Building A Learning Organisation

A learning organisation is an organisation that learns and encourages learning among its people. It promotes exchange of information between employees, hence creating a more knowledgeable workforce. This produces a very flexible organisation where people will accept and adapt to new ideas and change through shared vision.

It is said that the only constant in life is change and organisations are not spared. Change brings about not only uncertainty and risks but also opportunities for growth. Those organisations that can manipulate the information available have a bigger chance to succeed. It is therefore important for everyone to be more knowledgeable about the work environment they are in. Building a learning organisation is a means to a business goal. It is not a new theory but a concept that has become an increasingly widespread philosophy in modern companies, from the largest multinationals to the smallest enterprises. It is to be applied according to the circumstances of each business, which has to cater for it at strategic and operational levels.

‘Systems Thinking’ takes a holistic approach to learning whereby not only does the organisation learn but so do all its employees, irrespective of their role within the organisation. Information has to be disseminated to all levels and does not stop at top management, thus, facilitating learning through flexibility and open communication by removing barriers to communication and adopting flatter organisational structure and design.

Therefore the message is clear: any organisation that is committed to future success must become a learning organisation in order to compete and survive. Today continuous improvement is a must. “Any organisation is only as good as its people and continuous improvement in business is about the development of people and therefore creating a learning culture.” (Sheppard)

Systems Thinking
The idea behind the concept coined ‘Systems Thinking’ in the 1950’s was that enterprises need to be aware of both the company as a whole as well as the individuals within the company – taking a holistic approach to managing. Gould-Kreutzer Associates Inc. defined it as “a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things; to see the forest and the trees.” System Thinking therefore tries to change the managerial view so that it includes the ambitions of the individual workers, not just the business goals.

However, it was only during the 1990’s that this concept started to be taken seriously by organisations. Systems Thinking nowadays is synonymous with Peter Senge, one of the modern day gurus, who in his book “The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organisation” popularised the concept of the learning organisation, and referred to ‘Systems Thinking’ as the Fifth Discipline. Since its publication in 1990, more than a million copies of this book have been sold and in 1997, Harvard Business Review identified his book as one of the seminal management books of the past 75 years.

According to Senge, learning organisations are “organisations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. ”
Senge posits that the dimension that distinguishes learning from more traditional organisations is the mastery of certain basic disciplines, which he regards as a series of principles and practices that we study, master and integrate into our lives. The five disciplines that he identifies are said to be common to all learning organisations.

They are:

1. PERSONAL MASTERY. This is the discipline of ‘continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively.

People with a high level of personal mastery live in a continual learning mode, continually clarifying and deepening their personal vision. This takes place by assessing the gap between their current knowledge and the desired knowledge, and by practising and refining skills. This develops self-esteem and creates the confidence to tackle new challenges.

2. MENTAL MODELS. These are ‘deeply ingrained assumptions, generalisations, or even pictures and images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action. ‘

The discipline of mental models starts with turning the mirror inward; learning to unearth our internal pictures of the world, to bring them to the surface and hold them rigorously to scrutiny. Every individual has his own perception of the things around him. This happens consciously and unconsciously and therefore, if team members can, through positive, constructive criticism, challenge each others’ ideas and assumptions, they can begin to perceive their mental models, and to change these to create a shared mental model for the team. This is important as the individual’s mental model will control what can or cannot be done.

3. BUILDING SHARED VISION. Senge sees this as ‘the capacity to hold a shared picture of the future we seek to create. ‘When there is a genuine vision (as opposed to the all-to-familiar ‘vision statement’), people excel and learn. To create a shared vision, large numbers of people within the organisation must draft it, empowering them to create a single image of the future. With a shared vision, people will do things because they want to, not because they have to.

4. TEAM LEARNING. Such learning is viewed as ‘the process of aligning and developing the capacities of a team to create the results its members truly desire. ‘

It builds on personal mastery and shared vision, but these are not enough. People need to be able to act together, as virtually all important decisions occur in groups. Adults learn best from each other and with team learning, the learning ability of the group becomes greater than the learning ability of any individual in the group.

5. SYSTEMS THINKING. The cornerstone of any learning organisation is this fifth discipline. This is the ability to see the bigger picture, to look at the interrelationships of a system as opposed to simple cause-effect chains.

