MORE ANGER MANAGEMENT TIPS

We all know what anger is, and we've all felt it: whether as a fleeting annoyance or as full-fledged rage.
Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life. And it can make you feel as though you're at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion. This brochure is meant to help you understand and control anger.

 The instinctive, natural way to express anger is to respond aggressively. Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival.

Tips For Managing Your Attitude

 

“Men are disturbed not by things that happen, but by their own opinion of things that happen.” —Epictetus

How you view problems or situations can make a difference as to how much stress you feel. Here are some methods to change your attitude to better manage stress:

• Stop blaming others for your problems. Accept responsibility for your actions.
• Understand that the only person you can control is YOU.
• If you can't do anything about something, work on forgetting it.
• Laugh more often and learn to be playful and have fun. Laughter has a healing influence on you and the person you are caring for.
• Develop a forgiving attitude toward yourself, the care-receiver and others. You are doing the best you can under the circumstances.
• Write down your thoughts and inspirations or keep a journal.
• Concentrate on your caregiving accomplishments rather than dwelling on your perceived shortcomings. Even if the care-receiver doesn't express his/her appreciation, pat yourself on the back daily to acknowledge your own strengths and achievements.

Thinking about our own needs might seem like a selfish idea. However, you are not super-human and you should acknowledge our limitations. It's OK to ask for help. You need to take care of yourself so you don't experience burnout.

WHO THE CAP FITS, WEAR IT.

For this reason, a man shall leave his mother and father, and they shall become one. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.
We rejoice with all celebrants.

How To Spot A Bad Boss -- Before You Accept The Job Offer

I’ve worked for some pretty bad bosses during my career. Some were managers who became my boss after I was already working in the job, but others were toxic bosses that I should have spotted before I even accepted the job offer.

 


Here are 10 ways to spot a bad boss – before you take the job:

1. They’re late for the job interview. I once sat outside a hiring manager’s office, waiting for my job interview. I waited. And waited. And waited. 45 minutes after the interview should have started, the hiring manager walked past and then stared at me. “Who are you?” he demanded. I told him I was his 10am interview candidate. He rolled his eyes. “Oh great. Another interview. Like I don’t already have enough to do,” he grumbled. “Fine. You might as well come into my office so I can get this over.” This hiring manager had not only forgotten about my interview, he also hated his job. A dangerous combination to avoid.
2. Their office is unusually disorganized. Earlier in my career, I accepted a job working for a manager whose office was a mess. Well, that’s an understatement. Her office looked like a tornado had swept through it. I should have spotted the telltale signs during my job interview: She didn’t have a copy of my resume or even the job posting, there were sticky notes all over her computer screen and desk, stacks of paperwork were all over her office, even her clothing and hair were messy. Unfortunately, her disorganization spilled over into how she managed people and managed her department.
3. They ask illegal questions during your interview. Does the hiring manager ask questions about how many children you have or if you plan on having any? Do he/she ask about your religion or your age? Hiring managers should always avoid asking any questions based on race, religion, gender, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, veteran or military status, and physical, mental, or sensory disabilities. That’s because these are all “protected classes” under most state law. If you’re asked any of these types of questions, it means the hiring manager either isn’t trained and experienced or may be unethical.
4. Other employees avoid the hiring manager. As you walk down the hallway to the hiring manager’s office or conference room for your interview, be aware of how other employees react to the manager. Are they friendly and positive toward him/her? Or, do they quickly turn around and walk away or dive behind cubicles to avoid being seen? Look for signs that other employees are afraid of the hiring manager or trying to avoid the person.
5. They don’t focus on the job interview. The goal of a hiring manager should be to hire the best possible candidate for the job. That means being 100% focused on the candidate and interview. Look for red flags, such as: checking email, answering telephone calls, texting, and speaking with other employees during your interview. Avoid accepting a job for a boss who doesn’t give you his or her full attention during your job interview.
6. They don’t ask difficult questions. To find the best candidate takes a lot of digging and questioning. So be wary of the hiring manager if he/she isn’t asking you tough questions about your knowledge, skills, and experience. They should be trying to find out as much as possible about your background as well as testing your skills with “Tell me about a time when…” questions. If they aren’t doing this, be suspicious.
7. They keep changing the topic of conversation to talk about themselves.  I once interviewed with a manager who kept interrupting me, so he could tell me stories about himself. There is almost nothing worse than working for a narcissistic boss. These are managers who have an excessive sense of self-importance and are extremely preoccupied with talking about themselves. These are also the bosses most likely to steal your ideas, take credit for your work, and who often have deep-rooted insecurities. Run quickly in the opposite direction.
8. They display anger management issues. Don’t put yourself in the position of working for a verbally (or physically) abusive boss. Signs to watch for are: yelling at his/her assistant or other employees, slamming doors, throwing things, saying negative things about others, going from calm to angry in a split second, tension you can visibly see (clenched fists, furrowed eyebrows, sweaty forehead, fast breathing), and over-reacting to things you say during the interview.
9. They can’t clearly communicate what it will take for you to be successful in the position. The hiring manager should know what it takes to be successful in every job within their department. This includes the knowledge, skills, background, education, and attitude necessary. If they don’t know this, why are they the department manager?
10. They don’t have a clear vision with goals and objectives for their department. Same here. If the hiring manager can’t clearly articulate the vision, goals, and objectives for their department, then they shouldn’t be in that role. Trust me, this isn’t the kind of manager you want as your leader.

