Search Results for: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Wlliam Gladwell meets Alvin Toffler in this lively, provocative and witty look at our possible futures. Filled with provocative forecasts about how the world might change in the next half century, Future Files examines emerging patterns and developments in society, technology, economy, and business, and makes educated speculations as to where they might take us.

It is indispensable to business analysts, strategists and organisations who need to stay ahead of the game as well as providing rich and fascinating material for dinner party conversations. Will machines become more intelligent than humans, and even be able to ‘read’ our minds? Will food in our fridge speak to each other using radio waves, then come up with options for tonight’s menu? Is there a looming environmental crisis where Planet Earth is doomed? Would you like a pill that improves your memory? …Or a moistened tissue that could erase a bad day? Would you feel safer if your front door could tell you whether the person knocking is not a stranger?

These are just some of the provocative forecasts about how the world might change in the next half century which Richard Watson explores in “Future Files“.

More and more people-hundreds of millions around the world-are living in bilingual homes. In the U.S. alone, more than 54 million people over the age of 5 speak a language other than English at home. Yet once children enter school, the pull toward one language becomes stronger and maintaining the bilingual advantage requires a serious family commitment-a bilingual choice. The good news is it’s worth it.

Research shows that bilingual children are known to have more social, cultural and economic opportunities as they grow to adulthood and that learning a second language from birth can even result in protection against Alzheimer’s later in life. Bilingual By Choice provides families with specific activities, games and insights that will show them how to not only teach their kids more than one language but also to help their kids retain and develop those language skills.

For parents, educators, immigrants and expatriates, Bilingual by Choice deals directly with the obstacles to sustaining a second language, including unsupportive relatives, issues at school, frequent relocations and discrimination, countering each one with the author’s firsthand experience with both sides of the growing-up-bilingual journey, as a child and as a parent. Commit to the choice, and help your children become bilingual-for life.

Rocket: A Simulation on Intercultural Teamwork is an interactive simulation that helps participants develop and hone important intercultural skills; the very skills, in fact, used in building-and operating-the International Space Station. The construction of the International Space Station-a world-class, state-of-the-art orbiting research facility-was no easy feat. Designed to support long-term exploration of space, such a complex and technical project required the collaboration of multiple international partners and was the largest scientific cooperative program in history-a true testimony to the importance of effective intercultural teams.

Rocket mimics the real-life interactions and politics of the International Space Station Program, requiring participants to work together to build a model rocket. Rocket is based on qualitative interviews conducted at NASA’s Johnson Space Center with astronauts, administrators, flight directors, flight controllers, engineers and trainers for space agencies from the U.S., Russia, Japan and Europe. This engaging tool is a fun and fresh take on training participants to work in diverse settings.

Why is it that some employees, regardless of their strong skills and knowledge base, still underperform? The answer may lie in other root causes in the workplace: the environment or culture, the available tools and resources or a lack of systems or processes.

Isolating a root cause-and its corresponding performance opportunity- is the first step in helping an employee develop and grow. Only then can a targeted solution, whether a job redesign or one-on-one coaching or training, be identified and applied so that individuals can achieve peak performance. Developing Exemplary Performance One Person at a Time lays out a simple process to identify the “right” performance focus-one exemplary strength that can be leveraged and one “expandable” strength with development potential-and turn it into results that support an organization’s overall strategy and success.

Today we live in a world without borders, a global village. Distance no longer defines who we meet, fall in love with or marry. The Internet and e-mail connect people around the world in seconds. Immigration, study abroad, travel and multinational business have created a thriving cross-cultural community. But the experiences shared across cultures and countries do not always bridge the fundamental differences in beliefs and behaviors that span diverse cultures.

In Intercultural Marriage, Dugan Romano delivers a “reality check” for anyone already in, or contemplating, an intercultural marriage. This insightful book interweaves lessons learned from others and suggests that the joys of an intercultural marriage often result from turning the challenges of crossing cultures into an opportunity for a fulfilling and lasting relationship.