Systems thinking shows us that the essential properties of a system are not determined by the sum of its parts but by the process of interactions between those parts. This is the discipline used to implement the other disciplines. Without it each of the disciplines would be isolated and would fail to achieve its objective.

How to build a learning organisation
The challenges facing managers in applying these five disciplines at the workplace are the following:
. Building a sound base
. Apply the Golden Rules

BUILDING A SOUND BASE
Before a Learning Organisation can be achieved, a solid foundation has to be in place. This can be implemented by taking into account the following points.

~ Awareness. Awareness of the benefits of a learning organisation must permeate to all levels not just the management level. A learning culture must be fostered among the employees that survival of the fittest depends on having a knowledgeable workforce. Change should start and be supported from top management and this ‘new’ culture should be manifested in the commitment to learning, personal development of the individual as well as valuing people and their divergent views.

~ The Environment. The right environment must be in place so that learning can take place. Centralised, mechanistic structures do not create a good environment. Organisations having organic structures are well positioned to develop into a learning organisation. An organic structure places less emphasis on giving and taking orders and more on encouraging managers and subordinates to work together in teams and to communicate openly with each other. Authority, responsibility and accountability flow to employees with the expertise required to solve problems. In a nutshell, a flat organisation, whereby communication can flow in all directions and foster innovation amongst its employees.

~ Leadership. Managers must adopt open communication management styles so that employees will be able to question and come forward with ideas. Understand that mistakes and errors are part of this process and therefore employees should not be in fear of reprimands. Managers must also provide commitment for long-term learning in the form of resources (money, personnel and time). The amount of these resources determines the quantity and quality of learning.

~ Empowerment. Employees should be empowered to take decisions and actions. Let them own the process whilst monitoring all that is happening. Only through motivation and innovation will the employees grow and learn, equal participation should be encouraged so that employees can learn from each other simultaneously. The benefits are for themselves and the organisation.

~ Learning. Company-wide training is to be made available. This may take the form of simulation case studies where brainstorming sessions will be beneficial to all participants.
APPLY THE GOLDEN RULES
The following practices and approaches can be used while managing the learning process.

1. Thrive on change. Management must not be afraid of change. There should be commitment to and focus on the things that matter most. Change is necessary and therefore clear objectives and plans must be in place. Change will translate itself into a learning opportunity.

2. Encourage experimentation. Change will bring along uncertainty and risks. Experimentation is a necessary risk. Accept mistakes as a normal process and encourage employees to come forward with ideas. Learning from mistakes is often more powerful than learning from success. The most important thing is to ‘fail intelligently’ to learn something from mistakes. Apply reviews of the whole change process and reward individual effort.

3. Communicate success and failure. Let there be a communication system of disseminating information and knowledge that reaches everyone efficiently, for example, through company journals, website, job rotation programs etc.

4. Facilitate learning from the surrounding environment. Learn from internal factors such as processes and procedures at work and find ways of how to improve learning from competitors. Avoid their mistakes and copy their well-achieved results. Can also form alliances to have a cross fertilisation of ideas. Build a relationship with customers. Apply an outside-in policy to strategies. Customers provide free advice through their complaints, suggestions and surveys. After all, the organisation survives through satisfying customers. Theirs might be the best advice.

5. Facilitate learning from employees. Offer continuous learning and multi-skilling opportunities. Remove hierarchies and empower people to experiment and take decisions. The people at the lower ranks in an organisation are the ones who know most of the problems within the business. This means that more often than not, the employees themselves know what needs to be done to improve the business.

6. Reward learning. Have a proper performance appraisal system to reward those employees who are embracing the learning culture to boost morale. Remember that everybody wants their work to be appreciated. Make sure therefore that individual performance is linked with organisational performance.

7. Intentionally retrieve and retain company memory. It is important to keep a record of processes and achievements so that learning will not be lost; it can be passed on to those coming later on into the company and also the company can refer back to information held. The learning process must be planned and objectives for it set. It must be monitored and reviewed all the time.

Through the learning organisation process people will develop, the brains of all employees are switched on, not just those of the few, and a feel good factor is created through greater motivation. A more flexible workforce evolves by building organisations fit for human beings. People will become more creative and social interaction will improve. Teams and groups will work better through knowledge sharing, becoming more interdependent, increasing responsibility at all levels and developing an entrepreneurial spirit. The company will benefit from better customer relations, the breaking down of traditional communication barriers, and from the increased creativity and innovation of its people that should give it a competitive edge.

