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Tag Archives: sales
Are you a creative or reactive leader?
Filed under Business, Coaching and Facilitation, congruent, forming storming, marketing, Mind, mind, networking, Sales
I feel naked…
…and not in a good way!
So when is it OK and not OK to be naked…for me I love getting my kit off, probably because I am an exhibitionist, or more to the truth, I really do like to kick back and shed the weekday attire and feel the sand between my toes and the elements on my skin, but that naked is OK…I am asking about the feeling you have when someone you have looked up to and aspire to be as good as if not better turns out to be….well to quote a phrase 'not all that'
I guess the only way I could feel any more naked is if, there were others.
Others, who on the outside or from a distance have a good 'show' a presence, a swagger, a reputation and integrity.
OH NO…it has happened….Like Icarus, I clearly got to close…and substance – missing, ability – lacking and integrity – do not pass go, do not collect £200.
So there I am about to spiral…now which way do I go…?
Up and risk the ego taking over?
Or down and risk the ever too faithful human sabotage take over…Oh wait there is another way…of course there is…because I AM CONGRUENT.
Congruent I hear you ask? Yes, Congruent. A mid-15th century Latin word Congruentum meaning 'to come together, agree, correspond with' A word that I use regularly with clients and myself. To me it means simply this. For me to be the best coach I can be, I need to be coached.
I need to understand how it feels when someone holds the mirror up and I am there, looking in, squirming…
I need to understand how I feel when I am being questioned about what I have or haven't done to result in what I currently have or am.
I need to understand how empowered I feel when I am aided in reaching the point I need to reach to make it happen
I need to create my own solutions and have someone who I can bounce off, an outside voice who will not be my 'yes man' and help me see how it really is….
..Show me when challenges need facing and when brilliance exactly that, brilliance.
So I turn to my coach, I am naked (they don't laugh, which is also a bonus!!) and I share what I am feeling, a little lost. Something has knocked me sideways and I can quite place it…See that is the beauty of having a coach and being coached…a voice at the end of a phone or a welcome face over a coffee to listen, questions, facilitate and empower me.
I had begun to think my ego had gone and got way out of hand…I am no shrinking violet I know that, but what I was witnessing, experiencing, was mentors and business professionals who I looked up to and admired, possibly even to aspired to be, behaving in ways I never imagined I would experience. Then I began to think, maybe it's not that, maybe it's that my compass was way off and I had been looking in the wrong places or looking for the wrong things…
What transpires is simple. It is something I am very aware of and many reading this will be too…and there it is folks…the best learning's are the life lessons that keep showing us that we are alive, they are not complicated or scientific, they are simple, powerful and right there.
We are a constant.
That was it…where I was years ago, to where I am now, where my mentors were to where they are now is just different. Not better, not worse, just different.
What I wanted then and was getting out of bed for then is not what drives me now.
And here is my compass.
I am here to inspire, educate and motivate.
To encourage the world to think and act differently, one step at a time.
I help people believe. And if you wish to dismiss that, then go and try something that you don't believe and let me know how you get on!
My ethics and my morals bound me to only do what is right for me and my clients. I choose the game now and I can play to the level that I want, that I choose.
My mission is to help you realise the game you wish to play and importantly the level that you want to play it at.
Because life is just a game. A beautiful, emotional, passionate, romantic, harsh, humorous & real game. Step up to the plate, pick up a bat and swing…you can't win if you don't swing the bat, that is a fact.
So I am extremely grateful to the path that I have chosen and the routes that it takes me every week…burning new pathways, establishing new relationships and building new opportunities to make this world better, one step at a time.
I am grateful to my coach and my clients, past present and future.
I am grateful for my health and every day that I am given to get up and make it happen.
Whatever you do, do it to your best and the best will find you back.
When you are ready to take the bat and start winning…call me. The Congruent Coach. +44(0) 1792 911881
Social Media Doesn't work for business…what a crock of $#!}
Recently I was asked to guest blog for an awesome media company…now I say awesome for a few reasons:
1) Because the people involved with said media company are quite simply, awesome.
2) And more importantly, they demystify media for businesses, so we can all use the tools that the big boys do without going all gooey eyed!
3) They have fun. And when you are having fun, you attract others…we can all learn from them.
So where can you find them you ask, well, you will below part of my guest blog and the rest you will have to click the link to finish reading it…I know, devilish of me isn't it!
Before I click you out to there page so you cant engage with this awesome team, know this, Cemanthe who runs the business, has over 200 posts, for this post, it has been shared 24 times on Facebook, had 18 Tweets, 10 Linked-In posts and has been Pinned a few times. SO if you ever get asked to guest blog, think about it. You all benefit an its another reason to show why the title of this blog is so true…Enjoy!
"…what a crock of $#!@" Guest Blogger Adam Brooks brings his slightly controversial view to whether or not social media can work for business.
This phrase has no doubt been said by many people, many times, all of whom are quite simply, in denial. Here is another one for you… 'Old dog, new tricks'
The person who actually said this to me was Head of Marketing for a large organisation in the technology and communications industry…to put in blunt…shocking!
I have been an 'enthusiast' of social media over the last few years and I am increasingly impressed with how it continues to reinvent itself and link up new platforms and increased access to key people of influence, that in business…I want to talk to.
I have many mentors in written form as I read many books on business and how to get better results, I train every day, just like an athlete does to achieve success in their discipline…my discipline is business, sales, profitability and most importantly…people.
And…who will you find on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Pinterest, Blogs and maybe even Google + at a push?…Correct…Read more
Filed under Adult, bruce tuckman, Business, Coaching and Facilitation, doctor, friends, marketing, Media, Mind, mind, networking, Sales, Training, travel, Uncategorized, Words that move
End of men in business….Poppycock!
Having seen some of the press this week that chartered the end for men in business, triggered by Hanna Rosin's new book 'End of Men' where she highlights mans lack of want to change from old gender roles. I wanted to share this piece by Joanna Judd I saw a little while back. As men so say struggle to balance work and life balance, so do women. As women so say struggle to balance the guilt of good parent and business person, so do men. We have similar challenges yet we are very different in our make up and how we re perceived.
Women are beautiful beings! Your natural feminine energy is to be soft and vulnerable which can be difficult to maintain in the masculine world of business. The challenge for women in business in the 21st century is to remain feminine whilst still being strong, in control and independent.
As you know, men and women are different and we wouldn't want it any other why. Whilst we should all be treated equally, we are not identical or the same. It's the differences that make us ultimately complement each other and when you understand the differences you can use them to your advantage when dealing with men and women.
What's the main difference between men and women? Its hormones. Testosterone is what makes a man a man and oestrogen is what makes a woman a woman. Hormones flow through our body influencing not only how we deal with things physically but also emotionally. Whilst men and women can demonstrate both masculine and feminine qualities, men essentially have a masculine energy and women, a feminine energy.
The business world is largely a man's world, charged with masculine energy and men have always been part of it. Men are raised to know they will always work and that business is the natural place for them to be a man. Until recent times, women always knew their work place would be their home and family and as a society we accepted the roles that both men and women filled.
Economic times have changed however so whilst men remain in their "natural" workplace and energy space, women today have dual workplaces of both home and business requiring them to be multi-dimensional, moving constantly between the traditional male and female energy spaces. To be a man in business he just needs to be a man and be in his masculine energy. To be a woman in business, she needs to move out of her feminine energy into her masculine energy and if not given the opportunity to stay connected with her feminine energy, a woman can end up feeling disempowered from who she really is: a woman.
