Organizational Behavior Unit 2 Discussion Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behavior Unit 2 Discussion Essay Attitudes and Behavior interrelates with each other. Important attitudes such as â€Å"self-interest† (Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A.2007) or that identifies with a group that is valued shows a strong relationship to behavior. Job involvement, job satisfaction and organizational commitment are moderating factors that can improve the statistical relationship between employee behavior and attitudes. An employee’s job involvement relates to how strongly they can identify with the work they care about in which they consider â€Å"their perceived work performance level important to self-worth† (Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A.2007). This basically means that employees who are deeply involved in their job are mostly satisfied and maintains a high performance in productivity than the employees who are dissatisfied. When an employee is satisfied with their job they are more confident and perform more positively with their productivity and maintains efficiency. Organizational commitment is a job attitude in which an employee identifies with an organization and its goals. Affective commitment (emotional attachment). Continuance commitment (someone remaining with the organization because of the salary and benefits) Normative commitment (when an employee hesitates to leave the organization because they â€Å"don’t want to leave the employer in a lurch†) (Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A.2007). Employee attitudes and behavior are important to an organization due to the negative impact that will cause a downfall in revenue and inefficient work flows in the organization. When an employee shows negative attitudes and behaviors towards their work ethics can at times negate the other employees’ behavior and attitudes, especially in a union environment.

Ethics & defined Essay Example for Free

Ethics defined Essay Ethics is commonly defined as the rules or standards governing the conduct of people. Gender is the social dimension of being male or female. Most people acquired gender identity by the age of three. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political communities. No nation can be expected to wage war with one hand tied behind its back, but ethical issues of most profound nature are raised anytime. Once the actuality of possibility of war becomes the context within which we live, men and women are forced into set roles. Gender serves as a medium or vector for war’s presence in our innermost social settings. This essay will discuss these ethical issues in war and their link to gender. Discrimination is one of the ethical issues in war. Women have always participated to some extent in combat, but several recent wars have seen them fighting on the front lines. While the roles of female ex-combatants vary widely the women seem to share one unfortunate characteristic, limited access to benefits when peace and demobilisation come. This is also true for girls abducted for sexual services and the families of ex-combatants in the receiving community. These groups are often neglected during mobilisation and reintegration; or at best women, girls, and boys may receive equal benefits but are treated as a homogenous group which prevents specific needs being addressed. (Goldstein, 2001 pg207-212) Sexual violence especially on women especially rape has its own brand of shame to recent wars. From conflicts in Bosnia, Peru and Rwanda women have been singled out for rape, imprisonment, torture and execution. Systematic rape is often used as a weapon of ethnic cleansing. More than 20, 000 Muslim girls and women have been raped in Bosnia since fighting began in 1992. Impregnated girls have been forced to bear the enemy’s child. (Human Rights Watch, 2000 pg12) Sexual violence of women erodes the fabric of community in a way that few weapons can. Rape’s damage can be devastating because of strong communal reaction to the violation and pain stamped on entire families. The harm inflicted in such cases in a woman by a rapist is an attack on her family and culture, as in many societies women are viewed as repositories of a community’s cultural and spiritual values. (UN, 2005 pg8) In addition to rape, girls and women are also subject to forced prostitution and trafficking during times of war sometimes with complicity of governments and military authorities. During World War II, women were abducted, imprisoned and forced to satisfy the sexual needs of occupying forces and many Asian women were also involved in prostitution during the Vietnam War. The trend continues in today’s conflicts. Nearly 80 percent of the 53 million people displaced by wars today are women and children. Refugee families frequently cite rape as the key factor influencing in their decision to seek refuge. (Alison, 2007pg78-83) The high risk of inflection with sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, accompanies all sexual violence against women and girls. The movement of refugees and marauding military units and the breakdown of health services and public education worsen the