together and gain support.

This is especially true when you have to rely on other people to implement a decision that you're responsible for. You'll need to identify who to include in the process and who will be part of any final decision-making group, which will ideally comprise just five to seven people.

Enable people to contribute to the discussions without any fear of the other participants rejecting them and their ideas. Make sure that everyone recognizes that the objective is to make the best decision possible in the circumstances, without blame.

Step 3: Generate Good Alternatives to Decide Between

The wider the options you explore, the better your final decision is likely to be. Generating a number of different options may seem to make your decision more complicated at first, but the act of coming up with alternatives forces you to dig deeper and to look at the problem from different angles.

This is when it can be helpful to employ a variety of creative thinking techniques. These can help you to step outside your normal patterns of thinking and come up with some truly innovative solutions.

Brainstorming is probably the most popular method of generating ideas, but for more tips on how to examine your situation from new perspectives, and how to organize ideas into manageable themes and groups, see the Mind Tools resources in the box, below.

Step 4: Explore Your Options

When you're satisfied that you have a good selection of realistic alternatives, it's time to evaluate the feasibility, risks and implications of each one.

Almost every decision involves some degree of risk. You'll need a structured approach for assessing threats and evaluating the probability of adverse events occurring - and what they might cost to manage. You'll also want to examine the ethical impact of each option, and how that might sit with your personal and organizational values.

The resources highlighted below offer tried-and-true models to help you.

Step 5: Select the Best Solution

Once you've evaluated the alternatives, the next step is to make your decision!

If you have various criteria to consider, use Decision Matrix Analysis to compare them reliably and rigorously. Or, if you want to determine which ones should carry most weight in your decision, conduct a Paired Comparison Analysis.

If your decision is being made within a group, techniques such as multi-voting and the Modified Borda Count can help your team reach an agreement.

When anonymity is important, decision-makers dislike one another, or there is a tendency for certain individuals to dominate the process, use the Delphi Technique to reach a fair and impartial decision. This uses cycles of anonymous, written discussion and argument, managed by a facilitator. Participants do not meet, and sometimes they don't even know who else is involved.

If you're working with an established team, Hartnett's Consensus-Oriented Decision-Making Model is useful for encouraging everyone to participate in making the decision. Or, if you're working with several different teams, or a particularly large group, assign responsibility for each stage of the decision-making process with Bain's RAPID Framework, so that everyone understands their responsibilities and any potential in-fighting can be avoided.

Step 6: Evaluate Your Plan

After all the effort and hard work you've invested in evaluating and selecting alternatives, it can be tempting to forge ahead at this stage. But now, more than ever, is the time to "sense check" your decision. After all, hindsight is great for identifying why things have gone wrong, but it's far better to prevent mistakes from happening in the first place!

Before you start to implement your decision, take a long, dispassionate look at it to be sure that you have been thorough, and that common errors haven't crept into the process.

Your final decision is only as good as the facts and research you used to make it. Make sure that your information is trustworthy, and that you've done your best not to "cherry pick" data. This will help you avoid confirmation bias, a common psychological bias in decision making.

Discuss your preliminary conclusions with important stakeholders to enable them to spot flaws, make recommendations, and support your conclusions. Listen to your own intuition, too, and quietly and methodically test assumptions and decisions against your own experience. BRAIN BRAN BRAND is a useful tool for this. If you have any doubts, examine them thoroughly to work out what's troubling you.

Use Blindspot Analysis to review whether you've fallen prey to problems like over-confidence, escalating commitment, or groupthink. And consider checking the logical structure of your process with the Ladder of Inference, to make sure that a well-founded and consistent decision emerges at the end.

Step 7: Communicate Your Decision, and Take Action

Once you've made your decision, you need to communicate it to everyone affected by it in an engaging, informative and inspiring way.

Get them involved in implementing the solution by discussing how and why you arrived at your decision. The more information you provide about risks and projected benefits, the more likely people will be to support it.

If people point out a flaw in your process as a result, have the humility to welcome their input and review your plans appropriately - it's much better to do this now, cheaply, than having to do it expensively (and embarrassingly) if your plans have failed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Make Decisions - A Model for Making the Best Possible Choices

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Communicate your decision, and take action. Let's look at each of these steps in detail. Each step features a list of related Mind Tools resources to help you further. Decisions often fail because key factors are missed or ignored from the outset. So, before you can begin to make a decision, you need to fully understand your situation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We know intuitively that diversity matters. It's also increasingly clear that it makes sense in purely business terms. Our latest research finds that companies in the top quartile for gender or racial and ethnic diversity are more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians. Companies in the bottom quartile in these dimensions are statistically less likely to achieve above-average returns. And diversity is probably a competitive differentiator that shifts market share toward more diverse companies over time.

While correlation does not equal causation (greater gender and ethnic diversity in corporate leadership doesn't automatically translate into more profit), the correlation does indicate that when companies commit themselves to diverse leadership, they are more successful. More diverse companies, we believe, are better able to win top talent and improve their customer orientation, employee satisfaction, and decision making, and all that leads to a virtuous cycle of increasing returns. This in turn suggests that other kinds of diversity-for example, in age, sexual orientation, and experience (such as a global mind-set and cultural fluency)-are also likely to bring some level of competitive advantage for companies that can attract and retain such diverse talent.

McKinsey has been examining diversity in the workplace for several years. Our latest report, Diversity Matters, examined proprietary data sets for 366 public companies across a range of industries in Canada, Latin America, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In this research, we looked at metrics such as financial results and the composition of top management and boards. The findings were clear:

Companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.

Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians (exhibit).

Companies in the bottom quartile both for gender and for ethnicity and race are statistically less likely to achieve above-average financial returns than the average companies in the data set (that is, bottom-quartile companies are lagging rather than merely not leading).

In the United States, there is a linear relationship between racial and ethnic diversity and better financial performance: for every 10 percent increase in racial and ethnic diversity on the senior-executive team, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) rise 0.8 percent.

Racial and ethnic diversity has a stronger impact on financial performance in the United States than gender diversity, perhaps because earlier efforts to increase women's representation in the top levels of business have already yielded positive results.

In the United Kingdom, greater gender diversity on the senior-executive team corresponded to the highest performance uplift in our data set: for every 10 percent increase in gender diversity, EBIT rose by 3.5 percent.

While certain industries perform better on gender diversity and other industries on ethnic and racial diversity, no industry or company is in the top quartile on both dimensions.

The unequal performance of companies in the same industry and the same country implies that diversity is a competitive differentiator shifting market share toward more diverse companies.

We're not suggesting that achieving greater diversity is easy. Women-accounting for an average of just 16 percent of the members of executive teams in the United States, 12 percent in the United Kingdom, and 6 percent in Brazil-remain underrepresented at the top of corporations globally. The United Kingdom does comparatively better in racial diversity, albeit at a low level: some 78 percent of UK companies have senior-leadership teams that fail to reflect the demographic composition of the country's labor force and population, compared with 91 percent for Brazil and 97 percent for the United States.

