Music Quotes

Here are 10 quotes which makes music a motivational instrument...

1. After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music
   
2. All good music resembles something. Good music stirs by its mysterious resemblance to the objects and feelings which motivated it.
   
3. All music is beautiful. 
4. Any good music must be an innovation
   
5. But when you get music and words together, that can be a very powerful thing.
   
6. Hell is full of musical amateurs. 
7. singing sad songs often has a way of healing a situation. It gets the hurt out in the open into the light, out of the darkness.
8.  All good music resembles something. Good music stirs by its mysterious resemblance to the objects and feelings which motivated it
   
9. Everywhere in the world, music enhances a hall, with one exception: Carnegie Hall enhances the music.
10. Composers shouldn't think too much - it interferes with their plagiarism.
    
    

What is Leadership?

From Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill to Martin Luther King and Steve Jobs, there can seem to be as many ways to lead people as there are leaders.

Fortunately, businesspeople and psychologists have developed useful, simple ways to describe the main styles of leadership.

By understanding these styles and their impact, you can develop your own approach to leadership and become a more effective leader.

We'll look at common leadership styles in this article, and we'll explore situations where these styles may be effective with your people.

Note:
The leadership styles in this article are based on several core leadership frameworks. You can read more about these in our article on Core Leadership Theories.

Adapting Your Approach to Leadership

In business, a leadership style called "transformational leadership" is often the most effective approach to use. Transformational leaders have integrity, they inspire people with a shared vision of the future, they set clear goals and motivate people towards them, they manage delivery, and they communicate well with their teams. (You can find out more about transformational leadership at the end of this article.)

However, leadership is not "one size fits all" thing; often, you must adapt your style to fit a situation or a specific group. This is why it's useful to gain a thorough understanding of other leadership styles; after all, the more approaches you're familiar with, the more tools you'll be able to use to lead effectively.

Let's take a deeper look at some of the leadership styles that you can use.

1. Transactional Leadership

This leadership style starts with the idea that team members agree to obey their leader when they accept a job. The "transaction" usually involves the organization paying team members in return for their effort and compliance. The leader has a right to "punish" team members if their work doesn't meet an appropriate standard.

Although this might sound controlling and paternalistic, transactional leadership offers some benefits. For one, this leadership style clarifies everyone's roles and responsibilities. Another benefit is that, because transactional leadership judges team members on performance, people who are ambitious or who are motivated by external rewards – including compensation – often thrive.

The downside of this leadership style is that team members can do little to improve their job satisfaction. It can feel stifling, and it can lead to high staff turnover.

Transactional leadership is really a type of management, not a true leadership style, because the focus is on short-term tasks. It has serious limitations for knowledge-based or creative work. However, it can be effective in other situations.

2. Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic leadership is an extreme form of transactional leadership, where leaders have complete power over their people. Staff and team members have little opportunity to make suggestions, even if these would be in the team's or the organization's best interest.

The benefit of autocratic leadership is that it's incredibly efficient. Decisions are made quickly, and work gets done.

The downside is that most people resent being treated this way. Therefore, autocratic leadership often leads to high levels of absenteeism and high staff turnover. However, the style can be effective for some routine and unskilled jobs: in these situations, the advantages of control may outweigh the disadvantages.

Autocratic leadership is often best used in crises, when decisions must be made quickly and without dissent. For instance, the military often uses an autocratic leadership style; top commanders are responsible for quickly making complex decisions, which allows troops to focus their attention and energy on performing their allotted tasks and missions.

3. Bureaucratic Leadership

Bureaucratic leaders work "by the book." They follow rules rigorously, and ensure that their people follow procedures precisely.

This is an appropriate leadership style for work involving serious safety risks (such as working with machinery, with toxic substances, or at dangerous heights) or where large sums of money are involved. Bureaucratic leadership is also useful in organizations where employees do routine tasks (as in manufacturing).

The downside of this leadership style is that it's ineffective in teams and organizations that rely on flexibility, creativity, or innovation.

