Monday, August 19, 2019
My Career summary :: essays research papers
EIS                                   Jon Bohner EIS Summary EIS                                   Jon Bohner      Teaching, I think is a really cool and fun job, but the income is nothing to brag about. It all depends on how you do in high school; it is a good plan to keep at least a 3.5 grade point average.      The next step is to decide what kind of financial aid you want, or maybe you do not even need any. Most colleges start you out with a 2-year plan, to see if it is what you really want to do.      Then if you really get in to the swing of things, and you like what you are doing, there is the four-year plan. Most of the time, students start out in general knowledge, so they can learn a little bit in each area, and then go from there so they know what they really enjoy, and do not mind doing eight hours a day, five days a week.      It takes a lot of determination to become a teacher, that and a whole bunch of patience. Personally, I could not deal with all of the pressures that a teacher has to, dealing with the snotty kids, and the ones who are rebellious and do not listen to anybody and talk back. Then if you still have patience after that, you can go after a bachelor’s degree, the second level of college education. That is what qualifies you to move up from elementary to teaching high school.      Then if you want to go even further you can go back to school to get your graduates degree in the study that you majored in when you were in school for you bachelors degree. Then you have the qualifications to teach at major universities like Yale and Harvard. If you can not get financial aid and you still really want to go to college, you can always go into the military or work for Motorola, they both path for about eighty percent of your education, so all you really have to do is buy your books. I EIS                                   Jon Bohner think that college would be really interesting, get away from your parents, go home to see them every once in a while.      If I had to pick on what to major in, to try teaching, it would not be history or geography, trying to remember all of the different countries, remembering all the important dates of when really important things happened. My Career summary :: essays research papers EIS                                   Jon Bohner EIS Summary EIS                                   Jon Bohner      Teaching, I think is a really cool and fun job, but the income is nothing to brag about. It all depends on how you do in high school; it is a good plan to keep at least a 3.5 grade point average.      The next step is to decide what kind of financial aid you want, or maybe you do not even need any. Most colleges start you out with a 2-year plan, to see if it is what you really want to do.      Then if you really get in to the swing of things, and you like what you are doing, there is the four-year plan. Most of the time, students start out in general knowledge, so they can learn a little bit in each area, and then go from there so they know what they really enjoy, and do not mind doing eight hours a day, five days a week.      It takes a lot of determination to become a teacher, that and a whole bunch of patience. Personally, I could not deal with all of the pressures that a teacher has to, dealing with the snotty kids, and the ones who are rebellious and do not listen to anybody and talk back. Then if you still have patience after that, you can go after a bachelor’s degree, the second level of college education. That is what qualifies you to move up from elementary to teaching high school.      Then if you want to go even further you can go back to school to get your graduates degree in the study that you majored in when you were in school for you bachelors degree. Then you have the qualifications to teach at major universities like Yale and Harvard. If you can not get financial aid and you still really want to go to college, you can always go into the military or work for Motorola, they both path for about eighty percent of your education, so all you really have to do is buy your books. I EIS                                   Jon Bohner think that college would be really interesting, get away from your parents, go home to see them every once in a while.      If I had to pick on what to major in, to try teaching, it would not be history or geography, trying to remember all of the different countries, remembering all the important dates of when really important things happened.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Capital Punishment :: Death Penalty Essays
The death penalty has been around for centuries. It dates back to when Hammurabi had his laws codified; it was â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth†. Capital punishment in America started when spies were caught, put on trial and hung. In the past and still today people argue that, the death penalty is cruel, unusual punishment and should be illegal. Yet many people argue that it is in fact justifiable and it is not cruel and unusual. Capital punishment is not cruel and unusual; the death penalty is fair and there is evidence that the death penalty deters crime. A big part of abolitionist’s argument is that the death penalty is not humane. They pull in Amendment 8, â€Å"†¦nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.†What the victim went though was indeed â€Å"cruel and unusual punishments’.†The murderers’ death is not cruel. The people will demand justice for what he or she has done (Bidinotto 19). Hanging and the electric chair are topics more reasonable to argue, but now because of lethal injection capital punishment has become more humane. The death penalty is not barbaric, the pain and agony that the victim went through is barbaric. Abolitionists were very upset in 1996 when rapist and murderer John Albert Taylor was executed by firing squad; they said his death was barbaric (Feder 32). Charla King, the poor 11-year-old girl he raped and strangled with a telephone cord, her death was barbaric! It makes no sense to think that John Taylor’s’ death was barbaric or inhumane. He would not even hear the bullets shoot out; his victim went through more pain than what any court system could have inflicted on him (Feder 32). In the past people have challenged the death penalty, it has always been denied, lethal injection is fair enough (Johnson 43). There have been inhumane ways in the past; people should be thankful that we use lethal injection instead of using electrocution as first choice (Johnson 43). Honestly, the death penalty is roughly enough pain that can be legally inflicted, they get what they deserve (Bidinotto 19). We will not use the death penalty to get revenge; the legal systems would not tolerate victims’ family using it for revenge. It is to seek justice, not to get even (Bidinotto 20). Second, the death penalty does in fact deter crime. New York, 1990, the murder rate was up to about 2,650 people, every year it has dropped, in 2009 there were only 778 murders.