Using positive psychology can change your entire outlook on life!

We often think that psychology is best left to psychologists and that if our lives and relations with others are messed up, we’d better see a psychologist to straighten it out. Some people feel that there’s a stigma attached to seeing a psychologist, or that we can’t afford this luxury service, so we don’t go. We continue on, just the way we are, still unhappy with what we believe is a messed up existence.

Very often, such situations are fixable, all on our own. What’s the secret? Apply the simple concept of positive psychology to your life and your dealings with others. It’s simply a matter of switching gears with your emotional responses and thinking before you speak. Let’s see just how easy and rewarding this  self-help strategy can be.

People who operate on a negative attitude are using a self defeating strategy. It’s the old story of the glass being half full or half empty. A negative attitude always produces a negative outcome as well as a negative outlook on life. Positive psychology is a technique whereby you look for the better outcome, giving yourself and others the benefit of the doubt. If you expect the worst, you’ll usually find it.

Let’s look at one example which demonstrates the concept of positive psychology. Your child drops a platter of fancy hors’ d oeuvres, tripping over the dog lying on the kitchen floor. You spent all day creating these fancy treats. With a negative psychology, you might come unglued, chastising your child for clumsiness, followed by a declaration that your party is now ruined.

What’s the outcome? Your child feels bad and guilty, may start crying or may resent you. You’re in a big tizzy. Over what? Your guests will still arrive and presumably you’ll pull yourself together and put on a good face. You’ll pull out a bag of chips, and maybe a box of store-bought chicken wings from the freezer and hastily whip up some dip. The party goes on and everyone lives through this catastrophe.

Now let’s look and see how applying positive psychology can create an entirely different outcome. Your kid still trips over the dog, your appetizers are history. You tell your child not to worry about it. It’s done, too bad. We’ll make them again. Put that rascal dog out. Your child isn’t crying or angry. Replace your masterpiece appetizers as possible. When your guests arrive, let them know why Rover’s in the doghouse ñ make a joke of it. Believe me, they’ll laugh too. Been there, done that.

You can see that using positive psychology is easy and turns the outcome into one where there’s no conflict or unhappiness. Isn’t that what we all want? Try it, you’ll like it!

Technorati Tags: negative attitude, negative psychology, positive psychology

Using Daily Affirmations to Staying Motivated

When I was first advised to start using daily affirmations, I was as skeptical as most people would be. Positive affirmation seemed like a tool for the week, easily manipulated, and gullible. Who needs to chant affirmations to himself in order to build positive self esteem? I certainly didn’t ñ or so I thought. That was why I was so upset when my therapist recommended this positive self talk. I was going there because he was a reputable scientist. I knew that I had some deep-seated psychological problems that I needed to work out, and silly self programming routines just wouldn’t do the trick. As a matter of fact, I almost stopped coming to him after that. It is a good thing that I didn’t. I should have been more willing to listen to him ñ he knew what he was talking about.

You see sometimes things are difficult and sometimes they are easy. Seeing everything as complicated is not necessarily a sign of intelligence. Sometimes you have to start with deep-seated psychological issues, but other times you can simply start to change your attitude from the surface. This is what positive affirmations are all about. By saying a positive affirmation every time you feel stressed out and negative, you can quickly change habitual thought patterns into more functional ones. A positive affirmation can lift you out of of a momentary lapse into malaise or even a chronic state of depression. Although it is hard to get yourself to believe positive affirmations at first, when you repeat them often enough you will come to accept them completely. That is just how the mind works.

You see, just as negative thought patterns take over when they are repeatedly employed, positive thought patterns take over when they are forcibly introduced to the mind. That is what positive affirmation is all about. It is a way of forcing yourself to think positive thoughts. Once you start to think positively, you will live more positively. You will have a better sense of who you are and what your purpose is,  and you will feel more relaxed and guided in your everyday life. Although one or two uses of positive affirmation won’t do very much for you, over weeks and months, you’ll feel your thoughts changing substantially. With every one of the positive self affirmations, you will feel a little bit less negative and a little bit less bleak. You will be less afraid to take action and to make the changes that you need to make in your life. From there, deeper changes can begin.