These numbers underline the work that remains to be done, even as the case for greater diversity becomes more compelling. We live in a deeply connected and global world. It should come as no surprise that more diverse companies and institutions are achieving better performance. Most organizations, including McKinsey, must do more to take full advantage of the opportunity that diverse leadership teams represent. That's particularly true for their talent pipelines: attracting, developing, mentoring, sponsoring, and retaining the next generations of global leaders at all levels of organizations. Given the higher returns that diversity is expected to bring, we believe it is better to invest now, since winners will pull further ahead and laggards will fall further behind.

This article is adapted from the report Diversity Matters (PDF-1,732KB), which was re-released in February 2015.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
New research makes it increasingly clear that companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially.

# data[].attributes.body
This article shows how Steve Jobs was fired from his own company.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Steve Jobs was just 30 years old, wildly successful, fabulously wealthy and a global celebrity. And then it all came crashing down.

He had revolutionized personal computing and created an iconic brand - only to be forced out of the company he had built into a billion-dollar colossus.

"I was out -- and very publicly out," he recalled in a commencement speech at Stanford University. "What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating." He added, "I was a very public failure."

History is filled with trailblazers who stumbled before finding success. But Steve Jobs' career followed a different arc: a meteoric rise, a humbling fall, and then one amazing comeback, perhaps the most spectacular second act of all time.

PHOTOS: Steve Jobs Through The Years

"He co-founds Apple Computer when he is 21, and by the time he is 23 he's a millionaire. He becomes legendary. And then, at 30, he has this humiliating defeat," said Alan Deutschman, author of "Change or Die, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs."

"But he persists, he has this incredible tenacity. He holds on and he comes back with triumph after triumph, driving this company to new heights, creating the greatest corporate success of our time. It's a unique story."

Steve Jobs 'Devastated' When Fired By Apple

The founding of Apple Computer is by now legendary. After dropping out of Reed College, Jobs and his buddy Steve Wozniak launched the company from his family's suburban California garage in 1976.

In 1981, Apple Computer went public. Just two years later, Apple cracked the Fortune 500 and Jobs recruited John Sculley, the head of Pepsi-Cola, to be its new chief executive.

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?" Jobs famously said.

Jobs was Apple's chief visionary, a role that put him in charge of the team developing Apple's next revolutionary product, the Macintosh computer. The Mac debuted in 1984 to rave reviews but disappointing sales, putting a financial strain on the company -- and fraying Jobs' relationship with Sculley.

"Jobs basically created his own team to create his own product, the Macintosh. His team actually had its own building. He even flew the pirate flag there. He said, 'It is better to be a pirate, than to be in the navy.' He had this company-within-a-company that became pitted against other parts of the company that actually made money," Deutschman said.

The Jobs-Sculley relationship was further strained by complaints from workers on the Mac team about their demanding boss, according to William Simon, co-author of "iCon: Steve Jobs, the Greatest Second Act in the History of Business."

Jobs "demanded so much from the people who worked for him. That was part of his greatness," Simon said. "But he drove people too hard. ... being gentle and polite was not part of his demeanor."

A power struggle erupted between Sculley and Jobs. In the spring of 1985 Apple's board sided with the CEO, removing Jobs from his command of the Macintosh group.

READ MORE: Steve Jobs' 20 Best Quotes

"They basically stripped Jobs of responsibilities and gave him an office that he referred to as 'Siberia.' Well, someone like Steve Jobs could not sit in Siberia," Deutschman said. "Jobs told his closest friends and colleagues that it was a betrayal."

Jobs left Apple and spent the summer of 1985 in a "midlife crisis, deciding what he wanted to do with his life and flirting with all kinds of possibilities" from entering politics to becoming an astronaut, Deutschman said.

Steve Jobs Firing Was Best Thing That Happened to Him

In his famous 2005 Stanford speech, Jobs admitted he "really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down, that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me."

He added, "I even thought about running away from (Silicon) Valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me. I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. And so I decided to start over."

The day after Labor Day, 1985, Jobs dialed up a former colleague and together they launched a new computer company, NeXT. Jobs also launched Pixar Animation Studios.

"I think he wanted to prove his early success at Apple wasn't a fluke, that he wasn't a kid who got lucky and was in the right place at the right time," Deutschman said. "He still had a lot to prove. He still had a chip on his shoulder."

In 1996, Apple Computer, by now struggling, acquired NeXT, returning Jobs to the company he helped to create. And the following year Jobs became Apple's CEO, driving the company to its greatest successes, from the iPod to the iPhone to the iPad.

"The conventional wisdom was that Steve Jobs was a great visionary but not a good businessman," Deutschman said. "But in his second time at Apple he wasn't just a visionary. He made a point of learning how to be a great businessman."

Jobs put it this way in his speech to Stanford graduates:

"I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter into one of the most creative periods of my life," he said.

"I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Steve Jobs was just 30 years old, wildly successful, fabulously wealthy and a global celebrity. And then it all came crashing down. He had revolutionized personal computing and created an iconic brand - only to be forced out of the company he had built into a billion-dollar colossus.

# data[].attributes.body
This article breaks down the difference between a women being a CEO OF a company any a Man being a CEO of a company and why women are much better at it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The 2017 Fortune 500 List Has More Women CEOs Than Ever Before

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The number of female CEOs on the Fortune 500 has increased by more than 50%-from 21 to 32-in 2017.

# data[].attributes.body
This article will bring out exactly how Mr Jobs was able to draw that fine line between his personal life and his career

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Born February 24 th, 1955, and passing away way too early on October 5 th, 2011, Steve Jobs was co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. His impact on the technology industry, entertainment, advertising and pop culture was vast, and he leaves behind an empire that is changing the way we all live and work.

The Beginning of Apple

It all started with three men - Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Mike Markkula - who together in the late 1970's designed and marketed the Apple II series of computers.

It was the first commercially successful line of personal computers, and led to the Apple Lisa in 1983 - the first computer to use a mouse-driven GUI (graphical user interface). One year later, the Apple Macintosh was born (launched by one of the greatest ads of all time, 1984), and with it, the Apple legend began to grow.

The Fall and Rise of Steve Jobs

In 1985, after a long and drawn-out fight with the Apple board, Steve Jobs "left" the company that he helped create. Some say he was pushed or ousted, others say he left simply to pursue other projects. That being said, his next move was NeXT, a tech company he founded that specialized in higher education and business.

One year later, in 1986, Steve Jobs took a major interest in a small division of Lucasfilm Ltd. Focused on the development of computer-generated graphics for animated movies, the company now known as Pixar was acquired by Jobs.

It was a masterstroke for Steve, who instantly saw the potential for the company (which we now all know as one of the greatest movie-making studios of our time). After many small projects and lots of trial and error, Pixar released Toy Story in 1995 (crediting Jobs as the executive producer) and the rest is history.

