Personal Narrative

Individual Narrative-Helping Others Essay Individual Narrative-Helping Others Declining ways of life and proceeding with exportation of our occupations have brought about rising feelings of anxiety for all Americans. This outcomes in negative impacts on our prosperity †intellectually, truly and inwardly. A few people look to diminish feelings of anxiety by utilizing liquor and medications. Some exhaust themselves, bringing about mental breakdowns. The pharmaceutical mammoths pocket billions of dollars a year from deals of sedatives, antidepressants, barbiturates, amphetamines, and other psychoactive prescriptions. We realize we should figure out how to control worry in more secure, saner, and more beneficial ways. So we read about Yoga or Aromatherapy, or possibly Feng Shui. We consider doing pressure the executives courses. We attempt to get more exercise and outside air. We check for additives and different added substances in our nourishments, and stock up on multi-nutrients. All valuable and beneficial thoughts. In any case, one pressure buster that we don’t hear much about is helping other people. A cherishing or steady act, spontaneous and unlimited, can light up another’s life and come back to us as satisfaction and a feeling of prosperity. At the point when we include ourselves in helping another person, we conquer the egotistical idea of our own nerves. Living in colossal focuses of populace, as such a significant number of us do, frequently implies that we come up short on the association and co-activity with neighbors which would have been so much a piece of my grandparents’ lives. It’s reasonable, I assume, that continually feeling our space attacked, we make a special effort to protect a type of security and wind up cutting ourselves off from individuals who live just yards from us. Then again, for those of us who approach it, the Internet has brought an entire n. .y own heart is its crusading for the benefit of the â€Å"unknowns† †those detainees who are tormented or in danger of death in dark conditions, and whose names once in a while arrive at the global media. You can find out about a portion of these urgent individuals at www.stoptorture.org. The scholar Reinhold Niebuhr instituted a definitive articulation of strengthening: (God) award me the peacefulness to acknowledge the things I can't change, mental fortitude to change the things I can, and the intelligence to know the distinction. By joining in Amnesty’s work, we can change things. By each sending an Amnesty Stop Torture postcard to five companions, together we can possibly add thousands to the rundown participation and continually increment their impact. Would you be able to envision what number of lives could be changed, or even spared, if we all demonstrated somebody detained and overlooked that we truly care?

Die Lorelei by German Poet Heinrich Heine

Bite the dust Lorelei by German Poet Heinrich Heine Heinrich Heine was conceived in Dã ¼sseldorf, Germany. He was known as Harryâ until he changed over to Christianity when he was in his 20s. His dad was a fruitful material vendor and Heine followed in his dads strides by contemplating business. He before long acknowledged he didn't have a lot of fitness for business and exchanged over to law. While at the college, he got known for his verse. His first book was an assortment of his movement journals called Reisebilder (Travel Pictures) in 1826. Heine was one of the most powerful German writers in the nineteenth century, and German specialists attempted to stifle him in view of his radical political perspectives. He was additionally known for his expressive writing, which was combined with a good soundtrack by traditional greats, for example, Schumann, Schubert, and Mendelssohn. The Lorelei One of Heines celebrated sonnets, Die Lorelei, depends on a German legend of a captivating, luring mermaid who baits sailors to their demise. It has been combined with a good soundtrack by various writers, for example, Friedrich Silcher and Franz Liszt.â Here is Heines poem:â Ich weiss nicht, was soll es bedeuten,Dass ich so traurig bin;Ein Mrchen aus alten Zeiten,Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.Die Luft ist kã ¼hl, und es dunkelt,Und ruhig fliesst der Rhein;Der Gipfel des Berges funkeltIm Abendsonnenschein.Die schã ¶nste Jungfrau sitzetDort oben wunderbar,Ihr goldenes Geschmeide blitzet, Sie kmmt ihr goldenes Haar.Sie kmmt es mit goldenem KammeUnd singt ein Lied dabei;Das cap eine wundersame,Gewaltige Melodei.Den Schiffer im kleinen SchiffeErgreift es mit wildem Weh;Er schaut nicht bite the dust Felsenriffe,Er schat nur hinauf in kick the bucket Hà ¶h.Ich glaube, pass on Welllen verschlingenAm Ende Schiffer und Kahn;Und das cap mit ihrem SingenDie Lorelei getan. English interpretation (not generally deciphered actually): I dont comprehend what it meansThat I am so sadA legend ofâ bygone daysThat I can't keep insane. The air is cool and night is coming.The quiet Rhine courses its way.The pinnacle of the mountain dazzlesWith nighttimes last ray.The most attractive of ladies is sittingUp there, an excellent delight,Her brilliant gems are shining,Shes brushing her brilliant hair.She holds a brilliant comb,Singing along, as wellAn enthrallingAnd hypnotizing melody.In his little pontoon, the boatmanIs seized by it with a savage woe.He doesn't view the rough ledgeBut fairly high up into the heavens.I imagine that the waves will devourThe boatman and vessel in the endAnd this by her tunes sheer powerFair Loreley has done. Heines Later Writings In Heines later compositions, perusers will take note of an expanded proportion of incongruity, mockery, and mind. He regularly criticized sappy sentimentalism and over extravagant depictions of nature. Despite the fact that Heine adored his German roots, he frequently investigated Germanys differentiating feeling of nationalism. Eventually, Heine left Germany, tired of its brutal oversight, and lived in France throughout the previous 25 years of his life. 10 years before he kicked the bucket, Heine turned out to be sick and never recuperated. In spite of the fact that he was confined to bed for the following 10 years, he despite everything delivered a considerable lot of work, remembering work for Romanzero und Gedichte and Lutezia, an assortment of political articles. Heine didn't have any kids. At the point when he passed on in 1856, he deserted his a lot more youthful French spouse. The reason for his passing is accepted to be from constant lead harming.

