America's Most Reputable Companies: The Rankings - Forbes.com
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This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Living Like Every Day Isn’t the Last
MRINetwork First Friday Preview
May 2009
Volume 3 Issue 5
UNITED STATES
Living Like Every Day Isn’t the Last
Over the last two months, a steady flow of new reports has pointed to improved conditions in the U.S. economy. Consumer confidence is growing, home sales are showing life, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is more than 20 percent off its bottom. Many of the banks that were banging on the door of the Federal Reserve for the last year asking for money now want to give it back. In the first quarter, Ford lost less than projected, and burned far less cash than expected too, giving a breath of hope to the auto industry. Around the world, countries are looking hopefully at the winds of change in the United States as a promising sign for their own futures.>
Is it time to break out the champagne? Maybe, but not the vintage stuff. >
“What employers should take from the last two months is that this is not the Great Depression,” says Tony McKinnon, president of MRINetwork. “A lot of people on Wall Street had started to think that the end was near and were acting accordingly. Sometime in early March though, traders realized that while we are in a deep recession, it wasn't going to be the new Great Depression. Now, employers are going to have to go through that same change in thinking.” >
In the labor market, unemployment claims dropped sharply in the second week of April, yet the economy is still far from adding jobs and the unemployment rate likely won’t begin to fall before the end of the year. Adding more pressure, as was pointed out by the Federal Reserve in April’s Beige Book, “many 2008 college graduates are still looking for jobs, with 2009 graduates now just entering the market.” >
The professional and managerial unemployment rate now stands at 4.2 percent; twice what it was a year ago, and higher than it has been in at least a decade. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t break the professional and managerial rate down by age group, the total age-based statistics suggest that much of that increase is likely coming from college graduates, not a glut of older experienced workers. >
The unemployment rate of college graduate-aged Americans—those between 20 and 25 years old—reached 14 percent in March, almost twice the 7.6 percent rate for 25 to 54 year-olds. >
“There is little doubt that on the way down employers were over-cutting and letting good, experienced people go while trying to right their ships,” says McKinnon. “Now as they are starting to hire again a lot of companies are going to find that the quality people they let go didn't stay on the market as long as they would have thought. >
“This is the fundamental challenge of workforce management in preparing for an upswing. Sure your business is still in flux, you don’t know if you’ve hit the bottom or not,” continues McKinnon, “but if you flinch, if you decided to put off hiring too long, you'll see the advantage switching back from employers to the candidates.”Showing how early experienced talent starts to leave the market, in 1992, unemployment for workers between 45 and 54 years old peaked a month before the general unemployment numbers. In 2003, the same age group’s unemployment rate peaked three months before the general population.
Provided by MRINetwork www.MRINetwork.com Edited by Sean Muir (212) 687-8999 smuir@KitchenPR.com
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
May 2009
Volume 3 Issue 5
UNITED STATES
Living Like Every Day Isn’t the Last
Over the last two months, a steady flow of new reports has pointed to improved conditions in the U.S. economy. Consumer confidence is growing, home sales are showing life, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is more than 20 percent off its bottom. Many of the banks that were banging on the door of the Federal Reserve for the last year asking for money now want to give it back. In the first quarter, Ford lost less than projected, and burned far less cash than expected too, giving a breath of hope to the auto industry. Around the world, countries are looking hopefully at the winds of change in the United States as a promising sign for their own futures.>
Is it time to break out the champagne? Maybe, but not the vintage stuff. >
“What employers should take from the last two months is that this is not the Great Depression,” says Tony McKinnon, president of MRINetwork. “A lot of people on Wall Street had started to think that the end was near and were acting accordingly. Sometime in early March though, traders realized that while we are in a deep recession, it wasn't going to be the new Great Depression. Now, employers are going to have to go through that same change in thinking.” >
In the labor market, unemployment claims dropped sharply in the second week of April, yet the economy is still far from adding jobs and the unemployment rate likely won’t begin to fall before the end of the year. Adding more pressure, as was pointed out by the Federal Reserve in April’s Beige Book, “many 2008 college graduates are still looking for jobs, with 2009 graduates now just entering the market.” >
The professional and managerial unemployment rate now stands at 4.2 percent; twice what it was a year ago, and higher than it has been in at least a decade. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t break the professional and managerial rate down by age group, the total age-based statistics suggest that much of that increase is likely coming from college graduates, not a glut of older experienced workers. >
The unemployment rate of college graduate-aged Americans—those between 20 and 25 years old—reached 14 percent in March, almost twice the 7.6 percent rate for 25 to 54 year-olds. >
“There is little doubt that on the way down employers were over-cutting and letting good, experienced people go while trying to right their ships,” says McKinnon. “Now as they are starting to hire again a lot of companies are going to find that the quality people they let go didn't stay on the market as long as they would have thought. >
“This is the fundamental challenge of workforce management in preparing for an upswing. Sure your business is still in flux, you don’t know if you’ve hit the bottom or not,” continues McKinnon, “but if you flinch, if you decided to put off hiring too long, you'll see the advantage switching back from employers to the candidates.”Showing how early experienced talent starts to leave the market, in 1992, unemployment for workers between 45 and 54 years old peaked a month before the general unemployment numbers. In 2003, the same age group’s unemployment rate peaked three months before the general population.
Provided by MRINetwork www.MRINetwork.com Edited by Sean Muir (212) 687-8999 smuir@KitchenPR.com
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
The Power Of Mistakes
Leadership Wired
Mistakes:
"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one."~ Elbert Hubbard
"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."~ George Bernard Shaw
"A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery."~ James Joyce
"If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down."~ Mary Pickford
Leadership Wired is available via email on a free subscription basis. You can subscribe by clicking here. Questions about document transmission or editorial comments should be directed to feedback@giantimpact.com.
Content from Leadership Wired may be used, but must be accompanied by the following credit line in its entirety:
"This article is used by permission from Leadership Wired, GiANT Impact's premiere leadership newsletter, available for free subscription at www.giantimpact.com."
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Mistakes:
"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one."~ Elbert Hubbard
"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."~ George Bernard Shaw
"A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery."~ James Joyce
"If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down."~ Mary Pickford
Leadership Wired is available via email on a free subscription basis. You can subscribe by clicking here. Questions about document transmission or editorial comments should be directed to feedback@giantimpact.com.
Content from Leadership Wired may be used, but must be accompanied by the following credit line in its entirety:
"This article is used by permission from Leadership Wired, GiANT Impact's premiere leadership newsletter, available for free subscription at www.giantimpact.com."
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Failing Forward | GiANT Impact
Failing Forward GiANT Impact
Failing Forward
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
Vincent Van Gogh failed as an art dealer, flunked his entrance exam to theology school, and was fired by the church after an ill-fated attempt at missionary work. In fact, during his life, he seldom experienced anything other than failure as an artist. Although a single painting by Van Gogh would fetch in excess of $100 million today, in his lifetime Van Gogh sold only one painting, four months prior to his death.>
Before developing his theory of relativity, Albert Einstein encountered academic failure. One headmaster expelled Einstein from school and another teacher predicted that he would never amount to anything. Einstein even failed his entrance exam into college.>
Prior to dazzling the world with his athletic skill, Michael Jordan was cut from his sophomore basketball team. Even though he captured six championships, during his professional career, Jordan missed over 12,000 shots, lost nearly 400 games, and failed to make more than 25 would-be game-winning baskets.>
Failure didn't stop Vincent Van Gogh from painting, Albert Einstein from theorizing, or Michael Jordan from playing basketball, but it has paralyzed countless leaders and prevented them from reaching their potential.>
At some point, all great achievers are tempted to believe they are failures. But in spite of that, they persevere. In the face of adversity, shortcomings, and rejection, they hold onto self-belief and refuse to see themselves as failures. Here are seven abilities of achievers that enable them to rebound from failure and keep moving forward.>
Seven Principles for Failing Forward>
Reject Rejection>
Achievers who persevere do not base their self-worth on their performance. On the contrary, they have a healthy self-image that's not dictated by external events. When they fall short, rather than labeling themselves a failure, they learn from mistakes in their judgment or behavior.>
Don't Point Fingers>
When people fail, they're often tempted to blame others for their lack of success. By pointing fingers, they sink into a victim mentality and cede their fate to outsiders. When playing the blame game, people rob themselves of learning from their failures and alienate others by refusing to take responsibility for mistakes.>
See Failure as Temporary>
People who personalize failure see a problem as a hole they're permanently stuck in, whereas achievers see any predicament as temporary. One mindset wallows in failure, the other looks forward to success. By putting mistakes into perspective, achievers are able to see failure as a momentary event, not a symptom of a lifelong epidemic.>
Set Realistic Expectations>
Unrealistic goals doom people to failure. For instance, if a person hasn't exercised for five years, then making it to a gym twice a week may be a better goal than running in next month's marathon. Also, some people insensibly expect to be perfect. Everyone fails, so expect setbacks and emotionally prepare to deal with them.>
Focus on Strengths>
Don't invest time shoring up non-character flaws at the exclusion of investing in your strengths. People operating from a position of strength enjoy a far lower rate of failure than those laboring in areas of weakness. You're built to give your talents to the world; be diligent about finding expressions for them in your career.>
Vary Approaches to Achievement>
In the Psychology of Achievement, Brian Tracy writes about four millionaires who made their fortunes by age 35. On average, these achievers were involved in 17 businesses before they finding the one that took them to the top. They kept trying and changing until they found something that worked.>
Bounce Back>
Rehashing missteps and blunders for too long sabotages concentration and eats away at self-confidence. When dealing with failure, achievers have short memories. They quickly forget the negative emotions of setbacks and press forward resiliently. While taking pause to learn from failures, achievers realize that the past cannot be altered.>
Summary>I
believe it's nearly impossible for any person to believe he or she is a failure and move forward at the same time. For those who have been downsized, let go, or bankrupted, the temptation may be to internalize failure. My hope is that anyone who has suffered setbacks recently will be able to separate life's unfortunate events from their self-worth. Failure, like death and taxes, will happen. Your response to failure holds the key to your future.>
About>
John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies.
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Failing Forward
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
Vincent Van Gogh failed as an art dealer, flunked his entrance exam to theology school, and was fired by the church after an ill-fated attempt at missionary work. In fact, during his life, he seldom experienced anything other than failure as an artist. Although a single painting by Van Gogh would fetch in excess of $100 million today, in his lifetime Van Gogh sold only one painting, four months prior to his death.>
Before developing his theory of relativity, Albert Einstein encountered academic failure. One headmaster expelled Einstein from school and another teacher predicted that he would never amount to anything. Einstein even failed his entrance exam into college.>
Prior to dazzling the world with his athletic skill, Michael Jordan was cut from his sophomore basketball team. Even though he captured six championships, during his professional career, Jordan missed over 12,000 shots, lost nearly 400 games, and failed to make more than 25 would-be game-winning baskets.>
Failure didn't stop Vincent Van Gogh from painting, Albert Einstein from theorizing, or Michael Jordan from playing basketball, but it has paralyzed countless leaders and prevented them from reaching their potential.>
At some point, all great achievers are tempted to believe they are failures. But in spite of that, they persevere. In the face of adversity, shortcomings, and rejection, they hold onto self-belief and refuse to see themselves as failures. Here are seven abilities of achievers that enable them to rebound from failure and keep moving forward.>
Seven Principles for Failing Forward>
Reject Rejection>
Achievers who persevere do not base their self-worth on their performance. On the contrary, they have a healthy self-image that's not dictated by external events. When they fall short, rather than labeling themselves a failure, they learn from mistakes in their judgment or behavior.>
Don't Point Fingers>
When people fail, they're often tempted to blame others for their lack of success. By pointing fingers, they sink into a victim mentality and cede their fate to outsiders. When playing the blame game, people rob themselves of learning from their failures and alienate others by refusing to take responsibility for mistakes.>
See Failure as Temporary>
People who personalize failure see a problem as a hole they're permanently stuck in, whereas achievers see any predicament as temporary. One mindset wallows in failure, the other looks forward to success. By putting mistakes into perspective, achievers are able to see failure as a momentary event, not a symptom of a lifelong epidemic.>
Set Realistic Expectations>
Unrealistic goals doom people to failure. For instance, if a person hasn't exercised for five years, then making it to a gym twice a week may be a better goal than running in next month's marathon. Also, some people insensibly expect to be perfect. Everyone fails, so expect setbacks and emotionally prepare to deal with them.>
Focus on Strengths>
Don't invest time shoring up non-character flaws at the exclusion of investing in your strengths. People operating from a position of strength enjoy a far lower rate of failure than those laboring in areas of weakness. You're built to give your talents to the world; be diligent about finding expressions for them in your career.>
Vary Approaches to Achievement>
In the Psychology of Achievement, Brian Tracy writes about four millionaires who made their fortunes by age 35. On average, these achievers were involved in 17 businesses before they finding the one that took them to the top. They kept trying and changing until they found something that worked.>
Bounce Back>
Rehashing missteps and blunders for too long sabotages concentration and eats away at self-confidence. When dealing with failure, achievers have short memories. They quickly forget the negative emotions of setbacks and press forward resiliently. While taking pause to learn from failures, achievers realize that the past cannot be altered.>
Summary>I
believe it's nearly impossible for any person to believe he or she is a failure and move forward at the same time. For those who have been downsized, let go, or bankrupted, the temptation may be to internalize failure. My hope is that anyone who has suffered setbacks recently will be able to separate life's unfortunate events from their self-worth. Failure, like death and taxes, will happen. Your response to failure holds the key to your future.>
About>
John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies.
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
What Is Self Esteem? Can On Have Too Much? NASE - National Association for Self Esteem
NASE - National Association for Self Esteem
What Is Self-Esteem?
THE TRUE MEANING OF SELF-ESTEEM
by Robert Reasoner
Excerpts:
Educators, parents, business and government leaders agree that we need to develop individuals with healthy or high self-esteem characterized by tolerance and respect for others, individuals who accept responsibility for their actions, have integrity, take pride in their accomplishments, who are self-motivated, willing to take risks, capable of handling criticism, loving and lovable, seek the challenge and stimulation of worthwhile and demanding goals, and take command and control of their lives. In other words, we need to help foster the development of people who have healthy or authentic self-esteem because they trust their own being to be life affirming, constructive, responsible and trustworthy.
