Eleanor Roosevelt Essay Example for Free

Eleanor Roosevelt Essay And strength, courage and confidence she possessed. Forty-six years after Eleanor Roosevelt’s death yet she the former First Lady still remains an influential women in the world. She supported her husband’s political career. In fact, President Franklin Roosevelt often called his wife his â€Å"eyes and ears† (Bradgon, McCutchen, and Ritchie 776). Eleanor Roosevelt played a pivotal role in the Roosevelt administration especially when paralysis hit the president (776). She used this power to advocate for civil rights, especially for the women (Goodwin 1998). The was the first woman to become the voice of the ordinary people, she spoke in national conventions, held press conferences, lectured, and wrote a syndicated column (1998). She fought for the plight of the poor, the women, and the African Americans (777). She was a super woman, so to speak. Her fight for social justice was perhaps what Roosevelt is famed and revered for. She helped laid the cornerstone of the civil rights and women’s movement. It was her greatest achievement, one that the world will forever be grateful for. Eleanor Roosevelt was born October 11, 1884 to Elliott Roosevelt and Anna Hall (Caroli 2008). Although she came from an influential family (her uncle was Theodore Roosevelt), her life story did not start out smoothly (2008). Hers was what people would call a â€Å"dysfunctional family† (Tindall and Shi 1266). Her father was described was an alcoholic who got servant girl pregnant while her mother was said to be a â€Å"cold, self-absorbed socialite† (Tindall and Shi 1266). Despite this, Eleanor loved her parents deeply. However, tragedy struck the family. By age ten, both her parents died and Eleanor, together with her brother, was brought to be raised by relatives (Caroli 2008). Eleanor’s other brother had died a year before (2008). Eleanor was extremely close to her father and his death deeply affected the young girl (2008). The siblings were brought to their grandmother Mary Hall to become their guardian (Black 2008). An introvert, Eleanor was sent to Allenswood, a girls’ boarding school by age 15 (Caroli 2008). Under the wing of Mademoiselle Marie Souvestre, Eleanor’s intellectual curiosity was awakened. Souvestre was a confident woman who was a staunch believer in the liberal causes (Black 2008). In Eleanor’s three years at Allenswood, she forged friendship not just with Souvestre but with young girls her age; she learned language, literature and history; expressed her opinions on political events; and discovered Europe in summers (2008). She was, to say the least, transformed into a â€Å"tall, willowy, outgoing woman† (Tindall and Shi 1266). In 1902, Eleanor went back to New York for her â€Å"coming out† into society (Caroli 2008). Following her family’s tradition, she immersed herself into social responsibilities, enlisting with the National Consumers League and the Junior League for the Promotion of Settlement Movements (Black 2008). She also volunteered to teach at the College Settlement on Rivington Street (2008). Her endeavors soon reached the attention of the New York reform group (2008). One summer, on a train ride to Tivoli, she bumped into her fifth cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Black 2008). A secret courtship began and on November 22, 1903, the two became engaged (2008). The two were different. Eleanor was often described as a serious person, someone of â€Å"high ideals and principles† while Franklin was a confident man, who grew with love and affection from his family (Tindall and Shi 1267). Franklin’s mother, Sara was against the relationship and tried in vain to separate the two. On March 17, 1905, Eleanor and Franklin were married in New York (2008). The wedding, wherein President Theodore Roosevelt gave the bride away, was on the front page of the New York Times (2008). In a span of 10 years, Eleanor gave birth to six children, one of whom died after birth (Caroli 2008). In 1911, Franklin won a seat in the New York senate and the family relocated to Albany (Black 2008). Eleanor looked forward to moving out, especially since in their old home, her mother-in-law was constantly breathing down her neck. She was said to comment that the move ignited her desire to become independent and be an individual (2008). As Franklin started to carve his political career, Eleanor took on the role of a political wife- gracing formal parties and â€Å"making social calls† (2008). When World War I broke in 1917, Eleanor found herself returning to volunteer work. She spent her free time helping the Navy- Marine Corps Relief Society and the Red Cross (Caroli 2008). Her unwavering commitment opened another door in her life- that of being able to be of service to others. For some time, she was in the shadow of her political husband. The War ignited her desire to pursue other plans outside her husband. It helped boost her confidence. Ruby Black, Eleanor’s friend, once commented that the war became her first work â€Å"outside her family† (Black 2008). But this awakening of sorts was dampened when Eleanor found that her husband was involved romantically with another woman, Lucy Mercer. Mercer was Eleanor’s social secretary (Caroli 2008). This caused a dent in the couple’s relationship and Eleanor suggested to have a divorce, which Franklin refused (2008). Franklin ended the relationship with Mercer and tried to patch things with Eleanor. Though they continued on with the marriage, it was said that they remained affectionate but no longer intimate (2008). In 1921, Franklin fell ill with polio and was paralyzed (Tindall and Shi 1267). Despite what had happened in their relationship, Eleanor did not leave her husband. She helped him in his career, attending political gatherings and speaking on his behalf (1267). According to their daughter Anna, polio was instrumental in bringing their parents together (1267). While Eleanor supported her husband, she started to carve her own name. She became active with the Women’s Trade Union League and the Democratic Party of the New York state (Caroli 2008). As Chair of the League of Women Voters Legislative Affairs Committee, Eleanor read the Congressional Record, talked with members of Congress and the State Assembly and presented a report on a monthly basis (Black 2008). She was especially interested in non-legislative issues like primary reform, voter registration and party identification (2008). Eleanor also wrote for the Women’s Democratic News (2008). Three years after, Eleanor was part of a group whose purpose was to inform women on participating in political and social issues. As board member of the bi-partisan Women’s City Club, Eleanor led the City Planning Department, tackling issues such as housing and transportation, child labor, and the distribution of birth control information on married people (Black 2008). She also taught at a school (2008). When Franklin was elected governor, Eleanor divided her time equally, ensuring that she pursued her personal interest and that of being a governor’s wife. When the Governor’s inner circle had disagreements with Eleanor’s League of Women Voters, Eleanor acted as arbitrator (Black 2008). Her political grace, no doubt, was shaping up. Following Franklin’s successful crack at the presidential election, the now First Lady continued with her passion. With her own staff, Eleanor carried on with her causes. She had press conferences with women correspondents, something she was keen on. She also talked to her husband about employing women in his cabinet (Tindall and Shi 1268). In fact, she backed the successful appointment of France Perkins as Secretary of Labor (Caroli 2008). Like the First Lady, Perkins was an advocate of minimum wage and maximum hour laws, child-labor restrictions and other reforms (Bradgon, McCutchen, and