impact of diseases and chances for treatment. The exchange of sex for protection during the civil war in Uganda in the 1980’s was a contributing factor to the country’s high rate of AIDS. (UN, 2005 pg131) Women suffer a double victimisation, in that they were compelled against their will to join the armed forces and today they are victimised by society for having played a combative role in the conflict. They are treated with hostility suspicion for ‘breaching’ both gender and sex roles. These women are largely excluded from disarmament and reintegration programmes of Sierra Leones peace process which favour men and boys. This especially occurs in Sierra Leone. (Human Rights Watch, 2000 pg7) Men and boys are also victims of gender based sexual violence during war. Women are raped as a way to humiliate the men they are related to, who are often forced to watch the assault. In societies where ethnicity is inherited through the male line, ‘enemy’ women are raped and forced to bear children. Sexual violation of children has devastating effects. The experience of captivity and sexual destroys a girl’s sense of home and security, of self worth and power of the possibility of safe interpersonal relationships, indeed of any future at all. Men tend to greatly underreport experiences of sexual violence. They may have doubts about their sexuality and fear infertility. (Carpenter, 2003 pg 661-694) A war is only just if it is fought for a good reason. A country that wishes to use military force must demonstrate that there is a just cause for doing so. Just war theory is the most influential perspective on ethics of war and peace. For a war to be just there must be a just cause, right intention, proper authority and public declaration, proper authority and public declaration, a last resort, probability of success, and proportionality. Pacifism is also an ethical issue in war. Pacifism rejects war in favour of peace. It is not violence in all its forms that the most challenging kind of pacifism objects to: rather is the specific kind and degree of violence that wars involves which the pacifists objects to. They object to killing in general and particular mass killing for political reasons, which is part and parcel of the war time experience. Most women are generally pacifists as compared to males. People are pacifists for one or some of these reasons: religious faith, non-religious belief in the sanctity of life and practical belief that war is wasteful and ineffective. Pacifism cannot be national policy as it only works when no one wants to attack your country or if the nation with whom you are in dispute is also committed to pacifism. Because most societies regard going to war as fulfilling a citizens’ ethical duty, they honour those who give their lives in war. If there is believe in war governed by ethics we should only honour those who give their lives in a just war and who followed the rules of war. It should be wrong to honour dead soldiers who killed the enemy or wounded or raped enemy women. (Harris and King, 1989 pg78) (Goldstein 2001) defines war as lethal inter group violence and feminism as an ideology opposing male domination and promoting gender equality. Cross cultural consistency of gender wars is pervasive and not universal. Women have fought in wars but are portrayed as exceptions to the gender rule that men are warriors. Gender exclusion from combat is by policy choice not by physical ability, women can and do fight. There is no support for arguments regarding predisposition to aggression and little support for the hypothesised link between testosterone and aggression. Gender is portrayed as a weapon to humiliate a military opponent or to discredit peace activism and political dissent from military policy. A recent example is, Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfield’s remark about â€Å"media mood swings† in regard to criticism of the war in Iraqi, a reference clearly intended to evoke the archetype of the â€Å"irrational† menstrual/menopausal women. Rape in war as well as military homophobia underlies exclusion of policies aimed at sexual minorities. Neither men nor women benefit from war at the expense of the other, both genders lose in war. Neither genetics per se, nor hormones (males or female) nor male bonding nor women’s innate pacifism explain gendered war roles. (Suzzane, 2002 Pg 407). The interdependence between war and gender is obscure. However it is clear that it is not soldiers who make war but societies that make war. War does not happen without women’s knowledge cooperation, and participation, however few or many actually take up arms and engage in battle. War is based on a dominatory approach to relationships in which the usual overriding aim is to get the better of or overcome the other who is framed as an opponent or competitor. Gender as we know it, which positions men as dominant and characterises them as aggressive and heroic, is fundamental to the culture of domination of which war is an expression. The human resources of moral sensibility and decency have been buried or seriously depleted. The impetus towards peace that is so necessary in ending of violence conflict is diminished by the discouragement of half the population from active participation. A gendered perspective of human security enables a more advanced understanding of the perspectives of those involved in conflict including victims’ perpetrators and decision makers.