Unfortunately, efforts to convey the significance and critical nature of self-esteem have been hampered by misconceptions and confusion over what is meant by the term ?self-esteem.? Some have referred to self-esteem as merely ?feeling good? or having positive feelings about oneself. Others have gone so far as to equate self-esteem with egotism, arrogance, conceit, narcissism, a sense of superiority, a trait leading to violence. Such characteristics cannot be attributed to authentic, healthy self-esteem, because they are actually defensive reactions to the lack of authentic self-esteem, which is sometimes referred to as ?pseudo self-esteem.?
Individuals with defensive or low self-esteem typically focus on trying to prove themselves or impress others. They tend to use others for their own gain. Some act with arrogance and contempt towards others. They generally lack confidence in themselves ,often have doubts about their worth and acceptability, and hence are reluctant to take risks or expose themselves to failure. They frequently blame others for their shortcomings rather than take responsibility for their actions.
There is, however, general agreement that the term self-esteem includes cognitive, affective, and behavioral elements. It is cognitive as one consciously thinks about oneself as one considers the discrepancy between ones ideal self, the person one wishes to be, and the perceived self or the realistic appraisal of how one sees oneself. The affective element refers to the feelings or emotions that one has when considering that discrepancy. The behavioral aspects of self-esteem are manifested in such behaviors as assertiveness, resilience, being decisive and respectful of others. Thus, self-esteem is difficult to define because of these multiple dimensions. In addition, although self-esteem is generally stable, it can fluctuate from time to time, a phenomenon which is referred to as global versus situational self-esteem, and which can make measuring or researching self-esteem very difficult.
This concept of self-esteem is founded on the premise that it is strongly connected to a sense of competence and worthiness and the relationship between the two as one lives life. The worthiness component of self-esteem is often misunderstood as simply feeling good about oneself, when it actually is tied to whether or not a person lives up to certain fundamental human values, such as finding meanings that foster human growth and making commitments to them in a way that leads to a sense of integrity and satisfaction. A sense of competence is having the conviction that one is generally capable of producing desired results, having confidence in the efficacy of our mind and our ability to think, as well as to make appropriate choices and decisions. Worthiness might be considered the psychological aspect of self-esteem, while competence might be considered the behavioral or sociological aspect of self-esteem. Self-esteem stems from the experience of living consciously and might be viewed as a person?s overall judgment of himself or herself pertaining to self-competence and self-worth based on reality.
Is it possible to have too much self-esteem? We don?t believe that it is possible to have too much true self-esteem, for having high self-esteem is equivalent to having good health. However, it is certainly possible for individuals to have an over-inflated sense of either worth or competence. Our objective is to develop individuals with high self-esteem that is well grounded in reality and balanced between an equal sense of worth and competence-- individuals who exhibit those qualities agreed upon by educators, parents, business and government leaders as essential to effective functioning in these changing times.
Read full article: http://www.self-esteem-nase.org/what.php
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
What Is Self-Esteem?
THE TRUE MEANING OF SELF-ESTEEM
by Robert Reasoner
Excerpts:
Educators, parents, business and government leaders agree that we need to develop individuals with healthy or high self-esteem characterized by tolerance and respect for others, individuals who accept responsibility for their actions, have integrity, take pride in their accomplishments, who are self-motivated, willing to take risks, capable of handling criticism, loving and lovable, seek the challenge and stimulation of worthwhile and demanding goals, and take command and control of their lives. In other words, we need to help foster the development of people who have healthy or authentic self-esteem because they trust their own being to be life affirming, constructive, responsible and trustworthy.
Unfortunately, efforts to convey the significance and critical nature of self-esteem have been hampered by misconceptions and confusion over what is meant by the term ?self-esteem.? Some have referred to self-esteem as merely ?feeling good? or having positive feelings about oneself. Others have gone so far as to equate self-esteem with egotism, arrogance, conceit, narcissism, a sense of superiority, a trait leading to violence. Such characteristics cannot be attributed to authentic, healthy self-esteem, because they are actually defensive reactions to the lack of authentic self-esteem, which is sometimes referred to as ?pseudo self-esteem.?
Individuals with defensive or low self-esteem typically focus on trying to prove themselves or impress others. They tend to use others for their own gain. Some act with arrogance and contempt towards others. They generally lack confidence in themselves ,often have doubts about their worth and acceptability, and hence are reluctant to take risks or expose themselves to failure. They frequently blame others for their shortcomings rather than take responsibility for their actions.
There is, however, general agreement that the term self-esteem includes cognitive, affective, and behavioral elements. It is cognitive as one consciously thinks about oneself as one considers the discrepancy between ones ideal self, the person one wishes to be, and the perceived self or the realistic appraisal of how one sees oneself. The affective element refers to the feelings or emotions that one has when considering that discrepancy. The behavioral aspects of self-esteem are manifested in such behaviors as assertiveness, resilience, being decisive and respectful of others. Thus, self-esteem is difficult to define because of these multiple dimensions. In addition, although self-esteem is generally stable, it can fluctuate from time to time, a phenomenon which is referred to as global versus situational self-esteem, and which can make measuring or researching self-esteem very difficult.
This concept of self-esteem is founded on the premise that it is strongly connected to a sense of competence and worthiness and the relationship between the two as one lives life. The worthiness component of self-esteem is often misunderstood as simply feeling good about oneself, when it actually is tied to whether or not a person lives up to certain fundamental human values, such as finding meanings that foster human growth and making commitments to them in a way that leads to a sense of integrity and satisfaction. A sense of competence is having the conviction that one is generally capable of producing desired results, having confidence in the efficacy of our mind and our ability to think, as well as to make appropriate choices and decisions. Worthiness might be considered the psychological aspect of self-esteem, while competence might be considered the behavioral or sociological aspect of self-esteem. Self-esteem stems from the experience of living consciously and might be viewed as a person?s overall judgment of himself or herself pertaining to self-competence and self-worth based on reality.
Is it possible to have too much self-esteem? We don?t believe that it is possible to have too much true self-esteem, for having high self-esteem is equivalent to having good health. However, it is certainly possible for individuals to have an over-inflated sense of either worth or competence. Our objective is to develop individuals with high self-esteem that is well grounded in reality and balanced between an equal sense of worth and competence-- individuals who exhibit those qualities agreed upon by educators, parents, business and government leaders as essential to effective functioning in these changing times.
Read full article: http://www.self-esteem-nase.org/what.php
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
10 Secrets to Finding Happiness During the Recession - US News and World Report
10 Secrets to Finding Happiness During the Recession - US News and World Report
US News and World Reports
10 Secrets to Finding Happiness During the Recession
Research has pinpointed ways to feel good even in the worst of times
By Deborah Kotz
Posted April 22, 2009
Note from Jim: A must read article regardless of the state of the economy
Excerpts:
How can we truly feel happy right now, in this moment when our 401(k)'s and house values are tanking? When our jobs are threatened or already lost?
U.S. News posed this question to leading happiness researchers to find out what tools we can employ to stay upbeat in gloomy days. While it's true that some lucky folks are born with sunny dispositions, others, according to the latest studies, can learn to be happy. How?
"We need to move away from the concept of trying to fill our days with frequent pleasurable moments and fewer negative moments," explains Todd Kashdan, a professor of positive psychology at George Mason University and author of Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life. "What truly provides satisfaction is having a meaning and purpose in life, which is doubly important in the midst of this current economic nightmare."
Ten other secrets:
1. Spend $20 on an experience rather than an item.
2. Pursue meaningful life goals.
3. Be open and receptive to what's happening right now, in the moment.
4. Nurture meaningful relationships.
5. Recognize your strengths.
6. Count your blessings.
7. Keep an optimism journal.
8. Seek advice from your neighbor.
9. Get out and sweat.
10. Do unto others.
Read full article: http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2009/04/22/10-secrets-to-finding-happiness-during-the-recession.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
US News and World Reports
10 Secrets to Finding Happiness During the Recession
Research has pinpointed ways to feel good even in the worst of times
By Deborah Kotz
Posted April 22, 2009
Note from Jim: A must read article regardless of the state of the economy
Excerpts:
How can we truly feel happy right now, in this moment when our 401(k)'s and house values are tanking? When our jobs are threatened or already lost?
U.S. News posed this question to leading happiness researchers to find out what tools we can employ to stay upbeat in gloomy days. While it's true that some lucky folks are born with sunny dispositions, others, according to the latest studies, can learn to be happy. How?
"We need to move away from the concept of trying to fill our days with frequent pleasurable moments and fewer negative moments," explains Todd Kashdan, a professor of positive psychology at George Mason University and author of Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life. "What truly provides satisfaction is having a meaning and purpose in life, which is doubly important in the midst of this current economic nightmare."
Ten other secrets:
1. Spend $20 on an experience rather than an item.
2. Pursue meaningful life goals.
3. Be open and receptive to what's happening right now, in the moment.
4. Nurture meaningful relationships.
5. Recognize your strengths.
6. Count your blessings.
7. Keep an optimism journal.
8. Seek advice from your neighbor.
9. Get out and sweat.
10. Do unto others.
Read full article: http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2009/04/22/10-secrets-to-finding-happiness-during-the-recession.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Insurance Industry Layoffs Elevate Operational Risk - 4/23/2009 - insurancenewsnet.com
Insurance Industry Layoffs Elevate Operational Risk - 4/23/2009 - insurancenewsnet.com
Read Full Article: http://www.insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?a=top_news&neid=LxR-Wg1ziba1xsn9PKAmG7Azsuj-0aQGHLMhfPpPJ12UueqfMRdklCaL9i3P7oac
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Read Full Article: http://www.insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?a=top_news&neid=LxR-Wg1ziba1xsn9PKAmG7Azsuj-0aQGHLMhfPpPJ12UueqfMRdklCaL9i3P7oac
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Leaders: Frame Your Messages for Maximum Impact - Management Essentials - HarvardBusiness.org
Leaders: Frame Your Messages for Maximum Impact - Management Essentials - HarvardBusiness.org
Leaders: Frame Your Messages for Maximum Impact
8:12 PM Monday April 20, 2009 by Melissa RaffoniHarvardBusiness.org>
Excerpts:>
A manager's job is, quite simply, to motivate people toward achieving a common goal. Succeeding at this job requires an array of communication skills, ranging from delivering a prepared talk to helping team members negotiate the best way to move ahead on a project. No communication skill, however, is more critical to the manager than the ability to frame an issue effectively.>
What exactly does it mean to "frame" or "reframe" an issue? Think about the metaphor behind the concept. A frame focuses attention on the painting it surrounds. Different frames draw out different aspects of the work. Putting a painting in a red frame brings out the red in the work; putting the same painting in a blue frame brings out the blue. How someone frames an issue influences how others see it and focuses their attention on particular aspects of it. Framing is the essence of targeting a communication to a specific audience. >
In their book, Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence (Harvard Business School Press, 2002), Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee state that the best leaders act according to one or more of six distinct approaches to leadership: visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pace-setting, and commanding. Their research found that the leaders who achieve the best results practice more than one style on any given day, depending on business needs. >
Skillful framing shapes a manager's communication to reflect the leadership style he needs for a particular situation. Strong leaders are cognizant of the role they want to play at any given time and frame their communications accordingly.>
Consider the following situation: A team is frustrated with the performance of a newly launched product and wants to discontinue it. The manager can help the team in a variety of ways. He can decide that his purpose is to lift morale and convince the team to stay the course. By framing a discussion around the mission of the company and how this product is critical in achieving it, he assumes a visionary role. Or, he might choose to drive the team to come together to brainstorm ways to improve the product, acting as a coach. >
Effective framing can be learned and strengthened with discipline and effort. The real challenge is when you are faced with the unexpected, such as new information or an unforeseen question. Keep your purpose and your audience foremost in mind so you can thoughtfully frame a response that furthers your goals — and strengthens your leadership.>
Read full article: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/hmu/2009/04/leaders-frame-your-messages-fo.php
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Leaders: Frame Your Messages for Maximum Impact
8:12 PM Monday April 20, 2009 by Melissa RaffoniHarvardBusiness.org>
Excerpts:>
A manager's job is, quite simply, to motivate people toward achieving a common goal. Succeeding at this job requires an array of communication skills, ranging from delivering a prepared talk to helping team members negotiate the best way to move ahead on a project. No communication skill, however, is more critical to the manager than the ability to frame an issue effectively.>
What exactly does it mean to "frame" or "reframe" an issue? Think about the metaphor behind the concept. A frame focuses attention on the painting it surrounds. Different frames draw out different aspects of the work. Putting a painting in a red frame brings out the red in the work; putting the same painting in a blue frame brings out the blue. How someone frames an issue influences how others see it and focuses their attention on particular aspects of it. Framing is the essence of targeting a communication to a specific audience. >
In their book, Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence (Harvard Business School Press, 2002), Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee state that the best leaders act according to one or more of six distinct approaches to leadership: visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pace-setting, and commanding. Their research found that the leaders who achieve the best results practice more than one style on any given day, depending on business needs. >
Skillful framing shapes a manager's communication to reflect the leadership style he needs for a particular situation. Strong leaders are cognizant of the role they want to play at any given time and frame their communications accordingly.>
Consider the following situation: A team is frustrated with the performance of a newly launched product and wants to discontinue it. The manager can help the team in a variety of ways. He can decide that his purpose is to lift morale and convince the team to stay the course. By framing a discussion around the mission of the company and how this product is critical in achieving it, he assumes a visionary role. Or, he might choose to drive the team to come together to brainstorm ways to improve the product, acting as a coach. >
Effective framing can be learned and strengthened with discipline and effort. The real challenge is when you are faced with the unexpected, such as new information or an unforeseen question. Keep your purpose and your audience foremost in mind so you can thoughtfully frame a response that furthers your goals — and strengthens your leadership.>
Read full article: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/hmu/2009/04/leaders-frame-your-messages-fo.php
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Influence: Connecting with People | GiANT Impact
Influence: Connecting with People GiANT Impact
Influence: Connecting with People
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
Excerpts:
As a train's source of energy and direction, the locomotive plays a vital role. However, unless a locomotive connects to other cars on the track, it is relatively useless. A train's value comes from its ability to transport massive amounts of cargo, and doing so requires the locomotive to link up with dozens of freight cars. Traveling by itself, a locomotive would arrive at its destination empty-handed. In that case, its journey would be nothing more than a waste of fuel.
Leaders are like locomotives in that they're blessed with drive, energy, and vision. However, until leaders learn the art of connection, their influence remains minimal. In isolation, their talents accomplish little, and their efforts are squandered.
Let's look at practical ways whereby leaders can make meaningful connections with others.
