Choose Connection Over Conflict

It feels good to win an argument. But in every fight there's a loser too, and your counterpart may leave the discussion feeling discouraged and disengaged. Instead of combating, try connecting:

• Set rules of engagement.
  If you're heading into a meeting that could get testy, outline rules to make it a productive, inclusive conversation. For example, make sure everyone has enough time to explain ideas without being interrupted.
  
• Listen with empathy.
  Make a conscious effort to speak less and listen more. The more you learn about other peoples' perspectives, the more empathy you'll feel.
  
• Plan who speaks.
  In situations when you know one person is likely to dominate (that may be you!), make sure everyone is able to speak. Identify who in the room has important information or perspectives to share. List them on a flip chart and use that as your agenda.

 

Men Are Most Attractive With 'Heavy Stubble'

A 10-day beard is the sexiest facial hair combination for men, according to a new study.
Personally, I agree. But, let's see what science says, from Science Magazine:

Researchers photographed 10 men at four stages of beard growth: clean shaven, 5-day "light" stubble, 10-day "heavy" stubble (shown), and fully bearded. Three hundred and fifty-one women and 177 heterosexual men viewed the photos and rated each face for attractiveness, masculinity, health, and parenting ability. 

Women ranked heavily stubbled faces as the most attractive. Participants said that the clean-shaven men looked about as healthy and attractive as those with a full beard, but rated the bearded men higher for perceived parenting skills. Light stubble got the short end of the stick, garnering low scores across the board from both men and women

The study was published in the May issue of the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. Here is a sample picture of one of the participants. The researchers said that a light beard may be too patchy to really get the manly effect through, while a full beard gives the impression of macho aggressiveness:

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/men-attractive-with-heavy-stubble-2013-4#ixzz2RrQe3QZE

How to become influenced

Influence is a funny thing. Once it required leaping through certain hoops: Winning political office, say, or starting a large business. But technology democratizes anything it touches, and now, thanks to social media, you can have followers even if you haven't done the sorts of things (like starting a major religion) that won you "followers" in the past.

I was thinking about this while reading the recent Inc cover story on Tim Ferriss, whose 4-Hour Workweek empire has turned him into the ultimate Silicon Valley lifestyle guru. Then there's Suze Orman and a host of other personal finance gurus, whose advice is very similar, but whose personalities are all outsized enough to win them followers and fans.

How can you build up the sort of influence that opens career doors for you?

There's luck involved, of course, and a lot of hard work -- more, alas, than 4 hours per week. But here are a few ideas that seem to help.

1. Define your brand. Gurus need a topic. After all, few people become gurus in multiple unrelated areas. Anne Lamott writes fascinating fiction, but it's her writing on religion that gets her invited to churches -- which then become packed with adoring fans. What topic can you own? Ideally, it's one that's broad, but not too crowded with other gurus. Though even if it is, you can carve out your own niche (money for millennials; time management for entrepreneurs; fitness for the 50+ set).

2. Spin a good story. You don't need a degree in your guru area, but you do need some reason that people should listen to you. Often, this is a conversion story -- the sort of St. Paul on the road to Damascus narrative that humans intuitively like. I used to be awful with money, and here's what I learned! I used to work around the clock, then I figured out how to outsource everything!

• The secret to getting enough sleep
• How to plan (when you hate to plan)
• How to take back your time

3. Go direct. Traditional media is great (see below), but even major media hits have a limited influence if you don't have a good way to capture people's information and keep them part of your world. That means spending a lot of time on social media and blogging and building your database of names and email addresses.

4. Be easy to reach ... at first. If you are quoted in one major news outlet as an expert, chances are you'll soon be quoted in another soon. Why? Because journalists often Google their story topics, and find their expert sources by seeing who other people have quoted. If your email address comes up easily in a search, you'll get on the contact list fast. The more media mentions you get, the more credibility you have. After all, once you're quoted in, say, CBS MoneyWatch as a financial guru, it's not just you calling yourself a financial expert. It's a trusted source. Of course, after you get famous enough, you can be a little harder to reach, to build mystique. But in the beginning, it helps a lot.

5. Network like crazy. Influence is best shared. If influential people write or talk about you, some of that influence rubs off on you, which you can then share with others. Oprah has launched gurus in just about every major category (Nate Berkus in design, Peter Walsh in organizing, etc.) but usually it's a result of multiple influential people giving someone a nod. Do what you can to be interesting enough to get on the radar of the right people -- and the effect will start to multiply.