Ritchie 776). Eleanor was not afraid to speak her mind, even if it meant carping on her husband’s plan regarding unemployment insurance (Caroli 2008). In 1936, she started her own daily syndicated newspaper column â€Å"My Day† (2008). This was her channel for expressions her opinion publicly. While some greeted her write-up with criticisms, many people admired her for taking interest in their plight. She often tackled child welfare, racial minorities, housing reform and women equality (2008). Following her husband’s death in 1945, President Harry Truman her to the US delegation in the United Nations (UN) (Caroli 2008). She was responsible for the drafting and adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (2008). The UDHR was approved on Dec. 10, 1948 at a U. N meeting in Paris, for which the former First Lady received a standing ovation from the delegates (Gardner 1988). The UDHR is deemed the touchstone of human rights (1988). It is also used to measure the performance of UN entities and NGOs (1988). Likewise, the UDHR continued to serve as inspiration for other human rights treaties in Europe and Latin American (1988). Based on the American Bill or Rights, the British Magna Carta, and the French Declaration of the Rights of the Man, the UDHD comprises a preamble and 30 articles on basic rights and freedoms (1988). When John F. Kennedy became president, she appointed Eleanor as chair of the Commission on the Status of Women (Caroli 2008). She continued to work and fought for the underprivileged. Even at her age, Eleanor travelled the globe to conduct meetings with world leaders (2008). She also did not stop writing books and articles. In 1962, she contacted a rare form of tuberculosis and succumbed. She was buried at Hyde Park. Works Cited Black, Allida. â€Å"Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. † The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project. Jan. 31, 2008. May 7, 2008 http://www. gwu. edu/~erpapers/. Bragdon, Henry, Samuel McCutchen and Donald Ritchie. History of a Free Nation. Ohio: McGraw-Hill, 1996. Caroli, Betty. â€Å"Eleanor Roosevelt. † Britannica. com. 2008. May 7, 2008 http://www. britannica. com. Gardner, Richard. â€Å"Eleanor Roosevelt’s Legacy: Human Rights. † Dec. 10, 1988. May 7, 2008 http://www. nytimes. com. Goodwin, Doris. â€Å"Leaders and Revolutionaries. † TIME. com April 13, 1998. May 7, 2008 http://www. time. com. Lewis, Jone. â€Å"Eleanor Roosevelt Quotes. † Womenhistory. about. com 2008 May 7, 2008 http://www. womenhistory. about. com. Tindall, George and David Shi. America A Narrative History 5th ed. USA:W. W. Norton and Company, 1999.

Leadership Is A Relationship Education Essay

Leadership Is A Relationship Education Essay When it comes to this sentence: Leadership is a Relationship, we feel a bit puzzled. At first glance, such a topic sounds like a joke. Traditionally, the definition of leadership  is described as the process of  social influence  in ¼Ã…’which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. But here, we must emphasize the relationship between leadership and relationship. Some people hold the opinion that leaders, like husbands or wives, occupy roles only as long as they are alive. (Is Leadership a Relationship? by Mitch McCrimmon, Ph.D., 2010) Leaders and leadership is a topic being discussed for a long time. The desire to call leadership a relationship is well intentioned. Generally speaking, leadership is a relationship because one cannot lead without followers. The very meaning of leadership, to some extent, is a relationship and the interaction between leaders and followers. Leadership is an ongoing relationship between the leader and superiors, leaders and colleagues, leaders and consumers, and especially between leaders and followers. (Leadership is the Relationship by Kenneth Rice, 2006) Now the concept of leadership is no longer conventional type, it isnt limited to fixed roles and whats more, group boundaries are breaking down. In my point of view, leadership cannot take effect alone. To put it another way, leadership needs the aid of relationship. Because the personal relationship defines the existing quality of interpersonal interaction between the leader and would-be followers, followers will not join the leader without the requisite relationship. Leadership is the relationship.(The 9 Natural Laws of Leadership P.12- by Blank, Warren, 1995) Without good relationship in a team, a leader, if not supported by his team members, he cant accomplish the task successfully. It is just like a war. Even the bravest General cannot win the battle by his own, because he is just a drop in the sea. Only when he commands and cooperates with his soldiers will it be possible to win. In fact, leading is more than a relational concept. It is a relational term, and it does not imply a personal relationship between people. Instead, it means that leadership is a relationship is based on confusion or a failure to understand how relational concepts work. There are too many outstanding leaders in the history around the world; I am just a small role. Leadership is an art. We can see the common points shining on those famous leaders: The speeches of Sir Winston Churchill showed his constancy of purpose; in 1863, General Pickett earned the trust of the soldiers he sent up the hill, though everyone knew they would die; Mohandas Gandhi was a pioneer of Nonviolent Protest, his views were the most enlightened of all the political men in 20th century; The influence from Martin Luther Kings I have a dream, witnessed great changes of the whole USAà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦It is well recognized that a qualified leader needs the skills as follows: Good Communication Skills; Good Motivation Skills; Adaptability; Know Your People; Work Delegation; Decision Making; Passion. I remember my first time to be a leader. I would like to exemplify the notion above by my own experience. It was an unforgettable summer. I joined a youth camp in a remote village as a volunteer teacher. There were tens of youngsters of my same age, and what we were going to do is teach the students in the school some basic knowledge of preventing AIDS. I was seldom a leader and I didnt have much experience and talent of being a leader before. I used to think that leader must be those who have strong power of public appeal and are bold and resolute in action. To my surprise, I was chosen to be a leader on the first day I arrived. At that moment, I was both excited and timid: I was afraid that I couldnt be a good leader, but it was really an opportunity for me to have a try. At first, I was too anxious to speak in front of the crowd. When I stood on the stage and said Hello to those kids, I shivered and couldnt utter more words. Students were aged around 10 years old, and they were curious as well as surprised. They couldnt imagine such a coward would be there leader, but of course, they couldnt imagine what this leader would bring to them in the following two weeks. Adaptability is the key to succeeding in our ever changing environment. I adapted to this new environment soon and I thought I could adapt to any unpredictable situation that may arise, too. There are two kinds of leaders; those who want to be liked and those who want to be respected.   If you are respected but not liked, your leadership might be wanted, but it will probably be short lived.   