There was an interesting article in PR Week last week, on the subject of leadership communication. Entitled ‘Get the best out of your boss’ it outlines six of the most common leadership styles and suggests how communicators can best play to the personalities of their leaders. It’s a nice reminder of the breadth of styles we have to work with and provides some useful pointers on how to play to your boss’s particular strengths.
The six leadership styles – and the supporting descriptions (I’ve paraphrased) are:
Visionary leader – the classic rock star CEO who sets the big-picture and excels at moving people towards a shared vision. These leaders are superb public speakers and enjoy life in the spotlight. Barack Obama is a good example.
Affiliative leader – this type of leader wants to be your friend. A collaborative figure, the affiliative leader focuses on emotional needs and is most likely to ask ‘how are you?’. Angela Merkel is held up as an example.
Coaching leader – holds long conversations that often extend beyond the work place. Good at helping employees identify their strengths and weaknesses and linking these to career goals. Step forward Dr Who.
Democratic leader –these are the great listening leaders, though this is sometimes at the expense of decisive action. Favorite catchphrases include ‘what do you think?’. They like to show the way without pushing people in a particular direction. Lord Sebastian Coe is a good example.
Pacesetter leader – most likely to say ‘copy me’, these hard working leaders never shirk a challenge and lead by example. One downside is that they often expect employees to automatically get the picture. Step forward Margaret Thatcher…
Commanding leader – an old-school taskmaster who brings the dynamics of the playground into the boardroom. Very command and control in style they stick to one clear direction and refuse to consider an alternative routes or messages. Montgomery Burns is a good example.
The communicators quoted in the article, among them David Ferrabee and James Harkness, provide lots of useful advice on working with these types, including:
Providing visionary leaders the right platform and sufficient time to explain their vision to others and gather feedback. High profile tactics like webcasts and regular publication profiles go down well with these types, but they may sometimes lack an eye for detail and require specific IC support in this area.
Identifying opportunities for affiliative leaders to show their steel. Tactics like back to the floor are useful here, as are structured team meetings which focus on sharing constructive feedback. One classic issue with these types is their desire to communicate only the positive messages.
Playing to the strengths of coaching leaders by encouraging them to host small, intimate sessions and focus on helping people turn strategy into action. These types are not great at big picture, but excel at one-to-one.
Creating high-involvement forums for democratic leaders – workshops, online forums and blogs are particularly powerful. Clear, decisions communications help overcome this leader’s tendency towards indecision. Arm them with insights and intelligence about the workforce and they should respond well.
Encouraging the pacesetting leader to be more inclusive, more considerate of the feelings of others and creating plenty of listening opportunities. Inclusivity is key here and tactics like recognition programmes and use of social media channels can be useful.
Context is critical for the commanding leader. Rather than just explaining what to people, they need to focus on building understanding around the why. Big picture strategy is important here – and tactics like learning maps and visuals and strategy toolkits can be very handy. Listening channels are important too – and employees may require anonymity as commanding leaders can breed distrust and fear. Coaching in body language is also useful.
To get wings is every young mind’s dream. A career in aviation nearly fulfills that dream for many. Being a pilot or an air hostess in an airline is like getting wings and flying in the sky. To become a pilot or an air hostess, there are various aviation academyand courses that one can take. Pilot training schools or courses is offered by both private and government institutes. It is a coveted course and many aspire for this course. Pilot training is an expensive course. To be an air hostess also, one has to undergo specialized training. This training is offered by a number of private and some government institutes and colleges in India and abroad. Relatively, this training is less expensive. A few airlines have also come up with air hostess training institutes and offer on-the-job training too.
The responsibility of a commercial pilot is to fly and take control of the aircraft that he/she is flying at all times. The aircraft may be full of people, full of cargo or both. From a smooth take-off to a safe landing, it is the primary responsibility of the pilot to handle the aircraft. The job of a pilot is not easy. It requires a lot of hard work, technical understanding, presence of mind, quick decision-making skills and an enormous sense of responsibility. If the aircraft hits rough weather or develops a technical snag, the duty of keeping the passengers and the crew safe falls on the shoulders of the pilot. Also, pilots are required to fly for long hours, be away from home for long periods of time, remain on call for duty any time and do not enjoy the luxury of regular holidays.
