Hamlet by William Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

Hamlet by William Shakespeare Essay Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the most famous plays of all time. Of the many themes and representation of the human condition in this play, one of the most debated questions among critics and lay readers alike is the issue of Hamlet’s sanity. While sanity and insanity can be defined in many different ways, many critics point to Hamlet’s keen observations and clever manipulations as not insanity but confused grief in an otherwise extremely intelligent, albeit sensitive, man. Hamlet tells his friends in Act I of his plan to feign madness. After the ghost’s revelation and call to Hamlet to get revenge, Hamlet decides to assume an air of insanity to allow him a wider range of words and actions around the King and Queen. He tells Horatio of his intention to â€Å"put an antic disposition on† (I,v, 177). Individuals who are insane rarely plan their insanity. In fact, Hamlet knows that people who are crazy are more apt to get away with odd words and activities. This proves true, for he is not punished for appearing half dressed in Ophelia’s chamber or for his taunting of Polonius with references to â€Å"fishmonger† and â€Å"Jepthah. †His plan appears to be working. The King and Queen set to finding out the cause of Hamlet’s lunacy which throws them off the path of his knowledge of the murder. â€Å"He acts the part of madness with unrivalled power, convincing the persons who are sent to examine into his supposed loss of reason merely by telling them unwelcome truths and rallying them with the most caustic wit† (Bates 22). His intelligence almost gets him in trouble. His admission to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that â€Å"I am but mad north-northwest. When the wind is southerly, I / know a hawk from a handsaw† (II,ii,384-385). While these two do not catch his meaning, the more clever Claudius does. He notes, â€Å"Nor what he spake, thout it lacked form a little, Was not like madness† (III,i,167-168) and â€Å"Madness in great ones must not unwatchedgo† (III,i,192). Of course Hamlet is consumed with grief. His choice of dark clothing and brooding countenance is apparent when the reader first meets him. This is understandable upon the death of a father and not something that Hamlet becomes clinically insane about. His depression cannot be compared to psychosis. â€Å"The mental disturbance which it causes becomes apparent while he thinks aloud, almost as soon as the ghost has disappeared; but he is not mad either in the popular or in the physiological sense; it is merely the mental derangement of a noble, but not an heroic, nature, sinking beneath a burden which it cannot bear and must cast away† (Bates 29). Hamlet is depressed, even distraught, after learning of the true fate of his father, but he is not insane. Later, after the play, Hamlet confirms his sanity to his mother in order to convince her of Claudius’ guilt and to implore her to stay away from him. Yes, his Oedipal obsession with his mother is odd for many readers, but coupled with his father’s death and the ghost’s appearance, his desire to save her is more in the realm of understandable. He tells her â€Å"It is not madness/That I have uttered. Bring me to the test,? And I the matter will reword, which madness / Would Gambol from† (III,iv, 146-150). He wants her to know that he is not crazy and to choose his side, which she does. This is one of Hamlet’s goals. Many critics focus on the To Be, or Not To Be soliloquy in which Hamlet considers suicide for the second time as being proof of his insanity. Again, a closer look at Hamlet’s words show this to be false. This soliloquy is an organized, parallel, and logical debate on the issue of suicide. A mad individual would not possess the logic to provide such a point-counterpoint style. He lists all of the vices of the world and sets them up against all the unknowns of the afterworld and concludes, logically, Thus conscious does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment With this regard their currents turn awry And lose the name of action. (III,i, 84-89). Hamlet carefully weighs the pros and cons of suicide, for him, and concludes that the fear of the unknown keeps him alive. This is not an insane man. In fact, Hamlet’s supposed insanity can be compared to Ophelia’s actual insanity. Ophelia, after the death of her father and Hamlet’s mean treatment of her, has truly gone insane. She is singing songs about her dead father and about losing her virginity in front of the entire court. She is handing out flowers to the King and Queen, and eventually she â€Å"drowns† in inches of water. One critic notes how Hamlet â€Å"differs surprisingly from the pathetic inanities of the gentle Ophelia† (Blackmore 59). This contrast further shows Hamlet’s sanity. â€Å"The mad role that Hamlet plays to perfection, is certainly a proof of Shakespeares genius, but by no means a surety of the insanity of the Prince† (Blackmore 57). Hamlet is shown to be sane in this play. That is not to say he is not grieving, angry and depressed at various moments, but textual and critical support show that he is not insane. Works Cited Bates, Alfred, ed. The Drama: Its History, Literature and Influence on Civilization. Vol. 14. London: Historical Publishing Company, 1906. pp. 20-34. Blackmore, Simon Augustine. â€Å"The Real or Assumed Madness of Hamlet. † The Riddles of Hamlet and The Newest Answers. Boston: Stratford Company, 1917 Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Evanston, IL: McDougal/Little, 2003.

