5-Simple-Strategies-for-Unifying-Your-Project-Team

5-Simple-Strategies-for-Unifying-Your-Project-Team 5-Simple-Strategies-for-Unifying-Your-Project-Team 5 Simple Strategies for Unifying Your Project TeamsAre your project kollektiv members confused about who is responsible for various aspects of the job? Do their conversations and meetings often end in heated personal attacks? Do individual kollektiv members exhibit an every person for himself attitude and refuse to help their kollektivmates? If you answered yes to any of these questions, youre not alone. Sometimes, a gruppe simply doesnt gel.Every project manager has certainly experienced challenges in getting their teams to behave like, well, teams. But, with organization and guidance, you can eliminate many of the setbacks and challenges that affect team productivity. Consider the following five strategies for unifying and organizing your teams.1. Establish a Project Organization with Clearly Defined RolesEach team member needs to know what function he or she plays on the team, how that role fits with the other team members functions and what happens if he or she doesnt do the job.Depending on your industry or functional discipline, you may employ standard or customary roles on your project. Start with the standard roles that are typical for your type of projects, but dont hesitate if you need to deviate from the standard. If a particular project warrants a role that is unique, then create it. Likewise, if a project doesnt require a particular standard role, eliminate it. Always remember that results are what matter the fruchtwein, not how well a team adhered to the standard project role structure.If a project is unique or the environment doesnt lend itself to standard or customary project roles, take a more pragmatic approach. Identify three to six aspects of the project that are most important or that pose the most risk. Create roles that encompass the concerns or risk areas. Then ensure that all major roles are defined correctly by cross-checking the roles with the work that needs to be done.This type of project organization addresses concerns or areas of risk head-on by defining a role with a singular point of accountability to manage the areas of your project that are most likely to fail.2. Eliminate Finger Pointing and Public FightsEvery team project will likely involve lively discussions. Ideally, these discussions lead you one step closer to project completion. But when they get out of control, they lead to handglied pointing and fighting.Allow these discussions to take place, but put a few rules in place to maintain a level of civility. For exampleOnce a decision has been made, everyone must stand behind it as a team.What happens in the room stays in the room outside of the room the team remains unified. This means no gossiping or badmouthing a team member to outsiders.Wrong decisions must be accepted as a team. In other words, no finger pointing allowed.Dont allow problems to become personal. Focus on problems, not on people.I nevitably some rules will be broken, but making the ground rules clear will go a long way toward reducing strife.3. Develop a Rallying Cry to Focus the TeamA successful advertising campaign clearly communicates its message. Consider these classic examples Wheres the beef? Got milk? and Plop, plop, fizz, fizz. All these unifying messages can be associated with a product. Similarly, when driving a project, it helps the team to embody some kind of rallying cry or mantra.Your teams message should also incorporate aspects of the project. For example, say your team needs to be cautious not to over-design a solution to keep costs down. In this case, you might start using a good enough rallying cry during the design phase to serve as a continual reminder not to overdo the solution. Aside from helping to keep the project within bounds, the rallying cry will also help unify the team.4. Hold Team Members Accountable for DeliveryEveryone needs to realize that the team isnt only accountable to t he project manager but also to each other. After all, if one person fails, the whole team fails. So its crucial that each individual team member must know what everyone else is doing.Each person should be aware of what the other members are doing, to ensure that the individual knows how he or she fits into those aspects of the project. All team members should realize that if they fail to meet a deadline or dont perform their jobs adequately, they are letting down the entire team-not just the project manager. Meeting or missing deadlines and deliverables is a team issue and should be exposed to the entire team. Each member needs to feel accountable for his or her work and needs to experience the discomfort of failure as well as the joy of success.5. Celebrate Victories as a TeamDriving through a project from inception to completion is tough work, and people can easily become discouraged when the team faces roadblocks or setbacks. Be sure to celebrate key milestones along the way to k eep morale up and momentum going. These celebrations dont have to be extravagantthey can be as simple as ordering a pizza or bringing in a cakeanything that allows team members to let their hair down and take a bit of a breather. However, keep in mind that too much celebration can lessen the impact of the final success. So celebrate, but do it in moderation.Teamwork in the FutureA well-structured project team is one where each team member understands his or her role in making the project successful. All members know what they need to contribute to the project, when they have to perform, what other project team members are doing on the project and what it takes to be successful. Just as important, team members must help each other, working together to ensure overall project success. Start using these five team unification strategies today to ensure that all your future projects succeed.Lonnie Pacelli is the author of The Project Management Advisor 18 Major Project Screw-Ups and How T o Cut Them Off at the Pass.This article isadapted from the website of the American Management Association at www.amanet.org. ASME members can access the members only area of the AMA free and get discounts on books and courses by signing up at amanet.org/alliances/asme.A well-structured project team is one where each team member understands his or her role in making the project successful.