Work Attitude and Benefits

Have you ever noticed that the employees with the most positive attitudes in the workplace have the most friends? People want to be around those who make them feel better about themselves. Employees with positive attitudes tend to be more productive employees because they always see the accompanying opportunity with every challenge. Things are seldom as bad as you think they are: Research shows that only eight percent of the things we worry about are worth being concerned about. People with positive work attitudes know this, therefore they do not waste time worrying, and they expend their energies on more positive activities. There are several benefits to having a positive work attitude, and many ways to cultivate a positive work attitude.

 


 Benefits of Having a Positive Work Attitude

• Better for your mental health because you are better able to cope with stressful situations at work [link to Stressed Out on the Job? Relief is on the Way!].
• Ability to inspire and motivate self and others.
• Ability to turn every challenge into an opportunity, or make less than ideal situations into better ones.
• Seen as role models and garner more respect.
• Other employees around you will also adopt a positive work attitude making it easier for everyone to get along in the workplace.
• Perceived as a leader and get more special projects to work on.
• You expect positive outcomes and results, and you usually get them, resulting in more success at work.
• Ability to stick to activities and see them through.
• Resilience – ability to bounce back from setbacks.
• Stronger immune system.

How to Cultivate a Positive Work Attitude

• Take responsibility for your own life.
• Prepare for the day’s activity at a reasonable pace.
• Think about all the positive things you expect to accomplish during the day and always expect the best.
• Smile and laugh often – it’s powerful and relaxes the whole body. Go to comedy clubs, take “laughter yoga” classes and read comic books.
• Develop a habit of using only positive language.
• Surround yourself with positive people.
• Perform your work with passion and enthusiasm.
• Always give thanks, acknowledge a job well done, and celebrate successes, even the small ones.
• Look for the good in every bad/challenging situation.
• Eat healthy.

Each week take a couple of items on the list to cultivate a positive work attitude and practice until they become second nature to you.

Ebola Virus – Is truth stranger than fiction?

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a virus and like other viral illnesses, causes fever, body aches, headache and sore throat.  Unlike most viruses, it can also cause internal bleeding, causing it to also be known as “hemorrhagic fever.”  It is native to Africa, and was first found along the Ebola River.  It is thought to live in animals such as monkeys, bats or rodents, but exactly where is unknown.  It can spread to humans from contact with an infected animal, and is spread from infected person to another by contact with body fluids – blood or other droplets.  It is not an airborne virus like the flu.  

Symptoms can be seen from 2-21 days after exposure to infected fluids.  Ebola has a 40-90% fatality rate - which is why it evokes such fear and makes for thrilling subject matter in books and movies.  Outbreaks are usually limited by isolating the sick and preventing further spread of the virus – since humans are not the natural host, the outbreak burns out.

What is happening in Africa?

There have been sporadic outbreaks of Ebola in Africa since we began tracking such things.  The last was 2 years ago in Uganda and The Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Both outbreaks involved less than 100 people.  This pattern has been seen over the past 10 years.  This map shows all cases since 1976 – both locations and number of cases.

