Yourself & your best qualities or leadership skills are Essay

Yourself & your best qualities or leadership skills are - Essay Example I realized that if I will work upon the ability of mine I could become a good leader. In this struggle to become an individual with good and strong leadership, I learned a lot. According to numerous others and me, the best qualities of mine are communication and emotional intelligence. Over the period with various experiences, I learnt that good communication is not just about presenting ideas in a better way but is also about good skills of listening and understanding other person point of view without any mental hindrance and pre-conceived blockage. Only an individual who is able to listen to others better will be able to make other listen to him because communication is a two-way street. Emotional intelligence helped me to understand the background, importance and value people assign to their beliefs and perception regarding any subject. This understanding helped me to communicate better by helping me to develop my communication content in a more correct manner so that it does not harm the initiative by being disregardful to the individual being communicated to. Besides these, the most important quality of a leader is his vision and strategy towards the goal and about its achievement procedure (What are Good Leadership Skills, 2007). It is necessary for a leader to have vision to see the long-term effects of the strategies in place and the future need for the organization. Only when a leader would be able to develop his strategies in regards of future benefits and goals he would be able to lead his team in a better way. This again is something, which I am learning with time and experience, and in this regard, experience is the best teacher. I firmly believe that realizing the importance of teamwork is an essential attribute of a good leader. This is because if a leader were not able to realize the importance and power of teamwork, then there would not be much difference in a leader and a dictator. A team of qualified

Preferential Hiring in the North Essay Example for Free

Preferential Hiring in the North Essay Inuit in the north, specifically in Nunavut, have an agreement with the government that they receive special benefits to help with day-to-day problems because of what happened to their people in the past. It is common knowledge that when explorers and traders first went to the north, they mistreated the aboriginals up there. They introduce alcohol and tobacco, they forced them to become sedentary by killing off their sled dogs and setting up trading booths for fur trades and such, and they quickly made them become â€Å"Europeanized†. This is not a proud part of Canadian history, and there have been measures taken to try and make up for the wrongs that were done. One of these measures is preferential hiring for Inuit. Although preferential hiring may seem like a fair arrangement given all that has happened, it is incredibly unjust and creates unnecessary problems. It is a fact that in the north the government has to hire a certain percent of Inuit when they are filling job positions. I do not agree with this because what ends up happening is that to be able to meet the agreed amount of beneficiaries hired, the government then has to employ people who may not have the qualifications necessary for the job, or who aren’t as trained and competent as other candidates. What also happens in many cases is that the requirements necessary to apply for a position get watered down until they are simple enough to target a larger crowd. This results in a slow-moving government with poor decision-making skills and no proficiency nor productivity. For example, a couple of years ago, in Iqaluit, there was a position as a secretary of a school that needed to be filled. However, there were no Inuit who applied that had enough qualifications for the job, so the school board then had to change the contract, saying that the minimum education requirement was a grade 10 education. A secretary of a school has many responsibilities, and I feel that it is needless to say that a pers on working in a learning facility should have a minimum of a high school diploma. That example was not an uncommon occurrence, it happens far too regularly in the north. It is a huge part of the reason why there is no motivation for a higher education in the youth of the north. These individuals know that if they can at least graduate high school, then they are almost guaranteed a job, and often a six digit salary (or very close to  it). They become lazy, and do not want to waste their time going to get a post-secondary education when they can easily get a job without one. This leads to my next point. There are many people who apply for the government jobs who have all the necessary qualifications and have the proper training and experience for the job, who don’t even get considered simply because of their nationality; if they aren’t Inuit, they aren’t wanted. This is borderline racism. The most qualified person should receive the job; all other factors (within reason) should be irrelevant. It is unfair towards all those who take the time and spend their money going through university, to be overlooked because there was a beneficiary with a high school diploma who also applied for the job. My final point is that there is no reason whatsoever for an Inuit not to have the proper credentials for a job apart from pure laziness. They are given all the opportunities imaginable, and it is their own fault if they do not take them. There is no excuse anymore for them not to have an education, because the government pays for their entire schooling. In fact, Inuit students get paid to go to university and other educational facilities. They are actually making money instead of going in to debt like most students. Therefore, one might wonder, why would someone not want to go to university and get a higher education if they are being paid for it? And the answer is because they do not need an education to get well-respected and well-paid jobs. There are plenty of examples why preferential hiring for Inuit is in fact handicapping them instead of helping them. The efficiency of the government in the north is nowhere near the same as the rest of Canada, and it is due to a lack of qualifications of those who are preferentially hired. By eliminating preferential hiring, you would be increasing motivation for a higher education and a better working society.