It is possible to be both respected and liked and we should strive for both. Building relationships is one of the most important things we do in life on a personal and professional level. (Leadership Through Relationships by Richard. R. Ramos, 2009) I knew that to get in touch with the students mush first become their friends. I was a leader, but I was like a friend more. I played with them, talked with them, shared jokes and funny experiences with them. We soon knew each other well. Though I was the teacher, I gave each of them equal opportunity to express what they thought. I encouraged them to air their own opinion. As a result, I also earned their respect and credibility. Trust is built on honesty and integrity. (The Essence of Leadership by Stever Robbins, 2003) To build trust, involvement and communication is the key contributor. I always believe in that What you say and what you do must match up. There are five trust techniques: Share thoughts, feeling and rationales; Make commitments you can make; Admit mistakes; Request and accept feedback; Test assumptions. I know that to respect and maintain self-esteem of my students sincerely is vitally important in the process of getting their trust. Every time when they got some accomplishments or made some contributions, I would recognize what they have done and praise them. Otherwise, I listened and responded to them with empathy to show my understanding of their feeling with attention, so they were all willing to talk to me and express their ideas. For some relatively inactive children, I asked them for their help and encouraged them to involve. I valued their opinions and ideas, I was willing to share credit for achievements, and I valued their personal performance more than the results. They soon became optimistic and positive, and are more willing to join us in various activities. A good communication skill is necessary for a leader to listen to the opinions of others, and quickly convey their thoughts. We became close friends, and this is a progress beyond leadership. If we say leadership is the matter of relationship, we can also say that relationship is the source of influence, which is the foundation of leadership. To put it another way, leadership can be defined in one word: Influence. Effective leadership needs influence, and in order to get influence, a strong relationship is needed. We cant deny that the essence of leadership is the art of influencing people. Relationship is the key mechanism for bringing out the best in people from the ordinary, both as individuals and teams. Also, this is the core purpose of leadership can only be achieved through strong relationships. (The Leadership Relationship: Building High-Impact Relationships by Corporate Master, A Division of Integral Master Center) Things went on smoothly. We not only taught children knowledge of AIDS but afterward sang songs and shared our outlook for the future. When the children were asked what are you going to do when you grow up, they have various answers. I remembered some girls said they wanted to be designers because they liked beautiful clothes; some boys who have special interest in architecture hoped to be engineers; some of them dreamt of being professors; but what impressed me most is a boy who desired to be a leader. Gradually, I had more topics with those children and I got their trust. At that time, I felt that perhaps being a leader is better than what I had perceived before. A leader is supposed to have a passion to perform. Being passionate about my work would empower me to find almost impossible solutions be it invention, discovery, or innovation. Also, to me and to my students, passion was one of the sources of our joy and fun. In our class and in our life, passion made us happy and optimistic. For me, as a so-called leader and a voluntary teacher, in addition to my colleagues, my students were also my workmates because I need their aid and cooperation in my job. My colleagues helped me with my lectures and students performance would give me more confidence. I devoted myself into being a leader and I tried my best to be a better leader. After a few days of getting together, those students trusted me and relied on me. Once I was able to give your personal touch to them, I found amazing benefits from these efforts. Their personal lives had a great impact on the each of them. We talked about interesting news, anecdotes and stories together. I was attached to my colleagues and my students. Trust was really the best thing which could give me a warm feeling as the sunshine in winter. We were just like a big family. I had never felt that kind sense of success as well as commitment. Relationship behavior is the extent to which the leader engages in two-way or multi-way communication. It includes listening, encouraging, facilitating, providing clarification, and giving socio-emotional support. (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series by Bolman and Deal, 1997) I reminded myself that I was a leader every moment. I must set a good example in front of them so I behaved like a leader and played am exemplary role in my class. In the conversations with the children, I came to know their characteristics and their hobbies. They were really cute, frank, and innocent. Just as technical research and development is essential for continued excellence and a competitive edge, so mush coaching and development become the leaders focal point for leveraging the organizations human capital. Coaching is the process of equipping people with the tools, knowledge, and opportunities they need to develop themselves and become more effective. Coaching conversations involve finding out peoples vision or destination, where they are starting from, and the direction they need to move in order to get there. ( Coach and Develop People by Gebelein, S.H., Stevens, L.A., Skube, C.J., Lee, D. G., Davis, B.L., Hellervik, L.W. Successful Managers Handbook. 6th ed. Minnesota: Personnel Decisions International Corporation. 2000.369-396) Development is vitally important in acquiring the skills and learning the knowledge needed to achieve the goals. I know that the role of a leader is also to be a coach. In order to equip them with more knowledge they couldnt learn from the textbook, I brought then to the park, to the field, and went picnic in the open air. I told them how to observe an insect or a butterfly; I taught them how to draw an oil painting; we played basketball together and competed with each otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Coaching forged our partnership, which was another example proving that Leadership is relationship, and in other words, this was one of the sources our trust came; coaching inspired commitment of me and the students; coaching grew my managing skill and their learning skills, too; coaching promoted persistence of each one and finally shaped the environment we enjoyed this harmonious environment very much. Whats more, coaching is a continuous process rather than an occasional conversation, so we kept practicing during my stay with them. But things have gone wrong sometimes. In the last few days before the youth camp came to the end, we had prepared for a welfare party. I arranged a chorus for the students and rehearsed for them time by time, day by day. For these kids, rehearsal was the most boring thing in the world and they got tired soon. They rejected and tried to give up, which disappointed me very much. I was so desperate because I felt that the time and toil I paid was futile and would never reward. I tried hard to persuade and comfort them. However, nothing had a turn for the better; instead, they were more impatient and even shouted to me. I was helpless and sad. I recalled every picture that left impression in my brain but it didnt work at all. I was totally disappointed: They were my dearest but they even didnt respect me. I doubted my ability of management as a leader: I didnt succeed in managing a group of children well, let alone other adults. I tried hard to keep myself calm but things went worse. Tho se kids seemed pay no attention to me and made me more distressed. Consequently, I got angry and raged. I had never been so furious that I pounded the table angrily with a great thump. At this moment, those