7 Steps to Planning a Productive and Successful Promotional Campaign

When planning a promotional campaign keep in mind that a campaign generally consists of three desired outcomes: 

Outcome 1: Your promotional message reaches your intended and targeted audience.

Outcome 2: Your message is understood by your audience.

Outcome 3: Your message stimulates the recipients and they take action.

The question is how do you achieve these outcomes with your campaign? The process is easy, but it takes "planning" time.

Here are seven steps that will get your campaign off to the right start.

• Step 1: Assess Marketing Communication Opportunities.
  It's important in this first step to examine and understand the needs of your target market. Who is your message going out to? Current users, influencers among individuals, decision-makers, groups, or the general public?
• Step 2: What Communication Channels Will You Use?
  In the first step of planning you should have defined the markets, products, and environments. This information will assist you in deciding which communication channels will be most beneficial. Will you use personal communication channels such as face to face meeting, telephone contact, or perhaps a personal sales presentation? Or will the nonpersonal communication such as newspapers, magazines, or direct mail work better?
• Step 3: Determine Your Objectives
  Keep in mind that your objectives in a promotional campaign are slightly different from your marketing campaign. Promotional objectives should be stated in terms of long or short-term behaviors by people who have been exposed to your promotional communication. These objectives must be clearly stated, measurable, and appropriate to the phase of market development.
• Step 4: Determine Your Promotion Mix
  This is where you will need to allocate resources among sales promotion, advertising, publicity, and of course personal selling. Don't skimp on either of these areas. You must create an awareness among your buyers in order for your promotional campaign to succeed. A well rounded promotion will use all these methods in some capacity.
• Step 5: Develop Your Promotional Message
  This is the time that you will need to sit down with your team and focus on the content, appeal, structure, format, and source of the message. Keep in mind in promotional campaigns appeal and execution always work together.
• Step 6: Develop the Promotion Budget
  This is the exciting part. You must now determine the total promotion budget. This involves determining cost breakdowns per territory and promotional mix elements. Take some time to break down allocations and determine the affordability, percent of sales, and competitive parity. By breaking down these costs you will get a better idea on gauging the success potential of your campaign.
• Step 7: Determine Campaign Effectiveness
  After marketing communications are assigned, the promotional plan must be formal defined in a written document. In this document you should include situation analysis, copy platform, timetables for effective integration of promotional elements with elements in your marketing mix. You will also need to determine how you will measure the effectiveness once it is implement. How did the actual performance measure up to planned objectives. You'll need to gather this information by asking your target market whether they recognized or recall specific advertising messages, what they remember about the message, how they felt about the message, and if their attitudes toward the company was affected by the message.

Reframe a Tough Interview Question

You've probably been asked this perennial, annoying question: "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Your interviewer will often use it to get at several pieces of information at once. So before responding, try to determine what they really want to know. Look for subtext in other questions they've asked or in comments they've made. For instance, has the hiring manager mentioned that you'd be replacing someone who left the company after just six months? 

Maybe he wants to find out how long you'll stick around, since the cost of turnover is so high. Or did he raise the question right after asking you to describe your ideal job? Perhaps he's trying to get at whether the position is a good match for you and how long you'll enjoy doing it. After you've replied, follow up with something like, "Did that answer your question?"

Mahatma Gandhi Quotes

• Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.
• As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, keep it.
• Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
• Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
• Hate the sin, love the sinner.
• Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress.
• Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.
• I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers.
• I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before any one even at the cost of your life.
• I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.
• I want freedom for the full expression of my personality.
• In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.
• In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.
• Indolence is a delightful but distressing state; we must be doing something to be happy.
• It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.
• It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.
• One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed they must be defended against the heaviest odds.
• Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
• The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
• Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.
• When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always.
• You must be the change you want to see in the world.
• You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.
• What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?
• Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.
• An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
• Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.