Malevicth red square :: Essays Papers
Malevicth red square The painting Red Square by Russian painter Kasimir Malevich is a particularly interesting piece. It is simple red square on a white background representing a peasant woman. It is an example of the Malevich's unique style of suprematism, which focuses on motion and feeling. The painting was done near the beginning of the twentieth century when science was developing at a rapid rate. Einstein's Theory of Relativity was gaining ground at the time. Malevich's painting seemed to borrow from this theory that attempted to explain relative motion. His suprematism style attempted to capture a neo-realism in painting portraying pure feeling and perception. This new style was communicated by the discarding of natural references. Malevich grew tired of painting in the traditional style with everything looking and feeling the way they are in life. His new style tried to free viewer from their traditional a priori views concerning shape and colors imposed on them by their senses. Suprematist style focuses was on depictions of movement and dynamism. Flight and anti-gravity fascinated Malevich. Much of his paintings were a top down view of the subjects arranged on a white background. The white background represents infinite space, while the subjects were reduced to g eometric blocks. The message of the paintings comes out in the relative position of the blocks to the background. The infinite background of the paintings is to divorce the paintings from the finite earth. Malevich himself said that his paintings "do not belong to the earth exclusively." The paintings sought to transcend to a different level. Malevich's suprematist style sought to take people to the fourth dimension, which was pure sensation. This fourth dimension effect was reached by stripping away the distractions. Malevich's art was made to be felt and he broke down complex characters into the simplest of geometric shapes. The colors that he chose for his subjects were not the ones that were true to life. He did this by choice to get past the human biased way of seeing an object. He was trying to transmit pure sensation. The actual subject is irrelevant; the feelings of it are the main focus. With Malevich's Red Square a peasant woman is depicted. Here Malevich is not trying to depict a pretty picture of a woman. Instead, he reduces the woman to a simple square and transmits her essence. The color red perhaps could represent anger and the slightly unsymmetrical lines of the square could represent unbalance.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Macbeth’s Tragic Flaw Essay
Ambition is a strong desire to do or achieve a goal. The extent of such ambition is easily influenced by other inner factors, such as gullibility because it allows the mind to believe in things that will bring them closer to their ambitious goals. In William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth, is a representation of such gullibility. Macbeth allows his gullibility to overwhelm him in certain situations that appeal to his ambition. However, the increasing levels of his gullibility throughout the play would lead him to his own isolation and downfall. For instance, by meeting the witches and listening to their prophecy, he slowly begins to believe the prophecy which affects his decision-making in the future. In addition, the influence Lady Macbeth has over Macbeth allows her to manipulate him to believing her plan for murder. Furthermore, by believing in the apparitions’ three messages, Macbeth essentially greets his end at the door by having a false sense of security. As a result, Macbeth, who was once a hero, slumped down to become a murderous and tyrant king. However, Macbeth is not at fault for his unfortunate transformation. Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his ambition, which is heavily influenced by his gullibility because it eventually exploits enough of his ambition that causes his isolation and downfall. Macbeth’s gradual isolation is caused by his gullibility exploiting his ambition from his initial encounter with the three witches and their prophecy. The prophecy is the root of Macbeth’s isolation and downfall as the witches predict that Macbeth is the Thane of Cawdor, and King of Scotland. As the witches vanish, the two exchange dialogue with each other, â€Å"Your children shall be kings./ You shall be king./ And Thane of Cawdor too. Went it not so?†(1.3.89-91). Though Macbeth and Banquo both took it lightly as the claims held no evidence to back them up, the encounter ultimately implanted the idea of Macbeth becoming king in the future. By having the idea of this ambition within him, it leads into the next situation where his ambition begins to bloom. Ross and Angus arrive and greet Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor. While Macbeth is astonished, Banquo warns him that such messages, â€Å"tell us truths,/ Win us with honest trifles, to betray ‘s./ In deepest consequence.