In March 2014, the first West African cases were reported, and as of the end of July, over 1300 cases and 700 deaths have been reported in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.  This outbreak is far larger than the usual outbreaks; in fact this epidemic has more cases than the last 10 years combined.  Why this outbreak is larger and growing is not clear.  Analysis of the current Ebola Virus shows it to be a common form of the virus, not a “superbug” or mutant strain, which would mean that the population is either more susceptible or not able to isolate patients safely to avoid coming into contact with infected secretions.

Treatment

Ebola is a virus, and there is no specific treatment proven to kill the virus.  So, we treat it like we do a cold – support the patient with fluids and nutrition, and hope their immune system will defeat the virus.  There are experimental treatments that have been shown effective in animals, but no human trials have been performed as yet.  Doctors and hospitals have been receiving alerts from the CDC to increase awareness so doctors encountering people traveling from West Africa with fever are evaluated for possible Ebola, and to implement appropriate infection control procedures – just like we do for other contagious diseases.  The patient transported to Emory will be placed in an isolation room and treated by those who train to handle infectious material, limiting the chance of spread of Ebola to the US population.

What does this mean for us?

The average person should not be concerned with catching Ebola, even if you are in the vicinity of Emory Hospital.  Ebola is not an airborne virus – meaning you need to have direct contact with infected droplets to be infected.  You can not catch Ebola by breathing the same air as someone who has Ebola.  In addition, the plane the patient travelled on was not a commercial flight and was set up to prevent the spread of droplets.  Same for the ambulance that took the patient to the hospital.  So I do not think there is a high contagion risk in the US.  The CDC has issued a travel advisory, recommending non-essential travelers leave the affected areas in West Africa, and for those in the US to avoid travel there.  They are also implementing screening and reporting systems to identify and isolate potentially sick people boarding planes from the area, as well as decontamination procedures for the airlines, as they have done with other infections like SARS.  So as frightening as Ebola is, and no matter what happened in that movie you saw, there is little risk of infection to the average person.

What’s the secret sixth sense behind every successful entrepreneur?

I’m often asked what’s the great secret to being an entrepreneur. I always reply that in fact there isn’t one, and that you just need to rely on your senses:
1. An eye for opportunity
No one gets anywhere as an entrepreneur without being able to spot an opportunity. Without a good eye, Steve Jobs would never have returned to Apple.
His eye allowed Jobs to see something different from what everyone else did when they looked at Apple. They saw: a failing computer company that didn’t have the common sense to run Windows like everybody else was doing. He saw: the potential of technology to transform the way we live our lives, and the way to put his brand on it. Think different indeed.
2. A nose for nonsense
As soon as you achieve any kind of success, you’ll be amazed by how many people want to share their expertise with you. You need to be able to tell the difference between the ones who are just trying to sell you something and the ones who are telling you something you didn’t already know. Because they’re the people you know you can trust who you want beside you going forward.
3. A taste for planning
Plan, plan and plan again. It’s that simple. Nothing good happens by accident in business. Think about the way Dr Ruben Rausing brought Tetrapak to market. First, he had to develop a unique product, make sure he had the finance he needed, and find factories to manufacture it – all without letting the competition know. Only then was he ready for launch. It took eight years of planning and development. Over the sixty years since, they’ve sold tens of billions of cartons. That’s the only real kind of overnight success.
4. Selective hearing
No matter how successful you are, at some point people will start telling you to stop doing the things you do. Some of them may be right, and others may be wrong. As an entrepreneur, you need to know who to ignore and who to listen to. You need to tune your ears so you can work out what’s really important and what really isn’t. That judgment comes with experience, but we all need to keep on working on it. It’s not always the people who think they’re important who can tell you what really matters. In fact, it’s more often the people on the frontline. That’s why I make sure I spend as much time as I possibly can listening to the people who really matter for my business: my colleagues in our Business Centres and the customers we exist to serve.
5. A touch of paranoia
What drives entrepreneurs? I can’t speak for anybody else, but for me at least, it’s not about success. It’s not about money. What keeps me going is the fear of failure. That’s what gets me out of bed at five every morning. It’s the last thing I think of when I go to bed at night. The only answer to it that I know is sheer hard work. And as the South African golfing great Gary Player famously said: ‘It’s amazing that the harder I work, the luckier I get.’
6. Common sense
You can’t learn to be an entrepreneur at business school. You need to have an instinct, and no amount of professors can teach you that. But with hard work and by trusting your senses, you can make yourself better at it. It’s a task that’s never finished, though. You need to keep working on that instinct, polishing it and honing it to make sure it’s always sharp.