Adaptive leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Adaptive leader - Essay Example They are able to be flexible and open to the possibilities that the environment gives at any given moment. The war in Iraq has called for all leadership to be adaptive because there was no manual to describe what they needed to do in situations like Iraq. As an example, the Army had no information about a "counterinsurgency campaign" and there was nothing by which to measure it. This meant that the leadership had to adapt quickly into creating something that would be done and how it would be measured. In order to be adaptive a leader must also be able to challenge assumptions and perceptions. They must look past the obvious to see the greater picture within their environment, especially when they are in combat. They must be able to perceive what is going on and then be able to see which elements are critical to the change; this is not always easy for a military officer to do (Whiffen 3). The officer must also be able to balance "force and restraint" (Wiffen 5) as he or she goes about the operations. This aspect calls on the officer to know his strengths and weaknesses and then the strengths and weaknesses of his company. In order to learn how to adapt officers must put themselves in situations that are uncomfortable and unfamiliar so they can "adapt by adapting". (Whiffen

The Importance Of Having Good Communication Skills English Language Essay

The Importance Of Having Good Communication Skills English Language Essay Introduction Most of us know the importance of having a good communication skill if we want to have a successful career and enjoy a harmonious interpersonal relationship with people. But it is quite another story for us to practice it appropriately in our daily life. In this paper we focus on some necessary steps of acquiring a good communication skill which includes how to reduce communication noise, non-verbal communication, and suggestions to practice communication skill properly. I shall first present a communication event at the beginning. This event happened in a clinic between a dentist and a patient. Due to the dentists good understanding of verbal communication, and well-acquired non-verbal communication technique, he finally succeed in persuading his patient to accept dental treatment. Details on the analysis and related communication theories based on the event will be discussed in later sections. Mr Smith was an experienced dentist. Many of his previously satisfied patients became his loyal customers due to his excellent medical skill and thoughtful service. One day, a man dragged a little girl into his clinic. The girl was about 7 years old. An anxious expression was wearing on her small tearstained face. Her frightened eyes told Smith that she did really scare of being taken to see a dentist and her stiffed body showed that she would never be willing to accept any dental treatments. The girls father was at a loss for what to do to coax his daughter to accept treatment. Mr Smith smiled at the girl and approached to her, spoke to the girl in a gentle tone Darling, what makes you so scary? People hate dentist, so do I. Seeing a dentist hurts a lot, the girl answered with tearful eyes. Mr Smith knew it clearly that many children can not endure dental treatment due to fear. But he is experienced enough to cope with such problem. He explained the process of treatment in details i n a way that a child can understand in a mild tone. Mr Smith noticed that she has stopped shedding tears. He added If you behaved well during the treatment, you can choose a small toy to reward yourself for your great courage. Mr Smith smiled at her with a toy box waving in his hand. Thanks to the patience and kindness of Mr Smith, the girl finally accepted the treatment readily. Again he built a new good relationship with his patient. When we consider why and how Mr Smith wins his patients trust and loyalty, it is obvious that his success is inseparable from his distinguished communication skills. For supporting my viewpoint I will analyze Mr Smiths effective communication with related theories and authoritative opinions from authorities and books. Communication noise is an obstacle blocks the way of receivers receive our messages. Communication noise includes mechanical noise, semantic noise and psychological noise. Communication noise is something refers to have a profound impact on effective communication which influences the interpretation of conversations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_noise December 2009). The basis of communication is the interaction between people. However the barriers built by communication noise prevent us from properly percepting others intentions during the interaction of a communication. How did Mr Smith deal with these noises? Firstly is the trouble brought by mechanical noise. Mechanical noise is actual physical interference with the signal (Mohan et al. 1997, p. 7). In dentist Mr Smiths clinic the main mechanical noise is the noise generated by the dental drill. As Mr Smith is a thoughtful man he offers a separated waiting room especially designed for his patients which decorated wi th lovely ornaments, so that the noise from the consulting room can be isolated. Thus, the quite environment made by Mr Smith can enable him to make a more effective communication with his patients. Secondly is the Semantic noise. Semantic noise is the study of meaning. (Mohan et al. 1997, p. 7) For our receivers can understand our messages fully. We should choose words carefully. The words should be chosen within the understanding ability of receivers that is simple but concise to the point. We must take our receivers age, gender, religion, education, career, culture, and cognition into consideration. Carl Rogers, based on his experience as a psychotherapist, contends that the major barrier to interpersonal empathy is our very natural tendency to judge, to evaluate, to approve (or disapprove) the statement of the other person or the other group (Nebell, 1991, P. 217) That is our interpretation of some words and phrases are tend to