clamorous kids were shocked and astonished and kept silent immediately. There was not a bit voice. The whole classroom seemed isolated and time seemed to have ceased. I didnt know what they were thinking and I was not sure if they were scared of me or repented of what they had done. It was the worst memory in the process of being a volunteer teacher, but when I reflect it now, I came to realize that it was this bad experience that made me grow more mature. It was clear that I needed to implement the essential ingredients of effective persuasion: I knew and concerned their perspectives; I considered my position from every angle; I listened to them actively and patiently; I shared solution with them and tried to make it better; and what more, I insisted that communication do make changes. So I still believed that a leader should not give up first. I am a leader. I told myself at the bottom of my heart. After about one minute, I asked them, Is there anyone want to quit? Nobody answered. If anyone wants to quit now, you can stand out and tell me. Still nobody answered. I continued, Yes, the rehearsal, it is indeed a piece of tiring work. But if you insist staying in our group, please do your best or you will let us down, let yourself down. Those children were upset. One of them asked me in a low voice, It is so boring. We dont want to play it. Maybe it was the rehearsal that deprived them of their leisure. I stopped for a moment, anxiously thinking of this problem. No one knows how hard I struggled in my mind. I pondered for a while, and explained slowly to them, Only when we spare no effort and try our best will the rehearsal be successful. Only when we encounter difficulty and sweats will the result be satisfying. I hoped that every one of you will perform the best in the welfare party. But at present, there is still much to be improved. And I continued, Listen, my dearest kids, now we must believe that we are the strongest and we can be the best! I have full confidence on all of you! Some of them nodded their heads. A leader is the one not only commands and leads toward the victory but the one who comforts and encourages team mates when the morale of the troops is sinking low. Most of them stood and listened with their heads low, but their eyes were filled with a desire to success. One girl approved me, Yes, you are right. I think I didnt sing well enough. I will definitely work harder. Do you believe in yourselves? I asked them, and embraced them. Yesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Though their voice was low, I could still hear their courage and persistence. How about having fun when we finished the performance in welfare party? Then I will cook you delicious food to celebrate! I added. They seemed much satisfied. Her words were like ripples and most children expressed their agreement. They promised that they would exert themselves and never be on strike again. Some of them even proposed to play an important role in the chorus. I gave them a big smile and so did they. The crisis had gone and our trust came back again. Have a good rest, guys! This is the end of todays rehearsal, but tomorrow we must train harder. I reminded them. I rewarded each one of them an ice cream and of course, they were pleased and contented. Leaders require many skills in managing relationships, such as communication, interaction, crisis management, etc. The purpose of the relationship is not only to manage team mates in a good order but also to give each person the opportunity to grow and to contribute to his or her fullest potential and whats more, to build strengths in the midst of differences. According to my students strength and characteristics, I divided them into three groups in the chorus so that each one of them can achieve their best. Every time they rehearsed, I accompanied them, recorded and played to attain improvement. I couldnt do everything on my own. This was our combined effort. I also needed to give personal responsibility of the work to my students individually, and then keep track of their progress regularly. I found this process interesting and rewarding: They were like young trees and I was just the gardener. I saw them sprout, grow and bloom. After many days of cultivation, the day of farewell party would be the day these young trees fruit. Frankly speaking, it is of the utmost importance for me to motivate them to accomplish objectives. A real leader utilizes the most efficient approach for doing this leading by setting an excellent example. Behind the scene, my students seemed anxious. In fact, I was the most anxious one. I concealed my emotion of anxiety. They constantly asked me, Is my clothes tidy? or Am I look good? I gave each of them smile and some encouraging words. You look superb! Come on, your performance is fantastic! Gradually, these words had positive effect on me, too. I was encouraged by my words: I should be sure that they would be the most confident and competent team! Before the performance, I gave each one of them a hug. The whole class embraced together and made a nice wish. Then they step on the stage confidently. They were so calm and devoted in the spot lights. The melody impressed every audience and finally the whole auditorium was filled with applause. They had made it! That was the most wonderful performance they ever had! They were so excited and they ran toward me and hug me tightly. Leadership is a relationship and an act of influence as well as an impact. Albert Einstein once said, We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles but no personality. It cannot lead; it can only serve. I used to presume that leadership is just for people at the top but I realized I was wrong.  In fact, every one of us can learn to lead by discovering the potential that lies within ourselves, in order to make a difference of our life. After two weeks, I had to go back to my city and continued my life and study. Those kids were all reluctant to see me leave. They held me tightly, and some of them even cried. Some students called me even Professor to express their affection and thanks for me. I got many presents made by their own: paper flowers, pictures, chocolates, candies, and cards. Though cheap, they were exquisite and meaningful. At that moment, every scene and every moment we spent together was shown in my head again and again. I recalled everything from the first day I came to the last day I left. I didnt quite understand if this was power of leadership at that time, but there must have been something changed. When I reflected this experience after learning this course, I gradually realized it was myself who has changed. I changed from a student without any experience of being a leader to a real leader! Leadership is like wine, only when time passes will it be the finest and the best. Being a leader is absol utely a difficult thing; it is never a piece of cake. However, the feeling of being a leader is extraordinary and terrific, though sometimes it was great pain and stress. I felt that the new me is more courageous and confident; maybe it is because this volunteer experience has taught me a lesson and refined my soul. If we say Leadership is relationship, I am sure that my leadership experience has won me not only relationship but also friendship, which has more profound meaning than only relationship. The students became my friends. They gave me beautiful memory. To me, leadership is applicable to all facets of my own life and they are all beneficial: With the development of my self- awareness and confidence, I can gradually expand our perspective with a competency; I focus more on a goal and set the context of it; I understand the dynamics of human behaviors; I take the initiative to be the real me. Generally, leadership development is not an event.  