As if to prove his premise, Firestien shows participants in his seminars a picture of an odd-looking wheelbarrow with a very large hopper, a short handle, and a single wheel behind the hopper. He then calls for comments on its design.

Typical comments include: "The hopper is too big", "The handle is too short", "The wheel's in the wrong place", or "Go back to the drawing board, Roger!" Of course, all these "comments" are criticisms.

In real life, he then explains, this wheelbarrow is used for high-rise construction, and there's an important reason for each design element.

"Ah, but you set us up!" is the standard,indignant response. "You didn't give us all the information on it."

To which the presenter politely replies by pointing out that most new ideas look like that when they're first proposed. Often, you don't have all the info on a new idea on hand when you first see it.

CeMAP Training Courses - Study and Learn, or Crash and Burn?
CeMAP training is one of the growth areas in the education and training market today. With the mortgage industry crying out for people who have completed their CeMAP training course and passed their exams, there are a growing number of companies entering the market place offering CeMAP training courses.Unfortunately, as is always the case in these situations, there are CeMAP training courses, and there are those that only claim to be CeMAP training courses. There is a worrying trend developing of trying to push people through the exams faster and faster, with questionable results. The first thing to bear in mind when selecting a company to provide your CeMAP training course is the standard of training that you will receive. While time taken can obviously be a factor, quickest is not always best, especially when you are embarking on a new career.Many of the so-called crash courses promise to drive students through the exams in ever decreasing amounts of time – you only need to think about the depth of content involved in the exams to understand why CeMAP training courses delivered in this way are dubious at best. The syllabus for the CeMAP exams is broad reaching and comprehensive and to try to compress CeMAP training into desperately short timescales is unrealistic for most people.The important fact to bear in mind when considering where to enrol for your CeMAP training course is that no classroom course can teach you everything you need to know in 5 days, or 3 days or whatever the latest miracle training company is promising. You will always have to complete a certain amount of home study with any classroom course, in fact one company that advertises with a headline of CeMAP training in five days then says in their brochure that you will need to undertake 4 hours of study reading per day for 14 days prior to attending the course.A

Ten or so years ago, an international consultant, specializing in employee involvement and team development, published a story relating to workplace communication that is heartwarming and damning at the same time.

In 1981, Peter Grazer was working as the project engineer on a construction project to modernize a silicon manufacturing facility in St. Louis, Missouri. A crew of ironworkers had been assigned a particularly daunting task of erecting some structural steel in a difficult to reach area of the plant.

Unfazed by the complexity of the assignment, the ironworkers completed the work weeks ahead of schedule, well under budget, and without safety problems.

Grazer and his colleagues of the management team resolved to express their appreciation to the crew in an unmistakable, tangible way.

They sent letters to the homes of the workers, thanking them for their outstanding work and inviting them and their wives to a dinner in their honor at a fancy hotel in St. Louis.

The dinner was a memorable occasion, enjoyed to the full by both management and the workers in a spirit of camaraderie. A couple of days later, Grazer was walking around the site when he came upon one of the crew members.

Jerry was in his fifties and was usually loud and jovial. Moreover, he was naturally hardened from his years of working with steel, and not the type to get unduly emotional over anything.

The project engineer was a little taken aback to see Jerry so quiet and deep in thought on this particular morning, especially so soon after the dinner. He anxiously asked Jerry if anything was wrong.

"You remember those letters you sent to our homes?" he asked. "When I arrived home that day my wife was waiting for me at the door - with the letter in her hands and tears in her eyes. And she said to me: 'Jerry, you've been an ironworker for 30 years, and nobody's ever thanked you for anything.' "

No thanks in 30 years?

Jerry paused, and both he and the project engineer stood there quietly for a moment. "How is it possible," thought Grazer, "that somebody could work for thirty years and not be thanked for anything he did?"

Dr. Roger Firestien, a noted expert on creative problem solving techniques, quotes this article of Peter Grazer's in his book Leading on the Creative Edge.

The need to be recognized is clearly one of our most sophisticated drives and one of the most difficult to achieve. The problem is that we are wholly dependent upon others for its satisfaction.

From a purely pragmatic standpoint, lack of recognition can have a profoundly negative impact on productivity. Studies show that encouragement and recognition play a major role in stimulating creativity in research and development organizations.