†(1.3.134-138). On the other hand, Macbeth completely disregards Banquo’s warnings and displays his gullibility as he continues to mumble to himself about the prophecy holding true. But, he is foolish to do so as he bases his accusation off of the statement, â€Å"Two truths are told†(1.3.140). Afterwards, his ambition is revealed as he strives to be king. As a result, both his gullibility and ambition intertwine and start his path to isolation and downfall. Eventually, Macbeth becomes king after a series of events, and he fulfills a part of the prophecy. By letting his ambition engulf himself, his ambition soon becomes the desire to secure power. As his gullibility grew, so did his ambition. He believes in the second part of the prophecy of Banquo having sons who will be kings by declaring Banquo as a threat to his power and orders his murder. This action solidifies the idea that Macbeth’s ambition strengthens his gullibility towards the prophecy as he desires to maintain his power. By believing that Banquo is a threat, he eliminates him to prevent any threat to his ambitious goal of securing power. This only continued to grow throughout the play after several murders of â€Å"threats†until his eventual demise. As a result, by hearing the witches’ prophecy, it allows his gullibility to exploit his ambition that w ill influence his future actions leading to his isolation and downfall. Macbeth spiraled further toward his downfall as he was foolish to allow Lady Macbeth to pick on his ambition, leading to his gullibility of the plan to kill Duncan. Macbeth’s flaw of being gullible allows Lady Macbeth to bombard him with accusations and comments that changes Macbeth’s original decision to not kill Duncan. To be more specific, the first thing Lady Macbeth addresses before Macbeth falters in the end is his inconsistency and cowardice. She states that he is inconsistent because he mentioned how hopeful he was when he heard of the prophecy, but then he concedes from chasing after his ambition. By attacking him personally by saying that he is a coward for, â€Å"Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’,†(1.7.48-49), she instigates Macbeth into defending himself and making him more susceptible to persuasion. Instead of holding his ground on the decision of not killing Duncan, he slowly loses his ground as continues to be attacked. This easily leads into Lady Macbeth’s next tactic of attacking Macbeth’s manhood because Macbeth lived in a chivalrous society where men were symbols of manhood. By attacking Macbeth’s manhood, she is implying that Macbeth has become a lesser man. Furthermore, she adds on, â€Å"And to be more than you were, you would/ Be so much more the man.†(1.7.57-58). She implies that by murdering Duncan, he will become a greater man. This sets the stage for Lady Macbeth’s final tactic before Macbeth succumbs to her persuasiveness. To fully persuade Macbeth, Lady Macbeth exclaims to Macbeth of how effortless the plan of killing Duncan is. By doing this, she continues to appeal to Macbeth’s ambition of becoming king and how he can easily obtain the throne. His gullibility takes over as he eventually gives in and goes on with the plan. Therefore, though Macbeth was stern on not killing Duncan, Lady Macbeth persuades him through his gullibility and ambition to kill Duncan, which adds on to his downfall. Macbeth’s actions after his encounter with the three summoned apparitions exposes his gullibility and ambition as they influence Macbeth to put the final stake in his own downfall. During his second visit to the witches, they summoned three apparitions, each representing something that would prove significant later on. Macbeth’s gullibility shines when he believes in the three apparitions with no questions asked. At first, he was told by the first apparition to be wary of Macduff. Since Macbeth assumed that this meant Macduff was a threat to his overflowing ambition, he believed in their message and decided to send murderers to Macduff’s castle and eliminate the household. Macbeth, again, solidifies his image of a tyrant king by resorting to murders to take care of threats to his ambitious goal, further propelling him towards his downfall. The second message was that, â€Å"none of woman born/ Shall harm Macbeth†(4.1.91-92). Macbeth started flaunting that his castle would be able to fend off a siege from the English forces led by Malcolm. However, most of his soldiers left and joined the other side of the forces because of his obsession with power. This indicates that he was slowly becoming more isolated as soldiers continuously left. Furthermore, his inevitable end was soon to come as he met face-to-face with Macdu ff. While believing the first two messages, Macbeth became reluctant to fight Macduff because Macbeth’s, â€Å"soul is too much charge†with killing Macduff’s family. But, the second apparition’s message was misinterpreted as Macduff was not born of woman. This resulted in Macbeth being scared, displaying that his gullibility in the messages proved false and threatened his ambitious goals.. Next, the final message was that, â€Å"Macbeth shall never vanquished be until/ Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill/ Shall come against him.