Professional Documents
Culture Documents
KNOW ONESELF
1. Get to Know Your Personality: Understanding your own personality is the first key.
2. Get to Know Your Core Values: Your core values are the morale codes and the principles you hold near and dear
to your heart.
3. Get to Know Your Body: The more you learn about your body, the more mysterious it becomes and the more you
push your body, the more it surprises and delights and amazes you.
4. Get to Know your Dreams: Your dreams and hopes create the pathway into your future. They help you build the
life you can be proud of living.
5. Get to Know your Likes and Dislikes: What do you like and just as important, what do you dislike? Take the time
to define your likes and dislikes, and don’t put it up for a vote among family and friends. You decide.
PERSONAL SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths: Defining our strengths is best to break into two categories. First is Job Factors. These are the
things that you do in your role; your skills and abilities. The second category is Competencies. These are
qualities or characteristics that are important for the role; your behaviors and style.
Weakness: Identifying and acknowledging your weaknesses is a step toward self awareness. People who are
self-aware are much more enjoyable to be with. They likely have a much better chance of achieving success.
Oppurtunities: What you want is in your reach if you are willing to do the work to get there. There are many
opportunities to consider during your search. Each of these could offer you stepping stones to the next thing.
Threats: Threats are the things that are getting in your way of achieving your goals. Threats and fears can
sometimes be synonymous. What are your perceived threats and what are you afraid of.
DEVELOPING SELF-ESTEEM
Our self esteem is instilled in us during our youth. Being constantly criticized by family, friends, and society
tends to slowly strip us of our feelings of self worth. Our low self esteem strips us of the self confidence to
make even the smallest of decisions. These feelings do not have to be permanent, however. Improving your self
esteem increases your confidence and is a first step towards finding happiness and a better life.
Part I. Identifying your Self-Esteem 5. Seek counseling.
1.Learn self-esteem. 6. Participate in charitable work.
2. Evaluate your self-esteem. Part3: Adopting a More Positive Lifestyle
3. Listen to your inner voice. 1.Set aside time for self-care.
4. Investigate the source of your lowered self- 2. Surround yourself with positive people.
esteem. 3. Eat a healthy diet.
5. Set a goal to improve your self-esteem. 4. Exercise more.
Part 2. Improving your Self-Care 5. Spend time on personal hygiene and presentation.
1.List your positive attributes. Part4: Letting Go of Perfection
2. Keep a positivity journal. 1. Recognize unreachable standards.
3. Use your journal for goal setting. 2 Forgive yourself.
4. Forgive yourself for being imperfect.
DEVELOPING SELF-EFFICACY
The theory of self-efficacy was coined by Albert Bandura, an early cognitive psychologist who has contributed
to many fields of psychology. The theory has been, and still is, very influential in modern
psychology. According to Bandura (1995), a self-efficacy belief is: “The belief in one’s capabilities to organize
and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations.”.
4 ways to develop self-efficacy beliefs
Performance accomplishments: The experience of mastery influences your perspective on
your abilities.
Vicarious experience: Observing someone else perform a task or handle a situation can help you to
perform the same task by imitation.
Verbal persuasion: When other people encourage and convince you to perform a task, you tend to
believe that you are more capable of performing the task.
Physiological states: Moods, emotions, physical reactions, and stress levels may influence how you feel
about your personal abilities.
DEVELOPING SELF-CONTROL
#1 – Meditate: Meditation actually trains your brain to become a self-control machine.
#2 – Eat: Eating something that provides a slow burn for your body, such as whole grain rice or meat, will give
you a longer window of self-control.
#3 – Exercise: Getting your body moving for as little as 10 minutes releases GABA, a neurotransmitter that
makes your brain feel soothed and keeps you in control of your impulses.
#4 – Sleep: When you are tired, your brain cells’ ability to absorb glucose is highly diminished.
#5 – Ride the Wave: Desire has a strong tendency to ebb and flow like the tide. When the impulse you need to
control is strong, waiting out this wave of desire is usually enough to keep yourself in control.