In a magazine article a few years back, writer Arthur Gordon gave an almost frightening example of how far this can go.

At the University of Wisconsin, a group of budding writers, said to be brilliant boys with real literary talent among them, once formed a club to discuss their literary efforts.

Wranglers vs. Stranglers

At each meeting, one of them would read something he had written and submit it to the criticism of the others.No one pulled any punches here; in fact, the critiques were so brutal that the club members dubbed themselves "The Stranglers".

Meanwhile, on the other side of campus, a group of women had also come together for the same purpose. The women called their little group "The Wranglers." They also took turns to read their manuscripts aloud.

But here the similarity between the two groups ended, for the Wranglers would go out of their way to say kind things about each other. Far from sowing the seeds of self-doubt, they actively supported each other, and encouraged all literary efforts, however feeble.

And the payoff came about twenty years later.

Gordon asserts that for all the sparkling talent residing in the Stranglers at the time, not one member of the band achieved any kind of literary reputation. From the Wranglers, on the other hand, emerged a bevy of highly successful writers, led by Marjorie Kennan Rawlings who wrote The Yearling."

Dr. Firestien adds that his experience in business suggests that most organizations more closely follow the Stranglers' pattern than the Wranglers'.

"Why do we naturally gravitate towards the negative?" he asks, and then answers his own question: "I think the primary reason may be that we haven't been taught to look first at the strengths of an idea."

As if to prove his premise, Firestien shows participants in his seminars a picture of an odd-looking wheelbarrow with a very large hopper, a short handle, and a single wheel behind the hopper. He then calls for comments on its design.

Typical comments include: "The hopper is too big", "The handle is too short", "The wheel's in the wrong place", or "Go back to the drawing board, Roger!" Of course, all these "comments" are criticisms.

In real life, he then explains, this wheelbarrow is used for high-rise construction, and there's an important reason for each design element.

"Ah, but you set us up!" is the standard,indignant response. "You didn't give us all the information on it."

To which the presenter politely replies by pointing out that most new ideas look like that when they're first proposed. Often, you don't have all the info on a new idea on hand when you first see it.

N

How Can I Make Money With Surveys On The Web
Do Online Surveys Really Pay?Anyone and everyone seem to be making a "paid surveys" website now-a-days. Not that it is difficult to make one, it is just a matter of some basic skills and a few hours of time, and they are raring to go. Most of these websites have single most intent – to make you pay to be a member, so that they would render you the service of pointing you to other URL's, where you can find and fill out surveys that pay. If you fall for them, you will find that they lead you to URL's of companies that have long ceased to exist or to websites that would ask you to pay again to join their websites.These websites charge anywhere between $30-$100 in fee for accessing their database or list of "highly paid" survey sources. But these websites offer you nothing else other than a waste of time and money ... As per the our research conducted in July 2006, which reviewed hundred's of work from home scams and paid survey websites, by interviewing their clients, workers and owners, we concluded that .... we could certify only 5 websites out of so many hundreds ! We being the industry watchdogs for the work at home websites, our standards are very stringent. However, these 5 companies that we can safely recommend charge a one time fee anywhere between $30 to $60, since they are dedicated to the business and have representatives to find work for you day after day. Our No. 1 choices, Paid Surveys Online and Surveyscout, provides you with 5 minute survey to fill out upon joining for which they pay $25. So the net fee that you pay them upon joining is actually $10 which is a frugal investment to get a dependable and reputed source of daily work.The sites recommended by us offer a no questions asked, 100% money-back guarantee up to 90 days. They have been verified to stand up to their word in this regard. This ensures that you can try out their servi

derie. A couple of days later, Grazer was walking around the site when he came upon one of the crew members.

Jerry was in his fifties and was usually loud and jovial. Moreover, he was naturally hardened from his years of working with steel, and not the type to get unduly emotional over anything.

The project engineer was a little taken aback to see Jerry so quiet and deep in thought on this particular morning, especially so soon after the dinner. He anxiously asked Jerry if anything was wrong.

"You remember those letters you sent to our homes?" he asked. "When I arrived home that day my wife was waiting for me at the door - with the letter in her hands and tears in her eyes. And she said to me: 'Jerry, you've been an ironworker for 30 years, and nobody's ever thanked you for anything.' "

No thanks in 30 years?