One year after the release of Toy Story, in 1996, Apple bought the NeXT company that Jobs owned and asked him to come back in a leadership role. He was interim CEO from 1997 to 2000, becoming the permanent CEO from that point until his eventual resignation in August of 2011.

Steve Jobs and Apple Begin World Domination

When Jobs came on board in 1996, Apple was still very much a niche computer platform. Windows-based PCs were owned by the vast majority of consumers, with the higher-priced Apple computers mainly being used by the creative industries, including advertising, design and motion pictures.

However, that all changed when the iPod came along in November of 2001. Out of nowhere, Apple was suddenly on everyone's lips. The idea that thousands of songs could be stored digitally on one small device much smaller than any Walkman or CD player was mind-blowing. Steve Jobs had spearheaded a product that literally changed the way music was played and shared.

Within a few years, Apple was the technology that everyone wanted to own. And then came the iPhone in 2007, which took Apple from a major player to the company everyone was trying to emulate. Overnight, the iPhone reinvented cell phone technology, and it was yet another crushing victory for Steve Jobs.

His company, Apple, was the brand leader and the one leading the field.

In 2010, after many variations of the iPhone, the iPad was launched to an initially mediocre reception. People and focus groups didn't see the need for it, but Steve Jobs knew it was going to have a big impact. And it did. By March of 2011, over 15 million iPads were on the market.

Steve Jobs Loses His Fight With Cancer

The health of Steve Jobs had been in question since around 2006 when his gaunt, frail appearance and lackluster delivery were the focus of his WWDC keynote address. In actuality, Jobs had announced his condition (pancreatic cancer) to his staff in mid-2004. Between 2003 and his death in August 2011, Jobs underwent many procedures and therapies to try and beat the cancer, but it was too aggressive. He stepped down as CEO of Apple on August 24 th, 2011, and died just a few weeks later on September 11 th (the 10 th anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers).

Life at Apple After Steve Jobs

To say Apple greatly misses the influence of Steve Jobs would be the understatement of the century. Steve Jobs was many things to Apple, some bad, most good. Yes, he was a perfectionist and had an ego the size of Jupiter. Yes, he often didn't care about costs, or feelings, or people. But he was a visionary, and an incredible marketer of products.

The last great innovation that Apple released to the market was done so under the leadership of Steve Jobs; it was the iPad, back in 2010. Almost everything released from that point on has been an update to an existing product. New designs, like the iPen and Apple Watch, have had a very poor reception. And the idea of tying courage to the removal of the headphone jack is one Steve Jobs would never have approved of. Jobs, first and foremost, was about giving the consumer the best possible product, not 15 different types of dongles and adapters. Apple has clearly lost its way, and at this point, may never recover.

Steve Jobs was a visionary, an entrepreneur, a savvy advertising client, and from what everyone who knew him has said, a good friend. He will be missed by many, including Apple, a company that seems to have lost its way since his passing.

The Future of Apple Without Steve Jobs

To be honest, it's a mixed bag. At the time of this update, Apple stock is the trading at $144 per share, just shy of the record $156 that it set in May 2017. What does this mean? Well, despite people across the world becoming increasingly tired of what Apple has to offer on the innovation front, their products are still excellent performers, and the industry standard in design, creativity, film, music, and other such avenues.

The big question is...will Apple ever bring to market a product that was as revolutionary as the iPhone, iPod, or iPad? And it's worth noting that in all of those instances, products already existed that did very similar jobs. Apple and Steve added the lightning in a bottle, but none of these were completely original. So, does something else exist right now, something in its infancy, that Apple could jump on and create another thriving segment of the market? Several possibilities come to mind.

First, the 3D printer. Currently, they are available in varying forms, from off the shelf models to self-assembly kits, and span many price brackets. But they're prone to technical problems, and the end results are far from perfect. Apple, if it learns from what Steve Jobs did, could take this and revolutionize it. It aligns perfectly with the products it offers, and it could bring 3D printing to the masses.

Another avenue is that of the smart home. Could Apple finally create a line of products that turn your home into a completely connected, intelligently-controlled environment? Look at a product like Nest, which learns how you like your home heated and cooled, and sets the temperature accordingly. An Apple thermostat, done the Apple way, could also bring A.I. into every home.

And then, of course, there's the self-driving car. It's coming soon, but will it be everything it could be? Apple is known for focusing on consumer-friendly products. Open the box, plug it in, go. Will they be ready to handle the car that drives itself? And will it be priced way above the other offerings? Only time will tell.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Here Is the Brief History of Steve Jobs and His Time at Apple

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Born February 24 th, 1955, and passing away way too early on October 5 th, 2011, Steve Jobs was co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. His impact on the technology industry, entertainment, advertising and pop culture was vast, and he leaves behind an empire that is changing the way we all live and work.

# data[].attributes.body
The CEO of Apple how he was able to to make this company very successful.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
" We started out to get a computer in the hands of everyday people, and we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."-Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs' vision of a "computer for the rest of us" sparked the PC revolution and made Apple an icon of American business. But somewhere along the way, Jobs' vision got clouded -- some say by his ego -- and he was ousted from the company he helped found. Few will disagree that Jobs did indeed impede Apple's growth, yet without him, the company lost its sense of direction and pioneering spirit. After nearly 10 years of plummeting sales, Apple turned to its visionary founder for help, and a little older and wiser Jobs engineered one of the most amazing turnarounds of the 20th century.

The adopted son of a Mountain View, Calif., machinist, Steve Jobs showed an early interest in electronics and gadgetry. While in high school, he boldly called Hewlett-Packard co-founder and president William Hewlett to ask for parts for a school project. Impressed by Jobs, Hewlett not only gave him the parts, but also offered him a summer internship at Hewlett-Packard. It was there that Jobs met and befriended Steve Wozniak, a young engineer five years his senior with a penchant for tinkering.

After graduating from high school, Jobs enrolled in Reed College in Portland, Ore. but dropped out after one semester. He had become fascinated by Eastern spiritualism and took a part-time job designing video games for Atari in order to finance a trip to India to study Eastern culture and religion. "Steve was difficult but valuable," Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell told the San Jose Mercury News. He was very often the smartest guy in the room, but he let people know that." By not showering for days and constantly criticizing his co-workers, Jobs alienates so many colleagues that Bushnell forced Jobs to work the overnight shift so as not to interact with other workers.
Related: Steve Jobs: An Extraordinary Career
When Jobs returned to the U.S., he renewed his friendship with Wozniak, who had been trying to build a small computer. To Wozniak, it was just a hobby, but the visionary Jobs grasped the marketing potential of such a device and convinced Wozniak to go into business with him. In 1975, the 20-year-old Jobs and Wozniak set up shop in Jobs' parents' garage, dubbed the venture Apple, and began working on the prototype of the Apple I. To generate the $1,350 in capital they used to start Apple, Steve Jobs sold his Volkswagen microbus, and Steve Wozniak sold his Hewlett-Packard calculator.

