Thoughts on Fellaini

I think enough’s been said already. See below!

Ahmad Hamdan ‏@ahmad_m_hamdan 3m3 minutes ago

With that being said, Lingard was not out worst player today. To me it has to be Fellaini. His entrance pretty much ended the game for us.

Oyewo Ishola ‏@kingshola22 12m12 minutes ago

Team was still maintaining its shape despite being goaless till our ‘philosopher’ decided to remove Bastian for Fellaini. Strange. @ManUtd

Neil Bernstein ‏@nbernste 29m29 minutes ago

Bringing Fellaini on and then playing the long ball into him isn’t the problem. The problem is he is absolutely sh*t.

the MUFC bible ‏@theMUFCbible 37m37 minutes ago

The game got progressively worse once Fellaini came on. Before that we were creating more chances and playing more fluid football.

Bryan KearneyVerified account ‏@bryankearney 49m49 minutes ago

Fellaini being a professional footballer is proof that anybody in the world can achieve anything.

Mamaa ‏@ama_kusi 50m50 minutes ago

How do u replace Bastian with fellaini???? It’s even illegal in Fifa 16

always up ‏@red2rule 3m3 minutes ago

#Fellaini can’t control the ball,can’t chest the ball,can’t dribble, can’t give a good pass,and always fouls.Why do we keep him for? #mufc.

Alastair Taylor ‏@AliTaylorGolf 1h1 hour ago

I was under the impression that LVG was a tactical genius, smashing long balls to @Fellaini is not my idea of imaginative tactics.

OKC MUFC ‏@OkcMufc 1h1 hour ago

We need to sell Fellaini and not because he is a terrible player but because he makes us play terrible football. We are Utd not Stoke.

How to gain the right followers on twitter

Have you ever wondered how to grow your Twitter following?

I have a lot of people connect with me and ask to sell me tons of followers. The thing is, they very well might not be the type of followers you need. Plus, a lot of them are fake accounts which might fall foul of twitters rules and thereby gain you a blocked account.

So, if need to gain the right kind of followers, you’re in luck.

The infographic below is sure to give you a huge helping hand. In it, you’ll find 25 sure-fire tips you can use to grow your following:

25 Smart Ways To Grow Your Twitter Following via BloggingWizard.com

Clothes and the Man

Apparently, the clothes we wear can affect the way we are perceived – or so the article below says. Or wait… my dad used to drum this into my ear whenever we had to go out.

Most of the article is pasted below but you can click on the link to go to the actual site and see the reactions.

The Smart Creative’s Guide to Dressing for Work

By dressing mindlessly like this we’re ignoring the large amount of evidence showing the profound effect of clothing on our thinking style, on how we feel, and on the way others perceive us. Starting today, you can use clothing and props to improve your work performance through these simple steps:

Dress for the task: the “Lab Coat” effect

Consider the findings of a study published last year by the Kellogg School of Management. They showed that students were far more accurate on tests of attentional focus and sustained concentration while wearing the white lab coat of a scientist. Crucially, spending time thinking about the lab coat didn’t have this benefit, it had to be worn.

These results suggest that donning symbolic apparel can alter our thinking style in beneficial ways that are consistent with the meaning that the clothing holds for us. So whatever project you’re currently working on, consider dressing for that role. Think what clothing symbolizes the attributes you need to succeed and wear those threads while you work. If there’s nothing as obvious as a lab coat, why not look to role models in your field and see what they wear – perhaps something flamboyant for when you want to be creative, a shirt and tie for when you’re working on the accounts. The important thing is that the clothing has the right symbolic meaning for the work you’re doing. In the study, the white coat had no attentional benefits when the students thought it was a painter’s jacket, not a scientist’s coat.

Be yourself and respect your own style

As well as affecting our mindset, our clothes can also alter how we feel about ourselves. U.S. research published in 2007 found that employees described themselves as feeling more productive, trustworthy, and authoritative when they were wore a business suit at work, but more friendly when wearing casual clothes.

An important detail here was the employees’ style preferences. It was smart types with a clear preference for wearing formal work attire whose feelings of productivity were most adversely affected when they’d worked in an office with a casual dress code. On the other hand, it was hipster staff with a strong preference for laid-back wear who felt most strongly that suits hampered their friendliness and creativity. Of course not all work places give you the freedom to choose, but if you can, these findings show it pays to respect your own style.

The white coat had no attentional benefits when the students thought it was a painter’s jacket.

