Student Exchange and Visitor Program reveals new visa and vacation policies

International students studying at an Intensive English Program(IEP) in the US must now study a minimum of 26 consecutive weeks before taking annual vacation, the federal government’s Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced last month. While longer, this federal mandate is consistent with many IEPs which usually require students to study 16 consecutive weeks, the equivalent of a traditional semester. Vacation is interpreted by IEPs as spending approximately 30 days in the US not attending classes. Usually, this time is spent studying for GMAT exams for example, or visiting and applying at universities for conditional admission. Temporary absence on the other hand is when the student leaves the US and can be away for a maximum of five months as long as they have provided the IEP a plane ticket showing their departure from the US and have the 3rd page of their I-20 signed by the IEP's Designated School Official.

 Universities were also told that they would no longer be able to issue I-20 visas for degree-seeking students on condition of a student improving their English level in the IEP; a move which will have serious repercussions on admissions procedures.

International educators learned of the unpopular changes at the fifth annual American Association of Intensive English Programs (AAIEP) advocacy day. During the meeting, educators learned that SEVP will start enforcing federal regulation which doesn’t allow conditional admission for university, common practice in the US, usually in the form of an I-20 being issued contingent on the student completing an IEP or obtaining a minimum IELTS score.

Recently, Education USA announced that for 2012, China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, & Canada were the top five countries sending students to US. For Chinese students, the I-20 to an IEP is contingent if the student has an conditional letter of admission to a university. In the case for these students, the change is highly problematic. Furthermore, in general, Chinese students typically place in the intermediate and advanced proficiency bands at IEPs meaning that they will have completed an IEP or obtained an acceptable IELTS/TOEFL score before the 26 consecutive weeks minimum. This means that the student will spend their time and money idle at the IEP. With no motivation to study at the IEP, only the student's integrity will keep the student attending classes at the IEP. An IEP is force to shorten the student's visa to their last day of attendance allowing the student 60 days from that day to find another school to be transferred to another school if a minimum of 18 hours per week is not logged at the IEP in accordance with SEVP. Saudi students may have a problem with this depending on if the start of their studies is 26 weeks prior to the month-long Ramadan holiday. While it is possible for students to study and partake in the fasting during Ramadan, it is common for students to return home for Ramadan, use their annual vacation, or not maintain their status with poor attendance. Furthermore, many Saudi students spend more than 26 consecutive weeks in an IEP. Lastly, unlike fellow Asian country, China, South Korean students do not need a conditional letter of admission as a prerequisite for F-1 visa to attend an IEP in the US. Like Japan, South Korea has relaxed visa conditions for being in the US. For example, Japanese and South Korean passport holders can be in the US on a 90-day visa waiver as long as they do not engage in employment. On the other hand, Chinese that don't receive a F visa are not eligible for the visa waiver but can be in the US on a B visa.

In layman’s terms, an international student on an F-1 visa who is enrolled at an IEP must complete the IEP or obtain a minimum IELTS/ TOEFL score. Once this has happened, the student has 60-days to leave the US. The new enforcement of old regulation means that once a student finishes their English course; they will have to apply for another I-20 for university. When they return to their home country after completion of the IEP or obtaining the IELTS/TOEFL score, the university that the student applied for will start the admission process and if accepted, the student will receive their initial I-20 at their permanent address in their home country. This I-20 will be taken by the student to the student’s nearest US embassy or consulate where their student visa will be issued/denied. While cumbersome, the new SEVP ruling requires students to do this at least twice since the student had to do this previously for their I-20 to the IEP. It remains to be seen if students that struggle to complete an IEP or obtain an acceptable IELTS/TOEFL score while studying in the US will be affected in obtaining their initial I-20 from the university. Students that return to their home country after brushing up on their English in the US ensuring success due to the rigors at the university will be charged extra fees and required to resubmit financial documents. Bank statements older than six months are invalid.