Now in its third edition, Intercultural Marriage examines the impact of cultural differences in marriage and offers practical guidelines on how to deal with the complexities they bring to a partnership. Covering such topics as raising bicultural children, religion, values, male vs. female roles, sex and social class, Romano continues to give voice to hundreds of couples she has interviewed and followed for over a decade.

As a senior manager at NASA, Dr. Ginny Whitelaw had access to excellent leadership training. But like most leadership training, it taught leaders from the neck up, not deeply enough to develop the whole and balanced leaders so needed in today’s complex organizations. She knew there had to be a deeper, more integrated way of developing effective leaders. There is!

Move to Greatness reveals that to lead and live wholly, basic energy patterns must be brought into balance. Out of kilter, these four patterns create the ineffective “buts” in leadership style (“great at making numbers, but hell on staff”) and personal performance (“successful at work, but has no life”).

Success and failure originate in our use (or misuse) of four fundamental patterns in the nervous system that have been studied over decades:

* The Driver pushes into every barrier with speed, directness and intensity and puts a focus on priorities, actions and the bottom line.
* The Organizer does the right thing with discipline and order and establishes processes, clarifies roles and assigns responsibility.
* The Collaborator swings into playful engagement with life and the people in it and as a leader, the Collaborator is oriented to customers, employees, loyalty and fun.
* The Visionary goes with the flow, hangs out in the chaos, and leaps to new possibilities while the Visionary leader thinks outside the box and creates the future.

Using these patterns as a map, you will understand people more easily and more deeply, and see how to lead them more effectively. Moreover, you’ll learn how to move yourself to your highest potential. Discover your natural preferences and learn how to literally move yourself – and others – to greatness.

Trusted by thousands of families and individuals, The Expert Expat is essential reading for anyone moving overseas. Personal stories – from the authors’ dozens of years abroad as well as the experience of countless expats worldwide – help prepare people for the exhilarating and daunting task of establishing a life far from home.

This new edition includes an important chapter on safety, expert advice on preventing identity theft and responding to terrorist threats and, for the increasing number of people traveling solo, guidance on networking and establishing a home. Now more than ever, The Expert Expat‘s practical advice and encouragement eases the challenges and helps create a rewarding experience living abroad.

Today’s consumers are turning the tables on traditional media. They cannot be herded towards some Next Big Thing but switch their attention in a heartbeat if they catch the buzz of something new and exciting. Fans forage for new discoveries, pursuing personal interests while leaving trails and clues for others to follow. Savants, Enthusiasts and Originators play influential roles in the fan economy recording their finds, expressing their opinions and leading communities of fellow fans. As a result, discovery is the big challenge in a wiki, Web 2.0 world where blog culture, social networks like MySpace and personalized recommender systems have changed the way we perceive, create and consume media. Net, Blogs and Rock ‘n’ Roll is the first book to dissect a new generation of discovery-oriented services such as Last.fm the social music revolution and is for anyone who spreads the word about entertainment and is interested in expanding audiences through the new channels of our always-connected culture. By explaining how discovery works in this groundbreaking book, David Jennings shows how creators can support discoveries by maximizing the ways buzz can develop. He introduces the three strands of digital discovery – Trying Out, Links, Community – explaining how the history, culture and technology of media are interwoven with the rise of personalization and mobile players. He profiles groups of consumers and their different approaches to discovery, and examines how media intermediaries filter cultural content and connect it to audiences. Anything goes in this new world of discovery which embodies a rock ‘n’ roll ethos that resists neat and clean orderliness. Consumers make discoveries from any and every source, all media can co-exist, but no one retains ‘gatekeeper’ status. Professionals are adjusting to a new role complementing bloggers and facilitating audience discoveries rather than controlling them. Net Blogs and Rock ‘n’ Roll reveals the role of consumers in the fan economy, the latest technologies and techniques at their disposal and shows intermediaries how to connect creators with communities of fans and consumers.

Written in a friendly, accessible style with lots of practical examples of searches and personal stories, “The People Finder” can be used as a DIY handbook for those who want to attempt the search themselves or as a guide to finding the best possible help.