Synesthesia and the Implications of Sensory Fusion :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Synesthesia and the Implications of Sensory Fusion Synesthesia is defined as the sensation produced at a point other than or remote from the point of stimulation, as of a color from hearing a certain sound.[1] (From the Greek, syn=together+aesthesis=to perceive). In common language synesthesia is an involuntary blending of the senses by some people, which allows them to see colors when looking at numbers, for instance. This is a topic that was introduced over a century ago, but has not been taken serious until recently with the development of tests capable of testing whether or not the condition was real. Previously, scientists thought that this was a figment of the imagination, drug abuse, or in its most concrete form one of memory. As if seeing a number paired with a color, say in early childhood was the reason that a person paired them later on in life. There was also the theory that these people were very creative and when they said that they could taste a shape, it was only an unconventional metaphor. However, thanks to in depth pursuit of this topic by scientists, especially Ramachandran and Hubbard the validity of such statements has been proven. One test they developed to test the ability of people to pair colors with the site of ordinary numbers involved printing up sheets with similar numbers, like 2 and 5. Many people claimed to see a certain color when presented with the number 2 and a different color when shown 5. The 2's and 5's were arranged in such a way that one number formed a distinct shape in the midst of the jumble of the other number. A non-synesthetic would be incapable of distinguishing any pattern due to the close resemblance of the numbers. But, in 90% of the cases where people claimed to see colors they were easily able to discern the shape because it registered stood out for them as a completely different color. One wonders what takes place in the brain to cause such phenomenal differences in perception. The cause is unknown for certain, like many things in the realm of science it has not been researched nearly enough, but there are some indications. The merging of certain senses points to a crossing of signals in the brain. Although the theory is an old one, it has come to the forefront of the scientific researcher's minds, with increased focus on the topic.

Joseph Conrad †Heart of Darkness The Real World Essay

In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad relies heavily on the differences between appearances and reality to develop conflict in the story. From the appearance of the ivory trade and the continent of Africa, to the image of Kurtz himself, Conrad clearly shows us that appearances can be deceiving. As Marlow relates his story, the reader is drawn into a world of contradictions. These contradictions challenged the widely accepted European views of that time. When Marlow begins his quest to sail his ship up the Nile river to partake in the adventure and excitement that is the ivory trade, he describes the enterprise as a â€Å"noble cause† (pg 6). Marlow’s aunt called him â€Å"an emissary of light, something like a lower sort of apostle† whose purpose was to â€Å"‘ [wean] those ignorant millions from their horrid ways'† (pg 10). Yet through Conrad’s use of diction, our first image of the ivory trade is an image of darkness, death, and despair: â€Å"pieces of decaying machinery† (pg 12) â€Å"shadows of disease and starvation† â€Å"picture of a massacre or a pestilence† (pg 14). This may have been a harsh criticism of the British colonialism in Africa, and revealed the hypocrisy of those in the ivory trade who claimed to be civilizing the savages: â€Å"It was as unreal as everything else-as the philanthropic pretense of the whole concern †¦ The only real feeling was a desire to †¦ earn percentages† (pg 21). Throughout the story, the African jungle is presented as a dark and alien landscape with â€Å"the lurking death, †¦ the hidden evil, †¦ [and] the profound darkness of its heart† (pg 28) of an â€Å"unknown planet† (pg 32). To Marlow, while he was in the heart of the African jungle, the â€Å"earth seemed unearthly† (pg 32). Yet, as he ventured deep into this jungle and comes into contacts with its savage natives, he feels a â€Å"remote kinship† (pg 32) with them. He understands that this is his ancestry in the far off past, and views Africa as â€Å"an accursed inheritance† (pg 32). This furthers the conflict of Marlow’s fear and loathing of this primitive land, and his feeling of belonging and appreciation of this savage lifestyle. Finally, perhaps the most interesting contradictions of appearance and reality are those in Kurtz himself. When Marlow first encounters Kurtz, he  comments that his name â€Å"means short in German† but that â€Å"[h]e looked at least seven feet long† (pg 54). He goes on to generalize this contradiction to his entire life: â€Å"the name was as true as everything else in his life-and death† (pg 54). He appeared to be weak and feeble as â€Å"an animated image of death† (pg 55), yet throughout the story we find that he is strong and powerful, frequently being compared to Jupiter: â€Å"‘he came to them with thunder and lightning'† (pg 51). In his great work for the Suppression of Savage Customs he â€Å"[appealed] to every altruistic sentiment†. Yet, at the end in a footnote, scribbled the words â€Å"‘Exterminate all the brutes!'† (pg 46). Perhaps this biggest irony of Kurtz is how all the world viewed him as a creature of light with â€Å"his promise,† â€Å"his greatness,† â€Å"his generous mind,† and â€Å"his noble heart† (pg 70), yet, in the end, his noble heart was the Heart of Darkness. In the end, the contrasts between the appearance and reality of the ivory trade, of Africa, and of Kurtz, provide a backdrop of confusion in which Marlow struggles with nature and truth, and, in the end finds himself superior for it. Joseph Conrad challenges the views of his nineteenth century civilized and sheltered readers. Yet, this message still bears meaning for us today. We, who rely upon the media and news for all of our information have little idea of the reality of life in far off places like Africa, Afghanistan, and Peru. The savage jungle still exists, and most of us are still blissfully unaware of how our perceptions of such places, of such people, holds up to the reality of life there.