This is the Right Way to Call Out of Work

This is the Right Way to Call Out of Work You need a break from work.Without it, you won’t be very productive in the long run.This is understandable and it is the reason employers give their employees leave. Leave is meant to provide a season of rest from work.There are different types of leave. Although some employers can give more types, the most common are annual and sick leaves.Annual leave is given every year to the employees who are entitled to have it.This might mean having worked at the company for a set number of months.Or maybe just having fulfilled any of the requirements provided.Sick leave comes in handy when an employee falls sick and can’t come to work.They therefore apply for a sick leave and get back to work once they are well.But what happens when you are not sick yet you need a day or two off?You have probably exhausted your number of annual leave days for the year.What do you do?Many resort to lying that they are sick so as to get that extra day off.Whereas that has worked for many, some have also bee n caught in the vice. As expected, the consequences followed.This trend has actually been very popular and one survey by CareerBuilder showed that such cases are on the rise.In 2016, 35% of employees surveyed feigned sickness to get off duty. In 2017, the figure rose to 40%.Despite the employees having a paid time off program, 28% of them still called in sick though they weren’t.38% of employers have checked on sick workers. Out of those, 26% have fired at least one employee for lying.If you are an employee thinking of doing the same, it would be good to consider what would have happened if you were the employer.Have some empathy and understand that the business would suffer.Despite all the reasoning behind fake excuses, lying remains to be wrong.If your employer is not giving you enough time off, then you can check with the labor department concerning that matter.All in all, the main issue is the communication of your planned absence.What is your company’s sick leave policy?Eve ry company has policies which guide its decision making.This includes a sick leave policy detailing how to go about applying for a sick leave.In many cases, you will be required to communicate as soon as possible when you intend to be off duty. Upon return, you might have to come with a doctor’s note.This will be the evidence that you were truly sick.Some of the things you need to know about your company’s sick leave policy are:1. How do you communicate? the lack of communication is always a cause of many problems. If you are sick and won’t be making it to work, the least you can do is communicate about it. This should also be done soonest possible to allow for proper planning.2. How do you apply for the leave? there will be procedures to be followed when applying for leave. Your company’s procedures may not necessarily be the same as your former employer’s. It is therefore necessary to familiarize yourself with them.In most organizations, this is easy since they issue a copy of the relevant policies to every new employee. If you got these but never read them, now will be a good time to do so.3. Is there a maximum number of days you can take? just as annual leave has a set number of days which can be taken, so it is with the sick leave. Different employers may give different number of days. Check with HR to be sure.4. Are the days taken off work payable? this is very important. Many employees have complained about this yet they are the ones who operated in ignorance. Avoid getting into an unnecessary fight with your employer over this due to lack of knowledge.You may paint a negative picture of yourself and hurt your career progress at the company.The Family and Medical Leave ActIn the US, all eligible employees of companies subject to the Family and Medical Leave Act are entitled to sick leave. This leave is job-protected and provides 12 workweeks in any particular year.Among a variety of reasons for the leave covered under this act, you can be allowed to go on leave for childbirth or adoption processes.You can also take leave for the sake of caring for a sick spouse and children.More details can be found here. A quick mention though, payment for the days off is not guaranteed.If you fall sick, you can communicate the same and stay at home till recovery.But what if you are not sick?You may have other reasons as to why you want to take a day off.Maybe you want to take care of something personal.As a rule of thumb, it is best to be honest.But if you are sure your employer or manager is not considerate, then you may look for an appropriate reason to give.Yet the biggest challenge comes when you are about to communicate the same.HOW TO CALL OUT OF WORKCommunicating that you will not be showing up at work is not easy.Even when you are sincerely unwell, there will always be that fear that your boss may think you are lying.Such fears can be worsened by a bad working relationship with your boss.Here is an easy route out of the sit uation. Just follow the steps in their order and you will be done faster than you know.Since in most cases the permission is granted without much questioning and suspicion, you will be surprised at how easy this was.Read on to learn the steps.Communicate as Early as PossibleAs mentioned, communication is key.In fact, communication is so important that it keeps teams and organizations running successfully.Without it there would be chaos.Communication is not just the passing of information from one person to another.There is more to it than that. For there to be communication, there must be listening and understanding.And this is from both parties.Watch the below short video for some tips you can apply when making that phone call. One crucial aspect of communication is timing. Communicating at the right time is probably the most important thing. Especially when calling to say you won’t be in.Remember that there is work to be done and you have your own work pile to deal with. If you don’t show up, that work may stay pending.But since it has to be handled for the sake of progress, won’t it be better if it was divided among those present?Yet it would be very unfortunate for your team if they learned about your absence 2 hours after they have settled on their desks.They have planned their day and started working only to receive more work which was meant to be done by you.It is therefore best to ensure you communicate earliest possible.Unless your absence has been occasioned by something that came up suddenly, try to communicate the previous evening. Or first thing in the morning.Here are the two people, or kinds of people you need to call immediately.1. Your colleagues â€" although many people advise that the first person to call should be your boss, you should actually start with your colleagues. If the first person to call is your boss, you are essentially telling him to deal with your absence. That is not very responsible.When you call your colleagues first , you get the opportunity to sort out everything about your work. Remember you were hired so that your work gets done. As far as your boss is concerned, the job you do is taken care of. So why should he find out that it isn’t?Take some time and think of the best person(s) to handle your work. Talk to them then allocate accordingly. Ensure that your absence from work will have the least impact on the day’s performance.2. Your boss or manager â€" now to your boss, or the person above you. The first thing to remember is that this is your boss, not your colleague. Secondly, what you are about to tell him was not expected and you do not know how he will react.With that in mind, you want to be very strategic in your communication.What is your boss’ preferred way of communication? Is it email, text or phone call?If your boss prefers emails and you know he checks them, send him one quickly. If he prefers a text message, send it. If calls, then pick up your phone and make the call.Obvi ously, you might feel fearful and uncertain. Do not allow those feelings to distract your mind. If they are really getting the better of you, just stop thinking about them, dial his number and call.For the sake of preparing you, step number two tells you how to communicate about the situation.Be Brief and to the PointMost bosses do not like many details, especially if the details are not very helpful. Bosses are mostly decision makers and they are often short on time.They are interested in knowing that everything is working well.If you are therefore coming with some “bad” news, make it brief.Do not start creating an atmosphere for him to understand the situation.For example, your child may have been required to report to school with his parents.While communicating this, don’t start telling your boss how you noticed your child was not acting properly during breakfast, prompting you to ask him what the matter was.Only for him to say “nothing.” But you knew there was somethin g so you insisted and then he broke the news.Doing this will be wasting your boss’ time.No matter how much he likes you, your boss is at work, or headed there. He is not interested in your breakfast dialogue with your child.If the preferred mode of communication is text or email, then this should be easy for you.But if he prefers calls, then you know there is the possibility of being asked some questions.In any case, just give direct answers with no explanations unless they make sense.With our example, you could say, “I’m sorry I won’t be able to come in today. I’ve just been informed that I’m required at my son’s school. I have spoken with Mike and Jane and they will take care of what I was to work on today.”The most important part of your communication should not be the reason for your absence, but the fact that you have arranged for your work to be handled.This will show your boss that you are mature and responsible.Good traits which he might remember and hopefull y use for a promotion.Are you available?In your absence from work, you may be able to work from home.This is obviously dependent on the reason you are not going to work.With our example above, it may not be possible.But if you are, say, having a flu, you might actually be able to perform some tasks while at home.The same applies if you were having a doctor’s appointment.Maybe you will return home early enough to be able to reduce the workload.Or it could be that you can attend some meetings through video conferencing, if your company does that.Your availability does not necessarily have to be in the office. If you can do something to help with the work, you should mention it.As we have already seen, the first people to discuss this with are your colleagues. If you will be available, mention it to your boss too. Tell him you’ll be able to handle some things from home.Unless he asks what tasks you can handle from home, do not bother telling him.And of course, always give the assur ance that you will be available on phone if needed.This shows your commitment to your job and your willingness to make it easy for your colleagues to cover for you.Give Important Work-Related InformationThe last thing you have to do is share critical information pertaining to your work.If someone will be handling something you usually work on, tell them what they need to know so as to do the job correctly.If there were any meetings scheduled, for example, brief the person sitting in for you.Let them know as much as possible and advise them on what they should ask, get or clarify during the meeting.If it is the kind of work requiring some documents, explain where the documents are. Explain what is to be done with what and ask them to return the documents where they should be.Some precaution should also be taken during your absence from work.WHAT NOT TO DO AFTER CALLING OUT OF WORKAfter the successful communication of your absence and having been given the “okay,” there are things you should avoid doing.The last thing you want to do is show disrespect for the permission granted.Since you may have some free time after sorting out the issue you had, make sure you are careful to keep the below things in mind.Do Not Go on Social MediaThis is an obvious one though still worth mentioning.This is especially important to remember in case you called in sick, yet the sickness was a lie.It can be a big undoing for you if you were apparently sick in the morning, yet in the afternoon were basking on the beach.Posting such a picture on your social accounts will not only anger your colleagues, but can have serious effects.It will paint the picture of being out to use others while enjoying yourself.Unless you are legally on holiday, you will be better off staying away from social media.In the event that you did not give sickness as a reason, would it be okay to be on social media?No.Consider that your colleagues are doing your work. Taking to social media will have the effe ct of making your colleagues feel used. And they might not like it.Respect their efforts and show appreciation by acting right.Do Not Share Your Login CredentialsThis is a common mistake done by many people in an effort to ensure their colleagues have the easiest time possible working on their tasks.It may be that a document is available on your work computer and it’s needed by a colleague. Instead of giving out your password, you will be better off giving it to someone in IT.With IT having your password, then it is for them to control its use. You can advise them to share certain documents with your colleague then switch off your computer.Just ensure that you change the password when you resume work.Passwords are usually the weakest point in a network where non-IT employees are concerned. While some use passwords like “123456,” other use more difficult ones but use them for multiple accounts.Of course there is the usual challenge of being able to remember many complex passwor ds. To take care of this, consider investing in a password manager. One of the best is called Lastpass. This is not a matter of not trusting your colleagues, or suspecting them. It is about staying safe.You may trust your colleague very much but then he logs in and leaves your account open. You may never know what someone else could do.Take this as a preventive measure.It would be a good idea if your company had a policy touching on such matters.You may want to check with HR or IT on this.Do Not Switch Your Phone OffWhether you said you are available or not, it is good to keep your phone on.Anything could happen at work. The very clear instructions you gave may be forgotten.The notebook on which the instructions were written may get misplaced.Staying on keeps everything flowing.Furthermore, it makes it easy for your colleagues to handle your work. If they can contact you, they will not complain of hitting a wall while trying their best to do your job.In fact, staying on gives you th e opportunity to talk to them about how things are going and encourage them if they are feeling tired.You will also update them on your status which will most likely be of their interest.You might also remember something you never mentioned earlier and need to communicate it. It is therefore a win-win for both you and your colleagues.CONCLUSIONNow that you have learned the right way to call out of work, do it confidently and take care of whatever issue came up.

