Value-Addedness

What is “value added?”
Value added means adding value to a raw product at its present stage of production and possibly taking that product to the next stage of production.
This can be as simple as pre-conditioning your calves for sale, retaining ownership of your calves and wintering them on wheat pasture, or placing them in a feedlot. Or, adding value may be as elaborate as going all the way to the consumer with a “case-ready” food product.
Think of your calves as a value-added product. If you are considering a value-added enterprise, there are two key questions to answer: 1) what attributes of your product does the customer value? and 2) what creates a value-added product?

What creates added value?
The benefits from these criteria usually create value:
• Quality — Does the product or service meet or exceed customer expectations?
• Functionality — Does the product or service provide the function needed of it?
• Form — Is the product in a useful form?
• Place — Is the product in the right place?
• Time — Is the product in the right place at the right time?
• Ease of possession — Is the product easy for the customer to obtain?

Creating a value-added product
To take advantage of value-added opportunities, one must know and understand customers. What consumer segments might want your product? What are the benefits desired by these potential customers? What criteria are they looking for when purchasing?
For most cow-calf producers, this means that they need to be managing their herd in such a way that their calves will perform well at the stocker, feeder, harvest and retail levels of the marketing chain.
The beef production enterprise can be thought of as a value chain. Each activity that is performed should add value to the product. To do this, one must meticulously control the activities at each step in the value chain — procurement of inputs; converting inputs into products; marketing and sales; supply chain logistics; and customer service activities.
To add value, a business should focus on a product’s attribute that can be measured and rewarded by the market. The uniqueness of your product or service (the value you add) is what ultimately attracts customers.
Obviously, this value-added strategy is very different from the commodity-oriented strategy with which most farmers and ranchers are familiar. In a commodity strategy, a producer focuses on the costs of production with the goal of being a low-cost producer. This is, in essence, a “supply-side” focus.
The value-added strategy, in contrast, involves a “demand-side” focus, determining who the customers are and what they want. Then, after assessing your resources and source of uniqueness, you provide a product or service that efficiently curbs production costs while meeting the needs of the potential market.
Unlike a commodity driven business, a value-added business cannot erode benefits or lower input specifications just to lower costs.
The essential elements for success in a value-added business can be boiled down to four key ingredients for business managers:
• Adapt to market changes.
• Be open to exploring new ideas.
• Operate more as a resource manager than a producer.
• Realize the importance of networking and the need to develop alliances.
These are difficult because they require a new vision of the farm or ranch. Managing resources and exploring new ideas means searching for new profit centers within your operation. That may seem tedious, but that is precisely what adding value is all about.

What does the customer want?
For the majority of cow-calf operations, the customer they are producing for will be a stocker or feedlot enterprise. The current grading system for stocker and feeder cattle is based on frame size and muscling.
Are you producing a product that meets or exceeds the buyer’s expectations? Pre-conditioning programs are designed to meet this value-adding question. If you can provide a better product perhaps the ability to earn a premium will develop. Delivering the kind of calves that are more desired in the market is another way to try to meet this question.
A study on South Texas feeder and stocker calves was done to measure what attributes that the managers in charge of purchasing calves for stocker and feeder cattle enterprises would be willing to pay for, or conversely, what would cause them to discount the price for a calf that does not possess a particular attribute.
The data for this study comes from the South Texas Stocker-Feeder Calf Sale, which was held annually during the first week in November at the South Texas Auction Company in Alice since 1992 through 1997.
The data for this study in­cludes 900 lots of calves composed of 2,152 head for the 1992 through 1997 sales. With the help of South Texas Auction Company management personnel, the lots were specified as being stocker or feeder cattle, depending on the buyer of the cattle.
Stocker cattle were defined as those calves going directly to a grazing program and feeder cattle as going directly to a feedyard.
A statistical model was specified and estimated to analyze the impact specific attributes had on the price of each lot of calves. These attributes included: 1) the sex and average weight of calves in each lot, 2) the frame size of calves in each lot, 3) the muscling of the calves in each lot, 4) whether the calves in the lot had been pre-conditioned, 5) whether the lot of calves was destined for a grazing program or going directly to a feed yard, and 6) the year the lot of calves was sold.
The premiums or discounts shown in Table 1 are relative to a large frame, No. 1 muscled stocker steer that did not go through a pre-conditioning program.
Table 1. Estimated Value of Statistically Significant Quality Attributes and Management Practices for Calves Marketed in the South-Texas Stocker-Feeder Calf Sale, 1992-1997.

Estimated Price
Average
Estimated
ATTRIBUTE
Impact ($/Cwt.)
Weight
Impact ($/Head)
MEDIUM FRAME
-2.69
496
($13.34)
SMALL FRAME
-8.07
496
($40.03)
#2 MUSCLE
-1.94
496
($9.62)
#3 MUSCLE
-3.61
496
($17.91)
FEEDER BULL
-4.00
639
($25.56)
The results shown in Table 1 indicate that two of the most important and cost-effective management practices a cow-calf producer can incorporate into their production process is to 1) castrate bull calves and 2) select breeding stock that ensure production of large frame, No. 1 muscled calves.
The average loss of more than $25 per head for each bull calf marketed into a feeder cattle program more than offsets the cost of castrating and implanting a bull calf, even if that service has to be hired (rates vary with number of calves to work, quality of facilities and temperament of cattle, but in most cases will run $10 to $12 per head).
Even more important is the selection of bulls and cows that produce calves that avoid discounts for frame size and muscling, because these discounts apply to all calves marketed, not just steers.
It should also be pointed out that the estimated discounts shown in Table 1 are additive, which means that the average small frame, No. 3 muscled calf sold at a $57.94 discount per head.
Pre-conditioned calves did not earn a statistically significant premium in this research. The evidence on the profitability of such programs has been mixed.
While it was not significant in this case some valuable lessons can be gleaned from the work. To achieve the benefits, or premiums, selling to a buyer knowledgeable about cattle is required. If the calves are simply commingled with calves not pre-conditioned, then no benefits are realized. A proven track record of performance may be necessary to generate positive net returns. In this case, working over time with the right buyers can pay off.
Bulls are the single most important source of genetic improvement for your herd. Relatively small differences between two bulls in weaned calf size and calf quality can offset large differentials in the purchase price of those two bulls.
After having established the criteria for the bull that you expect to buy and maintain, you should carefully examine questions related to cost of acquisition and maintenance of a suitable bull with a decision support tool such as HerdBullCostProjection.xls, which is available from Texas Cooperative Extension.
Numerous studies have examined returns to backgrounding cattle. Evidence from Central Texas sales of backgrounded cattle indicated positive net returns of $22 per head, on average.
It’s important to note that the buyers at these sales knew what they were buying. It is also important to realize that while the average net return was positive, net returns ranged from -$7 to $57 per head. That is a large range showing it is certainly possible to reduce your net returns.

Records
In the future, a good set of records may add value to a calf. As the U.S. beef industry goes forward, increased record keeping will be required to meet animal tracking, food safety, and possibly, country of origin labeling standards.
Price, market access, and marketing risk will be tied to the information a producer can provide on their cattle. In the future, marketability of their product may eventually hinge on a set of recordkeeping requirements that will be over and above most current standard operating procedures in the majority of Texas cow-calf operations.
BSE has again brought record keeping front and center. One of the hang-ups in negotiations with Japan on re-opening that market to U.S. beef is the age of the animal slaughtered. Beef would be allowed for export to Japan if it were from animals 20 months old, or younger.
It is estimated that the actual age data is available for only about five percent of all fed cattle.
USDA has estimated, based on grading, that 90 percent of fed steers and heifers graded are 20 months old or younger. This grading is based on physiological skeletal maturity, or ossification.
A recent study by USDA examined grades for establishing physiological maturity that would assure that a carcass was 20 months of age or younger. The results showed that cattle grading A40 maturity would effectively segregate animals older than 20 months and ensure that only beef from cattle at or younger than 20 months would be exported. Only about seven percent of the cattle in the study graded A40 or less.
The Japanese market has been highly valuable to U.S. producers. Being able to prove the age of the cattle slaughtered may become a highly valuable record. That requires a birth date, or something close to it.
It is easy to conceive of records like this commanding a premium. That is just one aspect of record keeping that may become more important in the future.
As animal identification, as developed in the National Animal Identification System, becomes more prominent producers may find other records useful. It may become easier to develop production information such as vaccination records, weaning weights, and information further down the chain like carcass information that allow improved culling decision making.

Summary
Two of the ingredients for success as a value-added business are being able to adapt to market changes and being open to exploring new ideas. A cow-calf operation’s viability has required adaptation and openness to new ideas. Adaptation and new ideas will be even more necessary to thrive in the value-added business that all cattle producers are faced with in the future.

What is value-added work? Non-value added work?
The concept of value-added work and non-value added work is important for anyone in the world of manufacturing to understand. The success of your business, as well as the satisfaction of your customers, is dependant upon the amount of value-added work versus the non-value added work.
Value-Added WorkValue-added work is the work that is actually valuable and results in a finished product. Keep in mind that a customer is only going to want to pay for value; if they feel that their money is being wasted as a result of insufficient processes, the customer will take his business elsewhere.
google_ad_client = "pub-2456081484854195";
google_ad_width = 300;
google_ad_height = 250;
google_ad_format = "300x250_as";
google_ad_type = "text_image";
//2007-03-05: BKS Manufacturing 300 In Copy
google_ad_channel = "8006153120";
google_color_border = "FFFFFF";
google_color_bg = "FFFFFF";
google_color_link = "0000FF";
google_color_text = "000000";
google_color_url = "008000";
window.google_render_ad();
It is important the customer values your work for obvious reasons - it's a chain reaction. The customer essentially provides the means to pay for the whole company, from supplies to salaries. Value-added work is utilizing resources that add value to the finished product, whether it's actually building a product or shipping it.
In order for work to be considered value-added, it generally takes three factors. These include:  Capacity. The employees and tools used must have the necessary capacity to perform the work and add value to it.  Information/Instructions. The workers must have the proper information and instructions needed to complete the job with as little non-value added work, or waste, as possible.  Materials. This refers to the materials required to properly complete the work.
Non-Value Added WorkNon-value added work, also called waste, refers to work that doesn't add value to or is unnecessary for the overall project. Let's say for a moment you hired a housekeeper and paid her $100 to clean for two hours. But during those two hours, you find out that she read a magazine while waiting for the dishwasher to run instead of working on something else, or she mowed the lawn instead of cleaning the house like you paid her to. These are all forms of non-value added work. As an employer, you would probably be annoyed to find that you paid the housekeeper to read a magazine or mow the lawn instead of clean the house, which is what you wanted. It is no different in manufacturing. Customers only want to pay for that which adds value to the finished product or job; anything that detracts from that is considered waste.
There are seven main types of waste, or non-value added work: 1. Overproduction - this refers to producing more than is required, resulting in wasted products and labor2. Excess Transportation - transportation that costs the customer money but doesn't add any value to the end product 3. Excess Inventory - more inventory than is required to complete the project4. Excess Processing - refers to using more of the labor force than necessary5. Waiting - idle time, either via machines or laborers 6. Correction - wasted time fixing a problem because it wasn't done correctly the first time7. Motion - wasting time to run errands like pick up parts, etc.
Companies who strive to eliminate non-value added work while increasing their value-added work are the ones that will be the most successful. There are a number of ways to accomplish this. One of the most effective ways is to first evaluate the practices used, so you can recognize any non-value added work and then take steps to reduce it and be more efficient in your work.

Value-Added Work
The work customer’s value provides income for the entire organization. It pays all of the salaries. It pays for the building, the tools, and the electricity. The sum of that work creates a product. Only the work that adds value to the product is called value-added work. The work customers value is part of a larger system which includes the Input/Output channel as well as the infrastructure that creates the information and instructions for the work.

Value-added work requires three elements. The first is the Capacity to perform the work. The second element is the necessary Information and Instructions. The third element is the Input / Output Channel for the work being performed, which includes the required materials together with the system’s ability to accept the work product.
For high levels of productivity, these elements must be in balance within an atmosphere of cooperation and community. These relationships are described in the following "Four Laws of Productivity". For additional information about their development, click on the above highlighted name or go to the section on Books and Articles.
The Four Laws of Productivity
The First Law of Productivity: “Individual productivity is limited to the least among: (1), the capacity of the individual; (2), the availability of relevant information and instructions; and (3), the ability of the Input / Output Channel to deliver required materials and absorb the work product.
The Second Law of Productivity: The productivity of the Organization is limited to the sum of the least elements of Capacity, Information and Instruction, and Input/output channel for each individual.
The Third Law of Productivity: “High productivity requires balance between the three elements of Capacity, Information and Instructions and Input/output channel for each task."
The Fourth Law of Productivity: “The most productive environment is one that combines the balance between capacity, information and instructions, and the input/output channel with a sense of community.”
Information and Instructions come from the rest of the organization as does the support for the I/O Channel. The capacity of the worker is affected by the work layout, training, and his or her personal beliefs and life orientations. For information on the experience of Richard Johnson with respect to improving the quality and productivity of value added work, click on his name or go to the section on Resumes. For information on Productivity Seminars or Seminars on personal preferences (Life Orientations aka LIFO) that affect productivity, go to the page on Seminars. To review the qualifications of the associate who specializes in LIFO seminars, see David Bynum or go to Resumes.



value added work
Frames not supported
Definition
Activities that further the purpose of an organization by generating output that is considered more valuable by its internal and/or external customers than the inputs consumed in producing it.

Value-added and non-value added work.
One very important thing to know is that the customer only wants to pay for value, and is not willing to pay for work that doesn't add value. This non-value added work (also called waste) must be eliminated as much as possible.
There are seven types of waste:
overproduction: producing more, sooner and faster than required by the next process
excess transportation: any transport that adds cost but no value to the product
excess inventory: this not only is a waste, but also creates waste
excess processing: doing more work than necessary
waiting: operator or machine idle time
correction: repairs to products
motion: walking or wasted motion to pick up or store parts
Various tools exist to analyze and eliminate the wastes. We will come back to that later.