Much of the time, bureaucratic leaders achieve their position because of their ability to conform to and uphold rules, not because of their qualifications or expertise. This can cause resentment when team members don't value their expertise or advice.

4. Charismatic Leadership

A charismatic leadership style can resemble transformational leadership because these leaders inspire enthusiasm in their teams and are energetic in motivating others to move forward. This excitement and commitment from teams is an enormous benefit.

The difference between charismatic leaders and transformational leaders lies in their intention. Transformational leaders want to transform their teams and organizations. Charismatic leaders are often focused on themselves, and may not want to change anything.

The downside to charismatic leaders is that they can believe more in themselves than in their teams. This can create the risk that a project or even an entire organization might collapse if the leader leaves. A charismatic leader might believe that she can do no wrong, even when others are warning her about the path she's on; this feeling of invincibility can ruin a team or an organization.

Also, in the followers' eyes, success is directly connected to the presence of the charismatic leader. As such, charismatic leadership carries great responsibility, and it needs a long-term commitment from the leader.

5. Democratic/Participative Leadership

Democratic leaders make the final decisions, but they include team members in the decision-making process. They encourage creativity, and team members are often highly engaged in projects and decisions.

There are many benefits of democratic leadership. Team members tend to have high job satisfaction and are productive because they're more involved in decisions. This style also helps develop people's skills. Team members feel in control of their destiny, so they're motivated to work hard by more than just a financial reward.

Because participation takes time, this approach can slow decision-making, but the result is often good. The approach can be most suitable when working as a team is essential, and when quality is more important than efficiency or productivity.

The downside of democratic leadership is that it can often hinder situations where speed or efficiency is essential. For instance, during a crisis, a team can waste valuable time gathering people's input. Another downside is that some team members might not have the knowledge or expertise to provide high quality input.

6. Laissez-Faire Leadership

This French phrase means "leave it be," and it describes leaders who allow their people to work on their own. This type of leadership can also occur naturally, when managers don't have sufficient control over their work and their people.

Laissez-faire leaders may give their teams complete freedom to do their work and set their own deadlines. They provide team support with resources and advice, if needed, but otherwise don't get involved.

This leadership style can be effective if the leader monitors performance and gives feedback to team members regularly. It is most likely to be effective when individual team members are experienced, skilled, self-starters.

The main benefit of laissez-faire leadership is that giving team members so much autonomy can lead to high job satisfaction and increased productivity.

The downside is that it can be damaging if team members don't manage their time well or if they don't have the knowledge, skills, or motivation to do their work effectively.

7. Task-Oriented Leadership

Task-oriented leaders focus only on getting the job done and can be autocratic. They actively define the work and the roles required, put structures in place, and plan, organize, and monitor work. These leaders also perform other key tasks, such as creating and maintaining standards for performance.

The benefit of task-oriented leadership is that it ensures that deadlines are met, and it's especially useful for team members who don't manage their time well.

However, because task-oriented leaders don't tend to think much about their team's well-being, this approach can suffer many of the flaws of autocratic leadership, including causing motivation and retention problems.

8. People-Oriented/Relations-Oriented Leadership

With people-oriented leadership, leaders are totally focused on organizing, supporting, and developing the people on their teams. This is a participatory style and tends to encourage good teamwork and creative collaboration. This is the opposite of task-oriented leadership.

People-oriented leaders treat everyone on the team equally. They're friendly and approachable, they pay attention to the welfare of everyone in the group, and they make themselves available whenever team members need help or advice.

The benefit of this leadership style is that people-oriented leaders create teams that everyone wants to be part of. Team members are often more productive and willing to take risks, because they know that the leader will provide support if they need it.

The downside is that some leaders can take this approach too far; they may put the development of their team above tasks or project directives.

Tip:
In practice, most leaders use both task-oriented and people-oriented styles of leadership together. Our article on the Blake Mouton Managerial Grid explains how you can do this.