Jerry paused, and both he and the project engineer stood there quietly for a moment. "How is it possible," thought Grazer, "that somebody could work for thirty years and not be thanked for anything he did?"

Dr. Roger Firestien, a noted expert on creative problem solving techniques, quotes this article of Peter Grazer's in his book Leading on the Creative Edge.

The need to be recognized is clearly one of our most sophisticated drives and one of the most difficult to achieve. The problem is that we are wholly dependent upon others for its satisfaction.

From a purely pragmatic standpoint, lack of recognition can have a profoundly negative impact on productivity. Studies show that encouragement and recognition play a major role in stimulating creativity in research and development organizations.

In a magazine article a few years back, writer Arthur Gordon gave an almost frightening example of how far this can go.

At the University of Wisconsin, a group of budding writers, said to be brilliant boys with real literary talent among them, once formed a club to discuss their literary efforts.

Wranglers vs. Stranglers

At each meeting, one of them would read something he had written and submit it to the criticism of the others.No one pulled any punches here; in fact, the critiques were so brutal that the club members dubbed themselves "The Stranglers".

Meanwhile, on the other side of campus, a group of women had also come together for the same purpose. The women called their little group "The Wranglers." They also took turns to read their manuscripts aloud.

But here the similarity between the two groups ended, for the Wranglers would go out of their way to say kind things about each other. Far from sowing the seeds of self-doubt, they actively supported each other, and encouraged all literary efforts, however feeble.

And the payoff came about twenty years later.

Gordon asserts that for all the sparkling talent residing in the Stranglers at the time, not one member of the band achieved any kind of literary reputation. From the Wranglers, on the other hand, emerged a bevy of highly successful writers, led by Marjorie Kennan Rawlings who wrote The Yearling."

Dr. Firestien adds that his experience in business suggests that most organizations more closely follow the Stranglers' pattern than the Wranglers'.

"Why do we naturally gravitate towards the negative?" he asks, and then answers his own question: "I think the primary reason may be that we haven't been taught to look first at the strengths of an idea."

As if to prove his premise, Firestien shows participants in his seminars a picture of an odd-looking wheelbarrow with a very large hopper, a short handle, and a single wheel behind the hopper. He then calls for comments on its design.

Typical comments include: "The hopper is too big", "The handle is too short", "The wheel's in the wrong place", or "Go back to the drawing board, Roger!" Of course, all these "comments" are criticisms.

In real life, he then explains, this wheelbarrow is used for high-rise construction, and there's an important reason for each design element.

"Ah, but you set us up!" is the standard,indignant response. "You didn't give us all the information on it."

To which the presenter politely replies by pointing out that most new ideas look like that when they're first proposed. Often, you don't have all the info on a new idea on hand when you first see it.

If He Walks Like A Quack, Talks Like A Quack, & Acts Like A Quack, He’s A Quack!
One of the problems we have when we interact with professionals, whether they’re architects, doctors, lawyers, or accountants, is the fact that we never quite know enough to know when THEY don’t know enough.We can spin our wheels, wasting time and money, and suffer even worse outcomes if we deal with the WRONG professionals.Divorces and dissolutions of business partnerships can go on for years instead of months.Our medical maladies can be misdiagnosed, and what was curable, or at least manageable, could rage out of control with the passage of time due to wrong or incomplete treatment.Important deadlines can be missed because some professionals have substance abuse, financial, or family issues of their own that are hopelessly distracting them.That architect who had his structural engineer assess your property for sturdiness might have miscalculated, and when the next earthquake or windstorm comes along, you’ll learn just how devastating his error was.That accountant, or CPA who attends a one-day seminar, suddenly decides to bill himself as a “Wealth Consultant,” when most of his friends, neighbors, and family members know something you don’t.He couldn’t pick a winning stock or investment if his life depended on it.So, how can the rest of us get a clue that a professional is way out of his depth, that he or she is incompetent?Remember these six tip-offs:(1) Don’t trust smooth talk; trust results. If he hasn’t been delivering the goods, put his feet to the fire. When my ear infection wasn’t cleared-up by the EYE MEDICINE my ear specialist prescribed, I was on his case right away, expressing displeasure. At first, the nurse tried to put off my next appointment, and I insisted I couldn’t hear—get me in, now! She did, he blasted my ear with a powder that tasted lousy, but it worked.(2) Don’t blame yours

expert on creative problem solving techniques, quotes this article of Peter Grazer's in his book Leading on the Creative Edge.