FIs and their Risk Resilience Capacity Building

The share market debacle in the first quarter of 2011 has indicated that banks should have the sufficient resilience capacity against market risks. In addition to that, the recent unpleasant "Hall Mark" scandal has reminded the banking industry of a better resilience capacity against operational risks. Consequently a question has arisen about whether the banking sector has enough preparation to protect their assets from further sequential or other unexpected losses. The speed at which the risk events unfold and the extent of their impacts on the businesses across different risk categories appear to be escalating. When the Barings Bank declared bankruptcy in 1995, the world was stunned. As Britain's oldest merchant bank, Barings, had weathered disasters like the Great Depression and Two World Wars - only to be later brought down by a single man in a small office in Singapore. Nick Leeson, a derivatives trader employed by the bank, took unauthorised speculative positions primarily in futures linked to the Nikkei 225 and Japanese Government Bonds (JGB). For the time being, a big zero was added to his name. For best results, the risk management framework should be integrated across the entire value chain. This is not only complex and costly, it also requires management approval. What banks need is a single platform that centralises, streamlines and automates compliance and information technology (IT) risk management.

The role of the risk control framework is to evaluate the risk inherent in the business activities of an institution and to ensure that these risks don't endanger the institution even in extreme circumstances. However, financial institutions (FIs) have struggled as the current financial crisis has unfolded and many have not been able to withstand the shocks that the financial system has experienced. But exactly why did these failures occur? Well, the diagnosis is clear: industry reports highlight that the risk control framework in many institutions was not robust enough, due primarily to weak governance and lack of understanding of the risks inherent in the business strategies adopted. The reports conclude that risk management reforms are necessary to create stronger institutions and a resilient financial system. The growth of informal settlements, fuelled by urbanisation and migration, has led to the growth of unstable living environments in many countries. Often located in ravines, on steep slopes, along flood plains, or adjacent to noxious or dangerous industrial or transport facilities, the disaster risks for already vulnerable and marginalised communities are exacerbated by their location. Another example: while development choices made to promote water-intensive cash-crops in semi-arid regions may boost local economies for the short term, such practices depend so heavily on canal irrigation that can have serious consequences in the case of even a slight variation in rainfalls. Poor development planning has contributed therefore to increased exposure to drought risks in many arid and semi-arid regions of the world.

Recognising the relationship between development and risk and investing in disaster risk reduction can lead to better development practices which are also cost-effective. Here that risk can be modelled and analysed-and there is enough accumulated experience - in both developing and developed countries-to manage it if the appropriate strategies and measures are put in place.

Bank and non-bank financial institutions are the most important financial intermediaries in every economy. Not only this, banks have an important role to play in blood circulation of the economy and the ultimate result of growth. Therefore, close regulated operation and their safety from potential threat are very much essential for economic growth and activities. An adequate risk resilience fund that is capital is required to protect depositors' interest and to ensure the survival of banking business. However, the banking sector or the financial sector as a whole is passing an invisible liquidity crisis which is ultimately slowing down investment. In Bangladesh, banks are fairly allowed to invest in the capital market. Therefore, it is required to analyse the real development of the risk resilience capacity of the banking industry after the BASEL-2 implementation. Risk management is becoming a crucial part of the business strategy. Without it, thousands of people are adversely affected - shareholders, bankers, employees, customers and even the government who spends millions of dollars trying to bail a bank out. Developing a risk management framework can be extremely challenging. Banks need to analyse risk reports, assess and test controls and choose the appropriate risk mitigating strategy. Adequate capital then has to be allocated. The whole process can be costly in terms of money, time, effort, technology and personnel required.

In terms of raising quality, consistency and transparency, it is important that banks' risk exposures are backed by a high quality capital base. The crisis has demonstrated that credit losses and write-downs come out of retained earnings, which is part of banks' tangible common equity base. It has also revealed the inconsistency in definition of capital across jurisdictions and the lack of disclosure that would have enabled the market to fully assess and compare the quality of capital between institutions. The BASEL-II framework increased the risk sensitivity and coverage of the regulatory capital requirement. Indeed, one of the most pro-cyclical dynamics has been the failure of risk management and capital frameworks to capture key exposures. However, it is not possible to achieve greater risk sensitivity across institutions at a given point of time without introducing a certain degree of cyclicality in minimum capital requirements over time.