9. Servant Leadership

This term, created by Robert Greenleaf in the 1970s, describes a leader often not formally recognized as such. When someone at any level within an organization leads simply by meeting the needs of the team, he or she can be described as a "servant leader."

Servant leaders often lead by example. They have high integrity and lead with generosity.

In many ways, servant leadership is a form of democratic leadership because the whole team tends to be involved in decision making. However, servant leaders often "lead from behind," preferring to stay out of the limelight and letting their team accept recognition for their hard work.

Supporters of the servant leadership model suggest that it's a good way to move ahead in a world where values are increasingly important, and where servant leaders can achieve power because of their values, ideals, and ethics. This is an approach that can help to create a positive corporate culture and can lead to high morale among team members.

However, other people believe that in competitive leadership situations, people who practice servant leadership can find themselves left behind by leaders using other leadership styles. This leadership style also takes time to apply correctly: it's ill-suited in situations where you have to make quick decisions or meet tight deadlines.

Although you can use servant leadership in many situations, it's often most practical in politics, or in positions where leaders are elected to serve a team, committee, organization, or community.

10. Transformational Leadership

As we discussed earlier in this article, transformation leadership is often the best leadership style to use in business situations.

Transformational leaders are inspiring because they expect the best from everyone on their team as well as themselves. This leads to high productivity and engagement from everyone in their team.

The downside of transformational leadership is that while the leader's enthusiasm is passed onto the team, he or she can need to be supported by "detail people."

That's why, in many organizations, both transactional and transformational leadership styles are useful. Transactional leaders (or managers) ensure that routine work is done reliably, while transformational leaders look after initiatives that add new value.

It's also important to use other leadership styles when necessary – this will depend on the people you're leading and the situation that you're in.

Our talents let us do things. Our values help us decide what to do.

If we use our talents, directed by our values then we can make wise decisions in life - and be able to carry them out. We all try in life to do our best and do the right thing. Using our skills we can make our mark in life.Through life we meet different people, situations and circumstances. These help make us the people we are today. We have our own our set of standards that we live by (our values). Through them we can make a good and positive contribution to life. And we will be able to look back with pride on our endeavors and adventures in life.

If we research then the following type of listing is what we get:

• Academic in nature e.g. reading, reasoning
• Interpersonal skills e.g. communicating (talking and listening) verbally and otherwise, writing, reading
• Motor skills e.g. sports, crafts, the arts, walking
• Skilled tasks - our jobs and employment
• Innovation orientated skills
• Miscellaneous skills e.g. thinking, charisma, perception, persuasion, competence and the like

I shall be focusing on here the type of things listed in the Miscellaneousgrouping in the above listing. These are often strengths we have that

• we enjoy using but take for granted
• we have developed over time
• we might not consider as strengths but help us to live our lives
• enables us to enjoy our lives
• help us to make our lives an enjoyable and rewarding experience

Moving onto values/core values/personal values what do we mean?

• The principles that we live our live by
• The standards we set ourselves that we don't wish to cross
• The rules that help to support the lives we lead
• Some are personal and others are widely held
• Some are fundamental, others more of a social nature
• Most are important to us and help us manage our lives and live each day

What questions might you have?

• I get the gist of what you are talking about but could you give me a list of talents?
• How do I identify if I have a talent?
• Are you talking about human qualities?
• Will they help me maintain a healthy self esteem?
• Are these gifts and talents often hidden from view?
• Will they help maintain my motivation and direction?
• You talk about strengths, but could my weaknesses be useful too?
• I don't wish to waste my strengths, can you help me?
• When you talk about values will you explain more what you mean?
• Could you give me a list?
• Are you talking about morals, too?
• Can you help me develop my own personal values to live by?
• Will they help me maintain a good healthy self image?
• Will you be discussing virtues too?
• Will you list the virtues?
• How does morality and moral philosophy affect my personal values?
• Will you discuss ethics too?
• Does etiquette play a part?
• Can I learn the appropriate etiquette for different occasions?
• Will this help me live with confidence and set goals that I can achieve?

