Two Statuettes of Two Worshipers Free Essays

â€Å"Two Statuettes of two worshipers†, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar), Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE. Ever since the beginning of time man has always had an eye for art. We will write a custom essay sample on Two Statuettes of Two Worshipers or any similar topic only for you Order Now They have always been fascinated by what they see. For the most part art has to this day great meaning. Ranging from a person’s play toy to a sculpture opening people’s eyes to a flash back in time where Gods ruled. The art work I chose â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers†, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar), Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE. Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone, male figure approximately 2’6’’ high. This peace symbolizes something quite important it shows man’s transition from the wild to civilized society. These statuettes demonstrate how religion and social standings play a giant role in people’s lives and artwork. Man started off Living spot to spot following food whether in animal meat or plants. Never had they stopped and lived in a central place for a long period of time. The Neothithic Revolution came to be c8000-6000 BCE. Where people stopped there day to day nomadic lifestyle and actually set up a Civilization. This started in Mesopotamia known as the land between two rivers. With a civilization came Upper classes, Domestication of animals, and Specialization of labor. Unfortunately Mesopotamia had no natural defenses so large varieties of people lived there because of the takeovers from wars. Sumerians coming from Mesopotamia (now known as southern Iraq) were the people most known because of their invention of writing. The writing known as cuneiform, using pictorial language to keep track of transactions. Ancient Sumer was made up of a dozen or so independent city states so it was not unified. Along with civilization came religion and social classes. Who were early humans praising? They were praising the Gods. As for social classes it was rulers and priests at the top then laborers came under them. The Sumerians constructed ziggurats. The ziggurats acted as a place of worshiping the Gods. But the downside was that not just anyone was allowed inside. It was only available to the worshipped or the priests. At this period in time female goddesses were still worshipped. This was due to the fact that a female can reproduce and give life. The art I chose reflected an offering and sort of gift for the female goddess Inanna. The two sculptures were said to be given as a gift for divine bringing, these types of statues often came with the name of the donor and the God or specific prayers to the deity of the owner’s behalf. Looking at the â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers† before analyzing anything on them a person must first look at the art piece with no emotion, basically say everything you see on the surface. The man on the left has big eyes, his hands together, he seems to have no shirt on, he’s wearing a skirt reaching a little under his knees, he has a long beard, standing on his tip toes, and is made of what looks to be light brown. On the right side there is a woman with big eyes as well, she has much smaller hands then the male, she is wearing a hat, she’s wearing a fairly long dress, she is holding something in her left hand, is standing on a platform with a stick off to the right, is on her tip toes and seems to be light brown like the male. Looking at them both the women seems to have smaller features such as her hands, platform and overall size. The male has more of his body exposed such as more of his lags and torso. As for the sculptures they are both sculptures in the round. This means the artwork can be seen 360 degrees. When civilized society came to be, artwork no longer (as much as before) was only about animals or things in the wild. The philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel believed that art was a memory of man’s view of nature. Art is a kind of flashback to the original human in nature. When civilization came in people started to sculpt and make art of themselves, just like â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers† because people were no longer leaders of nature but leaders of themselves. This lead to self-painting/sculpting or of other people. Now viewing â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers† off the book Gardner’s art through the ages: The western perspective (12th edition). It states the statuettes are carved out of soft gypsum and inlaid with shell and black limestone. This was not known as a prized or sculptures of great meaning. These statues aren’t known to be that big. They range from under a foot to about thirty inches. The larger the statues simply meant how wealthy the person being portrayed in the statue really was. They have there arms crossed and are on their tip toes because they have to appear to be in a gesture of prayer because they were used for religious rites. The statuettes are not sculpted to be perfect but more rather body type and size. The exaggerated eyes are known to mean attentiveness necessary for fulfilling religious duty. From my point of view these statuettes demonstrate what males and females do in the society, their roles. I think the males’ larger features mean he is the laborer. He is in charge of going out for food and protecting his family. The smaller arms on the females suggests she is more fragile and is not meant to do hard labor. The males larger size does not necessarily mean superiority but it does mean he can be more powerful and dangerous. As for the big eyes it makes me feel scared of doing things because it seems their eyes are watching every move I make. It