Technorati Tags: daily affirmations, positive affirmations, self affirmations

Employee Motivation - The VERY Easy Way!

We all like to be acknowledged, but for thousands, even millions of employees, such recognision never happens.

From one day to the next, there are no positive messages for their contribution - yet as their boss, you can do this - and it will pay untold benefit for your business, organisation and, of course, you and your people.

Encouraged by the recognition, Sarah Lewsiton went home from work that day, full of self-belief and wonder that she had made the leap at last.

In her last job, she had always felt that she was unsuitable, in fact below par, for the place. On her very first day at this new job, it was different. On the very first day, her supervisor had recognised her in a way that no-one had done before.

At 17, she had gone into the workplace ready to conquer the world. A positive girl, she had never understood that her hard work, unstoppable enthusiasm and keen willingness might not be enough.

At the last place, where she had worked for nearly two years, they had, subtly, yet consistently, knocked that out of her, through criticising, embarrassing and slighting her.

So much so, that she had changed to be cynical, sceptical and sarcastic. In the end they had to part, badly, and it had taken a few weeks for Sarah to build the courage to go for another job.

Yet on the very first day in the new place, someone had made her day, just by saying two little words - ‘Well done’.

In life, especially in our busy workplaces, there sometimes seems to be no time to say, ‘Well done’.

Yet we all know how it feels when we are on the receiving end, just as Sarah did. It costs nothing, except a few moments and a bit of focus - but it makes the world of difference.

For Sarah Lewsiton, tomorrow would be another good day, because the culture was naturally supportive, encouraging and enlightened. And her place of work would come to benefit over the years she would stay.

She would contribute more, become a great team player, work well when delegated to and have simple, yet constructive ideas about how to take the business forward.

Two little words, ‘Well Done’ - that’s all it takes.

Motivation and Dieting- What’s the missing link?

If you are like everyone else who has hit rock bottom with their
weight struggles, and have declared that this day will be the
first day of your diet, then this article is for you. To often
it seems that most dieters jump on the weight loss boat, yet
fail to bring along a months pass. Instead, they are usually on
the boat for a couple of days, or maybe a week at best.

We all have the motivation to lose weight and look good. Some of
us even diet for medical reasons. Whatever reasons motivate you
to lose weight, hold onto them. To many of us fall victim to
that one cheat day, or that one hour where we fall off the boat
and can’t get back on. My experiences with people just like that
have shed some light on that missing element that makes people
fall prey to losing their diet focus.

Consistency. Motivation is directly tied to dieting through
consistency. If we feel that we are not seeing results based on
our diet after a few days, or if we hit a plateau soon into the
program, then we start succumbing to inconsistent eat habits. We
eat whenever, usually whatever, and feel like crap afterwards.
Sure, it absolutely feels good giving in and munching up what we
have been starving our bodies throughout the diet, but usually
what happens later is that we feel bad emotionally about what we
just did and how hard we worked to avoid this behavior in the
first place.

By getting it into our heads at the outset of the diet, that
this process is a marathon and not a sprint, then we can
reinforce our consistent dieting patterns and thus stay
motivated to stay on the diet. We even get more motivated when
we start seeing results. How do we see results?

Yep. By being consistent in our diet methods.

Whether it is drinking a gallon of water religiously throughout
the day (which reminds me, I need to get up from this computer
and do just that!) or eating 5 small meals through out the day
at certain times, these events lend themselves to helping you
stay consistent.

What you will notice after several months of doing this, is that
your mental resolve to stay on the diet is incredible. Much
stronger than what you started with. Another result you will see
is that by altering your body’s eating habits and forcing your
metabolism to process certain foods at certain times, the pounds
come off at a faster rate. This, my friends, is the desired goal
in ANY diet. Stay healthy and stay consistent. I’m rooting right
along with you!

Exercise & Motivation, Part 3: Keeping it Going

THE NEXT STAGE: ACTION

The next stage of Prochaska’s Transtheoretical model - ‘Action’ - kicks in once you’ve started taking (you guessed it) action.