Previously, the student had 60-days to enroll in the program that they were conditionally admitted to or leave the US within 60 days of completion of the IEP. If the student’s program began within five months of their last day at the IEP, their I-20 could be transferred from the IEP to the university in which the student was conditionally admitted to. The student was to provide the IEP an admission letter issued by the university.

On the other hand, universities that facilitate their own IEPs have been in the practice of issuinf two admissions - the first for our intensive English program with an I-20, and the second for the academic program (admission letter only) for the following term. This has not been an issue with visa applications as long as the applicant can present the academic admission letter as well as the ESL I-20. Once they meet the English proficiency requirement, the international office issues a Change of Level I-20. The only problem we've had is once students meet the English requirement, they want to stop going to ESL classes, even if it is in the middle of the term. International offices are continuously having to educate students on the regulations so that they don't end up out of status for nonattendance. 

It remains to be seen if this practice will suffice as the new federal mandate is mandated. 

AAIEP opposes SEVP’s decision. They believe that SEVP does not acknowledge their advice in the policies that they make and are in shock of the new vacation and conditional letter policy changes.

SEVP says it does communicate guidance and ask for feedback on new policies through the Study in the States portal, its Facebook page and Twitter account.  It is presumed that SEVP will probably post the draft guidance on the “Study in the States” website, and NAFSA has asked them to notify all SEVIS users through a SEVIS broadcast message that the draft guidance has been posted.   NAFSA will also post the draft guidance on its website and send out a notification over ISTA. 

The picture above was taken at an IEP on a campus in the US. Four of these students went on to matriculate to universities because they had conditional letters of admission. One other student was in need of a conditional letter of admission and was making use of their vacation periods and grace periods in order to obtain those letters as well as preparing for IELTS and GMAT exams. The four remaining students pictured were either business professionals who intended on using their English back in their home countries, a spouse of a F-1 student who was studying English for recreational reasons, or a high school student that was going to matriculate to an international high school in the US. While the IEP industry is shocked and disappointed, it is important to point out that IEPs on college campuses are not just for college-bound students. Lastly, while the picture of nine students is an ideal depiction of IEPs in the 2010s, more and more IEPs are heavily saturated with Saudi and Chinese students with a 70-30 ratio, all intending to move on to a university.

http://daniel-j-stone.blogspot.com (C) 2009-12

Six Sigma- The Quality Initiative Above the Rest

     The six sigma, founded by Mikel Harry with Motorola Corporation in the late 1970s came into being to measure quality by reducing variation, increasing improvements, and saving costs in the areas of products and services provided by an organization.  This methodology is implemented by using a set of statistics and management tools geared towards improvement. For six sigma to take place, it must be implemented in the initial stages of a project format and key members need to be dedicated to performing various roles and various times.  Six sigma has an international interpretation known as ‘lean six sigma’ (Dedhia, 2005).   

In implementing the six sigma methodology, it is suggested that it is carried out in project form and in the research and design stages.  Since this methodology is customer-centered, the focus is around variance reduction.  With total commitment starting with senior management toward six sigma, with continuous improvement as the goal coupled by accountability at the individual level, six sigma will yield success.  In problem solving, the following actions are carried out:  Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (Dedhia, 2005).    

     For six sigma to take place, the environment needs to consist of team members that are involved in committing resources known as the ‘Executive’, training and coaching known as the ‘Master Black Belt’ (MBB), leading improvements on projects known as the ‘Black Belt’ (BB), supporting and running projects known as ‘Green Belts’ (GB), and being involved in supporting the project known as champions.  The direction of this is top-down with the MBBs training the Black and Green Belts. Various belt holders are fully committed to the project and dedicated training is provided over a certain time period (Dedhia, 2005).        

            Another key concepts of the article is lean six sigma developed by Toyota Corporation.  As six sigma was being rolled out at Motorola, the Japanese were already controlling quality.  In the lean version of six sigma, barriers are eliminated to allow continuous improvement to take place.  Lean six sigma focuses on increasing productivity, asset utilization and quality by going beyond Just-In-Time (Dedhia, 2005).    