Although the Apple I sold mainly to hobbyists, it generated enough cash to enable Jobs and Wozniak to improve and refine their design. In 1977, they introduced the Apple II -- the first personal computer with color graphics and a keyboard. Designed for beginners the user-friendly Apple II was a tremendous success, ushering in the era of the personal computer. First-year sales topped $3 million. Two years later, sales ballooned to $200 million.

But by 1980, Apple's shine was starting to wear off. Increased competition combined with less than stellar sales of the Apple III and its follow-up, the LISA, caused the company to lose nearly half its market to IBM. Faced with declining sales, Jobs introduced the Apple Macintosh in 1984. The first personal computer to feature a graphical-user interface controlled by a mouse, the Macintosh was a true breakthrough in terms of ease-of-use. But the marketing behind it was flawed. Jobs had envisioned the Mac as a home computer, but at $2,495, it was too expensive for the consumer market. When consumer sales failed to reach projections, Jobs tried pitching the Mac as a business computer. But with little memory, no hard drive and no networking capabilities, the Mac had almost none of the features corporate America wanted.

For Jobs, this turn of events spelled serious trouble. He clashed with Apple's board of directors and, in 1983, was ousted from the board by CEO John Sculley, whom Jobs had handpicked to help him run Apple. Stripped of all power and control, Jobs eventually sold his shares of Apple stock and resigned in 1985.
Related: As Steve Jobs Once Said, 'People With Passion Can Change The World'
Later that year, using a portion of the money from the stock sale, Jobs launched NeXT Computer Co., with the goal of building a breakthrough computer that would revolutionize research and higher education. Introduced in 1988, the NeXT computer boasted a host of innovations, including notably fast processing speeds, exceptional graphics and an optical disk drive. But priced at $9,950, the NeXT was too expensive to attract enough sales to keep the company afloat. Undeterred, Jobs switched the company's focus from hardware to software. He also began paying more attention to his other business, Pixar Animation Studios, which he had purchased from George Lucas in 1986.

After cutting a three-picture deal with Disney, Jobs set out to create the first ever computer-animated feature film. Four years in the making, " Toy Story" was a certified smash hit when it was released in November 1995. Fueled by this success, Jobs took Pixar public in 1996, and by the end of the first day of trading, his 80 percent share of the company was worth $1 billion. After nearly 10 years of struggling, Jobs had finally hit it big. But the best was yet to come.

Within days of Pixar's arrival on the stock market, Apple bought NeXT for $400 million and re-appointed Jobs to Apple's board of directors as an advisor to Apple chairman and CEO Gilbert F. Amelio. It was an act of desperation on Apple's part. Because they had failed to develop a next-generation Macintosh operating system, the firm's share of the PC market had dropped to just 5.3 percent, and they hoped that Jobs could help turn the company around.

At the end of March 1997, Apple announced a quarterly loss of $708 million. Three months later, Amelio resigned and Jobs took over as interim CEO. Once again in charge of Apple, Jobs struck a deal with Microsoft to help ensure Apple's survival. Under the arrangement, Microsoft invested $150 million for a nonvoting minority stake in Apple, and the companies agreed to "cooperate on several sales and technology fronts." Next, Jobs installed the G3 PowerPC microprocessor in all Apple computers, making them faster than competing Pentium PCs. He also spearheaded the development of the iMac, a new line of affordable home desktops, which debuted in August 1998 to rave reviews. Under Jobs' guidance, Apple quickly returned to profitability, and by the end of 1998, boasted sales of $5.9 billion.

Against all odds, Steve Jobs pulled the company he founded and loved back from the brink. Apple once again was healthy and churning out the kind of breakthrough products that made the Apple name synonymous with innovation.

But Apple's innovations were just getting started. Over the next decade, the company rolled out a series of revolutionary products, including the iPod portable digital audio player in 2001, an online marketplace called the Apple iTunes Store in 2003, the iPhone handset in 2007 and the iPad tablet computer in 2010. The design and functionality of these devices resonated with users worldwide.
Related: 10 Must-Read Inspiring Biographies of Business Leaders
Despite his professional successes, Jobs struggled with health issues. In mid-2004, he announced in an email to Apple employees that he had undergone an operation to remove a cancerous tumor from his pancreas. In January 2011, following a liver transplant, Jobs said he was taking a medical leave of absence from Apple but said he'd continue as CEO and "be involved in major strategic decisions for the company."

Eight months later, on August 24, Apple's board of directors announced that Jobs had resigned as CEO and that he would be replaced by COO Tim Cook. Jobs said he would remain with the company as chairman.

"I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know," Jobs said in a letter announcing his resignation. "Unfortunately, that day has come."

In October 2011, Jobs passed away at the age of 56 due to complications related to pancreatic cancer. Jobs once described himself as a "hopeless romantic" who just wanted to make a difference. Quite appropriately like the archetypal romantic hero who reaches for greatness but fails, only to find wisdom and maturity in exile, an older, wiser Steve Jobs returned triumphant to save his kingdom.
Related: 10 Must-See Documentaries for Entrepreneurs Technology editor Jason Fell and research editor Carolyn Sun contributed to this report.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
" We started out to get a computer in the hands of everyday people, and we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."-Steve Jobs Steve Jobs' vision of a "computer for the rest of us" sparked the PC revolution and made Apple an icon of American business.

# data[].attributes.body
Companies with more women in leadership roles are more profitable.

# data[].attributes.body
This article discuss the details about Mr. Jobs cancer scare and who he overturned his position to and the time frame of which the company CEO stayed in that position.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Tim Cook found out he'd be Apple's CEO

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tim Cook thought Apple's Steve Jobs was going to "live a lot longer" when Jobs told Cook he wanted him to become the company's new CEO.

# data[].attributes.body
This article gives a list of the women who are in leadership over very successful companies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
These Are the Women CEOs Leading Fortune 500 Companies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The definitive list of female CEOs in the Fortune 500.

# data[].attributes.body
MOD 3 The Marriott Employees and their family and friends can benefit from the discount offer to the employees

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
friends and family program | Marriott Rewards® Insiders

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I'm looking for room in Fort Lauderdale, Fla for the month of October, my Brother currently works for the marriott here in chicago. so I want to use his

# data[].attributes.body
MOD 3 This article shows the intimate details between the Merger that occurred between the two companies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Marriott International, Inc. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. are planning to merge, creating the largest hotel company in the world. During separate stockholder meetings in 2016, shareholders of both Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide proposals which outlined plans for Marriott to acquire Starwood. At the close of the deal, Starwood shareholders received 0.8 shares of Marriott including $21 per Starwood common stock. The deal was in September of 2016, which began the journey towards total integration of Starwood into Marriott.