What can you find here? What's in it for you?

We will be looking at how (and why) talents and values have such an impact on our lives. We will look at the points raised by the questions in the last section. We will provide some answers and some background to these important issues. We will see how using these strengths and skills, supported by a strong value system, will help maintain a healthy self esteem and thereby help you get the most out of your life.

Utilize Body Language To Improve How You Communicate - 'Read' The People You Interact With

Body language - who practices that art you may say. Actually we all do, often without realizing it. We get impressions about people we interact with, which can lead us to handle situations differently. That sums up the language of the body. Communication is not just verbal, though that is most common. Being good at verbal communication, getting your point across, is something we can all improve. In fact day to day life gives us the practice. Whatever we do, whoever we are we communicate each and every day.

So what is communicating with body language?

In simple terms it means:

• Observing people, day to day, and look for the clues

• Seeing how they communicate with movement or positioning of their body
• Not just hearing what they say but 'seeing' how they say it
• Noticing that what may be said may be contradicted by their body and their gestures
• Remember that we can all try to fool other people from time to time - but do we succeed?
• All in all - communicate with your whole self

AND don't forget yourself and what you are projecting, the clues you are giving out for others to see . . .

What questions might you have?

• I don't really understand this language of body thing thing, we just talk don't we?
• I don't know if I can really be motivated to get involved with this?
• What cues or clues are there to see?
• With this help me make a good impression with people I meet?
• How will a poor self image affect things?
• It's all about the eyes, isn't it?
• Where does how I behave fit in with all of this?
• Can I use body language in the workplace?
• Do you have any body-language quotes?
• How can I tell if someone is lying to me?
• Will I be showing off my personality too much?
• Can I use these techniques every day?
• Where does my self confidence fit in?
• Will you tell me more about communication?
• What are the different types of communication?
• So you have any quotes about communication?
• So there are other forms of communication than verbal?
• How can I surmount barriers to effective communications?
• Does having a healthy self esteem help with communication?
• Could all this help me overcome my fears of public speaking?

What can you find here? What's in it for you?

We will be looking at body language and its role and uses in life. We will look at the points raised by the questions in the last section. We will provide some answers and some background to these important issues. We will see that we can improve our use of communication and hence interact better with other people. And look at how having a healthy self esteem allows us to project positively when we communicate with others.

Go on - trust your inner voice . . .

Have you ever had that experience when you think you should have done something - but you did not? Sure you have, though by now - like me - you have probably forgotten most of the details. 

It can go like this. 

You are having a good day. Nothing brilliant has happened, but then neither much on the downside, either. It's been a good day. Things accomplished, people seen, some laughter here and there. Having a bit of fun here, being serious there - much like any other day. 

Then comes the moment . . . 

As you know in life there are no 'life' signposts. No red traffic lights when we're about to commit a bloomer. No amber lights to show danger ahead, and no green lights to show that we are on the right track. 

So there is nothing to tell you this is that moment - apart from something inside saying do this or do that. Or please pay attention - now! 

And do you pay any attention - what else is happening inside there? What other thoughts are going through your mind? What are your priorities? What needs to be done? What should you be doing or saying? What direction should your life be going in? What distractions are there - are you primed and ready for action or in a state of flux and uncertainty? 

My moment went like this. I had arrived at home after work and got myself some tea. I was living (on my own) in my flat and had done so for a few years now. Friends rang and invited me over - the other side of the city, later that night. 

I prepared to go. As I was leaving I saw a pair of pliers on the landing at the top of the stairs leading down to my front door. I leaned down to pick them up and hesitated. No, I'll pick them up later - and off down the stairs I went, and drove over to see my friends. 

A couple of hours later someone had a problem with their car - and what did we need but a pair of pliers. No one had any - and mine were still on my flat landing, waiting for me to pick them up. We struggled through, like you do, but the moment was not lost on me. 

