Performance appraisal is universally detested by employees and loved by their bosses (not really, many bosses find them futile). My point is that performance appraisal, even assuming that it can be done fairly (for the company and the employee), has no diagnostic value and it has no predictive value.
But this post is about leadership potential and developing it.
Organizations and leaders are concerned about their future. Is this person going to improve? Will she be able to take up more responsibilities? Will he be able to put in place and develop a good team? and so on. ?You wish to have a broad and rich view about every important person ?in your team -where is she or he really going concerning leadership abilities. You know that knowledge and specialist skills can be assessed and can be enhanced too. But when it comes to leadership skills it gets complicated. You see an articulate and knowledgeable person and you think you have found ?a leader. You see a reticent person and you are ready to hand down some back end jobs to such a person. ?You could be wrong about both.
What then is the solution?
Here it is: Our?Learning Leadership?*programs consist of a series of workouts designed to use leadership principles for thinking about business, work, and behavioral aspects and coming up with personal action plan. The workouts reveal grasp of reality, application of logic, creative thinking, values, bias for actions, commitment to self improvement, and many other areas about the person working them out. The very tangible evidence of all above makes it possible to assess how well this?person?will develop and how well he or she will perform in the short or medium term. More importantly, it can be used to coach the person for assisted self-development.
Such qualitative insights into a person and ability to predict, diagnose and correct the person?s development path are invaluable to any leader. It goes without saying that deriving all this from an employee?s workout needs an?experienced Regenerative Leadership Coach. Learning Leadership will be happy to offer all this.
Why not go for it?
* this is a web based learning and coaching platform. ??Lead to Regenerate? program book can also be used for face-to-face group workshops or in self learning mode. You can order it here?or from any leading bookstore.
Michael Thompson holds the trophy after winning the Honda Classic golf tournament, Sunday, March 3, 2013 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Michael Thompson holds the trophy after winning the Honda Classic golf tournament, Sunday, March 3, 2013 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Michael Thompson acknowledges the crowd as he arrives at the 18th hole before winning the final round of the Honda Classic golf tournament on Sunday, March 3, 2013, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Michael Thompson celebrates after making a putt on the third hole for an eagle during the final round of the Honda Classic golf tournament on Sunday, March 3, 2013, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Tiger Woods lines up a putt on the second hole during the final round of the Honda Classic golf tournament on Sunday, March 3, 2013, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Tiger Woods, center, looks for his ball with others after having teed off on the sixth and lost his ball somewhere on the fourth fairway during the final round of the Honda Classic golf tournament on Sunday, March 3, 2013 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) ? Michael Thompson's dream of winning his first PGA Tour event was walking up the final fairway with a big lead and very little stress.
The reality was much different Sunday in the Honda Classic.
He had a one-shot lead as he stood in the 18th fairway, some 240 yards from the flag with trouble in the way in the shape of large lake. The motto from his golf team at Alabama was to "finish strong," and Thompson did just that.
Instead of laying up, he drilled a 5-wood into the bunker left of the green, setting up a simple sand shot and a birdie he didn't even need. He closed with a 1-under 69, one of only five rounds under par on a punishing day at PGA National to finally become a PGA Tour winner.
"That for me kind of sealed the deal," Thompson said. "It allowed me to walk up the fairway and enjoy the experience, see the crowd and ... just finish strong."
The start wasn't bad, either.
Thompson holed a 50-foot eagle putt on the third hole, relied on a superb short game around the toughest part of the golf course to build a four-shot lead, and hung on for a two-shot win over Geoff Ogilvy that takes him places he always wanted to be.
He gets into his first World Golf Championship next week at Doral, and qualifies for two more WGCs this year at Firestone and in Shanghai. He's in the PGA Championship, gets to start next year in Hawaii and earned a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
And to think just two weeks ago he was so down after a 78-80 performance at Riviera that he wondered if he would ever make another cut.
"This week was magical," Thompson said. "Just had a groove and kept feeling it."
It turned out to be a big week for Ogilvy, too.
The former U.S. Open champion missed his past four cuts and had plunged to No. 79 in the world ranking. He already missed the Match Play Championship and was ready to miss another WGC next week at Doral until putting together four solid rounds.
He chipped in for birdie behind the 16th green and two-putted for birdie on the 18th for a 69 to finish alone in second, moving him up to No. 47 to get into Doral.