Choose your weapons (and accessories) wisely

The psychological effects of clothing on performance extend to tools and props. A 2011 study led by Charles Lee at the University of Virginia showed that university students perceived a putting hole to be larger (thus making more putts) when they used a putter that they thought belonged to the pro player Ben Curtis, as compared with a standard putter

Whether it’s a lucky pen handed down from a mentor, or a mouse-mat from your first successful product launch, the symbolic power of the objects we work with is more than mere superstition or sentimentality. Their meaning can alter our mindset and improve our performance. The same principles also apply when choosing what to wear – that lucky tie or necklace really could give you an edge at an interview.

Dress to impress

If you want to appear authoritative it really does make sense to dress smart. A raft of studies have shown that people in more formal attire get served more quickly in shops, have more luck soliciting charity donations, and are usually judged to be more intelligent and academic. A study that looked specifically at female applicants for a managerial job found those who dressed in a smart masculine style were perceived as more forceful and aggressive and were more likely to get hired.

If you can, pay attention to detail. Research published this year using faceless photographs, found that a man dressed in a bespoke suit was rated as more confident, successful, and flexible than a man dressed in an off-the-rack suit. “Minor clothing manipulations can give rise to significantly different inferences,” the researchers said.

This suggests it could be worth going the extra mile when dressing yourself for an important meeting or interview. The same principles also apply when it comes to group image. A survey in 2009 found that business students rated companies with a formal dress code as more authoritative and competent, while those with a more relaxed approach, were seen as more friendly and creative. So if you’re a manager in charge of your organization’s dress code, think about the kind of image you’d like to cultivate. Which leads to the final point …

Consider your audience

Formal suits aren’t always the way to go. Research shows that people who wear more daring outfits are perceived as more attractive and individual, which could be advantageous in more creative industries. Casual dress can also be more persuasive, depending on your audience. In 2010, a female experimenter reported that students were far more diligent in following her detailed instructions when she was dressed casually (like they were), as opposed to smart and professional. Smartly dressed researchers had more luck at an airport, where more people were dressed formally; casually dressed researchers had more luck at a bus station,

If you need to be persuasive at work, the lesson from these studies is that there’s no single rule for how to dress. You need to balance the power of authority, which you get from smartness, against the allure of camaraderie, which comes from dressing like your audience, and may require going more casual.

–

The next time you’re getting dressed for work in the morning, be mindful of the psychological impact that clothes can have. Your choice could literally affect your mindset, so try to match your outfit to the type of work you’re planning to do. If interacting with other people is on the cards – consider who they are, the impression you want to make, and especially whether you want to impress them or be one of them. A polished professional look can certainly give you authority. But if you’re collaborating with quirky creatives, or you want to cultivate a friendly atmosphere, you may find it’s advantageous to adopt a more casual, individual style for the day.

Dressing Well and Knowing It

Check out this great article from Buzzfeed on wearing suits. You can see how much you know about suits and dressing well.

There is a whole lot I did not know about wearing suits and was very glad to know that I did know a lot even though I do not wear them often.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s 7 Leadership Secrets

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131024113124-13518874-sir-alex-ferguson-s-7-leadership-secrets

The article above is one I really enjoyed. Most of the text is pasted below so you can see what lessons we may draw from this sporting icon.

When Manchester United boss Sir Alex – the most successful manager of a British soccer team in decades – announced his retirement back in May, it generated more than 1.4 million Twitter mentions within the first hour. This ranked as more significant than the death of Margaret Thatcher, if slightly less so than the announcement of the new Pope.

So here are Sir Alex’s seven leadership lessons:

(1) Face Tough Reality And Sort Problems Out Head-On

The son of a Glasgow shipbuilder, Ferguson’s grit was forged during 17 relatively unspectacular years as a player in Scottish football. He reflected: “The adversity gave me a sense of determination that has shaped my life. I made up my mind that I would never give in.”

When he became manager of Manchester United in 1986, the tough reality was that the side hadn’t won the football league for 26 years – Ferguson was depressed by the players’ level of fitness and worried that they were drinking too much. However, as he would do many times in later years, Ferguson drew strength from adversity, managing to increase their discipline and improve results.

A key lesson for CEOs is not to let problems fester but to tackle them head-on. As Ferguson says:

“No one likes to get criticized. But in the dressing room, it’s necessary that you point out your players’ mistakes. I do it right after the game. I don’t wait until Monday, I do it, and it’s finished. I’m on to the next match.”