Disney Careers, Jobs, and Internships

Disney Careers, Jobs, and pro domoshipsDisney Careers, Jobs, and InternshipsInterested in working for Walt Disney Company? The international entertainment company based in California offers jobs ranging from theme park attendants to television animators to corporate lokalitts. Get tips on how to find and apply for positions at Disney and learn about the company benefits and more. Disney Employment Information The Disney Careers website offers information to prospective job candidates, such as benefits, career programs for students, and other general information. Job Search and Application Job seekers can search for jobs by keyword and can filter by job category, type, location, industry, and business. They can also search for a specific job by requisition ID number. And, if you find a job you think someone else would like, you can forward it to that person. An excellent feature for applicants is the ability to find jobs based on their LinkedIn profile. By allowing Disney acce ss to any relevant information, their LinkedIn profile contains, they can be matched with potentially dozens of posts. To apply for a job online, you must first create a profile. You can do so by manually inputting your information, or by allowing Disney to connect to your LinkedIn profile. Businesses Job seekers can also navigate to one of over 30 different companies owned by the Walt Disney Company. The more well-known entities are Disney Studios, Parks, Consumer Products, Interactive, Corporate, ABC, ESPN, and Marvel. Each business has its own careers website for job seekers to use to find open positions. Career Areas Disney divides its job openings into a variety of career areas, including corporate, technology, entertainment, sales, and much more. Each career area is further broken down into particular roles. Job seekers can look through the various career areas to find the right position for them. Cast Member Jobs Disney Parks Talent Casting hires performers for th eir numerous theme parks and resorts worldwide. From look-a-like performers to professional vocalists, there are many available jobs in the performance arts. Student Programs Disney offers several programs for college students and recent graduates. College students can participate in a Disney Professional Internship, which allows students to experience a particular career field within the company. Internships can be year-round, full-time summer positions, or semester-long programs. For recent college graduates, Disney offers Co-op and Post Graduate Programs. In these programs, participants have a six-month position in one of a variety of business areas, including IT, Management, Creative, and more. Students who have graduated high school within 48 months of applying are eligible to become an intern under the Disney Career Start Program. College Students currently enrolled and who have obtained the age of 18 years are eligible for entry in the Disney College Program. Both program s serve the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The Roles of an Intern As an intern at one of the Disney theme parks, students are engaged in a five-to-eight month longinternshipprogram that will help interns buildtransferable skillsand leadership qualities sought in nearly every industry. While it might be a semester away from campus, Disney College Program interns do more than earn their keep around the parks. They earn quality skills and experiences that help them shine with prospective employers down the road. Interns participate in a paid internship, with roles available in park operations, entertainment, merchandising, food and beverage, hospitality, custodial and lifeguarding (seasonal only). These roles will be selected by Disney recruiters if you are chosen to join the program. Learning at Disney In addition to working with some of the best management leaders in the industry, interns also have the opportunity to learn from their successes in a number of courses available from Disney University. These courses can be taken for college credit with approval from your school and maybe mandatory, dependent on your program. Mentorships and networking events may also be available to help interns learn more from company leaders. Disney Company Benefits Disney company benefits include health, dental, life insurance, vacations, a 401(k) savings plan with a matching program, annahme an kindes statt assistance, and more. Employees also receive Disney extras, including theme park admissions and discounts on Disney merchandise. The company also encourages learning and development through educational reimbursement and learning and development opportunities. These opportunities include professional development training, computer skills, and business immersion programs. Disney is also very supportive of their veteran employees. Through the companys Veterans Initiative, Heroes Work Here, the goal is t o increase opportunities for and support of veteran employees.

The Importance of Wording in Patent Claims

The Importance of Wording in Patent Claims The Importance of Wording in Patent Claims Since words can be imprecise, patent claims often can be difficult to construe. This is true even in cases involving fairly simple technology, where ambiguous words (or, in the following case, numbers) breed controversy. Witness the case of the Gillette Co., which has a patent on the Mach 3 razor, versus Energizer Holdings Inc., which later developed and sold the competing Schick Quattro razor. The Quattro razor has four blades in contrast to the three blades of the Mach 3 razor, so the Quattro razor is obviously different. But doesnt four blades include three blades? Well, yes, but four is not three. One problem for Energizer is the patent law maxim that additions to a patented device typically still constitute patent infringement. In other words, to not infringe, you generally have to take something away from what is claimed in a patent and replace it with something else. The elusiveness of langua ge leaves an open question in a patent lawsuit Does a four-blade razor infringe on the patent that claims three?So, the Gillette case welches mora about whether a second blade between a first and a third blade, as stated in Gillettes patent, encompasses two second blades rather than about whether four includes three. Gillettes patent specification, which was used to interpret the claim, included approximately 30 references to three blades and no reference to a four-bladed razor. That fact initially sealed Gillettes fate when the Federal District Court in Boston refused to issue an injunction against Energizer in January 2004. The case then went to Washington, where the U.S. Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, said the district court erred in construing Gillettes patent as precluding the addition of a fourth blade, or, more accurately, two second blades. Two justices found favor with Gillettes patent specification where it once refers to a plurality of blades, meaning there could b e more than three. Furthermore, in a different case involving the European counterpart to Gillettes patent, Energizer had taken the unfortunate fleck that Gillettes patent covered more than just three blades. Supreme Thinking The United States Supreme Court does not often hear patent cases, but when it talks about patents and the nature of language, it can be revealing. This is from one Supreme Court opinion Unfortunately, the nature of language makes it impossible to capture the essence of a thing in a patent application .... A verbal portrayal of an invention is usually an afterthought written to satisfy the requirements of patent law. This conversion of machine to words allows for unintended idea gaps which cannot be satisfactorily filled. Often an invention is novel and words do not exist to describe it. The dictionary does not always keep abreast of the inventor. It cannot. Things are not made for the sake of words but words for things .... The language in the patent claims may not capture every nuance of the invention or describe with complete precision the range of its novelty. That was in a 2002 ruling. In 1892, the Supreme Court stated that the specification and claims of a patent ... constitute one of the most difficult legal instruments to draw with accuracy. To both of these quotes, patent attorneys like me say, Amen. Perhaps the real question in the Gillette case, then, is whether Gillettes patent claim fairly portrays the possibility that there could be a fourth blade. Stated another way, given the imprecision of language, if the Gillette patent does not explicitly preclude the addition of a fourth blade, then maybe the two justices siding with Gillette got it right. On the other hand, how is Energizer, as a competitor, supposed to know what does and what does not infringe Gillettes patent? This is a real tension in patent law. Still, all hope is not lost for Energizer. At the trial court of the Gillette case, Energizer raised other defenses to t he patent. Since, for example, the law of the case is now that Gillettes patent encompasses a razor with two second blades, if Energizer can show a prior razor with that configuration, Gillettes patent might be found invalid. The trial court had to decide if Schicks other defenses, such as the assertion that Gillettes patent is invalid, have merit and whether Gillette is entitled to an injunction and, ultimately, damages. At that point, the only likelihood, absent a settlement, was at least another appealhey, no one said it was easy. Adapted from Does 4 Include 3? by Kirk Teska, Law Firm of Iandorio Teska and Suffolk University Law School, for Mechanical Engineering, January 2006. The United States Supreme Court does not often hear patent cases, but when it talks about patents and the nature of language, it can be revealing.