Whether you are looking for an old school friend, a natural parent or estranged relatives who have become part of the British diaspora – the biggest in history – “The People Finder” makes sense of the vast amount of information available, providing useful contacts and valuable resources both in the UK and internationally.

Karen Bali offers advice on ways to use the web, tracing births, marriages and deaths, locating public records, finding people through their work and hobbies, using agencies and other organisations and how to make contact once you find someone. Losing touch with family members, friends and loved ones is more common today than eve before. A house move, a lost address book or a change of phone numbers can be all that it takes.

Whatever your reasons for searching, “The People Finder” offers real life case studies and advice on: What to do before you start? Tips on researching; Where to find public records? How to contact specialist organisations? What to look for on the internet? How to approach someone for information? And, how to keep in touch and plan your reunions.

Behind the experience and talents cataloged in your resume lies an intrinsic power that fuels your soul and your success: your genius. As ancient as the Greeks, as trendy as New Age, the concept of genius is fully grounded in contemporary life in this powerful journey of self-discovery that takes you right to the core of what makes you unique.

Through dozens of compelling stories of people who have real­ized the transformative power of finding their genius-plus a wealth of practical exercises- Is Your Genius at Work? draws inspiring wisdom from ancient philosophies, spiritual traditions, modern sages, and the author’s twenty years of research and study to help you define and give name to your genius, recognize your life’s purpose, and discover how to bring your genius wholly alive through your life and work.

Each year thousands of families throughout the United States and the world open their homes and hearts to international high school exchange students—sharing their own culture and learning about another. As these families face the challenges and joys of hosting, Nancy King’s and Ken Huff ’s Host Family Survival Kit will provide them with valuable information and advice to help ensure that their experience will be a success. Authors King and Huff provide an overview of hosting, defining the role that exchange students play in the host family, outlining the skills needed by host parents and discussing the effect of culture on the host family/exchange student relationship. They then divide the hosting experience into nine stages, making recommendations on what to expect and how to handle day-to-day situations. Throughout, they include insightful quotes and pertinent examples from experienced host families. In this second edition, they have made major revisions to all of the original chapters. In addition, they have added two new chapters and three new appendices. The Host Family Survival Kit is an indispensable guide to the hosting experience, and will leave readers both excited about and well prepared for their role as host parents.

No matter where we live of what we do, we deal with people using a wide variety of communication styles every day. At work, in the marketplace and at home, diversity in communication styles presents rich opportunities, yet too often people misunderstand each other. Communication Highwire is an important breakthrough for managers, team leaders, community leaders, educators, trainers and facilitators as they help individuals and teams overcome frustration, prevent mistakes and save time and money.

World-class intercultural trainers and educators share their strategies and techniques-and, most importantly, their tools-to leverage diversity in the modern world. Twenty-six powerful activities are ready to go with little preparation. Developed for the first time in this book, the 5-Factor model (Context, Goals, Values, Self-Concept, Communication Style Repertoire) is presented in an easy-to-use Star Chart approach. A 4-Step process puts it all together: combining Factors and Descriptors to enhance communication. Dozens of examples-stories from international business to politics to community development to family life-make the concepts real and applicable.

Communicating across a variety of styles requires the skills of a tightrope walker, but the rewards to the performers are immense.

Learn how to stay where you are and do what energizes and engages you with this sophisticated yet profoundly practical guide to career fulfillment.

Make It Work delivers expert advice and dozens of smart, easy-to-use tools to help you discover your passions, choose a direction, practice new skills, and do what you love to do-every day.

As William Gay, distinguished adviser to the last edition, so aptly notes, the United States is “a country that is never what you think it is.” Since that edition was introduced nearly ten years ago, the country has been struggling with troubling, divisive events and issues, especially the September 11, 2001, attacks and the resulting War on Terror.