works like a police officer in a way because a person wouldn’t do bad things in front of a police officer. A person would feel like the police officer is watching and scare him/her into doing nothing bad, much like these statuettes. Long story short â€Å"Two Statuettes of two worshipers† were an example of man’s transition from the wild nomadic people moving place to place to a civilized society living in one place and being able to establish religion, social classes, and a home ultimately. These statuettes are very important to understanding the lives of early human. It’s amazing how people made and expressed their observations with art. People living in Mesopotamia (ancient near east) c8000-6000 BCE might have not known as much as we do now a days but they are some of the most intelligent people that have existed to this day. How to cite Two Statuettes of Two Worshipers, Essay examples

Explain How Theories of Development and Frameworks to Support free essay sample

There are different views about the way in which psychological and physical development continue throughout our life span. In addition to individual differences, development psychologists agree that development occurs in an orderly way and in different areas at the same time. However it is clear that this can happen continually or discontinually. Theories of development can influence current practice into childcare as they show us how to understand a child’s developmental processes. It can help us to identify any problems that might arise, whether it is in physical, social, emotional, language or intellectual development. It also displays a reason into the way that children behave, and how not only internal, but external factors can effect development. Knowing that everyone exhibits the same stages, we do not have to concur with the norm, as they can happen at any time. Everyone should be looked at differently as we all learn at our own rate. We will write a custom essay sample on Explain How Theories of Development and Frameworks to Support or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page If you look at some of the theories they explain why everyone is capable of achieving the roles they set themselves. Some also help us to understand the driving forces behind our decisions, and that we are governed by inner factors. Allowing a child to explore its environment, helps to give the child confidence, and encourages self awareness. We can gauge a child’s level of development by providing activities for the child to take part in as well as free play to watch their social and communicative skills. Children should be allowed to learn from mistakes and encouraged to interact with both other children and adults. Providing that a child has a safe environment in which to learn they should be encouraged to push the boundaries when it comes to education. By providing challenging activities for the child to complete, we as adults help the children in the development process. This is also true for adult learners, as we continue to develop skills throughout our lives. With help, children can become more, and with the correct support develop into well rounded individuals. These theories also show that some instincts are conditional, where as others like fear can be influenced. Pavalov Pavlov’s theory of classical conditioning, in which he used dogs, in the experiment to condition their behaviour. This theory is used within the schools to condition children. This is evident with the use of bells ringing for playtime, lunchtime and home time, and during a fire drill, where the bell rings continuously to remind everyone of danger. In the classroom the teachers and teaching support staff use different ways to gain the attention of the children by clapping, clicking fingers, tapping the table or using a musical instrument like a tambourine.

Leading Change by John P. Kotter

Introduction Leading Change is a book written by John Paul Kotter, a Harvard Business School professor and one of the leading scholars in the field of leadership and change, precisely, he talks about how best businesses can implement change. The book consists of 187 pages arranged into 15 chapters, these chapters are placed into three categories: Part I, Part II, and Part III. Each chapter handles a different stage towards implementing change. Leading Change was first published in the United States in1996 by the Harvard Business School Press.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leading Change by John P. Kotter specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More I chose Leading Change since the book is an international bestseller written by one of the best authors in business management. Having read one of Kotter’s books: The Heart of Change (2002), I was amazed by the depth of knowledge he possesses in how best to manage busine sses towards change. Leading Change was a way of extending my understanding of the same subject. If the book’s title is a hint into the book’s contents, I expect to find useful information in managing and implementing change in an organization. With the ever-increasing need for businesses to effect change in order to remain relevant, I expect the author to give a methodical procedure for implementing change, and, in his trademark style, to provide numerous case studies of how businesses have succeeded by implementing change. Book Summary Kotter begins by informing us of the importance of change in every aspect of life, he mentions globalization as a major force pushing firms towards implementing change (Kotter, p. 10). He takes the long-established differentiation of management against leadership. From this comparison, we learn why Kotter chose Leading Change as his title rather than something like Managing Change for it takes leadership rather than merely management t o steer firms through times of great change. Kotter puts forward 8 steps that are vital to effect change in any firm as outlined below: Establishing a sense of urgency In Chapter 3, Kotter discusses the first stage of effecting change and states that this stage requires a great deal of teamwork, a well-laid out plan, and a readiness to make sacrifices for others. The author posits that a high level of satisfaction and a low level of urgency are the two greatest barriers to effecting change. He further states that a number of firms face satisfaction despite having a highly intelligent and positive-thinking staff. Kotter provides nine strategies of overcoming satisfaction and emphasizes that an effective leader is required to turn these strategies into reality.Advertising Looking for report on business communication? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Creating the Guiding Coalition Chapter 4 begins with an outline of the second sta ge of effecting change. Kotter states that in order to actuate change in any firm, strong guidelines are required. These include the right team of persons, high level of trust, and common vision are vital to the success of this process. Besides, a single leader cannot implement change by himself, it is his duty to pull together a strong team to assist him during the program. Kotter presents four stages needed to create an effective team and states that the most significant features to the success of the team are trust, a shared objective, and sincerity. Develop a vision and strategy Kotter mentions that there are three ways to persuade people into altering their behavior to bring the desired change in an organization, these methods are authoritarian, micromanagement, and vision. Vision clarifies the need for change and is a core element to all great leadership. He mentions the features of a viable vision and provides a method of implementing the vision successfully. Communicate the change vision Kottler stresses the importance of communication on the road towards change. Communication is key to the success of any change strategy adopted for it creates understanding among the team members implementing the change. He writes that important information must be passed over repeatedly in different ways. Most importantly, people’s daily communication requirements have to reflect the fresh way of thinking, he quotes Mahatma Gandhi that leaders must â€Å"be the change they wish to see† (Kotter, pp. 89). Empower employees for broad-based action This appears in chapter 8 and mainly dwells on the concept of staff empowerment. Kotter mentions eliminating obstacles that will impede the change efforts. Top-level management can get rid of these barriers by ensuring that the present framework does not hinder the vision of change. By aligning the present organizational framework with vision, the change process can be more successful. Kotter also mentions the impo rtance of workforce education relating to empowerment: education empowers the employees and increases the likelihood of success of the change program. Generate short-term wins The sixth stage in the implementation of change, which appears in chapter 9, calls on the generation of immediate successes to demonstrate the importance of change to the firm and to cheer on the team implementing change.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leading Change by John P. Kotter specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Kotter says that these short-term wins increase the chances of completing the change process, however, they are only helpful if they are noticeable to many, the terms are straight, and the success is closely associated with the change process. A success generated to satisfy the requirements creates joy, belief, and drive. So how can this be done? Kotter states that the solution to achieving success is planning instead of dep ending on prayers, he differentiates between â€Å"gimmick wins† and tangible short-term successes (Kotter, pp. 191). Kotter states that even though short-term gimmicks can be helpful for a while, bosses must not harm the firm’s future by effecting short-term victories. In summary, short-term wins should not be given prominence to long-term change visions. Consolidate gains and produce more change In the seventh stage, Kotter outlines five phases to achieving victory in change programs. The first step is to initiate intricate and tough changes in the firm, then seek for more assistance to make sure the program succeeds. Thirdly, the senior managers must carry on providing a strong emphasis on the reason for the change program, next, decentralization of the programs is vital for it allows management to focus on the reason for the change program and increases their chances of success. The final step is to get rid of unnecessary credits or satisfaction. Anchor new approac hes in the culture The final step begins in chapter 10 and mainly deals with the dangers of failing to implement change programs, Kotter offers a formula for implementing change. Failing to adopt change programs can lead to a total failure in a company, and the key to a permanent change in an organization not only relies on changing vision or mission statements or even the instruction manuals, but in changing the company customs. Critical thinking Leading Change continues to be an accepted book on the methods of steering an organization towards change. Kotter offers numerous ideas and instructions for the leader to remember, and he presents these ideas in easy-to-understand stages. While there are no references to these ideas, much of what he presents corresponds to modern studies and theories in leadership and organizational behavior. Kotter also does an impressive job by giving us a distinction between leaders and managers, and the understanding that ICT has permanently changed so ciety by accelerating change, hence the urgent need for managers to learn how to lead their organizations towards change.Advertising Looking for report on business communication? