So, you’re thinking about starting a home based business. That’s good. One of the things you will need to consider is your attitude toward the people you are serving with that home based business. It seems to me that the attitude of the world has become very selfish and self centered. It’s all about me, me, me, and how much and what do I need to do to win. Look what has become of the world in recent years with that prevailing attitude. Massive greed has catapulted the U.S. and many other countries into a recession that lingers, many people out of work, and a housing market that is just abysmal.Let me suggest a different way to approach your life and your home based business. Servant leadership is based on core values and actions taken for the betterment of the ones you serve. The goal is to help those that you are serving to grow. Integrity, trust, honesty, fairness are all core values that embody servant leadership. In order to provide this service to others in your home based business you must first be sure of whom you are and that you want to serve. Success on many levels is achieved through servant leadership.Instead of it being all about you, change your attitude to one of helping those that you serve. Caring about your clients or other business associates not only on a business level but on a personal level develops trust. Robert Greenleaf has said, “Trust is first. Nothing will move until trust is firm.” This is true in life and in business. Develop trust with those that you interact with and then your business will move forward. Care about their needs and wants. In the servant leader, serving comes first.Financial success will come when people realize that your philosophy is one of caring and serving others. You will be appreciated and loved for your service. You will be seen as a leader. Others will see you as a person they want to follow because you see clearly where you want to go and who you want to be. This clarity will not only bring you personal success and peace, but financial successes as more and more people begin to follow you.How do you win as a servant leader? You win by watching those that you serve achieve the success they deserve under your tutelage. As they grow and learn, you grow and learn. Their success is your success. The more people that see that success, the more will want to follow. The more that follow brings more personal and financial success to you. Servant leadership is in the spirit of caring and helping others.Servant leadership is an expression of your being. It is who you are. You do it because it is the right and good thing to do. Give from your heart. This is not to be confused with doing it because you expect something back. Do the right thing and help others because you care. The universe will respond to your service.As a home based business owner it is your responsibility to serve and lead others. Know that it will not always be a smooth ride and respond in a caring way. Know that there will be challenges to overcome but stay the course. Know your core values and who you want to be. Know that you will be rewarded many times over by helping in other people’s success.
Finding The Best Home Based Businesses for Women
Finding the best home based businesses for women could be one of the biggest boons for those who are trying to juggle all the aspects of their lives in this modern world. There are many women who love their corporate life, and enjoy going into that sphere, but more women are also opting to return to the home. In a recent CBS sampling done by author Linda Hirshman, she found that “Eighty-five percent of the women” were staying home either part-time or full-time. Even more surprising was the percentage of increase in the number of stay-at-home moms in less than 10 years, a whopping 15%! With the escalating number of business opportunities to be found on the Internet, this number is bound to continue to climb every year.There are so many advantages to finding the best home based businesses for women, whether they be moms, or unmarried, or grandmas. In ever accelerating numbers, women of every age and every educational background are searching for ways to not only stay home for the kids sake, or because of health issues, or just because they want to, but also because they want to be their Own Boss. Women’s salaries have yet to reach parity with those of men; there are exceptions, but they are few in number. However, in the world of Home Based Businesses, it’s often the women who earn much more than the men. Often the woman in the home will be earning more than her husband, and it is at that point that he, too, might begin to take a look at the opportunity to leave the work-a-day world.When searching for the best home based businesses for women, it is important to keep in mind the many “traps” out there; those businesses which are out for your money, giving almost nothing in return; or if they do give something, it might have minimal value, or none at all. There are many “diamonds” amongst the stones, and with some careful research, they can be found. Another trap could be a business which says it is environmentally conscious, yet with further investigation, many of the ingredients, whether hidden or on the label, are harmful to pets, children, and the elderly. “Green” business is all the rage now, and many are looking to cash in for the short term; it’s the “green” businesses which have been doing their part for decades, and which have the research to prove it, that are the ones to go with. One other “trap” to beware of is a business which is based on a passing fad; when the fad disappears, so does the business, and all the hard work one has put into it.Finding the best home based businesses for women will have many solutions, so look to those things about which you are most passionate. Take into consideration your interests, and the hobbies which you most enjoy; then find the business which will complement what brings the most joy to your life. One of the best parts of having an at home business is that you are doing something you really love, you are doing it for yourself and your family, and when you find the right business, you will most likely be doing it every day for the rest of your life.
The “McDonald’s-ization” of Education
McDonald’s is astoundingly successful at purveying inexpensive fast food of consistently high quality. They have achieved this primarily through standardization and quality control. If you purchase an “Egg McMuffin,” or a “Big Mac” at an outlet in Seattle, or Milwaukee, Chicago or Miami, it will be almost exactly the same.
Standardization is increasingly making in-roads into education. Once the realm of diversity (of opinion, thought, approach, teaching technique, classroom styles, etc.) and independence (academic freedom), the higher education classroom is being transformed into a “product” type delivery system. The “products” in this case are the concepts, lesson plans, group exercises, assignments, etc. – indeed, the education itself.
The intent of this transformation is to provide a “standard” high quality student classroom experience within disciplines, and across institutions. With the student being the customer (consumer) of the educational delivery system, we want to make sure he or she is getting the highest possible quality product, and the key to this is “quality control” and standardization.
Instead of the after-the-fact quality control offered through instructor “evaluations,” ” classroom observations,” and the like, the approach introduces a far more intrusive and directive model. Lesson Plans, indeed, entire courses and curricula are loaded into pre-packaged modules, on thumb drives (USB) or onto computers, or servers.