Legalizing the Growth of Industrial Hemp Essay example -- Industrial H

It is clearly seen today that the abolishment of hemp has not only hurt American farmers, but also affects every citizen’s day to day life. This plant has been used for thousands of years all around the world, but in recent years it has been morphed into the devil weed it is seen as today. The unfortunate cause of this view is the assumption that marijuana and industrial hemp are one in the same. This view does have some validity but that cannot outweigh the fact that these products are far from identical. The benefits of hemp cannot be replaced; it is simply a miracle plant. This one plant can efficiently produce fuel, paper, plastic, and fiber for fabrics with a better end product than what is currently used for these commodities. This tough plant that is inexpensive and easy to grow would not only save our farming industry and help our economy, but would also help to repair our environment. Legalizing the use of industrial hemp would solve economic and environmental issues in America by providing a domestic, sustainable, and renewable resource. It has been found that industrial hemp was used as far back as 8000 BC (). This plant has withstood the test of time and was utilized for thousands of years, but in the 20th century was banned from America. The reason for this ban and why it continues today is due to its comparison to other strains of the plant that can be used for medicinal or recreational purposes (J. McDougal). The comparison between these two strains put fear into the American people, but could not be further from the truth. THC or tetrahydrocannabinol is the chemical in marijuana that has an intoxicating effect when consumed. Industrial hemp or feral hemp contains less than half of one percent THC (D. West), whe... ...." Applied Physics Research. 2.1 (2010): 139-143. Print. Kaiser, Jocelyn. "Pests overwhelm Bt cotton crop." American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1996): Print. Kane, Mari. "The Movement to Legalize Industrial Hemp." Marijuana. Ed. Joseph Tardiff. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Contemporary Issues Companion. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. "Legalize Hemp." Multinational Monitor. 19.4 (1998): 5. Print. McDougal, Jeanette. "The Hemp Movement: A Disguise for Legalizing Marijuana." Marijuana. Ed. Joseph Tardiff. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Contemporary Issues Companion. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. "The history and benefits of hemp." San Diego Earth Times. Earth Times, 1999. Web. 15 Nov 2010. West, David. "Hemp and Marijuana: Myths & Realities." naihc.org. NAIHC, 1998. Web. 15 Nov 2010.

Engineer

Concentrated Knowledgeâ„ ¢ for the Busy Executive Vol. 24, No. 8 (2 parts) Part 1, August 2002 †¢ Order # 24-19 FILE: LEADERSHIP  ® Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence PRIMAL LEADERSHIP THE SUMMARY IN BRIEF Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision, or powerful ideas. But the reality is much more primal: Great leadership works through the emotions. Humankind’s original leaders earned their place because their leadership was emotionally compelling. In the modern organization this primordial emotional task remains.Leaders must drive the collective emotions in a positive direction and clear the smog created by toxic emotions whether it is on the shop floor or in the boardroom. When leaders drive emotions positively they bring out everyone’s best. When they drive emotions negatively they spawn dissonance, undermining the emotional foundations t hat let people shine. The key to making primal leadership work to everyone’s advantage lies in the leadership competencies of emotional intelligence; how leaders handle themselves and their relationships. Leaders who exercise primal leadership drive the emotions of those they lead in the right direction.By Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee CONTENTS The Vital Emotional Component of Leadership Page 2 Why Good Leaders Must Read Emotions Pages 2, 3 The Four Dimensions Of Emotional Intelligence Pages 3, 4 The Leadership Repertoire Pages 4, 5 What You’ll Learn In This Summary In this summary, you will learn the secrets of primal leadership by: ? Understanding what primal leadership is and why, when practiced correctly, it creates resonance in your organization. ? Understanding the neuroanatomy that underlies primal leadership and what emotional intelligence competencies you need to succeed. Understanding the six leadership styles you can use — from visi onary to coaching to pacesetting — to inspire others, and when to use each one. ? Understanding who you are and what you need to change to become a primal leader, and then develop a plan to make those changes. ? Learning how to build emotionally intelligent organizations. Published by Soundview Executive Book Summaries, 10 LaCrue Avenue, Concordville, Pennsylvania 19331 USA  ©2002 Soundview Executive Book Summaries †¢ All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited. Developing Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Pages 5, 6 The Motivation to ChangePages 6, 7 Building Emotionally Intelligent Organizations Pages 7, 8 Reality and the Ideal Vision Page 8 Creating Sustainable Change Page 8 PRIMAL LEADERSHIP by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee — THE COMPLETE SUMMARY The Vital Emotional Component of Leadership Gifted leadership occurs where heart and head — feeling and thought — meet. These are the two things that allow a leade r to soar. All leaders need enough intellect to handle the tasks and challenges at hand. However, intellect alone won’t make a leader. Leaders execute a vision by motivating, guiding, inspiring, listening, persuading and creating resonance.As a result, the manner in which leaders act — not just what they do, but how they do it — is a fundamental key to effective leadership. The reason lies in the design of the human brain. Laughter and the Open Loop A study at Yale University showed that among working groups, cheerfulness and warmth spread most easily. Laughter, in particular, demonstrates the power of the open loop in operation. Unlike other emotional signals which can be feigned, laughter is largely involuntary. In a neurological sense, laughing represents the shortest distance between two people because it instantly interlocks limbic systems.This immediate, involuntary reaction might be called a limbic lock. Laughter in the workplace signals trust, comfort, a nd a shared sense of the world. a management team that did not get along, the poorer the company’s market return.  ¦ The Open Loop The brain is an open loop. We rely on connections with other people for our emotional stability. Scientists describe the open-loop system as â€Å"interpersonal limbic regulation,† whereby one person transmits signals that can alter hormone levels, cardiovascular function, sleep rhythms and even immune function inside the body of another.Other people can change our very physiology and our emotions. The continual interplay of limbic open loops among members of a group creates a kind of emotional soup, with everyone adding his or her flavor to the mix. Negative emotions — especially chronic anger, anxiety or a sense of futility — powerfully disrupt work, hijacking attentions from the tasks at hand. On the other hand, when people feel good, they work at their best. Feeling good lubricates mental efficiency, making people better at understanding information and making complex judgments.Insurance agents with a glass-ishalf-full attitude, for example, make more sales, in part because they are able to withstand rejection better than their more pessimistic peers. A study on 62 CEOs and their top management shows just how important mood is. The CEOs and their management team members were assessed on how upbeat — energetic, enthusiastic and determined — they were. They were also asked how much conflict the top team experienced. The study found that the more positive the overall moods of people in the top management team, the more cooperative they worked together and the better the company’s business results.The longer a company was run by Why Good Leaders Must Read Emotions Dissonance, in its original musical sense, describes an unpleasant, harsh sound. Dissonant leadership produces groups that feel emotionally discordant, in which people have a sense of being continually off-key. Ranging fr om abusive tyrants to manipulative sociopaths, dissonant leaders are out of touch and create wretched workplaces (continued on page 3) The authors: Daniel Goleman is Codirector of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations at Rutgers University.Richard Boyatzis is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Organizational Behavior at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Annie McKee, who is a member of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, consults to business leaders worldwide. Copyright © 2002 by Daniel Goleman. Summarized by permission of the publisher, Harvard Business School Press, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02472 (for print and electronic rights) and Audio Renaissance, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 (for audio rights). 306 pages. $26. 95. 0-57851-486-X.Published by Soundview Executive Book Summaries (ISSN 0747-2196), 10 LaCrue Avenue, Concordville, PA 19331 USA, a divis ion of Concentrated Knowledge Corporation. Publisher, George Y. Clement. V. P. Publications, Maureen L. Solon. Editor-in-Chief, Christopher G. Murray. Published monthly. Subscriptions: $195 per year in U. S. , Canada & Mexico, and $275 to all other countries. Periodicals postage paid at Concordville, PA and additional offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Soundview, 10 LaCrue Avenue, Concordville, PA 19331. Copyright  © 2002 by Soundview Executive Book Summaries.Available formats: Summaries are available in print, audio and electronic formats. To subscribe, call us at 1-800-521-1227 (1-610-558-9495 outside U. S. & Canada) Multiple-subscription discounts and Corporate Site Licenses are also available. . 2 Soundview Executive Book Summaries  ® Primal Leadership — SUMMARY Why Good Leaders Must Read Emotions (continued from page 2) Leadership and the Brain’s Design New findings in brain research show that the neural systems responsible for the intellect and for the emotions are separate, but have intimately interwoven connections.This brain circuitry provides the neural basis of primal leadership. Although our business culture places great value in an intellect devoid of emotion, our emotions are more powerful than our intellect. In emergencies, the limbic brain — our emotional center — commandeers the rest of our brain. There is a good reason for this. Emotions are crucial for survival, being the brain’s way of alerting us to something urgent and offering an immediate plan for action — fight, flee, freeze. The thinking brain evolved from the limbic brain, and continues to take orders from it when it perceives a threat.The trigger point is the amygdala, a limbic brain structure that scans what’s happening to us moment by moment, always on the alert for an emergency. It commandeers other parts of the brain, including the rational centers in the cortex, for immediate action if it perceives an emergency. Tod ay we face complex social realities with a brain designed for surviving physical emergencies. And so we find ourselves hijacked — swept away by anxiety or anger better suited for handling bodily threats than office politics.Fortunately, emotional impulses pass through other parts of the brain, from the amygdala through the prefrontal area. There an emotional impulse can be vetoed. The dialogue between neurons in the emotional center and the prefrontal area operate through a neurological superhighway. The emotional intelligence competencies hinge on the smooth operation of this circuitry. Biologically speaking, then, the art of primal leadership interweaves our intellect