Rather, it is a constant process. On one hand, leadership excellence is one of the most critical challenges facing not only organizations but small groups or individual nowadays. Leadership is not an easy job, so does to be a great leader. It requires commitment, talent, effort, guidance, and a most difficult thing charisma. There is no doubt that leaders will face a great deal of pressure, which can be quantified. Nevertheless, after accomplishing a great mission or task together with those followers, a sense of achievement and fulfillment is more important than the actual rewards. On the other hand, when we say leadership is relationship, that means relationship has profound influence in todays society, too. I emphasize that the relationship here has nothing to do with bribery and corruption. I truly with that the competition is equal enough. We can safely draw a conclusion that nowadays, especially in a competitive society, no one can battle alone. A wise leader with a strong organization as his or her supporters is more prone to succeed. Only if everyone in the team or organization is supposed to exert his or her utmost effort will it be possible that they have a happy end. In all, to be a volunteer teacher in the village left me a valuable fortune. This was my precious experience that worth remembering all my life. I tasted the sweetness and the bitterness in the short two weeks. Though there were difficulties and crisis in this process, I won the respect and built firm relationship with my students. Leadership is relationship, it is true. I did what a leader was supposed to do, and I had no regret at all. Those students have been my greatest friends because they also taught me a valuable lesson. This was my first time to be a leader, but I have learnt a lot from this experience. What I should do is keep self-improving and never give up. I am still on my way to learning to be a good leader. On this way, there are still a lot of obstacles and much to learn. References: Leadership is the Relationship by Kenneth Rice (2006) Is Leadership a Relationship? by Mitch McCrimmon, Ph.D. (May 2010) The 9 Natural Laws of Leadership P.12- by Blank, Warren (1995) Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series by Bolman and Deal, (1997) Coach and Develop People by Gebelein, S.H., Stevens, L.A., Skube, C.J., Lee, D. G., Davis, B.L., Hellervik, L.W. Successful Managers Handbook. 6th ed. Minnesota: Personnel Decisions International Corporation. 2000.369-396) The Essence of Leadership by Stever Robbins (2003) The Leadership Relationship: Building High-Impact Relationships by Corporate Master, A Division of Integral Master Center Leadership Through Relationships by Richard. R. Ramos, 2009

Internet of Things (IoT) in Insurance

Internet of Things (IoT) in Insurance There are many Insurers with well-defined IoT based solutions in their core business product space, such as Usage-Based Insurance in auto insurance, discounted smart sensor device offers etc.   Large Property and Casualty (PC) insurers have been watching the IoT technology space mature over a period of last couple of years, and thus have capitalized well on their learnings and analysis.   Expectations from IoT continues to grow in the field of insurance. IoT is not just about the connected devices, but any IoT solution is incomplete without capturing the real-time and relevant data.   This captured data should be available in cloud, to have the ability to run advanced analytics to provide appropriate customer and other stakeholder dashboards.   It is key for the insurers to leverage their existing high volume of data, and develop the ability to drive improved outcomes for customers, brokers partners. In this article, we review the journey of IoT in the insurance industry, and we discuss what to expect from IoT in future.   Other aspects of this article includes the impact of other technology trends with IoT, such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language processing etc. Influence in PC (Property Casualty) and (Life Annuities) LA industries IoT has been able to mark its impact in PC market, but LA market still needs exploring opportunities.   PC insurers have deployed more IoT projects than LA players have. Connected ecosystem is one of the core IoT trends in the insurance space.   Approximately 34 percent of customers have indicated that they would be inclined to smart homes and real estates.   Close to follow in terms of trends are the wearables with 30 percent customer interest. In terms of numbers, LA has only 5% projects deployed, whereas in PC percentage is 12%. The trends clearly indicate that growth of IoT based solutions in both the domains is obvious. As IoT grows in adoption, leading insurers will find ways to leverage the data available from these technologies to improve operations and better engage customers. BI Intelligence recently projected that by 2020, there will be over 34 billion connected IoT devices, and over $6 trillion spent on IoT solutions in the next 5 years. With this expected growth in IoT and wearables, insurers need to plan for their use by consumers and the impact of these devices on consumer behavior and expectations. Below are a couple of success stories in the PC world where IoT has played a significant role in improving their business: Progressive Snapshot ® Progressive insurance groups Snapshot ® product is a flagship initiative that primary deals with IoT and high volume of data with analytics to provide Usage-based insurance to its customers.   Its primary intent is to reward good driving, and thereby encourage insureds to save in their insurance costs.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Snapshot ® is an OBD II based simple device that pluggable into most modern cars.   This device keeps a track on the driving habits such as usage of brakes, average speed etc., along with other relevant data such as time of driving etc. Liberty Mutual Google Nest Liberty Mutual has collaborated with Google Nest to provide its customers an ability to prevent perils.   Customers are offered the Nest protect device along with their insurance at no extra cost.   This IoT device helps customers identify and alert on critical parameters such as smoke, CO emission levels, temperature variations etc. It rewards the insureds for staying safe. Challenges and Barriers for IoT in insurance Some of the apparent challenges that comes along with IoT based solutions in the insurance industry are: Security Risk IoT is susceptible to cyberattacks as it involves multiple devices and multiple protocols.   IoT based solutions are effective with very large volumes of data flow between entities, over networks and many a times over public networks.   Such solutions make the Insurance Company vulnerable to interceptions. Large investments are required to secure IoT generated data, to avoid intrusions as well as misuses of such data for fraudulent activities.   IoT solutions should include a clear focus on identifying and addressing the possible security risks and threats as an important aspect.   Insurers and the insureds should understand the security dimension of such solutions to ensure appropriate measures are in place. Data Volume management Strength of IoT solution is to provide and capture data (real-time in most cases), which is added to the Insurers big data repositories.   Such large datasets are the assets for the insurance companies and the whole solution relies on how stakeholders utilize these large volumes for the benefit of all.   With large data volumes, comes the volume management challenges that requires significant planning and appropriate enterprise strategy.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   It is also very important to plan the inclusion of the IoT real-time data with the historic data such as Policy, Client, and Claims data etc. Data ownership is also a challenge with IoT data management strategies.   