Surveys on what drives or motivates men and women, regularly show that the top three motivating factors for men are: sex, power and achievement. For women, it's security, relationships and love. This generally explains why for 87% of men, work is the most important area of their life, whilst for women, it's only 5%. If money was not an issue, the majority of women say they would choose not to work, preferring to do something for the fun or enjoyment of it.
For example….sampling the delights of the GUCCI on their page below (click the link…some heavenly things there)
or perhaps…
This is not advocating that women should not be in business or want to be in business – there are many, many women in business achieving excellent results and loving what they do. The challenge for women is to remain naturally feminine whilst working in a largely masculine business world.
Men need space to be a man and women need space to be a woman. Knowing this, the different energies of men and women can be bought into play within a company so that everyone benefits. For example, whilst the competitive male energy will keep a company focused and moving forward, feminine energy will keep a team working together. The two energies complement each other to the benefit of everyone.
Naturally soft and nurturing, women step out of this feminine energy each day to participate in a masculine world of power and achievement. The toll for women is when they are not able to easily return to their natural energy state, is that this can often cause clashes in partner and family relationships. Men are attracted to the feminine energy of a women (it allows them to be more masculine) and having spent a day in the battlefield of business, they yearn to come home to the soft, nurturing energy of their partner and home: it's what creates the balance in their lives. So if their partner is still powering along in her masculine energy, men can feel home is not the safe place they were looking forward to retreating to, and stress can prevail.
For women, stepping out of that masculine work energy does not always happen the instant you put your briefcase down and change out of your suit. It takes time to let go of the day's issues and soften. Both men and women need to be aware of the energy shift that women are required to do each day and make space and time for this change at the end of each day. A loving hug to welcome each other home is a simple and ideal way to initiate the energy shift and reconnect as a man and a woman.
The business world is no longer the sole domain of men. Women are valid participants adding great and unique value and business benefits tremendously from the blending and melding of masculine and feminine energies. The key for women however is being able to step out of the business world is to re-emerge into the beautiful, feminine energy that makes you women. Consider a hug: hug your partner, your children and life!
Or as the legendary Phil Evans would say…."Fancy a Cwtsh?" (click his picture and you'll see)
So if the end of the world is nigh for men….according the the press this week, just remember we have lived in relative harmony for centuries from the cave to boardroom. We need each other t survive and evolve…so to me it is about us, not 'them and us'
Applying You….You; Simply better.
Filed under Adult, Business, Coaching and Facilitation, cwtsh, end of men, friends, heart, horizon, love, marketing, Media, Mind, networking, Sales, Sex, Training, travel, Uncategorized, Words that move
How do I get more business?
I hear this a lot from business owners I meet. "How do I get more business?"
Well, without offending their gentle souls…here is an idea, it may seem radical, revolutionary and perhaps even Lunacy, so I will whisper it…
"get out from behind your desk and laptop screen and go and find people"
OK, in case you didn't hear or it didn't sink in, I will have to shout it aloud
Social media is a brilliant tool, the telephone is a brilliant tool, email is a brilliant tool. But in my life, I have seen trends, fads and the next big thing come and fizzle away…what remains through time is the whites of the eyes, the smile when you greet someone, the handshake, the nerves just before the initial meet, the little voices giving you advice and checking,
"is my right hand free"
"are my hands clammy"
"am i flying low!"
Face to face meetings, networking, exhibitions, speednetworking, seminars and workshops, peers. You can invest your time focusing on actually meeting people and taking your company, your brand, yourself to the people. And you could do each of these separately OR you could leverage your time….How?
Allow me to introduce to you Neil & Tracey Davis. A client of mine who are passionate beyond belief in creating, building and developing proactive, productive business relationships with a unique fusion with all of the above.
So far they are rocking their business shows in the UK which combines the style of exhibitions and networking, with educational seminars, speakers, speednetworking and over 100 plus businesses at every show keen to meet, greet and 'do' business in the room.
Yesterday they 'Rocked' Gloucester at the Cheltenham Chase Hotel. A brilliant venue, easily to locate, plenty of parking, friendly & efficient staff and fab scenery! A great indication of a vibrant, active and results orientated show is when people turn up at the beginning of the day, are still there in the afternoon and follow up meetings post show are happening in the bar…yesterday had all that in spades.
From the moment you arrive you are greeted by a positive vibe and grown up, friendly fun approach to doing business. The reception crew were ace. Tracey and Neil greet everyone (believe me that is no small feat) and they go further than that. Prior to the show they get to know their exhibitors well. Their network is also strong, so the delegates tend to be on first name terms, if not, it certainly doesn't take long. This means when Neil and Tracey say you to, "I want you to meet someone" it is because they truly do. They can see, how what you do, could benefit the person they wish to introduce you too and vice versa. A networking masterclass happening right before your eyes (take time to notice and learn from these guys).
As you entered yesterday you were greeted by the shows sponsor Complete Vending Services (CVS) with their awesome coffee machines. http://www.completevendingservices.co.uk/ are a preferred distributor of Douwe Egberts. I think it is safe to say 'A major hit' with all exhibitors and delegates. One important note to add here, if you are in business, their solution is affordable, very high quality and with the touchscreen coffee machine will leave a lasting impression on any visitor or customer coming to your premises.
Let's run around the room and pick out some highlights for you… Phil M Jones was one of the speakers yesterday, with his 'Forward to basics' educational workshop on Sales. Phil, a Sales Professional who trains and coaches businesses and their teams in Sales and Business Growth. www.philmjones.com
Then we had http://www.carsondemand.co.uk/, with over thirty years experience in the motor industry, Cars on Demand are specialists in the supply of Short Term Contract Hire and Leasing. Our Flexible Contract Hire and Leasing products include the supply of both Cars and Vans. Whether you are looking for a flexible business solution or flexible personal lease, our small dedicated team offer you the ultimate in flexibility, service and value for money.
Who could miss the 'Ladies in Red' from http://www.redvirtualoffice.biz/ RED is a professional, first class customer service focused business team. They are an affordable outsourced service provider, giving you time to concentrate 'on' your business, while they work 'in' it. Find out how they can help you whether you are in the start up phase or an established business, their service and your budget can fit very well.
While we are talking about passionate people, if you have never invested any time with Robin Cook of http://www.fheconsulting.com/ then you haven't lived. This guy has bounds of passion for his gifts and he has many of them, IT being one of them. Anyone that can engage with you and not lose you when it comes to IT gets my vote, Robin, I will be asking you to quote soon.
Someone else who I met Friday, (we speed dated….doh, speed networked!) and never got round to chatting more as the day was busy with delegates, is David Holland of http://exela.co.uk/ and I mention David as not only am I hearing good things about him personally, but as a Sales Professional myself I always bang on about systems and process for sales people on top of charm will make a sales person dangerous (in a very good way). Infusionsoft® is the world's best and fastest growing Marketing & Sales Automation software for the small to midsize company. Infusionsoft®provides you with the tools you need to capture leads, both online & offline; nurture those leads and then turn them into sales.
For those who saw the video for the Bristol Show, will know this next guy. Richard Snell of http://www.lister-communications.co.uk/ who are probably Gloucestershire longest standing reseller of mobile and fixed voice and data services for businesses. No business can survive without communicating, so pick up the phone to Richard and let him sort your telecoms out. One question, who won the ipad?
If you have received an email from the BGS group then you will have seen what http://www.sentori.co.uk/ can do for your business. Email Campaigns, click throughs, marketing and measurables so you can drive volume to your business.
