Archive for June, 2008

Leadership - Push vs. Pull?

At your next staff meeting consider leading your team through the following discussion.

This lesson is focused on getting people to think in terms of effective leadership. When helping a co-worker, or a customer, employees must understand their role as a leader. The exercise goes like this:

Introduction of the Exercise: (feel free to create your own similar story to support the exercise)

Like many who come from a small town, I was amazed at the number of transients who made the campus of the university I attended their local residence.

At first, the idea of having to walk past many of these individuals was a bit scary. I was not accustomed to being solicited for money or “spare change”.

However, after a few weeks of walking to class and regularly being asked for “a quarter for a cup of coffee”, the experience quickly became routine.

In fact, after a while, if I didn’t see one of the regular panhandlers for a period of time, I would wonder where he was keeping himself.

Certainly, after a brief period, the transients became a small part of my environment, part of my daily experience of college life. Over time, I got to know some of them by name, and they became familiar with who I was.

In any event, one of the most notable transients I became acquainted with was a man by the name of Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben could often be seen dragging a short rope behind him as he walked down the street.

You would think, by watching Uncle Ben, that he was delusional and under the misguided assumption that he had a dog tied to the end of the rope.

Uncle Ben would look back at the end of the rope as he walked, and say - “Come on now boy, keep up.”

Very often someone would witness this questionable behavior as Uncle Ben approached and they would ask simply, “Why are you pulling that rope?”

(At this point, give each team member a short piece of string and ask them to experiment with the “rope”. Pull it back and forth along the table. Then ask them to guess as to what Uncle Ben’s response is going to be. Then continue the story.)

Again, very often someone would witness the behavior as Uncle Ben approached, and they would ask simply, “Why are you pulling that rope?”

Uncle Ben would quickly reply, “Well have you ever tried PUSHING a rope? It doesn’t work very well!” This always made Uncle Ben holler in laughter as he kept walking past the person who fell victim to his humor.

You have to give Uncle Ben credit. Indeed, you can’t very well push a rope.

In conclusion, make this strong point to your group:

By “pulling” the rope, it will follow you anywhere. Try to “push” it, and the rope goes nowhere at all. The same can be said for the art of leadership.

Leadership is the ability to make people want to follow you. They do that when they see that you are willing to work alongside them and take a vested interest in their success.

People will follow you if they feel you know where you are taking them. If they feel you have integrity and truly care about their success.

We must each pull our co-workers with us. We must pull our customers toward us. Otherwise, we run the risk of pushing them all away.

Richard Gorham is the founder and President of Leadership-Tools, Inc. His web site, http://www.leadership-tools.com is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today’s aspiring leaders. Offering high-quality tools in the areas of Business Planning, Leadership Development, Customer Service, Sales Management and Team Building.

Is A Hidden Nanny Camera The Right Way To Go?

There are very few reasons why you should not get a hidden nanny camera and tons of reasons why you should get one. A hidden nanny camera can save the life of your child and for that reason alone I think that it is a very good idea for all parents to consider getting one, whether they actually have a nanny or if they just hire a babysitter from time to time. Kids are delicate and they need to be treated properly. That means that they need to be treated with as much respect as adults and they need to be protected form any neglect or violence. And the fact of the matter is hat you don’t know what goes on in your home when you are not there. Even if your child does not have any cuts or bruises that does not mean that he or she is not being abused. Only a good quality hidden nanny camera is going to show you what the nanny is doing when you are away and it is just the nanny and the baby.

Do you know how often your nanny or babysitter yells at your child or children? Probably not, it is not like you can ask him or her, the nanny is obviously not going to tell you that all she does is yell all day long! And if your child is very young he or she is not going to be any help either, but a hidden nanny camera would be. When you have a hidden nanny camera in your home nothing is going to be a secret any longer, you will know exactly what is happening when you are not there. Either you will finally have your mind put to rest about the quality of care that this nanny is providing or you will find out that she is terrible and that it is time to get a new one. Either way you win, you simply cannot go wrong when you purchase a hidden nanny camera.