Despite these extraordinary times, the United States still holds promise and opportunity for those who take the time to understand it. Jef Davis, a seasoned interculturalist and long-time adviser to international travelers, had succeeded as few could in creating an important new version of Living in the U.S.A. that will guide you through the confusing, conflicted, exciting country and its diverse population at an extraordinary time in history. New material and significantly revised chapters help you understand: American Cultures, such as sections on African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native peoples, retirees, gays and lesbians and the disables, underscoring the incredible diversity of culture and values that comprise the American population; Twenty-First Century Issues, for example the continued rise in religious fundamentalism in the U.S. and abroad and the tension between security and personal liberties; Getting Here and Getting Settled, including security at the airport and elsewhere and new and trying immigration regulations.

Short-term visitors to the U.S. will find advice for surviving customs and immigration, finding as apartment, doing business, obtaining health care, and navigating the supermarket, bank, and post office. If you plan to stay longer, you will find practical pointers for getting along at work, school, and at home; buying a house; making and keeping American friends; and understanding dominant American values in a diverse and complex society.

Living in the U.S.A. is a comprehensive guide to attitudes, customs, manners and daily life in the United States.

Whether negotiating a delivery date, launching a local franchise or renting a car in Mexico City, speaking the language and knowing the rules of business are not enough. In any culture where yes can mean no—or sometimes maybe—even giants like Wal-Mart and IBM can make costly mistakes. Mexicans and Americans gets to the heart of our differences and lays the groundwork for cultural fluency. Here is a humorous and insightful firthand look at how to succeed in working with Mexicans—on either side of the border. Steeped in the richness of Mexican culture and history, Ned Crouch helps us understand the most critical elements that determine what works and what doesn’t when Mexicans and Americans come together in business: out different views of time and space, and our construction and use of language. He debunks the manana stereotype and offers specific advice on how to cross the cultural divide that separates us.

For coaches, corporate trainers, human resources professionals, and career counselors-anyone responsible for facilitating professional growth and development in others-TLC at Work offers a start-to-finish process and a comprehensive fieldbook of hands-on, interactive tools.

Drawing on the key concepts of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality inventory and her twenty years of experience working with personality type, award-winning author and consultant Donna Dunning defines and describes-in a measureable way-five core competencies essential for workplace success. She delivers all the practical strategies, assessment tools, and step-by-step advice needed to help employees become self-directed, mindful, skilled communicators, able to learn readily and adapt easily to the challenges of today’s workplace.

When top-performing employees leave a job, they’re often quitting their manager rather than their position or their company. In this book, copublished with the Society for Human Resource Management, Nancy Ahlrichs charts unexplored territory as she explains how to become a “manager of choice” in a business environment in which managing human capital is the new imperative.

Today employees care more about family, leisure time, and personal satisfaction than about money, status, or company loyalty, and they have more job choices than ever before. They are “consumers of the work experience,” says Ahlrichs, and managers must adapt to their individual needs just as they adapt to the preferences of valued customers.

Employers of Choice have set the standard for superior work environments. Now, with the help of worksheets, resource lists, and compelling case studies, Ahlrichs shows how to develop the five critical skills for becoming a manager of choice: talent scouting, relationship building, trust building, skill building, and brand building.

Four forms of energy pulse through each of us at all times: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. To thrive, we must recruit all four of these energies in the service of a specific mission. To be fully engaged means to be physically energized, emotially engaged, mentally focused, and spiritually vested.

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz draw on 30 years of research and experience with thousands of world-class atheletes, FBI hostage rescue teams, emergency service workers, and corporate executives who must sustain high performance in the face of pressure. In this book they offer their precise understanding of how to help individuals and organizations manage energy to drive full engagement – along with a step-by step programme to make that happen.

In 52 Activities for Exploring Values Differences, Donna Stringer and Patricia Cassiday have written and adapted sounds, ready-to-use activities for settings where the exploration of values differences is beneficial: the workplace, the classroom, corporate diversity training, international team development workshops, conflict management and others. The activities cover a broad spectrum for the varied needs of trainers and teachers: those who like hands-on, practical but low-risk activities; those who prefer experimental activities; and those who learn best if they can reflect on ideas. The authors’ “Classification of Activities” at the front of the book helps users choose activities that are appropriate for their needs according to risk level, time required, context (work, personal or general) and group (individual, team, organization, domestic diversity or multinational). The directions for the activities are easy to follow, and the worksheets and handouts can be photocopied for use.