(Zeigler and Gilbert, 2006) References Alison, M. (2007) Wartime Sexual Violence: Women’s human rights and questions of masculinity, Review of International Studies Pg 75-90 Carpenter, R. C, â€Å"Women and Children First†: gender norms and humanitarian evacuation in the Balkans, International Organization 5, 7, 4, 2003, Pg 661-694 Cohn, C â€Å"Sex and Death in the Rational World of Defence Intellectuals, Signs, Vol. 12, No. 4 1987 Pg 687-78 NO1101 Harris, A and King, Y (eds) Rocking the ship of state: Towards a feminist peace politics, Bovider, C. O West view press 1989. Human Rights Watch (HRW) 2000: Rape as a weapon of Ethnic cleansing HRW, March 1. Jousha S. Goldstein (2001) War and Gender: How Gender shapes the war system and vice versa. Cambridge University Press Pg 201-213. Moser N, and Clark F (eds), victims, Perpetrators or Actors: Gender, Armed Conflict and Political Violence; London Zed Books 2001, V. 64. Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women’s studies Gender Issues. Rosemarie Skaing (1999) Women at War: Gender issues of Americans in combat: McFarland and Company: North Carolina and London ‘Symposium on war and Gender, (2003) (Reviews of Goldstein’s Book) Perspectives on policies, 1, 2, 330-347 The state of World’s Children 1996. UNICEF United Nations (2005): Africa Renewal â€Å"Sexual Violence, an ‘invisible war crime’ Warren, J and Cady, L (1994) Feminism and Peace: Seeing connections’ Hypatia special Issue on Feminism and peace Pg 7-14. HQ1101. World Bank (2002) Addressing Gender Issues in Demobilisation and Reintegration Programs, Africa Region Working Paper Series 33 Zeigler, S and Gilbert, G (2006) The Gendered Dimensions of Conflicts Aftermath; A

Idea Initiation In A Young Company

Idea Initiation In A Young Company Making the business plan has been a great hands on experience to learning about small business development. We were not only required to study theories on how a business is created but actually do it ourselves. For me it has been a great learning experience as I had to make a decision to think like an entrepreneur and develop the qualities an entrepreneur has and incorporate the qualities of creativity, drive and a willingness to take risk. The aim of the below report is to summarize my contribution to this project as well as the key areas of idea initiation, teamwork, presentation experience, alternative scenarios and learning gained as well as other areas covered in the development of the business plan. Teamwork All three team members contributed to make this project successful and worked together to create an efficient team. Idea Initiation After several sessions of brainstorming the group decided on a Business and technology magazine under the guidance of Mrs Priti Punatar through the process of identifying opportunity by means of problem solving. Presentation Experience A learning experience about time management, public presentation and the importance of thoroughly understanding the business venture an individual wants to undertake as well as understanding the involvement of investors in the entrepreneurial process. Alternative Scenario Consideration of both best and worst case scenarios allows BT to prudently predict steady growth rate. Team Work A new venture team is defined as the group of founders, key employees and advisors that moves a new venture from an idea to a fully functioning firm and so with our team it was the case of bringing together people with different abilities and strengths to create a strong unified force to achieve the objective of making a successful business plan. Each individual brought their own individual set of skills and played a different role in the planning and execution of the business plan. Our team was formed keeping in mind the strengths of its members and tasks were delegated accordingly. Priyanka who is good with numbers did the financial plan as well as the marketing plan, Krupa who has the strongest organizational skills dealt with the organizational structure and risk analysis and I was delegated the task of Industry analysis due to my research skills as well as the operational plan. Initially our team consisted of four members; Priyanka, Krupa, myself and Joyce Issowe who later dropped out due to medical complications. Working efficiently in a team is a key success factor for anyone who wants to be a successful entrepreneur as he/she will be required to meet with and bring together a venture team to work with. We were very lucky in that, although our team involved the coming together of three highly opinionated individuals all were willing to listen and respect the others opinions which allowed us to come up with the best viable solutions in a dignified manner. In my opinion, each individual within the team worked efficiently to ensure the success of the team. The executive summary, the business and appendices were completed with hard work from all the three team members equally. All