If email campaigns are not your thing yet picking up the phone to business owners and key decision makers is…the only question then is 'Do I have the data?' You do now, http://www.b2bleadforce.com/getting-started/ £25 a month gets you access to the UK's biggest B2B database and it is simple enough to use (even I could!) Give Rupert a call and sit down with him, so he can WOW you with the awesome potential and simplicity of B2B Leadforce.
We also had our very own ITN and BBC qualified cameraman and video producer Alastair in the room.
http://www.sunflowerfilms.org/ a guy who sells what he loves and love his craft he does. With the increase of video in marketing for your business, I would book him before he goes into production!
And finally, before I introduce you to the family that is building in the bottom right hand corner of the room on Friday, I give you Paul Spicer of http://www.lnpsound.com/home/ This guy never stops. Audio, visual, PA systems, video and all round networker. Paul is everywhere. Anyone who has ever used a PA system for speaking or a plasma screen for exhibiting will know, your conversion rate increases when you do. Invest in your business and show you prospective customer you are serious about your business and theirs.
And now, to the family (which makes me sound very Corleone) that is developing all the time.
http://www.talking2minds.co.uk/ are an amazing charity who support ex military. Talking2Minds is leading the way in the effective management and treatment of PTSD and other severe stress related conditions. Their unique programme is key in creating positive outcomes for those that suffer from severe stress related conditions including PTSD. They also support family members and partners that may suffer by proxy/ secondary stress. They specialise in helping complex cases and long term sufferers for whom other approaches have not worked and the mental scars have not healed.
http://www.officedoctors.co.uk/ are far more than de-clutter specialists. They assist people and business to get order in their lives. This comes in many forms from enhancing your knowledge or productivity through to organisation of your information, de-cluttering and organisational layout. The best bit, is the people who carry it out. You wont know until you experience the, so get in touch. Simple.
http://www.ethosdevelopmentltd.com/ Michelle makes an impact wherever she goes. Ethos Development – The Business Generation Machine. Everything that ETHOS does has a shared end objective. The Generation of New Business.
And our End to End solutions for businesses. We recruit YOUR sales and marketing professionals. Then we train YOUR sales and marketing professionals to reach their optimum performance levels. We then coach YOUR team to keep them there.
All that is left for me too say is, if you are not on the list above, come and make yourself known next time. If you want to know how to get more business, get off your backside and go get it. Come to the next show and showcase YOU.
Neil and Tracey – take a bow. Lets rock Cheltenham in September.
Filed under Adult, BGS, Business, cars, Coaching and Facilitation, doctor, exhibiting, friends, heart, horizon, love, marketing, Mind, networking, poetry, recruiter, Sales, Sex, surgery, talking2minds, Training, travel, Uncategorized, war
The Six Enemies of Greatness
I saw this blog recently and had to share, Jessica Hagy shared this on Forbes, you can find the link at the bottom of the blog.
Simple and genius. Enjoy.
The Six Enemies of Greatness (and Happiness)
These six factors can erode the grandest of plans and the noblest of intentions. They can turn visionaries into paper-pushers and wide-eyed dreamers into shivering, weeping balls of regret. Beware!
1) Availability
We often settle for what's available, and what's available isn't always great. "Because it was there," is an okay reason to climb a mountain, but not a very good reason to take a job or a free sample at the supermarket.
2) Ignorance
If we don't know how to make something great, we simply won't. If we don't know that greatness is possible, we won't bother attempting it. All too often, we literally do not know any better than good enough.
3) Committees
Nothing destroys a good idea faster than a mandatory consensus. The lowest common denominator is never a high standard.
4) Comfort
Why pursue greatness when you've already got 324 channels and a recliner? Pass the dip and forget about your grand designs.
5) Momentum
If you've been doing what you're doing for years and it's not-so-great, you are in a rut. Many people refer to these ruts as careers.
6) Passivity
There's a difference between being agreeable and agreeing to everything. Trust the little internal voice that tells you, "this is a bad idea."
Jessica can be found here :- http://blogs.forbes.com/jessicahagy/
Love finding new people who inspire me.
Filed under Adult, Business, Coaching and Facilitation, heart, horizon, love, Mind, Sales, Training, Uncategorized
Go on…..seduce me! I dare you.
Effective communication skills are highly valuable. They enrich our personal and social lives. In business it's a matter of life and death.
This blog will show you how to gain almost instant rapport with whoever you meet whether in person or through writing using highly effective communication skills.
If you want to invest more time looking at Rapport Building then I highly recommend the book 'Instant Rapport' – Michael Brooks (no relation)
In recent years, much has been learned about the way the human brain processes information. The memories we have, the way we perceive experiences, are controlled by our visual, auditory and kinesthetic abilities.
Everything in our minds is there primarily due to what we see, hear and feel. Remember these three modalities, they are VERY important. Again, they are
These three modes combine in any learning or communication process. We use all of them to a degree.
However, research indicates that with the majority of us, one of those modes is more dominant than others.
Do you like to learn by watching, looking at diagrams or training videos? Probably you are more visually oriented.
Do you prefer to be told through the spoken word? Or are you the kind that likes to get his hands on the subject and starting doing, learning through a process of experimentation? Then you are probably more of an auditory or kinesthetic.
If this is true of us, it is true of the other person. What if you knew which kind of mode is dominant in the person you are talking or writing to? Could that help build rapport or in some way make your communication skills more effective? ABSOLUTELY!
Companies have spent thousands of dollars educating their salesmen to utilise this knowledge. The results? Dramatic!
How can you apply this very valuable insight? By taking special note of the words and phrases your prospect uses.
People often use expressions that indicate which modality they are thinking in at that moment. For example, "I see what you mean", "I hear you", "I've got a feeling about this". When you hear these expressions, sit up, take note. They are sign posts pointing to that person's modality.
So you have the sign posts, what do you do now? You respond in the same manner. Start using expressions in that person's dominant modality. Why should this work?
Because words convey ideas to the other person's mind. You start communicating on the other person's wavelength. Just like two modems making an internet connection, your two brains start 'hand shaking'. The effect is amazing.
Skeptical? That's understandable. Just start, try it and you won't be any longer.
Here is a true life experience.
A successful financial advisor read up on this subject and started employing the methods.
One day he walked into the office of a manager interested in a savings plan. The financial advisor noticed many artistic pictures on the manager's office walls. He commented on them and gave an honest compliment.
The manager used expressions like "let me show you", "you must see this". The financial advisor immediately picked up on this and realised the manager was a visual.
When the time came for him to make his presentation, he started off by saying, "Let me first give you the big picture" and with that he pulled out a diagram. The manager immediately leaned over and started closely scrutinising the savings plan. From there on it went like a dream.
The rapport was established early on. The manager began to think "I like this man, I can do business with him." A very good plan was devised which suited the manager's needs well and both parties were happy – the manager with his plan, the financial advisor with his commission. A win win ending.
Don't underestimate the power of communicating in the other person's preferred mode.
Now, how can you apply this in your business? Do you write ad copy or sales letters? Do you do face to face selling or telephone selling?
Sprinkle your words with phrases from each mode and see how the prospect responds. If they respond with similar expressions, you have identified their mode.
Here is a list of words and phrases to help you identify a dominant modality:
crystal clear / focused / flash / hazy / sight for sore eyes / up front / it appears to me / get a bird's eye view / it looks like / in the mind's eye / you get the picture / it's clear cut / take a dim view / tunnel vision / the naked eye
rings a bell / all ears / certain overtones / harmonize / make myself heard / tuned in / that's unheard of / to tell the truth / in a manner of speaking / gave him an earful / listen up / tongue-tied / described in detail / sounds like / just say it
I'm conscious of / you can sense / she perceived / lay your cards on the table / come to grips with it / that's a pain in the neck / pull some strings / hang in there / touch base with / it boils down to / start from scratch / that was under handed / hold on / you need to experience it / in a moment of panic
These lists are just to get you started. There are an abundance of signals out there in the way people express themselves.