Mikhalkov’s Burnt by the Sun Essay

In the tradition of passions plays of a century ago that illustrated the age-old inequalities of unchallenged intrinsic power wielded by a single entity. This is the story of absolute authority and how well earned past loyalties have elapsed and betrayed by fear and replaced with paranoia.   Burnt by the Sun, a 1994 film by Russian director and actor Nikita Mikhalkov, the long film even with a tendency to meander,   carries the distinction of being the first noteworthy anti-Stalin film produce in post-Communist Russia. While the subject of matter of post revolution in Russia is not a new platform for addressing the thesis of Stalin’s dictatorial regime, what is interesting and original is the ability and opportunity for Mikhalkov to openly criticize the past without apparent fear of reprisal. The antagonistic and customary undiscriminating maltreatment launched at the history of the Soviet era has served to strengthen the political movement in late 19th-century Russia that sought to bring about a just new society by destroying the existing one through acts of terrorism and assassination. The obvious resentment of modern Russian film-makers toward the concept of socialism has not prevented them from producing a considerable number of films about Russia’s past during the past decade. For the most part, the directors of these films have sought to outdo one another in depicting the agonies of Soviet history. The tale of the films begins in 1936 Russia, slightly less than two decades following the Communist Revolution.   This point in time is seated in the midst of General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union’s Central Committee Joseph Stalin’s era murderous dictatorship.   The main characters; a well heeled and socially content Colonel Sergueiv Kotov, a military hero of the Bolshevik revolution,   his young beautiful wife Maroussia and their six-year old daughter Nadia are established in peaceful yet sheltered existence from the rest of post revolutionary Russia.   Their surroundings are idyllic and rustic, all expected from yearly sabbatical. However, the untroubled setting is soon disrupted by the untimely entrance of Dimitri; an old love of Kotov’s wife Maroussia, a young entertainer of a man, grew up with Kotov’s wife’s family.   Ironically, 10 years ago, Dimitri served under Kotov and hence was ordered away on duty.   The motives of such decision was suspect to say the least, but now Dimitri, of unknown means and purpose, has returned with a tacit mission.   Even while pleasantries were exchanged, adolescent amusements offer and lover’s memories revisited, Dimitri had assumed the task of arresting Kotov for espionage under order from Stalin.   Rather paradoxical since Kotov was openly very patriotic, dedicated to the State of the Soviet Union to the extent of carrying a photograph with him of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The tale ends as it presents Kotov slowly and tactfully being removed from his relaxed and filled with humor semi-retirement. Obviously, this story being about Stalinist Russia, the closing stages will not reach a cheerful finish. The film has effectively taught us just how brutal those murderous years were and the insanity on which it was all based. The audience is presented with the beauty of happy, content lives crushed by the demands of Joseph Stalin.   Directly, in the conclusion, we are shown Kotov, a heroic courageous, dedicated and loyal soldier of Russia who, having devoted a lifetime to serving his motherland, is ultimately destroyed by a fellow soldier. Despite Kotov’s threats to contact Stalin directly, witnesses are shot, he is badly beaten and eventually executed.   Whether a deeper plot envisioned by Stalin existed or not, the plan took the lives two loyalist, from grief, Dimitri commits suicide. Unlike most depictions of this time period that display the horrors in surfeit, Burnt by the Sun has clearly focused on presenting a genuine sharp critique of Stalinism.   Much of the command of this film is due to the restrained manner in which Mikhalkov integrates a forbidding significance into the script.   His clear offering of allowing all the humanity of the characters develop first, in complete humor and visual beauty, before letting them fall prey to their fate. Symbolism plays a key part in Burnt by the Sun. Some of it, while images are subtle and obscure, imagery is left up to the viewer to determine how literally to take several instances of magic realism. Mikhalkov ensure that his central thesis is so strong and conveyed in such a manner that it’s impossible to overlook or be misunderstood for another point. Director Nikita Mikhalkov is candid about the definitive meaning of his film by dedicating it to â€Å"everyone who was burnt by the sun of the Revolution.† (Bulavka, 1997, p139) This movie is very much an attack on the policies and paranoia of Stalin. The chilling final scenes emphasize the theme as we come to realize just how far-reaching the dictator’s grasp was, and how insecure even the most loyal patriots were. One result, however it was intended, has been that both Russian audiences and the film-makers communities have tended to grow weary of the traditional national cinema preoccupation with its themes and obsessions. All the reason more Burnt by the Sun., was met with an enthusiastic reception not only in Russia but also in the West, (eventually receiving an Oscar.) Burnt by the Sun uses the medium of film to pose social questions and explore social relationships with some attempts to combine opposing segments of radically different style and presentation. In many ways, Burnt by the Sun is presented by Mikhalkov as an intense pathos that rivals any cinematic present day effort. The film presents a challenge to the main trends in post-Soviet Russian cinema. Traditionally, film-making in Russia is dominated by the realism in the democratic classification therefore advancing tired themes.   Clearly, the Russian audiences have suffered for a realistic candid character that deals with the important dilemma of the moral duality of man.   If not with the times in which he is currently living but all times that follow. However, the only criticism of the production is the over-emphasized methodical process of reaching the main point of the story. The overall finale primarily impacts the audience due to the beginning of the film is subdued, therefore setting up a climatic end. The crux is essential yet distant for it takes an extremely long time for it to be enjoyed by the audience.