In all, every team member put in the required effort, all meetings were attended in time and all our planned goals were reached Process of Idea Initiation In this most fundamental process our first and basic concern was to come up with a firm that would be entrepreneurial in nature as opposed to being salary substitute or lifestyle oriented. The business had to be feasible, innovative and we needed to have both the passion and knowledge required for it. Initially through the process of brainstorming our group had a number of business concepts to go with. Joyce had suggested a dairy farm, Krupa suggested a school for performance arts, Priyanka suggested an engineering consultancy and my own suggestion was a web based real estate firm. By the process of elimination using our checklist we realized that a dairy farm wasnt innovative enough, we didnt have the expertise required for an engineering consultancy and the market wasnt ready yet for a web based real estate venture or a school for performing arts. As the foundation of any successful business lies in recognizing opportunity, we decided to speak with a few people, in our social network, involved in different industries whilst researching the trends in various fields and industries. Finally under the supervision of Mrs. Punatar, we decided to work on a business and technology magazine that would be the first of its kind to be produced in Tanzania. Due to the growth in the economy and changing social factors such as more graduates entering the labour market and increasing diversity the need for information had arisen and there was a lack of a locally produced business magazine. We realized the window of opportunity was wide open and circumstances were just right. Therefore our business concept came about; A business and technology magazine for Tanzanians, by Tanzanians. Through this process I learnt that opportunity needs to be defined, timely, attractive and of value to the end user. I learnt also to identify opportunity through observing trends, finding a gap in the marketplace and solving a problem. Apart from this I saw how economic and social factors account for the creation of opportunities and how different characteristics such as prior experience, creativity and social networks help entrepreneurs and finally I learnt to apply the 5 steps of generating creative ideas as well as the different techniques involved such as brainstorming and surveys. Presentation Experience Important factors considered by investors in their decision making process include determining that the company has focus, specific solutions for the needs of the market, that customers are willing to buy the product and that the dynamics of the company are strong. They need to know that the company is run by smart people who can control expenses and make a profit. If expected to invest, they in turn need to trust the management team running the business in terms of their experience, maturity, reputation as well as a track record of success and personal interaction therefore is a must. Also investors cannot be expected to have the time to sit down and go through lengthy documents, they want to get instant answers for any concerns or queries. The process of crafting the slides to be presented, and ensuring the presentation would cover all essential areas whilst summarizing the entire business concept, was a challenging one that taught me about time management, extraction of essential information from available data and the involvement of visuals to convey essential points. All three members of the group presented the plan in parts with me introducing the business, the problem we aimed to solve and our business model. Krupa then took over and covered management team, industry analysis and competition leaving Priyanka to finish the financial overview including; share offering, payback, profitability, break even analysis and current status and projected use of funds ending with exit strategy for investors. Crucial lessons were learnt during this presentation about capturing and retaining the interest and attention of our potential investors, maintaining the set time limit as well as the importance of confidence and a deep understanding of the business venture. Alternative Scenario The success of any business is dependent on external as well as internal conditions. Internal factors are easier to control and predict relative to the external factors. With regards to external conditions, there is always some degree of uncertainty. In order to be prudent all figures taken within the business plan have reflected a pessimistic view of the worst case scenario. In order to achieve this and to reflect alternative scenarios that may arise due to unpredictable factors the revenue included in the business plan is less than that actually expected by investors. Due to the unpredictability of Macro-environmental factors the number of subscriptions has been kept at minimum and the advertising revenue included is less than what the firm will target to achieve. Another relevant point concerns the break even analysis. To keep alternative scenarios in mind, both best and worst case of total revenue have been considered