"I kind of penciled in a week off," Ogilvy said. "So it's nice, and it gets me back in the mix for the Masters."
Ogilvy has to stay in the top 50 by the end of the month to return to Augusta National. For now, he has smaller problems ? he only packed enough for this week.
"I'm going to have to go do some laundry," Ogilvy said. "I haven't got a hotel room for tonight. But half the tour lives in this area, so I'm sure I can find somewhere to stay."
Luke Guthrie, tied with Thompson for the 54-hole lead, fell behind with a bogey on the second hole and closed with a 73 to finish third.
Tiger Woods was never in the picture. He started the final round eight shots behind, and whatever hopes he had of a rally ended on the sixth hole when he hit his drive so far to the right that the ball was never found.
Woods took double bogey, and only an eagle on the final hole kept the damage to a minimum. He closed with a 74 ? his first time since the Masters last year that he failed to break par in any round of a 72-hole tournament ? and tied for 37th.
It was the second straight year Woods closed with an eagle at PGA National ? the difference was last year, it gave him a 62 and a tie for second.
"I think I passed 62 somewhere around 12," Woods said.
Despite a bogey on the final hole, Erik Compton had a 70 and was part of the five-way tie for fourth. Compton, who already has had two heart transplants, earned his first top-10 finish on the PGA Tour.
Thompson finished at 9-under 271, a strong performance considering the difficult course and the weekend wind. He was among three players who never shot over par at PGA National.
"You don't have to do much wrong to be making a bogey out there, so it's pretty impressive," Ogilvy said of Thompson's final round. "It's a great effort, really. As you say by the rest of the scores, it's a very hard golf course and it seems to get progressively harder in some ways. There's a disaster waiting everywhere.
"There's a lot of golf courses on tour that it might be easy to close out a golf tournament ? or easier ? but this is not one of them."
Thompson was at his best in the middle part of the final round.
He hit a tough chip off the pine straw to 3 feet for par on the 10th, and then hit flawless chips for easy par on the 11th and 14th holes to build a four-shot lead. Not even the late run by Ogilvy was enough to stop him.
"This is everything," Thompson said. "This is a childhood dream come true. I've dreamed of playing out here since I was 7 years old and to win, it's just unbelievable. I just can't put it into words. The whole day was awesome."
It was a mess for Woods.
He lost two balls in a span of eight holes (the other one in the third round Saturday) for what he believes is the first time in his career. He hit into the water on the 11th for another double bogey, and drove into the water on the 16th.
"I just made too many penalties this week," Woods said. "Today is a perfect example. I didn't play that poorly. I had two water balls and a lost ball. Take those away, and I missed two short birdie putts, and it was actually a decent score. So just got to clean up my rounds."
The final round was never going to be easy with the wind whipping on PGA National, and it showed. Of those who finished before the leaders even teed off, only two players managed to break par. Scoring was so difficult that Lucas Glover played the weekend in 2-over par and still tied for fourth.
"You don't move up very often ? on tour ? over par on the weekend, except for a place like this," Glover said.
Guthrie, who fell behind for good with a bogey on the second hole, did his best to stay in range until hitting his tee shot out of bounds on the 14th for a double bogey. From there, it was only a battle for second place.
Everyone else was long gone.
Westwood failed to save par on consecutive holes on the front nine and could never catch up. Charles Howell III, who started the day three shots behind and needed a win to get to the Masters in his hometown, fell apart on the back nine with a 41 and closed with a 78. Rickie Fowler made three bogeys on the first six holes and was never a factor.
Greater than seven in ten voters (72 percent) currently describe California?s economy as being in bad times. In addition, six in ten (61 percent) describe unemployment as very serious in the state, while just 36 percent expect job opportunities to improve in the coming year, the poll says.?
While this represents a slight improvement in the extremely bleak assessments of the state?s economy that voters have offered over the past five years, the views of Californians remain gloomy.
In addition, when asked to describe their own financial situation, nearly half (44 percent) say they are worse off now than they were last year, while fewer (30 percent) are better off. This is the sixth consecutive year in which more voters report being financially worse off than better off.