There are a few different kinds of hidden nanny camera on the market today. Some are as small as pins and they can be hidden absolutely anywhere and the nanny will never detect it. There was a time when they were all hidden in teddy bears, well that is done, now you can hide them in pictures, fire alarms, in the VCR, absolutely anywhere that will give you a good view of the room is a great place to put your hidden nanny camera. And since they are all so tiny now this is beyond simple to do. Having a good hidden nanny camera is the only way to know that your child is safe when you are not home, safety is the most important thing for your child, the most important. So take care with the life and wellbeing of your baby and get a hidden nanny camera to use, and then use it!

Internet Lawyers Websites Made More Productive

Does your firm’s website have a form link for potential legal clients to send inquires through to your law firm? If so, you may be wasting your’s, or your assistant’s, time!

I’ll preface this by saying that many of the Internet legal client prospects you deal with in your career will likely be good, honest people. However, it seems the inquires generated through many legal web sites cause even the best, most honest, potential clients, to either intentionally, or unintentionally, waste your time.

As a professional in this industry, your time is the one thing you can’t afford to waste. If you run out of money, you can always make more. If you run out of time, all the money in the world won’t help you.

So there is a good argument to be made for the notion that time is much more valuable than money.

The impersonal nature of the Internet and ‘instant response’ culture promoted by it, can be detrimental to efficient lawyer time management.

If you have a popular legal web site, you will notice that a large percentage of the inquires requesting legal advice or opinion, can never be contacted by phone, or reply back to your emails after you have sent them their requested information.

Actually, with popular legal sites these time wasters can be a very serious problem. You’ll notice I said ‘can be’ in the preceding sentence. If you follow my suggestions below, the occurrence of this happening through your site will be drastically reduced or eliminated entirely.

Averaging over 100 unique visitors per day to my Houston legal directory http://www.houston-texas-lawyers-attorneys-directory.com alone, I know my suggestions really can benefit those of you who implement them. These are not theoretical ideas, but field tested and proven techniques.

#1. Show the current average hourly fees or case legal cost vs. settlement obtained for your clients.

This one step dramatically reduces the ‘dreamer/spendthrift’ type of email. It also enhances your credibility to win major settlements.

#2. All inquiry forms on your site should be set up so that if vital information is omitted, the form will remind the visitor when they try to submit it that the fields need to filled in for the form to work.

What information you want is up to you. Many times, personally, I do not require the phone number. This is because I feel that many may fear unwanted ’sales’ calls. Plus, after all they are contacting me via the Internet vs. my toll-free phone number!

I do require the following basic information:

A. Full name

B. Address

C. Email address

D. Nature of case

Depending on the form, other information will be required. Keep in mind, these people know about you and are requesting your time. If they will NOT provide you their basic personal information, how serious can they really be?

Perhaps key to saving your valuable time, is my last suggestion:
Immediately upon receipt of an inquiry from your site, you or your assistant should reply with a request for some small bit of additional information. If you do not receive a timely reply to your inquiry, why invest any more time on this inquiry?

What should you ask for depends on the type of inquire. I ask for such information as:

When the situation occurred, full extent of damages/injury, and/or have they consulted any other lawyers?

Proper time management is crucial to any successful business. Management of your Internet inquires will increase your productivity!

“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with It.” -M Scott Peck

Copyright 2005 Promotions Unlimited - All rights reserved

Bob Schwartz is owner of websitetrafficbuilders.com, an Internet search engine optimization firm specializing in domain name registration & Internet domain website hosting. Bob received his BBA majoring in computer programming. Bob is an expert witness for major San Diego law firms, and directs a multi-state high traffic network of 15 legal directory sites.