whilst the figure taken for cost has been kept at maximum in line with the accounting principle of prudence. This allows investors to be comfortable to know that the minimum success will be as presented in the business plan with an additional potential for greater growth. Business partnerships have also been taken into account in order reflect alternate means to achieve a target. This can be seen as in the outsourcing of printing to keep costs low as well as the establishment of a network of free lance contributors. Figures for costs and budget in the analysis of the financial statements have also been calculated after the consideration of the alternative growth scenarios and B%T therefore is expected to have steady growth as a worst case scenario where the best case reflects a quicker point of break even and higher profitability. Learning and Usefulness of the Business Plan The experience of coming up with a business plan opened up my eyes on the many aspects that are necessary to be considered whilst starting up a business. Extensive research is required together with knowledge of the industry. I have realized that an entrepreneur must have a clear vision on how exactly his company will work and perform. Before making a business plan myself I had no idea of how important it is. This document includes all research and analysis showing feasibility of a new venture and how all the different resources needed may be brought together synergetically. In developing a business plan it becomes necessary to look at every single aspect of the business and it therefore provides a clear picture of whether a new venture is likely to succeed or fail. The business plan analyses the potential of turning an idea into a source of revenue and in so doing answers the question of viability, industry attractiveness and growth, size and buying power of target market, attractiveness and uniqueness of the business model, availability of skilled labour, completion, ROI, legality and critical risks. It can be stated therefore that it is a critical document providing answers to investors for them to make an informed decision on whether or not to turn a particular idea into a business venture. This process has taught me a lot. I learnt to apply Porters 5 forces model in considering substitutes, new entrants, existing rivalry, bargaining power of buyers and suppliers as this was necessary in order to determine the attractiveness and profitability of the industry and position our firm where we could make maximum profit. In carrying out competitor analysis I understood the type of competitors BT would face and was therefore able to develop strategies to allow the firm to compete successfully for example, establishment of BTs brand before the emergence of future competitors. Through the next step of developing a business model we had to apply what we learnt in class to create an effective model for BT as was the case with applying knowledge on financial analysis and the value of pro forma statements, forecasts and budgets to determining success of the new venture. I also learnt how to develop a successful marketing mix through looking at the issue of core product versus actual product. All in all this process has shown me that a business plan is the most important tool needed in the entrepreneurial process as is incorporates within it everything any stakeholder would need to know about the viability of the idea and its conversion to a business venture.

Oil and The Internal Combustion Engine Essay -- Engines History Histor

Oil and The Internal Combustion Engine Our cars are powered by an obscure fuel source. The answer to this lies many decades or, more accurately, perhaps centuries ago. The inventors and pioneers such as Rudolf Diesel, Felix Wankel and Nikolaus Otto, would have never considered the fuel that they did if they knew the kind of political ramifications that it would have had on the world today. I propose, that due to this fuel source, the internal combustion engine as we know it has been a perpetual source of top-down exploitation ever since Henry Ford mass produced the first model T. At the time of the engine’s development, Gasoline (which is a derivative of oil) was cheap, plentiful and most importantly, a potentially powerful fuel. It provided smooth combustion and the ability to work hard without all of the messy details usually associated with the maintenance of farm animals. That is why the first engines were rated in ‘Horse power’ since it was a direct measure of how much work an engine could perform in relation to its animal counterpart. Jump to the present, we use internal combustion engines in our everyday lives, most notably in our cars but also when we demand electricity which was generated using engines. We depend on the work crews that cut down trees for the wood we use to build our houses. How do they do that? Answer: chainsaws, which use one kind of engine. When someone’s home is on fire, how do the firefighters extinguish the fire? Simple, they use engines that pump water into their hoses so they can put out the blaze. The list of uses that the internal combustion engine has would take up more space than this paper can