(2) Only Accept Winning

“I’ve never played for a draw in my life,” boasts Ferguson, and with 49 trophies, 13 Premier League titles and two European Cups to his name, it shows. He has inspired by his passion, convincing players that they can push their performance on through a brick wall.

Ferguson is also passionate about his politics, leading his friend and Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell to comment:

If there is one lesson politics can take from sport, and someone as successful as Fergie, it is that if winning is what matters, make sure you do everything you need to do to win. That sounds obvious. But it is a mindset that combines the big vision with microscopic attention to detail.”

The temptation for Western CEOs is to get stuck in the mindset of incremental improvements, where 5% sales growth will get them through. However, as they come up against the big dreamers of increasingly professional Chinese companies, they would do well to adopt the mindset of the binary world of sport, where there are only winners and losers.

(3) No-One Is Bigger Than The Team

While he made solid transfer decisions, a big part of Ferguson’s success was the ability to spot talent and nurture from within. He turned exuberant “show ponies” – such as the 17-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo – into team players, while providing a home for talented misfits like Eric Cantona.

If you think there are big egos and strong characters in your organization, just look inside a Premier League dressing room. Ferguson’s genius has been to make everyone understand that the glory and the riches that they enjoy flow from being part of a winning team. It doesn’t matter how big a star you are. The team is always bigger. Either he was in control or the players were – as Roy Keane, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and David Beckham found out to their cost.

Many CEOs should apply this to their top teams and deal more firmly with the big individuals who end up casting a dysfunctional shadow on team spirit and the company culture.

(4) Command Loyalty As A True Father Figure

One of the great characters of football, Ferguson is often associated with his volatile temper. His “hairdryer” – whereby he dressed down a team member with such force and directness that it was said to dry his hair – is the stuff of legend. However, his role as a mentor and a father figure should be not be overlooked.

Ultimately, Ferguson has been more about building players up than knocking them down:

“There is no room for criticism on the training field. For a player – and for any human being – there is nothing better than hearing ‘Well done’. Those are the two best words ever invented in sports.” Whatever the private exchanges, he always defends his team externally: “There is no point in criticizing a player forever. And I never discuss an individual player in public. The players know that. It stays indoors.”

CEOs can learn much about loyalty and the importance of seeking external perspectives from Ferguson, who also told Alistair Campbell:

“You know my definition of friendship – the real friend is the one who walks through the door when the others are putting on their coats to leave… I know from my position here that sometimes there can be so much noise and fury going on around you that you need people outside your own bubble who can take a slightly different perspective for you. We all need that.”

(5) Work Hard & Stay Fresh

Renowned for his work ethic and 7am training sessions, Ferguson says:

“I tell players that hard work is a talent, too. They need to work harder than anyone else.”

However, Ferguson – whose outside interests span racing and military history – is an unlikely advocate of work-life balance, commenting:

Mental and physical fitness are two sides of the same coin. You have to build rest into any program. That’s another thing that applies in all worlds, not just sport. I don’t think you can do high-pressure jobs now without being physically fit… there were times I could see [the leader] was getting tired, and I was thinking he’s probably doing too much himself, not delegating, not spreading the load.”

Only when they apply this insight can CEOs consistently perform at their best:

“Being able to analyze a situation and then decide what to do – that is such an important part of these top jobs. Reaching the right decisions under pressure.”

(6) Build An Enduring Institution Of Which People Want To Be A Part

Ferguson told the Harvard Business School that core to his success at Manchester United was building a “club” and not just building a “team” to survive:

“The first thought for 99% of new managers is to make sure they win – to survive. They bring experienced players in, often from their previous clubs. But I think it is important to build a structure for a football club, not just a football team. You need a foundation. And there is nothing better than seeing a young player make it to the first team. The idea is that the younger players are developing and meeting the standards that the older ones have set before.”

With a 27-year reign that’s eclipsed that of most CEOs and political leaders, Ferguson has excelled in managing multi-generation succession at his club. The baton has passed from the likes of Lee Sharpe and Nicky Butt, to Phil Jones on the inside and Robin van Persie from the outside. This would-be dinosaur has actually moved with the times, embracing new technology and medical advances to build a state-of-the-art training facility at Carrington. Ferguson has kept on developing his style and systems – and, professing that the modern player is somewhat more fragile – even claims to have mellowed a bit over the years.

(7) Leave On A High

Back on top of the English Premier League, Ferguson was wise enough to step away from the touchline of the beautiful game at a time of his choosing; without being given the red card. While it’s tempting to stay on and have another go and the ‘treble’ and the UEFA Champions League, the smart move is to leave space for someone else to take it on. That way his legacy has room to grow.