#6 – Forgive Yourself: A vicious cycle of failing to control oneself followed by feeling intense self-hatred and
disgust is common in attempts at self-control.
The important thing to remember is you have to give these strategies the opportunity to work. This
means recognizing the moments where you are struggling with self-control and, rather than giving in to
impulse, taking a look at the six points and giving them a go before you give in. It takes time to increase your
emotional intelligence, but the new habits you form with effort can last a lifetime.
ENHANCING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
One important aspect of emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions - in
oneself and others - and to use that information appropriately.
Become more self-aware Be socially responsible
Express your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs Manage your own impulses
Discover your inner passions Distraction: When you sense
Know your strengths and weaknesses a problem in impulse control coming on,
Walk in the other person’s moccasins you can most quickly deal with it by
Be more flexible distracting yourself.
Be happy Analytic: An analytic
Manage another person’s emotions approach involves stopping and analyzing
Increase your empathy. your thoughts when you feel impulsive.
Respond to him in the way Coping: A coping strategy
that you would want someone to respond to involves a number of specific coping
you to relieve that pain. thoughts that you practice in advance.
DEVELOPING SOUND STUDY HABITS
Effective study has many benefits:
You can improve your memory, your knowledge, and your grades.
You can spend your time more productively and efficiently.
You can increase your success in school and future endeavors.
You can feel positive about yourself and your abilities.
You can improve your attitude towards school and life.
How to Read?
Examine the book. Ask questions. Highlight important or key phrases and words. Use margins for
writing questions or comments. Make notes on major concepts or points. Read it aloud. Review.
Where and When to Study?
Pick a place that has good light, temperature, and ventilation, few interruptions and distractions and it
should have a desk and firm chair.
Organize your time by:
making a realistic weekly schedule
re-assessing your schedule at week's end and sticking to it
adjusting your schedule for times missed and deadlines
avoiding day-dreaming and procrastination
taking short and regular breaks away from the study area
Develop a plan by:
setting and remembering your long-term goals
making sure you understand each assignment before leaving class
working ahead when possible to increase your understanding
doing normal chores and asking friends to phone before, or after, your regularly scheduled homework
time.
How Much Time is Enough?
Expect to spend 2-4 hours of outside study for every classroom hour.
Spend your time wisely. Distribute your studying over a period of time.
Don't try to do all of your studying in one session. Your ability to learn and understand is greater in short
sessions than in long ones.
Take a ten minute break for each hour of study time.
Turn breaks and snacks into a reward system for studying well.
Join a study group: divide up work, share ideas and test each other.
Before attending class:
Preview the material to be covered in that session.
Look at major headings and try to get a feel for what each section is about.
Go back and carefully read the material in each section.
Doing Exercises
Accuracy should be your primary goal. When working problems involving new concepts, you should
take your time and concentrate on the concept or process being demonstrated. Don't be concerned with speed! It
takes time and practice to become proficient. Remember that learning the reason for doing a particular process
is often more important than learning the process itself.
READING NEWSPAPERS
Newspapers are an essential feature of modern life. By newspapers, we mean papers that publish news daily for
public information. The hunger for reading newspapers has been sharpened in all people. Those who cannot
read, gather in knots at restaurants, in parks or the streets to hear news from others.
Benefits
A modern newspaper is a chronicle and an encyclopedia in miniature. The events that happen are recorded in a
newspaper. It seeks not only to inform but to interest, to stimulate, and to excite. A busy person hardly gets the
time to read everything that it contains. It is necessary for all alike to read the progress that is being made from
day to day in the affairs of your country and in the affairs to the world. Reading a newspaper makes a person fit
to participate usefully in a cultivated society. Newspaper also imparts patriotic feeling among the citizens of the
country.
How to Read a Newspaper
It is necessary to have a basic knowledge of history and geography, or political and economic theories. Unless
one knows the historical background or the geographical location of events reported, they will convey little of
value of importance. In short, one must bring to the reading of newspapers an educated mind, an informed
judgment, and an essentially critical understanding if they are to serve any purpose other than mere entertaining
gossip.