The latest Field Poll was completed Feb. 5-17 among 834 registered voters in California ?(from: CVBT)
Tagged as: bethesmartinvestor, CA economy bad times, Reggie Lal, reggielal blog, San Diego investment club
Hey everyone, I'm Dick Talens. I'm the co-founder of Fitocracy and a nutritional/fitness coach who specializes in helping people with very little time achieve their fitness goals. By this time of year, the largest drop off in exercise activity happens as New Year's resolutions start to go out the window. We start with high hopes and end up abandoning our goals. The most cited reason that people fail is because they don't have time, which is where my expertise comes in.
Fitness wasn't always a big part of my life. In fact as a chubby kid, merely looking at a cookie would cause me to gain weight. This problem finally culminated in my teenage years when, after a summer of 15 hours/day playing Everquest, I found myself at 230 lbs. At this point, I did what any geek would do and spent hundreds of hours researching fitness. I put that research into practice by becoming an amateur competitive bodybuilder only a short time later. Because of my background (i.e. previously hating exercise) and current lifestyle of working 80+ hour weeks, I specializes in two things?helping people "re-wire" their brains to love fitness and achieve maximum fitness ROI. I believe that with the right foundation, fitness is attainable for anyone. I'm here for the next hour talking fitness success and failure, focusing on the specifics of why you've failed and how to turn it around. Let's do it!
Have an expert you'd like to see participate? Email us.
Image remixed from Yuri Arcurs and Kletr (Shutterstock).
7 genetic risk factors found to be associated with common eye disorderPublic release date: 3-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jean Horrigan jh@nei.nih.gov 301-496-5248 NIH/National Eye Institute
Funded by NIH, report represents the most comprehensive study of AMD genetics
An international group of researchers has discovered seven new regions of the human genomecalled locithat are associated with increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness. The AMD Gene Consortium, a network of international investigators representing 18 research groups, also confirmed 12 loci identified in previous studies. The findings are reported online today in the journal Nature Genetics. Supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI), a part of the National Institutes of Health, the study represents the most comprehensive genome-wide analysis of genetic variations associated with AMD.
"This compelling analysis by the AMD Gene Consortium demonstrates the enormous value of effective collaboration," said NEI Director Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D. "Combining data from multiple studies, this international effort provides insight into the molecular basis of AMD, which will help researchers search for causes of the disease and will inform future development of new diagnostic and treatment strategies."
AMD affects the macula, a region of the retina responsible for central vision. The retina is the layer of light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye that houses rod and cone photoreceptor cells. Compared with the rest of the retina, the macula is especially dense with cone photoreceptors and is what humans rely on for tasks that require sharp vision, such as reading, driving, and recognizing faces. As AMD progresses, such tasks become more difficult and eventually impossible. Some kinds of AMD are treatable if detected early, but no cure exists. An estimated 2 million Americans have AMD.
Scientists have shown that age, diet, and smoking influence a person's risk of developing AMD. Genetics also plays a strong role. AMD often runs in families and is more common among certain ethnicities, such as Asians and people of European descent.
Since the 2005 discovery that certain variations in the gene for complement factor Ha component of the immune systemare associated with major risk for AMD, research groups around the world have conducted genome-wide association studies to identify other loci that affect AMD risk. These studies were made possible by tools developed through the Human Genome Project, which mapped human genes, and related projects, such the International HapMap Project, which identified common patterns of genetic variation within the human genome.
The AMD Gene Consortium combined data from 18 research groups to increase the power of prior analyses. The current analysis identified seven new loci near genes. As with the previously discovered 12 loci, these seven loci are scattered throughout the genome on many different chromosomes.
"A large number of samples was needed to detect additional genetic variants that have small but significant influences on a person's disease risk," said Hemin Chin, Ph.D., NEI associate director for ophthalmic genetics, who assembled the consortium and helped coordinate the study. "By cataloging genetic variations associated with AMD, scientists are better equipped to target corresponding biological pathways and study how they might interact and change with age or other factors, such as smoking."
The consortium's analysis included data from more than 17,100 people with the most advanced and severe forms of AMD, which were compared to data from more than 60,000 people without AMD. The 19 loci that were found to be associated with AMD implicate a variety of biological functions, including regulation of the immune system, maintenance of cellular structure, growth and permeability of blood vessels, lipid metabolism, and atherosclerosis.