8 Steps for Connecting with People
Read Full Article: http://www.giantimpact.com/articles/read/article_influence_connecting_with_people/?utm_source=leadershipwired&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=lw-20090421
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Influence: Connecting with People
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
Excerpts:
As a train's source of energy and direction, the locomotive plays a vital role. However, unless a locomotive connects to other cars on the track, it is relatively useless. A train's value comes from its ability to transport massive amounts of cargo, and doing so requires the locomotive to link up with dozens of freight cars. Traveling by itself, a locomotive would arrive at its destination empty-handed. In that case, its journey would be nothing more than a waste of fuel.
Leaders are like locomotives in that they're blessed with drive, energy, and vision. However, until leaders learn the art of connection, their influence remains minimal. In isolation, their talents accomplish little, and their efforts are squandered.
Let's look at practical ways whereby leaders can make meaningful connections with others.
8 Steps for Connecting with People
Read Full Article: http://www.giantimpact.com/articles/read/article_influence_connecting_with_people/?utm_source=leadershipwired&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=lw-20090421
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Mass Staff Cuts Don't Slam the Brakes on New Hires | workforce.com
Mass Staff Cuts Don't Slam the Brakes on New Hires workforce.com
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Increasing emotional intelligence, decreasing procrastination | Psychology Today Blogs
Increasing emotional intelligence, decreasing procrastination Psychology Today Blogs
By Timothy A. Pychyl, Ph.D. on April 14, 2009 - 7:04am in Don't Delay
Excerpts
A study published this month demonstrated that a 4-week program increased emotion identification and management. Our most recent research revealed a strong negative relation between emotional intelligence and procrastination. This may be a new avenue for procrastination intervention.
Implications and concluding thoughtsI believe that procrastination, the needless and irrational delay of an intended action, is primarily a result of poor emotional regulation abilities. This relation is reflected in Eric's data. The most recent study summarized above is very promising in terms of a technique that might help to reduce procrastination. To the extent that we can raise an individual's EI, we may also help him or her reduce procrastination. Of course, this all awaits further research, which Eric is well prepared to conduct. In the meantime, I would focus on EI intervention as a good place to start if procrastination is a problem in your own life. A good counseling relationship can enhance our emotional intelligence and our ability to deal effectively with our emotional lives, particularly our ability to regulate emotions so that we don't give in to feel good for short-term gain and long-term pain.
Read full Posting: http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/200904/increasing-emotional-intelligence-decreasing-procrastination
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
By Timothy A. Pychyl, Ph.D. on April 14, 2009 - 7:04am in Don't Delay
Excerpts
A study published this month demonstrated that a 4-week program increased emotion identification and management. Our most recent research revealed a strong negative relation between emotional intelligence and procrastination. This may be a new avenue for procrastination intervention.
Implications and concluding thoughtsI believe that procrastination, the needless and irrational delay of an intended action, is primarily a result of poor emotional regulation abilities. This relation is reflected in Eric's data. The most recent study summarized above is very promising in terms of a technique that might help to reduce procrastination. To the extent that we can raise an individual's EI, we may also help him or her reduce procrastination. Of course, this all awaits further research, which Eric is well prepared to conduct. In the meantime, I would focus on EI intervention as a good place to start if procrastination is a problem in your own life. A good counseling relationship can enhance our emotional intelligence and our ability to deal effectively with our emotional lives, particularly our ability to regulate emotions so that we don't give in to feel good for short-term gain and long-term pain.
Read full Posting: http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/200904/increasing-emotional-intelligence-decreasing-procrastination
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Layoff Binge Spurs Severance-Policy Flux - Careers - CFO.com
Layoff Binge Spurs Severance-Policy Flux - Careers - CFO.com
But many companies are giving more to their ex-workers, not less, a new study shows.
David McCann - CFO.com US
April 10, 2009
Excerpts:
Among 180 companies surveyed by Hay Group, a human-resources consultancy, 15% had altered their severance policies in the year before the survey was conducted, around February 1, and an additional 22% said they are considering making changes.
In the Hay Group survey, the changes are less generous to those employees receiving severance at 61% of the companies that have made or are considering them. The other 39% are offering or contemplating better terms for the ex-workers, so revising the policies is far from an across-the-board cost-cutting strategy.
For companies that are improving the terms, a fairness component may be at work, since laying people off right after diluting severance policies makes for a harsh double whammy. If the motivation isn't fairness, it's probably public relations. "Companies that have the means may be thinking that there are going to be people on the street talking about their separation experience," says McMullen.
The result of all the changes is a more clearly defined set of common market practices, adds McMullen.
Changes may be made to:
- the definition of who is eligible for severance;
- other eligibility requirements, such as length of service;
- the type of payment (salary continuance versus flat-dollar amount);
- whether to include bonuses and incentive awards as compensation for determining payouts;
- whether to continue benefits during the severance period;
- confidentiality, noncompete, or other restrictions imposed on those getting severance;
- the provision of outplacement services; and
- whether to require former employees to forgo severance benefits when they get a new job.
That last consideration is one Wynkoop says many of her clients are now looking at, with more of them opting to stop payments when a position has been secured. (Among the Hay Group survey respondents, 25% have such a policy.) Most companies doing that also don't provide benefits continuation or pay part of the ex-employee's COBRA health-care cost, so people are highly incentivized to find a job, she notes.
An even more recent flurry of changes came about as a result of the economic stimulus package that became law in February, adds Wynkoop. The law provides that the government will pick up 65% of COBRA premiums for up to nine months for employees terminated involuntarily from September 1, 2008, through December 31, 2009. The ex-workers pay the other 35%. But the law stipulates that if the employer had a policy in place to pay, say, half of the COBRA premium, former employees must pay only 35% of the half they would otherwise owe, with the company responsible for making up the difference.
That's why, says Wynkoop, in just the past two months she has seen many companies abolishing COBRA assistance.
Read Full Article: http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/13476553
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
But many companies are giving more to their ex-workers, not less, a new study shows.
David McCann - CFO.com US
April 10, 2009
Excerpts:
Among 180 companies surveyed by Hay Group, a human-resources consultancy, 15% had altered their severance policies in the year before the survey was conducted, around February 1, and an additional 22% said they are considering making changes.
In the Hay Group survey, the changes are less generous to those employees receiving severance at 61% of the companies that have made or are considering them. The other 39% are offering or contemplating better terms for the ex-workers, so revising the policies is far from an across-the-board cost-cutting strategy.
For companies that are improving the terms, a fairness component may be at work, since laying people off right after diluting severance policies makes for a harsh double whammy. If the motivation isn't fairness, it's probably public relations. "Companies that have the means may be thinking that there are going to be people on the street talking about their separation experience," says McMullen.
The result of all the changes is a more clearly defined set of common market practices, adds McMullen.
Changes may be made to:
- the definition of who is eligible for severance;
- other eligibility requirements, such as length of service;
- the type of payment (salary continuance versus flat-dollar amount);
- whether to include bonuses and incentive awards as compensation for determining payouts;
- whether to continue benefits during the severance period;
- confidentiality, noncompete, or other restrictions imposed on those getting severance;
- the provision of outplacement services; and
- whether to require former employees to forgo severance benefits when they get a new job.
That last consideration is one Wynkoop says many of her clients are now looking at, with more of them opting to stop payments when a position has been secured. (Among the Hay Group survey respondents, 25% have such a policy.) Most companies doing that also don't provide benefits continuation or pay part of the ex-employee's COBRA health-care cost, so people are highly incentivized to find a job, she notes.
An even more recent flurry of changes came about as a result of the economic stimulus package that became law in February, adds Wynkoop. The law provides that the government will pick up 65% of COBRA premiums for up to nine months for employees terminated involuntarily from September 1, 2008, through December 31, 2009. The ex-workers pay the other 35%. But the law stipulates that if the employer had a policy in place to pay, say, half of the COBRA premium, former employees must pay only 35% of the half they would otherwise owe, with the company responsible for making up the difference.
That's why, says Wynkoop, in just the past two months she has seen many companies abolishing COBRA assistance.
Read Full Article: http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/13476553
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Affect Of The Number Of Choices On Decisions - Influence and Persuasion Science and Practice
Articles About Influence and Persuasion Science and Practice
Influence At Work
Choices, Choices, Choices………
By Noah Goldstein, Ph.D.
Excerpts:
According to a series of hot-off-the-press studies conducted by researchers Aner Sela, Jonah Berger, and Wendy Liu, one major factor that determines whether people will choose pleasure over practicality is the number of choices that people are offered.
Regular readers of this column will be familiar with this topic; in the past, we’ve pointed to a great deal of research showing that offering too many choices can take away people’s motivation to make any choice at all. But we can’t always choose not to choose, which is why the researchers asked how the number of options influences decision-making when people actually have to make a choice?
Sela, Berger, and Liu argued that the more options a decision-maker has from which to choose, the harder the choice will be; and the harder the choice is, the more people make their decisions based on what choices are easiest to justify. In most cases, the easiest choice to justify is the one that favors function over form, frugality over luxury, and practicality over pleasure.
This research not only has implications for us as consumers, but it also has implications for us as persuaders. Whether it’s a client, a co-worker, a boss, or even a family member that you’re trying to persuade to your line of thinking, it’s important to consider which category your preferred option falls under. If the option you want them to pick is more on the pleasurable/luxurious side, a small number of choices will do. On the other hand, if your preferred option is more on the practical/frugal side, a larger number of choices would be more effective. Although you always want to be sure that the decision-maker has a good understanding of the options, no one ever said you couldn’t take sides with their Devil or their Angel every once in awhile.
Read full article: http://www.insideinfluence.com/article.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Influence At Work
Choices, Choices, Choices………
By Noah Goldstein, Ph.D.
Excerpts:
According to a series of hot-off-the-press studies conducted by researchers Aner Sela, Jonah Berger, and Wendy Liu, one major factor that determines whether people will choose pleasure over practicality is the number of choices that people are offered.
Regular readers of this column will be familiar with this topic; in the past, we’ve pointed to a great deal of research showing that offering too many choices can take away people’s motivation to make any choice at all. But we can’t always choose not to choose, which is why the researchers asked how the number of options influences decision-making when people actually have to make a choice?
Sela, Berger, and Liu argued that the more options a decision-maker has from which to choose, the harder the choice will be; and the harder the choice is, the more people make their decisions based on what choices are easiest to justify. In most cases, the easiest choice to justify is the one that favors function over form, frugality over luxury, and practicality over pleasure.
This research not only has implications for us as consumers, but it also has implications for us as persuaders. Whether it’s a client, a co-worker, a boss, or even a family member that you’re trying to persuade to your line of thinking, it’s important to consider which category your preferred option falls under. If the option you want them to pick is more on the pleasurable/luxurious side, a small number of choices will do. On the other hand, if your preferred option is more on the practical/frugal side, a larger number of choices would be more effective. Although you always want to be sure that the decision-maker has a good understanding of the options, no one ever said you couldn’t take sides with their Devil or their Angel every once in awhile.
Read full article: http://www.insideinfluence.com/article.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
YouTube - Magic Words of Persuasion with Kevin Hogan
YouTube - Magic Words of Persuasion with Kevin Hogan
Video: Magic Words Of Persuation (7), 10 min, 51 seconds
Kevin Hogan, PhD.
Seven Most Influential Words Of Persuation:
- Because
- Now
- Imagine
- Please
- Thank you
- NAME, _______________
- CONTROL WORDS (make people feel in contol)
In charge
In control
See full video
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Video: Magic Words Of Persuation (7), 10 min, 51 seconds
Kevin Hogan, PhD.
Seven Most Influential Words Of Persuation:
- Because
- Now
- Imagine
- Please
- Thank you
- NAME, _______________
- CONTROL WORDS (make people feel in contol)
In charge
In control
See full video
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Nathaniel Branden: Our Urgent Need For Self-Esteem
Nathaniel Branden: Our Urgent Need For Self-Esteem
Our Urgent Need For Self-Esteem
by Nathaniel Branden, Ph.D. (nathaniel@nathanielbranden.com)
(Originally published in Excellence 5/14/94. Reprinted by permission.)
Note from Jim: Folks no matter what position you hold high or low, this article is a MUST READ!
Excerpts:
Of all the judgments we pass in life, none is more important than the judgment we pass on ourselves. That judgment impacts every moment and every aspect of our existence. Our self-evaluation is the basic context in which we act and react, choose our values, set our goals, meet the challenges that confront us. Our responses to events are shaped in part by whom and what we think we are -- our self-esteem.
Self-esteem is the experience of being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness. It consists of two components: 1) self-efficacy -- confidence in our ability to think, learn, choose, and make appropriate decisions; and 2) self-respect -- confidence in our right to be happy; and in the belief that achievement, success, friendship, respect, love and fulfillment are appropriate to us.
High self-esteem seeks the challenge and stimulation of worthwhile and demanding goals. Reaching such goals nurtures good self-esteem. Low self-esteem seeks the safety of the familiar and undemanding. Confining oneself to the familiar and undemanding serves to weaken self-esteem.
The more solid our self-esteem, the better equipped we are to cope with troubles that arise in our careers or in our personal life; the quicker we are to pick ourselves up after a fall; the more energy we have to begin anew. Setbacks will not stop the most self-confident of the women who, in the millions, are now starting their own businesses or otherwise struggling to rise in their professions. Nor will a disappointing marriage or love affair so devastate a confident woman's ego that she will arm herself against intimacy to avoid the possibility of future hurt, at the cost of her vitality.
The higher our self-esteem, the more ambitious we tend to be, not necessarily in a career or financial sense, but in terms of what we hope to experience in life -- emotionally, romantically, intellectually, creatively, and spiritually. The lower our self-esteem, the less we aspire to, and the less we are likely to achieve. Either path tends to be self-reinforcing and self-perpetuating.
The higher our self-esteem, the stronger the drive to express ourselves, reflecting the sense of richness within. The lower our self-esteem, the more urgent the need to "prove" ourselves -- or to forget ourselves by living mechanically.
The higher our self-esteem, the more open, honest, and appropriate our communications are likely to be, because we believe our thoughts have value and therefore we welcome rather than fear the clarity.
The lower our self-esteem, the more muddy, evasive, and inappropriate our communications are likely to be, because of uncertainty about our own thoughts and feelings and anxiety about the listener's response.
The higher our self-esteem, the more disposed we are to form nourishing rather than toxic relationships. Health is attracted to health. Vitality and expansiveness in others are naturally more appealing to persons of good self-esteem than are emptiness and dependency. Self-confident women and men are naturally drawn to one another. Alas, insecure women and men are also drawn to one another, and form destructive relationships.