WHAT IS "VALUE-ADDING"?
For people working in an in-house information development group, this turns out to be a difficult question to answer. People in our profession seem to have a problem coming to grips with the concept of "value-adding" in terms of the work we do. This paper won't supply an all-purpose answer, but will attempt to raise a number of issues to consider when you seek to define the value that your information development group adds to your company's total offering.
The DuPont Experience
Faced with recurring downsizing, our technical communications group in DuPont, InfoDesign, put together a task team to evaluate the work we did for our client base. This team was part of a larger strategic effort to align InfoDesign with its vision of its future state. Among other things, our vision statement declares that "our solutions provide measurable competitive advantage to our business partners." The purpose of the work-assessment task team was to help identify which work currently being done was "value-adding" (providing competitive advantage) and which work was not. The ultimate plan, predictably, was to focus our time and energy more on the value-adding tasks and to stop doing things that didn"t add value.
After much discussion, our team rejected a dichotomy based on strategic versus tactical tasks; we agreed that there is nothing inherently valuable or nonvaluable in either type of work. Each task requires case-by-case analysis to establish if it adds value. InfoDesign's goal, we felt, should be to focus on doing value-adding work, whether that work is tactical or strategic.
This didn't bring us much closer to establishing what value-added does mean. So we asked a number of people in the group, eliciting a range of sometimes conflicting responses:
"Designing and developing information products that are useful and usable."
"Being the champion of the end-user."
"Anything for which the client is willing to pay."
"Business value, measurable by other research in the industry on usability and the cost of poor communications."
"What I bring to the organization--my knowledge, everything that I've learned, and my experience."
"Increasing revenue or productivity."
"Linking the information product development parts (tools, players, vendors) and greasing the skids to get the information product finished as quickly and efficiently as possible."
Looking Beyond Self-Interest
We are still struggling to come to some agreement about what we mean by "value-adding." Because each person's definition depends on a particular point of view, a concise, pat definition isn't really possible. But we did come to realize that any analysis needs to look beyond the client's perception of value-adding, unless that perception is informed by actual user needs and larger corporate goals and standards. To help prompt this kind of thought and analysis, here are some questions to consider.
What things constitute value? Is an information development group valuable only in our speed, economy, and efficiency as production staff, serving strictly in a reactive way to client requests? If so, how do we differentiate our services from those of outside vendors, and how does this help ensure our long-term viability as an internal corporate function?
Value-adding for whom? The in-house information development group (us)? The client? The client's customer?
Which is more value-adding (and why): the actual information product itself, or the methodologies used to create it (needs/audience analyses, information plans, and usability studies, etc.)? At the 1997 STC conference Trends Forum, featured speaker Rick Chandler said that the role of technical communicators is not to "write technical documentation," but rather to "educate customers" by turning data into usable information. Chandler also suggested that the measure of our value is in making sure that our information products allow our clients to serve their customers better. To find the real beneficiary of value, we must look beyond the immediate client.
Business Criteria
To provide input for more discussion and to get additional perspective, InfoDesign looked at more traditional business criteria for "value-added." The material we gathered may help clarify your own value-added activities.
For example, it can be proposed that a "value-added" product or service:
is more marketable before resale
augments/enhances the existing product
benefits the end-user better than the competition's product or service
is preferred by a potential customer (even if it costs more)
has more inherent perceived value to the end-user
THE END-USER AS THE RECIPIENT OF VALUE ADDED
All of these definitions tend to focus on the end-user's perception of value, and de-emphasize the perceived value that other parties may hold. If we accept this, then our role (as technical communicators) is largely one of user advocate. For many of us, this is as it should be. If we aren't adding value at the end-user level, we aren't doing our jobs; and it seems clear that anything that adds value to the end-user is also valuable to all the other players: us, the client, the business, and our corporation as a whole.
The InfoDesign task team eventually came to agree--for the most part--that one of the value-adding elements we bring to a project is the fact that we don't "just go do it," whatever the initial client request is. Rather, we do a needs assessment first. If a client shows up and tells us, "I need a manual," the most value-adding response is probably not, "How thick?" Ideally, we recast the request as a question: "If I need to deliver information X to audience Y, how can this task best be done?" We can then use our professional expertise to analyze this need and the audience to come up with a recommendation on the best medium for the message. Depending on that analysis, we may actually "go do it," or we may vend the project, or we may provide the client with an alternate recommendation (don't do it at all, do something different, etc.).
METRICS
We agreed that determining what is value-added requires metrics to validate our perception. Usability studies, for example, besides being one of the value-adding activities we can perform, also help provide us with metrics.
In addition, InfoDesign began to formalize its process for gathering data on customer satisfaction. At the close of each job, the project leader sends a survey to clients that permits them, and us, to assess how well the project provided the client with measurable results (increased sales, reduced costs, fewer customer calls, etc.), added value, and contributed to business goals. The responses to these surveys are compiled in a cumulative spreadsheet available to all InfoDesign staff.
A similar initiative involved formal interviews with DuPont business leaders to ascertain how business/technical information can be a source of competitive advantage to them. This data helps align our efforts to business needs and increase the value of the work we do for our clients.
To give clients a tool for measuring the value and impact of communication products for their business, we created an Information Development Assessment Survey. This is a tool to help the client rate the value of the information product regardless of who developed it--us, other internal resources, or an outside vendor.
ASSESSING THE VALUE ADDED: PROJECT SCENARIOS
The following scenarios illustrate the complexity of the value-added question, and point to the need to look at various levels or perspectives to analyze the value added by an information product--and by the group that produces it. Both of these scenarios come from actual work situations that involved conflicts between what clients thought they wanted and what we believed their users really needed.
Senario 1
A DuPont client wants a training guide. This client has extremely strong opinions about graphic design, content organization, typography, and wording. Most of these opinions contradict everything our professional experience tells us about useful and usable information products. Against our better judgment, however, we dutifully produce the document to the client's specifications. He is delighted with the result.
Was this value-adding work? If so, for whom: the client? the InfoDesign group? the client's specific business unit? our corporation? the end-user?
For the client--Superficially, yes. As far as the client is concerned, we've done just as he asked and produced a valuable training tool.
For InfoDesign--Maybe. On the "yes" side, we have a satisfied client who will reward us with repeat business. On the other hand, we've done work that was frustrating and unrewarding at the time, and produced something that we believe is not only hideous but will fail in its purpose--and will moreover be associated with our group, which certainly does our professional image no good.
For the client's business--No. Customers can't find what they need because of the way the document is written and organized. Their annoyance and frustration with the training materials may transfer to negative feelings about the product itself.
For DuPont--No. The substandard piece we've put out reflects poorly on the company as a whole.
For the customer--Ultimately, this is the party for whom the value being added is intended, and in our example, the values of usefulness and usability are missing from, or seriously compromised in, the documentation product that we developed.
Perhaps in this example, the real value we might have been able to provide to our client would be to try to educate him about proper information product methodology, user analysis, and usability testing. This service might have been of more solid and long-term value to the client and his customers than the work that we actually produced.
Scenario 2
We redesign the overall architecture of a Web site for a client who reviews and approves our paper prototype. After the site is assembled, the client reviews the content, then requests a number of changes that we feel either violate the site's structural consistency, link material inappropriately, or lump text together instead of effectively using hyperlinks. We decline to make some of the changes requested, explain why, and try to convey principles of good Web design and usability. The client acquiesces, but is clearly annoyed and amazed by our unwillingness to carry out her wishes exactly. We maintain that we are adding more value to the product for its actual users, and that this consideration outweighs the value the client had for us--which was just to do exactly what she wanted us to.
Is the result more value-adding? Will the client use us again? Did we succeed or fail with this project?
CONCLUSION
In InfoDesign, we've come to recognize that a significant part of the value information developers add is the expertise, professionalism, insight, and experience that we bring to a project. Our analytical skills may ultimately provide greater value where it counts than our ability to churn out manuals, Web sites, and product literature to order.
The value-added question is one that must be constantly revisited. Short-term versus long-term perspectives may color your answer from project to project. Occasional compromise is inevitable and should be accepted philosophically. A member of InfoDesign put the case succinctly: "Inputting text for clients isn't as valuable as designing a template for them so they can work on it themselves or with a vendor; on the other hand, sometimes it's better, given a tight deadline, to just do the work for them in a more timely way and to save face. Urgency sometimes has the biggest value-adding component." But lapses into this reactive, "service group" mode of action, however expedient on the surface, must not be undertaken lightly. To ensure a measurable value-adding component to our work, information designers and developers must be vigilant in not letting ourselves or our clients confuse "urgent" with "important."

The Vaca framework – Adding value at workby N.BalajhiCorporate hiring decisions hinges greatly on a candidate’s ability to deliver the requisite value. It is not the qualification that gets people jobs. It is the value creating ability (VACA) developed during the course of acquiring a qualification that gets the job. The difference is in thinking. One who thinks it is the qualification that got him the job will in all probability feel the job is done. The other who thinks it is his value creating ability that got him the job will keep honing and maximizing his potential. And that’s the difference between the leader and the laggard in a corporate arena. VACA FrameworkHow do people create value at work? The figure given below captures six, most important but by no means exclusive, factors that enable a person to add value at work in a continuous and consistent manner.Possess strong knowledge of field of work & the jobIt is the first stepping stone to the glory of ‘most valued performer’. Leave no holes in the foundation. One must ensure that he knows what he claims to know. Know & adapt to corporate working cultureThis is the most important and essential element of Vaca framework. There is a lot of talk about Indian culture and MNC culture, family run business (vs) professional set up culture and etc. Now what is corporate culture and why is it so important? Often in industry workshops and seminars we hear some one responding to the other person that ‘it’s not how we do it’. This phrase embodies corporate culture. In simple words, it is the way in which things are done, perceived, handled, responded, acted upon and valued. Given below are the elements of corporate working culture.* Governing Principles of the corporate * Operations* Working Relationships * Employee Involvement* Capacity for managing change effectively * Customer RelationsIt is very important for an employee to be in sink with the corporate culture in order to make a positive contribution and add more value at work. Now the question may arise, what is the right culture? What if the culture prevailing in a company is not healthy? It is very difficult to answer these questions. There probably is no right / wrong culture. One’s food could be other’s poison and that is so true in corporate culture. The cultural fit is very important. If you find yourself at odds with the way your company works then chances that you will contribute positively is very minimal. Understand the logic behind systems and proceduresWork involves execution of activities and tasks in a planned manner. What, when, how and whom are questions answered by the underlying system. A system defines the workflow and enables its journey through various phases till completion. Understanding systems and the logic behind it is paramount for effective and efficient execution of work.Align with the organisation’s interestsEvery work activity has a cause and effect. Every employee directly or indirectly impacts someone else’s performance by his own performance or the lack of it. Corporate agenda, the whole picture, should be kept in mind and adhered. This ensures alignment of interests and weeds out partisan agendas. An organisation can reach its goal only when everyone walks in the same direction. Pulls and pushes from various directions will only hamper growth and progress.Be a conceptual employee Think and question. By questioning one uncovers hidden realities and unknown facts. Questioning is the basic premise for knowledge. Knowledge liberates people from things that bind and hold them back at work. It fans innovation and creativity. The ability of a person to think and question has a direct bearing on his ability to add value.Be a continual learnerContinual learning is the most important ingredient for a successful career. Keep improving on one’s value adding / creating ability by honing existing skills, acquiring fresh knowledge and newer sets of skills. Never say no to learning opportunities, never say yes to complacency. +++End of article+++Mr.N.Balajhi is a business consultant & runs the business consultancy firm ConsultPro. He has more than 7.5 years of work experience in business consultancy field. His interests include organisation development, performance management, knowledge management, change management and corporate training programs. He can be contacted at .


How pessimism can add value to our work
Price Pritchett
');}
else
{
document.write ('');}
//-->
Top Emailed Features
• Buy a flat and get another flat, BMW, Merc free• How to master the art of winning• 10 GREAT tips to boost your business
Have you tried this?• Ask a question• News on your Desktop
Advertisements• Master the Stock Market• Industry Market• Business Guru speaks
Moneywiz • Stocks & MFs


· My Portfolio · Live market report · MF Selector · Broker tips
Get Business updates:
What's this?





Advertisement

5Rediff P4C Classifieds
August 28, 2007
Studies show that, in some situations, pessimism helps us see things more accurately. It actually sharpens our sense of troubling realities. Pessimism increases our perception of danger, sensitizes us to potential problems, and causes us to weigh the downside more carefully.
This implies that pessimism can help protect us in high risk situations, like when there's a potential for catastrophic outcomes. So if the problem you're facing calls for a keen sense of reality or if it's critical to consider what might go wrong, the payoff from negative thinking may be worth the misery.
Research also shows that pessimists are generally better than optimists at remembering negative feedback, judging how much skill they have, and sizing up the extent to which they either succeeded or failed. But their more accurate view of reality is a hollow victory. It usually fails to produce benefits that would measure up to the advantages of optimism.
Day in, day out, we're better off to minimize negative thinking. Ordinarily pessimism weakens performance, while optimism enhances our ability to achieve.
The strategy of 'defensive pessimism'
Dr Julie Norem, a research psychologist at Wellesley College, states that some hard-core worriers can't make positive thinking strategies work for them. Instead, they cope with anxiety by suing an approach she calls 'defensive pessimism.'
People who rely on this strategy go through three steps to confront their anxiety about upcoming situations:
Set low expectations, presuming things might turn out poorly.
Review all the bad outcomes that might occur (worst-case scenarios).
Mentally rehearse or 'play through' how to handle the various problems, and get a clear sense of what gives the best shot at success.
'Defensive pessimism' channels the anxiety into troubleshooting efforts. The negative thinking focuses on failure. What could cause it. How to defend against it. This process, though unpleasant, helps these people harness their anxiety and feel more in control. It also enables them to get some actual mileage out of their worry.
While this strategy might work if you're a rather anxious person, it has disadvantages. "Defensive pessimism" can get on other people's nerves. It also can give the impression that you lack confidence or ability.
Optimism versus pessimism versus realism
Some people argue against both optimism and pessimism in favour of so-called realistic thinking. They disturst optimism on the grounds that it causes us to sugarcoat problems, discount risks, and exaggerate the upside. Pessimism, on the other hand, is criticized as too downbeat, de-energizing, and generally damaging in its impact. This crowd prefers realism as the neutral and objective middle ground.
Frankly, these folks have surface logic on their side. Realistic thinking sounds so fare, so practical-minded and sensible. It implies accuracy. An appraising eye uncolored by emotion. A deep faith in factual data. Realistic thinking just comes across as the most scientific and, hey, isn't that hard to beat?
Well, it turns out that realistic thinking has its limits. In real life, it doesn't necessarily prove to be the most muscular mindset. Overall, optimism is a much more enabling attitude. Optimism inspires, energizes, and brings out our best. It points the mind toward possibilities and helps us think creatively past problems.
Let's also note that, like the realists, optimists, too, can exercise critical thought. They can be objective in analysis and deal straight-ahead with the unvarnished facts of the situation. Positive thinkers don't have to be Pollyannas. Sure, some people are blind optimists, naively positive to a hazardous degree. But we also have hardheaded realists, whose fanatic refusal to respect the potency of hope and positive thinking can cost them even more dearly.
'For everything, there is a season.'
It's true that pessimism, at times, can be turned to our advantage. But usually pessimism just carriers too big of a price tag.
Unflinching realism, with its bland and uninspired objectivity, will occasionally serve us best. But realism focuses too much on 'what is' at the expense of considering 'what could be.' It respects the head while ignoring the heart.
Let's be honest about this -- a fundamental but overlooked aspect of 'reality' is, in fact, what we think and feel and hope inside. That is a power born of ourselves, and it's very real in its influence on our lives.
Most of the time, and in most aspects of our being, optimism has by far the most to offer.
Play the odds -- think optimistically.
Excerpted from: Hard Optimism. By Price Pritchett. Publisher: Tata McGraw-Hill. Price: Rs 199Price Pritchett is chairman and CEO of Pritchett, LP, a leading consulting firm with offices in seven countries. For more than 30 years, Pritchett has researched, developed and implemented proven approaches that help individuals and organisations in every type of business address their biggest challenges. Copyright 2007 Price Pritchett. All rights reserved.