It is always a challenge to understand if the data belongs to the insured or the insurer.   There are other data challenges such as privacy, data tampering etc., which need absolute attention from the Insurers while defining and establishing a long-term solution. Standardization and Regulation With an increasing trend of growing numbers of IoT devices, interoperability is already a challenge.   Plenty of startups as well as large players are trying to capitalize on the IoT market by deploying and integrating devices.   With lack of regulations and agreements in place, the IoT solutions are bound to fail.   There have been quite a few initiatives by many players on this front, but the process maturity will take some time. Disruption to existing large business models Insurance industrys business relies on the right balance between the volume of risk managed, and the claims associated with the covered risks.   To understand this better, insurers always seek to contain the volume of claims by preventive measures to have a good handle on the loss ratio.   This leads to have a direct impact on their written premium to losses ratio and thus improves their margins.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   IoT solutions give a great advantage in avoidance of claims by providing relevant indications and alerts for most of the critical major perils. There is always a threshold to such business theory because if the claims keep going down then it will have a direct effect on bringing down the premiums as well.   Insurers need to ensure the IoT based solutions provide the right balance and manage the alignment between solutions and core business models. IoT with other technologies Insurance industry has recognized the importance of IoT in its business, and we have seen a clear growth trend for the last couple of years. We believe that the trend will continue in the same direction, with an increase in the implementations of IoT based solutions.   IoT solutions involve multiple technologies to maximize benefits for stakeholders.   For example, IoT solutions are inclusive of Analytics, Cloud, protocol management etc. Some of the other trends where we see an immediate impact in the insurance industry are: Natural Language Processing Talking to devices is not something new for the human beings.   We have had our smartphone based digital assistants in existence for quite long now.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Amazon echo has already pioneered in the home digital assistant space.   Imagine a situation where an IoT device like Amazon echo, captures the conversations by a senior citizen living alone.   IoT devices can be extremely beneficial in emergencies for senior homes, and NLP capabilities to such sensors can help prevent any medical situation by understanding, processing and alerting appropriate agencies for help. NLP and Text processing is predicted to have a positive disruption in the insurance industry by providing abilities such as information retrieval from unstructured data, sentimental analysis to streamline the flow of information to customers thereby improving customer relationships, kiosk based Chabot etc. Blockchain Blockchain looks very promising when it comes to providing some of the challenges that IoT solutions possess.   Roadblocks such as inorganic scaling of IoT devices (without identity, or interoperability), information and privacy concerns etc. can leverage the fundamental principles of Blockchain technology for an appropriate resolution.   We foresee Blockchain considered as a heavyweight partner technology for IoT based initiatives. Insurance companies and their technology arms will need to understand and implement the appropriate solutions involving Blockchain.   Blockchain comes with its own baggage of challenges hence we recommend a thorough study of the problem scenario. Artificial Intelligence IoT generates high volumes of data, and such significant and relevant data is of no use if we do not have machine-learning capabilities introduced in our IoT based solutions.   As the devices are increasing, so will the data volume as well.   This significant and invaluable data will help our systems to understand what is working vs what is not working. This data volume goes beyond human capabilities for analytics; hence, a machine learning will be inevitable to maximize the return from IoT based solutions. Future Impact of IoT in Insurance Industry IoT based solutions have done tremendous development in all horizons of human life and the impact has been on positive as well as negative side. On the positive side, IoT provides real time data, which provides useful information ahead of time to both Insurers and Insureds that helps them in taking preventive action and reduces/eliminates losses. On the negative side, IoT brings risks, both physical and financial; with the connected devices over Internet. Some of the significant areas of IoT impact listed below: Need of Cyber Insurance policies will grow With the growth of IoT, the risk of data loss and resulting liabilities will increase. Cyber insurance policies provide coverage against data liability losses and the costs involved due to data breaches, hence there will be improved focus on cyber insurance products, which increase the sale of such policies. List of excluded risks will increase in cyber policies With IoT penetrating more and more in human life the risk of cyber-attacks on IoT devices will also increase. Providing coverage against all these risks will be loss for Insurance carriers hence insurers will provide specific exclusion for cyber perils. Minimize the insurance need IoT based solutions will continue to alter the risk associated with customers and their perils, which will make both Insurance carriers Insureds aware of the risks before time. This will have an impact on the global insurance market, as the chances of error will reduce which results in shrinking the insurance market thereby minimizing the need for insurance. Artificial Intelligence and containers will distribute IoT: The year 2017 would see Internet of Things software distributed across cloud services, edge devices, and gateways. Further, machine-learning cloud services and Artificial Intelligence will be used to mine data from IoT devices. Role of Insurance carriers in IoT security will increase More and more inclination of consumers towards IoT enabled devices lead to more security risk for them. Since IoT technology is changing so fast, it has become a big challenge for the insurance regulators to cope up with that and design the new products accordingly. Insurers are taking on the financial risk associated with the increase use of IoT; hence, they will address the IoT security via proper underwriting. IoT will affect the mobile industry in both directions Many upcoming solutions will create enhanced mobility solution requirements and at the same time, we will see some IoT solutions making mobile apps redundant.   With increased connected devices, mobility solutions will enhance the user experience using digital assistants, smart watches etc. IoT certification will suppress Industry specific certification In order to get into the nerves of IoT, the vendors will be motivated to get IoT certified inspite of having Industry specific certified. Investments will be focused on minimal cost based trainings and certifications along with maintaining high standards of these certifications. Along with it, all major industrial vendors will come together to jointly certify their IoT-enabled products with enterprise vendors. *Forrester ICRMC Report NIIT technologies IoT We have been participating in the growth of IoT based solutions across industries.   NIIT Technologies Ltd has already worked with a large US based insurer to come up with a complete connected solution suite.   