and emotions. ? — although they have no idea how destructive they are, or simply don’t care.Meanwhile, the collective distress they trigger becomes the group’s preoccupation, deflecting attention away from their mission. Emotionally Intelligent Resonance Resonant leaders, on the other hand , are attuned to their people’s feelings and move them in a positive emotional direction. Resonance comes naturally to emotionally intelligent leaders. Their passion and enthusiastic energy resounds throughout the group. When there are serious concerns, emotionally intelligent (EI) leaders use empathy to attune to the emotional registry of the people they lead.For example, if something has happened that everyone feels angry about (such as the closing of a division) or sad about (such as a co-worker’s serious illness) the EI leader not only empathizes with those emotions, but also expresses them for the group. The leader leaves people feeling understood and cared for. Under the guidance of an EI leader, people feel a mutual comfort level. They share ideas, learn from one another, make decisions collaboratively, and get things done. Perhaps most important, connecting with others at an emotional level makes work more meaningful.  ¦ The Four Dimensions Of Emotional Intel ligenceThere are four domains to emotional intelligence: selfawareness, self-management, social awareness and relationships management. Within the four domains are 18 competencies. These competencies are the vehicles of primal leadership. Even the most outstanding leader will not have all competencies. Effective leaders, though, exhibit at least one competency from each of the domains. The four domains and their competencies are listed below: Self-awareness ? Emotional self-awareness: Reading one’s own emotions and recognizing their impact and using â€Å"gut sense† to guide decisions. Accurate self-assessment: Knowing one’s strengths and limits. ? Self-confidence: A sound sense of one’s self-worth and capabilities. Transparency: Displaying honesty, integrity and trustworthiness. ? Adaptability: Flexibility in adapting to changing situations or overcoming obstacles. ? Achievement: The drive to improve performance to meet inner standards of excellence. ? I nitiative: Readiness to act and seize opportunities. ? Optimism: Seeing the upside in events. Social Awareness ? Self-management ? Emotional self-control: Keeping disruptive emotions and impulses under control.Empathy: Sensing others’ emotions, understanding their perspective, and taking active interest in their concerns. ? Organizational awareness: Reading the currents, decision networks, and politics at the organizational level. (continued on page 4) Soundview Executive Book Summaries  ® 3 Primal Leadership — SUMMARY The Four Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence (continued from page 3) ? Service: Recognizing and meeting follower, client or customer needs. Relationship Management ? Inspirational leadership: Guiding and motivating with a compelling vision. ? Influence: Wielding a range of tactics for persuasion. Developing others: Bolstering others’ abilities through feedback and guidance. ? Change catalyst: Initiating, managing and leading in new directions. ? Building bonds: Cultivating and maintaining relationship webs. ? Teamwork and collaboration: Cooperation and team-building.  ¦ The Leadership Repertoire The best, most effective leaders act according to one or more of six distinct approaches to leadership. Four of the styles — visionary, coaching, affiliative and democratic — create the kind of resonance that boosts performance. The other two — pacesetting and commanding — should be applied with caution. nd fostering friendly interactions. When leaders are being affiliative, they focus on the emotional needs of workers, using empathy. Many leaders who use the affiliative approach combine it with the visionary approach. Visionary leaders state a mission, set standards, and let people know whether their work is furthering group goals. Ally that with the caring approach of the affiliative leader and you have a potent combination. 4. Democratic. A democratic leader builds on a triad of EI abilities: teamw ork and collaboration, conflict management and influence. Democratic leaders are great listeners and true collaborators.They know how to quell conflict and create harmony. Empathy also plays a role. A democratic approach works best when as a leader, you are unsure what direction to take and need ideas from able employees. For example, IBM’s Louis Gerstner, an outsider to the computer industry when he became CEO of the ailing giant, relied on seasoned colleagues for advice. 5. Pacesetting. Pacesetting as a leadership style must be applied sparingly, restricted to settings where it truly works. Common wisdom holds that pacesetting is admirable. The leader holds and exemplifies high standards for performance.He is obsessive about doing things better and faster, quickly pinpointing poor performers. Unfortunately, applied excessively, pacesetting can backfire and lead to low morale as workers think they are being pushed too hard or that the leader doesn’t (continued on page 5) The Six Styles of Leadership 1. Visionary. The visionary leader articulates where a group is going, but not how it gets there — setting people free to innovate, experiment and take calculated risks. Inspirational leadership is the emotional intelligence competence that most strongly undergirds the visionary style.Transparency, another EI competency, is also crucial. If a leader’s vision is disingenuous, people sense it. The EI competency that matters most to visionary leadership, however, is empathy. The ability to sense what others feel and understand their perspectives helps leader articulate a truly inspirational vision. 2. Coaching. The coaching style is really the art of the one-on-one. Coaches help people identify their unique strengths and weaknesses, tying those to their personal and career aspirations. Effective coaching exemplifies the EI competency of developing others, which lets a leader act as a counselor.It works hand in hand with two other competenc ies: emotional awareness and empathy. 