103 Ways To Add Value To People This list was first released as an ebook at http://studentlinc.typepad.com. It was written by Tim Milburn & Kerry Shean-Dewey. Feel free to pass these ideas on to others. Feel even more freedom to implement these ideas on others. That's the whole idea.1. Complement people in some way within the first 30 seconds of your conversation. When you are meeting someone for the first time, or for the 100th time, it is always nice to be flattering! Notice that the person looks happy or acknowledge a recent accomplishment of theirs; people are always looking for acceptance, make someone feel valued by noting their specialness in the form of a sincere complement! 2. Ask people questions about three key areas: their passions, their projects, and their principles. Begin a conversation with, "I value your opinion about _______(subject ideas: class, school, church) that I am thinking of joining, could you share your thoughts on it with me?" it is a positive way to make someone feel as though you hold their opinions in high regard. It is an intimate look into the person to whom you are speaking. Because the question is open ended you may learn a lot about a topic of interest to you both, as well as a lot about the person! 3. Complement a person about something specific in front of another person. This one is tricky, be careful not to say, "Wow I haven't seen you in a while, you have lost a lot of weight!" This has happened in my presence before! I was with a new friend who ran into an old friend while we were all at a football game. My poor friend was very embarrassed! Clearly, you can find a nice complement to say to someone that will not mortify them! 4. If you discover a meaningful article or blog post, send a copy to another person with a note describing the benefits you derived from it. We have all been victims of the well-intentioned forward with the Chicken Soup for the Soul type message. While these are somewhat inspiring the first time you read them, they get a little old after the 187th one. Why not work to recreate the culture of forwards by forwarding specific information that will truly add value to the person (yes…just one person at a time) you are sending it to. When you forward something meaningful like this, make sure you tell them why you think the other person will find this information helpful. 5. Remember people’s names.
This is a big tip when dealing with people in business. People are very attached to their name! Nothing makes a person feel valued more than knowing they made enough of an impression on you for you to remember their name! It helps in the dating world, too! 6. Remember people's birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions. Send them a note on those dates to let them know you are sharing in their celebration. It doesn't matter if a person is 4 or 40, everyone likes to be acknowledged for being born! If you can make a note in your records of someone's birthday and remember to send a card or make a surprise phone call on their special day you will surely make them feel valued! Same goes for life events such as anniversaries and promotions! 7. Strive to be the first to help a person whom you know in need. Sometimes we can be at the right place, at the right time, for someone who needs our assistance! You know when those moments happen and you act on them, most of the time! Have you ever reached to the top shelf for an elderly lady at the grocery store and graciously smiled when she thanked you? If yes, you most certainly made her feel valued! Keep your eyes and heart open for ways to be helpful in your family and your community. Making another person feel valued will make you feel valued as well! 8. Help people focus on their strengths and assist them in delegating their weaknesses. Most people buy into the notion that they need to work on their weaknesses. But they will be most valuable in the area of their strengths. If a person is good at organizing, give them responsibilities in that area. Let them use their unique giftedness to accomplish a task in their way. If a person struggles in the area of public speaking, putting them up in front of people may only frustrate them. People will feel more valuable to an organization or team when they are able to do things that they’re good at. In school, when a parent looks at their student’s report card, their attention seems to be focused on the lower grades. “You have to get those up,” they might say. Unfortunately, many people live with this sense of always having to focus on our weaknesses instead of being recognized for and honing our strengths. While it’s important to get good grades and do your best, no one gets straight A’s in life. There will always be things that we’re better at then other things. 9. Comment on someone’s blog or myspace page with kind words and a recommendation for that person and the work he or she is doing. Social networking sites started off being nothing more than personal diaries. Butnow they are the personal communication medium of choice amongst younger generations. Use this form of social media to connect with people and encourage them. Leave them a comment or message in their inbox. If you leave a comment, others will see it as well. Plus, everyone likes to get a new comment on their myspace site. 10. Send handwritten notes as often as possible. Writing a note out by hand expresses more of a personal touch and a greater investment of time. I keep thank you notes and other small stationary cards in my car and in my kitchen, this way I can always conveniently jot a note to a special friend! Try to make a habit of making someone aware of their value to you by personally writing a thank you for being you note, in your own unique penmanship!! Nothing beats a sincere and physical thank you for making a positive impression. Email/online thank you messages just don’t have the impact, the weight, of an actual card or letter. In an age of hundreds of fleeting digital messages and relationships, of faster, faster, faster!, go offline if you really want to make an favorable impression on someone you only know digitally. 11. Offer the unexpected, anonymous gift. Bring coffee to your co-workers. Arrive to work early and leave a small gift on someone's office chair. Leave a gift card on someone's windshield. I love this one...balloons are my signature surprise; it is a joyful and very visual way to celebrate someone you value. For a few dollars you could flood someone's office or dorm room with helium balloons and uplift their mood and “value quotient”. 12. Find out what kinds of hobbies people have and send them ideas, brochures, or flyers on that subject. People are often passionate about their hobbies. What if you discovered a way for them to make money with their hobby? Perhaps they could consult or teach others? Help them figure that out. Show them what other people who have a similar hobby are doing. Is there a trade show or expo coming in the future that would be of benefit to them? 13. Write a song or poem expressing how much someone means to you. I had a boyfriend in high school that wrote poems for me...he was very creative and sincere...and HOT....I fell for him hard and kept those poems for twenty years! He had me in the palm of his hand! Oh the words he wrote! He made me feel valued like no one else ever had! Writing something to someone you care about is wonderfully received. If you choose to write love letters - Please be sure not to let it be known that it is your modes operandi. Something is taken away when you find out your special someone is writing sonnets for the whole cheerleading squad! 14. Smile at people. Smile when you talk to them. Smile when you walk by them. Smiles are contagious and free! Some people will wonder what is so funny, or what you are up to! Isn't that worth it? You can give a stranger a smile and possibly make their whole day brighter! What have you got to lose? Remember: a smile is free; and your day goes the way of the corners of your mouth! 15. Say "hello" to people when you walk by them in stores, malls, street corners, coffee shops. In the middle of our country everyone greets each other whether or not they know each other, maybe that is another reason that it is called "the HEARTland"! When friends of mine have been in New York or Los Angeles for the first time they always say how cold the people act, no smiles, no hellos - everyone is just rushing by! Let's help to make the world a little warmer by sharing a greeting with each other! Let's let everyone we encounter know that we see them and recognize their specialness! 16. Imagine a "Make Me Feel Important" sign is hanging around the neck of each person that you meet. Work to treat them that way and they will respond in kind. Instead of walking around thinking that you have learned it all, and know it all; try going out into the world seeking what others have learned as well. Try leaving your ego at home and treat others as if they can teach you something! This will convey a sense of openness on your end and will allow the person you are talking with feel valued. 17. Express gratitude for the ways that people specifically add value to your life. Sometimes our struggle isn’t with giving of ourselves, but being able to receive good when it comes our way. Learn to say thank you from a grateful heart. Showing our appreciation makes the gift giver feel appreciated. Showing gratitude to another offers proof of their value and the significance they bring to the relationship. 18. When you learn something new, decide on which three people you are going to share this new information, idea, or practice with. Read or listen to someone and you can learn something. But take what you’'ve learned and turn around and teach it to someone else and you’'ve taken this thing to a whole new level. By passing on new information, ideas, or practices you empower someone else, but you also deepen your own learning. It also speaks volumes to someone else when you come across something and let them know that when you discovered it, you thought about how much it would be of value to them. 19. When someone asks for your help or assistance with something, always do a little bit extra. It is the extra that turns ordinary into extraordinary. This is called “going the extra or second mile.” It means we have the opportunity to do more than is expected of us. It is the “and then some” mindset. Someone asks you to help them clean their backyard, so you help them clean their backyard and then some. Zig Ziglar notes that there “isn’t much traffic on the second mile” – not very many travel there. This is why it shows people how much you value them when you make the extra effort for them. 20. Spend time with people. Often we communicate a person's value to us simply because we like hanging out with them, even if there's no agenda. Time is a precious commodity and a valuable resource. How can you spend this resource effectively on others? I remember being at a wedding where the best man gave a speech that told how he knew the moment that his best friend had met his future wife. He said that he and his best friend had been inseparable from Kindergarten through college, and then along came Kate! He said that his friend told him one day, "She is my favorite person in the world to just hang out with. No offense, buddy!" The reception hall filled with laughter as we knew that groom was expressing love for Kate to his best friend without trying to insult him. Being the person that someone just wants to hang out with is an amazing feeling...our free time is truly the only thing that most of us have to give to another person, and it is the most precious gift of all. Who do you show their value to by "just hanging out" with them? 21. Take someone with you. If you are going to a seminar, conference, or meeting that you feel like another person will benefit from the experience - bring them along. When I was a youth pastor, I would attend a really cool conference each year. It was a tradition that became a highlight the highlight of my year. I would return from the conference with all kinds of great ideas, motivated to interact with people, and refreshed/renewed for the day to day grind. It was often difficult to transfer that excitement and enthusiasm that I felt to those who were back home. One year, I decided to bring some of my volunteers with me. It was amazing. They came back from the event with more energy and motivation than I could have ever tried to infuse them with. From that point on, I always made it a point to bring somebody with me whenever I was going to experience something special.22. Connect people to other people who may be a resource to them. You may know someone who could benefit from meeting and spending time with this person. Take the time to introduce them. One of the best networking sites I've discovered to connect with people based on resource and need is Linkedin [www.linkedin.com]. Linkedin offers people a way to "introduce" people to people. If you know someone who may be helpful to someone else, you can connect those two people together. While this is a great tool over the internet, it is especially powerful in person. Schedule a lunch with yourself and two people that could benefit from each other's friendship. Sometimes people only need someone else to vouch for them and offer a recommendation in order for a relationship to form.23. Add value to your own life. By doing this, you'll always have something to add to the lives of others. My favorite illustration in this area is found in the standard airline safety talk. When flight attendants stand in front of the semi-coherant, yet captive audience, they will often say, "In case of a loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will fall from the ceiling. Place the mask over your nose and mouth...if you are travelling with a child (or someone who is acting like a child) be sure to put your mask on FIRST before assisting your child." This is an important point. If you're not breathing, you can't assist anyone else. The same is true in our own growth - if you're not growing, you don't really have anything to add to someone else's growth. Focus on your own growth first and you'll be amazed how much you are able to pour into the lives of others.24. Offer to act as a sounding board when someone needs to bounce an idea around. If you are able to think creatively, you can take someone else's idea to a whole new level. Creativity breeds creativity. You offer a unique perspective. You can point out the blind spots in someone's idea.25. Ask specifically: "Is there anything I can do for you?" You communicate how much you value someone by simply asking the question. Sometimes it's nice to do something for another person without them asking or surprising them. But if you're not a good guesser and you don't have psychic abilities, just ask. Often, when I get home from work, I know there are two things I can say that will encourage my wife: 1) I'd really like to hear about your day, 2) Is there anything I can do for you?26. Many people are well-equipped to point out problems. Help identify solutions for others who can't seem to work through their difficulties. Don't put up with complainers by joining in. Whenever someone comes to me with a problem, I ask them what solutions they have considered. By doing this, I force them to think strategically about the problem. Sometimes another person already knows what should be done, they just need confirmation. But if a person hasn't considered any solutions, I don't want to do all the thinking for them. When another person approaches you with a problem, ask them what solutions they've thought of. If they haven't thought of any, you might want to guide them through a problem-solving exercise on this occasion. Then encourage them to do it on their own before they approach you with a problem the next time.27. Delegate tasks to other people in the area of their strengths. Follow-up on their progress and praise them for a job well done. People like to do things they are good at. As a leader, I was sometimes timid to delegate tasks in areas where I was weak and didn't necessarily enjoy the work. I thought to myself, "There's no way someone else will want to do this." But how wrong I was. For example, I don't like to work with money or finances, but that's an important part of my job. I delegated the majority of the financial work to someone else who was really good at crunching the numbers. This person actually likes doing this kind of thing and is good at it and...even has fun with it.28. Always bring something to the table - whether it's resources, ideas, or opportunities. Bring a book, an article, even a good quote. Sometimes it is extra special when you combine your presence with some presents. When you give someone something that will help them grow personally, it tangibly communicates your desire to invest in that person.29. Share your knowledge with others. Don't keep your best ideas and strategies all to yourself. People used to assume that knowledge was power. If I knew more than you, then I had some type of power over you. But I don't want to have power over you, I want to add value to you. So I share my best stuff. I give it away. When I discover something (a new tool, a new strategy, a new idea), I pass it on. This is the whole premise of Web 2.0. Make it free. If you pass it on to others and it's good stuff you'll discover a whole new kind of power - the power of appreciation.30. Help other people fill in the gaps in their lives. Everyone has gaps in their lives. It may be in the area of balance, motivation, priorities, or personal accomplishment. Sometimes a person needs a coach, a mentor, an encourager who will come alongside and help him or her focus on the type of change they need to make. This is not only true in personal growth, but relationally as well. There are many students who lack a significant adult in their lives. They need people who will believe in them and encourage them to reach their potential.31. Let other people know that you a) care about them; b) trust them; c) believe in them. I've been coaching Little League teams for the last seven years. I enter into each season with two goals: 1) My players improve as players and as a team from the beginning to the end, 2) My players enjoy the game of baseball more at the end of the season than at the beginning. These two goals only come about as my players understand that baseball is about more than just winning. My players listen and respond to my coaching when it comes from a foundation of care, trust, and belief in them beyond their abilities. 32. Make somebody laugh. Make them laugh at themselves and you'll help them not to take life so seriously. People feel at ease when they're laughing. Don't make them laugh at someone else's expense. It's okay to allow them to laugh at your expense. It helps them to see that you don't take yourself so seriously. 33. Develop areas of common ground. When you develop common ground with people, it establishes a sense of focus and security. When people engage in conversation with strangers, they will work hard to find common ground between them. One person may ask, "Where are you from?" To which the other person responds, "I was raised in Seattle." Typically, the person will then respond with something like, "Oh, I have an aunt who lives in Seattle" or "I love the Seattle Seahawks." People attempt to find common areas because it makes the conversation more comfortable and establishes connections between people. When Kerry met a southern-accented young man at a Christmas party, the first question she asked him was, "You are not from around Los Angeles are you?" Ha ha ha Turns out her soon to be spouse lived two blocks from her aunt in Kansas! The all night conversation was sparked by a simple question! 13 years, and two children later, Kerry and Byron still say that his endearing southern drawl and her friendly nature brought them together!34. Be honest with people. Help them see things from multiple perspectives. In most situations, honest answers will benefit another person more than dishonest answers. But be careful. Whenever a girl asks, "Do these jeans make me look fat?" - the correct answer is always "no." But whenever you tell people ONLY what they want to here, you're not adding value to them. You're keeping their fantasy world alive...which, in the case of the ill-fitting jeans...isn't such a bad thing. My best friend will start a sentence with, "well, if I can be honest with you..." She knows that the truth may be difficult for me to hear, so it is like she is going out of "friendly-mode" and into "honesty-mode". I did tell you that she is my BEST friend, right? Her status as my number one friend is mostly because she is HONEST with me! Do not surround yourself with "yes" people; take a lesson from the "celebrities" and their out of control lives! People who agree with you all of the time do no have your best interest at heart All of us need friends that tell us the truth and offer sound perspectives!35. If you are vulnerable about your own weaknesses and shortcomings, you will empower people to be more honest about their own. As a mom I can tell you that nothing has ever humbled me as much as being a parent! When I was a teacher I could go to staff meetings or even just the teacher's lounge on recess to bond with other teachers dealing with similar student issues. But as a first time mom I felt very isolated and alone. When my son was three months old I visited our priest for the baptism consultation and he told me that having a support group such s MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) is vital to healthy mothering. Turns out that there were MOPS groups in every church throughout our town! When a mom goes to MOPS they learn from other mom who have "been there and done that" in a casual and safe environment for both the mom and the baby. MOPS is a wonderful resource for the most vulnerable stage in a woman's life. For all of you moms to be, be sure to check out MOPS and if you know someone who is home with a baby all day let them know about this great organization! 