The merger is not simply a benefit for shareholders or a step closer to building the world's largest hotel empire. Additionally, the merger of the loyalty programs specific to Starwood and Marriott will secure the foundation for the largest loyalty program of its kind. By offering to prospective customers a choice between over 5,500 hotels in over 100 countries, their expanded portfolio caters to a commitment to customer experience and satisfaction that is shared by both companies.

In the beginning, Marriott chose to keep loyalty programs for the two hotel brands completely separate; that is, customers could book Marriott hotels with Marriott Rewards Points and Starwood hotels with SPG Starpoints. Additionally, members had the opportunity to link both accounts in order to enjoy elite status in both programs and switch between point currencies at an exchange rate of one SPG Starpoint for every three Marriott Rewards Points. This pleased Starwood account holders, as it respected the value of SPG Starpoints and made sure that the merger would work for both parties.

Upon closing, the plan was to eventually build a newer, stronger loyalty program that played to the strengths of each one. "Marriott will draw upon the very best each program offers and we can't wait to show the loyal members of these programs the power and benefits of Marriott and Starwood coming together," explains Executive Vice President and Global Chief Commercial Officer Stephanie Linnartz.
Recent News on the Starwood and Marriott Merger
The final version of the new loyalty program (with many, but not all of the details) was announced on Monday April 16, and although it will not go into effect until August, Marriott has revealed some of the things to expect when it does. First, the overall loyalty program merges benefits across Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, and Ritz-Carlton Rewards. Moving forward, all three loyalty programs will become one comprehensive loyalty program, where all points will be converted into Marriott Rewards Points. The original 3:1 SPG Starpoints to Marriott Rewards Points ratio will still apply, so all SPG Starpoints will be converted to Marriott Rewards Points using that conversion factor later in 2018.

However, the new loyalty program is still unnamed and will remain that way until 2019. Because of this, members will still be earning points under the old program names until then, even though the merge will begin in August. Non-elite members will enjoy an upgrade from the old Starwood system, earning 10 points per dollar spent at each brand apart from Residence Inn, TownPlace Suites, and Element which will earn 5 points per dollar spent.

Instead of maintaining elite status with each program, elite members will now enjoy one consolidated elite rewards system. When the merge is complete, the elite earning structure will contain five categories: Silver, Gold, Platinum, Platinum Premier, and Platinum Premier with Ambassador. The highest level is achieved after 100 booked nights; Platinum Premier with Ambassador members will earn 17.5 points per dollar spent. However, this will be the only elite tier with a spending requirement of $20,000 per year; an average of $200 per night. Additionally, the new elite benefit structure encourages members to earn Platinum status, since this unlocks all of the benefits apart from access to an Additional Choice Benefit, 48-hour Guarantee, Ambassador Service, or Your24 service.

Keep in mind that under the new points redemption structure, customers will enjoy the privilege of having no blackout dates. However, the new loyalty program will introduce a way for hotel brands to price-gouge (or, points-gouge) during peak seasons. For example, if a property is worth 25,000 points per night during "standard" season, it will be worth 20,000 points per night during the "off" season and 30,000 points per night during the "peak" season. Members should keep this in mind when deciding when and how to redeem points under this structure; however, this change will not take effect until February 1, 2019. Additionally, the category status of each hotel brand has not yet been announced, so this change may end up being beneficial to members rather than a devaluation. Marriott has announced that it will start categorizing brands beginning this June.

Marriott has also announced that the SPG airline transfer points program will remain in effect, and with the 3:1 points ratio discussed above, the transfer value of SPG Starpoints will not be affected. Additionally, ten more airlines are due to join the partnership and the efficiency of the program is projected to increase, decreasing processing time and encouraging customers to take advantage of transfer opportunities.

The merger will also expand Marriott's credit card reach, including new cards coming from Chase and American Express. American Express, which was originally partnered with SPG, will offer a brand new Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Luxury Credit Card which will be accompanied by a myriad of great benefits. Also, new benefits are coming for SPG and SPG Business cardholders through American Express. Through Chase, the all-new Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card is set to launch on May 3rd, accompanied by an impressive 100,000 point sign-up bonus. Marriott Rewards Business and Ritz-Carlton Rewards cards will still exist under the new system, but the original Marriott Rewards Premier card will be phased out once the new one launches.

All things considered, the merger is turning out to be beneficial for both brands, upholding the value of Starwood rewards and remaining true to Marriott's successful business model. Keep looking out for more updates as the merger continues towards completion.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Details Surrounding the Marriott and Starwood Merger

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Marriott International, Inc. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. are planning to merge, creating the largest hotel company in the world. During separate stockholder meetings in 2016, shareholders of both Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide proposals which outlined plans for Marriott to acquire Starwood.

# data[].attributes.body
MOD 3 Marriot decided to set up a relief camp inside of their Hotel. They donated their time and money to ensure victims had  safety.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Haiti earthquake relief | Marriott pledges support

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To aid the victims of the Haitian earthquake, Marriott has pledged $500,000 to the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund, and encourages others to provide a helping hand.

# data[].attributes.body
This Article shows the benefit between organization structure and cultures.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Background

Organizational culture refers to the beliefs and values that have existed in an organization for a long time, and to the beliefs of the staff and the foreseen value of their work that will influence their attitudes and behavior. Administrators usually adjust their leadership behavior to accomplish the mission of the organization, and this could influence the employees' job satisfaction. It is therefore essential to understand the relationship between organizational culture, leadership behavior and job satisfaction of employees.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was undertaken that focused on hospital nurses in Taiwan. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire; 300 questionnaires were distributed and 200 valid questionnaires were returned. To test the reliability of the data, they were analyzed by Cronbach's α and confirmatory factors. Correlation analysis was used on the relationships between organizational cultures, leadership behavior and job satisfaction.

Results

Organizational cultures were significantly (positively) correlated with leadership behavior and job satisfaction, and leadership behavior was significantly (positively) correlated with job satisfaction.

Conclusions

The culture within an organization is very important, playing a large role in whether it is a happy and healthy environment in which to work. In communicating and promoting the organizational ethos to employees, their acknowledgement and acceptance of it can influence their work behavior and attitudes. When the interaction between the leadership and employees is good, the latter will make a greater contribution to team communication and collaboration, and will also be encouraged to accomplish the mission and objectives assigned by the organization, thereby enhancing job satisfaction.

Relationship between organizational culture and leadership behavior

Culture is socially learned and transmitted by members; it provides the rules for behavior within organizations [ 18]. The definition of organizational culture is of the belief that can guide staff in knowing what to do and what not to do, including practices, values, and assumptions about their work [ 19]. The core values of an organization begin with its leadership, which will then evolve to a leadership style. Subordinates will be led by these values and the behavior of leaders, such that the behavior of both parties should become increasingly in line. When strong unified behavior, values and beliefs have been developed, a strong organizational culture emerges. Leaders have to appreciate their function in maintaining an organization's culture. This would in return ensure consistent behavior between members of the organization, reducing conflicts and creating a healthy working environment for employees [ 20].

