How to Deal With an Overly Aggressive Employee: What Can You Do Personally?

An overly-aggressive employee in any place of employment, or on a job site presents a potentially precarious situation for other employees, as well as the employer. Any time an overly-aggressive employee begins acting out in a public place like a restaurant or when visiting someone’s home, other’s lives may be in danger.

Dictionary.com suggests the word aggressive is “characterized by or tending toward unprovoked, offensive, attacks, invasions, or the like”.

The article “How to deal with aggressive behavior” suggests that there are three phases to an“aggression development model” namely, pre-crisis, crisis and post-crisis.  

How to deal with an overly-aggressive employee is problematic depending upon the phase, as well as the nature and extent of the aggression. Here are some guidelines that may prove helpful with respect to preventing a tragedy.

Do not panic. Speak to the overly-aggressive employee quietly, suggesting that his or her manner of speaking, behavior or actions are inappropriate. Be cautious because this may cause an increase in his or her verbal aggression, or aggressive behavior. On-to-one counseling may help to rectify a potentially dangerous situation. Offer to intervene on his or her behalf. At times, an employee who is a close friend or a family member may intervene successfully.

Notify appropriate authorities immediately, if the situation appears to be escalating out of control, for example your employer, managers, security, etc. If the situation continues to escalate, or an overly-aggressive employee refuses your help, or that of others, call 911. While you are waiting for help to arrive, someone trained in professional intervention may be able to deal with the overly-aggressive employee. Medical or psychiatric intervention may be necessary, particularly when there is alcohol or substance abuse. Is the overly-aggressive employee rough or pushy to the point of harming others? Take immediate action to ensure their safety or ask them to leave the immediate area.

Try to learn what the overly-aggressive employee is attempting to accomplish through his words, deeds or actions. Does he or she have legitimate grievances? Are others taking sides? Is he or she trying to win or succeed at something that is realistic and feasible, or is he or she making unrealistic and therefore unreasonable demands? Discernment is important.

Carefully document what is happening including words or statements, threats against others, acts of violence and damage incurred. For example, is there evidence of the use of excessive energy and force against others? Is the expression thereof appropriate in relation to the desires of the overly-aggressive employee? Is he or she armed and trying to take hostages?

At times, there may be a positive, constructive aspect to the overly-aggressive employee’s action or behavior. For example, is the overly-aggressive employee using his or her energy to accomplish a difficult, but necessary task at work? Is he or she demanding an increase in salary, benefits, holidays, etc. that would ultimately affect everyone?

A strategy to deal with an overly-aggressive employee should be included in every employee’s training manual and be introduced as soon as an employee is hired. This should include appropriate guidelines like the above.

The Meaning and Significance of the Word Lessee: How to Under Lease Agreements

Lessee is term that is familiar to anyone leasing an apartment, house or rental property for business purposes. The word lessee appears in other documents like agreements for bank loans, or leases for other rentals. A person who borrows capital, or a potential renter may not necessarily comprehend its significance.

Understanding the word lessee, in conjunction with the word lessor in capital leases, is an important aspect of a transaction because the lessee becomes a debtor to the lessor by signing a legal document. With respect to real estate rental agreements, the word lessee also refers to a tenant, a person who uses or rents a leased asset or property. The word lessee is in car, truck, or machinery or equipment rental agreements. There are also long or short-term leases for the use of furniture, safety deposit boxes, etc. 

What is a lease agreement and can one obtain a form for a lease?

“A lease agreement is a form when two parties, the leaser and lessee, enter into a lease or rental contract”. 

The website, reference.com also offers free, printable forms for leases.

Entanglement in lessor-lessee lease disagreements or disputes can occur in business or with respect to any kind of rental agreement, when there are misunderstandings that have to be resolved. For example, the lessee signs an agreement or a lease with a lessor, but does not comprehend the specified interest rate terms, or the kind of interest he or she must pay. At times, legal intervention (or legal aid) may be necessary. Attempting to break a lease may prove to be almost impossible, particularly when it stipulates that there are extra penalties for late payments, or breaking the lease.    

On the other hand, as potential customers (renters), business owners (lessors) may be dependent upon lessees, for example, a furniture rental store. If lessees did not rent from lessors who own apartment buildings, there could be serious housing shortages. Lessee rights stipulated in a lease, offer some degree of protection to renters.