Developing Millennials Into Next-Generation Leaders

Developing Millennials Into Next-Generation LeadersDeveloping Millennials Into Next-Generation LeadersThis post originally appeared on FEI Daily.I dont get them. When I was their age I dont know how to talk to them.Have you had any of these thoughts about members of Generation Y, the Millennials? If you have, its time to stop and adopt a new mindset. Theyre a highly educated, innovative force that has swept through the workplace and now influences every level of their organizations. If youre not actively recruiting, developing and working to retain Gen Y professionals, youre losing competitive edge.Businessweeks Matthew Philips recently reported, According to U.S. Census data, there are more people in their twenties (44.5 million) than in their thirties (41 million), forties (41.7 million), or fifties (43.8 million). These professionals are very much a part of your firms present and future.What steps can you take togroom Millennials into your next generation of leaders?Managing Mil lennialsStart by learning what makes them tick. For most Millennials, their core desires are like those of every other generational group a job that they enjoy and is a source of pride, a manager they respect and can learn from, fair compensation, and the ability to balance their professional and personal lives.At the same time, there are unique attributes common among members of this generation. For one, they frequently crave feedback. You can tap into this need and foster passion and commitment from these employees by helping them answer Where am I going in my career? Whats important to my company? How does my role help the company reach its objectives? How can my company and my manager help me reach my goals?Ongoing communication is key. Be positive, but also genuine, providing constructive criticism as needed. Dont wait for formal performance review periods, however. Provide your feedback in real time.Keep in mind that communication flow should be two-way. Millennials want to l evel the hierarchy and have a voice. Work together to target initiatives these employees feel are a fit for their skills and goals, and, when possible, assign them to leadership positions on project teams. Similarly, collaborate on identifying educational opportunities that can help them build their expertise and learn from different perspectives.Critically, make sure your technology and financial systems are up to date. The ability to work with the latest tech tools can help influence Gen Y accounting and finance professionals when deciding whether to join and stay with your organization. If you dont continuously upgrade your systems, you risk experiencing a talent outflow instead of an inflow. Remember, this generation grew up with computer technology and is deeply ingrained with social media. Millennials understand the power of technology and recognize if youre not current, youre behind.Grooming Gen Y LeadersGive potential leaders you identify not just the chance to lead a projec t team but also the opportunity to manage key initiatives. This should go beyond just overseeing the day-to-day aspects of a project and also include umgebung strategy and making decisions.Fortunately for businesses, a strong desire for continuous learning is another defining characteristic of this demographic. Provide formal and informal training opportunities, focusing on the technical skills Millennials need to advance along with key nontechnical attributes, particularly leadership and communication.As they progress, incorporate those with the most potential into your succession plans. But dont stop there. Once youve selected succession candidates, sit down to explain the opportunity and why you chose them. Your feedback can help them recognize their strengths and focus on improving any shortcomings, putting them on the path to develop the attributes you seek in your organizations leaders. Identify specific steps they need to take to advance and partner on tactics for reaching ea ch milestone.All up-and-coming leaders need mentors. Decide whether you will serve in this role and for which individuals or if youll ask a willing senior manager to take on this responsibility. As with employee development, the advisor should help them build both their technical and nontechnical skills. A key area of focus should be managing, including offering guidance on how to motivate people with differing personalities and preferences.Also consider reverse-mentoring arrangements, where Gen Y staff can mentor more experienced colleagues. For example, a financial analyst could show your chief accounting officer the ropes with new social media platforms or other emerging technologies. This arrangement shows employees you value their expertise and provides them another opportunity to hone their leadership skills.Focus on team-building, too, including by bringing together workers of all generations. Give your future leaders a chance to network and build rapport with contacts throug hout the organization. Theres a lot they can learn about the business from colleagues with diverse backgrounds, work styles and responsibilities.Much has been written about the Millennial generation. They have unique perspectives and characteristics just like any workforce demographic and they are a talented, driven group eager to contribute to an employer they respect and feel is a fit for their career objectives. By understanding their chief workplace concerns, you can help them reach their goals and, at the same time, build the pipeline of leaders for your business.