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Clearly, this book is meant for senior managers trying to effect change in large organizations, however, I also found some information that can be applied in smaller firms. Leading Change is a must-read for business executives, especially in the 21st century where every aspect of the corporate world is continually undergoing change. The book has its downside too. It lacks detail, supporting data and research studies to compliment the ideas presented. Kotter talks about large tectonic changes in the marketplace, but does not include supporting evidence. Some of the recommendations that he presents are difficult to understand too, for example, he mentions that allowing a financial loss will help validate the urgency for change, this idea might herald the downfall of a stable business or organization. He also mentions that non-managerial employees have been trained to not be accountable, a statement many will dismiss as fallacy. The book appears to be a compilation of essays on managin g change in organizations rather that a complete book on leading change. Kotter discusses numerous examples of change programs that failed with less mention of practical strategies and positive examples. My concern while reading the book was that due to the lack of details and supporting evidence, it may be used by a mean or unethical manager to defend oppressive demands that may eventually damage an organization. Recommendation I would recommend the book to any manager trying to lead the firm through change as it gives a simplified procedure of going about this process. The author presents the change program in simple packets of ideas with stages, steps and error lists that are easy to remember. The eight stages of change put forward offer timely and valuable information by a man who has a 25-year experience working with corporations to create long-term changes. Conclusion I learnt a couple of ideas that could change my life immensely, especially in the corporate world. I saw the n eed to distinguish between management and leadership, and that management alone cannot run an organization effectively, rather, leadership is the most important trait a manager should possess. I also learnt of the importance of adopting change programs not only in the corporate world, but also in non-business environments. The world around us is undergoing constant change, and unless we adopt ourselves to it, we may find ourselves out of place, similar to a business that fails to implement change programs and finds itself unable to compete effectively with other firms on a number of platforms. Finally, I learnt the importance of sacrifice in the road to achieving a common goal. Works Cited Kotter, John Paul. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996. This report on Leading Change by John P. Kotter was written and submitted by user Carmelo Y. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Let Him Have It. Essays

Let Him Have It. Essays Let Him Have It. Essay Let Him Have It. Essay In this essay, Im going to tell you about a film called Let Him Have It. Its about two young boys who get involved in the killing of a police officer. Derek Bentley, 19, and Christopher Craig, 16, never thought they would get to a point where one of them had to kill someone when breaking and entering into a warehouse. The director, Peter Medak made the film because he wanted the audience to feel sympathy for Derek Bentley, who was executed for a crime he didnt commit. Whereas Craig, the young gangster who brutally murdered police officer, PC Miles, got only 10 years in prison because of being underage. The director showed us about Dereks early life by making the young boy look defenceless and innocent during the blitz. First came the flashbacks when London was under attack, where Derek was buried under a pile of debris. The mood was frantic, everyone was trying to help him and it was all chaotic. This childhood is completely different to Craigs one. Craig was a big troublemaker; he had a very rough childhood compared to Dereks. The director showed these two scenes about both Derek and Christopher because, he wanted the audience to know what kind of backgrounds these boys came from. He wanted us to judge Derek and Christophers past up to what they have become now. Derek came from a loving family who cared and stood by him. Examples where love and support is shown in Dereks family is when he had nice long chats with his sister, Iris, in his bedroom, when she encouraged him to give up smoking, this shows that she really cares for her brother and wants him to be happy and healthy. Another example is when his father tries to get a job for his son. What made Dereks parents happy was when his sister took him out for the first time into town. The director also shows the whole family having a Sunday evening together chilling out and relaxing in the living room. Whereas Craigs family is not shown in the film to represent they dont spend time with each other, except for his brother Niven who got into trouble mostly all the time, he served 12 years in prison for armed robbery at Waltham Abbey. Dereks lack of confidence is shown wherever he is. For example, when he and his sister were out in town, they entered a record shop, and the woman behind the counter started flirting with him. He didnt know what to say and stuttered because he was so nervous. Other times too, like in the courtroom his head was down because he was too nervous to look at people, even his own family. This behaviour is totally different looking at how Craig acts. Whenever hes with his friends, he feels as if hes the leader of the gang and takes control of everything. His confidence got him into trouble