When drawn up properly, lease agreements should be fair to both the lessee and the lessor, but unfortunately, that is not always the case. Sometimes, a lessee feels taken advantage of by the lessor in a rental agreement, or vice versa. For example, if a lessee rents a vehicle, there may be stipulations in the rental agreement that lead to unexpected expenses like limitations on mileage. A lessor may be seriously disappointed in a lessee if his or her credibility is at stake. A lessee may sign a lease in a hurry or as an act in financial desperation, not realizing the significance of the rental agreement. Vehicle leases may appear affordable and are easily obtained, but at the end of the lease, or if payments have not been made according to the lease agreement, whatever has been leased goes back to the lessor. This may also include payment for damages incurred. At times, there may be a buy-out where the lessee is able to purchase what he or she has leased from the lessor.

With any kind of a lease, the terms are stated in the lease, but the legal jargon may be difficult to comprehend. Almost anything leased can be lost if rental stipulations are not met. Unless there is a compassionate lessor, incurred penalties can mean additional cost to the lessee. In court settlements for leases, the lessor often wins; the lessee loses, but still remains obligated to fulfill the terms of the lease agreement, as he or she has originally signed it.

Lease agreements are subject to interpretation in different ways, so it is important for a lessee to understand exactly what a lease states, before he or she signs it. The significance of the word lessee should never be underestimated.

Intellectual Property and the Internet: How to Protect Your Creative Work

Anyone seeking to publish creative works on the Internet may have legitimate concern about copyright protection of intellectual property. As the Internet continues to grow globally, infringement issues may arise, so understanding what intellectual property is and how to use it is important.  

What is intellectual property?

Canadian Intellectual Property Office suggests that intellectual property is “legal rights that result from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields”.

Publishers, web site designers, professional content producers and photographers are concerned about using the Internet and ask, “Are my rights protected on the Internet?”

What are rights, or more specifically, what is a copyright as it relates to others?

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office states, “In the simplest terms, ‘copyright’ means ‘the right to copy’. In general, only the copyright owner, often the creator of the work is allowed to produce or reproduce the work or to permit anyone else to do so.”

Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous people who do not seek permission to use the intellectual property of others and thus protection is important.

How can you protect your copyright? 

“Although copyright in a work exists automatically when an original work is created, a certificate of registration is evidence that your creation is protected by copyright and that you, the person registered, are the owner.”

Having to pay fees for copyright registration may serve as a deterrent, but for anyone seriously interested in doing so, there is information available regarding the cost, on the following web page.

http://www.cipo.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr00091.html

What does all of this mean to those who want to use the work of others?

If a person, group or business uses a creative work created by or belonging to someone else, or others on the Internet, this is equivalent to stealing that creative work. This happens all of the time, as those seeking to further their own ends often do not have permission to use it or if they do, do not credit the owner. Income that otherwise would be derived from that work does not go to the owner, as there is the incorrect assumption that whoever publishes it on the Internet owns it and thus is entitled to receive payment for it. At times, it may generate additional income as well, particularly when other potential publisher or editors decide to use it, too.

How can you rightfully use the work of others and thus avoid copyright infringement?

Seeking permission to use another’s work is always important. Most people who own creative work of various kinds will grant others permission to use their work, conditional upon the proper acknowledgement of the source. Others who own creative work do not want their work published by others and have the right to refuse permission to have it published on the Internet.

Discretion is always extremely important when it comes to intellectual property. When there is a question about copyright or copyright infringement, this can result in legal issues, so use the creative work of others wisely and be careful with your own.   

How to Cope With a Crying Baby: Coping, You and Your Baby

Learning how to cope with a crying baby is not always easy for new mothers, particularly if they have not had previous experience with babies. For experienced mothers or those with older babies, periodic bouts of crying or continual crying can be extremely frustrating, challenging and upsetting. At times, it seems that there are no easy answers.    

The article, “Crying baby: What to do when your newborn cries” suggests that “Newborn crying jags are inevitable, but a crying baby can test your patience all the same.”

Consider the following suggestions regarding how to cope with a crying baby.

First, try to learn why you baby cries and what his or her cry means. Finding out why your baby cries and learning to understand his or her cry or different kinds of crying can be a major step towards solving a crying baby problem regardless of your baby’s age.

How  parents, grandparents, siblings or others respond to a baby crying can vary, but it may lead to an increase or a decrease in crying spells. For example, a young mother gets uptight when her baby cries, even after she has tried to meet all of his or her needs. The mother’s own insecurity about caring for her baby may cause fear or fright in the baby and increase the amount of crying.

A grandmother instinctively picks up a crying baby and holds him or her tight and the baby, feeling more secure, stops crying. A young father may get angry when his baby cries and screams at him or her to stop the crying, which results in prolonged crying spells. A grandfather rocks a baby allowing him or her to cry until exhausted, or the baby finally falls asleep. A child begins to talk to a crying baby and soothes him or her. A babysitter uses songs or nursery rhymes to stop a baby from crying.