You just need to "read the signs", "hear the bell ring" and "grasp the meaning" behind the words your prospect is using, either in written or spoken form.
Rapport is almost priceless. Agreements, contracts, big business deals are often concluded between people because they sense a bonding between them.
Develop and practice these essential communication skills and your life and business will take on new vitality!
Forming Storming Norming Performing
Transforming a group of diverse individuals into a high-performance team is a monumental task. Although teams have both strengths and weaknesses the ability to constructively exploit the strengths while improving upon the weaknesses is a challenge that most organizations will ultimately face. Accordingly a group that transcends these difficulties will eventually go on to develop the attributes that will effectively allow it to become a high powered team. While there are numerous models that can help to illustrate the elements necessary for team building Bruce Tuckman's Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing Model of team development seems to illustrate this process with the most clarity.
The Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing model of team development was first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, who maintained that these phases are all necessary and inevitable in order for a team to grow, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to find solutions, to plan work, and to deliver results. This model has laid the framework for subsequent models of team dynamics frequently used in management theory to describe the behaviour of existing teams.
In the first stage of Tuckman's model a team is selected and the team leader takes an active role in outlining and defining the team's objectives. At this stage team members receive most of their direction from the authoritative figure usually a manager because the team leader lacks direction and they are just becoming accustomed to their new team environment.
In the storming stage there is an active role on the part of management in delegating duties and responsibilities. This is the idea stage. During the storming stage individuals will exchange ideas and determine how they will work collectively. Identifying problem issues and evaluating each other's perspectives is central to this phase of team development.
This stage of development is where the ground rules are set for team performance. In the Norming phase a pattern develops which begins to lay the framework for a cohesive environment. Additionally, ideas are agreed upon and shared and common ground is established. Management continues to play an active role at this stage however, their involvement is generally participative and the team has more decision-making ability.
During the Performing stage team members have reached the pinnacle of performance. The team has a set of standards in place. They have established a charter or way of conducting the business of the team and conflict is handled in a constructive and dynamic fashion. Furthermore, management no longer plays a central role in governing the team and the decision-making process is in the hands of the team itself. Teams that reach this stage often exhibit a synergy that did not exist previously.
This fifth and final stage of Tuckmans model of team development commonly referred to as Adjourning, suggests that a radical transformation can occur as the result of the synergistic qualities of the team begin to become evident. According to Bruce Tuckman A team that manages to remain together may transcend to a transforming phase of achievement. Transformational management can generate key changes in performance through team synergy and is considered to be more far-reaching than transactional management.
Models such as Tuckman's can help to lay the framework for team development yet supporting and strengthening the team dynamic is ultimately up to the team itself. Therefore it is essential that team members be encouraged to contribute collectively to their mission. Encouraging collaboration within the team environment is a key component to ensuring that the team is functioning optimally and also allows team members to take ownership and responsibility for their successes and failures.
While a high powered team can come from diverse backgrounds that team must also share common attitudes towards achieving their objectives. A team's ability to recognize and adapt to opposing attitudes and differences can help improve performance and at the same time create an environment that is conducive to achieving the team's objectives.
Opposing attitudes and differences often have a shared correlation with demographic characteristics and culture which can in a manner of speaking contribute to or detract from a team's performance. Simply put decision-making and problem-solving are approached differently depending on one's cultural background. Hence knowing which personalities work well together helps to identify which individuals will likely be cohesive together. Developing an attitude that stimulates cohesion is essential to helping the team to direct their energy towards their objectives. For that reason it is necessary to encourage the interpersonal growth of the team through team support functions. Contributing to the team's objectives collectively and seeing positive results enhances the team dynamic by encouraging cooperation and partnership. It should also be noted that encouraging cohesion through team support functions helps to augment the teams overall performance. In the end the synergy that results from this encouragement will help sustain open communication and encourage a lasting and solid commitment toward organizational objectives.
Today, most organisations, large and small operate in a global economy. In this global context, different groups with diverse backgrounds and/or diverse factors (e.g., gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and religion) bring differences in perspectives, values, work ethics and ways of working into an organization as well as differences in language, national origin and culture. Some aspects of diversity may be evident while others are less noticeable. Diversity of thinking usually leads to a better overall result, as the needs of diverse customers will be considered. Further, challenges regarding managing workplace diversity in a global context are often related to underlying differences that affect intercultural relations in the workplace, such as stereotyping, degrees of language and cultural fluency, nonverbal communication, and different cross-cultural communication styles. The level of cultural diversity is also a factor in the complexity of intercultural communication and understanding. For example, culturally, there are different ways to make sense of a situation or convey bad news or different degrees to which one mixes business with personal life.
Now that is worth thinking about!
Applying You – You; Simply Better
Filed under bruce tuckman, Business, Coaching and Facilitation, forming storming, heart, horizon, love, Mind, poetry, Sales, Training, Uncategorized
Open heart surgery and sales!
In general we tend to hold certain people or certain professions in high regard. In the majority of cases that is justified, however, in a number of cases throughout our life we are conditioned or become conditioned to take certain people or professions in high regard without really checking their credentials.
For example, when we need our car fixed we take it to a garage and we fall into a ritual routine of behaviours…we behave how we feel we should when we take our car to a garage.
We either
"act like we know something/anything about cars and begin telling the 'would be' expert what we believe is wrong with it, despite having no mechanical knowledge to write home about"
"admit we know nothing about cars and lay our soul bare to the 'Keyser Soze' of the car mechanics invoice books"
The same is said when we go to the doctors or find ourselves in the hospital. We lose control. Not in a running around with wild hair screaming uncontrollably or sit in a chiar rocking with pencils up our nostrils way…we simply have little to no power in those situations and therefore lose control.
My question to the world is…….should we?
Let me take you through a scenario and at the end of the scenario I will ask you a question to answer honestly.
The scenario isthis. You wake up one day feeling queezy, and decide to visit the quacks and get an MOT, when you are advised there is an abnormal finding on your heart. They refer you to the hospital with efficiency not seen in the NHS for over 40 years. Impressed by the speed of the service briefly outshines the weighty thought that is growing on your mind on your way to see the specialist. That thought being…why so quick?
You meet with the specialist and he advises the following:
You have a challenge with your heart, that despite being very serious, can almost certainly be rectified with open heart surgery within the next 72 hours. He introduces by name the surgeon who will be carrying out the procedure.
Dr Brown here is THE pioneer of open heart surgery. He pioneered the technique over 40 years ago.
(All very positive so far)
However, this is your heart and you only have one. So like me, you feel the need to ask this guy some questions to 'test his metal' as opposed to just accepting he is the best person to carry out the life threatening procedure just because he has cold hands, wears a white coat and his mate recommended him (too cynical!…perhaps)
Through asking questions you you uncover a few facts:
Since pioneering open heart surgery over 40 years ago, Dr Brown continues to use the same techniques he used to pioneer open heart surgery all those years ago.
Since this time, Dr Brown has never attended any medical seminars, advising on developments in open heart surgery. None in 40 years.
Since this time, Dr Brown has not read any medical journals or kept up to date with any enhancements or developments in open heart surgery. None in 40 years.
In fact he is doing as he says, using the same techniques he used to test and perfect open heart surgery over 40 years ago.