The need to be recognized is clearly one of our most sophisticated drives and one of the most difficult to achieve. The problem is that we are wholly dependent upon others for its satisfaction.

From a purely pragmatic standpoint, lack of recognition can have a profoundly negative impact on productivity. Studies show that encouragement and recognition play a major role in stimulating creativity in research and development organizations.

In a magazine article a few years back, writer Arthur Gordon gave an almost frightening example of how far this can go.

At the University of Wisconsin, a group of budding writers, said to be brilliant boys with real literary talent among them, once formed a club to discuss their literary efforts.

Wranglers vs. Stranglers

At each meeting, one of them would read something he had written and submit it to the criticism of the others.No one pulled any punches here; in fact, the critiques were so brutal that the club members dubbed themselves "The Stranglers".

Meanwhile, on the other side of campus, a group of women had also come together for the same purpose. The women called their little group "The Wranglers." They also took turns to read their manuscripts aloud.

But here the similarity between the two groups ended, for the Wranglers would go out of their way to say kind things about each other. Far from sowing the seeds of self-doubt, they actively supported each other, and encouraged all literary efforts, however feeble.

And the payoff came about twenty years later.

Gordon asserts that for all the sparkling talent residing in the Stranglers at the time, not one member of the band achieved any kind of literary reputation. From the Wranglers, on the other hand, emerged a bevy of highly successful writers, led by Marjorie Kennan Rawlings who wrote The Yearling."

Dr. Firestien adds that his experience in business suggests that most organizations more closely follow the Stranglers' pattern than the Wranglers'.

"Why do we naturally gravitate towards the negative?" he asks, and then answers his own question: "I think the primary reason may be that we haven't been taught to look first at the strengths of an idea."

As if to prove his premise, Firestien shows participants in his seminars a picture of an odd-looking wheelbarrow with a very large hopper, a short handle, and a single wheel behind the hopper. He then calls for comments on its design.

Typical comments include: "The hopper is too big", "The handle is too short", "The wheel's in the wrong place", or "Go back to the drawing board, Roger!" Of course, all these "comments" are criticisms.

In real life, he then explains, this wheelbarrow is used for high-rise construction, and there's an important reason for each design element.

"Ah, but you set us up!" is the standard,indignant response. "You didn't give us all the information on it."

To which the presenter politely replies by pointing out that most new ideas look like that when they're first proposed. Often, you don't have all the info on a new idea on hand when you first see it.

Profit From Product Re-Design
You don’t have to be a design guru or professional industrial designer to come up with creative solutions to improve the things around us. After all, most of the best things were designed by amateurs, out of sheer need.There are lots of things out there that we use every day and, surprisingly, most of them can be improved to work better, be more useful or just look better and could make you money. Let’s take an example: the pouring spout and lip. Every tea pot, jug, carafe, virtually anything that holds liquid has a pouring spout or pouring lip. But what annoys people is that it drips. There you are, thousands of years of continuous refinement and we still can’t get it right!So, if someone takes the time, examines the problem and comes up with a really dripless spout, people will beat a path to their door? Well not really. There’s all that branding, marketing and selling stuff to get through, but that’s another story. There’s room for improvement in almost any common product and it’s this tinkering around the edge of design that makes our life better. By addressing those pebble-in-the-shoe kinds of irritations, we can probably get rid of half the angst in the world today.What’s the point? Well, if you don’t just want a better world to live in, you can probably make money out of simple improvements to every day things. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t for everyone. Just because you’ve banged a nail into a piece of wood doesn’t mean that you’ve got a better coat hanger.It takes thought and discipline to come up with a viable alternative. Don’t forget these things have been around for a long time, so lots of people have probably had a go at redesign. There are about four major issues to consider before you start:What really irritates me about this thing? Personal involvement is the greatest motivator. Unless you’re a professional industrial

were so brutal that the club members dubbed themselves "The Stranglers".

Meanwhile, on the other side of campus, a group of women had also come together for the same purpose. The women called their little group "The Wranglers." They also took turns to read their manuscripts aloud.