sometimes, always taking risks, like in the early days at school, when he used to swap guns with classmates. He was always trying to show them off, and one reason for this, is because his classmates used to take the mickey out of him for having dyslexia. Hes the cocky and cheeky type, this shows that Craig has to act like this to make others aware that he is not scared easily and can stand up for himself. In the courtroom, Derek shaked and nearly had a fit when he spoke but Craig had his chin up and spoke clearly, with cocky confidence and arrogance to the judge. Derek admires and looks up to Craig because he finds everything great in Craigs lifestyle. Examples are friends, money, women, cars Craig makes it look easy about having a girlfriend, loads of friends, having a lot of money and possessing a nice car. Derek wants Craigs life because he thinks its exciting and fun. The night when they decided to rob the warehouse was actually the night of the shooting. They both climbed over the gate, first Craig then Derek. At that precise moment, a little girl sees them and the police are alerted. When the police arrive, Dereks behaviour changes. He thinks about what his family will make of him - My dad is going to kill me he starts to panic and wants to own up but Craig holds him back. Craig is acting jumpy as well but tries to stay calm. He tries to play it tough, and making it like hes not scared and in control. He says things that he thinks are daring to the police officer, like-Come and get me if you want! During the trial, Derek is shown to be vulnerable and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve. When he answers questions he looks down and shakes a lot. During that time the camera does a close up of him looking nervous, because when the judge asked him a question, he was nervous about his answer. Derek tells his story with hesitation, however Craig just tells it without even thinking. When the judge told him about the amount of guns he carried from the age of 11 to 16 and then went on to ask if he carried them with him altogether, Craig seemed to find that amusing and answered mockingly Of course not Sir, I carried a few at a time The director shows people in authority in a bad light in the film- to make us think that theyve done wrong, and punished an innocent person. For example, the people who put Derek in approved school, they seem like they cant be bothered with Derek, they dont think hes smart, and want nothing to do with him. Also, he shows that the army medical officer, doesnt want an unhealthy person like Derek to fight with a weakness, in this case- Dereks fits. The policeman on the roof was much the same, he could clearly see that Derek did nothing, possessed no gun, and killed no one, but he assumed that his fatal words - Let him have it Chris directly meant - Shoot him. However, any person who thinks logically will know that Dereks innocent words actually meant- Let him have the gun, Chris. The judge, jury and lawyer also mistake those clear unoffending words for something they think are guilty, which makes Dereks chances of not being executed very low. In the last part of the film, the build-up to the hanging is very emotional and stressful for everyone. The director tries to break our hearts, showing us the state of the family, people who support Derek; he does a close-up of the clock to indicate how much time Derek has before his brutal death. The music is very slow and gentle, so it can match the speed of the pre-execution. At around 9am, hes in his cell, saying his final prayers with a Priest. The actual hanging itself, happened so suddenly, you didnt have time to think about what was going on. Derek was shaking as the police officer gave him his drink to calm him down, then being taken away to his death place. When he was being executed, the speed changed very quickly as did the music, it went along with the speed- very fast. The way the director shows Derek, roughly handled by the men and how abrupt the procedure was, with a bag on his head and feet and hands tied up, makes us feel very sorry for him and angry with everyone w ho put him through that. And thats exactly what the director intended us to feel when he made this film.

Museum of contemporary art and Niemeyer Oscar Research Paper

Museum of contemporary art and Niemeyer Oscar - Research Paper Example The paper "Museum of contemporary art and Niemeyer Oscar" discovers Niemeyer Oscar's works. Museum of contemporary art still remains a unique piece of art. It is shaped like a concord and located on a sloppy field with view of mount sugarloaf visible from the structure. It was designed and inspired by a Brazilian designer whose name was Niemeyer Oscar. It was completed in 1996; it has a height of sixteen and a diameter of 50 meters. The design is inspired by scientific facts and evident; it explains alien facts with the mentioning of UFO by the designer. The concept was picked from the limited space provided; Oscar Niemeyer describes his choice to driven by his desire to view the sea while at the building and accommodating his works in a limited space. The building consists of three levels. It contains an underground facility with a section of water body. There is a ramp constructed on 98- meters of space which leads the public to the facility it also serves as liaison to the remaini ng floors linking the public area to the rest of the exhibition room. The ground floor consist of a bar and restaurant which has the capacity to hold more than fifty persons per seating the window spacing gives the opportunity for those in the facility to view over the bay with the key geographical features being viewed from the auditorium. The basement acts a water reservoir and a power plant. The first floor, it contains a reception area where individuals inquire and seek guidance. It also contains a lobby are and offices.