Hypothesis 1- Organizational culture is positively correlated with leadership behavior.

Relationship between leadership behavior and job satisfaction

Job satisfaction has been associated with nurses who perceive their managers as supportive and caring. A supportive manager shares values, believes in a balance of power, and provides opportunities for open dialogue with nurses [ 21], which in turn reduces the chances of internal conflicts. This type of leader is successful in his or her role and is supportive and responsive to clinical nurses, thereby preserving power and status within the hospital system. Such leaders are valued throughout the organization and have executive power to do what they see as necessary to create a positive environment for nursing [ 22]. Accordingly, they have a measurable effect on the morale and job satisfaction of nurses [ 23].

Hypothesis 2 - Leadership behavior is positively correlated with job satisfaction.

Relationship between organizational culture and job satisfaction

Organizational culture expresses shared assumptions, values and beliefs, and is the social glue holding an organization together [ 24]. A strong culture is a system of rules that spells out how people should behave [ 25]. An organization with a strong culture has common values and codes of conduct for its employees, which should help them accomplish their missions and goals. Work recognition and job satisfaction can be achieved when employees can complete the tasks assigned to them by the organization.

Hypothesis 3 -.Organizational culture is positively correlated with job satisfaction.

The measurement of organizational culture, leadership behavior and job satisfaction

A structured questionnaire was compiled based on similar studies published in international journals [ 26, 27]. Twenty-three factors regarding organizational culture were taken from Tsui et al. [ 26], a study based on two groups of MBA students from two universities in Beijing, China. Our research was focused on clinical nurses in hospitals; therefore, refinements were made to the questionnaire designed by Tsui et al. [ 26] to cater for our particular research objective. The study invited three directors or supervisors from the medical center to validate the questionnaire. Lastly, there were 22 questions in the organizational culture section.

Thirty items regarding leadership behavior were taken from Strange & Mumford [ 27], and the questions structured using this literature. However, the proposed test was not empirically studied. Nurses from hospital A were used as a pilot study sample. Four question items were deleted to improve the validity of the questionnaire: "People will have an extreme reaction to the leader"; "Followers will sacrifice themselves for the leader and/or the leader's vision"; "The leader is motivated by the accomplishment of his vision"; and "The leader will take into account the needs of the organization in his decision making."

Vroom [ 28] classified job satisfaction into 7 dimensions: organizational, promotion, job content, superior, reward, working environment and working partners. We took into consideration that nurses' salary increases are based on promotion. Furthermore, a large number of variables in organization culture and leadership behavior were covered by this research. To prevent too few number nurses from responding to the questionnaires, we asked only 4 job satisfaction dimensions out of a total of 12 items: job recognition, reward and welfare, superior and working partners.

Study Design

A cross-sectional study was conducted in two hospitals in Central Taiwan.

Data Source and Analysis

We employed self-administered questionnaires to collect research data. Data was collected between October 1 and November 30, 2008. We selected 2 hospitals as our sample target and appointed a designated person at each to issue questionnaires to employees. The number of questionnaires issued depended on the designated person. The questionnaires were completed voluntarily by all respondents. During the research period, there were 325 nurses in hospital A; 100 questionnaires were distributed, and 57 valid questionnaires were returned. In hospital B there were a total of 572 nurses; 200 questionnaires were distributed, and 143 valid questionnaires were returned (total return rate 66.7%).

Of the subjects, 99.5% were female, 83.5% single or never married, 35.5% had a tenure at the hospital of 1-2 years, and 45.0% had had a college-level education. The majority of employees at the hospitals were general nurses (89.5%), and the average age was between 21 and 30 years (82.5%)(see Table ).

All data were analyzed using the SPSS 17.0 software package. Cronbach's α coefficient was used to assessed the internal consistency reliability of scales. To explore the factor construct of scale, a series of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were employed. Correlation analysis was used to test for the relationships among subscales of organizational culture, leadership behavior and job satisfaction scale. Finally, a series of regression analysis were used to identify the proposed hypotheses. For H1 and H3, two sets of simple linear regression were used to assess the association between independent variable and dependent variable. For H2, hierarchical regression analysis was used to assess the independent association between leadership behavior and job satisfaction after controlling for the effect of organizational culture. Partial R 2 (Δ R ²), F test and standardized regression coefficient ( β) and their test statistics ( t value) were reported in all regression analysis.

Measurement

Given the latent character of the variables considered in the study, we used multi-item, 5-point Likert-type scales (1='strongly disagree' and 5='strongly agree'). After reliability analysis, the Cronbach's α of the organizational culture scale was 0.958 (22 items). The Cronbach's α of the leadership behavior scale was 0.966 (26 items), and for job satisfaction 0.855 (12 items).

The questionnaires used exploratory factor analysis. We extracted 4 factors from the organizational culture via principal component analysis, used the Varimax of the rotation method, and named them: employee orientation, customer focus, emphasizing responsibility, and emphasizing cooperation. We extracted 4 factors from leadership behavior and named them: leader's encouragement and supportiveness to subordinates, leader giving subordinates a clear vision and trust, leader's behavior is consistent with organization's vision, and leader is persuasive in convincing subordinates to acknowledge the vision. We extracted factors for job satisfaction and called them: working partners, rewards and welfare, superior and job recognition.

Descriptive statistics

The average score for organizational culture was between 3.73 and 3.19, but the highest score was 3.73: "satisfying the need of customers at the largest scale." The second highest score was 3.68: "the profit of the customer is emphasized extremely." The lowest score was 3.19: "concern for the individual development of employees" (see Table ).

Table 2

Dimensions

Items

Mean

Standard Division

Factor Loading

Rotation Sums of squared loadings
total

Percentage
of variance explained (%)

Percentage of cumulative variance explained (%)

The average score for leadership behavior was between 3.77 and 3.42, where 2 items scored the highest score at 3.77: "the leader will act accordingly with a certain 'vision' that specifies a better future state", and "the leader will behaviorally role model the values implied by the vision by personal example". The second highest score was 3.69: "the leader will use positive rewards and reinforcement with his followers." The lowest score was 3.42: "the leader will try to persuade those who disagree with his vision to agree with it" (see Table ).

The average score for job satisfaction was between 3.84 and 2.56, where the highest score was 3.84: "to certain people my work is extremely important." The second highest score was "I am satisfied with how colleagues communicate with each other in the office." The lowest score was 2.56: "I am satisfied with my salary as I have less workload compared to other employees in other divisions" (see Table ).