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare - 560 Words

A tragedy is a story in where the main character obtains a flaw that leads to their downfall. This main character, called a tragic hero, possesses qualities that cause their demise. These qualities are called tragic flaws. In Julius Caesar, both Julius Caesar and Brutus can be seen as tragic heroes. However, Brutus is the most tragic hero of the two. The qualities that make Brutus a hero are also the qualities that lead to his downfall. He cares about everyone, and makes each decision for the good of Rome. However, the fact that he is too trusting, too honorable, and too stoic, ultimately leads to his downfall. Brutus’ first flaw is that he is too trusting. He cares too much about helping others, and trusts them entirely. At Caesar’s funeral, Brutus allows Antony to speak once the conspirators leave. He believes that Antony has the right to speak at his friend’s funeral, and trusts that Antony’s speech will not poorly affect the conspirators (3.1.263-270). Brutus also holds trust in the members of the conspiracy. He believes that they are acting out of nobility, but instead they are acting out of jealousy (4.3.9-12). Brutus holds too much trust in the people around him, and that undying trust leads to his downfall. Brutus’ next flaw is that he has too much honor and too much pride. More importantly, he does not want to disgrace himself. Brutus wants to help the people of Rome more than he wants to help himself. He agrees to kill Caesar for the purpose of benefiting Rome.Show MoreRelatedJulius Caesar by William Shakespeare646 Words   |  3 Pages William Shakespeare is one of the greatest playwrights of all time. He has written over 30 plays that include comedies, histories, and tragedies. A tragedy is about the downfall of a tragic hero, and the tragic hero is someone of greater power or high standing obtaining a flaw. One of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies is the story of Julius Caesar. In this story, the main character, Julius Caesar, is plotted against his best friend, Brutus, and the head of the conspiracy, Cassius. After Caesar getsRead MoreJulius Caesar - William Shakespeare731 Words   |  3 Pages1. Julius Caesar – William Shakespeare a. Plot: Romans are going crazy over Julius Caesar. Even though he’s just a senator, the treatment is a bit more royal. Some of the other elite aren’t so happy that the little people like him so much. Caesar is warned, â€Å"beware the ides of march,† which he promptly ignores. Cassius, a worried upper class man, grooms Brutus, a good man, to be sure of himself and to worry about Caesar. Brutus tends to represent the morality and public opinion. The upper class learnRead MoreJulius Caesar by William Shakespeare2100 Words   |  9 PagesIn the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Mark Antony is depicted as a better leader than Brutus, due to his cunning use of rhetoric when addressing the plebeians after Caesar’s death. This essay will be divided into two sections to explore the ways in which Antony is depicted as better leader. The First section will contextualise the extracts used for analysis, and compare Brutus’s pedestrian speech with Mar k Antony’s impressive oratory. This will be done by defining what rhetoric is, andRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar1082 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"Et tu, Brutà ©? Then fall Caesar† (III.i 179). The fatal stabs of the conspirators did not kill the all-mighty Julius Caesar, for the sharp butcher of Brutus pierced his heart and condemned his life to cessation. This dramatic, mood changing affair serves as the pivotal platform in William Shakespeare’s, Julius Caesar. It is a compelling novel that recounts the unjust murder of Julius Caesar, an ancient Roman general. Oblivious to this conspicuous foreshadowing, Caesar fails to distinguish his trueRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar888 Words   |  4 Pagesof words? William Shakespeare, in his play Julius Caesar, demonstrates how brilliant command of the English language can convey a deeper depth of meaning than just the denotation of words. Towards the beginning of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare introduces Brutus, a close friend of Caesar, and Cassius, another honored Roman. Due to a fear of Caesar attempting to become emperor, Cassius wants to assassinate Caesar. With this desire, Cassius decides to add Brutus in his plot to eliminate Caesar, and togetherRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar Essay1833 Words   |  8 Pages INTRODUCTION The seemingly straightforward simplicity of â€Å"Julius Caesar† has made it a perennial favourite for almost 400 years. Despite its simplicity, almost Roman in nature, the play is rich both dramatically and thematically, and every generation since Shakespeare’s time has been able to identify with some political aspect of the play. The Victorians found a stoic, sympathetic character in Brutus and found Caesar unforgivably weak and tyrannical. As we move into the twenty-first century, audiencesRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar1850 Words   |  8 Pages often has greater effects even than death itself. Such talented literary figures, such as William Shakespeare, recognized that a betrayal, especially that of a friend by a friend, constitutes one of the basest and darkest deeds of which humans are capable. Shakespeare was so intrigued by this concept that he instilled it in some of his greatest literary works. Although William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar provides a largely accurate and incredibly detailed record of the assassination of its namesakeRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar Essay2414 Words   |  10 Pages Christa Kiesling AP Lang Block 1 Mr. Snider 6 Nov. 2016 RA1 William Shakespeare, in his historical play Julius Caesar, makes the characters Brutus and Antony utilize rhetorical strategies in order to win the favour of the Roman people for their own purposes. These two speakers try to convince the audience of different things: where Brutus, who speaks first, was trying to subdue the passions of the mob and use logic to win acceptance for his murderous actions, Antony, who had to follow Brutus, wasRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar760 Words   |  4 Pagespeople of Rome. In Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare, Brutus and Antony address the people over Caesar’s dead body. The body is brought to the town square shortly after he was murdered by the Senate. Brutus, one of the murderers, appeals to the people’s fear and patriotism. Antony speaks after and puts doubts of the justification of the murder and plays to the people’s hearts. Brutus addresses the crowd by using his reputation to support his reasons for killing Caesar. He starts his speechRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar804 Words   |  4 Pagesthe phenomenal, as well as tyrannical, Roman rulers throughout history, Julius Caesar is by far the most prominent. This fame is due in no small part to William Shakespeare and his play that bears the same name. However, although Caesar is the play’s namesake, the story’s central focus is on Brutus and Caius Cassius and their plot to assassinate Caesar. When discussing Antony’s fate in Act II scene 1 of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus argues against what he perceives as the unnecessary and brutal

Leadership Theories Of The Nhs Leadership Essay - 1652 Words

This reflective essay is based on the personal SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats) analysis, to examine my leadership potential. It will define leadership within context of the NHS leadership as well as highlight some of the current incidents relate to poor leadership. Additionally, it will briefly discuss some of the relevant leadership theories that can be applied to nursing practice whilst exploring my own leadership style. Lastly, this essay will reflect the scenario from practice to support my â€Å"strengths† and â€Å"weakness† whilst developing a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound) goal plan to address one of my weakness and then the conclusion will be drawn summarising the key points within the essay. Leadership has been defined in a number of ways, but the concept is still indefinable (Barr and Dowding 2016). Buchanan and Huczynski (2010, p. 596) define leadership as â€Å"a process of influencing the activities of an organised group in its efforts towards goal-setting and goal achievement†. In clinical practice, leadership translates to an ability to direct other to achieve evidence-based practice that supports enhanced patient outcomes (Kelly-Hiedenthal 2004). Like any other industries and organisations, an effective leadership skill is vital in the healthcare sector to improve the standards of the care and to achieve organisational goals (Bach and Ellis 2015). Sullivan and Decker (2004) stated that nurses often step up to theShow MoreRelatedMy Personal Motivation Of The Newly Qualified Nurse1197 Words   |  5 Pagesnewly qualified nurse will be considering what they can do to pave the way toward the best care possible for patients. 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Indeed in many ways these facts represent the NHS achieving what it set out to do when it was firstRead MoreThe Importance Of Team Building And Patient Care Standards Essay1642 Words   |  7 Pagesbeing compassionate and working for patients in the healthcare environment (Mckeown, 2015). The key aspect discussed in the following essay is the importance of team building and how it is applied in making sure professional, National Health Service (NHS) and patient care standards are met. Tuckman’s (1965) hypothesis implied that all teams experience an ineffective stage primarily then going onto becoming a solitary independent unit. Teams are formed as a result of being given a problem or task (Tuckman