A few of Bob’s top legal directory sites are: Houston lawyers, Dallas lawyers, Los Angeles lawyers

Bob has two free link exchange programs. One is for legal related sites and the other is for real estate sites. You can also apply for very cool, and free, website awards that add credibility to your site. Email Bob if you are interested in any of these programs.

UK broadband exhibits capability issues

While controversial reports displayed UK’s arousal from such congestion difficulties, recent broadband analysts claim otherwise. Broadband.co.uk’s analytical team confirmed that broadband users are habitually affected by speed declines, especially noticeable during peak usage time. This is caused by a congestion of network availability, resulting from the overburdening of clientele.

Results from such reports show that overnight and daytime service exemplifies the greatest speed across the charts, including less utilized subscribers. Subscribers BE, O2, and Orange seem to consistently maintain sustaining speeds during peak periods, suggesting a higher level of network capacity within their system. Those which seemingly struggle with speed inadequacy perhaps construe their lack in connections capability.

As a result of this development, the new trend for potential subscribers involves analyzing performance at different times, deciding which is congested least at times considered most necessary. With the common reliability which most broadband providers offer, consumers worry more about catering to their specific needs. Finding a robust service which is available when they desire has become of utmost priority.

The speed results regarding May 2008 not only presents the flaw in the industry, but additionally shows potential for the continuing arousal for capacity failure. These statistics from United Kingdom all demonstrate the deficiency in competence, a conjecture which can merely persuade the industry to progress capability through innovation.

CYA

You all know what CYA stands for. Of course,
Cover Your Assets.

And everyone does it. You have protection against
losing your car in an accident. You have
protection against being sued from that car
accident. You have locks on the doors to your home
to protect against theft and personal injury.
Question. Do you have a lock to protect from loss
in your retirement portfolio?

Bet you didn’t even know there is one. You sure
aren’t going to hear about it from your stock
broker or financial planner. If there is such a
thing why hasn’t he told me? Maybe it is because
it is too expensive.

No, there is no charge for this type of protection
and your brokerage company will do it. It is free.
Then why don’t brokers and financial planners
provide this as part of their service? The simple
answer is it is too much work. If you decide to
use the service they will then have to watch your
account.

Oh, did he say he was going to watch your account?
Unless your account in seven figures or close to
it you do not appear on his radar screen. The
average broker has 300 accounts. Could you watch
what is going on in each one if you had his job?
It is not possible so there must be a way to
protect your money. Yes, and it is automatic.
When your stocks are going up and you are making
money you don’t want to give back those profits,
do you? Of course not. There is a simple method
known to every broker and financial planner, but
you must insist it is done - or you will transfer
your account to someone who will. Money talks and
he will understand that.

First you must determine what your risk level is.
Are you willing to give back 5, 10, 15% of the
price of your stock when it starts down? If you
say 10% then each week tell your broker you want
an Open Stop Loss Order placed on the closing
price of each Friday (or Monday , Tuesday,
whatever) as it moves higher and not to reduce
that price.

This way he does not have to watch all the
different stocks you have in your portfolio and
you are protected against any big losses. He may
not even want to do this and ask you to place
those orders which you can easily do on the
Internet.

Instead of trying to figure out where or when to
sell your equity you let the price action of your
stock tell you when it is getting weak. There are
many ways of placing Stop Loss Orders and you may
wish to use another method. Many can be found by
using a search on Google by typing in the words
“stop loss orders”. Your library should have books
on the subject.

For a person who is working or cannot take the
time to follow the market this is the best way to
protect your investments. Consider it a lock on
your profits. Go back and see how this would have
worked if you had done it for the past 5 years.
You would be money ahead.

CYA - cover your assets.

Al Thomas - EzineArticles Expert Author

Al Thomas’ book, “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy
It!” has helped thousands of people make money and
keep their profits with his simple 2-step method.
Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com
and discover why he’s the man that Wall Street
does not want you to know. Copyright 2005

Cheap Mountain Bikes for Sale

Many times a person will walk into any store and buy the most expensive bike on the shelf, thinking this means they’ve got the best on out there. Or if they have a limited cash flow they tend to buy the cheapest. Sometimes both work and sometimes neither do.