           To conclude, six sigma is an American concept founded by Motorola Corporation in the late 1970s.  In Japan, Toyota Corporation developed lean manufacturing which reduces waste and improves efficiency of a process.  For the best results, six sigma is implemented in the initial stages of a project format and is carried out by quality professionals known as executive, master black belts, black belts, green belts, and champions.  Problems are solved by carrying out the steps of define, measure, analyze, improve, and control.  These steps loosely follow the steps found in the quantitative analysis approach. A lack of commitment and inconsistency on total buy-in can undo all of the benefits that six sigma brings therefore, the key people mentioned and the support of the entire organization are paramount to the success of six sigma (Dedhia, 2005).               

            In reflecting on the reading, General Electric’s approach to six sigma by not approving promotions unless there was active participation in the six sigma methodology is an effective way in introducing a high maintenance and labor intensive program.  However, the extra time and effort is worth it since operations run more smoothly, production is increased, customer satisfaction is increased, inventory levels are better maintained, and work centers run more efficiently, and forecasting is more manageable since jobs are done within a prescribed time (Dedhia, 2005). 

     To substantiate my perspective with situations I have experienced in past work situations, I have spent seven years in work situations that were managed by Japanese organizations.  Three of those years were in a public school system and like American government organizations, were in dire need of quality management.  The private enterprise counterparts were managed more effectively with a version of delivery by doing the following:  Plan, Do, Check and Action.  The planning process in the Japanese organization was much more time consuming due to the culture of building group consensus.  As a result, the expectation was to do less with more which made committing to a continuous improvement approach challenging.  It would be interesting to see how former Japanese organizations that I was employed with are doing presently with technology that was untapped when I was employed at their organization (Franz and Liker, 2011). 

In closing, the continuous improvement approach is of great interest to me as a director of a department that is in dire need of support of the other departments of the organization.  In asking the question, “If I were guaranteed not to fail, what could I do differently to garner support from the organization?”  The answer could be cultivating a relationship with the senior management and sell the importance of our department and how it helps the organization as a whole (Maurer, 2004).           

 References

Dedhia, N. (2005).  Six Sigma Basics.  Total Quality Management, Vol. 16, No. 5, 567-574.

 Franz, J. and Liker, J. (2011).  The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement:  Linking Strategy

and Operational Excellence to Achieve Superior Performance. 

Maurer, R. (2004).   One Small Step Can Change Your Life:  The Kaizen Way. 

http://daniel-j-stone.blogspot.com (C) 2009-12

Proudly Served...

(San Diego, CA-  February 1997-  My dad and I on Tiger Cruise from Hawaii back to homeport.)

 

 

 



 



(USS Independence (CV-62)-  My first ship and home as a member of ship's company from 1993-95.)

http://daniel-j-stone.blogspot.com (C) 2009-12

Saudi- on campus residency requirement/funding

Recently, I was asked the suggested best practice in supporting Saudi Arabian Culture Mission (SACM) scholarship students who recently arrived at a prestigious American university steep in tradition. Duke University has a three-year on campus residency requirement for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. The current issue is that the international scholars aren't allowed to live off campus and are resisting the schools requirements citing limited funds from their scholarship and monthly stipend. Please see below:

I wish that I could say that pulling the student’s I-20 that is on file and referring to the financial information on Page 1 would cure everything, but in the case of Saudis, discussing the matter is the suggested best practice. First, the pricing of on-campus housing and your school’s policy on residency requirements are not negotiable which is the root of the problem in the eyes of the Saudi students, so, why bother in opening the matter to discussion? The students want to have their voice heard. Having said this, it is suggested to have a monthly focus group meeting open to all international students or all resident students allowing the students a chance to voice their concerns.