Inferential statistical analysis

In relation to the 4 dimensions of organizational culture (employee orientation, customer focus, emphasizing responsibility, and emphasizing cooperation), the 4 dimensions of leadership behavior (leader's encouragement and support to subordinates, leader giving subordinates her/his clear vision, leader's behavior is consistent with the her/his vision and leader is persuasive in convincing subordinates to acknowledge the her/his vision), and the 4 dimensions of job satisfaction (working partners, rewards and welfare, superior and job recognition), variable analysis was carried out. The results of the analysis showed that only 2 dimensions from "leader giving subordinates her/his clear vision" and "behavior consistent with her/his vision" and "reward and welfare" under the job satisfaction were not significantly correlated, whereas the other dimensions showed significant correlation. The results also showed that organizational culture, leadership behavior and job satisfaction were positively associated with hypotheses one to three, which were supported (see Table ).

Table 3

Table presents the results of several regression analyses. H1 was supported, as organizational culture was positively associated with leadership behavior ( β = .55, p < .001). H3 was also supported as organizational culture was positively related to job satisfaction ( β = .66, p < .001). Finally, H2 was supported as the partial regression coefficient of leadership behavior reached statistically significant ( β = .33, p < .001) after controlling the effect of organizational culture. The unique variance explained attributable to leadership behavior was 8% (Δ F = 30.58, p<.001) independent of organizational culture (see Table ). The association among there three main variables was illustrated as Figure .

Table 4

Research limitations and future research

Since a wide range of variables were included in our study, only a limited number of clinical nurses were interested in participating. Furthermore, only 2 hospitals were involved in this research; therefore, it is proposed that in view of the response rate, future research should consider adjusting the research variables.

Organizations face challenges in the external environment and changing internal context, and leaders will alter their behavior to adapt to these environment changes. Therefore it is proposed that longitudinal research methods can be adopted in future investigations into how changes in organizational context impact on leadership behavior. Will these changes create a brand new organization culture? And how will these changes in leadership behavior influence employee behavior and their contribution to the organization?

Administrators usually adjust their leadership behavior in order to reach the organizational goal. It is proposed that future research can explore the type of leadership behavior that will shape a particular culture within an organization. Thus, administrators can achieve the objective of shaping a new organization culture by adopting different leadership behavior training programs.

Robbins Stephen P, Coulter M. Management. 8. Pearson Prentice Hall; 2005.

Berson Y, Linton J. An examination of the relationships between leadership behavior, and employee satisfaction in R & D versus administrative environments. R & D Management. 2005;35:51-60.

Staniland M. What Is Political Economy? A Study of Social Theory and Underdevelopment. Yale University Press; 1985.

Trevino LK, Nelson KA. Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. 2. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY; 1999.

Deal TE, Kennedy AA. Corporate cultures: The rites and rituals of corporate life. Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, MA, USA; 2000.

Laschinger Heather K Spence, Shamian Judith, Thomson Donna. Impact of magnet hospital characteristics on nurses' perceptions of trust, burnout, quality of care, and work satisfaction. Nursing Economic. 2001;19(5):209-219.

Mayo E. The social problems of an industrial civilization. Boston: Division of Research, Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University; 1945.

Van Der Post WZ, De Coning TJ, Smit EV. An instrument to measure organizational culture. South African Journal of Business Management. 1997;28(4):147-168.

Jacobs E, Roodt G. Organizational culture of hospitals to predict turnover intentions of professional nurses. Health SA Gesondheid. 2008;13(1):63-78.

Schneider WE. Productivity improvement through cultural focus. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. 1995;47(1):3-27.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Relationship between Organizational Culture, Leadership Behavior and Job Satisfaction

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Organizational culture refers to the beliefs and values that have existed in an organization for a long time, and to the beliefs of the staff and the foreseen value of their work that will influence their attitudes and behavior. Administrators usually ...

# data[].attributes.body
This article helps to understand the value that is in the work place.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A new recruit might seem to tick all the right boxes, displaying a high degree of competence, aptitude and experience. But that still doesn't necessarily make them right for the job.

Workplace values are one of the most important factors in choosing a new team member. Values inform everything you do - and if values clash, it can show.

We all have our own workplace values. And, while you can't always make sure that each person's values are perfectly aligned, you can try to hire people who fit. In this article, we'll look at how you can better recognize and understand workplace values - the attitudes that "make them tick."

The Importance of Workplace Values

Your workplace values are the guiding principles that are most important to you about the way that you work. You use these deeply held principles to choose between right and wrong ways of working, and they guide important decisions and career choices.

Some (possibly conflicting) examples of workplace values include:

Being accountable.

Making a difference.

Focusing on detail.

Delivering quality.

Being honest.

Keeping promises.

Being reliable.

Being positive.

Meeting deadlines.

Being a great team member.

Respecting company policy and rules.

Showing tolerance.

It's important that your people's personal workplace values align with the organization's workplace values. These set the tone for your company's culture, and they pinpoint what your organization, as a whole, cares about.

Values alignment helps the organization as a whole to achieve its core mission by providing a common purpose. When values are out of alignment, people work toward different goals, with different intentions, and with different outcomes. This can damage work relationships, productivity, job satisfaction, and creative potential.

Note:

While there are many positives to hiring like-minded people, there are also downsides. Hiring only for "cultural fit" risks creating a monoculture - a unit that tends toward groupthink and even discriminates against difference.

See our article on " cultural add" to learn how to hire people that reflect your organization's values but bring something new to the table, too.

Identifying Your Core Workplace Values

Before you learn how to identify the values of others, make sure that you understand your own values. For example, does meeting a project deadline take priority over delivering exceptional work? Once you have a thorough understanding of the values that are most important to you, you can better understand and identify others' values.

Start by talking with your most respected team members about the workplace values that they feel are important. Ask them to brainstorm the values that they believe are most prevalent among good performers, and list these on a whiteboard or flip chart for them to see.

Once they have come up with their ideas, work together to cut the list down to the five most important workplace values. (Use the Modified Borda Count if you have any problems reaching consensus.)

Next, discuss how people demonstrate these values every day. How do they make these values come to life? And how can you encourage more of these behaviors?

You can also talk to team members one-on-one to get a better idea of their workplace values, coach them to explore beliefs and values, or simply study their behavior. For instance, team members might say that they value teamwork, but it's the people who stay late to help a colleague who actually demonstrate this.

Organizational values are equally important to team and individual values. Your organization's values may be listed in an employee handbook or on an intranet site. You can also identify organizational values by looking at how people work within the company, and by looking at the actions that the organization has taken over the last few years.

How to Understand People's Workplace Values

We'll now explore four ways to understand the workplace values of your people and of any potential new recruit.

Ask Focused Interview Questions

When you're interviewing potential team members, use focused questions to identify their workplace values. First, ask questions based around your own organization's workplace values. For instance, imagine that you want to find a team member who, among other values, appreciates diversity.

You could ask questions like:

"Describe a time when you had to work with a wide variety of people. How did you go about identifying and understanding their points of view? How did you adapt your own working style to work more effectively with these people? What was the outcome?"

"Has there ever been a time when your beliefs clashed with someone else's on your team? If so, how did you overcome these differences?"

These questions encourage interviewees to open up about how they approach these issues.