36. Leave early for a meeting or appointment so that you have time to talk informally with people and engage them on a more personal level. Want to get the real scoop on a meeting? Get to the venue early and offer to help set-up! I used to get to all the student council meetings early as a freshman, sophomore and junior class man; I would help set-up by passing out agendas and sharpen the pencils, all the while listening to and learning from the upper class man as they debated over the new business topics, etc. By the time that I was a senior, I felt very qualified to be head of the student council.There is something to be said for putting in your time! 37. Build space into your schedule that is dedicated to adding value to people. There has been marital advice handed down to me from my dad: "don't nag your husband, just be supportive." Sounded a bit 1960's to me at first, but now after 13 years of being a wife...well, I think I get what he meant! Don't we all do better with encouragement? In the spirit of building people up, try making an effort to take a couple minutes everyday to reach out to someone in a positive and supporting way. On your break place a sticky note with an upbeat message on a co worker's coffee cup or send a text message that says,"you can do it" to a spouse that keeps forgetting to take out the trash! This could work wonders for your special recipients' morale! 38. Don't view people as they are but as who they have the potential to become. Do your best to draw the very best out of people. Teachers and Business Managers have to do this everyday, don't they? That is why good teachers call themselves, "facilitators of learning". If you look at yourself as a facilitator of valuing others, you cannot help but to draw the best out of people. Toss the proverbial softball to someone who you know needs to hit one out of the park! Help someone get back into the game by stoking their flame, not by intimidating them! It is great to be on a team with people who recognize the need to be respected for the person they are striving to become! I had a boss/trainer once that never beat us up about mistakes that we made at work; he would just outline the issue, suggest the solution for the future action and end the brief meeting with, "Now get back to work, My Champions! (Because of his understanding approach he is my favorite boss to this day!) 39. Catch somebody doing something right and praise them for it in front of others whom you'd like to see exhibit similar behavior. This is such a great piece of advice for all of us; whether we are teachers, managers, or moms and dads! There was a term that was big when I was doing my student teaching in East Los Angeles: Behavior Modification. Because in the inner-city we were dealing with a lot more than the three r's in the classroom,we had to find a way to reach our students in a positive and affirming way. Our detention halls were filled daily and our truancy rate was astronomical! What really helped in turning our students around was the Positive Reinforcement we gave them when we "caught them being good" At weekly assemblies we would honor 10 students per grade that were being acknowledged for doing the right thing during the course of the week. A pizza party for the 40 honorees would follow the assembly! How can you celebrate someone's value by putting them on a pedestal for a job well done? 40. Encourage someone who seems disappointed or discouraged. (hmmm: through a card, a hug, or just by being there with them.) Can you remember a time when you were really disappointed? We are going through it right now with my son, as my husband is on a 9 day business trip and he misses his dad. I told my husband that it would help Danny a lot if he could email him while he was away! This is working out great....don't you love the many ways a computer can bring us joy?! Danny feels validated by his dad because he is being understood and creatively involved in his trip! We are getting pictures from my husband of his hotel room and of the tractors on the fields that he is driving by...all very interesting to a 4 year old! We are all little kids inside, we still get disappointed when there is a big change that no one consulted us about! Be a friend to someone that you know is having a hard time. An email, a card or even a flower from your garden can brighten someone's outlook and they will remember that you were there when the going got tough! 41. Help people find their niche - the place where they can add the most value to others. A niche is a place where people feel a sense of belonging. It is a place where people feel they can make their greatest contribution. I can remember being selected to serve on long-standing committee. The people on this committee had been together for a number of years and I felt like I was on the outside looking in for the first few meetings. Near the end of one meeting, the group was trying to figure out how to put together some publicity for an upcoming project. I finally spoke up, "I would be willing to create that." None of them had any expertise in that area and were more than willing to let me run with it. I created a small marketing campaign for the project, complete with posters, flyers, postcards, and web elements. After that, I became the go-to person in that area. I also established my credibility and demonstrated my value to the group.42. Model the right kind of behavior for others and they will have a proper example to follow. People do what people see. Some people are book learners. They can read about how to do something in a book and then turn around and perform it. Most people are visual learners. They need to be shown how something is done and then they can imitate it until they learn how to do it on their own. If you want people to be cheerful, be cheerful. If you want people to be on time, be on time. When I'm coaching Little League, I will model the proper footwork or glove work and then ask my players to do it. I'll also find a player who's doing it right and tell the other players to watch him.43. Respond to people in a proper time frame. Call them back within 24 hours. Return an email within 48 hours. If you miss an appointment, meeting or special occasion - respond as soon as possible. I know what it's like to continually leave a message for someone and not have them get back to me. I don't feel that I'm very important to that person. Of course, it depends on the type of relationship you have with someone. But I try to get back to people within a reasonable period of time. Even if I can't take the time necessary for a full response, a partial response stating when I'll be able to provide my full attention is better than nothing. There will always be exceptions, but figure out what your routine will be. Then occasionally surprise someone by responding immediately or more quickly than anticipated.Tick tock..from the second that someone leaves you a message the clock is running! No matter what it takes, returning a phone call in a timely manner is simply polite and it does show that you value the person trying to reach you. In fact, if you really want to devalue someone, don't call them back! Both messages are loud and clear!44. Write a letter of recommendation for someone. Whenever I write a letter of recommendation for someone, I like to have them read it (if it's a good recommendation). Some companies will want you to keep it confidential but I believe it's a substantial way of adding value to someone to actually read how much you believe in them. 45. Invite people to be a part of a cause that is greater than something they could do on their own. I recently saw a documentary called, Invisible Children. It shows the terrible plight of children in Uganda who are being kidnapped and forced into child soldiering. It is horrifying. I have jumped on board with a couple of organizations that are lobbying and fighting to bring about change. I feel like I have been given so much and there's so much I can do for others.46. Buy a magazine or journal subscription for someone in an area that they're passionate about. A friend bought me a subscription to Fast Company magazine. Now, once a month, I receive a great magazine and his investment adds a little bit to my life. Every month when I receive the magazine in the mail, I'm reminded of his contribution to me. It is a gift that keeps on giving.47. Show a person respect and they will be more inclined to show you the same respect. If you have done something hurtful to another in front of others, then apologize to them in front of others. Respect must be earned. It is a special gift. Many points of tension and conflict arise when someone feels disrespected. Often people feel disrespected because someone judges them before they even have a chance to get to know them. Begin with respect in the way you approach people.48. Find ways to give people perks for a job well done. Don't treat everyone the same. I remember one year it came time to receive a bonus because of an unexpected surplus. The organization I was working for wanted to reward the employees. When they passed out the bonuses, they gave each person the exact same amount. I can understand wanting to be fair, but the surplus came about as the result of a few people's hard work. In the end, there was part of me that didn't want the bonus because I didn't want to reward those who hadn't put in the long hours like some of us had. Being fair when you dish out rewards and bonuses doesn't have the motivational effect some people think it does.49. Help people find a sense of belonging on your team. This year, I drafted five new players for my Little League team. Seven players returned from last year. The new guys are wondering where they fit in. My returning players have already developed a language, have inside jokes, and feel comfortable around each other. One of my goals in these first few weeks is to create some shared experiences so that the new guys not only feel welcome, but feel a part.50. Figure out a way that you can sacrifice something for the benefit of someone else. It could be as simple as letting someone go in front of you. I will sometimes rush to the door of my favorite Starbucks in front of somebody else headed that way. I know what they're thinking..."that guy wants to get in front of me." Then I'll completely surprise them by standing there holding the door open for them. I'll say something like, "Welcome to Starbucks!" (and they don't even pay me for that!) Most times, people are so shocked that they'll start talking to me in line. Imagine that...a conversation with a complete stranger.51. Refer business leads to others. A great way to add value to someone's life is to add value to their business. One of the most important things a person needs to do in business is marketing. We are all selling something. Word of mouth continues to rank near the top of reasons why people will try something new. So I become a buzz agent (literally...www.bzzagent.com) for my friends and refer potential customers their way whenever possible.52. Talk to the people who are in front or behind you in lines. I refer to this as "acknowledging the humanity that's right in front of you." Say hello, talk about the weather, do something to acknowledge someone else. It often catches people off guard when I turn around and say "hi" to them. I think we're told so often not to talk to strangers as children that not only do we not talk to anyone whom we don't know...we don't even acknowledge them.Honestly, you should try this one just for the coincidence factor! Just how did the two of you end up in the same line, at nearly the exact same time? I bet you will find that you have more in common than what's in your grocery cart! Some of the most fun conversations I have had a a stay-at-home mom have been the random chats at the market, park, even the elevator at the mall! Be the friendly one in a boring/waiting situation, you will make the other person understand that you see him or her and that they are not invisible! Plus, these little encounters keep your flirting skills honed, and there is no maintenance needed with this fleeting acquaintance!53. Admit you don't know something about another person's area of expertise - show your ignorance or lack of knowledge and let them teach you what they know. Whenever I'm around people who know how to work on cars, I am all ears. They'll start talking about different types of engines and parts and what works better...I don't even attempt to chime in. Don't get me wrong...if you need someone to set the presets on your radio or adjust your clock, I'm your guy. But open up the hood and I'm lost. I've come to realize that I don't do anyone any good by trying to fake my way in a conversation about working on cars. So I ask questions...lots of questions...stupid questions. And you know what? People are happy to teach me, show me, even help me. Humility helps you learn. Pride puts up walls to learning. In fact you do not know everything that there is to know! It is okay to learn from others that you admire as experts, they will be flattered and feel valued, while you learn from their expertise! A win-win!54. When you read a good book, think about who else would benefit from it and invite them to borrow it or purchase a copy for them. Make sure you refer people to books that you've actually read. Also, it may not send the right message if you're reading, "How Not To Be A Jerk" and you call up your friend and say, "Hey, I've got a great book that you NEED to read." But it is extremely helpful to read (especially non-fiction) with an eye for who else could benefit from this information.55. Offer to videotape or take pictures for someone at a special event so they can enjoy it without having to worry about doing that sort of thing themselves. I've gone to basketball games, soccer games, birthday parties, etc and offered to hang out and just take pictures. Usually other parents are very grateful because they can focus on the game or special event and not worry about when to snap the shots. With digital cameras, it only costs your time and battery power. You can email pics to people and even put them up on the web for them to share with others. One of the best gifts I received last year as a coach was from a parent who had taken time to shoot pictures of my son during our games. I couldn't coach and carry a camera. Plus, this other dad was such a better photographer than I am.56. Whenever someone asks to borrow a pen, invite them to keep it. People are always looking for a pen. Why not get some inexpensive pens made up that say, "Have a great day...there's nothing like a free pen." The point is: people are always holding on so tightly to their stuff (which is often important, especially when you are looking for a pen and you just gave yours away). But what if you lived in such a way that you weren't always trying to get, but looking for ways to give. The simple life avoids clutter. Why not consider giving away as much as you can? 57. Make your contribution greater than your reward. All of you coffee addicts can appreciate this! I am really lucky to be the recipient of a warm cup of coffee on my nightstand every morning before I wake up! My husband started this tradition nearly 5 years ago when we brought our first baby home from the hospital. Byron knows that it would be impossible for me to get to my favorite coffee shop in the morning with a newborn baby, so he visits the shop for me as part of his morning routine. Every morning he selflessly delivers my hot coffee to me, most of time I am still "sawing logs"! His contribution is HUGE to me and yet his reward is often not instant, he leaves me while I am snoring away! When the delicious aroma of the cup of coffee wakes me up I reach for the phone before I take and sip and call him on his cell phone: "Thank you for getting my coffee this morning!" This starts both of our days off on a happy and grateful note... 58. Make your expectations clear and up front. Don't make people guess. Make sure they are reachable and realistic. I once had a boss who never really liked anything I did. I would do my best, but he still didn't act positively about my work. I would ask him, "What do you want me to do? What do you expect of me?" His only response was, "Produce!" I thought I was producing, but I guess it wasn't good enough by his standards (whatever those were). It was really frustrating to try to work toward expectations that were unclear. Do you want to motivate your employees? Give them something tangible to aim at. If they're any good, they'll probably exceed your expectations.59. Compile a list of resources or ideas on one topic for someone and help them make sense of it, look for patterns, or gaps. People will often ask me about the latest gadget or electronic toy that's out on the market. They come to me because they know that I keep up to date with what the latest and greatest is. One of my goals is to not only know what the next cool piece of technology is, but to be able to find it for the cheapest price. If I can save a friend a few bucks by finding something for them at a cheaper price, I'll be adding value to their wallets.60. Play devil's advocate and offer two sides to a situation. For example, you could give reasons why you should do "X" and reasons why you shouldn't do "x." Sometimes a person needs to think through the opposite side of an issue. By playing devil's advocate, you can help someone affirm what they already believe or give them something more to think about. The goal here isn't to be argumentative, but to widen someone's perspective. 61. Develop a system that helps you stay organized, then share that system with others. Others may not adopt your system exactly, but it may help them see blind spots in their own organization strategies. I'm always trying to figure out the best way to keep track of my calendar, to-do's, projects, etc. I love to look at tools that other people create and I've even created a few of my own. Recently, I designed the Weekly Schedule Task Planner (WeeklySTP). You can download it at http://studentlinc.typepad.com/studentlinc/2007/03/introducing_the.html. One of the funnest parts of creating this tool was giving it away for FREE and hearing all the feedback from people that were using it and having success with it.62. Develop an energetic greeting when you see people. This is a great suggestion...you do not have to be the cheerleader-type to muster up a sincere smile and a twinkle in your eye when you greet someone! I don't think that most people realize how validating it is to get a warm greeting from someone! You do not have to go "Euro" with the kissie kissie ritual, but you really can and should show some jubilation when you are greeting people. Show some spunk and people will be happy to see you too! 63. Create mementos of special occasions that you spend with people. Hey guys...want to score some major points with the ladies? Of course you do! Try grabbing a matchbook on your way out the door of a restaurant when you are on a date. If you are non-smoker (and I pray that you are!) your date may ask, "Why are you taking matches, you don't smoke, do you?" and then you get to be smooth-guy and respond with the value-packed: "Ahhh, you caught me! I just wanted to remember tonight's date with YOU!" Girls admire a guy who think that they are worth remembering! Now be sure to call her the next day and to call her by the correct name! If you can hang onto that matchbook until your honeymoon (like my husband did!), well, then you are gold!64. Keep people accountable to their promises, goals, and commitments. When you care about someone enough to point out to them that a commitment that they have made is not being met, you are being a friend that is trying to show the other person how valuable you think that they are to that commitment and to you. For example, think about the last time that you went to a wedding or a baptism. The pastor asks the congregation witnessing the union, and the sanction of baptism,to hold the participants to their commitments being made at the ceremonies. That is pretty powerful! If you are a friend to someone who is slipping in their commitments and you do not want to "nag", think of a creative way to let them know that you see the road that they are heading down and you do not approve! If more married women and men had friends that were not afraid to value the institution of marriage by offering sound advice when there are bumps in the road, I am sure that the divorce rate would be much lower. Let's value our friends enough to watch out for each other and each other's commitments. 65. Use polite grammar. Say "yes sir" or "yes ma'am." Say "please" and "thank you." If your mom and dad did not instill the power of politeness in you; make it a habit for your adult life. Good manners and a pleasant demeanor will improve your social life greatly. My son can already charm the pants off of most people he meets, he begins by giving everyone he meets a big smile and a friendly, "How are you doing today?" He is 4 years old, but he has got the charm of someone much more mature! My husband and I are both teachers and we have told our kids that teachers really are partial to the polite students in a classroom. I have found that managers, clients and the general public prefer people that have a courteous nature! Think about the people that you encounter throughout the course of a day. Sadly you probably have met some rude ones, but if you do meet up with someone polite it most likely had a lasting affect on you. Be the person who is polite to another person and watch it catch on... I like to think that politeness is contagious! It is also a way to show someone that you value them in the moment that they share space with you. When Danny asks a stranger, "How are you doing today?" they always smile at him and say, "very well and how are you, young man?" and there you have it...the beginning to a gratifying and friendly conversation, in a world full of hustle and bustle! 