My question to you is this…
How comfortable are you now in going under the knife with Dr Brown within 72 hours?
(answer below in your replies please. )
If 'Yes' please highlight why
If 'No' please highlight why
Now that is worth thinking about!
Applying You – You; Simply Better
7 Steps to Conquer fear
In her book, "Conquer Fear!", Lisa Jimenez, a professional speaker, lists "The Seven Truths" that can help anyone harness and overcome their fears. I've paraphrased them for you here:
Truth #1
Fear is the dominant challenge in your life today.
Truth #2
Fear is a "gift" that was instilled in you as a means of protection, and a way to bring you closer to your "higher power."
Truth #3
When you run from, or deny your fear, you leave that "gift" unopened.
Truth #4
When your fear of success, or fear of failure is exposed, you break through the control they have over you.
Truth #5
Your belief system is the driving force behind your behaviours and your results.
Truth #6
Your everyday habits broadcast your belief system, your fears, and your unmet needs, loud and clear, for other to "pick up."
Truth #7
Change your beliefs (the way you think) and you change your behaviours (which are a reflection of the way you feel). Change your behaviours (feelings) and you change your results. Change your results and you change your life. It's the only way you can…
…and that's worth thinking about, isn't it.
Filed under Adult, Business, Coaching and Facilitation, love, Mind, poetry, Sales, Training, Uncategorized


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Travel Blogs from Bogota
Colombia, Mi Amor.
... which is to exchange handfuls of coca.
Kogi men and women alike have simple modes of dress. The women pick, card, and spin wool and cotton while men do the weaving of the cloth. Clothing for men consists of a tunic and simple pants tied with a stringat the waist. Clothing for women consists of a single length of cloth wrapped around their bodies as a dress. The Kogi all wear only pure white clothing. They say that white represents the Great ...
The Colombia and Panama adventure
... seeing tourists represents the progress their country has made in the last years. Of course I watched out a bit, but I did not feel unsafe at all.
What was also interesting to see in Medellin was the number of women who had done plastic surgery. I had never seen so many fake boobs and buds!!
On Wednesday the 2nd of April I travelled to Guatap�, a small touristy town with many coloured houses at an artificial lake. There is a big rock (el pe�on) next to the town which you ...
Venezuela, Colombia está contigo
A few years ago, when I was living in Frankfurt and had been in Germany about a year, Colombia called via social media for a mass demonstration agains the Colombian guerrilla "Farc". I recall I left work early that day, and at 6pm, noontime in Colombia, was at the demonstration with many Colombians, protesting peacefully agains terrorism, kidnappings and the Farc.
Those images came back to me today at ...
17. Bogotá - chilly con carne!
... us were like a magnet for the ticket touts (can't think why) but we asked a woman in the queue for the ticket office how much the tickets should be and she told us the correct price (30000 not 40000) and which stand was best. She even caught up with us at the final turnstiles and gave us plastic ponchos she'd bought us in case it rained. This just confirmed what we already knew - Colombians are very friendly, generous people. The match started at ...
Colombia Part 2
... be back in Bogota on the 6th to head to Peru on the 7th so we decided to spend three nights in Salento.
While visiting the coffee plantation I was stung by some angry insect on the foot. Not thinking too much of it at the time, the bite had time to manifest and swell into an abomination on my foot. This unfortunately put me out ...

subset: commoncrawl


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Hi all, this is a challenge that's been bugging me for years.
I owned (unfortunately briefly) a pair of philips earphones during the mid nineties (I know nearly 20 years ago) and I've been trying to find out what they were called (and possibly obtaining a pair "holy grail result").
They were very unusual in design, an overall teardrop side design with 2 speakers on each, one main and a secondary for noise cancellation. I haven't been able to find a flaming picture of them on the internet and there are pictures of everything on the internet.
Can anyone out there help me, I know this is kind of a idiotic search but I'd loved them but had them stolen during a trip to Amsterdam back in 1996.
I was convinced they were called Quadraphonic technology but I could be wrong there.
cheers all


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The Windy City (that wasn't that windy really!)
Trip Start
Aug 21, 2009
Trip End
Aug 20, 2010
Where I stayed
Simon: The train journey from Boston was another hefty one, at just under 24 hours but we'd bought plenty of supplies and i still had some of the new Dan Brown novel left to read, so we were all set. The leaves in New England were just turning orange/red, so the scenery for the first few hours was really beautiful. We had a brief 2 hour layover in Albany, NY to connect more train carriages, which let us out into the train terminal for well needed coffee. The rest of the journey was pretty uneventful, and we arrived in Chicago the next morning at around 9am.
After such an long journey, and not the most comfortable night of sleep, we got a taxi to our hotel just south of 'The Loop' and crashed out for a few hours sleep. Once we'd woken up, showered, and generally got ourselves sorted, we ventured out on the bus into downtown Chicago.
The first thing to say is that it's really REALLY tall! By far the tallest place we'd seen so far. It's got the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and former world's tallest, The Sears Tower (i know it's changed it's name, but it's the Sears Tower) and around 100 buildings over 500ft tall (The whole of the UK has about 10!). We booked our tickets to go up the Sears Tower straight away, but didn't go up, because visibility was so bad (something about a cloud at the top!), More on that later.
We then walked over to the visitors info centre and picked up some leaflets and maps, before crossing the road to the newly constructed Millennium Park. There is loads of cool art installations and sculptures there, like 2 huge block fountains with video of people on the front of each, and the coolest and most recognisable "The Cloud Gate", or the Bean as everyone calls it (see the cool pictures!)
The next day we walked back through the Loop to the Sears tower and got the Elevator straight to the top. It was so empty because it was a weekday, we had the place to ourselves virtually! The views were amazing! A blanket of cloud covered the whole city for the first 30 minutes or so, and it was so weird to be above the clouds in a building! But it soon cleared, and we could see for miles (on a good day you can see like 50 miles and 4 States!) The best part of the Sears Tower though was the 3 glass boxes installed on the side of the building, completely made from glass, looking down was very nerve jangling!! See the pictures for a good idea of how awesome it is. I had to coax Flo out into it a couple of times, but she was fine afterwards!
After the Tower, we walked through the Loop, past the Flamingo sculpture, Daley Plaza and the theatre district and to the Chicago River, where we walked down the riverfront. Another gigantic building looms over the river, the Brand new, not-yet-open Trump Tower, the second tallest building in Chicago. we got to Wrigley Plaza and the Wrigley & Tribune buildings, the start of the 'Magnificent Mile', and decided to leave that for another day. We found an AMAZING sandwich shop for Dinner, called Jimmy Johns. Subway is rubbish compared to JJ's! It was so delish, i had a massive Sub with 4 kinds of meat and tons of Alfalfa sprouts. Amazing. If you're ever in Chicago, get one.
Flo: After simon's essay it's my go!
Simon: Shuddup.
Flo: Anyway, hello :) Every day we started the day with a Dunkin Donut coffee and donut - they are amazing!!! The coffee is so much better than Starbucks and cheaper! :)
After our Dunkin, we walked to Navy Pier which is an amusement park on a pier on the lake. It was pretty tacky though and Simon wouldn't let me go on the Ferris Wheel!!! The pier just had restaurant, restaurant, bar, restaurant, bar, bar, shop, and two rides, all of which were soooooo over priced! But it had pretty good views of the city.