The Lost Symbol Chapter 113-116 Free Essays

CHAPTER 113 Wrapped in wool blankets, Langdon stood on wobbly legs and stared down at the open tank of liquid. His body had returned to him, although he wished it had not. His throat and lungs burned. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lost Symbol Chapter 113-116 or any similar topic only for you Order Now This world felt hard and cruel. Sato had just explained the sensory-deprivation tank . . . adding that if she had not pulled him out, he would have died of starvation, or worse. Langdon had little doubt that Peter had endured a similar experience. Peter is in the in-between, the tattooed man had told him earlier tonight. He is in purgatory . . . Hamistagan. If Peter had endured more than one of those birthing processes, Langdon would not have been surprised if Peter had told his captor anything he had wanted to know. Sato motioned for Langdon to follow her, and he did, trudging slowly down a narrow hall, deeper into this bizarre lair that he was now seeing for the first time. They entered a square room with a stone table and eerie-colored lighting. Katherine was here, and Langdon heaved a sigh of relief. Even so, the scene was worrisome. Katherine was lying on her back on a stone table. Blood-soaked towels lay on the floor. A CIA agent was holding an IV bag above her, the tube connected to her arm. She was sobbing quietly. â€Å"Katherine?† Langdon croaked, barely able to speak. She turned her head, looking disorientated and confused. â€Å"Robert?!† Her eyes widened with disbelief and then joy. â€Å"But I . . . saw you drown!† He moved toward the stone table. Katherine pulled herself to a seated position, ignoring her IV tube and the medical objections of the agent. Langdon reached the table, and Katherine reached out, wrapping her arms around his blanket-clad body, holding him close. â€Å"Thank God,† she whispered, kissing his cheek. Then she kissed him again, squeezing him as though she didn’t believe he was real. â€Å"I don’t understand . . . how . . .† Sato began saying something about sensory-deprivation tanks and oxygenated perfluorocarbons, but Katherine clearly wasn’t listening. She just held Langdon close. â€Å"Robert,† she said, â€Å"Peter’s alive.† Her voice wavered as she recounted her horrifying reunion with Peter. She described his physical condition–the wheelchair, the strange knife, the allusions to some kind of â€Å"sacrifice,† and how she had been left bleeding as a human hourglass to persuade Peter to cooperate quickly. Langdon could barely speak. â€Å"Do you . . . have any idea where . . . they went?!† â€Å"He said he was taking Peter to the sacred mountain.† Langdon pulled away and stared at her. Katherine had tears in her eyes. â€Å"He said he had deciphered the grid on the bottom of the pyramid, and that the pyramid told him to go to the sacred mountain.† â€Å"Professor,† Sato pressed, â€Å"does that mean anything to you?† Langdon shook his head. â€Å"Not at all.† Still, he felt a surge of hope. â€Å"But if he got the information off the bottom of the pyramid, we can get it, too.† I told him how to solve it. Sato shook her head. â€Å"The pyramid’s gone. We’ve looked. He took it with him.† Langdon remained silent a moment, closing his eyes and trying to recall what he had seen on the base of the pyramid. The grid of symbols had been one of the last images he had seen before drowning, and trauma had a way of burning memories deeper into the mind. He could recall some of the grid, definitely not all of it, but maybe enough? He turned to Sato and said hurriedly, â€Å"I may be able to remember enough, but I need you to look up something on the Internet.† She pulled out her BlackBerry. â€Å"Run a search for `The Order Eight Franklin Square.’ â€Å" Sato gave him a startled look but began typing without questions. Langdon’s vision was still blurry, and he was only now starting to process his strange surroundings. He realized that the stone table on which they were leaning was covered with old bloodstains, and the wall to his right was entirely plastered with pages of text, photos, drawings, maps, and a giant web of strings interconnecting them. My God. Langdon moved toward the strange collage, still clutching the blankets around his body. Tacked on the wall was an utterly bizarre collection of information–pages from ancient texts ranging from black magic to Christian Scripture, drawings of symbols and sigils, pages of conspiracy- theory Web sites, and satellite photos of Washington, D.C., scrawled with notes and question marks. One of the sheets was a long list of words in many languages. He recognized some of them as sacred Masonic words, others as ancient magic words, and others from ceremonial incantations. Is that what he’s looking for? A word? Is it that simple? Langdon’s long-standing skepticism about the Masonic Pyramid was based largely on what it allegedly revealed–the location of the Ancient Mysteries. This discovery would have to involve an enormous vault filled with thousands upon thousands of volumes that had somehow survived the long-lost ancient libraries in which they had once been stored. It all seemed impossible. A vault that big? Beneath D.C.? Now, however, his recollection of Peter’s lecture at Phillips Exeter, combined with these lists of magic words, had opened another startling possibility. Langdon most definitely did not believe in the power of magic words . . . and yet it seemed pretty clear that the tattooed man did. His pulse quickened as he again scanned the scrawled notes, the maps, the texts, the printouts, and all the interconnected strings and sticky notes. Sure enough, there was one recurring theme. My God, he’s looking for the verbum significatium . . . the Lost Word. Langdon let the thought take shape, recalling fragments of Peter’s lecture. The Lost Word is what he’s looking for! That’s what he believes is buried here in Washington. Sato arrived beside him. â€Å"Is this what you asked for?† She handed him her BlackBerry. Langdon looked at the eight-by-eight grid of numbers on the screen. â€Å"Exactly.† He grabbed a piece of scrap paper. â€Å"I’ll need a pen.† Sato handed him one from her pocket. â€Å"Please hurry.† Inside the basement office of the Directorate of Science and Technology, Nola Kaye was once again studying the redacted document brought to her by sys-sec Rick Parrish. What the hell is the CIA director doing with a file about ancient pyramids and secret underground locations? She grabbed the phone and dialed. Sato answered instantly, sounding tense. â€Å"Nola, I was just about to call you.† â€Å"I have new information,† Nola said. â€Å"I’m not sure how this fits, but I’ve discovered there’s a redacted–â€Å" â€Å"Forget it, whatever it is,† Sato interrupted. â€Å"We’re out of time. We failed to apprehend the target, and I have every reason to believe he’s about to carry out his threat.† Nola felt a chill. â€Å"The good news is we know exactly where he’s going.† Sato took a deep breath. â€Å"The bad news is that he’s carrying a laptop with him.† CHAPTER 114 Less than ten miles away, Mal’akh tucked the blanket around Peter Solomon and wheeled him across a moonlit parking lot into the shadow of an enormous building. The structure had exactly thirty-three outer columns . . . each precisely thirty-three feet tall. The mountainous structure was deserted at this hour, and nobody would ever see them back here. Not that it mattered. From a distance, no one would think twice about a tall, kindly-looking man in a long black coat taking a bald invalid for an evening stroll. When they reached the rear entrance, Mal’akh wheeled Peter up close to the security keypad. Peter stared at it defiantly, clearly having no intention of entering the code. Mal’akh laughed. â€Å"You think you’re here to let me in? Have you forgotten so soon that I am one of your brethren?† He reached out and typed the access code that he had been given after his initiation to the thirty-third degree. The heavy door clicked open. Peter groaned and began struggling in the wheelchair. â€Å"Peter, Peter,† Mal’akh cooed. â€Å"Picture Katherine. Be cooperative, and she will live. You can save her. I give you my word.