66. Use the Web 2.0 model. Give things away for free. If you have provided a useful and meaningful product, people are happy to return and pay you for more. I love the age of beta-testing and free trials and online software that helps someone with a specific task...all for FREE! People like free. People feel good about what you're offering when you offer it to them for free. It seems that the rise of Web 2.0 has created a stronger sense of sharing on the internet. As a kid, I learned to be good at sharing what I had with others. What happens to us when we grow up?67. Practice the Golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Perhaps the greatest idea of what it means to add value to others that's ever been mentioned. Enough said.68. People often need to be challenged to improve, change, or step out of their comfort zones. Think about coming into a meeting and your boss says to you,"I think that you are ready for a bigger territory!" wow..that is a rush, isn't it?! Your boss has instantly made you feel ten feet tall! Think about a time when someone's words of encouragement has changed the way you viewed yourself! Usually it is a time when someone believed in you enough to give you a bigger challenge! Remember when your folks told you that you could take the car out for the first time? They showed you that they trusted you with their CAR! Looking back on that myself, I realize that my folks were using some basic psychology on me! They expressed their trust in my good judgement and allowed me to have a privilege that I did not even think that I was ready for! I was challenged to actually be responsible! It worked, I began driving at age 16 and never had an accident while living under their roof! I was empowered by my folks and was allowed to step into an adult world at a pretty young age. I would have never abused that trust..it was as sincere as the day is long. Whether you are 16 or 60 there are times when others can help us find our wings and soar out of the nest we are stuck in. Who can you help to find his wings by giving them a nudge/challenge? 69. Be sincere in your sincerity. Sincerity is something that you cannot fake. This is the true difference between adding value to some one else and trying to sell them something! We all have a sincerity meter inside of us and we can detect a salesman three blocks away, can't we? Adding value to someone else is a pure and sincere gesture. If you are not "feeling it", neither will the other person! Try your best to do the selfless favor without any other motivation..your sincerity will shine through! 70. Delegate toward outcomes rather than telling someone how to do a task. When you teach, you learn! How many times have you had to teach someone something that is seemingly simple, but as you begin to explain, you realize, hmmm, this is harder to explain than it is for me to just do myself! There lies the temptation to just do the job yourself everytime that it comes up! Well, to add value to another person, try delegating the task that you usually would just handle yourself. You will be passing on knowledge and helping this person to gain competence in another area; but remember once you have trained someone, you have to let them go and put their own signature on the task. It is like when a dad is asked to change a diaper for the first time, the mom really wants the help and extra pair of hands, but she cannot complain if the diaper is placed backwards for the first few times! Teach, delegate and then let go! You must let the person feel valued and empowered in order for them to want to help out in the future. 71. Allow another person to take the lead in the accomplishment of a special project or task. If you have ever been asked to do a job that you, yourself, did not think you could pull off, you know the sensation of being s t r e t c h e d. If you are in a leadership position and can assist a person in being stretched to another level, you should! Do not be afraid to relinquish power, because as we all know there is someone above us too...and don't we want the challenge from the Powers That Be (over us)? Valuing someone that is in an underling, or a even in a lateral position, by allowing them to have a taste of glory will bring more experience and accolades to them, but also to you! Most likely your boss will recognize that you are not a show-boater and that you are a team player! Everyone likes team players, show boaters--not so much! 72. Try to notice something unique about a person that might typically be overlooked (nice earrings, nails done, hair cut, on time for work, etc). In a world of flash and bigger is better you could really make the day of someone else by pointing out something about them that is going against the tide of fashion! My wedding ring is an antique, it was passed down to me from my grandmother on my mother's side, it is very special to me. Whenever I am at church or an engagement where there are older ladies one of them always comes over to me and says that my ring is just like their mother's wedding ring. They get such a kick out of seeing an antique that reminds them of a special person in their life. My husband has offered to get me a new, more up to date ring. I always tell him that my ring may not be the trendy-two-carat that all of my friends seem to have, but it does get a lot of nice complements from my older friends! I enjoy having a unique and special piece of my family history to wear, and for all the kind older ladies that value its significance I will continue to wear it proudly! 73. Ask how someone important to the other person is doing. It could be a child, a spouse, a family member, even a family pet. The most sincere way that you can verbally care about someone else is by caring about who they care about! Doesn't that make sense? When you see someone who has children it is always a great conversation starter to ask , "How are those wonderful kids doing?" If you know that someone's dad recently had surgery, go ahead and ask how the recovery is coming along. In fact I feel so much more valued by my friends who ask about my family, it takes our friendship to another level, like they are part of my journey instead of looking at my life from the outside, they are with me adding value by caring about what I cherish. (It is not being nosy to ask about your friend's family members if you do it in a friendly and sincere manner.) 74. Let the other person in on a secret. People feel special when they are the first to be told something or are given information that is only given to a select few. It is Spring now and for us moms it is time to get the kids signed up for Summer Camps and Swim Lessons! I was at the park yesterday and met a mom who is new to the area, pregnant and has two daughters (4 and 3 years old)...she is a busy lady and 3 weeks away from her due date! I asked her if she knew about the summer programs for the girls and about how they quickly fill up before April. She had the look in her eyes that told me she needed my insider's help! I happily loaned her my Parks and Recreation Brochure, jotted down the name of a private swim instructor that my extended family has used for ten years and gave her my phone number and email address. I was suddenly feeling like that kid in high school assigned to the new student! It felt great! She was walking me to the parking lot and then turned to me and said, "Thank you so much for all your help! I have lived here for 6 months and I have not met any of my neighbors....you are the first person that I have had a real conversation with since moving here! You are a sweetheart!" Then, she gave me a warm hug! Wow! Isn't it great when you can let someone in on some information that will make their life better? 75. Teach someone a skill that you know. Have them be an apprentice under you for a period of time. Apprenticeship seems to be a lost art. We either don't have time to follow someone around and learn the skill or we don't have time to pass what we know on to others. One of the ways that I learned to improve my ability to speak in public was to spend a lot of time with a couple of people who did just that - spoke in public. I would watch how they moved, how their hands moved. I would listen to when they paused and how they interacted with their audience. I became a student of public speaking and learned by watching my two friends who did it well. If you do something well, think about passing it on to someone else. Then your skill will live on, even after you've gone.76. Make eye contact. Look them square in the eye. Make a note of their eye color. I have a hard time believing someone who is talking to me and not LOOKING at me ! Don't you? I can always tell when one of my students is "fibbing" because their eyes look away from mine while they are talking. The eyes are the window to the soul, someone once said, and I believe this to be true. When you are talking to someone, let your soul shine through those windows of yours! Eye contact will let the person that you are talking to know that: a) you value their opinion of you, and b) you stand behind what you are saying!77. Alter your communication style (both verbal and non-verbal) to produce the best outcome. I hope that you have a great pastor at your church like I do. On Sunday mornings,Father Peter is always very serious during his sermon, rarely does he even crack a smile while standing behind the podium that he reads from. But when he steps away from, and in front of the podium, to give us the news of the church family, he is a riot! Father Peter has the warmest personality and the deepest faith of any clergy man that I have ever met! While I do enjoy his sermons, I cannot help but look forward to the non-verbal cue we get when he starts to walk away from the podium and down toward the pews! He is coming out of very serious man of the cloth mode and transforming into our friend, Peter! He has a way of reaching all of us on a personal level as he will smile and wave to each of us (non verbal affection/validation) and sometimes even (verbally) mention something about our family activities! He is really a unique pastor and someone that we all enjoy seeing and feeling valued by every Sunday morning! 78. Don't talk AT people, talk WITH them! Here is one to think about, have you ever been talked down to by someone because they were older than you? How about getting talked to by a boss that treated as if you were a child? It doesn't feel like you are a valued person in their eyes does it? Be careful to not pass on this bad communication tactic as you climb the ladder of success! Be a part of a movement that encourages everyone to feel valued, talk with people not at them. Engage the other person in the conversation by checking for understanding and asking for their input on decisions that impact them. This is important when dealing with your own kids as well! One of my favorite bumper stickers always gives me pause and helps to remind me that our status is in constant flux: "Be Kind To Your Children, They Pick Your HOME Someday!" (I hope that my kids will remember that I listened to them and was kind...yikes!) 79. Discover a person's individuality and help them discover it as well. One of the questions I didn't enjoy hearing as a kid was, "Why can't you be more like so-and-so?" I realize now that those in authority over me (parents, teachers, coaches) were trying to get me to exhibit certain character traits. But you don't hear the question that way when you're a kid. I didn't want to be another person, I wanted to be myself. It's important to have models, to have positive examples to follow. But even more important is being able to be or become yourself. This is the greatest single lesson I learned as I worked on becoming a better public speaker. In the beginning, I would try to copy what I liked from other well known speakers. I would try to BE them. But it never works. I have since worked hard at learning in a way that it enhances who I am and who I am trying to become. I want to learn to do something well without losing my identity or pretending to be someone else.80. Listen actively. To be an active listener you must do more than chime in with the "oh, uh-huh?" and the "mmmm!" When you are actively listening you are present when another person is talking and you are in the moment with them. I have become keen at being an active listener because I enjoy people and their stories! I love to get someone talking about themselves! I like putting together clues as to who they are. I will ask insightful questions if they have given me some good reasons to. The other day my family and I were at the dog park and there was only one other family there with us. I looked over at the "doggie daddy" and asked him the breed of his dog, and with a Canadian accent he said, "Stanley is a Terrier" and I said, " Are you a Hockey Fan?" and he laughed and said, "WOW, you are quick for a blonde!" ha ha ha Turns out my new neighbor with Stanley the Terrier (named for the Stanley Cup) is Brent Severyn, "The Enforcer", he played Hockey for Dallas and now is the radio color sportscaster for the Mighty Ducks! My active listening impressed him enough to offer up seats to Honda Stadium! He laughs with me every time we run into each other now..."Hi, eh? My bright, blonde friend!" (I don't think he can remember my name, well, he did probably get hit in the head a lot with those flying pucks!!! ha ha ha) Next time you are in a conversation, remember to actively listen and play along with the rhythm of someone else's story, add questions when you can and watch another dimension unfold! 81. Create a video on YouTube describing how to do something or create something. You can use this free resource as your own virtual classroom. This is a fairly inexpensive way to offer something to the world on video. I have discovered that I can even create a video on my Treo 650 and upload it at YouTube. Just make sure you're not putting up something that's already been copyrighted. 82. If you find a book helpful, consider getting a group of friends together who share your appreciation for it. Have each person mark up the book: underlining passages they found helpful, writing notes of how they applied the information, and adding comments back to the author. Then mail the book back to the author. (Note: I've done this and it was one of the coolest gifts you could ever offer an author.)83. Exercise WITH someone else. Workouts are much better when you have a partner. You can serve as a spotter so that the other person can actually lift more than they could alone. You can run alongside someone else and speed up the pace. You can speak words of encouragement and motivation to the other person so that they'll push themselves to get the most out of their workout. 84. Show up in support of someone else's event. Your presence shows that they're important, what they're doing is important. You can also cheer and encourage. Recall when you were a little kid and your mom threw you birthday parties and you were so excited to see all these people show up to celebrate YOU? Well that is how the kid in all of us feel when our friends and family rally around us when we are doing something in front of an audience. At an awards night it is always nice to see the parents and siblings of a student show up...but if some of their friends are there as well, that is really something! Can you think of a friend who will be having a ball game or a blog post? Could you support your friend by giving of your time to show up to the game or to log onto their site? Valuing someone enough to share in their glory days shows what a big person you are as well as how selfless you can be! After all, what are friends for if not to watch you when you are in the spotlight? 85. Write an ebook that gives people helpful advice in a certain area (like 103 ways to add value to people). 103 things may seem like a lot. But a list like this does a few things. It confirms what people are already doing in this area. It gives people some new ideas they might not have thought of. Plus, it gets the creative juices flowing and someone might come up with all new ideas of their own.86. Do a podcast that people can download and listen to on their mp3 player. Just like putting video up on YouTube, podcasts are becoming more and more in vogue. There is free software out there that will record your voice, convert your file to an MP3 format, even store your file on the internet for free. Speak about a topic that you are passionate about and offer something that people can learn from you. 87. Write a book review on Amazon or on your own blog. Write a book review in the comments of the author's blog. Author's are much more accessible now. One of the scariest things in the world for an author is to put his or her thoughts out there in the form of a book. Let them know what you think. They welcome the feedback. Plus, your review may be the thing that will convince someone of the value or lack of value in a book. Word of mouth is still one of the biggest forms of marketing products and services.88. Have a positive attitude in all situations. An attitude is contagious. If you have a positive attitude you will influence those around you who may be tempted to be negative. Decide to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. A thermometer measures and reflects the current temperature. A thermostat is used to set the temperature you want. 89. Sponsor a child from a third world country. One of the best ways you can add value to someone else is by providing them with the basic necessities of life: food, clothing, shelter. By sponsoring a child (through Compassion International, Feed The Children, etc) you will be doing just that. You can even begin to write letters and converse back and forth with your sponsored child. 90. Pray for someone.No matter what your spiritual bent, there is a deep, spiritual value in praying for other people. Pray specifically for them and for their needs. You know that there is serious power in prayer for both the prayer and the prayee! Try it right now...think of someone that needs a prayer, close your eyes, recite your heartfelt sentiment and experience the feeling of compassion that comes over you. It is a sensation like none other. You may want to tell the person for whom you are praying that they are in your prayers; but it is amazing to do it anonymously, and watch the blessing manifest from the sidelines! 91. Help someone know the best way for them to volunteer. A good example of this is http://girlistic.com/diy/volunteer.htm which offers guidance on how to volunteer based on your skills, time (hour, day, weekend), during a crisis, from home, etc. 92. Create a resource that people can use on a regular basis. I created the MPOW [meeting planner organizer worksheet]. It is one of my most downloaded resources. 93. Interview someone with expertise in a certain field and post your interview on a blog or as a podcast. Most people like to be interviewed, especially when they've produced a book or product that they'd like to get the word out on. Most people are their own best marketers, so tap into that desire for them to be heard. Plus, you'll be introducing a whole new group of people to someone that they wouldn't have encountered otherwise.94. Be present to people. In today's technology-saturated society, it's easy to become distracted in our conversations with others by cell phones beeping, text messages coming in, emails to check, etc. When you are with someone, let them know that they're time and presence is valuable by being completely present for them. Take the headphones out of your ears. 95. Instill in others the desire to add value to people. One of the people I had read this list said, "I wish all people would approach others in the ways listed here." My response is - it's our job to model it and change the culture. 96. Be strategic in how you go about adding value to people. Plan moments in your calendar (each day!) where you assess what you can do or reflect on who you added value to. If you simply fly by the seat of your pants, you will miss important opportunities and lack creativity. 97. Realize that each person is unique and finds value in various ways. Don't approach someone with a cookie cutter approach to adding value. While everyone likes a good compliment, most of us learn and grow in different ways. Seek to find out a person's learning style, communication style, temperament, and mood when walking alongside them. 98. Help other people measure their own growth and results. You might devise a progress chart or list out goals that have been accomplished. Show them the small successes and celebrate those to increase motivation and momentum toward the larger goal. Part of accountability is keeping score in a tangible way. If you can't measure growth, how will you know if you're moving in the right direction?99. Adding value to people is a daily decision, not something that you do in a day. It takes time, effort, and sacrifice. Sometimes a person may resist your efforts for any number of reasons. Don't give up. Your decision to add value to people is not dependant upon someone's willingness to accept it. If they refuse, smile and invest in someone else. 100. Help others perceive and receive a vision for their future. This instills hope and helps people maintain a target on the wall for them to aim at in their personal growth and development. Ask others to think about where they would like to be in 1, 5, and 10 years. Help them by encouraging them to create a picture of what they want the future to look like. What kinds of things do they hope to be doing? 101. Help others determine the time stealers in their own lives. Figure out how they can spend more time on meaningful and significant work and less time on things that don't amount to much or waste time. 102. File information in an organized fashion. When you file, you are investing information that you don't need right now but may need in the future. This way you will be able to access in the likelihood you do need it. Everytime you file something away, it is time well spent for an anticipated moment in the future when you'll need that information. 103. Conduct fire drills with people. Invite others to think through crisis situations to be better prepared. Use case studies, role playing, or real life scenarios. Fire drills assist people in being prepared for when an actual crisis situation arises. Even if the crisis isn't the same, people will be better prepared to handle the stress, understand what kinds of decisions need to be made, and not freak out.