In my experiences with Saudi students, they are only interested in on-campus housing for a few months then want to move off campus. Same goes if your program has a homestay program. Having said this, if it is possible to adjust the residency requirements for international students, it would prevent this culture conflict. The conflict being on what is viewed as a commitment. However, any adjustments could lead to a slippery slope with everything being kept track of by the students.

Also, any discussions my lead a Saudi student to believe that there is any chance to have their request met. Having said this, preface the conversation from the very beginning that under no circumstances that their request will be met if the likeliness to satisfying the request is the equivalent of moving heaven and earth. Explain that the information gathered at the meeting will be provided to the key members of the school so that maybe in the future the needs of international students will be met.

In terms of threatening to leave, the best way to stay ahead of this is to connect with the student’s advisor at (SACM). These advisors are listed on the student’s Financial Guarantee Letter and are usually in touch with the schools requesting transcripts, etc. The advisor can be used as a go-between to reason with the student to see things your way. Furthermore, if a student is at an institution such as Duke, the likeliness to simply leave and go to another school is not so easy.

If at a language school, the issue to leave is much easier. This is because the student may leave because they have obtained an acceptable TOEFL or IELTS score.

Daniel Stone has established two new schools for international students in South Carolina and Ohio, from fulfillment to investors to delivery of services to stakeholders. In overseeing aspects of these operations from hiring to training staff and from managing financials and day-to-day operations, under Daniel's direction, ELS/Columbus on the campus of Ohio Dominican University successfully received the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) accreditation upon its initial inspection and successfully rolled out one-of-a-kind standardized testing center in Central Ohio, International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

http://daniel-j-stone.blogspot.com

(C) 2009-12

Accommodating Muslim (mainly Saudi) students to meet their prayer needs

Recently, I was asked the suggested best practice in accommodate Muslim (mainly Saudi) students to meet their prayer needs. Most of the international students that were under my direction had this need and over the course of time we devised the following:

At the small Midwestern university that I was at, we had designated rooms for students to pray. One was for men, the other was for women. I selected a few members of the student body to ensure that these rooms were acceptable. I chose the members from both genders based off of seniority and who was more vocal. By doing this, the students value your willingness to help them and will help spread the word on the best way to carry out prayers to the rest of the students. The reason you want to get their approval is since the room needs to face a certain direction. If the designated room was not feasible, the students will find a place and make it their own which may not be in the best interest of the others on campus. I had a hall director threaten to take the students prayer rugs and throw them in the trash since they were praying in front of her living quarters, so make sure that you stay ahead of this. I assured the students that these room was theirs to do as they chose between classes any day that classes were in session. Since space comes at a premium, these rooms were classrooms and small offices. Teachers and staff would step out and let students tend to their prayers. The ten minutes between classes was ample enough time to satisfy the student's prayer needs. So, no adjustments to the schedule were needed.

ESL classes on Fridays were done by 12:30 so there was no conflict on visits to the local mosque. Classes in non-ESL programs operate a bit differently so I can't speak from experience on this.

Excused absences are a slippery slope due to SEVIS requirements for F-1 students, therefore, find ways to make prayers work when classes are not in progress. We would only excuse an absense if a doctor's note was in hand and from time to time we were calling the doctor's office to keep everybody honest.

http://daniel-j-stone.blogspot.com (C) 2009-12

The six different types of managers and how to work with them

Over a period of several years we have researched the different types of managers in Corporate America, and we have identified the following six types of bosses and their leadership styles. Read through the descriptions below to find your own manager and discover the best strategies for dealing with his/her particular management style. We encourage you to read through all the types, as it is most likely that your boss will be heavily identified with one type, but may have some characteristics and influences of the others.