† Mal’akh wheeled his captive inside and relocked the door behind them, his heart racing now with anticipation. He pushed Peter through some hallways to an elevator and pressed the call button. The doors opened, and Mal’akh backed in, pulling the wheelchair along with him. Then, making sure Peter could see what he was doing, he reached out and pressed the uppermost button. A look of deepening dread crossed Peter’s tortured face. â€Å"Shh . . .† Mal’akh whispered, gently stroking Peter’s shaved head as the elevator doors closed. â€Å"As you well know . . . the secret is how to die.† I can’t remember all the symbols! Langdon closed his eyes, doing his best to recall the precise locations of the symbols on the bottom of the stone pyramid, but even his eidetic memory did not have that degree of recall. He wrote down the few symbols he could remember, placing each one in the location indicated by Franklin’s magic square. So far, however, he saw nothing that made any sense. â€Å"Look!† Katherine urged. â€Å"You must be on the right track. The first row is all Greek letters–the same kinds of symbols are being arranged together!† Langdon had noticed this, too, but he could not think of any Greek word that fit that configuration of letters and spaces. I need the first letter. He glanced again at the magic square, trying to recall the letter that had been in the number one spot near the lower left corner. Think! He closed his eyes, trying to picture the base of the pyramid. The bottom row . . . next to the left- hand corner . . . what letter was there? For an instant, Langdon was back in the tank, racked with terror, staring up through the Plexiglas at the bottom of the pyramid. Now, suddenly, he saw it. He opened his eyes, breathing heavily. â€Å"The first letter is H!† Langdon turned back to the grid and wrote in the first letter. The word was still incomplete, but he had seen enough. Suddenly he realized what the word might be. ! Pulse pounding, Langdon typed a new search into the BlackBerry. He entered the English equivalent of this well-known Greek word. The first hit that appeared was an encyclopedia entry. He read it and knew it had to be right. HEREDOM n. a significant word in â€Å"high degree† Freemasonry, from French Rose Croix rituals, where it refers to a mythical mountain in Scotland, the legendary site of the first such Chapter. From the Greek originating from Hieros-domos, Greek for Holy House. â€Å"That’s it!† Langdon exclaimed, incredulous. â€Å"That’s where they went!† Sato had been reading over his shoulder and looked lost. â€Å"To a mythical mountain in Scotland?!† Langdon shook his head. â€Å"No, to a building in Washington whose code name is Heredom.† CHAPTER 115 The House of the Temple–known among its brethren as Heredom–had always been the crown jewel of the Masonic Scottish Rite in America. With its steeply sloped, pyramidical roof, the building was named for an imaginary Scottish mountain. Mal’akh knew, however, there was nothing imaginary about the treasure hidden here. This is the place, he knew. The Masonic Pyramid has shown the way. As the old elevator slowly made its way to the third floor, Mal’akh took out the piece of paper on which he had reorganized the grid of symbols using the Franklin Square. All the Greek letters had now shifted to the first row . . . along with one simple symbol. The message could not have been more clear. Beneath the House of the Temple. Heredom The Lost Word is here . . . somewhere. Although Mal’akh did not know precisely how to locate it, he was confident that the answer lay in the remaining symbols on the grid. Conveniently, when it came to unlocking the secrets of the Masonic Pyramid and of this building, no one was more qualified to help than Peter Solomon. The Worshipful Master himself. Peter continued to struggle in the wheelchair, making muffled sounds through his gag. â€Å"I know you’re worried about Katherine,† Mal’akh said. â€Å"But it’s almost over.† For Mal’akh, the end felt like it had arrived very suddenly. After all the years of pain and planning, waiting and searching . . . the moment had now arrived. The elevator began to slow, and he felt a rush of excitement. The carriage jolted to a stop. The bronze doors slid open, and Mal’akh gazed out at the glorious chamber before them. The massive square room was adorned with symbols and bathed in moonlight, which shone down through the oculus at the pinnacle of the ceiling high above. I have come full circle, Mal’akh thought. The Temple Room was the same place in which Peter Solomon and his brethren had so foolishly initiated Mal’akh as one of their own. Now the Masons’ most sublime secret–something that most of the brethren did not even believe existed–was about to be unearthed. â€Å"He won’t find anything,† Langdon said, still feeling groggy and disorientated as he followed Sato and the others up the wooden ramp out of the basement. â€Å"There is no actual Word. It’s all a metaphor–a symbol of the Ancient Mysteries.† Katherine followed, with two agents assisting her weakened body up the ramp. As the group moved gingerly through the wreckage of the steel door, through the rotating painting, and into the living room, Langdon explained to Sato that the Lost Word was one of Freemasonry’s most enduring symbols–a single word, written in an arcane language that man could no longer decipher. The Word, like the Mysteries themselves, promised to unveil its hidden power only to those enlightened enough to decrypt it. â€Å"It is said,† Langdon concluded, â€Å"that if you can possess and understand the Lost Word . . . then the Ancient Mysteries will become clear to you.† Sato glanced over. â€Å"So you believe this man is looking for a word?† Langdon had to admit it sounded absurd at face value, and yet it answered a lot of questions. â€Å"Look, I’m no specialist in ceremonial magic,† he said, â€Å"but from the documents on his basement walls . . . and from Katherine’s description of the untattooed flesh on his head . . . I’d say he’s hoping to find the Lost Word and inscribe it on his body.† Sato moved the group toward the dining room. Outside, the helicopter was warming up, its blades thundering louder and louder. Langdon kept talking, thinking aloud. â€Å"If this guy truly believes he is about to unlock the power of the Ancient Mysteries, no symbol would be more potent in his mind than the Lost Word. If he could find it and inscribe it on the top of his head–a sacred location in itself–then he would no doubt consider himself perfectly adorned and ritualistically prepared to . . .† He paused, seeing Katherine blanch at the thought of Peter’s impending fate. â€Å"But, Robert,† she said weakly, her voice barely audible over the helicopter blades. â€Å"This is good news, right? If he wants to inscribe the Lost Word on the top of his head before he sacrifices Peter, then we have time. He won’t kill Peter until he finds the Word. And, if there is no Word . . .† Langdon tried to look hopeful as the agents helped Katherine into a chair. â€Å"Unfortunately, Peter still thinks you’re bleeding to death. He thinks the only way to save you is to cooperate with this lunatic . . .probably to help him find the Lost Word.† â€Å"So what?† she insisted. â€Å"If the Word doesn’t exist–â€Å" â€Å"Katherine,† Langdon said, staring deeply into her eyes. â€Å"If I believed you were dying, and if someone promised me I could save you by finding the Lost Word, then I would find this man a word–any word–and then I’d pray to God he kept his promise.† â€Å"Director Sato!† an agent shouted from the next room. â€Å"You’d better see this!† Sato hurried out of the dining room and saw one of her agents coming down the stairs from the bedroom. He was carrying a blond wig. What the hell? â€Å"Man’s hairpiece,† he said, handing it to her. â€Å"Found it in the dressing room. Have a close look.† The blond wig was much heavier than Sato expected. The skullcap seemed to be molded of a thick gel. Strangely, the underside of the wig had a wire protruding from it. â€Å"Gel-pack battery that molds to your scalp,† the agent said. â€Å"Powers a fiber-optic pinpoint camera hidden in the hair.† â€Å"What?† Sato felt around with her fingers until she found the tiny camera lens nestled invisibly within the blond bangs. â€Å"This thing’s a hidden camera?† â€Å"Video camera,† the agent said. â€Å"Stores footage on this tiny solid-state card.† He pointed to a stamp-size square of silicon embedded in the skullcap. â€Å"Probably motion activated.† Jesus, she thought. So that’s how he did it. This sleek version of the â€Å"flower in the lapel† secret camera had played a key role in the crisis the OS director was facing tonight. She glared at it a moment longer and then handed it back to the agent. â€Å"Keep searching the house,† she said. â€Å"I want every bit of information you can find on this guy. We know his laptop is missing, and I want to know exactly how he plans to connect it to the outside world while he’s on the move. Search his study for manuals, cables, anything at all that might give us a clue about his hardware.† â€Å"Yes, ma’am.