Six Pillars of Self-Esteem
Over three decades of study and of working with people have persuaded me that there are six pillars on which health self-esteem depends.
1. Living Consciously. To live consciously is to be present to what we are doing; to seek to understand whatever bears on our interests, values, and goals; to be aware both of the world external to self and also to the world within.
2. Self-acceptance. To be self-accepting is to own and experience, without denial or disowning, the reality of our thoughts, emotions and actions; to be respectful and compassionate toward ourselves even when we do not admire or enjoy some of our feelings or decisions; to refuse to be in an adversarial or rejecting relationship to ourselves.
3. Self-responsibility. To be self-responsible is to recognize that we are the author of our choices and actions; that we must be the ultimate source of our own fulfillment; that no one is coming to make our life right for us, or make us happy, or give us self-esteem.
4. Self-assertiveness. To be self-assertive is to honor our wants and needs and look for their appropriate forms of expression in reality; to live our values in the world; to be willing to be who we are and allow others to see it; to stand up for our convictions, values, and feelings.
5. Living Purposefully. To live purposefully is to take responsibility for identifying our goals; to perform the actions that allow us to achieve them; to keep on track and moving toward their fulfillment.
6. Personal integrity. To live with integrity is to have principles of behavior to which we remain loyal in action; to keep our promises and honor our commitments; to walk our talk
Our need for self-esteem has acquired new urgency. It has always been an important psychological need, but today it is also an important economic need -- the attribute imperative for adaptiveness to an increasingly complex, challenging and competitive world.
We now live in a global economy characterized by rapid change, accelerating scientific and technological breakthroughs, and an unprecedented level of competitiveness. These developments create demands or higher levels of education and training. These developments also create new demands on our psychological resources. Specifically, these developments ask for a greater capacity for innovation, self-management, personal responsibility, and self-direction. This is not just asked at the top. It is asked at every level of a business enterprise.
Modern business can't be run by a few people who think and many people who do what they are told (the traditional, military command-and-control model). Today, organizations need not only an unprecedentedly high level of knowledge and skill among all those who participate, but also a higher level of independence, self-reliance, self-trust, and the capacity to exercise initiative -- in a word, self-esteem. Persons with high levels of self-esteem are now needed economically in large numbers. Historically, this is a new phenomenon, and so in a very real sense, self-esteem is an idea whose time has come.
Read full Article: http://www.nathanielbranden.com/ess/ess12.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Our Urgent Need For Self-Esteem
by Nathaniel Branden, Ph.D. (nathaniel@nathanielbranden.com)
(Originally published in Excellence 5/14/94. Reprinted by permission.)
Note from Jim: Folks no matter what position you hold high or low, this article is a MUST READ!
Excerpts:
Of all the judgments we pass in life, none is more important than the judgment we pass on ourselves. That judgment impacts every moment and every aspect of our existence. Our self-evaluation is the basic context in which we act and react, choose our values, set our goals, meet the challenges that confront us. Our responses to events are shaped in part by whom and what we think we are -- our self-esteem.
Self-esteem is the experience of being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness. It consists of two components: 1) self-efficacy -- confidence in our ability to think, learn, choose, and make appropriate decisions; and 2) self-respect -- confidence in our right to be happy; and in the belief that achievement, success, friendship, respect, love and fulfillment are appropriate to us.
High self-esteem seeks the challenge and stimulation of worthwhile and demanding goals. Reaching such goals nurtures good self-esteem. Low self-esteem seeks the safety of the familiar and undemanding. Confining oneself to the familiar and undemanding serves to weaken self-esteem.
The more solid our self-esteem, the better equipped we are to cope with troubles that arise in our careers or in our personal life; the quicker we are to pick ourselves up after a fall; the more energy we have to begin anew. Setbacks will not stop the most self-confident of the women who, in the millions, are now starting their own businesses or otherwise struggling to rise in their professions. Nor will a disappointing marriage or love affair so devastate a confident woman's ego that she will arm herself against intimacy to avoid the possibility of future hurt, at the cost of her vitality.
The higher our self-esteem, the more ambitious we tend to be, not necessarily in a career or financial sense, but in terms of what we hope to experience in life -- emotionally, romantically, intellectually, creatively, and spiritually. The lower our self-esteem, the less we aspire to, and the less we are likely to achieve. Either path tends to be self-reinforcing and self-perpetuating.
The higher our self-esteem, the stronger the drive to express ourselves, reflecting the sense of richness within. The lower our self-esteem, the more urgent the need to "prove" ourselves -- or to forget ourselves by living mechanically.
The higher our self-esteem, the more open, honest, and appropriate our communications are likely to be, because we believe our thoughts have value and therefore we welcome rather than fear the clarity.
The lower our self-esteem, the more muddy, evasive, and inappropriate our communications are likely to be, because of uncertainty about our own thoughts and feelings and anxiety about the listener's response.
The higher our self-esteem, the more disposed we are to form nourishing rather than toxic relationships. Health is attracted to health. Vitality and expansiveness in others are naturally more appealing to persons of good self-esteem than are emptiness and dependency. Self-confident women and men are naturally drawn to one another. Alas, insecure women and men are also drawn to one another, and form destructive relationships.
Six Pillars of Self-Esteem
Over three decades of study and of working with people have persuaded me that there are six pillars on which health self-esteem depends.
1. Living Consciously. To live consciously is to be present to what we are doing; to seek to understand whatever bears on our interests, values, and goals; to be aware both of the world external to self and also to the world within.
2. Self-acceptance. To be self-accepting is to own and experience, without denial or disowning, the reality of our thoughts, emotions and actions; to be respectful and compassionate toward ourselves even when we do not admire or enjoy some of our feelings or decisions; to refuse to be in an adversarial or rejecting relationship to ourselves.
3. Self-responsibility. To be self-responsible is to recognize that we are the author of our choices and actions; that we must be the ultimate source of our own fulfillment; that no one is coming to make our life right for us, or make us happy, or give us self-esteem.
4. Self-assertiveness. To be self-assertive is to honor our wants and needs and look for their appropriate forms of expression in reality; to live our values in the world; to be willing to be who we are and allow others to see it; to stand up for our convictions, values, and feelings.
5. Living Purposefully. To live purposefully is to take responsibility for identifying our goals; to perform the actions that allow us to achieve them; to keep on track and moving toward their fulfillment.
6. Personal integrity. To live with integrity is to have principles of behavior to which we remain loyal in action; to keep our promises and honor our commitments; to walk our talk
Our need for self-esteem has acquired new urgency. It has always been an important psychological need, but today it is also an important economic need -- the attribute imperative for adaptiveness to an increasingly complex, challenging and competitive world.
We now live in a global economy characterized by rapid change, accelerating scientific and technological breakthroughs, and an unprecedented level of competitiveness. These developments create demands or higher levels of education and training. These developments also create new demands on our psychological resources. Specifically, these developments ask for a greater capacity for innovation, self-management, personal responsibility, and self-direction. This is not just asked at the top. It is asked at every level of a business enterprise.
Modern business can't be run by a few people who think and many people who do what they are told (the traditional, military command-and-control model). Today, organizations need not only an unprecedentedly high level of knowledge and skill among all those who participate, but also a higher level of independence, self-reliance, self-trust, and the capacity to exercise initiative -- in a word, self-esteem. Persons with high levels of self-esteem are now needed economically in large numbers. Historically, this is a new phenomenon, and so in a very real sense, self-esteem is an idea whose time has come.
Read full Article: http://www.nathanielbranden.com/ess/ess12.html
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This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Why a Big Meal Makes You Hungry - WSJ.com
Why a Big Meal Makes You Hungry - WSJ.com
Read full article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123966898930315491.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Read full article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123966898930315491.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
When Times Are Tough, It's People Who Make the Difference | workforce.com
When Times Are Tough, It's People Who Make the Difference workforce.com
Workforce Management Online, February 2009
When Times Are Tough, It’s People Who Make the Difference
There’s still a gap between recognizing that it’s folly to ignore people priorities in tough times and actually devoting time to them. In a climate when business leaders face what may seem like an unprecedented number of challenges, people can drop down the list of priorities, leaders’ best intentions notwithstanding. Here’s a list of five critical steps to benefit both the business and the workforce. By Julie Gebauer and Don Lowman
Excerpts:
1 - Lead by example
2 - Think creatively about staffing
3 - Consider opportunities to "upskill" or upgrade talent
4 - Rethink compensation
5 - Stay close to key talent
In our view, it’s impossible to separate people’s actions and performance from the company’s results. After all, financial performance is ultimately the sum total of millions of individual actions taken by employees to move the business forward. Getting employees to take the right actions, with the right degree of energy and skill, is a core part of building a solid financial and operational foundation.
Workforce Management Online, February 2009 --
Read full article: http://www.workforce.com/section/09/feature/26/20/42/index.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Workforce Management Online, February 2009
When Times Are Tough, It’s People Who Make the Difference
There’s still a gap between recognizing that it’s folly to ignore people priorities in tough times and actually devoting time to them. In a climate when business leaders face what may seem like an unprecedented number of challenges, people can drop down the list of priorities, leaders’ best intentions notwithstanding. Here’s a list of five critical steps to benefit both the business and the workforce. By Julie Gebauer and Don Lowman
Excerpts:
1 - Lead by example
2 - Think creatively about staffing
3 - Consider opportunities to "upskill" or upgrade talent
4 - Rethink compensation
5 - Stay close to key talent
In our view, it’s impossible to separate people’s actions and performance from the company’s results. After all, financial performance is ultimately the sum total of millions of individual actions taken by employees to move the business forward. Getting employees to take the right actions, with the right degree of energy and skill, is a core part of building a solid financial and operational foundation.
Workforce Management Online, February 2009 --
Read full article: http://www.workforce.com/section/09/feature/26/20/42/index.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Why we love bad news and how it supports the recession - FP Posted
Why we love bad news and how it supports the recession - FP Posted
Why we love bad news and how it supports the recession
Posted: April 13, 2009, 12:08 PM by Ray Williams
recession, Ray B. Williams, good news, FPCareers Blog, bad news, neuroscience
Excepts:
Is the media negative? Media studies show that bad news far outweighs good news by as much as seventeen negative news reports for every one good news report. Why? The answer may lie in the work of evolutionary psychologists and neuroscientists. Humans seek out news of dramatic, negative events. These experts say that our brains evolved in a hunter-gatherer environment where anything novel or dramatic had to be attended to immediately for survival. So while we no longer defend ourselves against saber-toothed tigers, our brains have not caught up.Many studies have shown that we care more about the threat of bad things than we do about the prospect of good things. Our negative brain tripwires are far more sensitive than our positive triggers. We tend to get more fearful than happy. And each time we experience fear we turn on our stress hormones.
Is there any good news in all this? According to positive psychologists we can change our habits, and we can focus on the glass being half-full. When we acquire new habits, our brains acquire "mirror neurons" and develop a positive perspective that can spread to other people like a virus. This is not about being a Pollyanna or "goody-two-shoes," is about being able to reprogram our brains. To apply this positive psychology and brain research knowledge to our attitudes and behaviors with relation to our current economic conditions, we can encourage our news deliverers to present a balanced and multi-dimensional point of view. Giving us the bad news, so that our brains are hard-wired into a negative state, will just reinforce the current negative economic climate. The best thing individual people can do to help our economy recover, is move toward a more positive, optimistic frame of mind by not seeing and reading negative news about our economy on a frequent basis.
Read full article: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpposted/archive/2009/04/13/why-we-love-bad-news-and-how-it-supports-the-recession.aspx
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Why we love bad news and how it supports the recession
Posted: April 13, 2009, 12:08 PM by Ray Williams
recession, Ray B. Williams, good news, FPCareers Blog, bad news, neuroscience
Excepts:
Is the media negative? Media studies show that bad news far outweighs good news by as much as seventeen negative news reports for every one good news report. Why? The answer may lie in the work of evolutionary psychologists and neuroscientists. Humans seek out news of dramatic, negative events. These experts say that our brains evolved in a hunter-gatherer environment where anything novel or dramatic had to be attended to immediately for survival. So while we no longer defend ourselves against saber-toothed tigers, our brains have not caught up.Many studies have shown that we care more about the threat of bad things than we do about the prospect of good things. Our negative brain tripwires are far more sensitive than our positive triggers. We tend to get more fearful than happy. And each time we experience fear we turn on our stress hormones.
Is there any good news in all this? According to positive psychologists we can change our habits, and we can focus on the glass being half-full. When we acquire new habits, our brains acquire "mirror neurons" and develop a positive perspective that can spread to other people like a virus. This is not about being a Pollyanna or "goody-two-shoes," is about being able to reprogram our brains. To apply this positive psychology and brain research knowledge to our attitudes and behaviors with relation to our current economic conditions, we can encourage our news deliverers to present a balanced and multi-dimensional point of view. Giving us the bad news, so that our brains are hard-wired into a negative state, will just reinforce the current negative economic climate. The best thing individual people can do to help our economy recover, is move toward a more positive, optimistic frame of mind by not seeing and reading negative news about our economy on a frequent basis.
Read full article: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpposted/archive/2009/04/13/why-we-love-bad-news-and-how-it-supports-the-recession.aspx
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This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Monday, April 13, 2009
New Accounting Rules Could Affect Insurers - 4/10/2009 - insurancenewsnet.com
New Accounting Rules Could Affect Insurers - 4/10/2009 - insurancenewsnet.com
Copyright 2009 Crain CommunicationsAll Rights Reserved
Business Insurance April 6, 2009
311 words
New accounting rules could affect insurers
JUDY GREENWALD
Excerpts:
Two new accounting standards approved last week were primarily developed with the banking industry in mind, but could impact insurers as well, observers say.
One new measure approved by the Norwalk, Conn.-based Financial Accounting Standards Board changes mark-to-market accounting under generally accepted accounting principles.
Under the new standard, it will be easier for insurers to avoid ``other than temporary impairment'' charges for securities that have not experienced credit deterioration, which benefits their income statement.
For securities that have experienced credit deterioration, the new standard allows companies to bifurcate ``other than temporary impairment'' charges into the income statement—for the portion of the charge attributable to credit deterioration—and into ``other comprehensive income'' for the portion of the charge attributable to noncredit factors.
This also will help insurers because it means some of the impairment charges no longer will impact the income statement as much as they had previously, said Wallace Enman, vp and senior accounting analyst at Moody's Investors Service in New York.