Financial recession in 2008 which had hit the world drastically changed the scenario of global business and economy. The crisis transmitted into the financial system rapidly as their currency, dollar, is systematically a vital currency. These experiences are now influencing policymakers to implement BASEL-I and BASEL-II and so on, in achieving good economic outcomes. Almost all stability reports after the financial crisis suggested structural changes in the financial sector, especially their risk management capacity. High debt burdens and weakened balance sheets are still extending the crisis, especially in advanced economies. In a business environment characterised by natural disasters, vandalism, terrorist attacks, epidemics and technological failures, it is imperative to implement an effective business continuity plan. Banks should develop a recovery strategy that targets technical systems, management and employees. So it is clear that risks are faced enormously in different financial institutions. But by following the BASEL II requirements, they can work towards building a safer financial system and improving customer and investor confidence.

Risk resilience capacity is defined as improvement of a risk absorbance fund and a fall in lending default rate. Not only the capital enhancement but also the decreasing nonperforming load will be treated as improvement of the risk resilience capacity. However, the risk-assessed adequacy measurement always carries some uncertainties. In general, risk can be defined as the, "Probability or threat of a damage, injury, liability, loss or other negative occurrence, caused by external or internal vulnerabilities, and which may be neutralised through pre-mediated action." In the financial sector, risk is defined concerning some special market factors and other externalities which can affect an individual or organisation's decision. In finance, risk is defined as "Probability that an actual return on an investment will be lower than expected." Every business encounters risks, some of which are unpredictable and uncontrollable. Risk management is a central part of any organisation's strategic management. Risk management involves identifying, analysing and taking steps to reduce or eliminate the exposures to loss faced by an organisation or individual. The practice of risk management utilises many tools and techniques, including insurance, to manage a wide variety of risks.

A bank's attitude to risk is not passive and defensive, a bank actively and willingly takes on risk, because it seeks a return and this does not come without risks. Indeed, risk management can be seen as the core competence of an insurance company or a bank. By using its expertise, market position and capital structure, a financial institution can manage risks by repackaging them and transferring them to markets in customised ways.

Mostly the US dollar is used in the global financial system. The dollar monopoly is also prevailing in the international transactions across the globe as most of the transactions are pegged with the dollar during quoting or exchange rate determination. That's why, the US dollar gains extra demand from outside. Since implementing the BASEL II framework in 2009, the banking sector's risk resilience capacity has moderately improved. In fact, real improvement of risk management also depends on reducing probability of default, especially lending default rate. The overall improvement can be determined by analysing the trend of banks' lending default rate,.

The BASEL framework is working effectively in the banking sector in Bangladesh and it helped improve the risk resilience capacity. This improvement may not be sufficient to face the potential unexpected events but it has a significant role in reducing banks' lending default rate. However, the recent banking scandals signal the necessity of further qualitative improvement of the risk management culture in the banking sector. Any dual control or government intervention in banks' corporate governance is no longer wise, when it comes to the total banking system. In the lead-up to the crisis, too often amid the clamour for ever higher returns, the voice of reason was not heard and risks were ignored. The crisis has exposed this and has revealed significant shortcomings in the risk control frameworks of financial institutions. In particular, the failure to properly assess the risks inherent in business models, in portfolios, and in off-balance sheet activities has become evident. Consequently, rebalancing of risk and return is required to ensure resilient institutions and a resilient financial system. To achieve this, strengthening of the risk control framework is needed so that our financial institutions are ready to face the challenges that lie ahead. Such a framework needs to put risk management at the heart of the strategy and decision making processes of each institution. The framework should be supported by the twin pillars of risk analysis, that is a suite of statistical risk models to provide a measure of the different risks faced by the institution and a comprehensive stress testing programme which consists of a more judgmental and coherent risk analysis based on scenarios that the institutions may be facing in the future.

Think Before Adopting the Latest Marketing Fad

Marketing is changing so fast, it's easy to get our heads turned by new, high-tech developments. Doesn't my company need a smartphone app? How should we leverage augmented reality? What about gratification?

Before you buy into a new, shiny marketing tool or technique, first make sure it's right for your company. Often your existing ideas, product lines, and channels have more value than you think. Ask yourself these three counter intuitive questions:

Should I do the opposite of what everyone else is doing? 

For example, if your competitor is blasting out e-newsletters to their entire database, consider sending simple, personalized notes to your most loyal clients.

What abandoned technique can I bring back?

Sometimes, marketing strategies are dropped for good reason, but other times the reasoning is not that clear. Think about whether there's an old technique that could still be useful.

Can I resurrect a product for an untapped market?