† The agent hurried off. Time to move out. Sato could hear the whine of the helicopter blades at full pitch. She hurried back to the dining room, where Simkins had now ushered Warren Bellamy in from the helicopter and was gathering intel from him about the building to which they believed their target had gone. House of the Temple. â€Å"The front doors are sealed from within,† Bellamy was saying, still wrapped in a foil blanket and shivering visibly from his time outside in Franklin Square. â€Å"The building’s rear entrance is your only way in. It’s got a keypad with an access PIN known only to the brothers.† â€Å"What’s the PIN?† Simkins demanded, taking notes. Bellamy sat down, looking too feeble to stand. Through chattering teeth, he recited his access code and then added, â€Å"The address is 1733 Sixteenth, but you’ll want the access drive and parking area, behind the building. Kind of tricky to find, but–â€Å" â€Å"I know exactly where it is,† Langdon said. â€Å"I’ll show you when we get there.† Simkins shook his head. â€Å"You’re not coming, Professor. This is a military–â€Å" â€Å"The hell I’m not!† Langdon fired back. â€Å"Peter’s in there! And that building’s a labyrinth! Without someone to lead you in, you’ll take ten minutes to find your way up to the Temple Room!† â€Å"He’s right,† Bellamy said. â€Å"It’s a maze. There is an elevator, but it’s old and loud and opens in full view of the Temple Room. If you hope to move in quietly, you’ll need to ascend on foot.† â€Å"You’ll never find your way,† Langdon warned. â€Å"From that rear entrance, you’re navigating through the Hall of Regalia, the Hall of Honor, the middle landing, the Atrium, the Grand Stair– â€Å" â€Å"Enough,† Sato said. â€Å"Langdon’s coming.† CHAPTER 116 The energy was growing. Mal’akh could feel it pulsing within him, moving up and down his body as he wheeled Peter Solomon toward the altar. I will exit this building infinitely more powerful than when I entered. All that remained now was to locate the final ingredient. â€Å"Verbum significatium,† he whispered to himself. â€Å"Verbum omnificum.† Mal’akh parked Peter’s wheelchair beside the altar and then circled around and unzipped the heavy daybag that sat on Peter’s lap. Reaching inside, he lifted out the stone pyramid and held it up in the moonlight, directly in front of Peter’s eyes, showing him the grid of symbols engraved on the bottom. â€Å"All these years,† he taunted, â€Å"and you never knew how the pyramid kept her secrets.† Mal’akh set the pyramid carefully on the corner of the altar and returned to the bag. â€Å"And this talisman,† he continued, extracting the golden capstone, â€Å"did indeed bring order from chaos, exactly as promised.† He placed the metal capstone carefully atop the stone pyramid, and then stepped back to give Peter a clear view. â€Å"Behold, your symbolon is complete.† Peter’s face contorted, and he tried in vain to speak. â€Å"Good. I can see you have something you’d like to tell me.† Mal’akh roughly yanked out the gag. Peter Solomon coughed and gasped for several seconds before he finally managed to speak. â€Å"Katherine . . .† â€Å"Katherine’s time is short. If you want to save her, I suggest you do exactly as I say.† Mal’akh suspected she was probably already dead, or if not, very close. It made no difference. She was lucky to have lived long enough to say good-bye to her brother. â€Å"Please,† Peter begged, his voice ragged. â€Å"Send an ambulance for her . . .† â€Å"I will do exactly that. But first you must tell me how to access the secret staircase.† Peter’s expression turned to one of disbelief. â€Å"What?!† â€Å"The staircase. Masonic legend speaks of stairs that descend hundreds of feet to the secret location where the Lost Word is buried.† Peter now looked panicked. â€Å"You know the legend,† Mal’akh baited. â€Å"A secret staircase hidden beneath a stone.† He pointed to the central altar–a huge block of granite with a gilded inscription in Hebrew: GOD SAID, â€Å"LET THERE BE LIGHT† AND THERE WAS LIGHT. â€Å"Obviously, this is the right place. The entrance to the staircase must be hidden on one of the floors beneath us.† â€Å"There is no secret staircase in this building!† Peter shouted. Mal’akh smiled patiently and motioned upward. â€Å"This building is shaped like a pyramid.† He pointed to the four-sided vaulted ceiling that angled up to the square oculus in the center. â€Å"Yes, the House of the Temple is a pyramid, but what does–â€Å" â€Å"Peter, I have all night.† Mal’akh smoothed his white silk robe over his perfect body. â€Å"Katherine, however, does not. If you want her to live, you will tell me how to access the staircase.† â€Å"I already told you,† he declared, â€Å"there is no secret staircase in this building!† â€Å"No?† Mal’akh calmly produced the sheet of paper on which he had reorganized the grid of symbols from the base of the pyramid. â€Å"This is the Masonic Pyramid’s final message. Your friend Robert Langdon helped me decipher it.† Mal’akh raised the paper and held it in front of Peter’s eyes. The Worshipful Master inhaled sharply when he saw it. Not only had the sixty-four symbols been organized into clearly meaningful groups . . . but an actual image had materialized out of the chaos. An image of a staircase . . . beneath a pyramid. Peter Solomon stared in disbelief at the grid of symbols before him. The Masonic Pyramid had kept its secret for generations. Now, suddenly, it was being unveiled, and he felt a cold sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach. The pyramid’s final code. At a glance, the true meaning of these symbols remained a mystery to Peter, and yet he could immediately understand why the tattooed man believed what he believed. He thinks there is a hidden staircase beneath the pyramid called Heredom. He misunderstands these symbols. â€Å"Where is it?† the tattooed man demanded. â€Å"Tell me how to find the staircase, and I will save Katherine.† I wish I could do that, Peter thought. But the staircase is not real. The myth of the staircase was purely symbolic . . . part of the great allegories of Masonry. The Winding Staircase, as it was known, appeared on the second-degree tracing boards. It represented man’s intellectual climb toward the Divine Truth. Like Jacob’s ladder, the Winding Staircase was a symbol of the pathway to heaven . . . the journey of man toward God . . . the connection between the earthly and spiritual realms. Its steps represented the many virtues of the mind. He should know that, Peter thought. He endured all the initiations. Every Masonic initiate learned of the symbolic staircase that he could ascend, enabling him â€Å"to participate in the mysteries of human science.† Freemasonry, like Noetic Science and the Ancient Mysteries, revered the untapped potential of the human mind, and many of Masonry’s symbols related to human physiology. The mind sits like a golden capstone atop the physical body. The Philosopher’s Stone. Through the staircase of the spine, energy ascends and descends, circulating, connecting the heavenly mind to the physical body. Peter knew it was no coincidence that the spine was made up of exactly thirty-three vertebrae. Thirty-three are the degrees of Masonry. The base of the spine, or sacrum, literally meant â€Å"sacred bone.† The body is indeed a temple. The human science that Masons revered was the ancient understanding of how to use that temple for its most potent and noble purpose. Unfortunately, explaining the truth to this man was not going to help Katherine at all. Peter gazed down at the grid of symbols and gave a defeated sigh. â€Å"You’re right,† he lied. â€Å"There is indeed a secret staircase beneath this building. And as soon as you send help to Katherine, I’ll take you to it.† The man with the tattoos simply stared at him. Solomon glared back, eyes defiant. â€Å"Either save my sister and learn the truth . . . or kill us both and remain ignorant forever!† The man quietly lowered the paper and shook his head. â€Å"I’m not happy with you, Peter. You failed your test. You still take me for a fool. Do you truly believe I don’t understand what it is I seek? Do you think I have not yet grasped my true potential?† With that, the man turned his back and slipped off his robe. As the white silk fluttered to the floor, Peter saw for the first time the long tattoo running up the man’s spine. Dear God . . . Winding up from the man’s white loincloth, an elegant spiral staircase ascended the middle of his muscular back. Each stair was positioned on a different vertebra. Speechless, Peter let his eyes ascend the staircase, all the way up to the base of the man’s skull. Peter could only stare. The tattooed man now tipped his shaved head backward, revealing the circle of bare flesh on the pinnacle of his skull. The virgin skin was bordered by a single snake, looped in a circle, consuming itself. At-one-ment. Slowly now, the man lowered his head and turned to face Peter. The massive double-headed phoenix on his chest stared out through dead eyes. â€Å"I am looking for the Lost Word,† the man said. â€Å"Are you going to help me . . . or are you and your sister going to die?