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Career, Economy, News

The Human Chess Piece

February 12, 2009

In the game of chess, each player gets 16 chess pieces. With those chess pieces, it is the players goal to take the other players king. Most chess players will tell you that chess is made up of calculative moves with each player thinking of all possible situations and scenarios that might happen two to three plays later. In comparison to the game of chess, companies function in a similar way.

Similar to the game of chess, a company has rankings withing itself that signifies power and influence. Just like the king is the most important piece in chess, the CEO or the corporation itself can be considered in the same way. Likewise, a company also has those that would be considered pawns. In today’s economy we have a very unique but also scary reality. On one side we have a corporation and on the other we have our opponent, the economy.

If we were to look at the situation as a chess game, the economy is pressing us hard and threatening each and every company. Whether its the small mom and pops stores or the large corporations, everyone feels the pressure of the economy bearing down on them. Like pawns getting picked off a chessboard, corporations are forced to layoff workers in order to stay alive and ‘protect the king.’

Their is no easy way to ‘defeat’ our opponent, but like in chess we must evaluate our the options and make the best choice we can. I believe that Grand Master Chess Player, Emaunel Lasker said it best when he said:

“When you see a good move, look for a better one” – Emanuel Lasker

While the situation is dire and we must make swift decisions, it is not without saying that we must think not only about the instant ramifications of our decisions but also the long term results as well. When certain moves seem like the right one, we must scrutinize it till exhaustion and make sure that we can’t make a better one. Learning from mistakes only makes us smarter and capitalizing on great ideas makes us stronger.

While I have compared corporations and its employees to a chess game, the same can be applied to anyone. Whether it be an individual, a family, or business, everyone in their own certain way is playing against an invisible opponent. Understanding your opponent and the situation is key to success. Without understanding what is going on is like trying to play a sport without knowing the rules.

While some may say that the saying “if at first you don’t succeed try try again” is the best way to approach things, I would disagree and say that it is not always the best approach. What I feel is wrong about that quote is that it says nothing about doing your best or giving it your all. What it should say is:

“Try your best, and if you don’t succeed, try again.”

For some chess players, they can win without even trying. Still, we must not take the ‘game’ we play lightly and must realize that the biggest difference between losing in chess and in real life is that we don’t get a rematch with it.

Career, Economy

Drop For Me!

February 9, 2009

Have you ever wanted to start an online business, but don’t know how? From finding the right personnel to run your daily operations to networking with the right individuals, starting an e-commerce business can be difficult. Understanding how hard it is to start a business, we have launched DropForMe.com. Drop For Me was started with the purpose of helping others who want to start drop shipping or an online business by providing them with a free supplier list.

One of the most difficult parts of starting an online e-commerce site or drop shipping is finding suppliers. While they do exist, it can be time consuming and also frustrating. We realized this and thus DropForMe.com was created.

So how does it work?

1. Go to DropForMe.com
2. Sign up for our free email list
3. Get emailed 3 new suppliers twice a day, 5 days a week!

Simple as that!

The suppliers we have are great for anyone interested in starting their own drop shipping business or even looking for suppliers for their current ones. Not only do our sources drop ship for you but many also offer wholesale.

We also took into account that some of our subscribers may not want to wait 30 days to get the full months list so we do offer the whole list for a small fee of $20.00 with an additional 80 suppliers on the list for a total of 200 suppliers.

I must give credit as well to Peter Shankman who inspired the idea through his “Help A Reporter Out” (HARO) free newsletter. Similar to his goal of helping others, it is our goal at DropForMe.com to help others who are looking for a quality supplier time and money so that they have more time to become successful!.

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Follow us on Twitter: DropForMe

Career, College

Confidence After Leaving College

February 5, 2009

Graduating from college I can say that I am smarter and wiser than when I first arrived. While I say that I am smarter and wiser, I wouldn’t say that college fully prepared me for the ‘real world’. Instead college taught me about international trade theory and how to write a paper in proper MLA form. What college didn’t teach me, I had to learn on my own. From learning how to write and prepare a resume, to interviewing, I like so many others felt that college did little to prepare me for the ‘real world.’