If you’re in this stage, you’re ready to make changes - and now. In the Action stage, you know where you want to be, how you’ll get there, and you’ve started (or are about to start) doing something get you moving.  You’ve made it past the first major sticking point -overcoming inertia, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy ride from here. No matter how good your intentions, starting a routine isn’t the same as maintaining it. Obstacles - whether small (like an invitation to do something at a time you’d planned on working out) or large (like falling ill or injuring yourself) - are going to come up.

DEALING WITH OBSTACLES

When you encounter an obstacle, take a little time out to reconnect with your main goal and your reasons for wanting to achieve it.  Remember why you’re exercising in the first place. How could you still achieve your goal, and find ways around this new obstacle? Your journal can be your friend here - use it to reflect back over why something may have ended up being more difficult than expected, and to brainstorm ideas for different ways to move forward. You can also use it to proactively motivate yourself before obstacles appear - to track your progress in whatever area you’d like to see yourself improving.

GET OTHERS INVOLVED

If you haven’t already, create an exercise routine that gets friends or family involved. Studies have shown that people whose friends or family support their goals are far more likely to achieve them, and it’s hard not to feel supported when people you care about are working out alongside you. Not only that, but if you’ve agreed to meet your ‘workout buddy’ for an exercise session, you make it that much harder to let them down by deciding at the last minute you just can’t be bothered today.
 
MAKE DEALS WITH YOURSELF

If you’re having trouble summoning the motivation to get out the door, promise yourself you don’t have to finish your workout if you don’t want to. Decide that you only have to complete the first ten minutes, and then, if you really don’t feel like keeping at it, give yourself permission to pack up and go home again. Most of the time, just getting out the door and starting will be enough. For a short term motivational quick-fix, don’t underestimate the power of bribery!  Identify three or four different little things that bring you pleasure, and promise yourself you’ll take time out and indulge in at least one of them if you complete your workout as scheduled.

GET HELP!

Finally, if you’re noticing increasing difficulty motivating yourself despite trying all of the above suggestions, consider talking to a personal trainer near you. A big part of qualifying as a trainer involves not just learning specific exercises, but learning how to keep clients motivated. If cost is an issue for you, think seriously about hiring an online trainer. Generally, online training is far more reasonably priced than face-to-face training - and if all you’re wanting is someone to keep you enthusiastic and accountable, it means you’re not paying for services you don’t need. 

In next issue’s conclusion to our Exercise & Motivation series, we look at the final stage of Prochaska’s model - and what to do if you find yourself in the dreaded ‘Relapse’ stage.  Until then, may every day bring you closer to your optimum life!

Note: This is Part 3 of a 4-part article series.  You can find Parts 1 and 2 at http://optimumlife.co.nz/Fitness_Articles.htm.

Your Motivation for Success

If you are someone who follows my article posts, you may have noticed that I haven’t written so many lately…Why? Okay, excuse time! It’s summertime, I love the sun, being outdoors, and being active, and this has been one of our very few heat-wave type summers! No, that doesn’t mean I have lost my motivation to be successful at my online business, but let’s face it, we all go through ups and downs, productive times and unproductive times – and this maybe isn’t my most productive time of year. Maybe it’s a good thing I live in Canada where there are four seasons and not just one hot, sun-sizzling summer year round! Yes, I am truly blessed to be where I am. As much as I love the outdoors and enjoying the beauty and solitude of the Rocky Mountains, I also have a pretty strong work ethic that makes me want to be the best I can be at the online business that I have started. At times like these it is tough to stay motivated, but that’s precisely when you have to take charge of your self and the direction you are headed.

A lot of motivation has to do with your attitude about yourself, your life, and your direction. You know what I’m going to say…If it’s the pits, then so is your level of motivation. Attitude is not only about the state of mind you are in – it’s also about taking action. You not only have to think what it takes, you have to do what it takes to get your desired results. What some people don’t realize is that a lot of what it takes to have a positive attitude is all about self-maintenance. Taking care of your physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, and intellectual self is the key to maintaining a healthy attitude that leads to success. Simply having an awareness of what motivates, challenges, and inspires you can give you the energy and passion you need to do what it takes.