In Was That Really Me?, Naomi Quenk has provided the next giant step in applying Jung’s model of development in healthy personalities. That step is to understand, accept, and learn to handle our hidden personality responsibly.

Updating the classic Beside Ourselves, Quenk has given us a way to understand this part of ourselves as well as a practical guide for turning what appears to be negative into a positive awareness that enhances our growth and effectiveness. People typically find this to be a surprisingly freeing experience.

Kohls shares a feast of Korean culture: a ricebowl of history and tradition complimented by an array of spicy tidbits that capture the reader’s attention like a mouthful of kimchi. Based on personal experience, he provides critical incidents that explore the more puzzling aspects of Korean culture. Kohls explores Korean values—traditional values, value changes over the past forty years and projected values for the early decades of the twenty-first century. He is equally insightful when it comes to discussing the cultural patterns and practices of the workplace. He takes on management style, personal issues, networking and “pull,” negotiating style, persistence, key Korean business relations and more. To a greater extent than most other Asisan countries, Korea adheres to the traditional collectivist and Confucian traits of harmony, hierarchy, ingroups/outgroups, status, and proper behavior. According to Kohls, these traits plus the more Westernized values of the younger generations and the veneer of modern urban savvy surface in surprising combinations in personal and workplace relationships—often where they are least expected.

Based on over thirty years of conversations and interactions with Americans and Asians, Korean American Eun Kim presents American virtues and vices from an Asian perspective, using the ancient Asian concepts of yin and yang, which coexist in everything and complete each other to maintain cosmic harmony. In this way, Kim draws us to look at the yang (light) mirror of American vices and the yin (dark) mirror or American virtues. Examples of the virtues she discusses are generosity, competitive spirit, openness, and volunteerism. Some of the vices she explores are insistence on rights, refusal to grow up, arrogance, and tolerance of violence. In her fifty entries, the author describes and illustrates an American value and provides an Asian perspective on it as well as what she believes to be the dangers and opportunities inherent to each value. She uses personal experience, anecdotes and quotes from Asians and Americans both famous and unknown, historical background, general wisdom, and proverbs to enrich her writing. Eun Kim straddles two cultures, her Asian homeland and her adopted country, the United States. This is a highly personal and readable book, with insights that may make the American reader squirm uncomfortably in one paragraph and glow with pride in the next.

In this InterAct, Benjamin Broome examines the communication style and cultural patterns in contemporary Greece, known to its residents as Ellada. He deciphers the complexity of Greek culture, providing the reader with an accurate guide for navigating the unknown terrain of its social landscape.

Enriched with numerous examples from the author’s travels and sojourns in the country, Exploring the Greek Mosaic is highly readable, yet it presents as in-depth treatment of many key subjects, including the Greek view of history; the importance of village, family and religion; the role of conversation and conflict in interpersonal relations; and the characteristics of the work environment.

Particular attention is given to similarities and differences in perception between Greeks and Americans, and sound advice is presented to those attempting to enter the Greek social world. Managers, diplomats, students and serious travelers will find this insightful examination of Greek culture an especially useful guide to interaction with Greeks, and those teaching intercultural relations will appreciate its refreshing approach to cultural analysis.

With the publication of this long-awaited companion to Intercultural Sourcebook Volume 1, the editors have brought together a comprehensive collection of training methods and exercises used by top trainers in the cross-cultural field. They include not only descriptions of methods but also examples of activities and suggestions for creating one’s own exercises.

This second volume includes articles by thirty-four leading cross-cultural trainers and covers new or divergent training methods for cross-cultural skill development and intercultural learning. These include self-awareness inventories, videotapes, small group exercises, area studies, and an insightful collection of other methods from the programming of field studies to the use of cross-cultural dialogues, culture heroes, and visual imagery.

One chapter analyzes the role and significance of research in cross-cultural training and another explores how training methods can be adapted for different cultures and age groups. In the epilogue two of the authors share their thoughts on the future of cross-cultural training. Both trainers and educators will find the resources in this volume, as they did with the first, essential for cross-cultural learning.