Use Role-Playing Scenarios

When you're interviewing a new recruit, use techniques such as role-playing, or an Inbox/In-tray Assessment to see a potential hire in action.

Set up scenarios or problems that are subtly centered around the workplace values that you're looking for. People in role-playing scenarios have to think on their feet, which means that it's difficult for them to adjust their behaviors to the ones they think you want to see. This means that you're more likely to get an accurate look at how they would behave in your team.

Look at Past Work History

You also need to look at the potential recruit's past work history. Examine the organization that they worked at previously to identify any possible clash in values (this might be most obvious if they've worked with a well-known competitor).

Keep in mind that while most people can be coached to adapt to a new working culture, some professionals will find it hard to shift their priorities. Deeper values may be very hard to change.

Use Psychometric Tests

Psychometric tests are useful for measuring the values and beliefs of potential hires because they're standardized. Recruits can't simply tell you what they think you want to hear.

Instead, they must answer questions that will point to their deepest values, beliefs, and motivating factors. You can use tests such as The California Psychological Inventory (CPI™) to identify many aspects of an individual's interpersonal experience, values and feelings.

Key Points

Workplace values drive the attitudes and behaviors that you see within your team. These values might include respecting others, keeping promises, showing personal accountability, or providing excellent service.

It's important to identify and understand the workplace values of successful team members, so that you can select new recruits who share these values or can add to them in some way.

When interviewing new recruits, ask focused interview questions, use role-playing scenarios, look at their past history and experience, and use psychometric tests to find the recruits with the best cultural fit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Understanding Workplace Values: How to Find People Who Fit Your Organization's Culture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A new recruit might seem to tick all the right boxes, displaying a high degree of competence, aptitude and experience. But that still doesn't necessarily make them right for the job. Workplace values are one of the most important factors in choosing a new team member.

# data[].attributes.headline
How can Organization Structure Benefit Mod 5 

# data[].attributes.subject
How can Organization Structure Benefit Mod 5 

# data[].attributes.body
Shows the benefit that understanding these concepts will have on your business.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Simplify Your Organizational Structure With Position Management

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Position management simplifies HR functions like recruiting, reporting, and succession planning.

# data[].attributes.headline
Understanding Organizational Structure Mod 5

# data[].attributes.subject
Understanding Organizational Structure Mod 5

# data[].attributes.body
Understanding organizational structure can help employees and supervisors understand their place in the organization.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
JOIN SHRM Limited Time Membership Offer SHRM membership increases to $244 in February, 2023. Lock in your rate of $229 now! Multi-year membership discounts available. View Benefits of Membership

# data[].attributes.body
MOD 3 I found this article to be essential to my research. It broadened my perspective as to why this merger occurred.  Also how the Marriott was formed from a root beer stand and became a global company from that small business.This was a smart move towards Marriott and Starwood business venture it was a very lucrative decision.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I recently had the pleasure of speaking to J. W. Marriott Jr., who is the Chairman of Marriott International, Inc., one of the world's largest lodging companies. His leadership spans more than 50 years, and he has taken Marriott from a family restaurant business to a global lodging company with more than 3,700 properties in over 73 countries and territories. Known throughout the industry for his hands-on management style, Mr. Marriott has built a highly regarded culture that emphasizes the importance of Marriott's people and recognizes the value they bring to the organization. Today, approximately 300,000 people wearing Marriott International name badges are serving guests in Marriott managed and franchised properties throughout the world.

His new book is called Without Reservations: How a Family Root Beer Stand Grew Into a Global Hotel Company. In this interview, he talks about how he grew his family business, the obstacles he encountered, the five rules that led to his success, his best career advice and more.
Why did you decide to write this book right now? What do you think makes your story relevant in today's world?
After working for Marriott for over 50 years, I decided to step down from the CEO position and hand the reigns over to Arne Sorenson. With such a significant change in our leadership taking place, now seemed like the appropriate time to write. I am so very proud of the company that my parents started as a root beer stand in 1927, which grew over the past 85 years into a global success comprised of over 3,700 hotels in 74 countries.

Companies are under an ever-sharp magnifying glass. The values that have served as Marriott's guiding principles over the past eight decades transcend the hotel business. I think they are valuable for other companies to consider.
As you grew your business, what obstacles did you encounter, how did you overcome them and what were the major milestones?
One of the largest obstacles was when we had to deal with the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and the unknown effects it would have on the travel industry. Not to mention the changes it would impose on our global expansion and the recovery of all the Marriott associates and guests impacted that day.

More recently, the global economic downturn that began in 2008 and the previous similar experience of the early 1990s were also significant obstacles to overcome. We drew upon the previous 1990s layoffs to handle the human side of the equation again in 2008. Some were inevitable, but we were able to temper the pain by keeping many people on board at reduced hours but with full health benefits.

Some of the largest milestones were when we expanded globally. Our first hotel built outside the United States was in Mexico in 1969. The first Marriott located in Europe was built in Amsterdam. The first in the Middle East was the Riyadh Marriott Hotel in Saudi Arabia in 1980. In Africa, our first hotel was the Cairo Marriott in 1981. In Asia, it was Hong Kong in 1989.
In your book, you mention five rules that led to Marriott's success. What are they and how did you originally come up with them?
First and foremost, we put people first. Then we pursue excellence, act with integrity, embrace change, and serve our world.

The first item of the five has been our company credo since my parents' era. "Take care of your employees, and they'll take care of your customers" was the daily mantra that my brother, Dick, and I heard from our father while we were growing up.

The other four values stretch back in time to the earliest days of the company, 30 years before we ever thought about building our first hotel, to our popular Hot Shoppes restaurants. Customers could count on spotless dishes and shiny floors ("Pursue excellence"), an ever-growing menu ("Embrace change"), honest value for their money ("Act with integrity") and a true sense of community second to none ("Serve our world").

Marriott has come a long, long way from the days of being known as a regional family restaurant chain, but our values haven't budged an inch. In fact, they've deepened over time into a commitment to do what great companies should do: make a lasting, positive difference in the world.
What do you think led to the success of Marriott when other chains have failed?
Well my father used to say take good care of the employees, and they will in turn take good care of the customers who will return again and again. That's putting people first! And of course it leads to profit and market share gains and ultimately a successful business.

I believe you succeed in business by being true to purpose beyond profits. From the very beginning of Marriott we believed in opening the doors to a world of opportunities for our associates.
What are your top three pieces of career advice?
1. I believe that you have to challenge yourself personally - constantly strive to improve and we believe at Marriott that success is never final.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
J. W. Marriott Jr: From Root Beer Stand to Global Hotel Company

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
J. W. Marriott Jr. I recently had the pleasure of speaking to J. W. Marriott Jr., who is the Chairman of Marriott International, Inc., one of the world's largest lodging companies. His leadership spans more than 50 years, and he has taken Marriott from a family restaurant business to a global lodging company [...]