There are no perfect answers for you or other parents coping with a crying baby. Be aware that there are multiple reasons why your baby cries. If the reason for crying is apparent, it may be easy to resolve the crying problem. If the reason is not apparent, the problem may be more complex. It may take patience on your part to cope with it.

Ask yourself, what is your baby teaching you?

Your baby, in his or her own way, is communicating with you and everyone else around him or her. It may or may not be the kind of communication that you, your parents or others understand easily, but crying usually elicits a response of some kind. A baby quickly learns what works for him or her and what does not work in order to get the desired results and thus, repetitious behavior occurs.

Know that there is instinctive crying, as well as learned crying.

Crying as a behavior is something that comes instinctively to a newborn, but may be learned. Positive or negative reinforcement can play a major role in a baby’s behavior. If you positively reinforce a baby’s good behavior and do not reinforce his or her constant crying, your baby will learn that positive behavior leads to rewards. Learn what soothes your baby like singing, music, or toys.            

Your accurate assessment and interpretation of a baby’s cry can lead you to find the causes associated with excessive crying spells. For example, a crying baby may be cold, hungry, wet, tired or frightened and settles down when the problem is resolved. On the other hand, constant, irritable crying associated with fever, earaches or rashes can be more difficult to assess and may need medical resolution.

Coping with a crying baby may be something that you need to discuss with your family doctor, other parents or even your family. You too, need relief from your crying baby at times and others are willing to help you.

What is Targeted Learning: Understand the Elements of Targeted Learning

The entrepreneurial pathway in business is one in which targeted learning takes on a tremendous amount of significance. Entrepreneurs strike out on their own, often heading into new territory in business, which involves an ongoing learning process, specific in that it is targeted learning. In other words, it is oriented towards achieving a specific goal.

There are three elements in targeted learning. These are the target, the objective and the goal.  

An entrepreneur may seek to exceed previous targets set by others in business. Perhaps he or she has a different vision beyond that of the majority, one oriented to the future. With this vision constantly in mind, he or she determines and establishes appropriate objectives, with the expectation that they will lead to the goal towards which he or she strives and will ultimately prove to be fruitful in terms of success and financial profit.   

Targeted learning often requires many steps, as certain basics are essentials that the entrepreneur must learn first. For example, a new business entrepreneur must learn computer basics. He or she may also need a basic understanding of spreadsheets, bookkeeping and accounting in order to proceed further towards creating financial objectives oriented to a specific business goal.

Targeted learning varies depending upon one’s learning curve. In other words, not everyone learns the same way, the same things or at the same pace. Some learn more easily and can see past the projects of previous entrepreneurs. (Perhaps they are the ones who have laid the basics for further entrepreneurial progress and development.) For example, new technology builds on older technology.   

Targeted learning means finding out how to avoid previous mistakes and pitfalls of others. For example, an entrepreneur actively engaged in business research, learns the previous errors others have made in a similar business, as well as how to circumvent or avoid these types of errors. At times, he or she learns that the previous pathways of other entrepreneurs have been futile. This may be immediately evident to a new business entrepreneur.

Targeted learning requires record keeping with respect to specific times or dates, as well as targets reached, objectives striven towards and short or long-term goals achieved.

Targeted learning involves persistence like staying oriented though it may entail brainstorming by a business-oriented entrepreneur or with a group of employees working under him or her. Targets, objectives and goals have a specific purpose and learning how to stay purpose-oriented in spite of problems encountered, issues of concern or frustration is not always easy.

Targeted learning offers an ongoing challenge, as well as positive, constructive motivation for an entrepreneur and others. It may involve specific incentives, reinforcement, rewards or bonuses, but the accomplishment or achievement of goals alone may have to suffice.

Entrepreneurs face and suffer misunderstanding or mockery from others. Rejection may be part of targeted learning. For example, a new freelancer may go through repeated bouts of rejection, while he or she strives towards establishing a higher ideal, regardless of the lack of acceptance of his or her project, an awkward situation or difficult circumstances. The entrepreneur learns by his or her own mistakes.  

When a business goal is worth achieving, establishing and adhering to learning targets with specific objectives in mind is essential. The objectives set by an entrepreneur will in turn lead to success in terms of achieving a goal. 

Positive Ways to Prepare For the Next Semester: How to Prepare For the Next Semester

Summer vacation means taking a break from your academic pursuits. Students who are serious about their studies, usually need a break and deserve it. During your summer vacation, you can get ready for what comes next, so consider positive ways that you, as a student, can prepare for the next semester.