Work Ethics

Lesson 1 - Why Work Ethic?A brief lesson about why work ethic is so important in the information age workplace and why it will continue to be important in the future.

It is a new day in the workplace, but the old saying that "what goes around, comes around" has been proven true again. Now as much as ever before it is important for workers to have a good work ethic. Without it, businesses and industries struggle as productivity falls short of what is needed. Employers especially dislike hiring people who would choose to prop up their feet rather than find something to do.
Hasn't a good work ethic always been important, though? The answer is yes, but during a period of history we refer to as the industrial age, many jobs required a work ethic that was limited and somewhat different from the characteristics necessary in today's information age workplace. People who work with information often must set their own schedule, usually work with less direct supervision, and frequently experience change and innovation in their work.

What is an information age job?Consider the following occupations. Click on items in the list that are information jobs?
teacher
computer salesperson
construction worker
machine operator
engineer
movie actor
doctor
truck driver
politician
apartment manager
accountant
custodian
Even the jobs which are not now classified as information jobs are continuing to change in that direction. As technology advances and manual operations are replaced by machines, people increasingly must deal with the information necessary to provide instructions to a machine which in turn actually performs a task.


Lesson 2 - What is Work Ethic?
A lesson that defines work ethic and includes information about important worker characteristics that employers are seeking.

Definition
The work ethic is a cultural norm that advocates being personally accountable and responsible for the work that one does and is based on a belief that work has intrinsic value. The term is often applied to characteristics of people, both at work and at play. In sports, for example, work ethic is frequently mentioned as a characteristic of good players. Regardless of the context, work ethic is usually associated with people who work hard and do a good job.
Research has shown that the many characteristics of work ethic can be summarized using three terms -- interpersonal skills, initiative, and being dependable. These terms serve to organize the instructional materials presented by this web site. They also can provide a concise way to remember what work ethic is all about.
How is your work ethic?
An instrument that has been developed to measure work ethic is the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory (OWEI). This instrument has been used extensively in research and the electronic version is available to provide a basis for comparing your work ethic to that of others. The inventory provides scores for interpersonal skills, initiative, and being dependable will allow you to determine how you rate on these important areas.



Lesson 3 - Interpersonal Skills
Examines the role of interpersonal skills as an aspect of work ethic, emphasizes its importance in the workplace, and helps learners to develop strategies for improving interpersonal skills.

Introduction
Interpersonal skills include the habits, attitudes, manners, appearance, and behaviors we use around other people which affect how we get along with other people. We sometimes do not understand how important interpersonal skills really are. It's easy to laugh and make jokes about people who obviously lack interpersonal skills, but sometimes we need to examine our own impressions on others to better prepare for success in life as well as for a productive career.
The development of interpersonal skills begins early in life and is influenced by family, friends, and our observations of the world around us. Television and movies also influence this area, but most of these characteristics are passed along to us by our parents or guardians. Some aspects of interpersonal skills are even inherited. Appearance and some personality traits are largely influenced by our genes. For us to improve our interpersonal skills, we must first be aware of what we are like from the perspective of other people who interact with us. Habits we are unaware of, actions we think go unnoticed, and other things about us that might affect other people are impossible for us to change if we are not aware of them. One of the things that teachers try to do, starting in the early grades, is to help students correct bad habits and to develop good interpersonal skills.
As we become adults, it increasingly becomes our own responsibility to initiate any changes in interpersonal skills that might be needed. They are more important than ever and they greatly influence both opportunities and success. It's just that rather than trying to change interpersonal skills, as is the case when we are children, adults tend to make judgements about one another based on interpersonal skills without explicitly saying that is the case.

Lesson 4 - Initiative
Explains initiative as a part of work ethic, helps learners to evaluate their own initiative, and encourages them to use initiative in appropriate and productive ways.

Introduction
Initiative is a very important characteristic for information age workers. Direct supervision is often not a feature of the modern workplace. Without initiative, procrastination and missed opportunities can become a real problem. Sometimes poor performance results and leads to loss of a job, without any second chances.
Consider the salesperson who works out of a home office or the small business owner who works out of the house. If these people do not exercise initiative, there will probably not be anyone to say anything about it. As performance declines, however, the results will reflect what has been happening with the job.

Lesson 5 - Being Dependable
Emphasizes the importance of being dependable and helps learners to identify areas for improving personal dependability.

Introduction
Being dependable is one of the most highly sought after traits for workers in the modern workplace. This work ethic construct includes honesty, reliability, and being on time. People who are not dependable often are very expensive to keep around because of the wasted time and resources their behavior causes. In some cases, even peoples' lives can be lost if another person is not dependable.

Lesson 6 - Other Employability Skills
Other employability skills related to work ethic are considered in this lesson along with activities to prepare people for success in the information age workplace.

Introduction
Three primary components of work ethic have been identified as interpersonal skills, initiative, and dependability. This lesson will focus on specific employability skills and personal characteristics which are drawn from all three work ethic components. Some of these are very practical like learning to prepare a resume. Others are more difficult to describe or develop like not being overly shy, looking people in the eye when talking with them, and proper ways to greet someone you meet. Learning about these types of skills and practicing them are certain to enhance your ability to seek, secure, and be successful on the job!
Think for a moment about the steps necessary when you start a new job; filling out an application, going for your first interview, and spending your first day on the job. This will have already happened for some people, but for others it is on the horizon. Think about your answers to the following questions: How do you decide where you would like to work? When, where, and how should you pick up the application? Do you fill it out there or should you take it with you? How do you schedule your first interview? What was expected of you at the interview? What types of skills are employers looking for? How should you present yourself? What is the first day of work like? What should you do if the job is not what you expected? How do interpersonal skills, initiative, and dependability skills influence success in the work you do now or the work you will do in the future?
Many employers have been asked over the years to list the most important skills and characteristics they look for when hiring new employees. Among the more common answers are good communication skills, positive attitude, and the ability to be dependable, punctual, and responsible. Personal characteristics which are important include dressing properly, being polite, and displaying self-confidence.

Occupational Work Ethics Inventory

Your interpersonal score is 6.25 out of 7
Your initiative score is 5.19 out of 7 (Low)
Your dependability total is 5.71 out of 7 (Low)

Some quotes worth thinking

Man is not the creature of circumstances,circumstances are the creatures of men.We are free agents, and man is more powerful than matter.
Life Philosophy of Benjamin Disraeli

You can do what you want to do. You can be what you want to be.
Life Philosophy from R. David Thomas

Bread

After I came back from a walk in the park (literally) with my friend, she wanted to get some bread for tomorrow's breakfast. While she was make her bread choice, I was fascinated by the variety of breads available.



I would say that even bread has fashion. The neighbourhood store has caught up with the fancy bread shop chains.



Then an idea struck me.



How has the culture of bread evolved over the years? The ancestors would have been horrified to finish the modern breed of breads.



I did some search and come up with this.







European bread museum (http://www.breadculture.net/album/index.html)



http://www.breadculture.net/web/library.php?aid=8&cid=10



Very long hisotry on it.



I feel that it is like a staple in every culture. You can see how bread is represented in different languages.



Becuze it can be made from almost an flour and it can last for quite sometime, it is a favourite. But who is the 1st to invent this?



I duno.



Who is the one to spread this around the world?



I dunno.



May be someone can enlighten me.







I am more focused on how they market bread. Here are some posters. Take a look.

nice touching ad web movie

Like the actor, think I must have watch him somewhere else?
Da Qing Feng Yun??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7F-pzhSOZI

Le Grand Chef!

Mum and I have been dying to watch this in the theater but alas,my schedule cant make it possible. By rare occassion,I chance upon this again. With time in my hands, I watched it.

It nearly brought tears to my eyes. It is an excellent movie that promote kinship, Korean culture through the food, the respect for the teacher and of course the moral story of good begets good, and bad begets bad. All these are similar to what Confucius has to say so I dun think there is any problem selling in Asian theatres.

I like the boyish charm of the actor and the editing is superbly done. Together with the effect of comic strips being imposed during the cooking so that audience can view the segments and angles, it create a rather impactful and unprecedented cinematography to the audience. Very unique indeed.

Asshole!

My brother is clearly a big time asshole!

First he calls me when I am in the office working just to say that he can connect his notebook to the printer without the driver. He thinks that everyone is as free as he is. I already warned him but he doesnt listen. So what do you do with a stubborn shit like him? I hung his phone.

Second, when he is in need, everyone must be mobilise to help him and tide him over the crisis. Everyone must listen to his command so that his aims can be achieved. That's not other's problems. What they are doing is done out of care and concern, doesnt mean that he can step over their head and do his bidding.Who does he think he is?

Third, when he has a question, you must drop everything and answer him straightaway. He will ask questions not at one go but on and off, so you must attend to him as if it is the king asking you a question. Nevermind that you are doing some writing or some thinking, you ought to do as he instructed otherwise there will be havoc.

Last but not least, you cannot touch the PC and printer which mum bought for US to use. Why? Becoz it is placed in his room so they become his properties. Nevermind the fact that your computer may hang or you got to stick to your laptop coz he only got PC and you got a laptop already. Oh, you cannot print anything even if you need the stuff urgently coz why? He needs to sleep and by printing you are disturbing him. Nevermind the fact that you already bought the silent printer. hah! He rationalise for you saying that you can always print in school.
Oh, if you want to print something and find that it run out of ink, it is your fault that you forgot to buy ink not his fault even though he was the last one to use. He will snot at you and say how would I know if the ink would run out by the time I use. Now since he is the major user of the printer, he tells you that you cannot print from the printer. Why? Coz what if the ink run out by the time he wants to print something urgent? He also bought the paper himself you know. Guess what? Last time I bought the entire box of paper and he is the one who finished 4 reams while I use only one.

Any you know what? I am not supposed to bitch! I cannot cut off this conversation of using the printer by stopping him. Neither can I listen to a headset coz that is very childish, pretending that you never hear him talk his GREAT speech.Self-deceiving he says. And the best part, it is all my own fault that I cannot use the printer. Why? I cannot promise him that I will have the ink ready for him when it run out for him to print the urgent stuff. I already said I will buy but he ignored. He instead ask me when did dad say that the PC and printer are to be shared. Good right? So great of him ah! I cannot blame him for this you know. Why? It is my own fault. Why? So that I can continue to share with him what I know in the university. This is my value as a human being to him.

I am anticipating that he will read this then he will make a big hoo-haa out of it, saying I cannot bitch. Then he will continue to say that well, since the router is in his room, it belongs to him. I cannot use it so need to get a new internet line. I am hoping he is saying this to me.

This is the kind of person who drinks papaya juice through his entire life. Never learn his lesson and always has the egotistical mindset in him. So pathetic!

Happy Birthday Singapore!

Ask yourself for directions

This morning's "Wobao" has this very meaningful article.
I have been lost for quite some time already in this very fast-paced, materialistic society.
What is right and what is wrong is being blurred by the moral standards that people hold nowadays.
So after I read this article, I realise: never follow other's standards but keep to your own standards.
How to get own standards?
You must think for yourself.
No one can help.
I feel it is very true on what is found in the article.
We need some time to think of direction otherwise most of the time we will feel very unsatisfied with life and present way of living though most of us would envy us given our good situation and fortune.
However, as we all know we have tinge of laziness in us so it is very hard to tax the mind after long day of work to think of something so philosophical.
The need is there.
It is how we achieve it.

Cyber Defamation Law

From "wobao" today, pg4, it seems like the South Koreans are taking legal actions and tightening the online laws according to offline world.

It seems like there is a trend in the Asian societies to rule online world with regards to issues like defamation, stalking, piracy and so on.

The western counterparts are inclined to amend laws when there is a conflict of interest between the government administration and commercial mechanisms.

With this new law in mind, I wonder is it restricted to the country itself or it is encompassing the other country's citizens defaming its own citizens online.

Roadside Ice-cream seller

Its a hot day today. Normally, people would not think twice about getting a ice-cream.

Ever since I was young, ice-cream sellers often came into the neighbourhood in their tricycle type of motorcycle, peddling their ice-cream.
They would often have a big shade on their vehicle.

The seller would lure the victims ie the kids out of their houses with coins eg 50cents to gather around his truck for a bite of that juicy cooling piece of food.

It was as if nobody could resist them then.

The seller can sometimes play cheat by cutting a smaller piece for the same price or totally ignoring you, knowing that you would chase after him.
They seemed to have the upperhand and kids would often feel both love and hatred towards the seller.

They do not even care how the kids eat the ice-cream. The mess they created after the fail to consume the ice-cream at the right moment.

But now the scenario changes.

With the introduction of door to door delivery of Wall's ice-cream and ice-cream palour like Swensens and Gelare, the roadside ice-cream seller face a new threat which they have to improve.
Quality of Service.
People are now aware of the difference between the palour and roadside sellers. They can have a choice of not messing themselves up so why not even if it is more expensive? They paid for the service no matter now that the roadside seller's ice-cream seems to be cheaper.
Last time the roadside sellers failed to notice how inconvenient to lick and ice-cream,they have improvise to use a plastic bag or paper to cover.
However, other similar roadside ice-cream seller follow suit without fully understanding the rationale behind the application so their packaging abit off.
But is the tradition of roadside ice-cream selling going to fade away in the times of history or does the improved quality of service to consumers help to preserve their business?

That's in the future to know.

Some funny videos

Erm, I dun get this one





A riddile to be solved



Man and woman in conversation.

Some jokes for laugh

Murphy's Lesser Known Laws...

1. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

2. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

3. Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.

4. Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

5. The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.

6. If you lined up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them, five or six at a time, on a hill, in the fog.

7. The things that come to those who wait will be the scraggly junk left by those who got there first.

8. The shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.

9. A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

10. When you go into court, you are putting yourself into the hands of 12 people who weren't intelligent enough to get out of jury duty.