distort the meaning of the communication by nature. For avoiding distortion and misunderstanding, Mr Smith chose his words mainly according to his patients age. Mr Smith tried to use simple and short words to communicate with his little patient. We can infer that long and complex words can only confused the little girl. What is worse it may make her distorts the meaning. Since the girl has bias toward dental treatment. Mr Smith also avoided to describe the oral surgery in a professional way with terminology instead he use interesting and vivid analogy to let the girl understand that the surgery is good to her health and easy. Then on the basis of the girls cognition, he simply told what should the girl to do during the treatment. He use proper words wisely simplified the concept of dental treatment in her mind. Those words have made a great contribution to diminish the fear inside of the girl. Thirdly is the psychological noise. Psychological noise is use of language or other communication symbols can set up emotional barriers betwe en people. (Mohan et al. 1997, p. 7) Mr Smith judged according to a kids psychological interest and preference, he gave the little girl a small toy as a reward. In this way Mr Smith collapsed his patients emotional barriers. Moreover the lovely ornaments on the wall is also a kind of communication. They use their cute out-looking, vivid colors telling the patients that here is a warm cozy place. Theres nothing to be afraid of, thus calms nerves inside of the patients. In his little patients fathers eyes Mr Smith has offered her daughter considerate service. From the above analysis, we can reach to the conclusion that only when we minimize or reduce the three kind noise of mechanical noise, semantic noise and psychological noise, can we offer a clear access to send our messages to others and get matchable feedback from our receivers. Non-verbal communication involves a transmission of information via sigh language, gestures, facial expression or other forms of body language. (Mohan et al. 1997 P. 7). Most people understand the importance of communication skills in the social life. But when they practice it, they usually neglect their facial expression, tone, body language in non-verbal communication unconsciously. As a mater of fact, ones facial expression gestures and body language is really important, it can imply others his attitude. For express ourselves better, we need to lay emphasis on the way to achieve success in non-verbal communication. The following are some suggestions. First, putting yourself in others shoes is a good way to sense others feelings on the condition that youve been well observed others facial expression, gesture, tone and body language. Prophet Muhammad is related to have said that any one of us is not considered to be a believing person, until he/she does unto others what he/she wishe s they do unto him/hertheytheydountohim/( July 2008). In the event, Mr Smith judged from the facial expression and body language of his patient, such as tearstained face, stiffed body, frightened look. Those body language reveals lots of information to him, thus help him gets to know what do his patient worries about so that he can adjust his language, facial expression, body language and paralanguage accordingly to cater to the psychology needs and wants of his patient. Second, use your own facial expression gesture, tone and body language and some other paralanguage properly. Never take it for granted that people can always fully understand you at ease. Combine your paralanguage and body language with your words is crucial. In this aspect Mr Smith has made a good example for us. He used a series of facial expression tone, body language and words to communicate with his stubborn patient to talk her into accept dental treatment readily. Mr Smith uses his gentle tone and smile to relax the little girls mind at ease and with the words he selected he successfully convinced his little patient that the process of treatment is painless. Combine proper paralanguage with selected words can make Mr Smiths words sounds more acceptable and credible in the girls ear. Many research studies have been carried out on this point: Non-verbal communication has been extensively studied in the psychology and psychotherapy disciplines and has been shown to have a central effect on participants perceptions of an event. (Mark Gillian 2003 pp. 384 398). That is if you well used your eye movement and gestures and body languages in a non-verbal communication that can help you to yield the twice result with half effort! So I can say with sure that without Mr Smiths paralanguage and facial expression or other body language the outcome will be much worse, or even end up in failure. That kind of communication starts from the heart which can be more effective in achieving a satisfied outcome of communication. His smile, his friendly manner, and his gentle tone reinforced the effectiveness of sending his sincerity to others. In conclusion to this, if we want to express ourselves more clearly to dissolve others hostility and misunderstanding to the greatest degree. It is essential for us to sense others feelings. In other words the way to achieve success in non-verbal communication is not only rely on to have a better understanding through others body language facial expression and paralanguage, but also important for ourselves to properly used our sign language, facial expressions, gestures and body language to enable others feel easier or even comfortable in receiving our messages. Conclusion It goes without saying that communication is playing an important roll in keeping a good relationship with people and improving efficiency in our work. After all have been discussed, acquire a good communication skill is identified as you are able to put yourself into others shoes, to sense others feeling. To collapse the communication barriers which build by mechanical noise, semantic noise, psychological noise. Whats more, well used your facial expression, gesture, and body language will definitely enhance your chance of sending your message to your receiver correctly.

Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and The Social Pressures of Adolesc

Although we live in modern times, stigmas regarding gender identity cease to exist. These biases are prevalent within various cultures. Male and female adolescents are stifled from expressing themselves based on how they personally relate to their own femininity or masculinity and sex roles. The cause of this constriction of emotions is due in large part to these young people being coerced into obeying the rules of society. In addition, societal constructions seem to totally disregard the physiological and biological aspects of adolescent puberty. We acquire sexual orientation and gender identity during adolescence due to puberty, culture and our surrounding environment. For instance, puberty takes place over several years in which physical growth and psychological changes occur, concluding in sexual maturity. The average onset of puberty is at age 10 or 11 for girls and age 12 or 13 for boys. Physiological changes in body composition, the individuals’ height and weight are some of the most significant parts involved in pubertal maturation. Boys develop an adams apple, girls begin their menses, and the growth of pubic hair begins to surface. These changes are influenced by hormonal activity. Hormones play an organizational role, preparing the body to behave in a certain way once puberty begins. Puberty begins with hormone production, which in turn causes a number of physical changes. This is triggered by the pituitary gland which secretes hormonal agents into the blood stream, initiating a chain reaction. The male and female gonads are subsequently activated, which puts them into a state of rapid growth and development. The testes primarily release testosterone, and the ovaries predominately rel... ...hy T. F. (2005). The Search for the Gay Gene. Brittish Medical Journal. 330, 7498, 1033-1036. National Mental Health Association, (2005)., What Does Gay Mean. . retrieved April 10, 2012, from http://www.nmha.org/whatdoesgaymean/whatdoesgaymean.pdf Regan, C. & Fogarty, K. (2010). Understanding Sexual Minority Adolescents. University of Florida IFAS Extension, Vol. 1. retrieved April 10, 2012, from http://www.edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy749 Volpicelli, J. & Szalavitz, M. (2000). Recovey Options The Complete Guide, How You and Your Loved Ones Can Understand and Treat Alcohol and Other Drug Problems . US & Canada: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. Ward, E. G. (2005). Homophobia, Hypermasculinity and the US Black Church. Taylor & Francis Group, Vol. 7, No. 5. retrieved April 11, 2012, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4005477 Watson, J. B. (2008). Behaviorism. Tuscon, AZ: West Press.

Is Globalization Americanization?

Is Globalization Americanization? In my opinion, I don’t believe an item's history and origin make it inevitably American. This is partly because some items don’t gain the popularity here, but rather outside the country. In addition, some franchises are seen in so many countries that while it’s likely known that it originated in America, that’s the only â€Å"American† thing about it. Lastly, some For the fast food examples such as McDonald’s or Starbucks, they are probably best known in terms of their origin and the most popular in terms of being â€Å"American†. Both chains have been around for decades – McDonalds, since 1955 (mcdonalds. com, 2012) and Starbucks, since 1971 (starbucks. com, 2012). Both chains have continued to grow and expand to immense proportions. McDonalds currently has locations in 119 countries (en. wikipedia. org, 2012), while Starbucks follows at a respectable 50 countries (starbucks. com, 2012). They are both good examples of â€Å"American† chains however I don’t think that simply originating in America created that label. I think that if that were the case, there wouldn’t have been as much success in other countries. I think that these chains have been able to expand so much simply because they’re so popular. In theory, much of their popularity might come down to the attraction from tourists, whether famous and popular or unknown. One public message about a great restaurant is good press alone and can cause frenzy. For the television show example, I think Oprah says it all. The Oprah Winfrey Show became its own in 1986 (en. wikipedia. org, 2012). Since then, she has become has become a household name both in American and internationally. At its height, the Oprah Winfrey show aired in 149 countries (en. wikipedia. org, 2012). I think that with the viewership in other countries, it just goes to show that while the Oprah phenomenon started in America, it has certainly branched out; therefore, America is only where she’s from, not who she is. The musical example falls on the Beatles. I think they are maybe an especially important example of the American versus not question. The reason being is that although they originated in England, due to their talent of singing, if you didn’t already know where they were from, there was no immediate awareness as to their origin – at least for later generations such as myself who still love their songs years after the initial release. The point is that with the Beatles as n example, if the theory about popularity or globalization meaning American is true, then one could think they originated here because they became so popular. Obviously it has been well known for years that they originated in England; but if that knowledge was not immediately known, then they could have been from anywhere. In all fairness, the argument is probably strong both ways. I can absolutely see the point of view that Globalization can be perceived as originating from America. However, I feel even more strongly, that when you take a closer look, it really doesn’t matter when an item actually originated; it all comes down to