Is There a Lie on Your Resume Probably!

Is There a Lie on Your Resume ProbablyIs There a Lie on Your Resume ProbablyIn a recent study The Dishonest Tradition of Fudging the Facts on a Resume, Grad School Hub discovered that many, many job seekers are engaging in the nefarious practice of resume lying. A whopping 78 percent of people admitted that their resumes are misleading, and at least 50 percent have at least a small amount of misleading information on their resume.So why are job seekers lying on their resumes?Well, a few reasons factor into the equation. Fearing ageism, some candidates leave off graduation dates so that they can appear younger. Working mothers who wish to return to work may fudge dates in an attempt to cover up large gaps in employment. And some recent grads may raise their GPAs or even award themselves with extra honors they didnt earn. People may change dates in an attempt to hide the fact that they were fired from a job or spent part of their career job hopping.And which job seekers are most likely to lie on a resume?Both male and female job seekers tell lies, but which sex is the biggest fibber?In general, men lie twice as much as women do- on average, men tell six lies per day and women tell three. For example, men will rate their past job performance 30 percent higher than it actually was, while women will rate theirs only 15 percent higher.And if youre wondering where the whoppers, um, lie on a resume, it is actually scattered throughout the resume. People lie about everything from inflated salary claims (40 percent), to inaccurate job descriptions (33 percent), to altered employment dates (29 percent).What are the consequences of telling a lie on a resume?Lying comes with consequences. According to the study, 36 percent of the time resume padding is discovered, the employee is fired. And for those who admitted that their resume was not 100 percent accurate, 27 percent lost their jobs. And even if you dont lose your job, there can be other ways in which your lie can cost you. Not only can you damage your personal (and professional) reputation, but lying is considered a big character flaw that can result in embarrassment for you- as well as a loss of job references. Bigger penalties can be possible termination (despite years of loyal service) or even legal action.While it may be tempting to make your resume as perfect as possible, its not a good idea to do it at the expense of lying. After all, theres a very good chance that your lie can be uncovered, and you could lose your job- and your credibility. So make the most of your past work experience, your accolades, and your skills, and let them shine on your job application. That way, your true work (and not a lie) will speak for itself- and get you the job you truly deserve.Readers, have you ever lied on your resume? Did you get caught? Let us know about your experiences in the comments section below

What Everybody Is Saying About Esthetician Resume Sample and What You Must Do

What Everybody Is Saying About Esthetician Resume Sample and What You Must Do Esthetician Resume Sample Secrets That No One Else Knows About You most likely dont wish to include things like that. Hence, its critical to discuss the job related skills in detail. Certainly skills are among the most crucial pieces of an esthetician resume. Aside from this, youll also require a strong resume, like the samples weve prepared below. A productive massage session with the appropriate healing oils removes tension and improves body circulation. The particular outline presents various subheadings on which you are able to utilize to make your own resume. Maybe youll just need to make a number of word changes or perhaps you need to move entire blocks of the resume to some other section. Esthetician Resume Sample - Dead or Alive? You will obtain experience and extra training whilst on the job that may be added to future resumes. In order to acquire your resume noticed in the present marke t, you must guarantee that it is furnished with your relevant abilities and potential. If you wish to land the job, your resume may require a makeover For sure, there are numerous opportunities offered for Estheticians in the work marketplace. Your letter needs to be sent by mail or hand-delivered. In the event that you would love to re locate to find work, you almost certainly know its far better depart from your general address your resume. Another eintrag that you ought to include on your resume would become your work experience. This esthetician resume example was developed to assist you create a professional resume that will help to grow the chance that you will have the ability to receive a job as an esthetician to help further your upcoming career in the business. Be ready to elaborate on all of the info you provided on your resume. Despite the fact that you dont need to make your resume too long, you will need to ensure you include all appropriate details. The informa tion ought to be at the peak of your resume. You have to offer relevant, concise details. Very skilled in regards to enhancing a customers individual appearances by using only the greatest and latest technology. With respect to CNA classes, online services supply you with all the required knowledge that will help you ace the written area of the certification exam, and a number of the far better programs out there even offer students chances to obtain practical clinical experience although not from home, needless to say. With some research its possible to learn to appropriately utilize them. Look at esthetician websites to find out whats hot. An objective statement is usually assigned a main position in a resume to obtain the interest of a recruiter at first. Create an overview of the different body wrap methods youve got experience in. Resolved complaints received from the consumers and facilitated resolutions for all of the conflicts. As a means to have that mentality youve must believe that each everyday at clinic could possibly be that the afternoon thats very likely to generate a difference between winning and losing. Its sufficient to show the appropriate work experience and it appears well on the monitor. To have the ability to diagnose skin care complaints and supply skin care solutions, youll have to be licensed. Skin care provides a wide selection of services from facials to body wraps to a variety of therapies. To have the ability to procure a job which you need to possess a resume. Your work is to know precisely what demands there arealready. It is always to learn exactly what needs there arealready. If you think youre acceptable for least inch job there, you wish to create a concentrated resume for each endeavor.