I know it’s not easy to always stay positive. Truth be known, I have always been very strong, but never the perfect model of positive thinking. I am working on it though, and the more I learn about success, internet marketing, and personal development, the more I feel changes taking place within me that feel good and that I know are steps in the right direction. It’s important to engage yourself in continuous, life-long learning in any area that interests you. But when you make an investment in yourself and your success, then you are doing yourself a huge favor.

You never really become a true master of yourself as things change, people change, and circumstances change. That’s why learning is a life-long process. Once it stops, you stop growing, and when you stop growing, you are stuck with negativity, which always finds a way of sneaking in and taking hold of you. So keep your learning in check, and keep yourself in check. When you have mastered this concept, then you can take things a step further by realizing the importance of giving something to others, or making a contribution. When you do things for other people, you have found a cause greater than yourself, and this can only make you better.

Be sure to know why you are doing what you are doing. It may be tedious to write down what you want out of life, but when you have it in writing, you can read it over and over again when times get tough, as a reminder of what you’re shooting for. Our minds can be nasty sometimes – flooding us with negative thoughts that can completely take over. We need constant reminders, just like a refresher course they offer in schools. Even though we already know the concepts and know what it takes, how we have to think, and what to do, there are just too many outside influences that affect our thinking, and our attitudes. Writing what we want down on paper, and keeping it in front of us where we can read it often will help us stay focused, motivated and successful. This article is my partial written word of inspiration to keep me learning and motivated. I hope it helps you too!

Focus on Others to Feel Better Yourself - 5 Kindness Motivation Tips

Many times we can be guilty of focusing mostly on our troubles
and worries. It can become an effort to do the everyday things
like washing dishes, mowing the lawn, feeding the kids a decent
meal. Is there a way to overcome these feelings that keep us
down and unwilling to do the things we need to do? Is there a
way to get back on track emotionally and make a difference at
the same time?

One surefire way to get your mind off your troubles and to make a
difference is to stop focusing on yourself and focus instead
on someone else and their needs. There are countless people who
very seldom receive any kindness or thoughtful treatment; many
who need to know they matter to someone; many who need to know
someone cares. You can make a difference and lift your spirits
all at one time!

Once you’ve decided to take this step, what do you do? Below are
five kindness motivation tips from the free e-book, “101 Ways
to Change the World.”

1. Everyone needs friendship (even you).

â?¢ Spend an afternoon with someone you know is lonely and don’t
make it just a one-time visit.

â?¢ Send them notes.

â?¢ Become a lifeline for just that one person.

2. Find a kid who needs to know they matter - unfortunately,
there are way too many of them.

â?¢ Determine to make that kid know someone believes they are
special.

â?¢ Send a card or note every week (at least).

â?¢ If you know what they are interested in, send them articles
about it.

â?¢ Send stories that will build self-confidence and inspire them
to be all they can be.

â?¢ Most of all let them know you care. Imagine how much it means
to feel special - especially to a child who seldom receives any
kindness, small gifts or hugs.

3. Share flowers or vegetables from your garden

â?¢ Take some to an elderly neighbor who can no longer garden.

â?¢ Take some to a friend going through a hard time.

â?¢ Drop them off at a neighbor’s house â??just because

4. Become an email Pen Pal with someone - it is so easy to send
daily e-mails in order to make a difference in someone’s life.
You could email:

â?¢ A kid in a detention enter

â?¢ Someone in a Nursing Home

â?¢ Someone with special needs who can’t leave home

â?¢ A foster child

â?¢ Kids in an orphanage

5. Put gift certificates in a special card or note. Go to your
local:

â?¢ Bowling alley

â?¢ Skating rink

â?¢ Amusement park, etc.

â?¢ Ask them to give you free coupons you can share with kids who
need to know that someone cares and who need a little
kindness.

Many of the bad things happening in our world are done by
people who never believed they mattered. No one took the time to
show kindness or let them know they are special. Just one act -
changing a person’s anger and sadness with your love - can have
a far-reaching impact!

Use these five kindness motivation tips to start your own ideas
flowing. For more motivation tips, download the e-book, “101 Ways
to Change the World” and choose one or more motivation tips
to get started. You’ll find the e-book at
http://www.101WaysSeries.com You’ll certainly make a difference
to someone each time you use these motivation tips - because
showing kindness is contagious!