Later that day we walked to the John Hancock Centre which is probably Chicago's most famous building. The views were better that the Sears Tower and we had a free audio tour from David Schwimmer (Ross from Friends!) You could have cocktails and food on the top floor but it was a little too expensive for us! :) We just had JJ's again for dinner :)
The next day started in the usual way with a Dunkin before walking down the 'Magnificent Mile' which is 5th Avenue in New York; expensive designer shops, hotels and restaurants. We saw the Water Tower, which is Chicago's earliest skyscraper, and some really cool street performers - including a Robot man (see photo) who was spray painted silver and doing some very realistic robot moves when people tipped him. We spent some time in the book shop trying to find me a book for the train journey! (I finally found one about 5 book shops later!)
We ended our evening having pizza in the place where Deep Dish Pizza was invented - Pizzeria Uno! The Pizza's take an hour to cook so as soon as we got there we had to order our food but still wait 40 mins for a table! The pizza was amazing - I could only eat 1 slice because it was so thick (like pie thickness!!!) We took the rest home and had it for lunch the next day.
As we were in Chicago for 7 days we thought we deserved a break after 5 weeks of traveling! So the next day we did NOTHING, well apart from watch Wheel Of Fortune and Price Is Right! It was a good thing we stayed in because in the afternoon there was a tornado warning about 50 miles south of Chicago and massive thunderstorms right near our hotel!!
Day 6 was the Zoo! :) :) and we finally experienced the windy city that everyone was telling us about! - It was freezing and my hair was going everywhere!!! Even though this was the third Zoo we had been to, it was still really good apart from some very boring Seals!! There was hardly anyone at the Zoo as it was a weekday, and it was free, so it was worth the wind and cold! The Giraffes were the best animal there but Simon liked these weird Cat things! They looked just like normal house cats but simon thought they were amazing!
Simon: They WERE! They had big ears and cool eyes and stuff! much better than a tortoise-shell!
Flo: After the Zoo we walked through the wealthy part of Chicago around Lincoln Park to find a well known sandwich shop called Potbellys were they sell 'Normals' or 'Bigs'. Simon had a Big Wreck, which was something very meaty and I had a Normal Tuna :) They were not as good as JJ's but much better than Subway!
Simon: The last day we spent looking around the rest of the waterfront parks in Chicago. The most famous is Grant Park, which was where Barack Obama held his Presidential acceptance speech in front of like 2 million people. It didn't really look big enough, but whatever. Buckingham Fountain was pretty rad, every hour the water builds and builds until all the jets are spraying. Just past the fountain was Museum Campus, where 3 of Chicago's museums are (the Natural History, Aquarium & Planetarium) we didn't go in any, but the views of Chicago were the best we had. I had a Chicago style hotdog for lunch, no ketchup in sight, they don't LET you have it! Was yummy. After lunch we walked a bit further to Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears football team. It's an odd stadium, with really old columns around the edge which is the original part, then a big glass bowl in the middle. Looked pretty strange. Apparently the locals don't like it that much!
So that's Chicago! Really fun, food was great, DONT go to the Pier! lol!
After stocking up of a mass of food supplies, we packed our bags and began the longest journey EVER..........
See Ya.
Simon + Flo


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Understanding the Cost of Capital in the Income Approach
Kimberly Linebarger, the Family Lawyer Magazine, October 17th, 2012.
Reasonable Compensation
Kimberly Linebarger's chapter from The Lawyer's Business Valuation Handbook featured in the September 2012, GPSolo eReport, American Bar Association.
Valuation for Federal Tax Matters
Noah Gordon's chapter from The Lawyer's Business Valuation Handbook featured in the August 2012, GPSolo eReport, American Bar Association.
Legislation Boosts Small Companies
Shannon Pratt guest opinion, Legislation Boosts Small Companies Harboring Big Dreams, Portland Business Journal, May 18, 2012.
Post-recession world requires thorough valuation approach
Alina Niculita guest column, Post-recession world requires thorough valuation approach; numerous events can spur the valuation of a business, Portland Business Journal Wealth Management Insert, April 20, 2012.
Shannon Pratt Challenges Robert Comment on Discounts for Lack of Marketability
Shannon Pratt outlined his criticisms of flaws in Robert Comment's article "Business Valuation, DLOM, and Daubert: The Issue of Redundancy." BVWire, Business Valuation Resources, January 4, 2012.
The Standard of Value is Critical in the Valuation of a Business in Divorce
There is no area of law where there is as much confusion and as little consistency about the standard of value (a.k.a. definition of value) for business valuation as in the family law area. This article by Dr. Shannon Pratt and Alina Niculita emphasizes the importance of the standard of value in divorce valuations.
In Defense of Discounts for Lack of Marketability
Shannon Pratt published in the Fall 2010 edition of the Business Valuation Review, American Society of Appraisers.
Cost of Capital in Valuation of Stock by the Income Approach: Updated for an Economy in Crisis
Shannon Pratt and Roger Grabowski published in the January/February 2009 edition of the Value Examiner, National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts.
Out of WACC
This article summarizes the latest thinking from Shannon Pratt and Roger Grabowski on why, given the current economic environment, the way the cost of capital is calculated must be reevaluated to reflect historically low yields, and the impacts they are having on the equity risk premium and betas.
Getting the Most from the Mergerstat®/BVR Control Premium Study™
This free podcast is an edited version of a March, 2008 teleconference hosted by Business Valuation Resources, featuring Dr. Shannon Pratt and Shannon Pratt Valuations COO Alina Niculita. Many practitioners use the Mergerstat®/BVR Control Premium Study™ for minority discounts and control premiums, but are unaware of its application as a valuation tool. The valuation multiples published by the database are imperative when utilizing the merged and acquired method in appraisals. In these highlights Dr. Pratt and Ms. Niculita discuss how to use this impressive valuation tool most effectively, and how to get all the information you need, regardless of the valuation scenario.
Overview of Business Valuation Discounts and Premiums and the Bases to Which They Are Applied
This chapter is from the Second Edition of Shannon Pratt's Business Valuation Discounts and Premiums, published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons. The chapter provides a broad overview of the high degree of significance of the topic of discounts and premiums in business valuation. In fact, the existence and/or amount of discount or premium is often the largest money issue in disputed business valuations. The chapter distinguishes between those discounts and premiums that affect the whole enterprise and all its owners, called entity-level discounts, and those that are specifically a result of ownership characteristics (control and marketability or lack of either), called shareholder-level discounts and premiums. It also introduces level-of-value charts, and shows how the standard of value (for instance, fair market value, fair value, or investment value) has an effect on whether premiums or discounts apply in specific cases.
Cross-Examining a Business Valuation Expert
This chapter is from the Second Edition of The Lawyer's Business Valuation Handbook, published by the American Bar Association and co-authored by Shannon Pratt and Alina Niculita. The chapter provides attorneys with practical tips, checklists, and questions for cross-examining an opposing business valuation expert, as well as for preparing an attorney's own expert in cases involving business valuation issues. The chapter addresses expert testimony in both deposition and trial contexts, and provides questions relating to general matters as well as specific business valuation methodologies, such as the market approach or income approach.


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Applying Total Quality Management in the Classroom
Published: Last Edited:
This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers.
Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management philosophy developed for industry aims to improving the quality of production, but educators claimed that the TQM can also be applied in education. This paper aims to investigate how TQM can be applied in industry and education. It reviews one of the interpretations of TQM which focuses on enhancing the quality of the production system so that a quality product with "zero defects" will be produced. This may result in a process of teaching and learning which particularly emphasizes gaining good results in examinations. This is, however, against a second interpretation of TQM, seeing improvement in the production system as a never-ending cycle. In the context of education, this may result in steadily boosting the quality of instruction to motivate the students to become creative and critical thinkers in a fast-changing technological world.