But here the similarity between the two groups ended, for the Wranglers would go out of their way to say kind things about each other. Far from sowing the seeds of self-doubt, they actively supported each other, and encouraged all literary efforts, however feeble.

And the payoff came about twenty years later.

Gordon asserts that for all the sparkling talent residing in the Stranglers at the time, not one member of the band achieved any kind of literary reputation. From the Wranglers, on the other hand, emerged a bevy of highly successful writers, led by Marjorie Kennan Rawlings who wrote The Yearling."

Dr. Firestien adds that his experience in business suggests that most organizations more closely follow the Stranglers' pattern than the Wranglers'.

"Why do we naturally gravitate towards the negative?" he asks, and then answers his own question: "I think the primary reason may be that we haven't been taught to look first at the strengths of an idea."

As if to prove his premise, Firestien shows participants in his seminars a picture of an odd-looking wheelbarrow with a very large hopper, a short handle, and a single wheel behind the hopper. He then calls for comments on its design.

Typical comments include: "The hopper is too big", "The handle is too short", "The wheel's in the wrong place", or "Go back to the drawing board, Roger!" Of course, all these "comments" are criticisms.

In real life, he then explains, this wheelbarrow is used for high-rise construction, and there's an important reason for each design element.

"Ah, but you set us up!" is the standard,indignant response. "You didn't give us all the information on it."

To which the presenter politely replies by pointing out that most new ideas look like that when they're first proposed. Often, you don't have all the info on a new idea on hand when you first see it.

The Power of 360 Degree Feedback
Many organisations have set up appraisals systems. Those that are most effective include 360 degree feedback. So what is 360 degree feedback and how can you start to put it in place?360 Degree FeedbackThe basic concept behind 360 feedback is getting views from those that manage you, those in your peer group and those that you manage. The idea is to get a rounded picture of your performance from a number of different sources in order to build up a picture of your strengths and development needs. In a well designed 360 feedback process you will also complete your own self assessment.When you are first faced with the possibility of 360 feedback it can be daunting. The reality is very different. You discover:1. Qualities that you never even noticed in yourself2. People are delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to your growth3. You are often your biggest critic and people think much more highly of you than you do4. Where greatest benefit will be derived from your personal development activities as you will know where to focus your attention5. You have many more strengths than you have development needsSetting up 360 FeedbackThere are a range of options open to you and one consideration will be financial. At the most basic level, you can send out an e-mail to people. Another alternative is to use software of there is a system in your company. There are also options to use technology even if your company does not have its own computer package. A Google search will identify some options.In terms of those that you ask for feedback:1. Aim for about 10-15 people2. Have a range of managers, peers and subordinates3. Choose some people who you anticipate will give you a high rating4. Choose some people who you will anticipate will give you a low rating5. Cho

wards the negative?" he asks, and then answers his own question: "I think the primary reason may be that we haven't been taught to look first at the strengths of an idea."

As if to prove his premise, Firestien shows participants in his seminars a picture of an odd-looking wheelbarrow with a very large hopper, a short handle, and a single wheel behind the hopper. He then calls for comments on its design.

Typical comments include: "The hopper is too big", "The handle is too short", "The wheel's in the wrong place", or "Go back to the drawing board, Roger!" Of course, all these "comments" are criticisms.

In real life, he then explains, this wheelbarrow is used for high-rise construction, and there's an important reason for each design element.

"Ah, but you set us up!" is the standard,indignant response. "You didn't give us all the information on it."

To which the presenter politely replies by pointing out that most new ideas look like that when they're first proposed. Often, you don't have all the info on a new idea on hand when you first see it.

Not so fast, please!

But why jump the gun by killing it on the spot? Firestien contends that this is, in fact, the knee-jerk reaction of many people to all new ideas.

What's the solution?

Let's say someone proposes an idea. (That "someone" could be another party: your boss, your subordinate, your colleague, friend or spouse; but it could also be YOU - your inner, creative, "real" self!) If you're at all "normal", your natural urge will be to tear the concept to pieces.

But stop! Don't let your passions get the better of you! If Dr. Firestien had redrawn his wheelbarrow to fit in with all the comments he received, he would have come back to the same wheelbarrow that has been in use for thousands of years.

Defer your judgment, just for a while.Has the idea no strengths at all? Focus on these first,and the drawbacks afterwards.

The fruits of your efforts may surprise you.