Many great leaders are true ‘one-offs’ and it is too simplistic to suggest that they should seek to bottle their essence to be preserved in aspic. Rather, the big challenge for them is to groom the next generation and ‘blend the essence’ so that it’s fit for their current and future organisation. Ferguson’s anointed successor, David Moyes, is said to be another Scot in the same mold but he is still going through a difficult transition.

Note to soccer fans: As a passionate lifelong fan of Leeds United, a competing soccer team, it’s hard for me to write this post in praise of Sir Alex (easier though after Leeds’ 1-0 FA Cup Victory over Manchester United in 2010!). However, I have to respect what Sir Alex has achieved and the lessons we can draw from his leadership.

*** And Don’t Forget To Add Some “Fergie Time” ***

One of the most revealing passages in Sir Alex’s new autobiography is when he deals with the matter of “Fergie Time”. He admits that theatrically tapping on his watch as matches reached their conclusion was a psychological ploy.

The long-held popular belief was that this tactic would intimidate referees into granting Manchester United a little extra “stoppage time” (added with injuries, player changeovers etc.) at the end of either leg of a match. It was often in these vital extra seconds that his team would successfully score the goal that needed to level up the match or clinch victory. As BBC TV soccer presenter Gabby Logan would often say during her commentaries: “They’re playing Fergie Time!!”

I think the lesson here is that leaders and sports players – when in really matters – are able to get fully “in the zone” and into a state of peak performance. In this moment, we seem to lose track of conventional “clock time”, and the usual physical obstacles melt away. American football player John Brodie brings this concept to life:

“Time seems to slow way down… It seems as if I had all the time in the world.. and yet I know the defensive line is coming at me just as fast as ever.”

A truly great leader can shift other people’s perceptions of reality – inspire people to do the impossible. “Fergie Time” reminds me of Steve Jobs’ famous “reality distortion field” – which famously inspired his team to create ever-smaller, faster “insanely great” products – and convince us to buy products that we didn’t even know we needed.

Read more about this idea in my post Five Steps To Master Happiness Through Time.

With Sir Alex’s retirement, have we really seen the end of “Fergie Time”?

What do you think? you may visit the link at the top of this post for more from the original writer.

Coffee

Dear friends,

I have to admit, it’s not easy to get good stories to share. The story which follows is one such. Enjoy reading it.

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some
expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:

“If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.”

God brews the coffee, not the cups………. Enjoy your coffee!

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.”

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Homework

Akpors was doing his maths homework & saying:
2+5, the son of a bitch is 7.
3+6, the son of a bitch is 9…
His Mom: What are you doing?
Akpors: I’m doing maths homework.
Mom : This is how your teacher taught you?
Akpors : Yes
Infuriated, Mom asked the teacher the next day –
‘What are you teaching my son in maths?’
Teacher : Right now, we are learning addition.
Mom : Your teaching them to say 2+2, the Son of a
bitch is 4?
Teacher after laughing : What I taught them was,
2+2, The Sum of Which is 4

Illegal

Akpos failed law & decided to make a deal with the professor.
Sir, do u know everything about law?
Prof: Yes
Akpos; if u can answer this question,i will accept my final marks. If you can’t, you have to give me ‘A”. The professor agreed.
Akpos asked, ‘What is legal but not logical, logical but not legal & neither legal nor logical?
The prof thought about it for hours & pondered… but found no answer.
He had to finally give up as he really did not know, so he gave Akpos his ‘A’.
The following day, professor asked same question to his students.
He was shocked when all of them raised their hands.
He asked one student the same question.
He answered: sir, you’re 65, married to 28 year old, this is legal but not logical.
Your wife, is having an affair with a 23 year old boy. This is logical but not legal.
Your wife’s boyfriend has failed his exam & yet u have given him an ‘A’. It’s neither logical nor legal!

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner can carry about 250 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,100 times in 2012. If it were a Dreamliner, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Akpos Driving

Akpos hammer and buys a new Automatic BMW X6 sport.
He drives the car perfectly well during the day, but at night the car just won’t move at all.
He tries driving the car at night for a week but still no luck.
He then furiously calls the BMW dealers and they sent out a technician to him.
The technician asks,
“Sir, are you sure you are using the right gears?”
Full of anger Akpors replies,
“You fool, idiot man, how you could ask such a question, I’m not stupid! I use D for the Day and N for the Night.”=D =))