This Kid knows how to think!

A little boy got on the bus, sat next to a man reading a book, and noticed he had his collar on backwards.
The little boy asked why he wore his collar backwards.
The man, who was a Priest, said: 'I am a Father.'

The little boy replied: 'My Daddy doesn't wear his collar like that.'

The priest looked up from his book and answered: 'I am the Father of many.'

The boy said: 'My Dad has 4 boys, 4 girls and two grandchildren and he doesn't wear his collar that way!'

The Priest, getting impatient, said: 'I am the Father of hundreds' and went back to reading his book.

The little boy sat quietly thinking for a while, then leaned over and said: 'Maybe you should wear a condom and your pants backwards instead of your collar'.


Bran Muffins

The couple were 85 years old, and had been married for sixty years. Though they were far from rich, they managed to get by because they watched their pennies.

Though not young, they were both in very good health, largely due to the wife's insistence on healthy foods and exercise for the last decade.

One day, their good health didn't help when they went on a rare vacation and their plane crashed, sending them off to Heaven.

They reached the pearly gates, and St.Peter escorted them inside. He took them to a beautiful mansion, furnished in gold and fine silks, with a fully stocked kitchen and a waterfall in the master bath.

A maid could be seen hanging theirfavorite clothes in the closet.

They gasped in astonishment when he said, 'Welcome to Heaven. This will be your home now.'

The old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost.

'Why, nothing,' Peter replied, 'remember, this is your reward in Heaven.'

The old man looked out the window and right there he saw a championship golf course, finer and more beautiful than anyever built on Earth. 'What are the greens fees?,' grumbled the old man.


'This is heaven,' St. Peter replied. 'You can play for free, every day.'

Next they went to the clubhouse and saw the lavish buffet lunch, with every imaginable cuisine laid out before them,from seafood to steaks to exotic deserts, free flowing beverages.'

Don't even ask,' said St. Peter to the man. This is Heaven, it is all free for you to enjoy.'The old man looked around and glanced nervously at his wife.'Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol foods, and the decaffeinated tea?,' he asked.

'That's the best part,' St. Peter replied. 'You can eat and drink as much as you like of whatever you like, and you will never get fat or sick.

This is Heaven.' The old man pushed, 'No gym to work out at?''Not unless you want to,' was the answer.

'No testing my sugar or blood pressure or...'

'Never again. All you do here is enjoy yourself.'The old man glared at his wife and said, 'You and your bran muffins. We could have been here ten years ago!'

email tips

When in Doubt, End Emails with "Thanks"
h1 = document.getElementById("title").getElementsByTagName("h1")[0];h1.innerHTML = widont(h1.innerHTML);
By Heinz Tschabitscher, About.com
Should you write "bye", "regards" or "best wishes?"
The proper way to sign off is often not only the last, but also one of the most difficult parts of an email (almost as difficult as the greeting).
When in Doubt, End Emails with "Thanks"
When you can't decide what to write and have no idea what's appropriate,
end your message with a simple "thanks" that is never out of place.


Closing a email or a letter....
So, you have composed your letter or email and get to the end and are not quite sure how to close it. We have all been there. Let this lens inspire you the next time you are stumped.
Do you have a favorite closing that you use to end your letters or emails? If so feel free to share some of your favorites.
New Table of Contents
Business Email/Letter Closings
Informal Email/Letter Closings
Love Letter Email/Letter Closings
Email Etiquette
The Do's and Dont's of Email
Email Providers
Email Marketing
What are your favorite closings for emails and letters?
Business Email/Letter Closings
Best Regard,Cordially,Enjoy,Enthusiastically,Good Wishes,Many Thanks,Most Sincerely,Regards,Sincerely,Thank You,With Confidence,
Informal Email/Letter Closings
Adios,Blessings,Cheerio,Cheers,God Bless,Gotta Boogie,Grace and Peace,Have Fun,Health and Happiness,Keep the Faith,Later Vader,Later Alligator,Lots of Love,Onward and Upward,Over and Out,Peace, Love & Happiness,Peace & Blessings,Rock On,See ya,Smell ya Later,SMILE,TA TA,Toodles,Your Friend,
Love Letter Email/Letter Closings
Adoringly Yours,Affectionately,Especially yours,Eternally Yours,Forever and always,Kiss ya,Kisses,Hug ya,Hugs and pogo sticks!Hugs, kisses, and broken fingers,Hugs and kisses,Love, peace, and chicken grease,Love you now and forever,Love, hugs and kisses,Love you,Love always,Lustfully yours,Sweet Kisses,Xoxo,"Your girl" always,Always,Always and forever,Always your baby,Always yours,Forever my love,Forever yours,I am forever yours,I love you very, very much,I will love you always,I'll love you always,Lots of love,Love always and forever,Love and best wishes,Love and kisses,Love you,Loving you always and forever,Loving you with all my heart,Missing you,My heart belongs to you always,Remembering us,Sending you all my love,Soon to be your wife,Still thinking of you,Thanks for understanding,Thinking of you,Unabashedly yours,Unconditionally yours,With affection,With all my love,With appreciation,With hope and love,With love,With love and anticipation,With love and expectation,With love and kisses,You have all my love,You know I love you,Your darling,Your devoted lover,Your eternal soul mate,Your faithful hubby,Your hubby,Your wife always,Yours always,Yours and only yours,

The Do's and Dont's of Email
Email Replies
Tips on how to create effective email messages: includes email etiquette rules, sample email policies and lists email management software.
Writing sensible email messages
Writing sensible email messages As we've never seen before, getting your inbound email under control will give you a huge productivity boost, but what about all the emails you send? If you want to be a good email citizen and ensure the kind of
Email Etiquette
Effective and appropriate email etiquette is still important. This resource will help you to become an effective writer and reader/manager of email.
Email Providers
Are you trying to find the perfect email provider? Here are a couple that you may be interested in trying. If you use a provider that I do not have listed feel free to share your favorite...
Thunderbird
Gmail by google!
Hotmail
Want more? Get it with Yahoo! Mail Plus.
Email Marketing
Autoresponders are great for individuals or businesses that find themselves bogged down in email.Instead of having to send out hundreds of emails yourself, Autoresponders will allow you to reach an unlimited amount of people with the simple click of a button.Here are a few ideas for using Autoresponders:NewslettersEmail MarketingFollow UpPromote Business or ProductsCampaignsNOTE: Do not abuse the autoresponders or the individuals whom have entrusted you with their email addresses. No body likes SPAM!


Stewart Clark (Assistant Professor)
Tel work: +47 73 59 52 45, fax +47 73 59 52 10 E-mail: stewart.clark@ntnu.no
E-MAILS AND LETTERS 10-POINT CHECK LIST:

1. Always use a standard.
There are differences between British English and American English customs in letter writing. British English is the standard in most public administrations in Norway.


2. Always use a salutation (greeting) in English.
In 99% of cases this will be with "Dear... ,". The exception is letters of recommendation that start: "To whom it may concern,".


3. Always place the heading under the salutation.


4. Always try to round off a letter with "-ing forms".
These stress that you have an on-going relationship and there is unfinished business. Some examples are: "We are looking forward to receiving your comments on this report, by the end of September". "We are looking forward to discussing matters with you on 12 September".


5. Always use the ending that matches the salutation.
It is easy to make mistakes here, so follow the summary given in the box below.


6. Always write the month in letters or use the ISO standard for all-digit dates.
Write the month in letters, e.g., 12 June 2003, or use the ISO standard for all-digit dates (CCYY-MM-DD) so that
12 June 2003 is 2003-06-12. Never write a date as 12/6/03 in English. To Europeans, this may mean 12 June 2003; but most Americans will understand it as December 6, 2003.


7. Never use a place-name in front of the date.
Never write "Oslo, 12 December 2003" at the top. Just write the date.

8. Never use exclamation marks (!) in business letters.
An exclamation mark in English is used to express astonishment or surprise. You are very unlikely to need them in normal business letters, faxes or e-mails.


9. Never use short forms like "I'm" and "don't" in business letters.
Only use these in informal, conversational writing and when reporting speech. Sometimes they are used in e-mails.


10. Never capitalize "you" and "your" in mid-sentence.
Many people have told me that they were taught this in school. Capitalized "You" and "Your" in mid sentence disappeared a few hundred years ago, so there must be some old teachers around.



















Summary of how to start and end e-mails and letters in British English (BE):

I. Formal tone, where you write to an institution or an unnamed person:


These start with the following salutations:
Dear Sirs, (when writing to a company, organization, university)
Dear Sir, (to an unnamed person, who is male)
Dear Madam, (to an unnamed person, who is female)
Dear Sir or Madam, (the safe option to an unnamed person, such as: Head of Legal Department)

These always end:
Yours faithfully,
II. Normal business e-mails and letters, where you know recipient's name:
These start:
Dear Mr Jones, (to a named man. Never "Mister")
Dear Ms Jones, (to any named woman, no reference to her marital status)
Dear Professor Jones, (used for all types of professors: (assistant, associate and adjunct)
Dear Dr Jones, (can be used for someone holding a PhD, Dr. ing. or other doctorate)

These two are becoming rare:
Dear Mrs Jones, (to a named married women. Some write (Mrs) after their names to ask for this salutation in the reply)
Dear Miss Jones, (to a named woman, who is unmarried)

These always end:
Yours sincerely, (this is the same tone as "Hilsen", "Vennlig hilsen")

Note that in British English, you do not use a stop after abbreviations like Mr, Mrs, Dr or Ms (pronounced "miz"), as is the custom in AE.

III. E-mails and letters to colleagues, associates and friends etc.:

These start:
Dear Jim, (if a person signs his letter with "Jim", use this in your reply. If you use "Dear Mr Jones", you signal coldness and distance to Jim)
Dear Mary, (same comments as for "Dear Jim")
Dear colleagues, (useful in group mailings, but could be more personal)

There are many endings. Here are some on a scale from a business-like tone to close friendship:
Yours sincerely, (this uses the same tone as "Hilsen", "Vennlig hilsen". Even though you start "Dear Jim," you show that this is a businesslike e-mail or letter)
Regards, (although frequently used in e-mails and faxes, this is too informal for most business letters and is "warmer" than "Vennlig hilsen")
Kind regards, ("warmer" than "Vennlig hilsen")
Best wishes, (used to signal friendliness)
Warm regards, (getting slightly "hotter", frequently used for friends)
Love, (only used for close friends)











Note on e-mails:

Most people tend to avoid the formal tone
(I, above) in e-mails. But sometimes this is inevitable.

Though e-mails tend to be more friendly than letters, a salutation should still be used.

A typical e-mail from your company starts with "Dear Mary," or just "Mary," (the use of "Hi" should be reserved for personal e-mails). A typical ending is "Regards".

The ease with which e-mails can be forwarded is always a potential source of danger – it is better to be safe than sorry.

Letter of resignations
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Resignation-Letter

Write letters
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Report

Use punctuation correctly
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-English-Punctuation-Correctly

Writing skill
http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Writing-Skills

http://careerplanning.about.com/od/communication/a/email_etiquette.htm

Good workplace ideas

Are You a 'Value-Added' Employee?
© Rhoberta Shaler, PhDwww.SpeakingAboutWork.com
What is your focus when you go to work? Are you thinking "What can I give today?" or "What can I get?" Both questions are important, however, the former will get you further faster. It's that simple.
Often, when I am consulting with a company or team, the hew and cry is "The company/ management does not do enough for me/us." This may certainly be true, however, my first question is the opposite, 'What are you doing for the company/management?'. That's the way the equation works best. You give and then you get. Strangely, that's the way it works best in any relationship. Have you noticed that?
What you pay attention to expands. If you are focused on what you think you are not getting, that overshadows everything. Attitudes shift and conversations turn into whining sessions. Soon, morale dips and everyone is complaining. Often, the complaints have grown completely out of proportion and no one remembers why they were attracted to the company in the first place.
You can change this. Be a 'value-added' employee. Build your strengths rather than focusing on company weaknesses. What a concept! You choose your focus and attitude. You choose how you use your time. You choose your perceptions and perspectives. Use that power to become 'value-added'!
Now, I'm not talking about giving 'til it hurts. No, I'm talking about the way you use your energy to focus on your career path. Sure, there are employers who devour employees and spit them out spent, burned out and disillusioned. They exist. If you're working for one of those...and examine it carefully to be sure...move on.
I am talking about your choices to create the career you want. How do you want to be seen in the workplace? How does your current position further your progress towards your goals? Why did you choose it? What is your plan and how can you best follow that blueprint in your present position? Be pro-active in your own life.
How do you want to be seen in the workplace? As competent, confident and valuable, or, as adequate, mediocre and expendable? Unless you are working for Attila, the Hun, the way folks see you is mostly in your control. Good employees come to work on time, do their tasks well, and cause few waves. Great employees do all that and more. They are focused on the company's mission and vision. They can be excellent team-players and excellent leaders when needed. They are clear about their own purposes and visions and know why they have chosen to work where they work. They care about others and help them to achieve their goals. They do these things because it clearly moves them further along their career paths. It is in their own best interest to do so. They have their 'eyes on the prize'.
Here are a few secrets. Many folks would rather complain about things than fix them. By being a 'fixer', you are being 'value-added'. Many folks would rather find fault than good. By catching people doing things well and commenting on it, you are being 'value-added'. Many folks would rather see what they can get away with than see what they can give. By giving just a little more than expected, you honor yourself and you are being 'value-added'. Many folks would rather feel 'done wrong' than state their needs and boundaries. By being clearly communicating what you need and want, you are saving time and energy...and being 'value-added'.
Which side of these equations are you working from? Only one will get you where you want to go...although you'll have much more company on the other. Your choice!
© Rhoberta Shaler, PhD All rights reserved worldwide.
Rhoberta Shaler is the creator of The Consociate Way™: Promoting Performance and Peace in Your Workplace. As a motivational keynote speaker and corporate team builder focused on 'People Skills for Sustainable Success', she works with individuals and organizations to improve workplace relationships, build & strengthen teams, and manage conflict, anger, and difficult people.
Her press kit and her latest book, Optimize Your Day! Quotes & Thoughts for Optimal Living, are available at www.SpeakingAboutWork.com.