Accountemps Study Finds Job Hopping Becoming More Accepted

Accountemps Study Finds Job Hopping Becoming More Accepted A study just released by Accountemps found that Millennials in particular take job hopping in stride, and that men are mora likely to seek greener pastures more often than women. The Accountemps report included highlights such as57 percent of employees between the ages of 18 and 34 said changing jobs every few years can actually help their career38 percent of employees between the ages of 35 and 54 said job-hopping can be a career booster22 percent of those age 55 or older agreed that it could help ones career.Broken down by sex, 47 percent of men accepted job-hopping as a career strategy, compared to 37 percent of women.Asked to identify the top five benefits to their careers of job-hopping, job hoppers in the survey listed the followingIt leads to higher compensationJob hoppers gain new skillsJob hoppers the corporate latter more rapidly than non-hoppersJob hoppers experience more corporate cultures andJob hopping quickly builds an impressive resume.Conventional wisdom about the perils of job hopping has begun to shift, but professionals still need to look carefully before they leap, said Bill Driscoll, a district president with Accountemps. Changing jobs every three to four years is one thing more frequent moves could indicate the inability to dig into a role and put employers on guard. Professionals considering job moves should evaluate not only salary but also where they will have the greatest opportunity to build skills and advance their careers.

Top 3 Reasons They Didnt Call You Back

Top 3 Reasons They Didnt Call You BackTop 3 Reasons They Didnt Call You BackINBOX Jewel, Ive applied to 295 opportunities in the last 3 months, and from that, had about 15 face-to-face interviews. These numbers are frustratingly low, and Im not sure what to do.Lack of response is the 1 complaint I hear from candidates, especially when youre applying for roles that you know perfectly well you can do. Your resume lines up practically perfectly with what the ad is calling for, you customized your cover letter (you did customize your cover letter, right? Ok, yes.), but yet and still, the silence is deafening. Here are the top 3 reasons they didnt call you back, and how to fix them1) Youre applying for entirely too many jobs.The candidate who inbox me bowled me over with the sheer numbers involved. 295 opportunities in 3 months? Translation 90 days? Thats roughly 3 jobs per day, every day. Thats too many bottom line.What those numbers tell me is theres not much in the way of rhyme or rea son to your job search approach. Old-school thinking says job search is a numbers game. But those are the wrong numbers. You cant apply for more, more, and more, and just see what happens.I know its counter-intuitive, but apply for fewer roles, and make sure those roles are focused on precisely what it is that you do. Anything beyond the scope of your core competency is a waste of time and thats just what the candidate who inboxed me is doing wasting his and everyone elses time.2) Your resume is substantially different from your LinkedIn profile.Understand this the decision maker who receives your resume will use LinkedIn to look you up before he uses the phone to call you up. And, what he finds on LinkedIn will determine whether he decides to call you.Understand something else you are but 1 human being. You have but 1 story. Your story need not be somehow magically different just because its on LinkedIn. Repetition between the resume and LinkedIn is okay, because when the employer or recruiter is viewing your zugreifbar profile, shes looking for confirmation of the information shes already received on your resume. Substantial differences just raise questions. And when questions are in the air, theres a much higher likelihood the person will not seek the answers. They will simply seek the next candidate.3) Your resume and LinkedIn say youre consulting.Consulting doing what? If your materials dont answer this question, then that period of time youre calling consulting looks like the period of unemployment that it probably is.Legitimate consulting means you have projects you are doing for clients. Those projects can be free or part-time, but they need to be in existence. If you cant say what your projects are and what types of clients youre serving, then youre not consulting.You can take steps to make sure your resume doesnt just get sucked into the black hole of the Internet. Stop throwing it up against the wall like spaghetti, just to see what sticks. Make su re your resume and LinkedIn are aligned. And delete the fake-ish material such as consulting. We are revealing advanced strategies to get your solid resume in front of employers and recruiters, in ways that will prompt them to actually respond, in our free online presentation, 3 Simple Steps To Cut Your Job Search Time In HALF Make sure to register today.