In addition, under a second provision related to fair market measurement, insurers ``will have more leeway to ignore, or to adjust, transactions that they deem distressed,'' which could result in a higher fair value for securities ``and thereby an increase to equity,'' said Mr. Enman.
Read full article: http://www.insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?a=top_pc&q=0&id=105141
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Copyright 2009 Crain CommunicationsAll Rights Reserved
Business Insurance April 6, 2009
311 words
New accounting rules could affect insurers
JUDY GREENWALD
Excerpts:
Two new accounting standards approved last week were primarily developed with the banking industry in mind, but could impact insurers as well, observers say.
One new measure approved by the Norwalk, Conn.-based Financial Accounting Standards Board changes mark-to-market accounting under generally accepted accounting principles.
Under the new standard, it will be easier for insurers to avoid ``other than temporary impairment'' charges for securities that have not experienced credit deterioration, which benefits their income statement.
For securities that have experienced credit deterioration, the new standard allows companies to bifurcate ``other than temporary impairment'' charges into the income statement—for the portion of the charge attributable to credit deterioration—and into ``other comprehensive income'' for the portion of the charge attributable to noncredit factors.
This also will help insurers because it means some of the impairment charges no longer will impact the income statement as much as they had previously, said Wallace Enman, vp and senior accounting analyst at Moody's Investors Service in New York.
In addition, under a second provision related to fair market measurement, insurers ``will have more leeway to ignore, or to adjust, transactions that they deem distressed,'' which could result in a higher fair value for securities ``and thereby an increase to equity,'' said Mr. Enman.
Read full article: http://www.insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?a=top_pc&q=0&id=105141
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The Power of Price | Psychology Today Blogs
The Power of Price Psychology Today Blogs
http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/predictably-irrational/200904/the-power-price
Video: The Power Of Price (3 min 15 seconds)
Dan Airely, MIT Professor
How price affects perceived benefit.
See blog posting and access video at blog: http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/predictably-irrational/200904/the-power-price
Alternative video access: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm5GB7Wu26Q&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs%2Epsychologytoday%2Ecom%2Fblog%2Fpredictably%2Dirrational%2F200904%2Fthe%2Dpower%2Dprice&feature=player_embedded
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/predictably-irrational/200904/the-power-price
Video: The Power Of Price (3 min 15 seconds)
Dan Airely, MIT Professor
How price affects perceived benefit.
See blog posting and access video at blog: http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/predictably-irrational/200904/the-power-price
Alternative video access: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm5GB7Wu26Q&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs%2Epsychologytoday%2Ecom%2Fblog%2Fpredictably%2Dirrational%2F200904%2Fthe%2Dpower%2Dprice&feature=player_embedded
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This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Book Review: PUT YOUR DREAM TO THE TEST by John C. Maxwell, Compelling Questions
Book Review: PUT YOUR DREAM TO THE TEST by John C. Maxwell
10 Compelling Questions
- Chapter 1, “Is my dream really my dream?”
- Chapter 2, “Do I clearly see my dream?”
- Chapter 3, “Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?”
- Chapter 4, “Does my dream compel me to follow it?”
- Chapter 5, “Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?”
- Chapter 6, “Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?”
- Chapter 7, “Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?“. “Every journey toward a dream is personal, and as a result, so is the price that must be paid for it.”
- Chapter 8, “Am I moving closer to my dream?“. “People who achieve their dreams don’t have an easier path than those who don’t.” (p. 169) Once you commit to your dream, you have to “just keep moving forward.” (p. 172)
- Chapter 9, “Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction?”
- Chapter 10, “Does my dream benefit others?”
Read Full Book Review: http://thedreamingcafe.com/2009/04/02/book-review-put-your-dream-to-the-test-by-john-c-maxwell/
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
10 Compelling Questions
- Chapter 1, “Is my dream really my dream?”
- Chapter 2, “Do I clearly see my dream?”
- Chapter 3, “Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?”
- Chapter 4, “Does my dream compel me to follow it?”
- Chapter 5, “Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?”
- Chapter 6, “Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?”
- Chapter 7, “Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?“. “Every journey toward a dream is personal, and as a result, so is the price that must be paid for it.”
- Chapter 8, “Am I moving closer to my dream?“. “People who achieve their dreams don’t have an easier path than those who don’t.” (p. 169) Once you commit to your dream, you have to “just keep moving forward.” (p. 172)
- Chapter 9, “Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction?”
- Chapter 10, “Does my dream benefit others?”
Read Full Book Review: http://thedreamingcafe.com/2009/04/02/book-review-put-your-dream-to-the-test-by-john-c-maxwell/
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
5 Reasons Why Dreams Don't Take Flight | GiANT Impact
5 Reasons Why Dreams Don't Take Flight GiANT Impact
5 Reasons Why Dreams Don't Take Flight
Dr. John C. Maxwell
Most of us never see our dreams come true. Instead of soaring through the clouds, our dreams languish like a broken-down airplane confined to its hangar. Through life, I have come to identify five common reasons why dreams don't take flight.
#1 We Have Been Discouraged from Dreaming by Others
We have to pilot our own dreams; we cannot entrust them to anyone else. People who aren't following their own dreams resent us pursuing ours. Such people feel inadequate when we succeed, so they try to drag us down.
If we listen to external voices, then we allow our dreams to be hijacked. At some point, other people will place limitations on us by doubting our abilities. When surrounded by the turbulence of criticism, we have to grasp the controls tightly to keep from being knocked off course.
#2 We Are Hindered by Past Disappointments and Hurts
In the movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise plays Maverick, a young, talented, and cocky aviator who dreams of being the premier pilot in the U.S. navy. In the film's opening scenes, Maverick showcases his flying ability but also displays a knack for pushing the envelope with regards to safety. Midway through the movie, Maverick's characteristic aggression spells disaster. His plane crashes, killing his best friend and co-pilot.
Although cleared of wrongdoing, the painful memory of the accident haunts Maverick. He quits taking risks and loses his edge. Struggling to regain his poise, he considers giving up on his dream. Although the incident nearly wrecks Maverick's career, he eventually reaches within to find the strength to return to the sky.
Like Maverick, many of us live with the memory of failure embedded in our psyche. Perhaps a business we started went broke, or we were fired from a position of leadership. Disappointment is the gap that exists between expectation and reality, and all of us have encountered that gap. Failure is a necessary and natural part of life, but if we're going to attain our dreams, then, like Maverick, we have to summon the courage deal with past hurts.
#3 We Fall into the Habit of Settling for Average
Average is the norm for a reason. Being exceptional demands extra effort, sustained inspiration, and uncommon discipline. When we attempt to give flight to our dreams, we have to overcome the weight of opposition. Like gravity, life's circumstances constantly pull on our dreams, tugging us down to mediocrity.
Most of us don't pay the price to overcome the opposition to our dreams. We may start out inspired, but through time we fatigue. Although never intending to abandon our dreams, we begin to make concessions here and there. Through time, our lives become mundane, and our dreams slip away.
#4 We Lack the Confidence Needed to Pursue Our Dreams
Dreams are fragile. They will be buffeted by assaults from all sides. As such, they must be supplied with the extra strength of self-confidence.
In Amelia Earhart's day, women were not supposed fly airplanes. If she had lacked self-assurance, she never would have even attempted to be a pilot. Instead, Earhart confidently chased after her dream, and she was rewarded with both fulfillment and fame.
#5 We Lack the Imagination to Dream
For thousands of years, mankind traveled along the ground: by foot, by horse-and-buggy, by locomotive, and eventually by automobile. Thanks to the dreams of Orville and Wilbur Wright, we now hop across oceans in a matter of hours. The imaginative brothers overcame ridicule and doubt to pioneer human flight, and the world has never been the same.
Many of us play small because we do not allow ourselves to dream. We trap ourselves in reality and never dare to go beyond what we can see with our eyes. Imagination lifts us beyond average by giving us a vision of life that surpasses what we are experiencing currently. Dreams infuse our spirit with energy and spur us on to greatness.
About
John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies.
Read original Post: http://www.giantimpact.com/articles/read/article_5_reasons_why_dreams_dont_take_flight/?utm_source=leadershipwired&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=lw-20090407
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
5 Reasons Why Dreams Don't Take Flight
Dr. John C. Maxwell
Most of us never see our dreams come true. Instead of soaring through the clouds, our dreams languish like a broken-down airplane confined to its hangar. Through life, I have come to identify five common reasons why dreams don't take flight.
#1 We Have Been Discouraged from Dreaming by Others
We have to pilot our own dreams; we cannot entrust them to anyone else. People who aren't following their own dreams resent us pursuing ours. Such people feel inadequate when we succeed, so they try to drag us down.
If we listen to external voices, then we allow our dreams to be hijacked. At some point, other people will place limitations on us by doubting our abilities. When surrounded by the turbulence of criticism, we have to grasp the controls tightly to keep from being knocked off course.
#2 We Are Hindered by Past Disappointments and Hurts
In the movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise plays Maverick, a young, talented, and cocky aviator who dreams of being the premier pilot in the U.S. navy. In the film's opening scenes, Maverick showcases his flying ability but also displays a knack for pushing the envelope with regards to safety. Midway through the movie, Maverick's characteristic aggression spells disaster. His plane crashes, killing his best friend and co-pilot.
Although cleared of wrongdoing, the painful memory of the accident haunts Maverick. He quits taking risks and loses his edge. Struggling to regain his poise, he considers giving up on his dream. Although the incident nearly wrecks Maverick's career, he eventually reaches within to find the strength to return to the sky.
Like Maverick, many of us live with the memory of failure embedded in our psyche. Perhaps a business we started went broke, or we were fired from a position of leadership. Disappointment is the gap that exists between expectation and reality, and all of us have encountered that gap. Failure is a necessary and natural part of life, but if we're going to attain our dreams, then, like Maverick, we have to summon the courage deal with past hurts.
#3 We Fall into the Habit of Settling for Average
Average is the norm for a reason. Being exceptional demands extra effort, sustained inspiration, and uncommon discipline. When we attempt to give flight to our dreams, we have to overcome the weight of opposition. Like gravity, life's circumstances constantly pull on our dreams, tugging us down to mediocrity.
Most of us don't pay the price to overcome the opposition to our dreams. We may start out inspired, but through time we fatigue. Although never intending to abandon our dreams, we begin to make concessions here and there. Through time, our lives become mundane, and our dreams slip away.
#4 We Lack the Confidence Needed to Pursue Our Dreams
Dreams are fragile. They will be buffeted by assaults from all sides. As such, they must be supplied with the extra strength of self-confidence.
In Amelia Earhart's day, women were not supposed fly airplanes. If she had lacked self-assurance, she never would have even attempted to be a pilot. Instead, Earhart confidently chased after her dream, and she was rewarded with both fulfillment and fame.
#5 We Lack the Imagination to Dream
For thousands of years, mankind traveled along the ground: by foot, by horse-and-buggy, by locomotive, and eventually by automobile. Thanks to the dreams of Orville and Wilbur Wright, we now hop across oceans in a matter of hours. The imaginative brothers overcame ridicule and doubt to pioneer human flight, and the world has never been the same.
Many of us play small because we do not allow ourselves to dream. We trap ourselves in reality and never dare to go beyond what we can see with our eyes. Imagination lifts us beyond average by giving us a vision of life that surpasses what we are experiencing currently. Dreams infuse our spirit with energy and spur us on to greatness.
About
John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies.
Read original Post: http://www.giantimpact.com/articles/read/article_5_reasons_why_dreams_dont_take_flight/?utm_source=leadershipwired&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=lw-20090407
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Friday, April 10, 2009
A Cultural Fix for Risk Management Failure
A Cultural Fix for Risk Management Failure
Booz & Company
Resilience Report - Strategy & Business
A Cultural Fix for Risk Management Failure
by Charles Teschner, Peter T. Golder, and Thorsten Liebert
Excerpts:
A robust risk management culture is marked by three characteristics:
Sustainable risk/return thinking. Top management and the front office itself must demonstrate clear thinking about risk/return trade-offs. Risk managers have two primary responsibilities: developing sustainable strategies and tactics to keep risk and return proportional, and providing top management with an independent control mechanism if front-office discipline fails.
To earn respect from the front office, risk managers must be of the highest caliber. They must be capable not just of challenging any negative swings in performance, but of helping executives understand the causes of peaks. Price limits for investment purchases or sales and other basic controls must be respected. Limit setting and limit monitoring must be accompanied by mechanisms with teeth; for example, risk managers must have the ability to fire regular violators of risk limits rather than just slapping their wrists. And traders must be forced to take holidays; rogue activities are much easier to check when the perpetrators aren’t on site to cover them up.
Usable, up-to-date information. Both the front office and top management must have reliable and consistent information on the positions and risks they are taking. Above all, risk managers must understand how the front office is or is not making money. Deconstructing the drivers of profit or loss needs to become the prevailing mentality. Discussions about new products, existing and new positions, and other issues must be broad and not restricted to methods for meeting quarterly targets or other short-term goals.
To go beyond the traditional role of “limit cop,” risk managers need to develop a deep understanding of whether the bank’s portfolio is overly concentrated in particular investments and whether the relationship between investments and their underlying value is transparent. In doing this, risk managers can determine what constitutes an early warning signal and what does not. If top risk management professionals do not have this authority and these tools, they will migrate elsewhere.
An in-depth oversight process. The auditing function often fails to provide independent and objective oversight. Instead, auditors see their assignment as a box-ticking exercise to ensure compliance, with limited critical review of potential weaknesses. That must change. A strong critical approach to each functional discipline must also be developed, involving far more insight and internal consultation beyond simply “checking the checkers.” After reviewing the securitization process, for instance, the internal audit team could identify and bring to the board’s attention potential flaws such as overreliance on rating agencies.
To accomplish this, auditors must possess not only extensive knowledge of the business — how the front office makes money — but also clear comprehension of the risk management discipline. In topnotch organizations, audit and finance teams blend strong process and IT know-how with an in-depth understanding of the business and risk. For example, audit teams investigate and validate mark-to-market positions, ensuring the integrity of information as it passes from one system to the next.
Audit findings then need to be acted upon. Audit items cannot be allowed to remain open quarter after quarter, with no consequences for the executive who fails to act on them. A more disciplined approach is required, with senior executives taking the leading role.
The ultimate goal is a culture that combines healthy risk taking with effective risk management. It takes a total, unmistakable, continual, and widely communicated commitment from the CEO to make this shift.
Companies and banks that accomplish this will be much better equipped to weather the next set of economic storms.