When it comes time for you to buy mountain bikes you should make a checklist of what it is you are looking for. Most checklists will include, your budget, style, how it’ll be used and how often.

The budget will be the key factor in just about everything you do or buy. If you don’t have the money you obviously can’t buy it. But knowing whether or not you’ll be able to afford something in $100 range or more will show you where you can look.

Now if you find out you are going to have to have a budget of under $100 you’ll probably need to look for a used mountain bike or online to find them cheaper. It is possible to find them under $100, I found a Mongoose Mountain bike for exactly that. Buying mountain bikes at cheap prices are the best type of bikes to get a child that is just learning how to ride since they’ll be crashing constantly and should be a bit sturdier.

Serious Dieting Tips, Humorous Explanations

A few months ago, I set out to lose 22.6 pounds, then to put back on at least half of it.

Huh? Anybody who’s ever found herself stuck on a yo-yo diet is probably thinking that I am either crazy or planning way too hard for the inevitable yo-yo heartaches. However, my plan is more sneaky than that.

First, I want to lose this rubber tire I’ve been carrying around my waist. Have you ever gotten stuck inside a rubber tire? It’s not a pretty site.

Then, I want to put back some of that weight in the form of muscle. It’s my grand master plan to change my shape from looking like a silly pear to looking like an upside down silly pear.

Will it work?

I think I have the “silly” part figured out. And so far, I have lost14.6 pounds, but I think I really lost a few more, because I have been getting ahead of schedule on adding those muscle pounds.

I would love to tell you what my weight is now, but that’s very private information. Why should it be so private? I am not 100% certain, but I believe it is so that people can easily move between Earth and the Moon without being detected by hidden scales. (Why people keep their age private is the subject of my column on aging gracefully at http://www.thehappyguy.com/aging-gracefully.html .)

While there is more to healthy dieting than a few tips, these ten dieting tips should help you laugh away a few pounds (What a great way to lose!). Hint: the tips are serious; the explanations are not.

Tip #1: Never eat before bed. This is just common sense. It is so much more fun to eat IN bed.

Tip #2: Bake, don’t fry. This is also common sense. Baking allows you to retain more friendships. When you bake in the sun, you get a nice tan and go for a dip in the pool to cool off with your friends. But when you fry, you get a sunburn and don’t dare go in the shower for a week…which scares your friends away.

Tip #3: Drink plenty of water before meals. This will help you eat less during the meal. After all, few people can over-eat consistently while rushing off to the bathroom.

Tip #4: Don’t taste-test while you cook. Many cooks taste their dishes several times while cooking to make sure the flavor is just right. Over a lifetime, the typical cook who takes such measures will put on 13.4 pounds. Worse still, tasting your cooking in advance deprives you of entertaining facial scrunches when your family tastes your untested recipes. (Remember that laughter is a great way to burn calories?)

Tip #5: Don’t eat what your kids leave behind. Admit it, after your kids leave the table, you gather up the food they leave behind. You just can’t bear to throw it away because you know that it’s enough to feed a small, famished African country. So you eat a “second supper” out of guilt. How can you be so heartless?! Send the leftover food to that small, famished African country.

Tip #6: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are not all that bad for you, if you eat them in moderation. But stay away from those dreaded peanut butter and jellyfish sandwiches.

Tip #7: Blot your pizza to remove 17% of the saturate fats. If you blot it really well, you can remove 100%. Of course, an empty plate might require a spicier sauce…

Tip #8: No snacking in front of the TV. Get up. Right now. No snacking in front of my TV. I don’t want crumbs on my living room carpet.

Tip #9: Schedule your exercise. It’s true, if you don’t schedule it, your exercise will get pushed aside by things you do schedule. I suggest scheduling it during office meetings, dental appointments and reality TV shows. You wouldn’t want to miss anything important, would you?