†(4.1.105-108). By believing in the third apparition’s message, he ignored all the reports of enemies near his castle. However, that message was misinterpreted, as so did the others, as the trees were â€Å"moving†towards the castle. As a result, by assuming literally that the trees themselves could not move, he had let his castle be surrounded by the English force, ultimately losing everything. Therefore, in believing the messages from the apparitions, Macbeth’s ambition fed his gullibility, leading him to turn a blind eye on situations which normally would be looked upon. All of which led to his demise. Due to Macbeth’s trait of gullibility, it exposed his ambition multiple times throughout the play, causing him to take actions that would amplify his isolation and downfall. By meeting the witches and listening to their prophecy, Macbeth had begun his spiral downwards by letting his ambition consume him and killing Banquo. In addition, by giving into Lady Macbeth’s persuasiveness, his transformation from a respected nobleman to a murderer adde d onto his isolation. Lastly, by listening to the apparitions’ messages, Macbeth induced a false sense of security for himself which led him to eventual demise. In the end, Macbeth’s isolation and inevitable downfall was brought upon by his own gullibility and ambition.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Book Review: International Conflict Resolution Essay
The first chapter of the book talks about the peace-making and de-escalation strategies. It discusses the theoretical approaches of statism, pluralism and populism in reference to the international conflict. The author of the book convinces the reader that effective conflict resolution should make use of convincing power and positive sanctions. Therefore, he argues that win-win solutions are achievable in international conflict. In the second chapter the relation of US and USSR and cases of Middle East are used to observe the de-escalation efforts. The third chapter takes the example of US-USSR and Arab-Israel de-escalation activities to present some chronologies. Four de-escalation patterns are identified using these chronologies: frequency of initiatives, multiple de-escalation initiatives, and activity level of activity among conflicting countries. In chapter four the author explains the reasons of de-escalation activities and its timings. Factors such as domestic situation, international perspective, and associations between conflicting parties are the presented in this chapter. (Conflict Research Consortium Staff, 2010) Chapter five explains the process of initiating the process of negotiation. The author explores different initiatives and tells which ones are more effective for negotiations. The chapter brings into light the factors resulting in negotiations between conflicting parties. Chapter six explores the negotiation process completely. Kriesberg presents the example of US-USSR and Arab-Israel to analyze different negotiated agreements (Mitchell, 1996). Taking into account these examples, the author creates guidelines for effective negotiations. In chapter seven the author describes the consequences of negotiations. It identifies the effective negotiations leading to long-term de-escalation efforts. Chapter eights draws on the conclusion of peace making efforts. With the help of his findings, he concludes the way in which some countries improve their relations and others still remain conflicted. The last chapter analyzes the impacts of conflicts between nations. The author explains the cost that the countries have to bear and presents policies. In the end, the author comes up with the relationship between peace-making and de-escalation (Conflict Research Consortium Staff, 2010). This book is a comprehensive study of international conflict de-escalation process. With the use of chronologies and tables, the author makes the study more meaningful and easy to understand. It contributes to the study of international relations by presenting a conflict resolution perspective. The book addresses the issue which needs future consideration. Kriesberg’s work lacks theoretical implication but it is practical. International conflict resolution is pioneered in this work and brought it into consideration. The author presents his idea in a persuasive way and explains easily why some inflicts are protracted. The book provides some useful concepts to resolve conflicts and peace-making policies (Simon, 1994). However, book limits itself in providing propositions about the irreversible and complex processes. It raises some important issues like what are the conditions that result in de-escalation initiatives? In what conditions these initiatives leads to negotiations? And finally, how these negotiations results in agreements? The author is successfully able to answer these questions in an effective way (Holsti, 1993). Strengths and Weaknesses of the Book The book is a well organized and well-written by the author. It provides sound understanding of the arguments presented by the author. The unique feature of this book is that the author is able to identify the impacts of agreements. He is able to put forward the questions that are critical to international relations and are helpful in peace-making agreements. However, the methodology adopted in evaluating these questions is off-putting but comes up with some effective conclusions and future