Key words
Total Quality Management, Quality Control, zero defects, continuous improvement
TQM is a statistical process control. It was originally developed by Edwards Deming after World War II to improve the quality of products and it was first introduced to the Japanese industrial leaders (Svensson and Klefsjo, 2006). Americans did not use TQM seriously until 1950 when the Japanese renewed their business activities and industry after the war. By using TQM, the Japanese managed to control the world markets by 1980. Meanwhile, the U.S. companies had eventually admitted that the model of assembly line factory belonging to the nineteenth century was out of date and needed serious updates in the global competitive economic markets (Dheeraj, 2004).
In fact, TQM is part and parcel of the management philosophy. It is a set of practices that focus on the regular improvement, fulfilling the customers' needs, and lowering rework. It also stresses the increased involvement of employees and more teamwork, the process redesign, competitive benchmarking, constant measurement of the outcomes, long-range thinking, team-based problem solving, and closer ties with the suppliers (Yang, 2005).
In 1980s, seeing the threat from the Japanese production, the US manufacturers started to use TQM seriously. Although TQM was first designed for the industry and was not appropriate for education, many educators maintained that the TQM could also be applied to education especially for bringing educational reforms (Dheeraj, 2004) and reducing waste school resources and increasing productivity (Cunningham, 2007).
There are some TQM theorists such as Deming, Crosby, Juran, Oakland and Ishikawa that developed TQM and set up the principles of TQM. This paper aims to concentrate on the interpretation of TQM supported by Deming and Crosby.
Deming (1986) believes that a never-ending cycle of progress in the system of production should change into gaining better performance and quality standards for the product. Instead, Crosby (1995) emphasizes enhancing the system of production in order to obtain "zero defects" regarding some static quality standard, But Deming (1986) turns down the concept of "zero defects" as insufficient. In other words, while Crosby tries to make sure that failure in products of the next year will occur less often than that in the previous year, Deming insists that it must be a better product altogether.
Total Quality Management in Industry
Figure 1 shows a simplified model for industry. The input is the raw materials. They enter the production line and the workers start to make a product. Next, the product goes through a quality control (QC) before it is dispatched to the customer as an output. However, the items that cannot pass through the QC are either reworked or discarded.
Row Material
Production Line
Figure 1. A simple model for industry process (Crawford and Shutler, 1999)
It seems that everything is in order but, Deming (1986) believe that after elimination of the main causes of failure, there are still some drawbacks on the over emphasis on the quality control which are as follows:
It is extremely time consuming and practically impossible to inspect all the items one by one very accurately.
It is costly to employ and pay quality control inspectors although they fail to give any added values to the goods.
Deming (1986), in fact, believes that mass inspection of every single item is unnecessary and it is not easy to make sure there is sufficient quality. In addition, the concept of "zero defects" is a misleading issue in a place where there is competition in manufacturing. Finally, he casts doubts on the reliability of the quality standards that manufacturers themselves set for the evaluation of the products.
However, Crosby's (1995) believe that, there are some crucial drawbacks to the system of quality control: both eliminating the defective items and reworking them waste the resources and time already spent on them, and in the case of the latter, more time and resources are wasted (Pranckevicius et al., 2008). Hence, it results in a rise in the overall costs. These heavy costs are also passed on to the customers and finally this makes the product less competitive in the market. Consequently, sales may decline and jobs may be endangered (Salop, 2010).
Total Quality Management in Education
Figure 2 shows the schooling process in which the students enter school as an input and go through a teaching process performed by teachers (Stigler and Hiebert, 2009). The students have to sit for an examination (QC) before they enter the next level.
Figure 2. A simple model for schooling process (Crawford and Shutler, 1999)
However, those students who cannot pass the examination may either join the workforce as unskilled workers without any academic credentials, or re-sit the subjects they have failed (Ware and Vik, 2009). This world-wide examination system is not effective because it allows the failing students to join the workforce and this is a waste of money and time already used in their education (Wolk, 2011). Furthermore, it forces the students to re-sit their examinations. This also consumes even more money and time. Consequently, the overall costs of studying at an institution will go up, making it less competitive in the education market. In such a situation, the supporters of the Deming (1986) model believe that over-emphasis on final examinations bears some additional disadvantages which are as follows:
It takes a great amount of time to examine every student on every single item they have studied and it also reduces the number of teaching periods. Moreover, since there is not sufficient time to examine each student carefully, the examination process may be unreliable.
The time that the teachers spend on setting and marking the papers may not play any direct role in student learning.
In Deming's view, schools do not require to depend on examinations to guarantee quality. If the quality of the teaching system is sufficiently taken into consideration, it will not be necessary to examine every student on every single item they have studied. In this way, the examinations may just represent a sample of the students in depth; hence, time and effort are saved and more accurate results are obtained. Therefore, examinations will turn into a diagnostic tool to assure the quality of the system rather than the quality of every single student. Finally, the teacher can now allocate more time to teaching the students who will be able to cover more material earlier and at lower tuition fees. Schools, hereby, can make even better competition in the education market (Wolk, 2011). However, the followers of the Crosby (1995) model support the TQM in education and offer the following strategies:
1. Emphasize the quality of the teaching system rather than the results of the examinations.
2. As the name "total" implies, pay attention to all the constituents of the system.
3. Look for the factors affecting the exam failures and try to eliminate them at source.
Following the above teaching strategies can produce students who can pass their examinations. Hence, the number of failures will be down which means that less time and money will be wasted. Instead, the saved money can make the schools better compete in the education market.
Deming also pointed out in educational standard there is nothing absolute. So, it is not enough for schools only to reach "zero defects", i.e. no examination failures, just by competing successfully in the education market. Without regular progress in the curriculum itself, students' educational needs cannot be fulfilled. The modifications to the curriculum should not be restricted to boosting the technical content, but there should be a dramatic move towards creative thinking and skills as well as independent learning.
Significant Implications for the Application of TQM in Education
The teachers who attempt to apply the Deming model believe that examinations are not an end, but a means to an end. They mostly pay attention to constantly promoting the methods of instruction; they maintain that in this way more efficient curriculum results can be obtained. In fact, the supporters of the Crosby model concentrate on getting better grades, whereas the supporters of the Deming model emphasize the improvement of the curriculum (Crawford and Shutler, 1999).
On the contrary, the teachers who like to apply the Crosby model modify the process of teaching and learning in order to stop examination failures. To do so, they strongly emphasize getting better results in the examination. When all the students passes the examination at their first attempt, the teacher achieves "zero defects" However, there is a problem which lies in the fact that the entire content of the syllabus and its presentation become subordinate to the purpose of achieving the desired results in examinations.
Solving the Students' Failure with Deming Model
When applying the Deming model, first of all the main reason of the student failures should be identified. These are the same as the items mentioned in the previous section, i.e.:
Weak students;
A lack of attention in teaching;
A lack of focus given to performance standards;
Unmotivated teachers;
Ignorance of the student's examination skills (Wolk, 2011, Kaushik and Khanduja, 2010, Graber, 2009, Kamphoff et al., 2007).
When the emphasis is on the improvement of the quality of the teaching system, the preventive actions may be totally different. Following Deming, some measures should be taken in the field of education which are as follows:
"Drive out fear." When the students are punished because of their wrong answers, they become passive. To reverse the situation, the students should be motivated whether or not they give the correct answer.