Importance of Reading Newspaper
Newspapers keeps us informed of what is taking place around us. It tells us of political events, social events,
sensational events, sport events, etc. Even the advertisements have their value. In these days a newspaper is
indispensable to life. If newspapers are read in search of sensationalism, it becomes a real evil in life. A good
deal is often misreported that leads to dangerous consequences. Newspapers are vehicles of political parties, and
neutral readers find it difficult to arrive at a balanced judgment. The quick, critical intelligence of the readers,
then, is the only check against any ‘palpable’ or cloaked design.
REVIEWING A BOOK
A book review is both a description and an evaluation of a book. It should focus on the book's purpose,
contents, and authority.
Scan the Book's Preliminaries: Before beginning to read, consider the following:
1. Title - What does it suggest?
2. Preface - Provides important information on the author's purpose in writing the book and will help you
to determine the success of the work.
3. Table of Contents - Tells you how the book is organized and will aid in determining the author's main
ideas and how they are developed - chronologically, topically, etc.
Read the Text: Record impressions as you read and note effective passages for quoting. Keep these questions
in mind:
1. What is the general field or genre, and how does the book fit into it?
2. From what point of view is the work written? What is the author's style? Is it formal or informal? Does
it suit the intended audience? If a work of fiction, what literary devices does the author use?
3. Are concepts clearly defined? How well are the author's ideas developed? What areas are covered/not
covered? How accurate is the information in the book? If relevant, make note of the book's format -
layout, binding, typography, etc. Are there maps, illustrations? Do they aid understanding?
4. Check the back matter. Is the index accurate? What sources did the author use - primary or secondary?
How does he make use of them? What has the book accomplished? Is further work needed? Compare
the book to others by this author or by others.
Consult Additional Sources
Try to find further information about the author - his/her reputation, qualifications, influences, etc. - any
information that is relevant to the book being reviewed and that would help to establish the author's authority.
Knowledge of the literary period and of critical theories can also be helpful to your review. Your professor
and/or reference librarian will be able to suggest sources to use.
Prepare an Outline
Carefully review your notes and attempt to unify your impressions into a statement that will describe
the purpose or thesis of your review. Then, outline the arguments that support your thesis. Your arguments
should develop the thesis in a logical manner.
Write the Draft
Skim your notes again; then, using the outline as a guide and referring to notes when necessary, begin writing.
Your book review should include the following:
1. Preliminary Information
2. Introduction - Try to capture the reader's attention with your opening sentence. The introduction should
state your central thesis, and set the tone of the review.
3. Development - Develop your thesis using supporting arguments as set out in your outline. Use
description, evaluation, and if possible explanation of why the author wrote as he/she did. Use
quotations to illustrate important points or peculiarities.
4. Conclusion - If your thesis has been well argued, the conclusion should follow naturally. It can include a
final assessment or simply restate your thesis. Do not introduce new material at this point.
Revise the Draft
1. Allow some time to elapse before going over your review, to gain perspective.
2. Carefully read through the text, looking for clarity and coherence.
3. Correct grammar and spelling.
4. Verify quotes for proper foot-noting.
REVIEWING A RESEARCH ARTICLE
1. Begin your critique by identifying the article’s title, author(s), date of publication, and the name of
the journal or other publication in which it appeared.
2. If you are reviewing a research study, organize the body of your critique according to the paper’s
structure. Start with a brief description and analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the research design and
methodology and then critically review the presentation and interpretation of the findings and the researchers’
conclusions.
3. Use headings to structure your critique. In each section, provide enough descriptive information
so that your review will be clear to a reader who may not have read the study.
4. Aim for an objective, balanced, and well supported critique.
a. Balance your analysis to include both strengths and weakness
b. Justify your criticism by giving examples of the study’s weaknesses and strengths
5. Conclude your analysis by briefly summing up the strengths and weaknesses of the study and by
assessing its contribution to the advancement of knowledge, theory, or practice.
6. Use past or present tense consistently whenever you refer to completed research.
7. Use a standard citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, or Chicago/Turabian) to format references in your
critique, and be sure to cite page numbers for all quoted passages.
