Are you a good leader Answer these questions to find out

Are you a good leader Answer these questions to find outLeadership qualities are some of the most difficult soft skills to assess. Everyone has their own style, and leadership is already a pretty subjective termit can mean everything from just having a fancy title to inspiring team members who are your equals. But even if theres bedrngnis one true definition, there are some core qualities that can help you measure your strength as a leader. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) 1. Do you truly value other people as humans?Managers who see their team members as a resource, or pieces of a machine, are not among the most productive or successful leaders. If you listen to others, genuinely taking their feedback and concerns into account and understanding their basic humanity (mistakes, quirks, all the good stuff that make us human), it makes you a more empathetic leader. Active listening (without judgment) is one of the most effective leadership qualities you can have.2. Do you understand others emotions, as well as your own?Going back to the humanity issue, being in touch with your feelings and understanding others feelings is a common quality in the best leaders. This doesnt mean you have to overshare or cry at work it can be as simple as acknowledging your own emotions to your colleagues. I know I reacted with frustration, and heres why. The announcement made me upset too. Lets talk about that. Being open about your feelings (though work-appropriate ones only, please) and acknowledging others right to have them is a nuanced skill and one that is valued very highly.3. Do you encourage inclusivity and diversity?Diversity is a big buzzword these days, but even though it can feel a bit jargon-y, it shows a rather remarkable cultural shift in the workforce. Clique-iness and insider baseball are out, and having a broad range of people, cultures, perspectives, and opinions is in. Building your teams and your projects around peo ple who bring different skills and perspectives shows a deep commitment to teamwork. Finding a balanceinstead of a team of yes-people who see things the same way you doshows how much you value others input and viewpoints, and how much you understand that great things can come from unexpected places.4. Do you look toward the future?If you find yourself focusing obsessively on what just happened or whats going on now, that can lead to a feeling of aimlessness or rudderlessness. While you obviously need to be able to synthesize what worked and what didnt in the past and solve issues in the now, its essential to be able to see whats coming up. Planning, setting achievable goals, and making sure everyone is aware and on board with future strategies is a cornerstone of good leadership.5. Do you nurture others talents?Helping others grow should be a priority of any leader. Its against your interests (and your organizations) if the people around you feel stagnant in their work, or so overwh elmed with a current workload that they have no bandwidth to figure out what comes next. A strong leader makes sure that others are not only working to their potential but also growing in ways that allow them to move forward in their careers.If youve answered no to any of these questions, it doesnt mean youre simply a lousy leader or will never be executive materialit just means theres an opportunity to build your skills to become someone people admire and turn to for advice and guidance.

9 Signs Your Relationship is So Stressful That Its Unhealthy

9 Signs Your Relationship is So Stressful That Its Unhealthy Every relationship involves a certain degree of stress, and solid lebensgefhrteships give you the space and support to work through tough spots together. However, if your partner is the root cause of your stress, that complicates the dynamic. These nine signs often indicate that your partner and therefore your relationship stresses you out beyond a reasonable degree.1. You dont look forward to spending time together.Of course, even people in healthy relationships can appreciate spending time apart. But if you never look forward to the times you plan to spend with your significant other- or, even worse, if you actively dread those occasions- then thats a strong indicator that your relationship dredges up unpleasant emotions for you, which likely include some measure of stress.2. You start overanalyzing every interaction (or lack of interaction).When a relationship feels mora stressful than not, its natural to put every inte raction with your partner under a figurative microscope. Minute conversations, tiny gestures, habits that you never even noticed in the past- they can all become fodder for intense analysis. At the same time, if you and your partner arent interacting as often as usual, that can become equally anxiety-inducing when youre in a stressful relationship.3. Your stress starts to manifest in health concerns.Does relationship-related stress keep you up at night? Do you find yourself particularly susceptible to colds, flus, and mysterious bugs when youre not in a good place with your partner? When your health becomes compromised by concerns involving your partner, that certainly suggests too much stress.4. Your libido seems significantly lower than your norm.According to Psych Central, stress causes spikes in adrenaline and cortisol, which suppress the hormones needed to get in the mood.5. Youre hesitant to share outside problems and concerns with your partner.If you dont feel comfortable sha ring your stresses with your partner in general, that might be because theyre part of your regular rotation of stressors. When something goes wrong at work or you get into a nasty disagreement with a friend, can you go to your partner to unload and receive comfort? If not, then its likely that theyre part of the problem rather than part of the solution.6. Fights and arguments either become far mora frequent...or you find yourself going to extreme lengths to avoid them.Everyone gets into spats with their significant others from time to time. But if you notice these arguments popping up far more often than usual (and if the fights take longer than usual to blow over), that could be a byproduct of a stressful partnership.7. Small habits and quirks of your partners become distracting annoyances.Even if your relationship is in a healthy and functional place, its possible to feel irked by minor mannerisms of your partners. However, if you find yourself unable to ignore your partners tende ncy to bite their fingernails or use a tonal uptick at the end of every sentence, that could be a byproduct of larger relationship-related stress.8. Your goals for the relationship no longer point in the same direction.The communication issues inherent in a stressful relationship often result in partners focusing on different priorities. Sometimes, these priorities dont serve complementary purposes, which leads to alienation and a weakening of the bond between partners.9. Youve schwefellost the team dynamic in your relationship.Of course, individuality is essential to a strong relationship partners should have interests and pursuits separate from each other. However, when you and your partner no longer function as a united front in any capacity, thats a sign that stress is taking a powerful and damaging toll on your connection.--