The Control Freak

This person needs to have everything that is going on in the palm of her/his hand. She doesn’t like subordinates making any decisions, no matter how small or innocuous, without first consulting his opinion. Control Freaks will also tend to hoard information. They may assign you to work on a task, but then not tell you everything you need to know to complete the task. You could spend hours working on the task only to find out that half the information you needed was sitting on your boss’ desk and that he already knew it.
Things a Control Freak would never dream of doing:

• Running into you in the hall and not asking about the status of a project
• Let you enjoy your lunch in peace without interrupting to get the latest update on what you are working on
• Allowing you to make a decision without being involved
• Coaching you on handling a problem independently
• Delegating responsibility

How to get along with a Control Freak: Control Freaks need constant information. The best way to deal with a Control Freak is to status report them to death.This can be a time-consuming pain, but continuously keeping him in the loop is one of the surest ways to keep him off your back. For example, if you are working on a presentation for a Control Freak and you decide to change the background color to better match your corporate color scheme, send him an e-mail just to let him know before sending him the updated presentation. Another way to keep yourself sane while working with a Control Freak is to ask lots of questions about assignments or projects he may give you.
Control Freaks use information as power. As long as he has the information, he has the power. As discussed above, Control Freaks have been known to withhold information that was critical to the success of a project. Asking questions will help you to get a better feel for what he knows. Keep in mind that Control Freaks do not withhold information to make you fail. They do it because it assures them that you will return to them for more information/ assistance, etc. When you return it gives them a sense of importance, being needed, and most importantly, still being in control.
Unfortunately, Control Freaks do not trust anyone easily. They tend to live in fear of “what if”. For example, “What if my boss asks me a question and I don’t know the answer? He might think I’m incompetent” and so forth. So they use manipulative tactics to keep others pandering to them and to ensure that they will be involved in everything that is going on in their department. The trick to keeping your own sanity is to surrender to the knowledge that you can’t change your boss.
However, delivering what they want and gaining their confidence and trust are critical for your success while working with them. Give him his status reports daily, even hourly if that’s what it takes. Send him drafts of your emails and memos. Know that it will take twice as long to complete projects because you will have to wait in line with everyone else to have him review your work. Therefore, keep several projects going concurrently so you can switch back and forth between them while you are waiting to hear back on other projects.

The Autocrat

This manager has one objective, his own. He does not care about his employees, and nothing anyone ever does is good enough to satisfy him. He is impossible to get along with and is convinced that he is the only competent person working in the company.
Things an Autocrat would never dream of doing:

• Ask how you think a problem should be solved
• Admit to making a mistake
• Tell you what a great job you did
• Tell you how much he appreciates your efforts
• Empower you to make appropriate decisions at your level

How to get along with an Autocrat: Autocrats are tough, no doubt about it. They typically have one objective. If you can get them to share that objective with you, it will make your job that much easier, because what you want to do is make their objective your objective. For example, if your boss’ objective is to be promoted to vice president, then you need to do everything in your power to help him achieve that objective.
You might even be promoted along with him. If not, at least you will have made your life easier while coping with him or her. While there is a lot out of your direct control, such as what your boss’ boss thinks of him, you can demonstrate to your boss that you are a team player (and on “his” team), and as he starts to see you working for his benefit, he will hopefully begin to gain some confidence and respect in you. Just don’t expect him to verbally express as much. You will know that your plan is working when he makes you his “go to” person with any problem that arises.
Autocrats and Control Freaks have a lot in common, but the difference is that Autocrats are usually pretty clear about what they want. Control Freaks are less definate about what they want, so they try to control everything in order to keep their options open if they need to change direction at a later date. That being said, there are many tactics that will work for both, such as keeping them apprised of the status of your projects and clearing any decisions you may be making with them before moving ahead.
One critical difference between the two is that an Autocrat will respect you if you take a clear position on a problem or situation. Even if the Autocrat does not agree with you, they will typically recognize you for your position. However, if you take a position but are not clear or are unsure about yourself look out. The Autocrat will smell your insecurity and crush you for it. Control Freaks, on the other hand, will not appreciate you having your own opinions, unless, of course, it is completely in line with his or hers.