† You know how to find it, Mal’akh thought. You know something you’re not telling me. Peter Solomon had revealed things under interrogation that he probably didn’t even recall now. The repeated sessions in and out of the deprivation tank had left him delirious and compliant. Incredibly, when he spilled his guts, everything he told Mal’akh had been consistent with the legend of the Lost Word. The Lost Word is not a metaphor . . . it is real. The Word is written in an ancient language . . . and has been hidden for ages. The Word is capable of bringing unfathomable power to anyone who grasps its true meaning. The Word remains hidden to this day . . . and the Masonic Pyramid has the power to unveil it. â€Å"Peter,† Mal’akh now said, staring into his captive’s eyes, â€Å"when you looked at that grid of symbols . . . you saw something. You had a revelation. This grid means something to you. Tell me.† â€Å"I will tell you nothing until you send help to Katherine!† Mal’akh smiled at him. â€Å"Believe me, the prospect of losing your sister is the least of your worries right now.† Without another word, he turned to Langdon’s daybag and started removing the items he had packed in his basement. Then he began meticulously arranging them on the sacrificial altar. A folded silk cloth. Pure white. A silver censer. Egyptian myrrh. A vial of Peter’s blood. Mixed with ash. A black crow’s feather. His sacred stylus. The sacrificial knife. Forged of iron from a meteorite in the desert of Canaan. â€Å"You think I am afraid to die?† Peter shouted, his voice racked with anguish. â€Å"If Katherine is gone, I have nothing left! You’ve murdered my entire family! You’ve taken everything from me!† â€Å"Not everything,† Mal’akh replied. â€Å"Not yet.† He reached into the day-bag and pulled out the laptop from his study. He turned it on and looked over at his captive. â€Å"I’m afraid you have not yet grasped the true nature of your predicament.† How to cite The Lost Symbol Chapter 113-116, Essay examples

Professional Learning and Development Program

Question: Discuss about theProfessional Learning and Development Program. Answer: Introduction There are numerous factors that influence an organizations performance. One of these factors is employees. For any organization to performance efficiently and competitively, it must have well qualified, experienced, motivated and consistent employees. It is quite challenging for an organization to get employees with all these characteristics unless it develops internal strategies for realizing them. One of the strategies that many organizations use to increase their employees competence and effectiveness is having professional development programs (Looper, 2016). These programs enable organizations to equip their employees with the latest knowledge and right set of skills thus making them more competitive and successful in the industry they are operating. It is also important for employees to remain competitive because the professional landscape is ever changing. For instance, the use of technology has become very crucial in all professions especially engineering. There are new technological tools being developed and launched almost every other day. Most of these tools can help organizations to increase their performance and competitiveness. So the best strategy that organizations can use to keep their employees updated with such technological developments and capitalize on their benefits is by having a professional learning and development program (Wilcox, 2005). These programs also help employees to understand current and projected trends and changes in the market so that they can help their employers respond to these fluctuating market conditions accordingly. Previously, professional learning and development was largely emphasized in schools. It means that those in teaching profession were the ones who usually enrolled for, developed or implemented professional learning and development programs. This is what led to the famous professional learning communities (Provini, 2012). These communities were aimed at improving the performance of students and schools in general by training teachers on how to improve their teaching knowledge and skills. However, this has changed over the years and now professional learning programs have become a necessity for many organizations. In fact, in some places it is mandatory for certain professionals to have a professional learning plan (Utah State Board of Education, 2016). These programs are being used to nurture employees skills, motivate and retain staff and improve overall productivity at workplaces (Sarita, 2016). Therefore the beneficiaries of these programs are both the employees and the organizatio ns involved, as discussed by The Peak Performance Center (2016). All professions and professionals have something to benefit from professional learning and development programs. This makes the programs useful in all workplaces. For instance, teachers who enroll for professional learning and development programs have significantly impacted their students learning (Timperley et al., 2007). The task here is to develop a professional learning program for my previous workplace. This company has a proven track record of success in engineering industry in Australia. Being part of their project team in engineering department for three and a half years, I learnt a lot regarding creating opportunities for employees to learn and develop their professions while working. It is for this reason that I because interested in professional learning and development programs. As an engineering educator, I have vast knowledge and experience in regards to professional learning and development programs. Therefore the program developed here is from my personal experience at my previous workplace. From my experience, it is very important to ensure that the professional learning program developed is effective and produces positive results to the organization. To achieve this, it requires proper planning and involvement of all relevant stakeholders. Therefore it must start by understanding the procedures of planning, developing and implementing a professional learning program. The first step that the company should do is to analyze the importance, applicability or relevance of the program to the company. Developing and implementing this program should be seen as an investment for the company. Since the program aims at expanding the knowledge and skills of employees, developing a program that will achieve these objectives has to start with identifying its potential benefits. Some of the expected benefits of the program include: addressing employees weaknesses, maintaining employees knowledge and experience consistency, boosting staff morale and satisfaction, and improving staff performance (Frost, 2016), among others. Understanding potential benefits of the program will also make it easier to give it the necessary attention and adequate resources when implementing it. Therefore it has to start with looking at how employees and the company in general will benefit from the program. After identifying and analyzing the potential benefits, it is also important to share them with all stakeholders in the organization, including employees. This will help in preparing stakeholders in advance so that when they are called for to participate at different stages of the program, they will be supportive. The second step is to explore the target employees. It is important to acknowledge that different employees have different weaknesses, strengths and capabilities. Having the same professional learning program for all employees may not produce good results. For example, the specific needs of the companys employees in human resource department may be different from those in project management department. In this regard, it is more sensible to have different learning development programs for the two groups of employees. The aim of exploring target employees is to understand their needs. The company has many employees in different departments and so their needs are also probably varied. At this stage, relevant department can ask their staff to list down their weaknesses, strengths and what they need so as to improve their performance and productivity. According to (Duke, 2016), the process can be made easier by preparing self-assessment forms and giving them to employees to fill. The forms should require employees to list their skills, interests, personalities and values. These forms should also be prepared based on the skills, technologies and opportunities available for the employees and whether they will help the organization achieve its needs and objectives. It is important to note that giving employees a chance to list training needs that will improve their performance is one way of telling them to analyze and determine their career progress. These employees will take time to look at how their careers have been progressing in the past few years thus being able to know whether they are on the right track. So they will use this opportunity to identify their strengths, weaknesses and areas that need improvement. Some employees may also use this opportunity to express their wish of changing the department they are working in, such as from finance department to human resource department. Identifying the specific areas that need to change indirectly means improving their productivity at workplace. So this step will play a key role