Tip #10: This is a good one. Why, because #10 on any top-ten list is always a good one. Ten is a great number. So tip #10 is to celebrate every ten pounds lost by preparing a triple chocolate double-dip cheesecake supreme ice cream parfait deluxe. Go ahead and drool. You deserve it. And if you think preparing it is fun, just wait until you lose another 50 pounds … and have permission to actually eat it.

I hope these tips help you. On a serious note, most people will lose a significant amount of weight if they follow these ten tips along with watching their calories according to any popular healthy dieting plan. Well…almost. You might not want to follow tip #6. You will probably lose fewer pounds eating jelly than you would eating jellyfish.

David Leonhardt - EzineArticles Expert Author

About The Author

David Leonhardt writes about happy thoughts at http://www.TheHappyGuy.com , positive thinking at http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/positive-thinking-free-ezine.html and tearing down your house at http://www.thehappyguy.com/home-improvement-project.html … so why not write about dieting?

Info@thehappyguy.com

Debt Consolidation Home Equity Loans - Lower Bills and Improve Credit Score

Many lenders offer debt consolidation personal loans. Yet, getting
approved for these types of loans is not an easy task. For starters, banks
and credit unions require applicants to have a high credit rating and
collateral. Because of strict lending requirements, few people are able
to qualify. Fortunately, owning a home increases your options for
eliminating debts.

Benefits of a Home Equity Loan

For most people, the only alternative for eliminating debts is
acquiring a large sum of money. This could be an inheritance, settlement, etc.
Some homeowners opt to refinance an existing mortgage and use the cash
obtained at closing to reduce debts. Fortunately, there is an easier
way to tap into your home’s equity that does not involve paying closing
fees.

Home equity loans are a popular choice among homeowners hoping to
reduce or eliminate unnecessary consumer debts. These loans are easy to
qualify for, and funds can be received within a few days. Furthermore, home
equity loans do not entail fees, which make these a better option when
compared to refinancing.

There are many home equity loan uses. Common uses include home repairs,
vacations, and debt consolidation. Yet, some homeowners use these loans
to pursue long-term financial goals such as investing in real estate,
starting a business, or planning their retirement.

How to Eliminate Debts with a Home Equity Loan

Using a home equity loans to reduce debts is easy. Once the funds are
received, homeowners simply use the money to payoff credit cards,
personal loan, auto loans, etc. Paying off credit balances is a great way to
quickly improve credit score.

If using a home equity loan options to eliminate debts, you will not
become debt free immediately. However, home equity loans have low, fixed
rates. This feature makes it easier to repay the loan.

Finding a Home Equity Lender Online

Many people obtain a home equity loan using their existing mortgage
lender. However, if you are hoping to obtain the best rate, shop around
and compare various home equity loans.

Visit www.abcloanguide.com to find a list of reputable
online lenders for a home equity loan after bankruptcy or to find a list of
reputable online lenders for debt consolidation home loans. If you have internet access,
complete an online home equity loan quote request. These no-obligation
quotes allow you to compare many offers and terms before settling on a
particular lender.

View our recommended debt consolidation home equity loan lenders online.

Carrie Reeder owns ABC Loan Guide, an on online resource with information about bad credit home mortgage companies online.

Save More/Spend Less - Become a Saver not a Spender

Our personality and lifestyles affects our ability to save. Most every action we take (including those not immediately related to buying something) is based on whether we are likely to spend money or save money. We need to change our way of thinking.

Our ability to save money and master our personal finance is strongly controlled by our lifestyle and personality. Are you are having difficulty control your personal finances, where you have tried several different budget programs, taken financial courses, tried to follow the advice in the personal finance books you bought, but you never truly get ahead financially? It’s possibly because when you try to save long-term, you are going against your inherit desire to spend. It’s a personality trait. Are you a saver or a spender? Are you a John Frugal or a William Spendall?

Ask yourself this question: Do you believe you have saved money when you bought the new pair of jeans at 20% off?