6 toxic relationships you should avoid like the plague

6 toxic relationships you should avoid like the plague6 toxic relationships you should avoid like the plagueMost everyone has experienced a relationship that turned toxic. If you have, you know theyre a major drain on your energy, productivity, and happiness.In a new study from Georgetown University, 98% of people reported experiencing toxic behavior at work.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe study found that toxic relationships negatively influence employees and their organizations in nine notable ways80% schwefelyperit work time worrying about the incidents.78% said that their commitment to the organization declined.66% said that their performance declined.63% lost work time avoiding the offender.47% intentionally decreased the time spent at work.38% intentionally decreased the quality of their work.25% admitted to taking their frustration out on customers.12% said that they left their job because of it.48% intentionally decreased their work effort.While the turnover from toxic relationships is costly, the real cost is the lost productivity and emotional distress experienced by people who are stuck in these relationships.We may not be able to control the toxicity of other people, but we can control how we respond to them, and this has the power to alter the course of a relationship. Before a toxic relationship can be neutralized, you must intimately understand whats making it toxic in the first place. Toxic relationships develop when one persons needs are no longer met or someone or something is interfering with the ability to maintain a healthy and productive relationship.Recognizing and understanding toxicity enables you to develop effective strategies to thwart future toxic interactions. What follows are the fruchtwein common types of toxic relationships and strategies to help you overcome them.Relationships that are passive aggressiveThis type takes many forms in the workplace, from the manager who gives you the cold shoulder to the colleague who ccs e-mails to your boss. One of the most common forms of passive aggression is a drastic reduction of effort. Passive aggressive types have great difficulty receiving feedback, and this can lead them to leave work early or not to work as hard. Passive aggression is deadly in the workplace, where opinions and feelings need to be placed on the table in order for progredienz to continue.When you find someone behaving passive aggressively toward you, you need to take it upon yourself to communicate the problem. Passive aggressive types typically act the way they do because theyre trying to avoid the issue at hand. If you cant bring yourself to open up a line of communication, you may find yourself joining in the mind games. Just remember, passive aggressive types tend to be sensitive and to avoid conflict, so when you do bring something up, make sure to do so as constructively and harmon iously as possible.Relationships that lack forgiveness and trustIts inevitable that youre going to make mistakes at work. Some people get so fixated on other peoples mistakes that it seems as if they believe they dont make mistakes themselves. Youll find that these people hold grudges, are constantly afraid that other people are going to do them harm, and may even begin nudging you out of important projects. If youre not careful, this can stifle upward career movement by removing important opportunities for growth.The frustrating thing about this type of relationship is that it takes one mistake to lose hundreds of trust points but hundreds of perfect actions to get one trust point back. To win back their trust, its crucial that you pay extra-close attention to detail and that youre not frazzled by the fact that they will constantly be looking for mistakes. You have to use every ounce of patience while you dig yourself out of the subjective hole youre in. Remember, Rome wasnt built in a day.Relationships that are one-sidedRelationships are supposed to be mutually beneficial. They have a natural give and take. In the workplace, this applies to relationships with people who report to you (they should be getting things done for you and you should be teaching them) as well as with people you report to (you should be learning from them, but also contributing). These relationships grow toxic when one person begins to give a disproportionate amount, or one person only wants to take. It could be a manager who has to guide an employee through every excruciating detail, or a colleague who finds herself doing all the work.If possible, the best thing to do with this type is to stop giving. Unfortunately this isnt always possible. When it isnt, you need to have a frank conversation with the other fete in order to recalibrate the relationship.Relationships that are idealisticIdealistic relationships are those where we begin to hold people in too high a regard. When you thin k your colleague walks on water, the relationship becomes toxic because you dont have the boundaries you need in a healthy working relationship. For instance, you might overlook a mistake that needs attention, or do work that violates your moral compass because you assume your colleague is in the right.This loss of boundaries is extremely toxic to you, and you have the power to set the relationship straight. No matter how close you may be with someone, or how great you think her work may be, you need to remain objective. If youre the one people are idealizing, you need to speak up and insist that they treat you the saatkorn way they treat everyone else.Relationships that are punitivePunitive relationships are those where one person punishes the other for behavior that doesnt align directly with their expectations. The major issue with punitive types is that their instinct is to punish, without adequate communication, feedback, and understanding. This belittling approach creates conf lict and bad feelings.To survive a punitive type, you must choose your battles wisely. Your voice wont be heard if you dive right in to every conflict. Theyll just label you as someone who is too sensitive.Relationships built on liesThese types get so caught up in looking good that they lose track of whats fact and whats fiction. Then the lies pile up until theyre the foundation of the relationship. People who wont give you straight answers dont deserve your trust. After all, if theyre willing to lie to you, how can you ever really depend on them?When you remove trust from any relationship, you dont have a relationship at all. Building a relationship on lies is no different than building a house on a pile of sand. The best thing you can do is to count your losses and move on.How to protect yourself from a toxic personToxic people drive you crazy because their behavior is so irrational. Make no mistake about it- their behavior truly goes against reason, so why do you allow yourself t o respond to them emotionally and get sucked into the mix?The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance. TalentSmart has conducted research with more than a million people, and weve found that 90% of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control. One of their greatest gifts is the ability to identify toxic people and keep them at bay.The more irrational and off-base someone is, the easier it should be for you to remove yourself from their traps. Quit trying to beat them at their own game. Distance yourself from them emotionally, and approach your interactions with them like theyre a science project (or youre their shrink if you prefer that analogy). You dont need to respond to the emotional chaos- only the facts.Maintaining an emotional distance requires awareness. You cant stop someone from pushing your buttons if you dont recognize when its happening. Someti mes youll find yourself in situations where youll need to regroup and choose the best way forward. This is fine, and you shouldnt be afraid to buy yourself some time to do so.Most people feel as though because they work or live with someone, they have no way to control the chaos. This couldnt be further from the truth. Once youve identified a toxic person, youll begin to find their behavior more predictable and easier to understand. This will equip you to think rationally about when and where you have to put up with them and when and where you dont. You can establish boundaries, but youll have to do so consciously and proactively. If you let things happen naturally, youre bound to find yourself constantly embroiled in difficult conversations. If you set boundaries and decide when and where youll engage a difficult person, you can control much of the chaos. The only trick is to stick to your guns and keep boundaries in place when the person tries to cross them, which they will.Bringi ng it all togetherThere are many different types of toxic relationships in the workplace. When you find yourself embroiled in one, its worth the effort to evaluate things carefully and develop a course of action that will save your sanity and better your career.This article first appeared on LinkedIn.