Questions and Answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Questions and Answers - Essay Example Adults choose the books they think are good and appropriate for children. However, it is dangerous when adults consider the implications of ideas about children’s literature by their ideologies, which underlie children. Sometimes, they may think that children have limited understanding and short attention span. As a result, they think children’s ability to respond to literature, with any degree of understanding, is seriously limited (Nodelman & Reimer, 2003). Consequently, they are partly unilateral. In addition, many adults are far more interested in determining what children should not read than what and how they should. Adults have the responsibility of assisting children to understand what they read in an appropriate way. We should explain to them with suitable words, rather than just forbid them to read certain material. This is because children have the right to choose various books, texts, images and select what interests them. Although adults possess a repertoire of knowledge about literature that might as well be useful in choosing appropriate books for children, we should pay significant attention to how assumptions work to avoid being arbitrary. As Nodelman & Reimer (2003) state, adults should be wary of their own censoriousness. Furthermore, adults’ selection should be based on each child individually. During the last half of the twentieth century, scholars defined postmodernism as changes in philosophy, literature, art, architecture and music (Pantaleo & Sipe, 2008, p. 1). Additionally, Coles and Hall (cited in Pantaleo & Sipe, 2008), depict postmodernism as changes made in different aspects - in history, society and culture. Waugh (1984) illustrates that metafiction pushes us away as it says â€Å"dont forget what you are reading is an artefact but not real† (cited in Sipe, 2011, p.247). Postmodernism and metafiction include narrative fragmentation,

Team Building and Leadership Self Assessment Paper

Team Building and Leadership Self Assessment Paper First of all I would like to thank Prof. Bob Marx for his valuable efforts, kindness and time over the 3 days of marvelous journey together. Objective of this paper Through this paper I am trying to describe my job related problem and implement either Four Frame Approach or Situational Leadership Theory to improve it. In the end I will draw conclusions from there. Description of Situation The industry in todays world is growing quickly, and with this increase comes the necessity for more people to manage and lead the growing companies, but this growing need give rise to some prospective questions: Is anyone capable of becoming a leader or a manager? Is there any difference among the two? Can people be taught to have leadership or managerial qualities? Just like many other questions in business; these questions have no one definite answer. I work in a Multi National Company. The company is considered one of the world leaders in automotive products. I work in the Research and Development center of the company and occupy the post of R D laboratory engineer in the Electronic Laboratory. Our laboratory deals in the Validation and Development of automotive products. We are a team of 4 members (Refer Figure 1) who work on different projects. Both personally and professionally we share a healthy relationship and try to maintain a good and positive work environment. The strong point of our team is that we share the burden of work amongst us and help each other when the situation demands. We acknowledge the concept of teamwork and its importance to the success of our team. However, all of us together are still striving towards perfection. The principal problem is the low motivation of our team, may be its primarily because there is no positive communication with our manager. There is neither any feedback nor any assessment of task. He notices good performance but wait until half yearly performance review to express his appreciation. In an effort to achieve good results or meet deadline, he has forgotten about the finer behaviors that make the team better. Its lucid that for a manager its extremely important to be result oriented but at the same time its very important to keep the environment positive. A team means group of people, contributing their knowledge and skills, working together to achieve a common goal. But when a team doesnt perform efficiently its not merely the fault of manager of the team as a whole. We should never forget that there are always two parts to a coin. Now I would like to describe the behavior of my other team members including myself. I am the part of this laboratory from last 3 years. In this past three years I have worked on numerous projects. I am very dedicated and focused towards my work. I hardly ever need any direction from my manager but sometimes a little guidance is required. But every now and then I lose the motivation towards my work due to no feedback and no encouragement. The second lab engineer is a hard working and self directed person. He is working for the company for last 6 years. Since he follows the same monotonous routine for past 6 years, he gets bored with every task assigned. He also shows lack of interest in the work; however he works well with the team. The third lab engineer is a new team member. She is a contractor and has joined our team