REVIEWING A MOVIE
How to Write a Movie Review
Writing a movie review is a great way of expressing your opinion of a movie. The purpose of most movie
reviews is to help the reader in determining whether they want to watch, rent or buy the movie. The review
should give enough details about the movie that the reader can make an informed decision, without giving
anyway any essentials such as the plot or any surprises. Below are our guidelines and tips for writing a good
movie review.
1. Watch the movie
2. Give your opinion
3. Who is your audience?
4. Give an outline
5. Actors
6. Structure
7. Cinematography and lighting
8. Music
9. Read, read and read
A Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the brain. It harnesses
the full range of cortical skills – word, image, number, logic, rhythm, colour and spatial awareness – in a single, uniquely
powerful manner. In so doing, it gives you the freedom to roam the infinite expanses of your brain. The Mind Map can be
applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance.
A Mind Map is a visual thinking tool that can be applied to all cognitive functions, especially memory, learning,
creativity and analysis. Mind Mapping is a process that involves a distinct combination of imagery, colour and
visual-spatial arrangement. The technique maps out your thoughts using keywords that trigger associations in
the brain to spark further ideas.
Step 1. Create a central idea
The central idea is the starting point of your Mind Map and represents the topic you are going to
explore. Your central idea should be in the centre of your page and should include an image that represents the
Mind Map’s topic. This draws attention and triggers associations, as our brains respond better to visual stimuli.
Taking the time to personalise your central idea, whether it’s hand drawn or on the computer, will strengthen
the connection you have with the content in your Mind Map.
Step 2. Add branches to your map
The next step to get your creative juices flowing is to add branches. The main branches which flow from
the central image are the key themes. You can explore each theme or main branch in greater depth by adding
child branches. The beauty of the Mind Map is that you can continually add new branches and you’re not
restricted to just a few options. Remember, the structure of your Mind Map will come naturally as you add more
ideas and your brain freely draws new associations from the different concepts.
Step 3. Add keywords
When you add a branch to your Mind Map, you will need to include a key idea. An important principle of Mind
Mapping is using one word per branch. Keeping to one word sparks off a greater number of associations
compared to using multiple words or phrases.
One word per branch also works well for chunking information into core topics and themes. The use of
keywords triggers connections in your brain and allows you to remember a larger quantity of information. This
is supported by Farrand, Hussain and Hennessy (2002) who found that medical students who adopted Mind
Mapping experienced a 10% increase in their long-term memory of factual information.
Step 4. Colour code your branches
Mind Mapping encourages whole brain thinking as it brings together a wide range of cortical skills from
logical and numerical to creative and special. The overlap of such skills makes your brain more synergetic and
maintains your brain’s optimal working level. Keeping these cortical skills isolated from one another does not
help brain development which the Mind Map seeks to do. One example of whole brain thinking is colour coding
your Mind Maps. Colour coding links the visual with the logical and helps your brain to create mental shortcuts.
The code allows you to categorise, highlight, analyse information and identify more connections which would
not have previously been discovered. Colours also make images more appealing and engaging compared to
plain, monochromatic images.
Step 5. Include images
Images have the power to convey much more information than a word, sentence or even an essay. They are
processed instantly by the brain and act as visual stimuli to recall information. Better yet, images are a universal
language which can overcome any language barrier. We are intrinsically taught to process images from a young
age. According to Margulies (1991), before children learn a language, they visualise pictures in their minds
which are linked to concepts. For this reason, Mind Maps maximize the powerful potential of imagery.
DEVELOPING THE SKILL OF OBSERVATION
It's easy to not pay attention to the world. We lower our eyes when we walk and avoid eye contact at the
supermarket. For most of us, our default state tends to be ignoring what's around us. But doing so makes us miss
out on inspiration and fails to develop our curiosities. Here's how to train yourself to pay a little more attention
to the world around you.
Train Yourself to Look for the Stuff that Matters to You
Our brains aren't meant to see everything. We focus on specific things, then filter out everything else. This is
great in most cases, because if we paid attention to everything, we'd miss what's important. However, you can
tune your brain to pay attention to new things with a bit of practice.