policies. Moreover, Kriesberg is not able to justify the causes of failed negotiations and some successful initiatives (Holsti, 1993). Hence, the book faces some validity issues. The analysis throughout the book is enriched by historical references and material representing opportunities and constraints, both in international and domestic context. The author emphasizes that good will and the positive attitude of the people is critical to negotiations. It encourages them and motivates them to work in the right direction and reaching some agreements. Therefore, the book is less controversial and is able to present a broader and positive view of the author. Another advantage of this book is that it provides references according to the context that helps in the better understanding of the arguments and provides the author an easy way to justify his reasoning. The historical material enhances the validity of the content presented in the book. The approach adopted by the author is to provide long lasting solutions to the problems, which is a more practical approach. Kriesberg in this book is able to provide approaches that are complete in nature as many authors have been providing approaches that do contribute a lot but are incomplete. Kriesberg has clearly presented the strengths and weaknesses of the concepts and approaches that he has used in the book. However, due to the use of just two major conflicts, the issue of comparison arises. The drawback of the book is that the language used in the book is difficult to understand by the reader, however, the content of the book is highly informative, providing insight into the subject. By dividing the book into number of chapters, the book is presented in a proper flow that makes the understanding much easier.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind
Margaret Mitchell’s celebrated novel Gone With the Wind weaves a wonderful love story that happened in the eve of the American Civil War. Almost everyone has known the two lovebirds named Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler, whose tempestuous love affair and memorable lines popularized in the film version of the novel. The Civil War background, the pathos of the South’s defeat, the poverty and suffering (with its clear parallels to the 1930s depression) and eventual economic triumph of Scarlett, so cheering to readers with little to feel cheerful about, and then the â€Å"realistic†ending with its bitter-sweet parting of Rhett and Scarlett, contained more excitement than a dozen lesser novels. All readers are enthralled about the details of how the Southern life runs, the humor, the dozens of colorful minor characters all presented in competent and flowery prose. Definitely, it is a must-read novel for love story fanatics who don’t mind to get a strong dose of American history to go along with the love affair of the main characters. Actually, Gone with the Wind is not solely a love story because it is considered as a coming-of-age story of Scarlett O’Hara. At the novel’s opening in 1861, Scarlett O’Hara is a sixteen-year-old Southern belle, when it concludes in 1873 she is a twenty eight year-old woman. Millichap (1994) recounted that in the twelve year span of the novel, Scarlett â€Å"experiences Secession, Civil War, and Reconstruction, as well as romance, love, marriage, and motherhood. Scarlett lives through the adolescent trauma of American culture, which is matched by a traumatic personal history as much or more tumultuous†. She was fuelled by her own life and that’s why â€Å"Mitchell created one of the most arresting tales of troubled adolescence in American literature and in so doing created a novel which will continue to captivate teenagers and fascinate their teachers well into the next century†. The relevance of this novel in American history is that Scarlett is caught up in the historic period like the Secession, Civil War, and Reconstruction that we all studied in our history class. When the Southwest was defeated during the Civil War, the huge plantations were destroyed and the slaves were freed. This prompted plantation owners to suffer greatly from their downfall. The American Civil War also interrupted cotton supplies that had disastrous effects in the United States. The Great Hunger of the 1840s was a time of agrarian crisis and industrial slump. We can all experience these parts of American history as readers go through the life of Scarlett O’Hara. By reading the novel, we can see the events that transpired during these periods through the eyes of a woman struggling to redeem herself from all the difficulties brought about by the events that happened. In this way, readers can learn about American history when reading the novel as these were intertwined with the life of the heroine in the Mitchell’s novel. For younger readers, Scarlett O’Hara’s development from teenaged girl to mature woman proves as fascinating now as it did when the book was first published in 1936 or when the movie first appeared in 1939. The particular, indeed peculiar energy of the story proceeds from Mitchell’s own girlhood, adolescence, and young adult life. During these years she heard the family legends of the Civil War era into