3. Affiliative. The affiliative style of leadership represents the collaborative competency in action. An affiliative leader is most concerned with promoting harmony 4 A Visionary Leader When Shawana Leroy became director of a social agency, there were clearly problems. Her predecessor had mired the agency in rules that the talented staff the agency had attracted because of its mission found draining. Despite increased needs for the agency’s services, the pace of work was slow. Leroy met one-on-one with staff and found out that they shared her ision. She got people talking about their hopes for the future and tapped into the compassion and dedication they felt. She voiced their shared values whenever she could. She guided them in looking at whether how they did things furthered the mission, and together they eliminated rules that made no sense. Meanwhile, she modeled the principles of the new organization she wanted to create: one that wa s transparent and honest; one that focused on rigor and results. Then Leroy and her team tackled the changes. The agency’s emotional climate changed to reflect her passion and commitment; she set the tone as a visionary leader.Soundview Executive Book Summaries  ® Primal Leadership — SUMMARY The Leadership Repertoire (continued from page 4) The Case of Too Much Pacesetting The superb technical skills of Sam, an R&D biochemist at a large pharmaceutical company, made him an early star. When he was appointed to head a team to develop a new product, Sam continued to shine, and his teammates were as competent and self-motivated as their leader. Sam, however, began setting the pace by working late and offering himself as a model of how to do first-class scientific work under tremendous deadline pressure.His team completed the task in record time. But when Sam was selected to head R&D, he began to slip. Not trusting the capabilities of his subordinates, he refused to delega te power, becoming instead a micro-manager obsessed with details. He took over for others he perceived as slacking, rather than trust that they could improve with guidance. To everyone’s relief, including his own, he returned to his old job. trust them to get their job done. The emotional intelligence foundation of a pacesetter is the drive to achieve through improved performance and the initiative to seize opportunities.But a pacesetter who lacks empathy can easily be blinded to the pain of those who achieve what the leader demands. Pacesetting works best when combined with the passion of the visionary style and the team building of the affiliate style. 6. Commanding. The command leader demands immediate compliance with orders, but doesn’t bother to explain the reasons. If subordinates fail to follow orders, these leaders resort to threats. They also seek tight control and monitoring. Of all the leadership styles, the commanding approach is the least effective. Consid er what the style does to an organization’s climate.Given that emotional contagion spreads most readily from the top down, an intimidating, cold leader contaminates everyone’s mood. Such a leader erodes people’s spirits and the pride and satisfaction they take in their work. The commanding style works on limited circumstances, and only when used judiciously. For example, in a genuine emergency, such as an approaching hurricane or a hostile take-over attempt, a take-control style can help everyone through the crisis. An effective execution of the commanding style draws on three emotional intelligence competencies: influence, achievement and initiative.In addition, self-awareness, emotional self-control and empathy are crucial to keep the commanding style from going off track.  ¦ Developing Emotionally Intelligent Leaders The key to learning that lasts lies in the brain. Remember that emotional intelligence involves circuitry between the prefrontal lobes and the limbic system. Skills based in the limbic system are best learned through motivation, extended practice and feedback. The limbic system is a slow learner, especially when trying to relearn deeply ingrained habits. This matters immensely when trying to improve leadership skills.These skills often come down to habits learned early in life. Reeducating the emotional brain for leadership learning requires plenty of practice and repetition. That’s because neural connections used over and over (continued on page 6) Boyatzis’s Theory of Self-Directed Learning Practicing the new behavior, building new neural pathways through to mastery 1. My ideal self: Who do I want to be? 2. My real self: Who am I? 5. Developing trusting relationships that help, support and encourage each step in the process 4. Experimenting with new behavior, thoughts and feelingsMy strengths: Where my ideal and real self overlap My gaps: Where my ideal and real self differ 3. My learning agenda: Building on my strengths while reducing gaps Soundview Executive Book Summaries  ® 5 Primal Leadership — SUMMARY How One Leader Changed When Nick, a star salesman, took over as head of an insurance agency in a new city, he knew he needed help. The agency was in the bottom quartile. He hired leadership consultants, who determined what type of leader Nick was. He fit the pacesetting mold, with elements of the commanding style. As pressure mounted, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.Nick was encouraged to focus on his salespeople’s performance rather than his own. This required he use the coaching and visionary styles. Fortunately, some of the traits that made him a great salesman — empathy, self-management and inspiration — transferred well. He seized the opportunity to work one-on-one and stifled his impulse to jump in when he got impatient with someone’s work. Eighteen months later, the agency had moved from the bottom to the top and Nick became one o f the youngest managers to win a national award for growth. The Motivation to Change The first