No you didn’t! The problems lies with the fact money was spent in order “to save money.” After the transaction, you may have a nice pair of jeans, but you also have less money to your name. The concept of “Saving Your Way to Success” is based on not spending to save or saving to spend but saving to save moneyto save, accumulate and become financially successful. You will never reach financial success if your concept of saving is the “Christmas savings plan” where you save money in order to save money for Christmas shopping. That is not a plan for savingthat is a plan for spending.

This does not mean it’s bad to save money when you buy a new pair of jeans, if you really needed the new pair of jeans. You are being financially savvy if you can buy something at a cheaper price than most people pay. But realize, you are financial worse off, no matter what you paid, because you now have less money. This is especially important if you trying to get out of debt or are in your “infant years” of saving money.

Saving your way to success is about 80% personality and lifestyle and 20% knowledge. You do not need to be a financial guru or study dozens of investment books to become financially successful. It matters little how much we know, if our daily habits and lifestyle work counter to our goals of saving money and accumulating wealth. By saving your way to success, you let your money work for you. But you need to change your habits and lifestyle. Start incorporating saving money into your daily life. You need to start living like a John Frugal and less like a William Spendall.

Start Saving More and Spending Less!

Did you know that 61% of Americans don’t stick to a household budget, yet a record number of personal bankruptcies were filed in the latest fiscal year? (Source: Bottom Line, November 11, 2005, P.11) Why? Because they have the personalities of spendersnot savers!

Start saving money with the goal of accumulating wealth and achieving financial success. Don’t fall into the misconceptions of debt is good, stores sales that entice you to buy, buy, buy, or “save money, buy now” gimmicks, or the traps of “get rich quick” plans. Become financially savvy. Learn how to start thinking like a saver. You should never have to spend money in order to save money, especially if it is money you are saving and accumulating with the idea of achieving financial success.

Start taking action NOW to become a saver, or change yourself into a saver from a spender. If you are more of a William Spendall than a John Frugal, it will take time to change course and form the habit of saving, but you can do it! You can learn more about changing your lifestyle at http://www.savingyourwaytosuccess.com.

Justin P. Ertelt is the author of Saving Your Way to Success, and owner of http://www.savingyourwaytosuccess.com, helping others acheive financial success. Justin can be reached at justin@savingyourwaytosuccess.com. To learn more visit http://www.savingyourwaytosuccess.com.

Information About the Amazing Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is said to be the largest occupied castles around today & the eldest in nonstop inhabitation (in excess of 900 years). It is 1 of the Queen’s 3 actual homes, and is over and over again held to be the Queens most liked home. The Royal flag soars over the Round Tower of Windsor Castle whilst Queen Elizabeth the 2nd is at the palace - though, at alternative periods, the Union Jack flag flies instead.

Samuel Pepys mentioned the Castle to be “the solitary most passionate castle in the world.” That was stated in 1666, & the comparable has been said today.

Windsor Castle Stirring History:

The origins of Windsor can be found lying in the 7th century Saxon hamlet of Windlesora, where the present day dwellings of Old Windsor is. The settlement of Windsor is generally recognised as the “New Windsor” - the actual phrase “new” being taken in a strictly relative sense!

Windsor Castle was first constructed by the famous William the Conqueror, following his attack of England in ten sixty-six. The original construction was constructed from timber with gravel ramparts. Windsor Castle held an obvious tactical position on a steep mound just above the River Thames, and was a fraction of a band of fortresses all around London, with the Tower of London, one whole days march away, at its centre. For details for Windsor Castle, visit the Enjoy England website.

The Palace was later reassembled in stone, & grew in significance over the following centuries. In recent times Henry 2nd made the Round Tower & the original stone outer wall. After the English Civil War, the structure’s main function became that of a royal dwelling. The Castle has stayed essentially unchanged from the start of the nineteenth century, apart from the restoration effort following the recent fire.

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