This solution involves end-to-end IoT based package for the Personal lines insurers, especially dealing home and dwelling insurance based. NIIT Technologies also has in-depth experience with IoT based devices including, but not limited to, Bosch XDK, Google Nest, Amazon Echo, VR devices, Pressure and Temperature measuring devices as well as expertise in learning and research devices such as Raspberry pi, Arduino etc.   Our dedicated IoT lab and its experienced resources work closely with our Data Analytics experts to design comprehensive solutions for the insurance industry. NIIT Technologies is also working on other relevant initiatives i.e.   IoT solutions integrated with NLP, machine learning and Non Natural disaster artificial intelligence solutions etc. Recommendations for Insurers Research and understand customer needs and identify how IoT based solutions can improve your business model.   Understand your capabilities and whether you have the right solutions in place with the existing landscape for data management IoT in isolation is not beneficial for long term; invest on solutions that are beneficial for all stakeholders. Invest on partner technologies, as per relevance with your business Start looking beyond business as usual.   Disruption in business has already become a norm, hence business, technology and product research should be an ongoing process.   Focus on impact by IoT innovations on insurance products, for example, insuring driverless cars, drones etc. Enhance your business model and focus on how to help customers adopt the IoT based solutions.   Without customer buy-in, IoT solutions will have no value, and the benefits to the insurance companies is quite high hence, it is worth the focus. For many insurance products, IoT has minimized the need of large historic data and maturity.   This has happened because IoT has the ability to provide real-time, more relevant and custom user specific data to improve and customize underwriting.   This has allowed smaller players to jump in to participate in this levelled field.   Large insurers need to be flexible to customization of products and need to bring in more agility in product designing as well. Insurers should invest on appropriate Proof of Value and Proof of Concept initiatives for IoT solutions with their trusted partners before initiating any industry scale implementation or solution. Abbreviations and Acronyms IoT Internet of Things PC Property and Casualty insurance LA Life and Annuities insurance NLP Natural Language Processing

The Sun and Its Features Essay -- Science Essays Scientific

The Sun and Its Features Changes in the magnetic field of the sun affect us here on earth in a number of interesting ways. This magnetic field is caused by the flow of electrically charged ions and electrons on the sun, and if it didn't exist, the sun would be a much more boring star. The 11-year cycle of the sun's magnetic field accounts for many of the cool features of the sun: sunspots, solar flares, and aurora borealis. At the beginning of the cycle, the magnetic field is weak and there are very few sunspots; later, at the peak of the cycle, the magnetic field is strong, and there are many sunspots. Sunspots are relatively cool areas that appear as dark patches on the face of the sun. They occur where magnetic field lines are twisted below the surface. The period of time when the magnetic field is strong and there are many sunspots is called a solar maximum. The sun approached one of its solar maximums in the year 2000, and this maximum affected the conditions on earth. For example, the aurora borealis, or "Northern Lights" we see in the sky are much brighter during a solar maximum. They are also more spread out over the sky. In normal years the northern lights can only be seen over the poles, but during a solar maximum they are visible to much of the northern United States and Europe. Aurora borealis is caused by the solar wind that blows off the corona of the sun. The temperature of the corona is so high that the gravity of the sun cannot hold on to it, so hot charged particles from the corona regularly fly off the sun at millions of miles per hour. When these particles collide with atoms in the earth's atmosphere, they excite their electrons, causing them to "jump" to a higher energy level. When electrons jump to a h... ...solar maximum), less cosmic rays strike the earth, and when it is weak (during a solar minimum), many cosmic rays strike the earth. Trees record in their rings how much carbon 14 is in the atmosphere, and during the Maunder Minimum tree rings had very high levels of Carbon 14. Thus, there seems to be a link between the sunspot cycle and the climate of the earth, with solar minimum bringing cooler temperatures and solar maximum bringing warmer ones. This, plus the beautiful displays of northern lights, and the threatening danger of solar flares, are just three ways we are effected by the solar cycle of the sun. References: Solar Physics. Hathaway, David H. NASA. March 17, 2000. Sunspots as Predictors. Younce, Matthew Wiley. The Sun-Earth Connection. NASA/GSFC. USB/S Introducing the Aurora. Terry, Kathee and Anderson, Hugh. July 12, 1999.

Essay --

Humans have long been evolving physically and mentally in order to survive on earth. They have evolved their physical attributes as well as their intelligence to properly prepare them for the changing environments on earth. Since the Old Stone age, human intelligence has allowed them to continue to adapt to various tasks that were commonly performed by the Old Stone age people. These common behaviors and lifestyles of the prehistoric times would eventually help the human communities to survive in this dangerous world as a successful species. Most of our everyday activities and common behaviors such as living in homes, having a nutritional diet, inventing new innovations, and particularly surviving as a group, are derived from the lifestyles of the Paleolithic people. Although there may be some differences between the aspects of life from the prehistoric and modern times, much of the features of how people lived back then have played a significant role in securing the survival of huma nity today. There are countless differences and similarities between the behaviors of the paleolithic people and the people of the twenty-first century. While the people of the Old Stone age lived in dark caves filled with nothing but cold wind, people today live in houses and apartments built with air conditioning system and readily accompanied furniture. The prehistoric people are able to find comfort by staying in caves that prevent them from the dangers of the wilderness while people of the modern time find comfort by being at home, not exactly because it is safe, but because they can relax to their hearts’ content. Although both places have completely different appearances in terms of a place for shelter, humans that live in these places can stil... ... different times eating food in totally contrasting environment, group survival has always been applied to modern day people and their way of living. The history and the existence of the Old Stone Age, or the Paleolithic era, has an undeniably large effect on our society today. Living in the harsh environment of the world without the technological advancements seems hard enough, but surviving without the elements for living prepared for them is even more difficult. With all the common behaviors that were translated to our everyday life, healthy diets that prevent humans from disastrous results, new innovations that remained useful to us today, and surviving skills that were passed down from generation to generation, our whole society owes everything to those of the Paleolithic era. Without them, there would be no â€Å"us† today to walk the earth as a prosperous species.