discovery — the ideal self — is where change begins.Connecting with one’s passion, energy, and excitement about life is the key to uncovering your ideal self. Doing so requires a reach deep inside. You, Fifteen Years from Now Think about where you would be sitting and reading this summary if it were fifteen years from now and you were living your ideal life. What kinds of people are around you? What does your environment look and feel like? What would you be doing during a typical day? Don’t worry about the feasibility. Just let the image develop and place yourself in the picture. Write down your vision, or share it with a trusted friend.After doing this exercise, you may feel a release of energy and optimism. Envisioning your ideal future can be a powerful way to connect with the real possibilities for change in our lives. Next, determine what your guiding prin ciples are. What are your core values in the areas of life that are important to you, such as family, relationships, work, spirituality and health. Write down everything you want to experience before you die. Doing so will open you up to new possibilities. Developing Emotionally Intelligent Leaders (continued from page 5) become stronger while those not used weaken. Self-Directed LearningTo work, leadership development must be self-directed. You must want to develop or strengthen an aspect of who you are or who you want to be. This requires first getting a strong image of your ideal self, and an accurate picture of your real self. Self-directed learning involves five discoveries, each representing a discontinuity. The goal is to use each discovery as a tool for making the changes needed to become an emotionally intelligent leader. People who successfully change move through the following stages: ? The first discovery: My ideal self — Who do I want to be? ? The second discover y: My real self — Who am I?What are my strengths and gaps? ? The third discovery: My learning agenda — How can I build on my strengths while reducing my gaps? ? The fourth discovery: Experimenting with and practicing new thoughts, behaviors and feelings to the point of mastery. ? The fifth discovery: Developing supportive and trusting relationships that make change possible.  ¦ Look at Your Real Self Once you see your ideal self, you need to look at your real self — the second discovery. Then, and only then, can you understand your strengths. Taking stock of your real self starts with an inventory of your talents and passions — the person you actually are.This can be painful if the slow, invisible creep of compromise and complacency has caused your ideal self to slip away. How do you get to the truth of your real self? You must break through the information quarantine around you. Actively seek out negative feedback. You can do this using a 360-degree ev aluation — collecting information from your boss, your peers and your subordinates. Multiple views render a more complete picture because each sees a different aspect of you. Once you have a full picture of yourself, you can examine your strengths and gaps. Do this by creating a personal balance sheet, listing both.Don’t focus solely on the gaps. Metamorphosis: Sustaining Leadership Change It’s now time to develop a practical plan to learn leadership skills, which is the third discovery. Focus on improvements you are passionate about, building on your strengths while filling the gaps. Craft specific, manageable learning goals that are tied to the goals that motivate you. When goal-setting, consider that: (continued on page 7) 6 Soundview Executive Book Summaries  ® Primal Leadership — SUMMARY Are You a Boiling Frog? If you drop a frog into boiling water, it will instinctively jump out.But if you place the frog in a pot of cold water and gradually increa se the temperature, the frog won’t notice the water’s getting hotter. It will sit there until the water boils. The fate of that poached frog isn’t so unlike some leaders who settle into a routine or let small conveniences solidify into large habits — and allow inertia to set in. Building Emotionally Intelligent Organizations When it comes to leadership, changing a single leader is only the beginning. The rest of the job is to develop a critical mass of resonant leaders and thereby transform how people work together.Parallel Transformations The most effective leadership development works hand in hand with parallel transformations in the organizations that those leaders guide. Groups only begin to change when they understand how they work, especially if there is discordance. They must understand what the underlying group norms are, and then develop the ideal vision for the group. The Motivation to Change (continued from page 6) ? Goals should build strength s. ? Goals must be your own, not someone else’s. ? Plans must be flexible and feasible, with manageable steps. ? Plans must fit your learning style.The Power of Group Decision-Making Group decision-making is superior to that of the brightest individual in the group — unless the group lacks harmony or the ability to cooperate. Even groups with brilliant individuals will make bad decisions in such an environment. In short, groups are smarter than individuals when (and only when) they exhibit the qualities of emotional intelligence. Leaders ignore the power of the Groups are smarter than group at great individuals when cost. You can’t (and only when) assume that the force of your they exhibit the qualities leadership alone of emotional intelligence. s enough to drive people’s behavior. Don’t make the common mistake of ignoring resonance-building leadership styles and steam-rolling over the team using the commanding and pacesetting styles exclusively. To lead a team effectively, you must address the group reality. Leaders who have a keen sense of the group’s pivotal norms and who are adept at maximizing positive emotions can create highly emotionally intelligent teams. The Experimenting Stage The fourth discovery requires you to reconfigure your brain as you practice new behaviors to the point