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will ersatzdarsteller your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people6 toxic relationships you should avoid like the plagueMost everyone has experienced a relationship that turned toxic. If you have, you know theyre a major drain on your energy, productivity, and happiness.In a new study from Georgetown University, 98% of people reported experiencing toxic behavior at work. The study found that toxic relat ionships negatively influence employees and their organizations in nine notable ways80% lost work time worrying about the incidents.78% said that their commitment to the organization declined.66% said that their performance declined.63% lost work time avoiding the offender.47% intentionally decreased the time spent at work.38% intentionally decreased the quality of their work.25% admitted to taking their frustration out on customers.12% said that they left their job because of it.48% intentionally decreased their work effort.While the turnover from toxic relationships is costly, the real cost is the lost productivity and emotional distress experienced by people who are stuck in these relationships.We may not be able to control the toxicity of other people, but we can control how we respond to them, and this has the power to alter the course of a relationship. Before a toxic relationship can be neutralized, you must intimately understand whats making it toxic in the first place. Toxi c relationships develop when one persons needs are no longer met or someone or something is interfering with the ability to maintain a healthy and productive relationship.Recognizing and understanding toxicity enables you to develop effective strategies to thwart future toxic interactions. What follows are the most common types of toxic relationships and strategies to help you overcome them.Relationships that are passive aggressiveThis type takes many forms in the workplace, from the manager who gives you the cold shoulder to the colleague who ccs e-mails to your boss. One of the most common forms of passive aggression is a drastic reduction of effort. Passive aggressive types have great difficulty receiving feedback, and this can lead them to leave work early or not to work as hard. Passive aggression is deadly in the workplace, where opinions and feelings need to be placed on the table in order for progress to continue.When you find someone behaving passive aggressively toward you , you need to take it upon yourself to communicate the problem. Passive aggressive types typically act the way they do because theyre trying to avoid the issue at hand. If you cant bring yourself to open up a line of communication, you may find yourself joining in the mind games. Just remember, passive aggressive types tend to be sensitive and to avoid conflict, so when you do bring something up, make sure to do so as constructively and harmoniously as possible.Relationships that lack forgiveness and trustIts inevitable that youre going to make mistakes at work. Some people get so fixated on other peoples mistakes that it seems as if they believe they dont make mistakes themselves. Youll find that these people hold grudges, are constantly afraid that other people are going to do them harm, and may even begin nudging you out of important projects. If youre not careful, this can stifle upward career movement by removing important opportunities for growth.The frustrating thing about th is type of relationship is that it takes one mistake to lose hundreds of trust points but hundreds of perfect actions to get one trust point back. To win back their trust, its crucial that you pay extra-close attention to detail and that youre not frazzled by the fact that they will constantly be looking for mistakes. You have to use every ounce of patience while you dig yourself out of the subjective hole youre in. Remember, Rome wasnt built in a day.Relationships that are one-sidedRelationships are supposed to be mutually beneficial. They have a natural give and take. In the workplace, this applies to relationships with people who report to you (they should be getting things done for you and you should be teaching them) as well as with people you report to (you should be learning from them, but also contributing). These relationships grow toxic when one person begins to give a disproportionate amount, or one person only wants to take. It could be a manager who has to guide an empl oyee through every excruciating detail, or a colleague who finds herself doing all the work.If possible, the best thing to do with this type is to stop giving. Unfortunately this isnt always possible. When it isnt, you need to have a frank conversation with the other party in order to recalibrate the relationship.Relationships that are idealisticIdealistic relationships are those where we begin to hold people in too high a regard. When you think your colleague walks on water, the relationship becomes toxic because you dont have the boundaries you need in a healthy working relationship. For instance, you might overlook a mistake that needs attention, or do work that violates your moral compass because you assume your colleague is in the right.This loss of boundaries is extremely toxic to you, and you have the power to set the relationship straight. No matter how close you may be with someone, or how great you think her work may be, you need to remain objective. If youre the one peopl e are idealizing, you need to speak up and insist that they treat you the same way they treat everyone else.Relationships that are punitivePunitive relationships are those where one person punishes the other for behavior that doesnt align directly with their expectations. The major issue with punitive types is that their instinct is to punish, without adequate communication, feedback, and understanding. This belittling approach creates conflict and bad feelings.To survive a punitive type, you must choose your battles wisely. Your voice wont be heard if you dive right in to every conflict. Theyll just label you as someone who is too sensitive.Relationships built on liesThese types get so caught up in looking good that they lose track of whats fact and whats fiction. Then the lies pile up until theyre the foundation of the relationship. People who wont give you straight answers dont deserve your trust. After all, if theyre willing to lie to you, how can you ever really depend on them? When you remove trust from any relationship, you dont have a relationship at all. Building a relationship on lies is no different than building a house on a pile of sand. The best thing you can do is to count your losses and move on.How to protect yourself from a toxic personToxic people drive you crazy because their behavior is so irrational. Make no mistake about it- their behavior truly goes against reason, so why do you allow yourself to respond to them emotionally and get sucked into the mix?The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance. TalentSmart has conducted research with more than a million people, and weve found that 90% of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control. One of their greatest gifts is the ability to identify toxic people and keep them at bay.The more irrational and off-base someone is, the easier it should be for you to remove yours elf from their traps. Quit trying to beat them at their own game. Distance yourself from them emotionally, and approach your interactions with them like theyre a science project (or youre their shrink if you prefer that analogy). You dont need to respond to the emotional chaos- only the facts.Maintaining an emotional distance requires awareness. You cant stop someone from pushing your buttons if you dont recognize when its happening. Sometimes youll find yourself in situations where youll need to regroup and choose the best way forward. This is fine, and you shouldnt be afraid to buy yourself some time to do so.Most people feel as though because they work or live with someone, they have no way to control the chaos. This couldnt be further from the truth. Once youve identified a toxic person, youll begin to find their behavior more predictable and easier to understand. This will equip you to think rationally about when and where you have to put up with them and when and where you don t. You can establish boundaries, but youll have to do so consciously and proactively. If you let things happen naturally, youre bound to find yourself constantly embroiled in difficult conversations. If you set boundaries and decide when and where youll engage a difficult person, you can control much of the chaos. The only trick is to stick to your guns and keep boundaries in place when the person tries to cross them, which they will.Bringing it all togetherThere are many different types of toxic relationships in the workplace. When you find yourself embroiled in one, its worth the effort to evaluate things carefully and develop a course of action that will save your sanity and better your career.This article first appeared on LinkedIn.