allow. So, it comes as no surprise that the internal combustion engine has such a tight grip o... ...mbustion too!) The problem that Americans face is, exploitation through the use of this technology by powerful corporations and government legislation. It would seem that all of the dinosaurs keeled over and died in all of the world’s political hot spots. But actually, this â€Å"black gold† is simply sought after due to the great demand attached to it. I think that if oil were to disappear tomorrow, we would still have exploitation from powerful ethanol companies. Perhaps there is no escaping the greed for profit no matter what the fuel supply. But certainly with a ‘renewable’ fuel supply, we can fight back a little bit harder in future generations. Works Cited: 1. Money, Nov 2000, Vol.29, Issue 12, Pg. 73, Ron Insana, Daniel Yergin 2. Forbes, Nov 2000, Vol.166, Issue 13, Pg. 56, Robin Gibb 3. Fortune, Oct 2000, Vol. 142, Issue 10, Pg. 58, David Stipp

Lecithin Supplements Effectiveness In Weight Loss :: Lecithin Health Weight Loss Essays

Lecithin Supplement's Effectiveness In Weight Loss WHAT IS LECITHIN? Lecithin, a lipid material composed of choline and inositol, is found in all living cells as a major component of cell membranes, which regulate the nutrients entering and exiting the cell. The term "lecithin" has two definitions depending on what group is using the term. Scientists define lecithin as synonymous with phosphatidylcholine, the name for one of the principle phospholipids. On the other hand, producers of lecithin for commercial use use the term lecithin to refer to a complex mix of phosphatides and other substances that contain phosphatidylcholine. HOW IS LECITHIN SOLD TO THE PUBLIC? Lecithin can be naturally consumed through a diet including lecithin rich foods such as egg yolk, soybeans, grains, wheat germ, fish, legumes, yeast, and peanuts, to name a few. Lecithin supplements are sold to the public in capsule, powder or granular form. Lecithin is usually taken in a pill form or mixed into health shakes. Many companies advertise their supplies of lecithin as a dietary supplement on the web. Examples of supplement producers whom sell lecithin are The Herb Shop, All-Natural, Solgar, Health Revolution, Earth Legacy. Lecithin is also sold in many health food stores. These commercial forms are highly filtered. The commercial, dietary supplement form of lecithin contains less that 35% of phosphatidylcholine. (Szuhaj, 325) The various substances included and the different amounts of phosphatidylcholine ("scientific" lecithin) depend on the method of its preparation and the source from which the lecithin was taken. (Hanin, 444) most of the commercially used lecithin is derived from soybeans. (Central Soy). Lecithin is also retailed as an emulsifying agent, allowing fats to be dispersed when mixed with water. This is a great aid in the production of foods such as margarine, mayonnaise, chocolate and baked goods because it keeps foods from sticking to themselves and other surfaces. Lecithin is even used for industrial purposes. WHAT CLAIMS DO LECITHIN SUPPLEMENT SUPPLIERS MAKE ABOUT LECITHIN'S FUNCTIONS? Lecithin is promoted as a quick fix for weight loss, as well as many other diseases and ailments. Lecithin supplement producers claim that lecithin has a beneficial role in: Cardiovascular health Liver and cell function fat transport and fat metabolism reproduction and child development physical performance and muscle endurance cell communication improvement in memory, learning and reaction time relief of arthritis healthy hair and skin treatment for gallstones

Critical Evaluation ? Lamb to the Slaughter Essay -- essays research p

A tale of the unexpected is Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. The story has a twist in the tale ending in which a loving wife gruesomely murders her husband. Mr Patrick Maloney, a senior in the police force seemed a happy married man to his pregnant wife, Mrs. Mary Maloney. Mr Maloney comes home one night, shocking his wife with the news he is leaving her. Mrs. Maloney is in great shock, to a state that she kills her husband, with a frozen leg of lamb. In the end she gets away with it, unwittingly the police then destroy the evidence by eating the cooked lamb. Mrs. Maloney is your normal housewife, she sits at home in suspense waiting for her prized husband to return home from work. Her relationship with her husband Patrick is almost as a sunbather feels the sun. This is shown in the opening part of the story when Patrick returns home from work. Mary has his usual drink set out for him and when he comes in she is just content to sit in silence, his presence gives her a glow. Throughout the opening part of the story Mary will do anything that Patrick says, showing that she has a great love for him and would never want to disappoint him. At six months pregnant she is the one that should be resting but instead she is jumping around just to try and please her husband. At the start of the novel, Mary seems very innocent, but her whole personality changes when she kills Patrick. At the start she seems happy, loving, caring, friendly and very dependent on Patrick. After Patric...