which she projected her own development toward womanhood. The novel combines Mitchell’s family and personal romances with historical facts to create powerful and popular fiction. Also, it was a great hit during the time of its publication because many people can relate it to the Great Depression that happened in the 1920s. As Beye (1993) writes: Gone With the Wind was published in the depths of the Great Depression. The years of the Depression were followed by the Second World War. It is not hard to see how it spoke to an American audience of that period. The economic and social disaster that the Civil War brought to the white aristocracy of the old South is a good metaphor for the economic and social dislocation that millions of ordinary Americans experienced between 1936 and 1946. Suddenly vast numbers of people were devastated by hunger, homelessness, and joblessness. Often, however, they were also freed from middle class gentility; women especially were freed from propriety; classes were mixed up; immigrant groups became richer and freer in the experience of America; war made women independent of men as never before. Reading the book was an awe-inspiring experience, although there are parts that can be dragging. All in all, the love story was quite enthralling indeed and readers can both enjoy the plot of the story and take a slice of American history without a sweat. Works Cited Beye, Charles Rowan. â€Å"Gone with the Wind, and Good Riddance, Southwest Review 78.3 (Summer 1993): 366-80. Millichap, Joseph R. â€Å"Margaret Mitchell: Overview†, in Berger, Laura Standley (Ed.), Twentieth-Century Young Adult Writers, 1st ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Mitchell, Margaret. Gone With the Wind.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Leadership Characteristics Essay
Abstract Today, in our society, especially in healthcare, the word leadership is on everyone’s mind. Finding good leaders has become one of the highest priorities in large and small organizations. But how we define leadership and what should we be looking for in a good leader will be the questions we explore in this paper. This paper is meant to be a summarized reflection of my thoughts and beliefs on leadership. It will evaluate where I stand at the beginning of this course with regard to the characteristics of leadership I possess. It will explore some of the realities that confront leaders within the healthcare industry. It will examine some of my past experiences, personal and professional, in order to learn who I am as a leader and where I need to go to be an effective leader. key word: self awareness, leadership, realities In the 21st century when globalization and open business opportunity among countries has created an atmosphere of either flourish or perish, the necessity of dynamic and effective leadership is gaining prime importance all over the world. Successful leaders are becoming the scarcest resource of any business enterprise. Over the past years the health care industry has evolved putting more pressure on the health care leaders of today. Success in the long run for these leaders can be insured only through effective leadership. William Shakespeare once said, â€Å"To be or not to be that is the question†. The question every inspiring leader in today’s society must ask of themselves. Leadership according to Northouse (2007, p. 3) â€Å"is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal†. As I continue to read and research this definition of leadership it has brought me to question how does a leader influence others to achieve that common goal? Where do I stand within this leadership definition and what do I need to accomplish as I pursue my leadership desire? In order to accomplish my desire to become a good leader I must understand the characteristics I possess and those I do not. Leaders, whether good or bad influence people, maybe not in the way that the organization benefits from but influence just the same. A good leader will have good work ethics, good communication skills, lead by example, have a desire to achieve the vision and goals of the organization, obtain trust from the organization and their team members, have a drive and desire to see a need for change and act on it when needed, and have a desire to learn from others within the team. Realities Some of the realities that face leaders today are the ever changing work environments. As technology evolves, as our workforce becomes more diverse in skills and culture we as leaders need to be adaptable and ready to make changes. Good leaders need to continue educating themselves through any means possible and be willing to educate those on their teams. As a leader in the health care industry I agree with some current trends confronting the health care system today as seen in Exhibit 1. 