However, the perks associated with the job of a pilot are also plenty. Besides god salary, pilots get to travel at length, get free travel and medical facilities and also free air tickets for the whole family at least once a year. All these perks make the jobs very attractive. One should evaluate both the upside and the downside of this career before deciding to step foot into it. With the liberalization of the aviation sector in India, the demand for trained commercial pilots has been constantly growing. Consequently, the number of students aspiring to become pilots has also risen. A number of institutes in India and abroad offer pilot training to young men and women.
There are three primary stages in the pilot training. Firstly, a student has to obtain the Student Pilot License (SPL) for the training. This can be obtained at a minimum of 16 years of age after matriculation. After the SPL, one has to obtain the Private Pilot License (PPL). With the PPL, a student is given practical and theoretical training on flying. A student is also tested on his theoretical and practical knowledge associated with flying, the aircraft, etc. After the successful completion of the training, one obtains the Commercial Pilot License (CPL). With a commercial pilot license and the minimum number of hours of flying, one can be hired as a commercial pilot with an airline.
To become an air hostess or a steward, one has to undergo a diploma course. Air hostess courses are offered by a number of private institutes. Though this job is particularly popular with women, there are men also who opt to take up the training and become stewards in the flight. During the course for air hostess training, the students are trained in the basic mannerisms of serving and dealing with the passengers on-board. They are also imparted general training about the aircraft and how to handle crisis situations. Since the jobs of an air-hostess requires direct customer service, they are required to be presentable, polite, patient, understanding and with very good communication skills. Sometimes, airhostesses have to deal with difficult passengers or unusual demands on board. They have to keep their cool under such situations and handle each situation tactfully. Air hostesses are also required to reassure and help the passengers in terms of safety is an aircraft is in any trouble.
Thus, career as a pilot or an air hostess can be rewarding as well as challenging at the same time. With a proper training and reputed pilot course or air hostess course, one can look at a bright career in future.
About the Author:
Geetika jain writes on behalf of Shiksha.com. Shiksha.com is an education portal that connects education seeker with education provider. Shiksha.com has wide information over aviation courses and colleges, study abroad colleges, student’s community and courses. Its education forums enable its users to seek opinion of students, alumni and faculty of colleges and schools through College Groups and School Groups.
Aristotle once wrote ” It is simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when….
addressing popular audiences”. Does anyone know a quote similar to this one that revolves around the idea that it is the “spoken word” that is the most powerful form of communication?
I don’t agree with that quote. I think it’s just the opposite, educated people make things simpler, that’s the purpose of education and science.
I know a quote by Cicero. He was a famous orator in the Roman empire:
“When you wish to instruct, be brief; that men’s minds take in quickly what you say, learn its lesson, and retain it faithfully. Every word that is unnecessary only pours over the side of a brimming mind.”
(Cicero)
You can read more Cicero quotes about oratory here:
http://www.qfrases.com/english/cicero.php
Effective communication, adding buddies, anonymity of net P2
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It provides best quality products in the field of Telecommunication, Wireless communication and Digital communication. Products of this company are very safe and reliable in use. It also provides services in the fields of communication. Sanchartelesystems have highly trained motivated and qualified engineers in staff. This company also provides service to its esteemed customer’s on-time and every time for sold products. Making a better relationship with customers and customer’s satisfaction is our main motto.
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Diamond Corporation Japan has been associated with us to provide excellent antennas to give enhanced permanence to our Radios.
Sanchartelesystems provide its equipments and services all around the India. It has many dealers all around the India such as Delhi, Dehradun, Haryana, Jaipur and Kanpur in Northern Region; Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Mumbai in Western Region; Bangalore and Channi in Southern Region; Bhubaneshwar and Kolkata Eastern Region.
The unique and colourful world of Thanjavur paintings – This school of paintings originated in Thanjavur during the reign of the Marathas in the 16th century. It existed from 17th to 19th Century, and had a limited output. Today, this tradition is kept alive by a few hundred dedicated artists mostly based in Tamil Nadu, India.
What is Thanjavur Painting?
Thanjavur paintings basically signify paintings created using a style and technique, which originated in Thanjavur during the Maratha period in the 16th century. A typical Thanjavur painting would consist of one main figure, a deity, with a well-rounded body & almond shaped eyes. This figure would be housed in an enclosure created by means of an arch, curtains etc. The painting would be made by the gilded and gem-set technique – a technique where gold leaves & sparkling stones are used to highlight certain aspects of the painting like ornaments, dresses etc.