Read Full Article: http://www.strategy-business.com/resilience/rr00068?cid=rr20090409
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Booz & Company
Resilience Report - Strategy & Business
A Cultural Fix for Risk Management Failure
by Charles Teschner, Peter T. Golder, and Thorsten Liebert
Excerpts:
A robust risk management culture is marked by three characteristics:
Sustainable risk/return thinking. Top management and the front office itself must demonstrate clear thinking about risk/return trade-offs. Risk managers have two primary responsibilities: developing sustainable strategies and tactics to keep risk and return proportional, and providing top management with an independent control mechanism if front-office discipline fails.
To earn respect from the front office, risk managers must be of the highest caliber. They must be capable not just of challenging any negative swings in performance, but of helping executives understand the causes of peaks. Price limits for investment purchases or sales and other basic controls must be respected. Limit setting and limit monitoring must be accompanied by mechanisms with teeth; for example, risk managers must have the ability to fire regular violators of risk limits rather than just slapping their wrists. And traders must be forced to take holidays; rogue activities are much easier to check when the perpetrators aren’t on site to cover them up.
Usable, up-to-date information. Both the front office and top management must have reliable and consistent information on the positions and risks they are taking. Above all, risk managers must understand how the front office is or is not making money. Deconstructing the drivers of profit or loss needs to become the prevailing mentality. Discussions about new products, existing and new positions, and other issues must be broad and not restricted to methods for meeting quarterly targets or other short-term goals.
To go beyond the traditional role of “limit cop,” risk managers need to develop a deep understanding of whether the bank’s portfolio is overly concentrated in particular investments and whether the relationship between investments and their underlying value is transparent. In doing this, risk managers can determine what constitutes an early warning signal and what does not. If top risk management professionals do not have this authority and these tools, they will migrate elsewhere.
An in-depth oversight process. The auditing function often fails to provide independent and objective oversight. Instead, auditors see their assignment as a box-ticking exercise to ensure compliance, with limited critical review of potential weaknesses. That must change. A strong critical approach to each functional discipline must also be developed, involving far more insight and internal consultation beyond simply “checking the checkers.” After reviewing the securitization process, for instance, the internal audit team could identify and bring to the board’s attention potential flaws such as overreliance on rating agencies.
To accomplish this, auditors must possess not only extensive knowledge of the business — how the front office makes money — but also clear comprehension of the risk management discipline. In topnotch organizations, audit and finance teams blend strong process and IT know-how with an in-depth understanding of the business and risk. For example, audit teams investigate and validate mark-to-market positions, ensuring the integrity of information as it passes from one system to the next.
Audit findings then need to be acted upon. Audit items cannot be allowed to remain open quarter after quarter, with no consequences for the executive who fails to act on them. A more disciplined approach is required, with senior executives taking the leading role.
The ultimate goal is a culture that combines healthy risk taking with effective risk management. It takes a total, unmistakable, continual, and widely communicated commitment from the CEO to make this shift.
Companies and banks that accomplish this will be much better equipped to weather the next set of economic storms.
Read Full Article: http://www.strategy-business.com/resilience/rr00068?cid=rr20090409
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This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Regulators Eye "Going Concern" Concerns - Auditing - CFO.com
Regulators Eye "Going Concern" Concerns - Auditing - CFO.com
Regulators Eye "Going Concern" Concerns
With the economic crisis deepening, auditors and their clients get testy with each other about companies' ability to survive.
Sarah Johnson - CFO.com US
April 6, 2009
Excerpts:
In the midst of an increase in the number of going-concern qualms stamped on company financials, standard-setters are working on changing how managers and auditors determine whether a business will stay viable in the foreseeable future.
It's the one area of financial reporting where auditors are required to play forecaster. Here, they must go beyond their more comfortable role of reviewer where they retrospectively look over a company's past financial performance.
What's more, the prediction portion of their jobs is getting harder. That's because the current downturn has poked holes in previously settled auditing assumptions and the capital structures of previously well-financed companies. "We all feel like we have to reprogram our crystal balls today because things are much different than they have been in the past," said Steven Rafferty, professional practices partner at audit firm BKD LLP, during a recent meeting of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's advisory group.
In the current economic environment, Rafferty lamented, auditors' evaluations of a company's ability to continue as a going concern — an already "extremely subjective" task — have become evermore difficult. Further, auditors will likely have to expand their current forecasts as the PCAOB works to align its existing standard with a new rule by the Financial Accounting Standards Board requiring companies to assess their going-concern status beyond a 12-month time frame.
Read full article: http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/13436183
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Regulators Eye "Going Concern" Concerns
With the economic crisis deepening, auditors and their clients get testy with each other about companies' ability to survive.
Sarah Johnson - CFO.com US
April 6, 2009
Excerpts:
In the midst of an increase in the number of going-concern qualms stamped on company financials, standard-setters are working on changing how managers and auditors determine whether a business will stay viable in the foreseeable future.
It's the one area of financial reporting where auditors are required to play forecaster. Here, they must go beyond their more comfortable role of reviewer where they retrospectively look over a company's past financial performance.
What's more, the prediction portion of their jobs is getting harder. That's because the current downturn has poked holes in previously settled auditing assumptions and the capital structures of previously well-financed companies. "We all feel like we have to reprogram our crystal balls today because things are much different than they have been in the past," said Steven Rafferty, professional practices partner at audit firm BKD LLP, during a recent meeting of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's advisory group.
In the current economic environment, Rafferty lamented, auditors' evaluations of a company's ability to continue as a going concern — an already "extremely subjective" task — have become evermore difficult. Further, auditors will likely have to expand their current forecasts as the PCAOB works to align its existing standard with a new rule by the Financial Accounting Standards Board requiring companies to assess their going-concern status beyond a 12-month time frame.
Read full article: http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/13436183
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
A Primer for Pessimists - TIME
A Primer for Pessimists - TIME
Note From Jim: Learning about this can change your life
Time Magazine
Wellness - A Primer for Pessimists
By Alice Park Thursday, Mar. 26, 2009
Excerpts:
An entire science has grown up around the perils of negative thinking (as well as the power of positive psychology), and the latest findings confirm that a pessimistic outlook not only kindles anxiety, which can put people at risk for chronic mental illnesses like depression, but may also cause early death and set people up for a number of physical ailments, ranging from the common cold to heart disease and immune disorders.
Optimism, meanwhile, is associated with a happier and longer life. Over the course of a recent eight-year study, University of Pittsburgh researchers found that optimistic women outlived dour ones. Which may be good news for the motivational gurus out there, but what about the rest of us who aren't always so chipper? Are we destined for sickness and failure? Or is it possible to master the principles of positivity the same way we might learn a new hobby or follow a recipe?
The answer from the experts seems to be yes. But it does take effort. Seeing the sunny side doesn't come easily.
Be an "Optimalist"
Most people would define optimism as being eternally hopeful, endlessly happy, with a glass that's perpetually half full. But that's exactly the kind of deluded cheerfulness that positive psychologists wouldn't recommend. "Healthy optimism means being in touch with reality," says Tal Ben-Shahar, a Harvard professor who taught the university's most popular course, Positive Psychology, from 2002 to 2008. "It certainly doesn't mean being Pollyannaish and thinking everything is great and wonderful."
Read full article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1887872-1,00.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Note From Jim: Learning about this can change your life
Time Magazine
Wellness - A Primer for Pessimists
By Alice Park Thursday, Mar. 26, 2009
Excerpts:
An entire science has grown up around the perils of negative thinking (as well as the power of positive psychology), and the latest findings confirm that a pessimistic outlook not only kindles anxiety, which can put people at risk for chronic mental illnesses like depression, but may also cause early death and set people up for a number of physical ailments, ranging from the common cold to heart disease and immune disorders.
Optimism, meanwhile, is associated with a happier and longer life. Over the course of a recent eight-year study, University of Pittsburgh researchers found that optimistic women outlived dour ones. Which may be good news for the motivational gurus out there, but what about the rest of us who aren't always so chipper? Are we destined for sickness and failure? Or is it possible to master the principles of positivity the same way we might learn a new hobby or follow a recipe?
The answer from the experts seems to be yes. But it does take effort. Seeing the sunny side doesn't come easily.
Be an "Optimalist"
Most people would define optimism as being eternally hopeful, endlessly happy, with a glass that's perpetually half full. But that's exactly the kind of deluded cheerfulness that positive psychologists wouldn't recommend. "Healthy optimism means being in touch with reality," says Tal Ben-Shahar, a Harvard professor who taught the university's most popular course, Positive Psychology, from 2002 to 2008. "It certainly doesn't mean being Pollyannaish and thinking everything is great and wonderful."
Read full article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1887872-1,00.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Pick A CEO Who Truly Fits The Company - Forbes.com
Pick A CEO Who Truly Fits The Company - Forbes.com
Leadership
Pick A CEO Who Truly Fits The CompanyNat Stoddard with Claire Wyckoff, 04.09.09, 02:00 PM EDT
Fit is absolutely crucial, and there are ways you can calculate it.
Excerpts:
Fit comes down to the degree of alignment between the values, beliefs and business philosophies in an organization's cultures and those of its prospective leader. As the management expert Peter Drucker pointed out several decades ago, if a leader's values don't align with his organization's, people won't trust the leader. Without trust, they won't follow. And if they don't follow, he or she will fail.
... two key changes to the traditional selection process must be introduced. The first is to rigorously define and measure the organization's overall culture, including two critical subcultures that every leader must contend with: that of the team the new leader will head, and that of the team he'll be a member of (i.e., the board of directors for the corporate CEO or the CEO's direct reports for a group or divisional president).
The second change is to carefully assess the final candidates' characters--their values, beliefs and business philosophies. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies can be used to produce a clear picture of exactly where and how well an individual will fit in with the prevailing cultures, before that individual is immersed in them.
The question to ask at every company right now is, "What are we doing today to improve the selection process and analyze and define our company's culture so we can be in a position to select the right leaders for tomorrow?" After all, if we don't make the needed changes now, we greatly risk getting it wrong in the future--and the costs of failure are huge
Recession be damned. Get your leadership for tomorrow right today.
Read full Article: http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/09/ceo-succession-planning-leadership-governance-fit.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Leadership
Pick A CEO Who Truly Fits The CompanyNat Stoddard with Claire Wyckoff, 04.09.09, 02:00 PM EDT
Fit is absolutely crucial, and there are ways you can calculate it.
Excerpts:
Fit comes down to the degree of alignment between the values, beliefs and business philosophies in an organization's cultures and those of its prospective leader. As the management expert Peter Drucker pointed out several decades ago, if a leader's values don't align with his organization's, people won't trust the leader. Without trust, they won't follow. And if they don't follow, he or she will fail.
... two key changes to the traditional selection process must be introduced. The first is to rigorously define and measure the organization's overall culture, including two critical subcultures that every leader must contend with: that of the team the new leader will head, and that of the team he'll be a member of (i.e., the board of directors for the corporate CEO or the CEO's direct reports for a group or divisional president).
The second change is to carefully assess the final candidates' characters--their values, beliefs and business philosophies. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies can be used to produce a clear picture of exactly where and how well an individual will fit in with the prevailing cultures, before that individual is immersed in them.
The question to ask at every company right now is, "What are we doing today to improve the selection process and analyze and define our company's culture so we can be in a position to select the right leaders for tomorrow?" After all, if we don't make the needed changes now, we greatly risk getting it wrong in the future--and the costs of failure are huge
Recession be damned. Get your leadership for tomorrow right today.
Read full Article: http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/09/ceo-succession-planning-leadership-governance-fit.html
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
When Is It OK To Fight In Front Of The Kids [Or Employees Or Colleagues] ? - The Juggle - WSJ
Insights for Home & Office Offspring When Is It OK To Fight In Front Of The Kids? - The Juggle - WSJ
Note from Jim: Lessons for home and office
Excerpts: http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2009/04/08/when-is-it-ok-to-fight-in-front-of-the-kids/
A new study underscores that it’s how parents fight in front of the kids – not whether they fight – that matters most. Parents who disagree in constructive ways, by actively solving problems together and continuing to show affection for each other during disputes – can actually aid their kids’ development, says research on 235 families published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Children who witnessed these kinds of parental disputes also tended to be more emotionally secure and well-adjusted socially. In contrast, children whose parents showed aggression or hostility during arguments, or behaved in passive-aggressive ways, withdrawing or giving their partners the silent treatment, tended a year later to be measurably less secure and to show more social problems, as reflected by parent and teacher questionnaires.
Read Full Article: http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2009/04/08/when-is-it-ok-to-fight-in-front-of-the-kids/
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Note from Jim: Lessons for home and office
Excerpts: http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2009/04/08/when-is-it-ok-to-fight-in-front-of-the-kids/
A new study underscores that it’s how parents fight in front of the kids – not whether they fight – that matters most. Parents who disagree in constructive ways, by actively solving problems together and continuing to show affection for each other during disputes – can actually aid their kids’ development, says research on 235 families published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Children who witnessed these kinds of parental disputes also tended to be more emotionally secure and well-adjusted socially. In contrast, children whose parents showed aggression or hostility during arguments, or behaved in passive-aggressive ways, withdrawing or giving their partners the silent treatment, tended a year later to be measurably less secure and to show more social problems, as reflected by parent and teacher questionnaires.
Read Full Article: http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2009/04/08/when-is-it-ok-to-fight-in-front-of-the-kids/
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This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Work Is More Than Paycheck, Benefits to Most Americans
Work Is More Than Paycheck, Benefits to Most Americans
SHRM
Work Is More Than Paycheck, Benefits to Most Americans
3/31/2009
By SHRM Online staff
Excerpts:
Workers might daydream about winning the big lottery and spending the rest of their lives on a tropical island or fishing in a mountain stream, but most Americans have a strong work ethic and derive satisfaction from what they do.
Nearly two-thirds of 742 full-time U.S. workers “live to work,” and 21 percent of them would continue working even if they won the lottery, according to findings from the latest of CIGNA’s “Health and Well-Being in America” survey series.
“These survey results point to the central role that work plays in people’s lives and how much it contributes to their sense of well-being,” said Beth Chiappetta in a press release. She is director of CIGNA’s return-to-work program operations.
Read Full Article: http://www.shrm.org/Publications/HRNews/Pages/MorethanPaycheck.aspx
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This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
SHRM
Work Is More Than Paycheck, Benefits to Most Americans
3/31/2009
By SHRM Online staff
Excerpts:
Workers might daydream about winning the big lottery and spending the rest of their lives on a tropical island or fishing in a mountain stream, but most Americans have a strong work ethic and derive satisfaction from what they do.