Talking to others that recently graduated and are currently looking for a job, lack of confidence in themselves is the biggest weakness that many expressed to me. Whether it’s not being qualified enough for a job or not knowing the direction they are headed, many believe that college’s should have spent more time in helping students prepare for post-graduation plans. Perhaps it is only the university I attended, but I feel that while students had an idea of what career path they wanted to go down it was still vague and unclear.

Consider this quote by the famous Albert Einstein:

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.”

I believe that Einstein’s quote reflects the situation that many of those graduating from college will realize in the future. What you learn after college is worth more than what you learn during it. While I am by no means saying that college hasn’t given me tools to succeed in life, but rather I am saying that college needs to do a better job of giving students realistic preparation. Most students will never use econometrics or advanced invertebrate anatomy, but what most students will remember are time management, organizational behavior, how to write a resume and email etiquette. Unfortunately, the things I just listed are all things that aren’t offered through college courses except through career centers. While the career center is a good place to go for resources, ask students if they have been to their career center and most will tell you no or even ask where it is. This of course is subject to scrutiny as no two career centers are alike. Problems such as students not being unable to go to the career center during there often selective hour should not be reason for a student being prepared for the future. If college courses offered classes that were post-graduation focused such as personal finance and personal development courses with no grade and would have no effect on one’s units then I believe that it would be beneficial and many students would opt for it.

Confidence as I mentioned earlier is an element that some college students wish they had more of. Whether its offering classes that are geared toward practical preparation such as resume help or helping students map out post-grad plans, colleges should strive to not only give us the knowledge of numbers and theorems but also to be able to enter the workforce or any endeavor and feel like we are prepared and ready for anything.

The first project that I worked on at Future Delivery was FD Career. FD Career’s motto was “Career Development Made Fun.” Through exercises/quests and networking opportunities, students and young professionals are able to make themselves more well rounded and thus be better prepared. One of the key elements to being productive at work is believing in your product which in this case was FD Career. As a freshman in college I would have loved to have a website like FD Career around to help prepare me for career paths and help me understand the importance of networking and one’s personal brand.

To students and anyone who is looking for a job or even just looking for a direction and help, I leave you with a few words of inspiration from a doctor:

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
~Dr. Seuss

Career, Lifestyle

The Power Of Charisma

January 22, 2009

As I stopped to listen to the inauguration speech of newly appointed president, Barack Obama, the thing that stood out most about him was not the content of his speech but rather how he was able to draw the attention of millions by just the words he spoke. His words not only captivated millions but it also instilled hope and inspiration to those who listened. Obama shares a rare trait that great leaders have. That trait is charisma.

While many may be described as charismatic, true and genuine charisma is often hard to find. Charisma is often defined as a rare trait in human personality that includes charm and a ‘magnetic’ quality. Not only is charisma a rare trait, it is also by far one of the most valued. Taking a look at the famous leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Caesar, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and Nelson Mandela, the key characteristic that all of them shared was their ability to captivate an audience. From Napoleon’s ability to rally his troops through is powerful words to Martin Luther King Jr.’s ability to charm thousands and lead millions, charisma is a powerful tool. Anyone can become a leader, but it takes true charisma to get people to follow you. You maybe extremely bright, but without charisma, you can only go so far.

In the business world, charisma plays a huge role in the workplace. While work ethic and efficiency are both key factors in promotions, a persons charisma is also key. Someone who is charismatic not only gets along with most people, but they can also make up for areas they lack in with their charm. The goal of any company is to hire a well rounded individuals that can come in and bring value to the company. The key word out of that sentence is value. Speaking to the HR of a few companies, many agree that charisma has huge value.

Aside from the charisma playing a huge part in the business world, charisma is also a dominant trait in entertainment and sports. When you look at players like Kobe Bryant and actors like Will Smith, aside from work on the court and on film, people naturally gravitate toward them. This ‘magnetic’ trait that they have has helped them become as popular as they are today. Even looking at our past president, George Bush, we can see the power of charisma. While he wasn’t loved by all, people would agree that part of the reason he got to White House was because of his personal charisma.

While not all of us can be as smooth as Will Smith or are able to captivate a nation like President Barack Obama, it is important to recognize those that are charismatic. Being able to identify individuals with genuine charisma can be difficult because who is to say what “true” and “genuine” charisma is, but here is a suggestion to figuring it out: Look around you and see who are the followers, and who are the leaders. More than often, the leaders have true charisma.