The Blame Fixer

This type of boss makes it his/her job to make everyone else responsible for fixing his/her problems. He/she takes no responsibility for his own employees, department, or results. He/she is however, the first to take credit for something which went well.
Things a Blame Fixer would never dream of doing:

• Standing up at a meeting and accepting full responsibility for a problem
• Accepting responsibility for the mistake of one of his/her employees
• Actually getting something accomplished
• Creating an environment of creativity and openness on his team
• Sharing the credit with his team on a successful project

How to get along with a Blame Fixer: Blame Fixers are great at going around an organization and finding all the problems in everyone else’s job, department, team, project, etc. The problem is that all they do is point out the problems and then wipe their hands of any responsibility to fix them. There is a Dilbert cartoon that shows Dilbert, his boss and co-workers sitting around a table having a meeting. Every time one of the characters mentions an issue, Wally pipes up and says, “Someone should fix that problem” or “Someone should do something about that.” Wally is a Blame Fixer.
Blame Fixers will also be the first to point out any potential problems with an idea someone has. Nothing will ever work because any potential solution has problems that the Blame Fixer will say are “insurmountable”.
The important thing to remember is that fixing blame and responsibility does not ever fix the problem. It is easy to get sidetracked by a blame fixer because we all want to take pride in our work and we get offended when someone tries to blame us for something that went wrong. Everyone makes mistakes and no one is perfect. The Blame Fixer’s strategy is to get ahead by making everyone else look bad. But the strategy never really works, and the people who get ahead are the ones who actually solve the problems and get the team behind them. So in a situation like this, try fix the problem, not the accusation.
While it isn’t exactly fun to have a Blame Fixer for a boss, we suggest that you do. Make an effort to document everything that occurs between you and your boss, particularly on projects, task, assignments and goals. This way, if your boss screws up his work, you will have your own alibi. Be aware than in the event of an extreme blow up, he or she will try to evade accountability, and may try to blame you. However, if you have documented what you were told to do and how to do it, you will be more likely to come through unscathed.

The Soft Heart

When you first meet this person you will at first think that you have just met the sweetest, most wonderful boss in the world. You will initially get the warm fuzzies and you’ll believe that it’s going to be a great job. Do not be fooled. This person is actually spineless. They will tell you exactly what you want to hear, then turn around and do the exact opposite. He or she will leave you hanging out to dry and will be anything but supportive.
Things a Soft Heart would never dream of doing

• Giving you honest and direct feedback
• Being up front and open with you
• Consistently aligning their words and actions
• Being sincere
• Openly vacillate about a decision
• How to get along with a Soft Heart

How to get along with a Soft Heart: Soft Hearts are generally good people, they usually just don’t have the intestinal fortitude to be a manager, or they have just been promoted to the position. Being a manger takes guts to tell people what they need to hear, regardless of whether or not the employee likes it. Soft Hearts want their employees to like them, so they try to act nice and supportive.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to be a good manager and not piss your employees off every once in a while. Good managers have to make tough decisions, like asking employees to work overtime or to change their behavior. The best way to deal with a Soft Heart is to let them know up front that you would rather they be frank with you instead of telling you what they think you want to hear. Every once in while, challenge his or her praises on you.
Ask why he really believes everything is fine and beautiful. Share your concerns and your perception of reality. Demand that when receiving feedback, he or she also gives you your areas for development and how you can overcome them. Do take note that once you have asked for your boss to be up front and honest with you, you will then need to back up your request by listening to what they have to say and respecting it. If you fail to back up your words by not listening to your boss, you will destroy any chance of having the Soft Heart be honest with you in the future.