Drones Take Farming to a Whole New Level

Drones Take Farming to a Whole New Level Drones Take Farming to a Whole New Level Now that the Federal Aviation Administration has eased restrictions on the use of drones for commercial purposes, the agriculture industry is adopting new technology that can not only make modern agriculture in the U.S. mora efficient but can also help protect the environment.Today, drones play a key role in precision agriculture, also called site-specific farming, a technique involving crop surveillance and the use of cameras, GPS, sensors, special variable rate applicators, and analytics in crop management. Although the idea of using more technology in agriculture is not new, adoption has not happened as fast as expected. But times are changing, perhaps due to the loosening of restrictions on drones as part of a low-cost monitoring, measuring, and application system for fields and crops.Drones make life easier, says AbhijitNagchaudhuri, professor of engineering in the Department of Engineering Aviati on Sciences at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), who spearheads precision agriculture there. You can program the drone to go to exact locations on the field where you want to send them.Schools of engineering and agriculture across the country, especially at land grant universities, have been collaborating for more than a century. Now more than ever, they are shaping the farming of the future. Engineers at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore handle drone for research. Image UMESFor more than a decade, engineering students at UMES have been working with various cameras and sensors on aircraft, both manned and unmanned, in search of more efficient farming methods. The work evolved from an earlier project partially funded by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center that involved putting cameras and transmitters on a tethered blimp for aerial imaging. Using an infrared camera system, the transmitted images show shoreline erosion, agricultural land use patterns, and environmen tal conditions such as algal blooms in nearby Chesapeake Bay.By the time the university received authorization from the FAA to use drones in 2014, students had outfitted everything from model airplanes to a Cessna 172 with cameras, sensors, and GPS systems that can perform a variety of activities. These include assessing crop health including identifying insect and disease problems and nutrient deficiencies sensing soil health, weed and crop status providing insight into yield estimates monitoring agricultural runoff and assisting in variable application of nutrients and pesticides.Precision agriculture has lots of aspects of finding out what would be the right input at the right time at the right place for crops to grow well, Nagchaudhuri says.By correlating the imagery with GPS, he and his students can pinpoint specifically what actions should be taken, precisely what amounts of each nutrient (or pesticide) should be placed where, even how densely seeds can be planted based on soi l health.Once we understand that there is a reading where the crop is not doing well, we can get a location from GPS and go there physically and take preventative action, he says. Without the aerial images and GPS capability, plants could be in much worse shape by the time problems are noticed and possibly too damaged to be saved. This allows farmers to anticipate what crops need ahead of time.As for nutrients, in the past farmers would take a few samples and apply nutrients uniformly across the field. With new technology, sampling is conducted at many points across a field to be able to respond to variability within a crop or field. If an area is stressed, we want to apply appropriate nutrients but not in excess. Nutrient management is very important on the eastern shore because the Chesapeake Bay is close by, and excess agricultural runoff can cause all kind of environmental problems, Nagchaudhuri says. This work is very important to the restoration of the health of Chesapeake Bay , he adds.Even though some equipment can start with off-the-shelf models, such as the drones, engineers are heavily involved at many touchpoints helping to integrate advanced engineering technologies into the process, including GPS receivers, GIS data bases, grid sampling/mapping techniques, yield monitors, variable-rate applicators and remote sensing imagery.For example, variable application of nutrients across a field requires special equipment attached to the applicator, whether ground-based or aerial, and connected to GPS and computer equipment. Sensors are integrated into harvesters and work with GPS to determine how much harvest is coming from specific locations. UMES is also hoping to start getting more into irrigation management with thermal cameras if funding is approved. Already, there is work being done to measure environmental runoff in nearby waterways with especially developed autonomous water vehicles.Farmers traditionally performed tasks according to daily and weekly calendars. Today, with real-time data on field, crop, and weather variables, they have come a long way from relying on the Farmers Almanac.Nancy S. Giges is an independent writer. For Further Discussion Drones make life easier. You can program the drone to go to exact locations on the field where you want to send them.Prof. Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, University of Maryland Eastern Shore