Application for enrollment and registration

In order to be ready for the next semester, you need to make certain of your acceptance into a specific program, particularly if it is on a college or university level. You should already have applied and received a letter of acceptance. Do not wait for the last minute to apply, as it may be too late. You may be able to register ahead of time. Are you certain that you have met the basic requirements for the program? If not, you may need to spend time in the summer months upgrading.

Budget for your next semester

Calculate the anticipated cost of your next semester. If necessary, find appropriate summer employment to cover your costs. Student loans may be available, but apply early. You may find part-time employment for your next semester. Make certain that if you are going to be working while attending college or university, you allow enough time to study.   

Arrange your living accommodations

Making suitable arrangements for accommodations close to where you will be taking the next semester, will make things easier. Find out where you can obtain your meals at a reasonable cost, or if you will have to cook for yourself. Shared accommodations with other students in a house or an apartment, may be more affordable. Remember that entertaining roommates can be costly and time consuming, but fun. Inquire into transportation or bus routes. Your wardrobe is important too, so work on that during the summer.   

Seek professional guidance

Talk to your professors, instructors or teachers, because they will be teaching your next semester and suggest websites, reading material, appropriate research, places you can visit or summer experiences that may prove helpful with respect to the next semester. For example, if you are taking an art history course, visit the local gallery or the college/university art gallery. Perhaps there are college or university tours to different areas with professors, instructors or other students.

Talk to your family and friends

Communication with others is extremely important. Remember that your family and friends may not understand what you are trying to do, so spend time discussing your plans with them. Friends who have taken the same program may be able to offer help. Every semester is different, while in many ways they are same. You can benefit from their experience and wisdom when it comes to doing research, assignments or learning about pitfalls to avoid during the coming semester. You may be able to purchase second-hand books, or other supplies that they no longer need or want.

Relax and enjoy the summer.

Enjoy your summer vacation too, because the next semester will start before you know it. Eat properly, get sufficient sleep and exercise appropriately, as that will refresh, invigorate and motivate you. Rest assured that you are in control of your summer vacation, as well as your next semester.

A Summary of Mission Analysis: How to Understand a Mission Statement

When an entrepreneur envisions a new business, he or she starts with a mission statement subject to mission analysis, at some time in the future. Is the business mission statement on track? Are its previous goals still realistic? Is it really fulfilling the vision of the business owner?    

As an entrepreneur you may ask, ‘What is a mission statement?’

According to Missionstatements.com, “A mission statement defines in a paragraph or so any entity’s reason for existence. It embodies its philosophies, goals, ambitions and mores.”

A mission statement becomes the initial focus of every entrepreneur’s business plan and lays the basis for the business constructed around it. Periodically, the mission statement undergoes a mission analysis, or gap analysis.

What is a mission or gap analysis? 

According to business.com, a gap analysis is “a technique used to determine what steps need to be taken in order to move from its current state to its desired, future state.”

What does gap analysis consist of?

Businessdictionary.com suggests that gap analysis consists of characteristic factors pertinent to the current situation, first listing important factors needed to achieve mission objectives and then finding and filling any gaps that need to be rectified. It compares what is, to what should be.    

Since no mission statement is one hundred percent perfect or followed to the letter and a mission statement can be subject to many different interpretations, doing a mission analysis allows updating or revision with corrections, as well as changes to keep the business on track or expand its horizons further. Business goals change over the years.  

For an entrepreneur, writing an initial mission statement is not easy, but at the same time, when a mission statement has been properly constructed, it can save time, as well as prevent problems and avoid later revisions that may be necessary when a mission analysis is done. 

The following website, missionstatements.com offers some examples of typical mission statements, from which an entrepreneur can find a model depicting how to write a mission statement:

http://www.missionstatements.com/missionstatementresources/missionstatementcreator.html#

E-books about creating mission statements are available at the following web site:

http://www.missionstatements.com/missionstatementresources/e-books/

There are numerous kinds of mission statements including what is the most important for an entrepreneur, a personal mission statement. An entrepreneur with clarity of vision and insight into business ethics, principles and practice can go a long way and will succeed, as long as he or she has sufficient incentive or motivation. Taking a proactive stand in a positive, constructive direction, leads to mission statements that include others, sometimes on a global, humanitarian level.

Mission analysis of any mission statement, the steps taken towards goals and the results achieved often reveal the necessity for change. Mission statements are never cast in stone, so to speak and are flexible, as long as the entrepreneur is flexible and willing to grow and have his or her business developed further.

Horizons of mission statements are only as limited as the vision of the entrepreneur. The same is true of mission analysis. Its limitations are only those of an entrepreneur.