The painting would be bright and colourful and breathtakingly beautiful. The impact in a darken room is that of a glowing presence. While most of the paintings would depict the Child Krishna and his various pranks, paintings of other deities were also created. Over a period of time changes have occurred in the stylization – for example, the figures are no longer round. Presiding deities of various famous temples are also being depicted in the paintings. The technique is now more in use than the style.
Tanjore Painting is a peculiar, ancient, miniature type of painting named after the place Thanjavur (called Tanjore in English) in Tamil Nadu, a Southern state of INDIA. Thanjavur district is famous for various arts and crafts in which paintings are ranked high among the other arts like Thanjavur Toys, Thanjavur Plates, etc. Its origin dates back to the Nayak & the Maratha period in the 16th century.
The Maratha rule of Thanjavur lasted for about 2 centuries from the late 16th century. The Thanjavur school of painting evolved in a period full of political chaos in South India. Thanjavur Paintings flourished under the patronage of the Nayak & Maratha princes in the 16th to the 18th centuries. The art was practiced by two main communities namely – the Rajus in Tanjore and Trichy(a city near Tanjore) and Naidus in Madurai(a city ruled by Pandiyas) The artists (Rajus & Naidus) who are originally Telugu speaking people from “Rayalseema” region, moved to Tamil Nadu in the wake of the Nayaks rule of Madurai & Tanjore. The paintings were rooted in tradition and innovation was limited. The art was sacred to those master craftsmen who choose to be anonymous and humble.
Paintings were done on materials like wood, glass, mica, exotic media such as ivory, murals and manuscripts. Most of the paintings were of Hindu deities & saints. Other courtly and secular portraits were also created.
The early paintings were embedded with real Diamonds, Rubies and other precious stones. Later, use of semi-precious and artificial stones gained popularity. There are some examples of this art in the “Saraswathi Mahal Library”, in Tanjore, set up & developed by King – Serfoji II This monarch, who reigned from 1798 to 1832, to whom we owe the “Ganesha shrine” in the “Tanjore Big Temple”, played an important part in the history of the art of his times.
How Thanjavur(Tanjore) Paintings are made ?
Thanjavur Paintings are made on canvasses. The Canvas for a Thanjavur painting is usually a plank of wood (originally wood of the Jackfruit tree was used, now it’s plywood) over which a layer of cloth is pasted with arabic gum. The cloth is then evenly coated with a paste of limestone and a binding medium and let to dry.
The canvas is now ready for painting. The artist then draws a detailed sketch of the painting on the canvas. A paste, made of limestone and a binding medium, is used to create 3D effect in embellishing and ornamenting the theme using a brush.
Gold leaves and gems of varied hues are used in selected areas like pillars, arches, thrones, dresses, etc. The shine and glean of the gold leaves used by the Thanjavur style paintings lasts forever. Finally, colours are applied on the sketch. In the past, artists used natural colours like vegetable dyes, whereas the present day artists use chemical paints which enhance the sharpness and provide better shade contrasts.
The old Tanjore artists restricted their scope to divine figures and used to mix their natural colours. The modern ones have, of course, no need to do so.
For outlines dark brown is usually used. Red is favoured for the background. Scholars say that a red background is the distinctive mark of Tanjore paintings, but green is also sometimes used. Lord Vishnu, appropriately enough, is coloured blue, and Lord Nataraja chalk white. Yellow is used for the Goddesses. The sky, of course, is blue, but black is employed only on occasions. There are conventions in regard to the use of embossing and bejewelling. But these do not appear to be followed very strictly these days, often individual preference settles the matter.
The portrayals of the figures in the paintings are breathtakingly brilliant. Almost all the figures have round bodies and almond-shaped eyes, which is unique to Tanjore Painting. The traditional Thanjavur artists have a flair for ornamenting the figures with jewellery and ornate dresses. Thanjavur paintings are notable for their adornment in the form of glass pieces embedded in parts of them.
Framing
The frames(teak wood) used for Thanjavur paintings are of two types. 1. The wooden type wherein plain type of wood is used. 2. The Chettinad type which are more ornamental with designs. Instead of breakable glass, “Transparent acrylic sheets” are used to avoid breakage during transit.