The Politician

This person is charismatic and is always the life of the party. Always fun to be around, the Politican always has something positive to say. The problem is that there is rarely any truth or substance behind it. This person has no real competence, they got to where they are by schmoozing the right people.
Your company’s organizational culture and values weigh heavily on whether these type of individuals can flourish and thrive, but be assured that you will always find one of this kind at any employer. Politicians depend on individuals who are competent to make them look good, then turn on them and make them a scapegoat when the employee gets tired of being used.
Things a Politician would never dream of doing:

• Actually being competent at their job
• Telling the whole truth
• Having achievement orientation on their own
• Working their way up the corporate ladder
• Not blaming a problem on a disgruntled employee

How to Get Along with a Politician: Politicians are naturally gregarious people. When Bill Clinton went on the Arsenio Hall Show and played the saxophone, everyone loved him for it. Bill Clinton’s ability to be the President had nothing to do with playing the saxophone. However, It did make for great entertainment, just like his presidency.
Politicians need someone to make them look good. Politicians may never admit to their weak spots but they do know the value of covering their ass with someone who makes them look the part. You need to be that person. The Politician will recognize you for it and take you with them as they get promoted and move through an organization.
The best part about working for a politician is that they know everyone, as well as knowing how to talk to them. Use this opportunity for networking potential. Since you will be the Politician’s right hand man, you will get the chance to meet everyone he/she meets. Get their business cards and get to know them yourself. This network will be invaluable to you in the event your relationship with the politician sours.

The worst part about working for a Politician is that you will never really get the full spotlight for your accomplishments. The Politician will always be center stage. And if he/she does share the spotlight with you, believe us when we tell you that they will make sure you know that its his/her spotlight and that you are only there because they allowed it. Once you get tired of being the brains in the Politician’s organization, put that network to use and find another job or boss within your current company.

The Team-Builder

This is the kind of manager we all want to work for. They are competent at what they do, they know how to be open, and they solicit ideas and creativity from their employees. They are a pleasure to work with. They know how to make the tough decisions, but can do it in a way that is respectful and professional to all involved.
Things a Team-Builder would never Dream of Doing

• Blocking a subordinate’s promotion/transfer
• Ignoring what an employee had to say
• Not keeping his word on a promise
• Telling a lie or withholding the truth
• Being disrespectful to an employee
• Taking credit for something one of his team members did

How to get along with a Team-Builder: Team-Builders are truly the best kind of manager to work for. They know that their success is your success and vice versa. They give you the tools you need to succeed and enough rope to hang yourself if you want to. However they will also be there to catch you when you fall. Team-Builders will coach you while letting you grow at your own pace.
The best way to work with a Team Builder is to be open with them. Don’t hold anything back. Tell them what you want and what you think. Don’t be afraid to share your ideas and creativity. They may not always agree with you, but know that they will respect any idea you bring to the table. Ask them for help when you need it. Don’t expect them to fix your problems for you, but know that they will be there to help you think through problems and provide you with additional resources so that you can solve them.
Be aware that Team Builders delegate and empower their team members, and in exchange they expect commitment and involvement. Like in a football team, they will make sure that a player who isn’t doing his/her part will be addressed. Make sure you understand your role in the team and know what is expected of you. You need to work well with both, if you only focus on your boss and not the team, this type of behavior will bite you back sooner rather than later.
In reality, all of our managers are some combination of all six of the above types. We can never change who they are, but we can adapt the way we work with them in order to be successful. Working with other people is never easy, but it is required for success in corporations today. You cannot be successful if you don’t work with others, especially with your boss. Sorry, it’s just not going to happen.
In addition to identifying your boss’ leadership style, try to understand his/her values and principles. This assessment will allow you to anticipate what you can expect from him or her, and also to draw the line on where you will adapt to his/her style, and when you will need to stand and say No.

by Eric Shannon, 12/4/2004
http://daniel-j-stone.blogspot.com (C) 2009-12

Feathers flying

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2012/08/conscientious-consumption-and-culture-war?fsrc=nlw|newe|8-8-2012|3026417|96008665|NA

http://daniel-j-stone.blogspot.com (C) 2009-12