"Like a map that identifies neighborhoods where the electricity has been knocked out by a storm, the AMD Gene Consortium's study effectively tagged regions within the genome where researchers are most likely to find short circuits in DNA that cause AMD," said Anand Swaroop, Ph.D., chief of the NEI Laboratory of Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration and Repair, and one of the group leaders of this consortium effort. "Once you are in the right neighborhood, going block to block or house to house to look for downed power lines goes much faster. Likewise, by limiting their search to the 19 genomic regions identified by the AMD Gene Consortium, scientists can more efficiently search for specific genes and causative changes that play a role in AMD."
As with other common diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, an individual person's risk for getting AMD is likely determined not by one but many genes. Further comprehensive DNA analysis of the areas around the 19 loci identified by the AMD Gene Consortium could turn up undiscovered rare genetic variants with a disproportionately large effect on AMD risk. Discovery of such genes could greatly advance scientists' understanding of AMD pathogenesis and their quest for more effective treatments.
###
Lead authors of the study include Gonalo R. Abecasis, D. Phil., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Lindsay A. Farrer, Ph.D., Boston University; Iris Heid, Ph.D., University of Regensburg, Germany; and Jonathan L. Haines, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, Nashville.
For more information about AMD, visit http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/index.asp.
This research was supported in part by the NEI Intramural Research Program and NIH grants Z01EY000475, U10EY006594, R01EY015810, R01EY015286, R03EY013438, R01EY010605, R24EY017404, R01EY014458, R01EY017362, R24EY017404, R01EY013834, K23EY000365, R01EY009611, R01EY021532, R01EY021163, R01EY013435, R24EY019861, P30EY019007, T32EY021453, R01EY012118, R01EY022005, R01EY016862, R01EY014467, K12EY16335, R01EY11309, R01EY09859, R01EY014428, R01EY018660, R01EY019270, U54HG006542, P01CA87969, R01CA49449, and R01HL35464.
The National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the federal government's research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs that result in the development of sight-saving treatments. For more information, visit http://www.nei.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
7 genetic risk factors found to be associated with common eye disorderPublic release date: 3-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jean Horrigan jh@nei.nih.gov 301-496-5248 NIH/National Eye Institute
Funded by NIH, report represents the most comprehensive study of AMD genetics
An international group of researchers has discovered seven new regions of the human genomecalled locithat are associated with increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness. The AMD Gene Consortium, a network of international investigators representing 18 research groups, also confirmed 12 loci identified in previous studies. The findings are reported online today in the journal Nature Genetics. Supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI), a part of the National Institutes of Health, the study represents the most comprehensive genome-wide analysis of genetic variations associated with AMD.
"This compelling analysis by the AMD Gene Consortium demonstrates the enormous value of effective collaboration," said NEI Director Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D. "Combining data from multiple studies, this international effort provides insight into the molecular basis of AMD, which will help researchers search for causes of the disease and will inform future development of new diagnostic and treatment strategies."
AMD affects the macula, a region of the retina responsible for central vision. The retina is the layer of light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye that houses rod and cone photoreceptor cells. Compared with the rest of the retina, the macula is especially dense with cone photoreceptors and is what humans rely on for tasks that require sharp vision, such as reading, driving, and recognizing faces. As AMD progresses, such tasks become more difficult and eventually impossible. Some kinds of AMD are treatable if detected early, but no cure exists. An estimated 2 million Americans have AMD.
Scientists have shown that age, diet, and smoking influence a person's risk of developing AMD. Genetics also plays a strong role. AMD often runs in families and is more common among certain ethnicities, such as Asians and people of European descent.
Since the 2005 discovery that certain variations in the gene for complement factor Ha component of the immune systemare associated with major risk for AMD, research groups around the world have conducted genome-wide association studies to identify other loci that affect AMD risk. These studies were made possible by tools developed through the Human Genome Project, which mapped human genes, and related projects, such the International HapMap Project, which identified common patterns of genetic variation within the human genome.
The AMD Gene Consortium combined data from 18 research groups to increase the power of prior analyses. The current analysis identified seven new loci near genes. As with the previously discovered 12 loci, these seven loci are scattered throughout the genome on many different chromosomes.
"A large number of samples was needed to detect additional genetic variants that have small but significant influences on a person's disease risk," said Hemin Chin, Ph.D., NEI associate director for ophthalmic genetics, who assembled the consortium and helped coordinate the study. "By cataloging genetic variations associated with AMD, scientists are better equipped to target corresponding biological pathways and study how they might interact and change with age or other factors, such as smoking."