Effective Writing For the WorkplaceBy Claire E. White Effective writing in the workplace is an essential skill. The rules are basically the same for any type of writing, however there are some special issues which arise in the business context. Knowing the elements of good business writing can make or break a career. This article addresses some of these basic elements. Know Your Audience The key to effective business writing is knowing your audience. Before you sit down to compose your letter, memo or report, think about the recipient of your document. What are you trying to say to this person? Organization is crucial. Outlines are an invaluable aid to writing a lengthy report or memo. Remember, time is in short supply for most business professionals. By organizing your thoughts beforehand, you can determine what exactly you are trying to say. Decide what details must be included in the report or memo. Look for graphic elements to add to your presentation, especially if your report contains many boring statistics. Statistics and research bolster your conclusions, especially if they are presented in a visually appealing manner. With the advent of modern word processing programs such as Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect, it is easy to include spread sheets, graphs and colorful clip art to your report, thereby making your work memorable and convincing. After you have decided what the message is that you are trying to convey, work on saying it in concise language. Be brief, whenever possible. Avoid wordiness and unnecessary large words. Strive for clarity in your writing and avoid vagueness (unless there is good reason to be vague). For example: Wordy - It is the responsibility of the recruiting committee to ensure that the goals of the hiring task force have been implemented. Precise - Our recruiting committee must meet the hiring goals of the hiring task force. Wordy - The hurricane had the effect of a destructive force on the manufacturing plant.Precise - The hurricane destroyed the manufacturing plant. Avoid using vague words when a more precise word will do. Take a tip from the journalists. Tell the audience what you are going to say, say it using action verbs, then sum up what it is you have said -- and say it in as few words as possible.
Punctuation and Grammatical Errors
"Sometimes the passive voice can be a useful tool for avoiding placing blame for an error or for intentionally making a sentence vague. Effective use of passive voice in business writing is an art." Nothing can kill your credibility in a business setting faster than to have grammatical and/or punctuation errors, especially in a formal report. Many errors are due simply to insufficient proofreading of the document. Corporate lawyers routinely have a secretary read aloud to another person a very long document, while the second person checks for errors in copy. Obviously, you will not always have time for this procedure. However, before you issue a formal report, especially one that will be seen by upper management or will go outside the firm, you must have someone else proofread your document. The reason is simple; you cannot proofread your own work with 100% accuracy. Occasionally, the human mind will be too efficient and simply will supply the missing word in a sentence so that you will never notice that it is gone, or will transpose letters to their correct order. It is always easier to find errors in someone else's work. Some errors stem not from lack of proofreading, but from simple grammatical mistakes. The most common mistakes include misuse of apostrophes, splitting of infinitives (although this rule has been revoked by many style manuals, it still drives some people to distraction to see a split infinitive except in creative writing or dialogue), using contractions in formal writing, misuse of commas, incomplete sentences, ending a sentence with a preposition, verbs not agreeing with subjects and pronouns not agreeing with their antecedents. Invest in some good reference books, including a good grammar book and a good style book, such as The Chicago Manual of Style. Use them. Effective Use of Passive Voice How many times have we heard the admonition, "Don't use passive voice! Punch up your writing with active voice!"? In general, you should use active voice whenever possible in your writing. Well, like every other rule in the English language, there is an exception to this one. Sometimes the passive voice can be a useful tool for avoiding placing blame for an error or for making a sentence intentionally vague. Effective use of passive voice in business writing is an art. Sometimes you will be called upon to write a memo or other report describing a corporate disaster that occurred because someone made a mistake. Passive voice can be used to describe the mistake without directly placing blame, especially if the recipient of the memo happens to be a) your superior in the company; and b) the person who made the error which led to the disaster. In this situation it would be tactless, to say the least, to use active voice boldly to describe how your boss erred -- not to mention the deleterious effect it could have upon your career. Tactful honesty is a skill greatly admired in corporate America. Use it when needed, but use it sparingly. For example, instead of the memo saying: "Because J. Smith forgot to include the correct budget projections with the bid, we lost the client," try "The correct budget was inadvertently left out of the client packet, which led to the loss of the client." The second sentence is vague. It is unclear who left out the crucial enclosure. Your boss knows very well who is at fault, and will appreciate your not blaring the obvious to the entire company. Of course, this does leave the door open for you to be blamed for the catastrophe. Careful wording of who had responsibility for the client pitch will alleviate this problem. Passive voice, in general, should be avoided in business writing. However, there are times when judicious use of passive voice can increase the tact and diplomacy of your writing. Gender-Neutral Writing
"[C]ommunication is best achieved by writing in the preferred style of the recipient of your document -- especially if the recipient has anything to do with your chances of promotion." This is a difficult topic for the business professional. Under the traditional rules, the word "he" included both the female and male genders when referring to an individual's actions. "Everyone should open his report to page 1" was understood to refer to both the women and the men in the room. In today's society, most women take offense at this reference. For a time, writers used "she" in their writing, sometimes alternating with "he". This is confusing to the reader to say the least, and is offensive to many men. The best way to deal with this problem is to eliminate the pronoun altogether whenever possible: "Everyone should open the report to page 1." Some business writers have suggested pluralizing the pronoun as a solution to the problem. "Everyone should open their report to page 1." This is common in spoken English, but is grammatically incorrect. The theory is that it is better to be grammatically incorrect than to risk offending half of the population. Actually, "their" has been used for several hundred years to refer to a singular antecedent of indeterminate gender by famous authors including Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare. Some scholars advocate the use of neologisms such as "hir" (a combination of his and her). The issue is a hot one in some academic circles. Unless your boss holds a doctorate in English however, it is unlikely that he or she is aware of this controversy and simply will think that you cannot distinguish between singular and plural pronouns. Therefore, steer clear of "their" in this context. With the exception of certain industries, most corporations are formal places and grammatical errors will be seen simply as that -- not as an example of your tactfulness regarding a gender issue. If you must, use "he or she", which is correct, if somewhat annoying when used many times in the same article. "Everyone should open his or her report to page 1." When you do not know the gender of the person you are addressing in correspondence, the old rule was to write, "Dear Sirs". This is no longer acceptable. Write "Dear Sir or Madam", or better yet, use the title of the unkown addressee. "Dear Editor", for example. If you know only the initial and last name of the addressee, address the letter as "Dear J. Smith". Recent Trends in Business Writing Many recent articles describe a relaxation of formality in America's workplace, in everything from dress to writing styles. These articles urge professionals and workers to use simple words in company correspondence and to dispense with formality. While it is true that formality in the workplace has relaxed somewhat in the past ten years, a word of caution is in order. First, many of these articles are not written by business professionals. Although some industries have relaxed formality in dress and in writing styles, many have not -- especially those in the financial, banking and legal worlds. The region of the country in which your company is located must also be considered. For example, attire which might be considered appropriate in a computer design firm in Silicon Valley might not be at all appropriate in a large bank in Chicago or New York. The same rule applies to writing styles. The best approach is to obtain writing samples written by the CEO and other top officers of your company. Are they formal in style? Informal? The tone of a company is set by the person or persons at the top of the company. You should tailor your writing style to match this style, just as you would tailor your dress to the style of the company for which you work. Some firms pride themselves on the fact that their employees do not wear suits - computer companies and companies in the graphic arts often follow this creed. Others, such as those in the financial services industry, pride themselves on the fact that they have not relaxed any formality requirements even though the world around them has changed. The best rule is to follow the style of your company's upper-echelon leaders. If they use a formal style for inter-office memos, you should too. If they subscribe to the new rules of simple, more direct business writing, then you should as well. If in doubt, always use the more formal approach in a memo or letter, especially when writing to your superior officers in a corporation. Remember, writing in the workplace is not the same as writing for a scholarly journal or writing for a newspaper or magazine, although the goal is the same. The goal is communication, and communication is best achieved by writing in the preferred style of the recipient of your document -- especially if the recipient has anything to do with your chances of promotion. Formality, however, does not mean wordiness. Formality means not using contractions, addressing people by their titles, and avoiding slang. Even when writing in a more formal style, you should strive to avoid excess verbiage. Aim for concise sentences which get your point across quickly to save the reader time. Time is one of a business person's most precious resources. Get to the point of your memo or letter immediately, and your readers will thank you. Conclusion The myriad rules for punctuation and style can, at times, confuse even the most educated person. The situation is exacerbated by the changing times in which we live with all the issues relating to gender and the coining of new words and phrases to describe new technology. When dealing with marketing or advertising issues, often the best course for a business is to call in a professional writer from outside the firm. After all, no one is an expert in everything. With the trend towards instant and global communications via computer, a company's written communications and marketing literature impacts a larger audience than it ever has before. Shouldn't those communications be written by someone whose expertise is words? If you get in over your head, call in a professional writer -- you'll be glad you did. **Claire E. White is an attorney with over ten years' experience in major law firms. She is a former instructor at the University of California at Irvine Extension and is a frequent lecturer and writer on legal and business topics including computer law, corporate law, the Internet and effective business communications.

How to write effective business emails

I guess up to now, I must say I am still bad as I am in the past. What to do? Newbies on the road.

How much should I write in an email?
Email is meant for quick, simple communication. As a general guide that means roughly 4 or 5 paragraphs at most. Due to the limitations of formatting and layout, anything much longer than that is probably best sent as a separate attachment such as a Word file. Most people have a limited attention span with email - if they are receiving a lot of mail you want to get the main message explained in the shortest possible space.
Top
Do spelling and grammar matter in email?
We think it does. Poor spelling and grammar show a lack of attention to detail and sends the wrong message about yourself and how you do business. Most email programs today have built-in spell checkers so there is no excuse! You wouldn't send a letter that was poorly punctuated and uses no capital letters - why not make sure your email messages look professional too?
Top
What do cc: and bcc: mean?
There is a certain etiquette with email, especially in the use of the carbon copy (cc:) and blind carbon copy (bcc:) fields. It is courteous to add addresses to the 'cc:' field if those people need to know about the subject but are not required to act on the contents.
The 'bcc:' field is useful where discretion is required. People in this field are concealed from other recipients in the 'To', 'cc:' and 'bcc:' fields. They can themselves see others in the 'To' and 'cc:' fields but not the 'bcc:' fields.
In this example, an email is sent directly to John by Bob. He copies Tom by including Tom's address in the cc: field. Harry and Sue are blind copied - they can see who the original recipients were but Tom and John won't see their names.

Another way

Writing sensible email messages
Merlin Mann Sep 19 2005
http://www.43folders.com/2005/09/19/writing-sensible-email-messages

As we’ve seen before, getting your inbound email under control will give you a huge productivity boost, but what about all the emails you send? If you want to be a good email citizen and ensure the kind of results you’re looking for, you’ll need to craft messages that are concise and easy to deal with.
First: Understand why you’re writing
Before you type anything into a new message, have explicit answers for two questions:
Why am I writing this?
What exactly do I want the result of this message to be?
If you can’t succinctly state these answers, you might want to hold off on sending your message until you can. People get dozens, hundreds, even thousands of emails each day, so it’s only natural for them to gravitate toward the messages that are well thought-out and that clearly respect their time and attention. Careless emails do not invite careful responses.
Think through your email from the recipient’s point of view, and make sure you’ve done everything you can to try and help yourself before contacting someone else. If it’s a valuable message, treat it that way, and put in the time to making your words count.
Get what you need
Although the possible topics and content of messages are theoretically endless, I’d propose that there are really just three basic types of business email.
Providing information - “Larry Tate will be in the office Monday at 10.”
Requesting information - “Where did you put the ‘Larry Tate’ file?”
Requesting action - “Will you call Larry Tate’s admin to confirm our meeting on Monday?”
It should be clear to your recipient which type of email yours is; don’t bury the lede. Get the details and context packed into that first sentence or two whenever you can. Don’t be afraid to write an actual “topic sentence” that clarifies a) what this is about, and b) what response or action you require of the recipient.
Since the Larry Tate meeting on Monday has been moved from the Whale Room, could you please make sure the Fishbowl has been reserved and that the caterer has been notified of the location change? Please IM me today by 5pm Pacific Time to verify.
This isn’t the place to practice your stand-up act. Keep it pithy, and assume that no one will ever read more than the first sentence of anything you write. Making that first sentence strong and clear is easily the best way to interest your recipient in the second sentence and beyond.
Write a great Subject line
You can make it even easier for your recipient to immediately understand why you’ve sent them an email and to quickly determine what kind of response or action it requires. Compose a great “Subject:” line that hits the high points or summarizes the thrust of the message. Avoid “Hi,” “One more thing…,” or “FYI,” in favor of typing a short summary of the most important points in the message:
Lunch resched to Friday @ 1pm
Reminder: Monday is "St. Bono’s Day"—no classes
REQ: Resend Larry Tate zip file?
HELP: Can you defrag my C drive?
Thanks for the new liver—works great!
In fact, if you’re relating just a single fact or asking one question in your email, consider using just the subject line to relate your message. As I’ve mentioned before, in some organizations, such emails are identified by adding (EOM)—for end of message—at the end of the Subject line. This lets recipients see that the whole message is right there in the subject without clicking to the view the (non-existent) body. This is highly appreciated by people who receive a large volume of mail, since it lets them do a quick triage on your message without needing to conduct a full examination.
Sadly, good email subjects have become something of a lost art, especially among more recent additions to the Interweb. It’s a pity, because you’re far more likely to get a favorable response from a busy person when they can quickly grok your message.
Brevity is the soul of…getting a response
It’s completely depressing to check your email at 4:55 in the afternoon to discover a gothic novel of a message waiting for you, spilling down your screen the distance of 2 or 3 scrolling pages. It’s certainly not the kind of thing that excites the desire to engage and respond. I mean just look at all that!
So, although—in typical Merlin fashion—I have only anecdotal evidence and hunches to prove this point, I’d wager that there’s one visual trick most likely to improve your message’s success: fit it onto one screen with no scrolling. There’s a reason those web ads placed “above the fold” cost a lot more than the ones stuck down at the bottom; it’s the only part of the page that you’re virtually assured that anyone will see.
Whenever you can, try to distill your beautiful epistle down to just one or two points about a given topic, and then whittle that down to the point where there’s plenty of white space left underneath your closing. Got more to say? Put it in separate emails with—again—excellent Subject lines, and a descriptive, concise opener.
What’s the action here?
If your message includes any kind of request—whether for a meeting, a progress update, a pony ride, or what have you—put that request near the top of the message and clearly state when you will need it. Do not, under any circumstances, assume that your overwhelmed recipient will take the time to sift through your purple prose for clues about what they’re supposed to be doing for you.
Depending on the style of your team and the volume of mail they create, you might even consider adding functional text headers to the top of the body outlining the exact nature of the message. This email is: [ ] actionable [x] fyi [ ] social
Response needed: [ ] yes [x] up to you [ ] no
Time-sensitive: [ ] immediate [ ] soon [x] none
Sure, it’s geeky, but how many minutes have you wasted panning through a sloppy “project update” email only to completely miss the changed deadline or work request buried in the penultimate paragraph?
Remove the guesswork from your messages by thinking of them like friendly, civil work orders; you must not be afraid to ask for what you want, especially if you have any desire to actually have the recipient give it to you.
More good ideas
Make it easy to quote - Power email users will quote and respond to specific sections or sentences of your message. You can facilitate this by keeping your paragraphs short, making them easy to slice and dice.
Don’t chuck the ball - Emails to a thread are like comments at a meeting; think of both like your time possessing the basketball. Don’t just chuck at the net every chance you get. Hang back and watch for how you can be most useful. Minimize noise.
A reminder never hurts - If you’re following-up or responding to an email that’s more than a few days old, provide context right at the opening. For example, "You wrote in February asking to be notified when the new asthma inhalers are in stock; here’s a link to the items we’ve now made available on our site…."
Never mix, never worry - Unless your team really prefers to work that way, do not mix topics, projects, or domains of life in a given email. Inform everyone of Baby Tyler’s adorable antics in a different message than the one with the downsizing rumors and budget warnings.
No thanks - I’m not married to this one, but I know a lot of people who swear by it. In more informal settings and in high-volume mail environments, it’s not necessary to respond with a “Thanks” email whenever someone does what you asked. Save your gratitude for the next time you pass in the hall; a one-word “Thanks” email can be crufty and unnecessary. On the other hand, don’t hesitate to thank someone for their time if they’ve truly done you a proper.
RTFM - If you’re asking for help, make sure you’ve exhausted all the documentation and non-human resources you have at your disposal. When you do ask for help, be sure to quickly cover the solutions you’ve already tried and what the results were.
Skip the overture - If you’re writing to a busy person with an actual question or request, resist the desire to swoon for 2,000 characters. Either write a fan letter or a useful email, but mixing them can seem tacky and disingenuous. Just go ahead and ask Gary Gygax for his autograph already.