Nearly two-thirds of 742 full-time U.S. workers “live to work,” and 21 percent of them would continue working even if they won the lottery, according to findings from the latest of CIGNA’s “Health and Well-Being in America” survey series.
“These survey results point to the central role that work plays in people’s lives and how much it contributes to their sense of well-being,” said Beth Chiappetta in a press release. She is director of CIGNA’s return-to-work program operations.
Read Full Article: http://www.shrm.org/Publications/HRNews/Pages/MorethanPaycheck.aspx
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
How To Motivate Others - ” Motivation at Work " on Positive Psychology News Daily
” Motivation at Work " on Positive Psychology News Daily
Motivation at Work
By Eleanor Chin
Positive Psychology News Daily, NY (Eleanor Chin) - April 4, 2009, 9:33 am
Excerpts:
In summary, autonomy-supported leaders create the environment that fosters choice, giving people opportunities for success and for developing feelings of competence. According to science, self-motivation thrives in the medium of choice.
How do we build choice into jobs? Helping employees recraft their jobs around reaching specified goals by exercising their strengths, passions and skills is likely to result in more engagement and a better outcome for everyone. Employees are more energized when their actions emanate from choice rather than external control. The vitality that comes from caring about the work itself and relationships with colleagues can be, as they say, priceless.
The $10,000,000 question that leaders ask most is “How can we motivate people?” Let’s start by reframing the question slightly to reflect what we actually can do for others, “How can we create an environment that enables people to motivate themselves?”
Now let’s focus on intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation, doing work for its own sake is more sustainable, leads to greater job satisfaction, more engagement and even better, greater levels of physical and mental health than extrinsic motivation based on tangible rewards initiated by others. Our natural drive for autonomy leads to intrinsic motivation. The good news is that autonomy develops within us from childhood, like the ability to walk on our own, unless stifled.
What Factors Enhance Motivation?
Choice and experiences of competence are external factors that enhance feelings of autonomy. If Jason wants Sam to go beyond “meets expectations” to reach heights that Jason himself has not imagined, he needs to balance the necessary drudgery and externally controlled aspects, like deadlines and budgets, with some autonomous aspects that give Sam choice.Jason can start with these steps:
- Involve Sam in brainstorming early in the idea stage
- Help Sam discover something that he finds exciting about the project
- Clarify the goals and leave the means of accomplishing them up to Sam
- Create landmarks together so that Sam can feel a sense of accomplishment, success, and competence along the way
What Factors Tend to Demotivate?
Negative feedback can diminish both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation at work, according to motivation researchers Gagne and Deci. This suggests that the perennial stand-by for employee development, the performance evaluation, needs to include healthy doses of positive feedback surrounding any discussion of “challenges.” Talking about challenges is a good opportunity to invite the employee’s input on overcoming them. Peak-end theory also suggests that it’s best to end meetings on a positive note. I often suggest the “sandwich” method to my clients—start and end the conversation with genuinely positive feedback.
Read Full Article: http://pos-psych.com/news/eleanor-chin/200904041761
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Motivation at Work
By Eleanor Chin
Positive Psychology News Daily, NY (Eleanor Chin) - April 4, 2009, 9:33 am
Excerpts:
In summary, autonomy-supported leaders create the environment that fosters choice, giving people opportunities for success and for developing feelings of competence. According to science, self-motivation thrives in the medium of choice.
How do we build choice into jobs? Helping employees recraft their jobs around reaching specified goals by exercising their strengths, passions and skills is likely to result in more engagement and a better outcome for everyone. Employees are more energized when their actions emanate from choice rather than external control. The vitality that comes from caring about the work itself and relationships with colleagues can be, as they say, priceless.
The $10,000,000 question that leaders ask most is “How can we motivate people?” Let’s start by reframing the question slightly to reflect what we actually can do for others, “How can we create an environment that enables people to motivate themselves?”
Now let’s focus on intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation, doing work for its own sake is more sustainable, leads to greater job satisfaction, more engagement and even better, greater levels of physical and mental health than extrinsic motivation based on tangible rewards initiated by others. Our natural drive for autonomy leads to intrinsic motivation. The good news is that autonomy develops within us from childhood, like the ability to walk on our own, unless stifled.
What Factors Enhance Motivation?
Choice and experiences of competence are external factors that enhance feelings of autonomy. If Jason wants Sam to go beyond “meets expectations” to reach heights that Jason himself has not imagined, he needs to balance the necessary drudgery and externally controlled aspects, like deadlines and budgets, with some autonomous aspects that give Sam choice.Jason can start with these steps:
- Involve Sam in brainstorming early in the idea stage
- Help Sam discover something that he finds exciting about the project
- Clarify the goals and leave the means of accomplishing them up to Sam
- Create landmarks together so that Sam can feel a sense of accomplishment, success, and competence along the way
What Factors Tend to Demotivate?
Negative feedback can diminish both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation at work, according to motivation researchers Gagne and Deci. This suggests that the perennial stand-by for employee development, the performance evaluation, needs to include healthy doses of positive feedback surrounding any discussion of “challenges.” Talking about challenges is a good opportunity to invite the employee’s input on overcoming them. Peak-end theory also suggests that it’s best to end meetings on a positive note. I often suggest the “sandwich” method to my clients—start and end the conversation with genuinely positive feedback.
Read Full Article: http://pos-psych.com/news/eleanor-chin/200904041761
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Tips on breaking bad habits - Los Angeles Times
Tips on breaking bad habits - Los Angeles Times
Note from Jim: Great advice backed by science.
Tips on breaking bad habits
By Karen Ravn April 6, 2009
Excerpts:
Don't leave a hole where a bad habit used to be. Sometimes substituting new, improved behaviors for old bad ones will help.
Choose wisely. If you try to replace a bad, old habit with a good, new one, make sure the new one isn't too unpleasant
Be risk averse. Habits are driven by situations. Figure out which situations are most tempting, and avoid them.
Get down to specifics. Sometimes you can identify triggers that are most likely to bring out your bad habit. These can involve people, locations or preceding actions
Practice. Practice. Practice. Here, there and everywhere. Studies suggest that you're at risk for a relapse.In general, a habit can be associated with many different places, people, activities, etc. -- and will stay broken only in the particular situations where you break it. So if you're trying to break a habit, practice in as many situations as you can.
Use cues and rewards to your advantage. Promise yourself a piece of your favorite candy once a week, but only if the rest of the time you don't indulge.
Follow through on your good intentions. Studies have shown that a simple "if-then" plan can make a big difference. In one study published last year, having such a plan helped one group achieve its goal of eating less of a particular snack food and helped another group achieve its goal of performing well in a tennis match.Participants in the eating-less group were given this line: "If I think about my chosen food, then I will ignore that thought!" and were told to say it to themselves three times and to commit themselves to acting on it.The tennis group was told to compose four "if-then" statements of their own and write them down. The statements were to be of the form: "If I feel angry, then I will calm myself and tell myself, 'I will win!' "Peter Gollwitzer, professor of psychology at New York University in New York City and at the University of Konstanz in Germany, says, "There's hardly any health behavior it doesn't work for."
Show how highly evolved you are. Suppose you procrastinate whenever you ought to be doing something you don't want to do. (Even if you want to break your procrastination habit, you may just keep putting it off.) The trouble is, procrastination provides instant gratification, and even though you usually have to pay, that doesn't come till later on. Fortunately, as we have seen, people have a unique ability to project themselves into the future. So remind yourself of that when you're tempted to work on your tan and put off working on your taxes.
Tap into your willpower. It's easy to succumb to old, familiar habits. But a 2007 paper published in the journal Emotion found that we can resist temptation more successfully if we consider it a test of will. What doesn't make you give up makes you stronger. If you fall off the wagon, don't quit trying. Studies (in rats, admittedly) suggest that occasional lapses don't make you more likely to fail in the long run.There's a tendency on such occasions to decide you've blown it and give up. But it's important to regroup. Habits are strong. But you can be stronger.
Read Full Article: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-breakinghabits6-2009apr06,0,2419265.story
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Note from Jim: Great advice backed by science.
Tips on breaking bad habits
By Karen Ravn April 6, 2009
Excerpts:
Don't leave a hole where a bad habit used to be. Sometimes substituting new, improved behaviors for old bad ones will help.
Choose wisely. If you try to replace a bad, old habit with a good, new one, make sure the new one isn't too unpleasant
Be risk averse. Habits are driven by situations. Figure out which situations are most tempting, and avoid them.
Get down to specifics. Sometimes you can identify triggers that are most likely to bring out your bad habit. These can involve people, locations or preceding actions
Practice. Practice. Practice. Here, there and everywhere. Studies suggest that you're at risk for a relapse.In general, a habit can be associated with many different places, people, activities, etc. -- and will stay broken only in the particular situations where you break it. So if you're trying to break a habit, practice in as many situations as you can.
Use cues and rewards to your advantage. Promise yourself a piece of your favorite candy once a week, but only if the rest of the time you don't indulge.
Follow through on your good intentions. Studies have shown that a simple "if-then" plan can make a big difference. In one study published last year, having such a plan helped one group achieve its goal of eating less of a particular snack food and helped another group achieve its goal of performing well in a tennis match.Participants in the eating-less group were given this line: "If I think about my chosen food, then I will ignore that thought!" and were told to say it to themselves three times and to commit themselves to acting on it.The tennis group was told to compose four "if-then" statements of their own and write them down. The statements were to be of the form: "If I feel angry, then I will calm myself and tell myself, 'I will win!' "Peter Gollwitzer, professor of psychology at New York University in New York City and at the University of Konstanz in Germany, says, "There's hardly any health behavior it doesn't work for."
Show how highly evolved you are. Suppose you procrastinate whenever you ought to be doing something you don't want to do. (Even if you want to break your procrastination habit, you may just keep putting it off.) The trouble is, procrastination provides instant gratification, and even though you usually have to pay, that doesn't come till later on. Fortunately, as we have seen, people have a unique ability to project themselves into the future. So remind yourself of that when you're tempted to work on your tan and put off working on your taxes.
Tap into your willpower. It's easy to succumb to old, familiar habits. But a 2007 paper published in the journal Emotion found that we can resist temptation more successfully if we consider it a test of will. What doesn't make you give up makes you stronger. If you fall off the wagon, don't quit trying. Studies (in rats, admittedly) suggest that occasional lapses don't make you more likely to fail in the long run.There's a tendency on such occasions to decide you've blown it and give up. But it's important to regroup. Habits are strong. But you can be stronger.
Read Full Article: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-breakinghabits6-2009apr06,0,2419265.story
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Quirks Of Human Nature - Hey, You're Wearing Me Out - We're Only Human...
Quirks Of Human Nature We're Only Human...
Hey, You're Wearing Me Out
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
By Wray Herbert
Excerpts
That is, seeing someone exert control sparked the idea of discipline and reinforced the goal, but actually experiencing the denial led to vicarious exhaustion.
This raises an intriguing possibility. It’s well known that dysfunctional groups don’t perform well, but these findings suggest that group coordination can also work “too well.” That is, if group members—workers, exercisers, addicts—are too tightly synchronized with each other, the exhaustion of one group member can spread to the entire group. Despite its name, self-control is a social enterprise, which means that our own successes and failures may be shaped by others more than we like to think.
For more insights into the quirks of human nature, visit “We’re Only Human” at www.psychologicalscience.org/onlyhuman. Excerpts from the blog also appear regularly in the magazine Scientific American Mind and at http://www.sciam.com/.
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Hey, You're Wearing Me Out
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
By Wray Herbert
Excerpts
That is, seeing someone exert control sparked the idea of discipline and reinforced the goal, but actually experiencing the denial led to vicarious exhaustion.
This raises an intriguing possibility. It’s well known that dysfunctional groups don’t perform well, but these findings suggest that group coordination can also work “too well.” That is, if group members—workers, exercisers, addicts—are too tightly synchronized with each other, the exhaustion of one group member can spread to the entire group. Despite its name, self-control is a social enterprise, which means that our own successes and failures may be shaped by others more than we like to think.
For more insights into the quirks of human nature, visit “We’re Only Human” at www.psychologicalscience.org/onlyhuman. Excerpts from the blog also appear regularly in the magazine Scientific American Mind and at http://www.sciam.com/.
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Friday, April 3, 2009
The Gauge of Innocence - CFO Magazine - April 2009 Issue - CFO.com
The Gauge of Innocence - CFO Magazine - April 2009 Issue - CFO.com
The Gauge of Innocence
Fraud takes many forms. Count on all of them to increase this year.
S.L. Mintz - CFO Magazine
April 1, 2009
Excerpts:
In tough times, companies face plenty of honest challenges, and most managers and staffers rise to the occasion. But inevitably, as pressures multiply, some will cave in and demonstrate poor judgment, or worse. They may blur the lines on revenue recognition, tinker with stock options, abuse reserves, or evade loan covenants. Petty favors from vendors or "innocent" side deals with customers snowball into grand larceny.
Pay cuts, layoffs, diminished morale, and fewer resources devoted to internal controls are among the specific pressures that "open the door to fraud in a down market," says Kerry Francis, chairman of Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, the accounting firm's U.S. fraud investigative arm.
She began emphasizing such concern in early 2009, after a Deloitte survey found that two-thirds of 1,280 financial-services and technology executives expected to see more instances of accounting fraud.
CFOs can't be expected to peer into the souls of every employee or business partner, of course, but they do need to be more cognizant than ever of the three sides of the classic "fraud triangle": pressure, opportunity, and the capacity to rationalize. When those elements unite, fraud often erupts.
The perpetrators are frequently those you would least suspect, says Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions. Repeated behavioral testing shows that people cheat if they can get away with it — even smart, Ivy League–educated people with relatively little to gain (see "Thou Shalt Not Commit Fraud" at the end of this article). "The moment you have a fuzzy environment," Ariely says, "the more this can happen." In finance, recessions are very fuzzy. "CFOs are on shaky ground," warns Ariely, "because they are [now] operating in very difficult conditions."
Read full article: http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/13356806?f=most_read
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
The Gauge of Innocence
Fraud takes many forms. Count on all of them to increase this year.
S.L. Mintz - CFO Magazine
April 1, 2009
Excerpts:
In tough times, companies face plenty of honest challenges, and most managers and staffers rise to the occasion. But inevitably, as pressures multiply, some will cave in and demonstrate poor judgment, or worse. They may blur the lines on revenue recognition, tinker with stock options, abuse reserves, or evade loan covenants. Petty favors from vendors or "innocent" side deals with customers snowball into grand larceny.