of mastery.You can only do this by bringing bad habits into awareness and consciously practicing a better way. Rehearse the behavior at every opportunity until it becomes automatic. Improving an emotional intelligence competency takes months because the emotional centers of the brain are involved. The more often a behavioral sequence repeats, the stronger the underlying brain circuits become, as you rewire your brain. Like a professional musician, you must practice and practice until the behavior becomes automatic. A powerful technique you can use is the mental rehearsal. Envision yourself repeating the behavior you want to master ov er and over again.This, coupled with using the behavior as often as possible, will trigger the neural connections necessary for genuine change to occur. Supportive and Trusting Relationships Finally, begin applying the fifth discovery — the power of supportive relationships. For anyone who has gone through leadership development that works, the importance of the people along the way is obvious. Having supportive people around when you want to change can make a big difference. Positive groups help people make positive changes, especially when the relationships are filled with candor, trust and psychological safety.For leaders, that safety may be crucial for learning to occur. Leaders often feel unsafe in the spotlight, and avoid risk-taking change. Where can you find these relationships? One approach is to find a mentor. Another is to hire an executive coach.  ¦ Maximizing the Group’s Emotional Intelligence A group’s emotional intelligence requires the same cap abilities that an emotionally intelligent individual does — self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. A group expresses its self-awareness by being mindful of shared moods as well as the emotions of its members.Emotions are contagious, and a team leader needs to understand how to keep a bad mood from spreading. For example, imagine a meeting held in an out-of-the (continued on page 8) Soundview Executive Book Summaries  ® 7 Primal Leadership — SUMMARY Building Emotionally Intelligent Organizations (continued from page 7) way location and a team member arriving late exclaiming that the meeting location is very inconvenient for him. If the member’s anger is allowed to fester, it will infect the whole team. But if instead, the leader acknowledges the sacrifice the member is making and thanks him, the anger dissipates.The leader who wants to create an emotionally intelligent team can start by helping the team raise its collecti ve self-awareness. This is the true work of the team leader. Initiate the process by looking at what’s really going on in the group. Uncover the team’s less-productive norms and work with the team to change them.  ¦ Shoney’s Transformation The Shoney’s restaurant chain had a close-knit group of executives at the top — people who knew each other well, shared history and beliefs, and generally thought they knew how to run their business.In reality, they were an old-boy’s network of white male senior executives with an underlying culture that left people of color behind. All that changed when the company paid $132 million to settle a class-action lawsuit by employees and applicants who alleged discrimination. A cadre of new leaders have changed the company’s culture and broadened opportunities so much that ten years later, the company was listed as one of the top 50 companies for minorities by Fortune magazine. The change occurred beca use the lawsuit was a wake-up call regarding the reality of the company’s dissonant culture.The new leaders identified an ideal vision that would guide hiring practices, and the organization embraced that vision. Reality and the Ideal Vision Just as was the case with teams, a leader who wants to change an organization must first understand its reality. Change begins when emotionally intelligent leaders actively question the emotional reality and cultural norms underlying the organization’s daily activities and behavior. To create resonance and results, the leader has to pay attention to people’s emotions. Even toxic organizations can change. Creating Sustainable ChangeHow does a leader create sustainable resonance in an organization? Every large organization has pockets of resonance and dissonance. The overall ratio determines the organization’s emotional climate and performance. To shift the ratio toward resonance, cultivate a dispersed cadre of emotiona lly intelligent leaders. To do that, leadership training must be the strategic priority and be managed at the highest level. Commitment must come from the top. That’s because new leadership means a new mindset and new behaviors, and in order for these to stick, the organization’s culture, systems and processes all need to change.Let’s say that as a leader, you get it. You’ve set the stage by assessing the culture, examining the reality and the ideal. You’ve created resonance around the idea of change, and you’ve identified the people who will take top leadership roles. The next step is to design a process that lets those leaders uncover their own dreams and personal ideals, examine their strengths and their gaps, and use their daily work as a learning laboratory. That process must also be self-directed and include the following elements: ?A tie-in to the organization’s culture. ? Seminars emphasizing individual change. ? Learning abou t emotional competencies. ? Creative learning experiences. ? Relationships that support learning, such as executive coaching.  ¦ Dynamic Inquiry A process called dynamic inquiry can help you discover an organization’s emotional reality — what people care about, what is helping A leader who wants them, their group, to change an organization and the organization to succeed, and must first understand what’s getting in its reality. the way.The process uses focused conversations and open-ended questions intended to get to feelings. Themes become apparent from these conversations, which are then taken to small groups for more discussion. The conversations that ensue about what’s right and what’s not create momentum. People feel inspired and empowered, willing to work together to address their collective concerns. Once they do, you will be able to help the organization define its ideal vision — one that is in sync with individual hopes and dreams .  ¦ 8 Soundview Executive Book Summaries  ®