popularity. References: Our Heritage. (2012, January 9). Starbucks. com. Retrieved from: http://www. starbucks. com/about-us/our-heritage Our History. (2012, January 9). McDonald’s. com. Retrieved from: http://www. mcdonalds. com/us/en/our_story/our_history. html McDonald’s. (2012, January 9). McDonald’s Global Operations. Retrieved from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/McDonalds#Global_operations Is Globalization Americanization? The question is â€Å"does an item’s history and origin make it inevitable American? † The answer to the previous question truthfully is yes and no. There are several items a part of our American culture that do make that specific item inevitable American. But quite honestly, the United States outsources their goods and resources meaning that a country as a whole maintains several items, such as fabrics, food and toys, from other countries. The only reason why we do this is because it is cheaper for our economy. Looking around the house, there are several items that say â€Å"Made in China†, â€Å"Made in Mexico†, and â€Å"Made in Vietnam†. These items are sold on the shelves of major corporations here in America, but they are clearly not American items. They are just sold in American and outsourced by America so in turn, the ‘history’ of these items make them American. For example, one of the toys that was bought for a friends daughter, was made in another country, but when looking on the package the toy was originally came in, it states that it was shipped an packaged here in the United States. Globalization is definitely a spread of American culture and vice versa. Countries nowadays are nothing but a melting pot of other cultures. The most common fast food chain that started off in America and went international was McDonalds. In week two, we had a discussion question base upon whether McDonalds was an expression of American and global cultures. McDonalds is more so an expression of the American culture in other countries. Other countries, such as China, have built a McDonalds industry in order to introduce the American culture to their youth. Our movie industry in America has taken over the world by storm. There are many films that are American films that ‘go big’ in other countries or are introduced to other countries around the same time that they are introduced to the American culture. Sometimes, the films are more successful overseas than here in the States. Two perfect examples of an American film that not only took off here in The United States but internationally as well would be The Twilight Saga and all Harry Potter films. The origins of the books were from American authors but once they were made into successful films, they took off internationally. These movies are two perfect examples as to the spread of American culture globally. Music is a hard one to find an example of for the research assignment. No matter whom the artist is, the instrument is or genre, one way or another, not one of them is truly American. Artists are inspired by other artists that are, nine times out of ten, an oldies artist that originated from another country. There are many international artists. Either they started in another country an then began touring in the United States along with selling records, they then became American music ‘icons’. There are some artists that got their major record label contract the America, and then became international celebrities. The major musical groups that could pertain to the Americanization and Globalization of the music industry would be the Beatles, Monkees and Selena. In conclusion, there are many items in the American culture that have gone global. To answer the state question, is Americanization Globalization? Yes. There are so many different examples that can pertain to the said question, so, once again, the American culture has hit the global market. But then again, there are many items that are made in another country for America. The true definition of globalization can differ from person to person. In my mind and my definition, globalization is the different cultures that come together as ‘one’. Our culture is seen in several countries across the globe, as well as those countries being sought out here in America. Is Globalization Americanization? It took me a while to try to work â€Å"glocal† out. This is my way of saying I had a tough time trying to wrap my mind around what exactly is glocal. To me it is open to interpretation; people will have their own theories on what it means. To me it is something that is global but has a slight variation to fit in locally or think local but act global. I see it as thinking global but adapting business to fit local needs and demands while having a global approach to the business, basically, honoring business traditions and customs and adapting product and services for regional intake according to local culture.Cultural items become glocal when they can be seen and found around the world but are changed to fit in locally. These items can be globalized at any time, whenever a company wishes to go global then it can modify changes according to local standards. Walmart is well known just like McDonalds, they have 6,155 stores internationally. These stores have merchandise and practi ces to fit into the local cultures. This is also the case for stores in the U. S. For instance, the Walmart in our little town has merchandise specifically for our area and the Walmart 15 miles away in another town sell merchandise specifically for that town.I have been trying to say away from McDonalds; even in last week’s paper, to me it was like beating a dead horse. I tried to use examples not many classmates would have used. To me it would be nice for the reader to have something different to read instead of having a dozen or so papers all using the same examples. This worked for me because it made my research interesting and I was able