few months back. Her ambition is to get hired in the organization. She is enthusiastic and eager to learn new things, and always do her tasks well but at the same time relatively less skilled and inexperienced. I also find her sensitive and self critical. She takes things to heart and gets disappointed when things go wrong and then start criticizing the situation. The lack of communication with manager and no individual growth of the group are becoming the important factors for our team ineffectiveness. A new approach to problem solving My seminar on Team Building and Leadership taught me two different approaches of solving the problems. Four Frames Approach and Situational Leadership Theory are tools if used appropriately can help solve most of the professional and personal problems. Before this class I didnt even know if such type of tools existed. I am choosing Situational Leadership Theory for managing my job-related problem. I am trying to understand strengths and weaknesses of my each team members leadership style. Situational Leadership (SLII) suggests that leaders can work in any situation by adapting their behavior accordingly i.e. they should exhibit different behavior as per the situation and it should match the developmental level of the team performing a specific task. Different situations called for different kinds or styles of leadership. SLII defines 4 leadership behaviors: S1 (high-directive but low-supportive), S2 (high-directive and high-supportive), S3 (low-directive but high supportive) and S4 (low-directive and low-supportive) and equally 4 development levels of the follower: D1 (low-competence but high-commitment), D2 (moderate-competence but low-commitment), D3 (moderate-competence but no commitment) and D4 (high-competence and high-commitment). In the next table (Refer Figure 2) I have matched the leadership behavior levels and development levels of my team members: Plan of Action After studying acutely for few days the strengths and weaknesses of my team mates, I decided to apply the Situational Leadership Theory into Action. It was tricky to decide from where to start but I went with my intuition and asked my manager for a meeting. In the meeting I started by explaining him about the Situational Leadership Theory. I drew a chart by explaining the 4 leadership styles and 4 development levels. During the course of meeting, I outlined him at which developmental level we four are and asked him what he felt about it. I emphasized about the importance of giving feedback and providing encouragement, reassurance, support and admiration to acknowledge competence. I acknowledged him for his zeal to achieve the results but at the same time pointed out its drawbacks on the team members. In the end it was discussed that how we can help each other towards achieving same goals. We decided to have a team meeting. In the meeting we discussed about the situation and the SLII theory in detail. I provided them with my feedback on the situation. We shared each others point of view and suggested the ways to make our goal more interesting. We decided that everyone should make an action plan on how to achieve that goal together. My team manager than have one on one meeting with three of us. During our meeting, he valued my coming forward and briefing him on the situation. He appreciated my dedication to work and affirmed me that from now on he will give us the feedbacks regularly. We even talked about my lack of confidence in some tasks and how I can improve it. He recognized that he also needs to improve in some areas. I dont know what he discussed with my team members but I can feel an improved environment than before. Conclusions Its still too early to tell that if the SLII theory had solved the difficulty of our team. But its has definitely helped. And thats a really good start. I can see the improvement in our work and even in myself. I think its better to say that SLII is not just a theory but a model which when applied correctly can yield enhancing results. Self Assessment Paper Managing, understanding, motivation focused on others or yourself are lot more efficient when you understand yourself, and the people you seek to motivate. Understanding personality is also the key to unlock inexpressible human qualities, e.g. leadership, empathy and motivation, whether your purpose is self-development or helping others. With 7 main goals we started our 3 days of beautiful journey on Team Building and Leadership seminar. The principal goals were to learn about myself and my strengths, my growing edge and about each other so we can work together as a high performance team. These goals were well accomplished as the seminar helped me to know more about my elusive qualities and others emotions. It made me realize that I should spend more time in building my strength rather than remedying my weaknesses. In this assignment paper I am going to assess myself on the four main topics of seminar: Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence is the ability, capacity or the skill that influence ones ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures. It includes the ability to motivate oneself and persist even when one is frustrated, to control ones impulses and delay gratification, to regulate the mood and keep distress from overwhelming the thinking ability, to empathize with others and to hope. Its structure is divided into Personal Competence (Self Awareness and Self Management) and Social Competence (Social Awareness and Relationship Management). With the help of EI Self Assessment questionnaire (Pg 17-20 of the booklet) I interpreted that I have the capacity to correctly manage my emotions and feelings but I lacked in self motivation. I am good in sharing the problems of anyone but I am afraid of taking the risks. The seminar helped me to know my strengths and limits. It helped me realise my capabilities and self confidence. It prepared me to be flexible in handling changes and to react efficiently in pressure situations. The self believe and confidence of Jennifer Connelly in the movie A Beautiful Mind taught me that one should not be afraid of taking risks and initiatives. When one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior. (Henry C. LINK) Team Building Skills: I was once told that teamwork depends on the performance of every single member on the team. I had trouble understanding it until I was shown how the office computer performs when just one key is out of order. That one key destroys the effectiveness of the computer. Now I know that even though I am only one person, I am needed or essential for the success and fulfilment of the team. Everyone work, think and act in unique ways. A principal reason why teams struggle is due to different styles and approaches to work. It is very difficult to work efficiently in a team without knowing what your style of work. Once you know your style, it is equally important to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of other members. At my work, we are team of 4 members. We trust each other and we work together to achieve a common objective. I learned, from the game which we played last day, that to accomplish a goal we always have to work in accordance with a plan. After the group discussion and feedback, I realized that I was contributing actively in the team and offering the solutions. Everyone was equally focused to win. In the end I was happy to share the responsibility for my teams loss and to get the positive feedback about my role. Situational Leadership: It states that the effectiveness of a leader depends upon how much his leadership style is suited to the characteristics of his group and the nature of the group task. Its a contingency theory that concentrates on team readiness; the more ready the team the less the need for leader support and supervision. The case studies and the questionnaire which we responded in the seminar affirmed me that I have D3 developmental level and I have S3 leadership skills. I knew that I am capable of performing any task but at the same time I am doubtful of my own abilities. The seminar made me realize that I should not be afraid of doing things my way and taking things at my own pace because life is not about giving all or nothing; give what you can. It made me to push myself farther than I thought I could go. I learned a lot about myself and having a blast. I used situational leadership theory to improve my work related problem. I can feel the improvement at my work and the changes in myself. The Four Frames: Just getting the people in the team is not good enough. They have to be told what the goal is. A team consists of different individuals. The objective is to make them all work together like a fist, like a team. This is the job of manager to recognize the major constituencies and to manage conflict as productively as possible. A manager needs a wide range of ways of seeing frames. Frames are the set of assumptions that one carry in head; helps negotiate a particular territory. Reframing is an ability to understand and use multiple perspectives. There are four different frames for Leadership: Structural Frame (how to organize); Human Resource Frame (how to tailor organizations to satisfy human needs); Political Frame (how to cope with power and conflict) and Symbolic Frame (how to shape a culture that gives purpose meaning to work). I still remember Timothy said in seminar that any frame if applied efficiently can solve any problem. But on the contrary, I think that all four frames support each other. The biggest example is RFK High School Case. The situation of the school demands the application of each and every frame to improve problems. Even David King at the end of the day structured everything into four frames. With the help of questionnaire on Leadership Orientations (Pg 22 of the booklet), I recognized that I belong to Human Resource Frame (HR). I am a good listener and my strongest point is interpersonal skills. I am concerned about people and share their feelings. I care and support others and try to keep everyone involved. Conclusions Personally I feel that all the goals of the seminar were entirely accomplished. I learned a lot about myself, my elusive strengths and my weaknesses. I got to know my classmates well and now I am optimistic that we can all work together efficiently in our future projects. I had a lot of fun and it was a fantastic experience. I enjoyed a lot while playing different games and challenged myself to win them. I really appreciated the portrait of David King played by my class mates and that of Chauncey played by Bob. This seminar taught me a lot and it has definitely exceeded my expectation. It was an unforgettable and lifetime experience for me. The seminar changed my vision toward many things. My warm regards and thanks to Professor Bob.