Build quality into the system by replacing the outdated approach of full learning and heavy focus on rote learning with more student-centered approach where students learn to reach their goals of achievement, learn how to become more efficient and learn how to evaluate the quality of their own work. This can be conducted in the following ways:
active inquiry projects: this can help to motivate the students to make hypotheses, look for and evaluate contradictive evidence and arrive at outstanding conclusions;
problem-solving exercises: this makes the students seek solutions to different problems;
group and co-operative work: this aims to enhance team work and collaboration, and respect for others' views;
application of knowledge exercises: this emphasizes the real-life challenges;
more egalitarian relationships: this insists on the relationship between teachers and students on the basis of equality. That is, the teachers are considered as team-mates and helpers to the students to help eliminate the barriers to academic success.
Remove work standards, numerical goals, quotas, and "zero defects''. These only serve to frighten and deter the students who cannot achieve without acknowledging conscientious attempts, perseverance, enthusiasm, and correct methods.
Eliminate the obstacles to acknowledge workmanship. Pay attention to quality teaching rather than the examination results. This can be accomplished by directly appreciating the teachers through observing how they run their classes instead of assessing them on the examination scores.
Stop relying on the final examinations as a criterion for quality. Tests and other indices of student learning should be considered as diagnostic and prescriptive tools in all over the learning process as samples of student work. These may be process portfolios, records of achievement, or exhibitions which express student achievement during a long period of time. When the instruments are especially adjusted to the quality which is going to be measured, it is not necessary to waste huge amount of time on teaching the examination skills (Crawford and Shutler, 1999).
Solving the Students' Failure with Crosby Model
When applying TQM by means of the Crosby model, the first step is to find the main cause of students' examination failures. Some of the reasons can be summarized in the following:
Weak students are slow in cognition and look for certainty in their learning, particularly in the forms of direction and answers.
Weak students lack appropriate concentration on the examination material; they usually have no or ill-defined goals. Weak students do not pay attention to performance standards.
The teachers who are not well-motivated and duly rewarded can cause examination failures. Students' examination skills are usually neglected (Wolk, 2011, Kaushik and Khanduja, 2010, Graber, 2009, Kamphoff et al., 2007).
The second step in the teaching system is to take action to hinder these problems from happening at all. This may be fulfilled by taking the following corresponding steps:
Extra tutorial and remedial help should be given to the weaker students and the goals and objectives should be clearly defined and established.
The instructional program should be organized into a sequence of learning units accompanied by appropriate instructions for the objectives and the relevant criteria.
The teachers and students should be encouraged to discover the performance standards. The students should be reminded that they will achieve a total mastery of the teaching material by the time they cover the program.
Both the teachers and students should be duly rewarded with respect to the quality of the students' performance in the examination.
The students should be trained and directed as to how to deal with the exams with the help of appropriate techniques (Wolk, 2011, Kaushik and Khanduja, 2010, Graber, 2009, Kamphoff et al., 2007).
These strategies are probably accepted in countries where schools are ranked in terms of the percentage of students who take public examinations and pass them successfully. Besides, these students are surely welcomed by those who consider education merely in terms of examination results (Crawford and Shutler, 1999).
Major Obstacles to Implementing the Deming Model
It seems that change and innovation cannot enter the highly conservative profession of teaching. Thus, reliance on the final examinations as a measure of quality can hardly be removed. A great number of educational administrators, teachers, employers, and parents believe that the traditional methods are the most tangible criteria of academic achievement. Furthermore, many students especially those who are mostly dependent on teachers for instruction and guidance find it hard to get along with the new student-centered approaches to learning. They often feel uncertain as to the strategies that are implemented to boost independent learning. They like to be directed and instructed as to how to do a certain job. Finally, many teachers are unwilling to take up new teaching methods because their 30 years of using mastery learning proved that they were successful, so there is no need for change (Crawford and Shutler, 1999).
Drawbacks and Dangers of the Crosby Model
The strategies dealing with examination skills, however, have some noticeable disadvantages which are given below:
According to Bonstingl (1992), the first weakness is that these strategies make schools particularly product oriented, and merely emphasizes examination results rather considering the broader features of education. In this way, the marks and the ranks of the school earn significance and the final goal of the school instruction will be directed to achieve correct responses to the questions. Although these strategies can guarantee success in examination, the students who will be produced in the long run will be inflexible, passive and without any imagination and creativity to work independently and generatively. In fact, they can just take orders very well (Joyce et al., 1992).
The second disadvantage of these strategies is that many students often get detached from their main topics because the chief emphasis is only on how to pass examinations successfully through certain techniques and models. This can impair the students' sense of creativity, and discussion skills.
The third weakness is that once achieved the performance standard of "zero defects", the teachers and students have nothing to do. They will become complacent and stop going ahead any more. Furthermore, the schools with "zero defects" can just produce a single type of students, but when the needs of the society change, they will face problems (Crawford and Shutler, 1999).
The notion of Total Quality Management (TQM) developed by Deming is a management philosophy that is now attracting growing attention among educational practitioners and theorists. However, various interpretations of TQM may result in extremely different educational outcomes and processes. The teachers who try to apply the Crosby "zero defects" model may only insist on obtaining better examination results irrespective of the content taught, while the advocates of the Deming model may place emphasis on a never-ending cycle (continuous improvement) in the processes of teaching and learning and disregard the importance of final examinations. The Crosby model can result in a condition in which students pass examinations at the first attempt. However, they may lose their sense of activity, creativity, and flexibility. They will lose contact with the topics they are studying because the sole emphasis is on the examination techniques, and complacency. In contrast, the Deming model can take the students to a context where they are actively engaged with problem-solving exercises, inquiry projects, application of knowledge exercises, group and co-operative work, and equal relationships with their teachers, and as a result they become creative and critical thinkers and sufficiently ready to meet the challenges of a fast-changing technological world.
The successful application of either by adapting to the Deming model of TQM or Crosby model of TQM in schools probably rests upon certain criteria relevant to the intention or the learning outcomes of the curriculum, regardless of the chosen model, TQM in the education sector should first and foremost fulfill the principles of TQM. It most also relates to the teacher's training programs.


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(2) Tue Jan 13 2009 20:30 Becoming an Editor #1: Cover Letters:
Oh yeah. I learned this lesson very quickly. Editors don't care about your cover letters. (nb. I speak only for editors who are me.)
Seriously. I never agonize over my cover letters when I send out stories, I keep 'em nice and generic, but I always mention my sale(s, hopefully) and my VP attendance, thinking they'll count for something. Now I feel like all that is vanity.
On the guidelines page I say that if you want, you can mention stuff like publication credits and your name. Some people are taking this way too far! I'm getting multi-page cover letters. I don't need this information. I'm buying a story, which you've thoughtfully attached to the message. I'm not hiring you to run Accounts Payable.
But you could shrink the cover letter down and down to the length of my typical cover letter ("Hi, here's a story; one time I sold a different story; well, gotta go!") and it would still have more information than I need. Because stuff in the cover letter is stuff that's external to the story. (Hopefully.) There will be plenty of time for that kind of thing after I buy your story.
One thing I've found I do like in a cover letter is when you show that you've read the submission guidelines. I mean, most of us are used to sending form cover letters in with our stories and getting form rejection letters back. It's nice to be reminded that there are real people on both ends of the process. But on the whole it seems a semi-archaic practice, like calling cards. Maybe I'd feel differently if I ran a regular magazine and had a chance to build up long-term relationships with authors.
- Comments:
Posted by Susie at Tue Jan 13 2009 21:36
People hiring you to run Accounts Payable don't care about your cover letter either. Especially if it's multiple pages! argh.
Posted by Kris Straub at Wed Jan 14 2009 12:58
If the multi-page cover letters are any good, you should collect them in another anthology.