The consortium's analysis included data from more than 17,100 people with the most advanced and severe forms of AMD, which were compared to data from more than 60,000 people without AMD. The 19 loci that were found to be associated with AMD implicate a variety of biological functions, including regulation of the immune system, maintenance of cellular structure, growth and permeability of blood vessels, lipid metabolism, and atherosclerosis.
"Like a map that identifies neighborhoods where the electricity has been knocked out by a storm, the AMD Gene Consortium's study effectively tagged regions within the genome where researchers are most likely to find short circuits in DNA that cause AMD," said Anand Swaroop, Ph.D., chief of the NEI Laboratory of Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration and Repair, and one of the group leaders of this consortium effort. "Once you are in the right neighborhood, going block to block or house to house to look for downed power lines goes much faster. Likewise, by limiting their search to the 19 genomic regions identified by the AMD Gene Consortium, scientists can more efficiently search for specific genes and causative changes that play a role in AMD."
As with other common diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, an individual person's risk for getting AMD is likely determined not by one but many genes. Further comprehensive DNA analysis of the areas around the 19 loci identified by the AMD Gene Consortium could turn up undiscovered rare genetic variants with a disproportionately large effect on AMD risk. Discovery of such genes could greatly advance scientists' understanding of AMD pathogenesis and their quest for more effective treatments.
###
Lead authors of the study include Gonalo R. Abecasis, D. Phil., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Lindsay A. Farrer, Ph.D., Boston University; Iris Heid, Ph.D., University of Regensburg, Germany; and Jonathan L. Haines, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, Nashville.
For more information about AMD, visit http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/index.asp.
This research was supported in part by the NEI Intramural Research Program and NIH grants Z01EY000475, U10EY006594, R01EY015810, R01EY015286, R03EY013438, R01EY010605, R24EY017404, R01EY014458, R01EY017362, R24EY017404, R01EY013834, K23EY000365, R01EY009611, R01EY021532, R01EY021163, R01EY013435, R24EY019861, P30EY019007, T32EY021453, R01EY012118, R01EY022005, R01EY016862, R01EY014467, K12EY16335, R01EY11309, R01EY09859, R01EY014428, R01EY018660, R01EY019270, U54HG006542, P01CA87969, R01CA49449, and R01HL35464.
The National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the federal government's research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs that result in the development of sight-saving treatments. For more information, visit http://www.nei.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
PARIS (AP) ? A French soldier has died in some of the most intense fighting thus far in the seven-week-old military campaign to push back a jihadist advance in Mali, officials said Sunday.
Parachutist Corporal Cedric Charenton was killed Saturday night in an assault in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains along the Algerian border, where the jihadists have retrenched as French troops have swept through the country's north.
He is the third troop to die since France began its intervention to dislodge the al-Qaida-linked militants on Jan. 11. The 26-year-old had already served in Afghanistan, Gabon and New Caledonia.
Military spokesman Col. Thierry Burkhard said about 15 jihadists were killed in the fighting in the Ametettai Valley. He added that French forces destroyed three pickup trucks and seized a significant cache of munitions and arms, including automatic rifles and mortars.
Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement that the fighting was some of the most violent since the campaign began. Burkhard added that the fighters the French are currently facing are notable for their "fanaticism."
"Their goal is to inflict a maximum of losses on us and, in the positions that they hold, they fight without any intention of retreating, which inevitably means that they take very, very heavy losses," he said.
Burkhard said fighting was continuing Sunday in the area, which the jihadists were hoping to turn into their sanctuary. He acknowledged that the French would never be able to completely wipe out the jihadi forces in the area, but hoped to dismantle the forces enough to eliminate the threat they pose to the Malian government and population.
That's proving harder than initially thought. At one point, the French had indicated they would start pulling out troops this month, but as fighting has intensified, officials now say troops will stay in Mali at least until July.
Hey everyone, I'm Dick Talens. I'm the co-founder of Fitocracy and a nutritional/fitness coach who specializes in helping people with very little time achieve their fitness goals. By this time of year, the largest drop off in exercise activity happens as New Year's resolutions start to go out the window. We start with high hopes and end up abandoning our goals. The most cited reason that people fail is because they don't have time, which is where my expertise comes in. 
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Public release date: 3-Mar-2013
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