George Orwell s The American Mind - 928 Words

In an article written by George Orwell 1984, Orwell presented the role in which institutions play to remodel and recondition most of the world s population. Similarly, in Lukianoff Haidt’s article (The Coddling of the American Mind),these two writers show their readers how certain rules are set to recondition temporary college students minds to a point that they overreact to language which may prevent them from becoming better people of tomorrow. Both professors and fellow college students ought to be mindful of their speech hence it becomes offensive to one another. Such an act is considered a punishable crime by authority. Orwell gave examples in his article, where his readers can be made aware of the lies that are printed in the current Time which had been rewritten over and over again until it has whatever the Party wants its readers to believe. One of these example is where it stated that Oceania was never at war with Eurasia. Even though Winston was the one who wrote the lies, he knew it was not true, but he had to write whatever the Party wanted him to write otherwise he would have been put to death. He knew without a doubt that those two countries were always at war, but because of the alteration of the article, there was no proof of the past truth. Orwell wrote (2015), The Party said that Oceania had never been in alliance with Eurasia. He, Winston Smith, knew that Oceania had been in alliance with Eurasia as short a time as four years ago. But where did thatShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of George Orwell s Orwell Essay1578 Words   |  7 Pagesvicious conflicts. Author, George Orwell, seeks to find the effects of citizens in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. Orwell witnessed â€Å"nightmarish atrocities committed by fascist political regimes,† (1984) on citizens of Spain, Germany, and the Soviet Union. The government of Spain, the Soviet Union, and Germany captured â€Å"tens of thousands of civilians and refugees who [died] in concentration camps and prisons† (Process of Extermination). These vic ious acts lead Orwell to fear the idea of a totalitarianRead MoreTotalitarianism in Orwells Mind Essay1053 Words   |  5 PagesIngsoc are embodiments of everything that author George Orwell hates in government. 1984, a book written by Orwell, depicts a society called Oceania, in which unwary citizens are obedient to the Party, a totalitarian regime. Totalitarianism is defined as a political system in which a centralized government does not tolerate any form of political dissent and seeks to control many, if not all, aspects of public and private life. Another one of George Orwell’s books, Animal Farm, is an allegory aboutRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Dangers Of Power Through A Totalitarian Government1186 Words   |  5 Pagesstory. 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He is warning us that, we are always being watched and,Read MorePolitics And The English Language1488 Words   |  6 PagesIn the essay Politics and the English Language, written by George Orwell, the author suggests that modern English Languageis in a corruption. He supports his idea with explanations such as, dying metaphors, operators or verbal false limbs, pretentious diction, and meaningless words. However, Orwell also suggests that if all writers follow his six rules of writing mentioned in the article, it will benefit them for constructing a successful essay. Regarding to Orwell’s standard, many famous speechesRead MorePolitics And The English Language895 Words   |  4 Pages Without a doubt, George Orwell was a visionar y during his time. Having endured the period where fascism and authoritarianism as a whole was at its strongest throughout the world, it is unsurprising that he considered its menace the primary problem facing the world. Through his essay, Politics and the English Language, he attempts to express his worry that the transformation of the way in which English is used will have a direct impact on the minds of the general public. Despite the passage of timeRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Nineteen Eighty Four 1169 Words   |  5 PagesCourtney Trawick Mrs. Garner Senior English Honors 27 February 2016 Totalitarianism of George Orwell’s Oceania â€Å"War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength† (Orwell 4). This is the slogan the Party uses in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four to represent the main philosophy the society of Oceania is expected to believe. In the early 1900’s, many totalitarian societies sprouted in Eastern Europe. These societies paved the way for many works of satire in Western literatureRead More1984 Argument1249 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge Orwell’s book 1984 is a very interesting novel. The novel is set up in Airstrip One. 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This action by the government compares to the massacre of the Holocaust, which portrayed the act of totalitarianism by aimingRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Rhetoric Of Language And The Underlying Fascism852 Words   |  4 PagesGeorge Orwell’s thesis that words can and will be used as political tools is absolutely correct, because speech can be twisted and used as a weapon to obscure, change, or manipulate the true context or meaning behind a thought or action. George Orwell warned about the manipulation of language and the underlying fascism that was around during the time of his writing that was connected with language. During the time of his writing Adolf Hitler and Mussolini had both just fallen from power and Orwell