Hard Work

Hard work  will not guarantee you success. Let me explain – the hardest working athletes are not the ones making the most money. The most talented ones in any sport are not often described as being â€Å"hard working† The person who is putting in 12 hour days, sweating and plodding along? Getting the job done and earning very little reward? Do people get promoted within the organization on work ethic alone? Isn’t usually because they know someone, have a natural knack for something, have more â€Å"education†, or were just in the right place at the right time?I’m not saying that  hard work  goes unnoticed. Coaches, managers, leaders – they often go out of their way to acknowledge and praise hard-workers. They are held up as examples to the others and given momentary spotlights, but in the end, it’s not the attribute that brings success. I have seen a lot of hard-working people get treated unfairly over my career in all avenues of life. The person that quietly goes about their business and bothers no one is rarely acknowledged. The person who has a knack for doing a lot of things well is â€Å"too valuable† to move to higher positions of authority.Hard working people are often not vocal enough to â€Å"too their own horn† and get noticed, so they are not noticed (they believe their work speaks for itself). How many people do you know that are the fall guy to get stuff done? If no one else wants to do it, we know the guy or gal we can count on to get ‘er done, right? Am I wrong? So what value is â€Å"working hard†, and why should we work hard, or expect those we lead work hard as well if there isn’t a visible payoff? Well, there’s 2 things here I want to say.Number 1 – as a leader, if you have people in your organization that work hard – make sure you acknowledge them and take a deep, accurate look at how you treat them. Are you taking advantage of them? More importantly – you, the hard-worker. Why should you work hard? Do you work hard for a reward (pay, promotion, or prestige)? Should you work hard for these things? What about for self-pride? I’m talking ego – I’m talking good pride. I’m talking about sleeping well at night, knowing that whether you work for someone else, or work for yourself, you can take pride in putting forth an ffort today that made you, your oganization, and others you served better. I think there’s much value in hard work, and I believe that kind of pride in working hard reflects our creator. But be careful, don’t try and equate hard work and being busy as one thing. I’ve seen plenty of people that are masters at being busy doing nothing, appearing to work hard, and leveraging that to try and get ahead. That shows very little self-pride as well. So work hard, get satisfaction from doing a good job. Take pride in what you do.Just don’t ask your w ork to be the catalyst for pushing you to higher levels of success – that is asking too much of something so simple. Thoughts on hard work? Hard Work CAN Kill You Hard work never killed anyone. (Proverbial) Overworking can be seriously damaging to your health. Stress and long hours heart problems, increased susceptibility to infection, fatigue disorders like CFS/ME†¦ and even suicide. We live in a world where we often feel pushed to  do  more. You might be under pressure from your peers, your parents, or society in general.You might well have internalized these influences – and you may believe that to be â€Å"successful†, you need to have a high-flying career or a huge salary. Ultimately, though, you won’t be able to enjoy the fruits of your hard work if you ruin your health in the process. Working hard isn’t always a good thing. It can actually end up being selfish and destructive, if: * Your long hours cause problems for your family * Y ou’re short-tempered with colleagues or employees * You make mistakes because you’ve been working too hard You lose your sense of perspective, and let work take over your life How to Keep Work in Perspective Recognize the importance of other things – like friends, family, hobbies, sufficient rest and relaxation†¦ If you’re working hard in the hopes of retiring early, ease up on work and enjoy your  whole life a little more – instead of hoping for a few golden years at the end of it. If you’re working hard to buy more things for your kids, ask yourself whether it’s really more money that they need – or your presence. If you’re working hard because you feel that you â€Å"should† – then remember that this is  your life, and it’s up to you to decide how to live it. * *