Had I passed or failed my audition? It was not really like that, was it? But at that moment at the top of the stairs I'd had a choice - I did not just walk on by and not notice the pliers - to pick up the tool or leave it. Something told me to bend down and pick them up, but in that moment I ignored this inner voice. I hesitated and I missed my opportunity. 

And the moral of this little story. Pay attention to your inner voice. It may realize things that have passed you by. It may be trying to tell you something if you will only listen. Your inner voice my act as the sign post - and there may only be one chance. 

Lessons to learn: 

• Learn to listen to yourself and your inner voice


• If you hesitate and want to do something - pay it a bit more attention


• And if you ask for help, and your inner voice intervenes, then be willing to listen to the advice (vet it first before proceeding!)


• Follow your instincts - they will rarely let you down

But above all - trust yourself 

. . . and you WILL have the 'pliers' with you when you most need them . . . 

Copyright© 2009. Self-Esteem-Enhances-Life.com. All Rights Reserved.

Be proud of your behavior. Rise above your emotions.

Our behavior separates us from the crowd. Human attitudes are as diverse as the emotions that we experience and feel. Why do negative emotions seem to get the better of us? What is human nature and is it at the core of the way we behave or is there more to it all?

We can live consciously and make a real impact in life or fall prey to any emotion that comes along. How we behave is our choice, our decision as to which route we take. And this decision is moment by moment, day by day, constantly there before us to make. With thought, supported by our value system, we can travel the path that leads us to walk with pride through life. And in so doing, make a real contribution to life as a whole.

So, when we talk about behaviour what do we mean?

• How we act or react to outside influences

• Whether we act with thought and consideration or are led along by outside forces
• Our actions can be acceptable or unacceptable, common or unusual
• We can act with meaning and purpose, or be rudderless
• We can be well motivated or we can be poorly motivated
• How we behave can be influenced by culture, attitudes,emotions, values, ethics, persuasion and authority to name a few
• How we behave can be affected by our attitudes, what we perceive to be the norm, and our expectation of success from our action

All in all, human-behavior is a complex thing

What part do our emotions play?

• They can play an important role in all our activities
• They can be hard to define or categorise
• We associate them mentally with both thoughts and feelings
• Some believe they occur unconsciously
• Others focus more, not on the emotion itself, but what instigates it
• Yet others think they arise principally as a result of bodily changes

So, like behaviour, our emotions are both complex and varied in nature

What questions might you have?

• So tell me, what is behavior?
• Is it linked with psychology?
• Can it be abnormal?
• How does it work in organizations?
• How about some behavior?
• What is human nature?
• Can you give me a definition?
• Can you lighten the load with some quotes on human nature?
• What is the nature of human society?
• Can you define human nature ethics?
• Human nature is good - can we change our nature?
• So, where does my self image fit in?
• Can you tell me the primary emotions?
• Can I overcome negative emotions?
• Can you give me a list of human emotions?

What can you find here? What's in it for you?

We will be looking at how our behavior can dictate our lives. We will provide some answers and some background to the questions raised in the last section. Control is important. Our actions, attitudes and emotions have a big bearing on how we behave and our resulting self esteem.

Personality Quotations

A man must ride alternately on the horses of his private and public nature.Emerson

What you are must always displease you, if you would attain to that which you are not. St Augustine

As if they were our own handiwork we place a high value on our characters. Epicurus

Character is much easier kept than recovered. Thomas Paine

It's absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious. Oscar Wilde

Whenever two people meet there are six present. There is the man as he sees himself, each as the other person sees him, and each man as he really is. William James

Life is to short to be small. Benjamin Disraeli

It's not the length of life, but the depth of life. Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are only two forces that unite men - fear and interest. Napoleon Bonaparte

The negligible is important. Jonathan Miller

The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. Linus Pauling

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.Margaret Mead

Every cask smells of the wine it contains. Spanish proverb