How to Reach a Child’s Full Potential

Learning and reaching maximum potential requires serious commitment and desire both for the teacher and the learner. Helping a child reach his full potential entails effort, understanding, patience and dedication. The goal of teaching and learning depends on the needs of the learner. Each learner has different potentials that need to be met. This is attributed to individual differences.

Special needs children are not an exception in individual differences. They may all have special needs but the type of needs differ. There are children that need speech improvement, others may need hearing assistance and still others need emotional comforts. Whatever needs they may have, it is important that they be given proper guidance and teaching to help them grow to their utmost aptitude.

The â??Desireâ? Factor In Achieving Childrenâ??s Full Potential

Even differently abled children have plenty of potentials. To help them achieve their maximum potential, they need to have the motivation or the desire to learn and to grow. If they are emotionally troubled, they must have the desire to come out of their emotional self and learn to grow. The same thing with attention deficit children, they need the desire to turn away or minimize their deficit tendencies.

Desire leads to goal. Teachers or parents must arouse a desire in the children. Once the desire is present, goals can be set. In setting the goal, consider the time frame by which you want the goal to be achieved. This will ensure your focus on meeting the goal.

Strategies To Bring Out Your Childâ??s Potential

Here are some strategies to help parents and teachers in bringing out the best in a child, specifically children with special needs:

Discover what the child needs and desires to accomplish. In setting up learning and teaching goals, consult the child. This will make him more interested. It will also make the child feel important.

A child needs to be encouraged all the time. Encouragement will help him achieve more and strive to reach his full potential. Along with encouragement comes motivation. Motivating your child to achieve his goals will make him reach his maximum potential, at the same time, it boosts his confidence.

Reward is important in trying to help your child achieve their full potential. Reward is always associated with something right. When given a reward, a childâ??s confidence and self esteem is lifted. This will give him deeper desire to achieve more.

These strategies will help your child reach hit utmost capabilities. Bring out the best in your child. Through dedication, patience and the love of service, this goal is possible.

Stewardship -creating Wealth for God

All that we have and all that we are has come from God. He has blessed us with money and possessions, and he has given each of us specific talents and abilities. We have been called to be good stewards – to use our money, our time and our abilities as best we can to benefit God’s kingdom.

Giving tithes and offerings demonstrates our obedience to God, and the recognition that all we have has come from him. Giving our time in the Lord’s work, whether in ministry, helping those in need or greeting people at the Church door, shows our determination to follow the Lord’s teachings.

Why is it then, if we are happy to faithfully give our time and money, that so many Christians seem to have an issue when it comes to discussing wealth creation.
There seem to be two distinct lines of thought - the one promoted by many of the big name TV evangelists who promote the “prosperity” and “name it and claim it” teachings and the other viewpoint of many of the conservative Church officials who push the opinion that seeking wealth is ungodly.

Unfortunately both of these viewpoints seem to run contrary to the word, and to Jesus’ teachings about stewardship.

The “prosperity” teachers promote the idea that whatever you give to God, he will return to you many times over. Although this is close to the teaching of stewardship, which says that you should seek to multiply whatever God gives you, so that you can give him more back in return. It has been distorted, in as much as the actual motivation behind giving promoted by the prosperity teachers is self based (if I give more, God will give me more) instead of focusing on Christ. There is a huge difference between giving to get more, and working to increase your means so that you can give more to further the works of the kingdom.

Some now try to imply that if you are not prosperous, then your walk with the Lord must be lacking in some area, and others at the other end of the spectrum are always making condemning statements about the evils of being rich.

We need to really look at what the word says, and the examples that Jesus gave.
I firmly believe that the enemy wants to deter us from aiming to invest and make our wealth grow, as he does not want us to be successful. He doesn’t want us making lots of money that we can use for the Lord’s work. He doesn’t want us to be able to fund mission outreaches or to feed the poor or to fund Christian satellite TV channels.

Some Christians seem to have the misconception that being wealthy is evil and being poor is holy. There is nothing holy about being poor. God doesn’t want his children to be in poverty. A rich person has far more power at their disposal to be able to help where financial assistance is needed than a poor person. At the same time though we need to make sure that our motivation for creating wealth is to “get so we can give” as opposed to the prosperity teachers notion that we should “give so we can get”. As long as we do not idolise money, and retain the truth that all we have has come from God anyway, then there is no need to feel any guilt about how much money we make.
There are many examples in the Bible that show God’s desire to bless his faithful followers with wealth:
(Gen 39:2) “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.”