in enhancing the effectiveness of the professional learning program. The third step should be to set goals. This comes after evaluating the current situation of the organization i.e. company and employee needs. For the program to achieve the desired goals, it must have goals. As discussed by (Shala, 2013), there must be an ultimate goal and sub-goals. The goals should be as specific as possible, which can be achieved by using the SMART (specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and timely) strategy (Bowen and McDonough, 2013). For example, the company can use the program to aim at training 50 employees for the first half of the year and thereafter double the number for the remaining half of the year. Having such a goal will help the company to know the exact amount of resources required during the first six months and last six months of the training for that particular year. Setting goals also helps the company to identify any specific gaps in the knowledge or expertise of its employees, which may be preventing them from attaining their full potential at work. The company deals with different types and sizes of projects and clients thus these gaps will always be there. Knowing the gaps is also essential in designing a more specific program. The deadline for each goal should also be realistic so that everything is done painstakingly. The fourth step is to research the most suitable training course for implementing. There are different courses available and each is suitable for meeting varied needs. What is important is to select a course that will be effective in achieving the target goals. The company can decide to develop its own course from scratch, because it has the capability and/or resources, and use it to train employees internally. According to Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, (2014), the most important thing is to ensure that the professional learning and development program chosen contains all effective elements. If the company cannot implement the selected course internally, it can look for available places where the course is offered and enroll their employees there. Some of the factors to consider when looking for a place to train employees externally include: location, duration of course, cost, and proven track record of execution, among others. Whether the course comprises of formal classes or online classes, it is very crucial to ensure flexibility because in most cases employees will be required to continue with their jobs while attending the course. The company can use its network to create or identify the most suitable course for its employees. The fifth step, which many people or organizations ignore, is to analyze costs. This is a crucial step because if the company cant meet the cost, the program cannot be effectively developed and implemented. It is worth noting that implementing a professional learning and development program requires substantial amount of resources (Warren, 2006).Some of the costs incurred include: equipment, tools or material costs, travel expenses, technology costs, downtime, instructor fees (especially if instructors come from outside the organization), and reduced employee productivity, among others. Remember that your employees may have to split the time between performing their normal tasks at the organization and going for the program training. So their level of production is likely to reduce when they are through the program. All costs associated with the program should be analyzed so as to find the best strategy of balancing them with the benefits of the program. Considering the qualified sta ff that the company has in its finance department, this should be an easy step for the company. The sixth step is to start implementing the program. This step comes after the organization has performed cost benefit analysis of the program and decided that the program is worth implementing. Basically, implementation involves employees going through the selected training course/program. The best way to know whether the program is being implemented effectively or not is to check attainment of sub-goals. It must be remembered that failure to achieve sub-goals will inhibit attainment of the ultimate goal. The benefits and goals of the program should be the main motivators to keep those involved committed throughout the process. As noted by DuFour (2004), it is important to ensure that the environment enables employees to learn, there is collaboration among all stakeholders, and focus is put on results. Ullman (2009) also argues that there should be trust among participants, learning teams should be given adequate time and the program has to be wide-ranging. Last but not least, the programs progress must be monitored and evaluated along the way. This will help in ensuring that everything is done on schedule and also gives updates on nearness to achieving the target goals. Monitoring the progress will also help the organization to identify new challenges or opportunities and make necessary changes to improve the programs effectiveness. The company can assign the monitoring task to head of departments in conjunction with the person in charge of professional learning and development program. Both the company and employees have to be ready for challenges that come along because nothing can go as perfectly as planned. The challenges should be used as learning opportunities. All difficulties or setbacks have to be recorded followed by establishing approaches of overcoming them. The company should celebrate any milestone attained along the way and reward participants who complete the program successfully. Additionally, the program has to be reevaluated after a certain period of time, such as six months. Reevaluation is important in ensuring that the program and its implementation process are aligned with employees and organizations needs and objectives. The reevaluation should be done in conjunction with progress monitoring. This is because the monitoring report is what should form the basis of suggesting changes, if any. Reevaluation is of great importance especially if the organization is implementing the professional learning and development program for the first time. The best way to do evaluation is by checking progress and success indicators (objectives). As stated by State of Victoria (2005), the importance of professional learning program across the world cannot be overstated. A professional learning and development program is an explicit approach that an organization develops and implements so as to improve the professionalism or competence of its employees. This program gives the organization the guidelines it has to follow to boost its employees professional growth, which translates into improved performance of the organization. Hence the program aims at identifying the needs of the company and formulating a strategy to meet them. If this program is developed properly and implemented effectively, both employees and the organization benefit significantly (Killion, 2008). I have no doubt that if I had a chance to go through a professional learning and development program while still at the company, my professionalism and productivity would have improved significantly. From my experience as an engineering educator, developing an effective professional learning and development program should follow this guideline: analyzing the importance, applicability or relevance of the program so as to know its benefits; exploring target employees/learners to understand their needs; setting goals; researching for the appropriate training course; analyzing costs; implementing the program; and monitoring progress. The program also requires necessary support system for it to be implemented effectively (Killion, 2013). Therefore professional learning and development programs are worthwhile for implementation not only in educational institutions but in all organizations. References Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2014, Designing Professional Learning report, Sydney: Australian Government. 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The Peak Performance Center, 2016, Benefits of Professional Development, viewed September 17, 2016, https://thepeakperformancecenter.com/business/performance-management/professional-development-program/benefits-professional-development/ Timperley, H, Wilson A, Barrar H Fung I, 2007, Teacher Professional Learning and Development, Wellington: New Zealand Ministry of Education. Ullman, E, 2009, How to Create a Professional Learning Community, viewed September 17, 2016, https://www.edutopia.org/professional-learning-communities-collaboration-how-to Utah State Board of Education, 2016, Teaching and Learning Licensing, viewed September 17, 2016, https://www.schools.utah.gov/cert/License-Renewals/Professional-Learning-Plan.aspx Warren, J L, 2006, Professional Community and Professional Development in the Learning-Centered School, Washington, DC, National Education Association. Wilcox, J, 2005, Developing Professional Skills, UK Centre for Materials Education, viewed September 17, 2016, https://www.materials.ac.uk/guides/developing.asp