Recruiting Veterans with Social Media - Spark Hire

Recruiting Veterans with Social Media - Spark HireSocial media is a powerful recruitment tool. In fact, mora than 70 percent of hiring professionals are increasing their investment into social recruiting. Social media platforms offer an ideal way to showcase your brand and find quality applicants. Recruiting via social networks can also help increase employee referrals and reduce time to hire.When it comes to attracting talented military veterans, social media is an especially effective tool. Like their civilian counterparts, many young vets use social networking sites but older veterans do, too. In fact, four out of 10 veterans who use Facebook are older than 45. Here are 3 steps you should take when you go about recruiting veterans with social media Why Hire Veterans?Veterans possess characteristics that make them outstanding employees for small businesses and Fortune 500 corporations alike. According to a poll of business leaders, 90 percent said the vets they employ have a stron g sense of responsibility, understand the meaning of teamwork, and demonstrate a high degree of professionalism. They also agree that veterans often flourish under pressure, assimilate easily to leadership roles, and are adaptable. In addition to benefiting your company by being first-rate workers, veterans help build goodwill with consumers and may make your company eligible for tax incentives.Follow unterstellung steps to leverage social media to attract and hire veterans.Step 1 Know your audience.To effectively market your jobs to vets, you need to know what matters to them. Follow veteran-focused hashtags, such as vets,MilitaryMonday,and SOV (Support Our Veterans) and join veteran groups on Facebook and LinkedIn to learn about issues important to veterans. If your company employs veterans or military spouses, ask for their insights.Quick Tip Veterans families often play a huge role in their transition to civilian employment. In addition to vet-focused discussions, follow the exc hanges of military spouses and other family members through hashtags like MilFam.Step 2 Build an authentic pro-veteran employer brand.Like other job hunters, veterans want to know what your business has to offer before they send in their resume. Use what youve learned about veterans to develop a vet-friendly employee value proposition (EVP) and communicate it through social media. If your corporate culture encourages teamwork and serving others, make sure your EVP highlights this fact vets tend to look for behauptung specific organizational values. You might also consider creating a mentor program specifically for veterans and touting this fact via social platforms.Quick Tip If you already employ veterans, ask them to help you build relationships with others by endorsing your company on Facebook or recommending it through their personal social media accounts.Step 3 Write veteran-friendly job descriptions.Veterans often struggle to align their skills with the requirements outlined i n traditional job descriptions. Use language that makes it easy for veterans to correlate their military training and experience to the position requirements. A skills translator tool like Military.com or O*NET Online can help you become familiar with the military occupational specialty (MOS) codes that pertain to your industry.When drafting your job description, keep in mind that less than one-third of vets 25 and older have a college degree, so consider amending the phrase bachelors degree required to include or equivalent military experience. Make your job listing even more appealing to vets by offering flexible work arrangements when possible.Quick Tip When posting jobs on social media, use popular vet hashtags such as military, hiring, militaryhiring, HireaVet, and jobs to make them easier for veterans to discover.Social media recruitment allows you to proactively tap the talent pool of service members and find the best candidates for your workplace. Utilizing these steps and t ips will help bring you one step closer to finding the best fit for your company.What other non-traditional methods do you utilize when recruiting veterans?About the Author Alice Williams has an MA in Communication Studies from San Francisco State University, where she studied organizational communication and HR extensively. She is a contributor to BusinessBee and likes to go hiking with her husband in her spare time.