to learn new things. This week I will play it safe and use only examples used in the textbook, which by the way, was informative. This brings me back to McDonalds, which is a very good example.McDonalds is a U. S based company who has expanded to 119 countries. As a glocal company they ensure their foods looks and taste the same everywher e, uniformity is essential for large corporations who want to please their customers regardless of where their travels take them. They fit in locally with local customs, such as McDonalds in New Delhi serve vegetable McNuggets or fried egg with the burgers in Montevideo. Often time’s glocal companies who offer products that fit into the local culture purchase these products locally, which helps add to their success.When it comes to a glocal movie the textbook gave a good example, Spiderman. Marvel Comics took Spiderman to a new level when they took the movie franchise to India. They made changes to the movie that fit with local customs, giving India their first superhero. The characters clothing was slightly different and the story line was changed to draw in India’s market. The Glocal franchise succeeded, even though the story had drastic changes, to the point it would be unrecognizable to U. S. viewers, it worked for India viewers. Growing up I remember MTV first com ing on the air.This was when cable first came out in the early 80’s. What I find interesting is MTV was based in New York City at the time, I believe they still are, but while reading this week’s assignment it said the first video played on MTV was a British band, I thought there was a little irony there. However, MTV meets the demand wherever they are globally. Their programming is contingent on local demands. In Brazil MTV play music videos and other programming determined by the local producers. MTV in Asia endorses Thai pop stars and play music videos sung in Mandarin.What makes the three examples I used glocal is all three have ability to be international models with the flexibility to allow for local changes, so they have a global company or product that becomes local and function as both. Other companies such as Fila, an Italian shoe maker makes the same shoe that is sold around the world. Modifications are not needed to sell the shoes internationally; this make s them an international model that does not need to be flexible. It will remain an international item or one that always reflects its culture.

It Is Difficult to Remain a Strong Sense of Identity in Our Society

English Speech Hi I'm Maddy and I'm here today to explain why I think that it IS difficult to maintain a strong sense of individual identity in our society. It’s quite often very difficult to maintain a strong sense of your individual identity in this society, it’s a natural instinct for most people to want to feel acceptance into society. We all feel the need to change and leave the parts of us that make us who we are to conform to people’s expectations. Society has become a crucial influence on who we are and how we are perceived.We can never truly be our selves because of the constant fear criticism and judgement that comes with it. Everyone has something about them that makes them who they are but they feel they need to hide it from people because they fear of rejection and embarrassment. This fear can sometimes make us change how we act around certain people and we can end up forgetting who we are. In the book growing up Asian in Australia there is a story i n there about a young boy named Sunil. He tried to change his to Neil because it’s a more westernized name and he thinks it would make him fit in better.This is not the case. Changing your name won’t change who you are as a person and personally I actually like the name Sunil better than Neil anyway. Sure changing your name might stop some of the teasing but sooner or later you will realise that you don’t have to change who you are to gain friends. As Gandhi once said â€Å"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. † I think this relates to Sunil’s’ story because he ends up realising that he doesn’t need to change his name to be accepted.In the song ‘This is who I am† by Vanessa Amorosi it says â€Å"Well it's alright to be myself Now I've Learned To Stand, Well it’s OK to be just who I am I've spent years really hating me longing to be friends Now I hope that you can understand, t his Is Who I Am†. I think these lyrics are really powerful and help explain the topic that I’ve chosen to talk about. She explains that it took her years to realise who she was and that she was now okay to show everyone who she really is. I know from personal experience how hard it is to be yourself in this world.We get judged on every little thing we do, how we dress, what we say, how we present ourselves; absolutely everything. Sometimes we speak differently or dress differently to impress the people that shouldn’t matter to us, because if we have to spend hours in front of the mirror trying to change our appearance and who we usually are then these people aren’t worth our time. It’s so common in this day and age to marry someone for their looks or their wealth when really that shouldn’t matter. They should fall in love with their personality, that’s what matters the most.I think this is what makes us confused about who we are becaus e we change so often around different people that it’s so hard to maintain our own identity. This isn’t always a bad thing; sometimes losing our identity is actually good for us. It can make us open our eyes and see who our true friends are. It can make you see things from a different perspective and make you realise that life’s not about trying to impress people, it’s about accepting yourself and being whoever you want to be. In conclusion I believe that it IS hard to maintain our identity with today’s society but when we learn to accept ourselves, hopefully others will too.