Challenge Yourself to Pay Attention to New Things
Watch people in crowded areas:
Assign yourself a scavenger hunt:
Watch the local news (or read the local paper):
Walk with an expert:
Take a "soundwalk":
Take field notes:
Learn to Watch People Better
Inanimate objects are one thing, but observing and understanding people is a science unto itself. Most of us are
pretty good at observing during high-tension situations, whether it's during a fight, a first date, or a job
interview, but we slack off during the everyday interactions.
Keep an Eye Out for Patterns
Observing is great and the more you do it, the better you'll get at it. But it's far more useful once you can pick
out the patterns. Tiny snippets of observations are helpful, but they're not useful for creative or intellectual
endeavors if you don't have a broader view of how the world works.
TIME MANAGEMENT
“Time management” refers to the way that you organize and plan how long you spend on specific activities. It
may seem counter-intuitive to dedicate precious time to learning about time management, instead of using it to
get on with your work, but the benefits are enormous:
Greater productivity and efficiency.
A better professional reputation.
Less stress.
Increased opportunities for advancement.
Greater opportunities to achieve important life and career goals.
Failing to manage your time effectively can have some very undesirable consequences:
Missed deadlines.
Inefficient work flow.
Poor work quality.
A poor professional reputation and a stalled career.
Higher stress levels.
Spending a little time learning about time-management techniques will have huge benefits now – and
throughout your career. How well do you manage your time?
* Keep A To-Do List
* Setting Personal Goals
* Prioritizing
* Manage Distractions
*Stop Procrastination
* Never Take On Too Much
*Don’t Thrive On "Busy"
* Focus On One Task At A Time. That Way, You'll Produce Higher Quality Work.
* Take Breaks
*Effectively Scheduling Tasks
Adaptability and flexibility: A quick refresher
At this point in your career, being offered insight into what adaptability entails might seem superfluous. However,
even experienced leaders can overlook important nuances that come with adaptability and need a refresher from
time to time.
In the business sense of the word, adaptability entails being open to new ideas and concepts, being able to work on
an independent basis or with a team as the situation demands, and juggling multiple projects without getting
flummoxed when conditions abruptly change. The ability or degree of willingness to which one adapts in such
situations essentially determines one’s level of flexibility — and possibly the heights they will achieve in the future.
With a basic refresher under your belt, let’s move on to building your workforce. Here we’ll take a look at four skills
to nurture as you embark on developing your team’s ability to adapt:
1. Think creatively
Your team should be encouraged to explore different avenues for fostering creativity and accomplishing work goals
with a new mindset. Those who tend to stick to the same tried-and-true methods are likely to have decreased
flexibility and will resist change. Be prepared to give your team a little extra effort.
2. Embrace ambiguity
It is key for companies to encourage an environment where change is embraced, even when ambiguity is involved.
Traditionally, companies tend to cut down on innovation when uncertainty is present; instead, it needs to be
welcomed. A conscious effort should be made to maintain a positive mindset and to come up with new ways of
seeing and doing things.
HIRING IN MEDIA
Product Designer
The Business Journals
A much-discussed focus of self-management skills courses, particularly those offered in graduate business programs,
emotional intelligence means controlling and filtering one’s emotions in a constructive manner. This leads to easier
adaptation when working with new teams and developing a better rapport with colleagues.
4. Shift focus
The ability to maintain or shift focus in accordance with an organization’s changing priorities is another critical skill
that indicates higher levels of adaptability and flexibility in employees. Those who maintain consistent focus on
individual- and team-based operational goals — while using creative and critical thinking processes to solve
challenges — are critical in a dynamic environment.
These are some of the top elements for building a workforce that is adaptable and flexible.
As an emerging leader, likely you are aware of them on a subconscious level and employ them personally. However,
when you're ready to nurture these traits at an organizational level, be sure to outline your approach properly and
form a quantitative plan to increase change tolerance levels in your company.
Like a workout at the gym, there’s a right way and a wrong way to build flexibility, and a careful plan is always the
right way.