Don't just market to the masses. Sometimes a small, high-end market is willing to pay for a difference in quality (think vinyl records, which were considered dead not long ago).

Sometimes — depending on your industry and target audience — the new, shiny tool or technique is the right way to go. But often, you can get a better result by drawing from your existing resources and simply being strategic about how to communicate in a more memorable way than your competitors.

7 Days for Flat Belly

Food rules Make these changes to your diet to lose weight and get a flat tummy fast!

 

1 Cut the C.R.A.P: Avoid the four main food groups that cause fat to cling to our bodies: caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol and processed foods.

2 But allow yourself a weekly cheat meal. Once a week, enjoy an indulgent meal of whatever you fancy, from creamy pasta to a slice of chocolate cake with cream. As ong as you're eating clean, healthy food the rest of the time, an occasional high-fat treat actually speeds up your metabolism.

3 Take fish oil supplements: They burn fat and supply essential fatty acids.

4 Always have breakfast: Eat within one hour of waking up. If you don't have time for a proper breakfast, just grab a piece of fruit and a few nuts.

5 Don't eat after 8pm: Eating a large meal in the evening when your body is slowing down or sleeping is a bad idea for your digestion and weight.

Five food swaps for flat Abs

Bad croissants: Full of fat, sugar and no goodness Milk Most non-organic milk is filled with hormones Standard yoghurt Most are full of sugar Margarine Full of chemicals Beer High sugar and calories

Better wholemeal bread: Fibre is good for digestion Organic milk It's chemical-free Organic yoghurt It's free from pesticides Olive oil spread Full of essential fatty acids Organic cider Less alcohol and calories.

Best spelt bread: No tummy-bloating gluten

Organic almond milk: Doesn't contain lactose that can cause bloating Organic full-fat yoghurt Makes you feel full and is less sugary than low-fat options Organic butter Natural and additive free Good red wine Grape skin contains resveratrol, a great antioxidant

Tummy toning moves

James Duigan says, "Exercise smarter, not harder. So, if you are trying to lose weight, don't go mad with exercise - get more out of less." These moves can help you get a flatter tummy as they reduce levels of stress hormones in the body, which encourage fat around your middle.

Breathing squat

- Go slow and low and repeat 10 times

- Stand with feet shoulder width apart, arms out and parallel to floor

- Inhale through the nose, then lower your bottom down as far as is still comfortable while exhaling l Pause for a few seconds, then inhale as you come up

Energy push Great for digestion - breathe slowly and repeat 20 times

- Take a comfortable stance with feet shoulder width apart, arms in front of you, palms facing down

- Inhale and pull hands back towards your shoulders

- Exhale, pushing your arms back out to starting position Leg tuck Great for lower abs - repeat 10 times

- Lie back, feet on floor, knees bent l Inhale then bring knees into your chest as you exhale

- Inhale again as you return your feet to the floor

Your food plan

Stick to this eating plan for two weeks to start your weight loss. It's best to begin on a weekend, when you have more time to get everything ready. Plus, you won't feel so stressed or rushed, which means you'll be less likely to succumb to a mid-afternoon chocolate bar.

Day 1 Breakfast: Omelette made with three egg whites and filled with 75g chopped mixed peppers and a handful of spinach

Mid-morning snack: 100g chicken with ½ red pepper, sliced

Lunch: One grilled chicken breast, mixed salad leaves, red peppers, green beans and ¼ tbsp olive oil

Mid-afternoon snack: 100g turkey breast with ¼ cucumber, sliced

Dinner: 100g grilled chicken breast with steamed broccoli

Day 2 Breakfast: Baked chicken breast with a handful of stir-fried kale

Mid-morning snack: 100g turkey breast and ½ green pepper, sliced

Lunch: Baked haddock fillet with mixed green salad, with ½ tbsp olive oil

Mid-afternoon snack: 100g turkey breast with 75g steamed broccoli

Dinner: One salmon steak with chopped dill and steamed green beans

Day 3 Breakfast: 100g smoked salmon, plus spinach

Mid-morning snack: 100g chicken breast with ½ yellow pepper, sliced

Lunch: One grilled chicken breast with garden salad and ½ tbsp olive oil

Mid-afternoon snack: 100g turkey slices with ¼ avocado

Dinner: One grilled lamb steak (or two cutlets); steamed broccoli and spinach