International Relations-Somalia

Somalia 1993 Cause and Effect, U. S. Involvement, & Scale of the Conflict The Somali conflict was created by a succession of events. Back in 1991, President of Somalia, Mohammed Siad Barre, was overthrown by a coalition of opposing clans called the United Somali Congress. Four main groups turned the country into a battlefield trying to gain control over the country. In the meantime a 5th group seceded from the northwest portion of Somalia calling it the Somaliland Republic, with its leader Abdel-Rahman Ahmed Ali as president.All the fighting in Somalia destroyed most of their crops creating mass starvation. The international community began to send food supplies to halt the starvation, but vast amounts of food were hijacked and brought to local clan leaders, who routinely exchanged it with other countries for weapons. This just led to more starvation and the international communities’ efforts seemed ineffective. In March of 1993 the UN’s mission shifted and tried to hel p UNOSOM II gain power. UNOSOM II tried to reconcile the country and build a democratic state creating a secure environment.This organization was met with heavy opposition led by Mohammed Farrah Aidid and his faction. Several bombing occurred and soon war was inevitable. On October 3, 1993 the US led an operation intending to capture Aidid's foreign minister Omar Salad Elmi and his top political advisor, Mohamed Hassan Awale. This battle is commonly known as Black Hawk Down where two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down and many US lives were lost. That day was a true battle; 1500 somalian militia men were estimated to have been killed.On October 6, 1993 President Bill Clinton directed the Acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral David E. Jeremiah, to stop all actions by U. S. forces against Aidid except those required in self-defense. The White House stated that all U. S. troops would be completely out of Somalia by March 31, 1994. Impact of the Soviet Union Collapse During the Cold War, Somalia was used as a pawn by world superpowers, since whoever had control of Somalia had access to oil due to its location in Western Africa.After the Soviet Union collapsed, the U. S. had no interest in Somalia, resulting in U. S. support and foreign aid leaving the country. Somalia was left in a vulnerable state and was unable to create a stable political system. Somalia eventually collapsed due to a lack of infrastructure. Works Sited â€Å"Battle of Mogadishu (1993). †Ã‚  Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Sept. 2012. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. ;http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Battle_of_Mogadishu_(1993);.

Huntsville Project

Karen Brown PROJ586 Huntsville Project November Term Week Three Question #1 Estimated Completion Time of Project According to the requirements that we have set for this project we will not be able to complete it by the expected date of November 2013. With the amount of resources that we need to complete the project our new projected end date is January 30, 2014. There are a few options that we can take to reduce the amount of time needed to complete this project by the proposed date of November 2013. Proposed Changes to ScheduleWe can expedite the project by reducing the amount of time we have slated for some of our larger tasks. By recalculating and essentially shortening the schedule we can decrease our project by 10%. â€Å"A change in the estimated duration of any activity on that path will cause a corresponding change in the slack for that path. † (Gido and Clements 167). Currently we have several tasks that we can reduce time: * Recruiting & Training Managers 6 weeks (CP ) * Creating Building Design 6 weeks (CP) * Building Construction 40 weeks (CP) Procuring Equipment 24 weeks * Procuring Truck Fleet 8 weeks (CP) Of the five tasks identified, four of these tasks are along our critical path and attribute to 60 weeks or a little more than a year. If we were able to reduce tasks along the critical path by 30% it would provide us an extra 18 weeks or four-and-a-half months to complete the schedule. According to our current schedule we are exceeding our schedule by two-and-a-half months. I am proposing that we reduce all of the aforementioned items by a total of 0% will save us two-and-a-half months on our schedule and should provide adequate time to complete the project in the specified time. Proposed Weekly Allotments * Recruiting & Training Managers 5 weeks (CP) * Creating Building Design 5 weeks (CP) * Building Construction 36 weeks (CP) * Procuring Equipment 21 weeks * Procuring Truck Fleet 7 weeks (CP) Reallocating Resources In order to reduce the amount of time we have for each project, we will also need to change how we currently have our resources allocated.The largest impacts we potentially face are hiring additional staff increasing our costs and scope. In order to complete the building construction in 36 weeks, we will need to hire additional construction workers through our general contractor. The other tasks will require looking at the task leads and reallocating their percentage of responsibility and possibly moving someone to from task to another to complete on time. Question #2 After reviewing the Allocated Resources Reported we are currently over allocated in the beginning phases of the project.The Facility Specialist is has about 110% of responsibilities in the first week of the project. There are a couple of options that we have available to combat this problem. Reassigning Tasks This can be resolved by having the Project Management in a more active role selecting an architect. By increasing the Project Manager s workload to 10% it allows for us to reduce the Facility Specialist load to 50%, leaving him at 100% for the first couple of weeks of the project. Resource Leveling Another approach that we can take to rectify our over allocation is to level the project.Leveling the projects that are over allocated will result in one project being placed on hold until another project is complete (Gido and Clements 234). The task that is over allocated, selecting an architect, has no successors so it will not directly affect any of the other tasks in the Work Breakdown Structure. Resource-Limited Scheduling This option will allow for us to create a new truncated schedule that equally matches our staffing capacities. Instead of spending two weeks to look for an architect we can shorten that timeframe to one week. That additional week will allow for staff to spend time on their other assignments.All of these tasks have a positive slack, meaning they have some time to be completed because they are not along critical paths, and should not change the date in which the project will be completed. Of the three options that are available, Resource Leveling will be the most efficient to achieving our goals an d having the right amount of expertise involved in the project. References Gido, J. & Clements, P. (2011). Successful Project Management, Fifth Edition. South-Western College Pub. , 2011. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), Fourth Edition. Pennsylvania: Project Management Institute, 2008