(Deu 29:9) “Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do”.

(2 Chr 26:5) “And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper”.
and 1 Kings 3:13 “And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days”.

God loves to bless his children, especially if we in return are happy to bless others. Therefore there is absolutely nothing wrong with setting goals to be good stewards and create wealth to give back to our creator. In fact, as stewards of the resources God has given us, it is actually our responsibility to aim at increasing what we have.
We should be seeking to be successful for God. To genuinely set goals for investing both our money and time into the kingdom of God. The best way to increase your monetary wealth is not to go asking the boss for a pay rise, but rather to start a regular investment program. More important still, is to learn how to invest wisely and not be wasteful with our resources.

Before you can start investing you need to make some money available. One of the most effective methods it to use the 10/10/80 Plan. 10% of your income to God, 10% for investing and live off the remaining 80% of your income. This may take a little time to adjust to, but when you consider the long terms results that you will achieve once you start investing, you will find that it is extremely worthwhile.

You will have all heard the expression that “The second million is always easier than the first”. This is absolutely true - the reason being is that it is compounding interest that has the greatest power to create wealth, and the more you have invested that compounding can work on - the quicker your wealth will grow.

In mathematical terms 72 divided by Compound Interest Rate of Return = Years for Money to Double in Value.

Therefore if you have an investment growing at 10% compound interest, it will double in value in 7.2 years (quadruple in 14.4 years and be worth eight times as much in 21.6 years). If it is growing at 12% it will double in 6 years.

John D Rockefeller who was once one of America’s richest men said that “Compound Interest is the Eighth Wonder of the World”.

Einstein once said, “The most powerful concept or principle in the world that I am aware of is that of compound interest”.

When deciding on the best areas to invest in, it is worth taking into consideration the fact that over 90% of the world’s millionaires have made their money through property.

In Australia over the past 50 years property has averaged 10% p.a. compound growth. (Carefully selected properties have averaged even greater returns). Not forgetting that investment properties will also be generating an income from rent.

Median priced property has averaged growing at a rate of 2 - 4% p.a. higher than inflation, making it a very solid investment.

I believe the most effective way to build riches is to accumulate a portfolio of investment properties (over the space of 7 to10 years) and then let the power of Compound Interest work to your benefit.

It is possible to borrow 100% of the purchase price of a property plus expenses by securing the deposit against your own home, so that you don’t have to come up with a cash deposit.

There are many different strategies for property investing, which suit different people depending on their current income or financial position.

God will give you the wisdom to decide on the best strategies for your situation if you put in the time and effort to learn as much as you can and seek his direction. It is wise to also seek professional advice, as rules and regulations and tax effectiveness will vary between nations.

The main reason that property can be utilised more effectively than shares as an investment, is due to the added benefit of being able to highly gear an investment property.

Gearing or leveraging is where you use a small portion of your own money along with a large portion of someone else’s money (in this case a loan from the bank) to secure an investment of a far greater value than you could have using only you own money.
If you had $10,000 to invest and invested it directly into shares that were growing at 10%, then in 7.2 years they would be worth around $20,000. On the other hand if you had used that $10,000.00 as 5% deposit on a $200,000.00 property and had borrowed the remaining 95% plus establishment costs. If this also grew at 10% then in 7.2 years your investment would be worth $400,000.00. Meaning that by leveraging your investment you have gained an additional $190,000.00.

Keep in mind here that there are two types of Debt. Good Debt is where you have borrowed funds to secure a capitally appreciating, income producing asset. Bad Debt is where you borrow to buy a capitally depreciating, non-income producing item such as a car, boat or holiday.

A combination of using Good Debt to buy property and then allowing Compounding to do its work - seems to be a most effective way of creating wealth. But this is definitely not a “Get rich quick scheme”, on the contrary it is a “Get rich slowly” scheme which works most effectively over a 10 to 20 year period. It takes patience and perseverance, but after having spoken to dozens of other property investors, many of whom have become multi millionaires within the space of 10 to 15 years, I am certain that it is worthwhile.

I believe God wants to start shifting the wealth of this world into the hands of Christians, who can plant it back into his kingdom.