As in the fast food business, manufacturing, or other product producing sectors, the product creation and delivery process is developed to gain the efficiency and effectiveness obtained in industry.
JUST LIKE McDONALD’s
Just like McDonald’s where the customer can expect to enjoy a standard, high quality product, served in a clean, well-designed environment, the student consumer can expect convenient delivery of the educational product, for his consumption, and enjoyment – “satisfaction guaranteed.”
THE PROCESS
First, a product team is assembled. In this case it consists of academic experts, curriculum designers, course writers, technology experts, product representatives, trainers, content specialists, etc. The product development process is based on outcome objectives, i.e., “what do we want the student to know?,” “what should he learn during this course?” and “how do we measure that?” This “beginning at the end” philosophy is crucial. It keeps the spotlight on the product, promotes quality, and ultimately, “customer satisfaction.”
THE ENTERTAINMET COMPONENT
Gen Y students have different expectations from their predecessors, and are less likely to indulge obsolete or dated instructional methods and techniques. They demand to be engaged.
Instructors are partially selected on their ability to “entertain” as well as “inform.” They are expected to be animated, humorous, engaging, and entertaining. They are expected to convey knowledge in convenient, enjoyable, and satisfying, bites.
STEAMLINING THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS
The more standardized the process becomes, the less latitude for the educator, the more prescribed the content, exercises and learning activities are, the more the business managers of the career and “for profit” colleges like it. This concept may, however, benefit the student as it concentrates on a quality, standardized, classroom experience.
IT’S EASIER
Once the instructor has mastered the technology, the whole instructional process is easier under this model. Everything is pre-packaged. No messy development of lesson plans - they’re already done - and done well. No thinking about creative learning activities and approaches - they’re already there. You could almost do it in your sleep! (if it wasn’t for the requirement to be animated and entertaining.)
STUDENT NEEDS
Students in this new education model will be immersed in technology throughout their degree program. This is the world of today, and the future. They will participate and interact with SMARTboards, laptops, WiFi, simulations, business games, remote “clickers,” interactive learning, real-world relevant projects, presentations, etc. It’s designed to match their learning styles and attention spans It is preeminently designed to prepare them for their careers. Although many students are “comfortable” with technology, fewer are proficient, and fewer yet have an in-depth understanding. The curriculum should help them become more proficient and better prepared for the technology demands of the future business environment. The intensely technological nature of the classroom experience also addresses the various learning styles. The auditory learner will have voice, music, and noise. The visual learner will enjoy the videos, powerpoints, and other visuals. The kinesthetic learner will appreciate the hands on components, especially the SMARTboard.
Student satisfaction is, of course, a primary objective. Education, especially for-profit education, exists to serve the student, while running a business. And, through serving and satisfying the student, ultimately the student will stay in school, graduate, and learn valuable knowledge and skills in the process. These graduates will benefit the business community, and society at large. An advanced society like ours is critically dependent on an educated and productive populous.
EMPLOYER NEEDS
What do employers want and need? The link to employer requirements is a vital one. Businesses need educated workers. They require technologically adroit employees who can meet the demands of a rapidly changing technological environment and a highly competitive situation.
Ours is a productive society. Businesses spend billions of dollars training and re-training their employees. “Business Ready” graduates will be more productive from day one and employers will appreciate this.
HAS EDUCATION COME TO THIS?
Purists would argue that the more traditional approaches are preferable, and that academic freedom is being infringed upon. They would say that instructors should be hired based on their knowledge, quality of education, expertise, research history and contributions to their field. They would undoubtedly prefer to see pure “academicians” and “scholars” in the classroom. However, there is room for an interesting debate here. Is it about the instructor or the student? Obviously, we understand that it’s about both, but whose needs take precedence? The answer has to be – THE STUDENT! After all, the whole educational system is in place to meet the needs of the student, and ultimately, society.
Instructors with real-world, practical experience and without techno-phobia will be more adaptable to this new format, and perhaps better equipped to relate to the student.
THE BOTTOM LINE
In education there is always room for a broad range of opinions and approaches. Let’s try this new one. It works in business - why not education? This is probably why Career Colleges are embracing the approach much more readily than their mainstream counterparts. The “for-profit” Career Colleges are definitely the forefront of this initiative, and “early adopters.”
We all know that “quality ” is an issue in education. Graduates with virtually identical credentials can have vastly different skills, knowledge, and abilities. This is, and always has been a concern. This standardized, quality-assured model addresses that issue.
Sure, this educational model is controversial, as it should be! But the end result may very well be that students have a reasonably similar experience, learn comparable skills, and become better “fits” within the business world. Employers can be better assured and confident that graduates have the knowledge and skill base they require to be successful contributors. They will probably, at some point, wish to be full participants in the curriculum development process. In the globally competitive market, this might just be what is needed.
When we’re teaching Business we must be business-minded. Let’s transfer those “best practices” from the business world to academia, keep our students involved, and better prepare them for their future careers. And, the lessons to be learned from places like McDonald’s may be more applicable to education than we might have ever imagined.
Copyright ©, 2009, Dr. Ben A. Carlsen, MBA. All Rights Reserved Worldwide for all Media. You may reprint this article in your ezine, newsletter, newspaper, magazine, website, etc. as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, leave my name and bio box intact, and you follow all of the EzineArticles Terms of Service for Publishers.