1 in our text Leadership in Healthcare (Dye, 2010. p. 5) Growing number of uninsured Increased emphasis on patient safety and equality Diminished revenue sources and decreased reimbursement Uncertain implications of healthcare reform Pressures to invest in electronic record systems and other clinical/information technologies Demands to hold down costs Closer scrutiny of pay-for-performance schemes Aging of the population and changes in worker and patient ethic/cultural demographics Higher expectations from consumers Professional shortages and decreasing recruitment pools Need for building renovation/construction and equipment purchase Rise of social media, Internet commerce, and wireless functionality Advances in Pharmaceuticals, genomics, and medical interventions Public calls for transparency and accountability, and growth of regulations Physician integration and alignment, including the employment of physicians These trends will continue to exist unless the leaders of today and tomorrow learn to be adaptable and progress through the changes or they will be left behind. And the more the complex system is the more demands are on the leaders to perform. History As I was growing up, I never thought of my parents as leaders. On a personal level, in reality they are leaders. Whether bad or good they influence us, as their children, to accomplish goals. Abraham Lincoln once said in his Temperance Address, February 22, 1942, â€Å"When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. It is an old and true maxim, that a â€Å"drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall†. (leadershipnow. com) My father was (the boss) an Authoritarian leader. He had always told us what he wanted done and how he wanted it done. (Clark, 2004) I never knew this was a style of leadership as I was growing up but I did know this was not a good way to influence others. Although a leader possesses authority to accomplish goals the power does not make anyone a leader. A good leader will influence people to want to follow them â€Å"rather than simply boss them around†. (Clark, 2004). Reflection The question whether or not a leader is born or taught is yet to be questioned. To refer to a particular individual as a â€Å"natural born leader†I believe is somewhat deceptive, however, an individual can certainly possess a number of the characteristics that are consistent with desirable leadership. Today, as I reflect on my own evaluation of my Professional and Personal Values (Dye, 2010) I have realized I do possess some of the characteristics of a good leader. For instance, I always try to lead by example. I will never ask a subordinate to do something I am not willing to do myself. In my current position I am a Medical Office Coordinator at a physical therapy facility. I am the second in command under the director of the clinic. The previous coordinator would always have the technicians do all the cleaning and filing for her. I believe as an employee within this clinic, to achieve the goals of the clinic, I have an obligation to influence those who work within our team. Also, I have a good work ethic and always have a desire to achieve goals. According to others, that evaluated me, some common characteristics I possess are that I always have respect for my team and keep my word. That I have a desire to learn from others and have a respect for their opinions. For example, as our team was getting ready to purge patient files and making room for new patient files we discovered we needed more room. As a common goal for the clinic we as a team came together and put in place a procedure that accomplished this goal. As the teams leader I could have just demanded a way to make more room or could have just told them to do it any way but I thought since all of the team members were working on the same goal, patient care, we all needed to work on this task together. Room for Improvement Although I do possess characteristics of a good leader there is always room for improvement. I tend to avoid conflict. I avoid conflict in fear of disappointing someone on the team. This is also where I lack in communication skills and trust in myself to know whatever the conflict I should be able to listen and evaluate the conflict and try to solve the issue. Although, I do have good communication skills when it comes to relaying the message with regards to goals and what is expected of my team members I still feel I need to enhance my conflict resolution skills. When I became the Medical Office Coordinator for the physical therapy clinic I knew I needed to work closely with the director of the clinic. The director was new within our clinic and she was not flexible in her schedule to accommodate the patient’s needs. At first, it was hard to deal with this and I was not able to bring this conflict to her attention in a positive way to effectively resolve the problem. As weeks went on I saw that it was affecting my desire to be there. Ultimately, the director was fired due to her lack of commitment to the clinic. As I look back on it I realize now that maybe if I would have communicated to her the dilemma I was facing we could have come to a resolution and maybe she would still be there. There is so much more yet to learn. As I read through the Self-Reflection Questions (Dye, Garman, 2006) there is so much more to being a good leader than just leading by example and inspiring my team. I now realize I need to have a clear vision of my personal conviction, emotional intelligence, trust, a desire to achieve goals and inspiring others.
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