Pay cuts, layoffs, diminished morale, and fewer resources devoted to internal controls are among the specific pressures that "open the door to fraud in a down market," says Kerry Francis, chairman of Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, the accounting firm's U.S. fraud investigative arm.
She began emphasizing such concern in early 2009, after a Deloitte survey found that two-thirds of 1,280 financial-services and technology executives expected to see more instances of accounting fraud.
CFOs can't be expected to peer into the souls of every employee or business partner, of course, but they do need to be more cognizant than ever of the three sides of the classic "fraud triangle": pressure, opportunity, and the capacity to rationalize. When those elements unite, fraud often erupts.
The perpetrators are frequently those you would least suspect, says Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions. Repeated behavioral testing shows that people cheat if they can get away with it — even smart, Ivy League–educated people with relatively little to gain (see "Thou Shalt Not Commit Fraud" at the end of this article). "The moment you have a fuzzy environment," Ariely says, "the more this can happen." In finance, recessions are very fuzzy. "CFOs are on shaky ground," warns Ariely, "because they are [now] operating in very difficult conditions."
Read full article: http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/13356806?f=most_read
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Guessing the Costs of IFRS Conversion - Accounting - CFO.com
Guessing the Costs of IFRS Conversion - Accounting - CFO.com
Guessing the Costs of IFRS Conversion
U.S. companies believe they will spend more than European ones did to adopt the global rules, according to an Accenture survey.
Sarah Johnson - CFO.com US
March 30, 2009
Excerpts:
U.S. executives expect to pay more than their European counterparts did to convert to International Financial Reporting Standards. Depending on company size, they estimate they'll spend between 0.1% and 0.7% of annual revenue to move from U.S. GAAP to the global rules, an endeavor publicly traded companies in Europe undertook four years ago at an average cost of 0.05% of revenue.
The predictions are in a report to be released tomorrow by consultancy Accenture, which in December surveyed 208 executives at U.S. companies with revenues above $1 billion (more than three-fourths of respondents have finance-related titles and work at companies with more than $5 billion in revenue). Not only do they expect to pay more than the Europeans did, but many believe they will be on the hook for substantially more than the 0.125% to 0.13% of revenue that the Securities and Exchange Commission has pegged as the average for U.S. companies.
Smaller companies likely will have a disproportionately higher cost to begin the conversion process, if regulators mandate that they, as well as their larger counterparts, move to IFRS. Companies with revenue between $1 billion and $4.9 billion — the lowest category in the Accenture survey — predict they would spend 0.731 percent of their revenue on the change. Compare that to the companies with revenue over $50 billion that expect to spend only 0.103% of their revenue.
Publicly, accounting firms and service providers are not giving out such specific numbers, preferring to rely on the Europeans' experience for guidance and warning that every company's facts and circumstances will differ. And although Accenture shares average cost predictions made by respondents to its survey, Troy Barton, senior executive for the firm's finance and performance management business, cautions that the ranges the surveyed executives provide should be used only as a starting point for gauging how much conversion will actually cost. "It is important for executives to avoid relying on simple averages when budgeting for the conversion and instead consider their specific circumstances," the report advises.
Costs will depend on a company's industry, size, complexity, staffing abilities, and accounting policies, says Accenture. In particular, the firm found that cost predictions vary within size groups; among companies with $50 billion or more in revenue, 43 percent said they'll probably spend less than $25 million, but 30 percent believe they'll spend more than $100 million.
Accenture didn't ask the respondents how they came up with their estimates. However, Barton says companies should expect, on average, that half of the work involved will require external sources. He added that 40% to 50% of IFRS work involves technology; 30% to 40% processes; and about 20% is technical accounting work, related to working through the differences between the two standards.
Read full article: http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/13399306/2/c_2984368
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Guessing the Costs of IFRS Conversion
U.S. companies believe they will spend more than European ones did to adopt the global rules, according to an Accenture survey.
Sarah Johnson - CFO.com US
March 30, 2009
Excerpts:
U.S. executives expect to pay more than their European counterparts did to convert to International Financial Reporting Standards. Depending on company size, they estimate they'll spend between 0.1% and 0.7% of annual revenue to move from U.S. GAAP to the global rules, an endeavor publicly traded companies in Europe undertook four years ago at an average cost of 0.05% of revenue.
The predictions are in a report to be released tomorrow by consultancy Accenture, which in December surveyed 208 executives at U.S. companies with revenues above $1 billion (more than three-fourths of respondents have finance-related titles and work at companies with more than $5 billion in revenue). Not only do they expect to pay more than the Europeans did, but many believe they will be on the hook for substantially more than the 0.125% to 0.13% of revenue that the Securities and Exchange Commission has pegged as the average for U.S. companies.
Smaller companies likely will have a disproportionately higher cost to begin the conversion process, if regulators mandate that they, as well as their larger counterparts, move to IFRS. Companies with revenue between $1 billion and $4.9 billion — the lowest category in the Accenture survey — predict they would spend 0.731 percent of their revenue on the change. Compare that to the companies with revenue over $50 billion that expect to spend only 0.103% of their revenue.
Publicly, accounting firms and service providers are not giving out such specific numbers, preferring to rely on the Europeans' experience for guidance and warning that every company's facts and circumstances will differ. And although Accenture shares average cost predictions made by respondents to its survey, Troy Barton, senior executive for the firm's finance and performance management business, cautions that the ranges the surveyed executives provide should be used only as a starting point for gauging how much conversion will actually cost. "It is important for executives to avoid relying on simple averages when budgeting for the conversion and instead consider their specific circumstances," the report advises.
Costs will depend on a company's industry, size, complexity, staffing abilities, and accounting policies, says Accenture. In particular, the firm found that cost predictions vary within size groups; among companies with $50 billion or more in revenue, 43 percent said they'll probably spend less than $25 million, but 30 percent believe they'll spend more than $100 million.
Accenture didn't ask the respondents how they came up with their estimates. However, Barton says companies should expect, on average, that half of the work involved will require external sources. He added that 40% to 50% of IFRS work involves technology; 30% to 40% processes; and about 20% is technical accounting work, related to working through the differences between the two standards.
Read full article: http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/13399306/2/c_2984368
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Advisen: Recession Affecting Both Supply and Demand for Insurance Coverage
Advisen: Recession Affecting Both Supply and Demand for Insurance Coverage
Advisen:
Recession Affecting Both Supply and Demand for Insurance Coverage
April 2, 2009
Excerpts:
Commercial insurance follows a boom-and-bust pricing cycle that generally thought to be largely uncorrelated with broader economic cycles. But according to a new report released by Advisen Ltd., the current recession is different. The severity of the economic crisis will adversely impact both the top lines and bottom lines of commercial insurers, making for a turbulent 2009, researchers for Advisen say.
"While past recessions have influenced insurance pricing, no recession since World War II has influenced both supply and demand so profoundly," said David Bradford, Advisen's executive vice president and chief knowledge officer. "Hard market conditions eventually will provide insurers and brokers some relief, but we see absolute top line income declining through 2009."
"The economic crisis will cause exposure units to shrink, businesses to fail, and will force companies to consider budget-cutting measures such as higher retentions and lower limits. This falloff in demand will result in a top-line premium decline across the industry, substantially offsetting gains from higher rates," Advisen stated in a release.
Read Full Article: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2009/04/02/99278.htm
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Advisen:
Recession Affecting Both Supply and Demand for Insurance Coverage
April 2, 2009
Excerpts:
Commercial insurance follows a boom-and-bust pricing cycle that generally thought to be largely uncorrelated with broader economic cycles. But according to a new report released by Advisen Ltd., the current recession is different. The severity of the economic crisis will adversely impact both the top lines and bottom lines of commercial insurers, making for a turbulent 2009, researchers for Advisen say.
"While past recessions have influenced insurance pricing, no recession since World War II has influenced both supply and demand so profoundly," said David Bradford, Advisen's executive vice president and chief knowledge officer. "Hard market conditions eventually will provide insurers and brokers some relief, but we see absolute top line income declining through 2009."
"The economic crisis will cause exposure units to shrink, businesses to fail, and will force companies to consider budget-cutting measures such as higher retentions and lower limits. This falloff in demand will result in a top-line premium decline across the industry, substantially offsetting gains from higher rates," Advisen stated in a release.
Read Full Article: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2009/04/02/99278.htm
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
The Deadline Disorder - washingtonpost.com
Procrastination: Avoidance and Arousal - washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post
The Deadline Disorder
It's a Taxing Time of the Year for Chronic Procrastinators
Amid her boxes and piles, Tricia Sawyer looks over some negatives and photos that she has been meaning to organize for years. (By Michael Williamson -- The Washington Post)Buy Photo
By Erica Davis BakS, pecial to The Washington Post Tuesday, March 31, 2009; Page HE01
Excerpts:
According to Joseph R. Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, some 20 percent of us are chronic procrastinators. "That's very high," Ferrari said, adding that research reveals there are more chronic procrastinators in the United States than there are people with clinical depression.
Although the perplexing question remains why so many of us engage in such evident self-sabotage, a recent study suggests that consciously changing the way we think about things we have to do -- approaching them as concrete steps rather than abstract ideas -- may help even chronic procrastinators.
Ferrari divides chronic procrastinators into two groups.
Avoidance procrastinators such as Sawyer delay out of fear, he said. They are afraid of failure, judgment, even success. They feel that they can't live up to expectations.
Arousal procrastinators wait until the last minute for the sheer thrill of it. "They will say, 'I work best under pressure.' They need that eleventh hour to get something done," Ferrari said. But "the data shows they actually don't do well under pressure."
Like gambling and overeating, procrastination is a self-defeating disorder: "You have to think, 'I should be acting now, but instead I'm alphabetizing the playlist on my iPod,' " said Timothy A. Pychyl, an associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa who specializes in the study of procrastination. " 'And I'm bothered; I'm feeling guilt.' "
The issue, he said, is giving in to feeling good in the moment. "We're always looking after how we feel. Facing a task doesn't make us feel good."
Changing the way we think about unappealing tasks seems to make them more manageable. A study published in Psychological Science suggests that people are more likely to procrastinate if they view tasks abstractly rather than concretely.
Read Full Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/30/AR2009033002124.html
Refer Article To A Friend: http://dreamlearndobecome@blogspot.com
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
The Washington Post
The Deadline Disorder
It's a Taxing Time of the Year for Chronic Procrastinators
Amid her boxes and piles, Tricia Sawyer looks over some negatives and photos that she has been meaning to organize for years. (By Michael Williamson -- The Washington Post)Buy Photo
By Erica Davis BakS, pecial to The Washington Post Tuesday, March 31, 2009; Page HE01
Excerpts:
According to Joseph R. Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, some 20 percent of us are chronic procrastinators. "That's very high," Ferrari said, adding that research reveals there are more chronic procrastinators in the United States than there are people with clinical depression.
Although the perplexing question remains why so many of us engage in such evident self-sabotage, a recent study suggests that consciously changing the way we think about things we have to do -- approaching them as concrete steps rather than abstract ideas -- may help even chronic procrastinators.
Ferrari divides chronic procrastinators into two groups.
Avoidance procrastinators such as Sawyer delay out of fear, he said. They are afraid of failure, judgment, even success. They feel that they can't live up to expectations.
Arousal procrastinators wait until the last minute for the sheer thrill of it. "They will say, 'I work best under pressure.' They need that eleventh hour to get something done," Ferrari said. But "the data shows they actually don't do well under pressure."
Like gambling and overeating, procrastination is a self-defeating disorder: "You have to think, 'I should be acting now, but instead I'm alphabetizing the playlist on my iPod,' " said Timothy A. Pychyl, an associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa who specializes in the study of procrastination. " 'And I'm bothered; I'm feeling guilt.' "
The issue, he said, is giving in to feeling good in the moment. "We're always looking after how we feel. Facing a task doesn't make us feel good."
Changing the way we think about unappealing tasks seems to make them more manageable. A study published in Psychological Science suggests that people are more likely to procrastinate if they view tasks abstractly rather than concretely.
Read Full Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/30/AR2009033002124.html
Refer Article To A Friend: http://dreamlearndobecome@blogspot.com
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Study Finds Money Isn’t Everything to Workers
Study Finds Money Isn’t Everything to Workers
World At Work
Study Finds Money Isn’t Everything to Workers
March 20, 2009 —
If desperation breeds innovation then a recession is the perfect time for managers to think of ways other than money to motivate employees. Two recent studies that examined nearly 1,000 employees by New York University-Stern School of Business Professor Steve Blader explored how organizations can motivate workers.
“When the economy sours and corporate bottom lines suffer, organizations must rely on employees more than ever to go beyond the call of duty,” Blader said. “A key influencer of employee performance is the employee’s sense of being included in the social fabric of the organization. And this holds true in bear markets.” The research identified several employee motivators:
- treating employees with respect
- making decisions that affect them in a fair way
- providing them with good wages and benefits.
According to the studies, the most beneficial impact on employee performance is an increase in wages and benefits when it makes employees feel valued. The studies authors said this implies that an increase in pay will not likely incentivize a worker in cases where he/she receives the increase after threatening to leave or when his/her contract stipulates when and how much raises will be.
Contents © 2008 WorldatWork. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without express written permission from WorldatWork.
See original posting: http://www.worldatwork.org/waw/adimComment?id=32016
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
World At Work
Study Finds Money Isn’t Everything to Workers
March 20, 2009 —
If desperation breeds innovation then a recession is the perfect time for managers to think of ways other than money to motivate employees. Two recent studies that examined nearly 1,000 employees by New York University-Stern School of Business Professor Steve Blader explored how organizations can motivate workers.
“When the economy sours and corporate bottom lines suffer, organizations must rely on employees more than ever to go beyond the call of duty,” Blader said. “A key influencer of employee performance is the employee’s sense of being included in the social fabric of the organization. And this holds true in bear markets.” The research identified several employee motivators:
- treating employees with respect
- making decisions that affect them in a fair way
- providing them with good wages and benefits.
According to the studies, the most beneficial impact on employee performance is an increase in wages and benefits when it makes employees feel valued. The studies authors said this implies that an increase in pay will not likely incentivize a worker in cases where he/she receives the increase after threatening to leave or when his/her contract stipulates when and how much raises will be.
Contents © 2008 WorldatWork. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without express written permission from WorldatWork.
See original posting: http://www.worldatwork.org/waw/adimComment?id=32016
***********************************************************************
This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.
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