Restaurant Seat Store

When you want to decorate your home but you have small and young children to consider, you may think it’s difficult or impossible to do. Take heart though. If you remember two simple rules, you can have a pretty home design that works with small kids too.

The two rules? Safe and Washable.

When redecorating any part of your home, you need to be sure both your children and your decor is safe from each other. And of course with small fingers and hands about the house, designing with anything that’s washable is a must in order to keep it all looking its best.

Choosing cleanable decor is fairly easy to understand, particularly if you already have toddlers or any aged kids in your home. Children of all ages attract dirt and grime. They love to dig in the garden when they’re young, and dig into car engines or tackling each other in sports as they get older. They’re just really great at bringing in dirt magically!

So decorating your home with washable fabrics is a must when you have kids living there. This is true for furniture fabrics as well as floor coverings such as carpeting and throw rugs. Don’t forget washable walls too: Use high-gloss enamel paint will allow you to decorate beautifully and you’ll be able to give it a quick wipe down to remove dirt as needed.

One of the easiest ways to make your beautiful furniture easier and less expensive to wash is to decorate it with furniture coverings. There are a wide variety of designer slip covers to choose from these days, and many of these are also made with durable fabrics such as denim and canvas.

Area rugs are generally easy to clean too but if you prefer wall to wall carpeting then be sure to select a commercial grade version in the style needed for your room design. Commercial carpeting is made to withstand large amounts of foot traffic and it’s designed to resist staining too. So it will last much longer against the everyday wear and tear of kids than residential carpeting will.

Keeping your home decor safe from the kids – and the children safe from your decor – is another critical factor to consider when planning your new decorating theme. This is most important while the children are small, but it still plays an important role as they grow too.

If you like to decorate with breakable knick knacks, crystal vases, and antique collectibles you may find these are a big challenge while you’re children are still quite small. Keeping these to a minimum is the easiest approach, and be sure to place them in secure, stable locations which are high enough for the children to be unable to reach.

It’s usually best to avoid glass tables, crystal lamps, and fragile antique chairs while the children are still small though, because not only are these more likely to be broken they’re also more likely to hurt your child, especially while they’re young and like to climb on things.

Any large pieces of furniture such as tall bookshelves and wall entertainment centers need to be securely bolted to studs in the walls. Also be aware that the newer flat panel LCD TV sets are easier for small children to pull over on themselves, so be extra careful about attaching these securely too.

Source by Kathy Burns-Millyard

This question has been troubling me for some time now. I say troubling, not because I personally have any doubt that business and ethics can and must coexist for a company to realize success. I say it because reality shows that, despite the fact that most companies in the corporate world have their so-called “Code of Ethics,” just a few of these companies truly go by it. In the meantime, more and more companies and individuals find excuses for their unethical behavior, and accordingly putting those who continue to believe in ethics in a difficult situation, in which the latter group has to compete against those who are less principled. Unfortunately, ethical people often lose in their fight against those, who would do anything to get what they want. As a matter of fact, in today’s world, it has become more the rule than the exception for ethical people to fail in their career and their business life simply because they have to compete with the more common type of people in today’s marketplace, namely the unprincipled, or whom many prefer to call “smart.”

Almost every day, we are faced by situations in which we have to make a decision and choose between something ethical and another that is less than ethical, with the latter, almost always, appearing as the more rewarding. Being hung up on profit and the urge to succeed most people sadly choose the latter, in order to realize their immediate goals.

There are many examples of unethical decisions that are made in the business world. Two examples come to mind. At the business level, I can think of situations in which a business takes a cutthroat approach to remove competing businesses or individuals from their path, instead of entering with them into an honest competition; At the individual level, I can think of a situation in which a greedy employee is targeted by a competitor and is paid a bribe or a commission in return for confidential information that can help the competition snatch a business opportunity from the employer. The sad part is that most people, nowadays, instead of condemning such a behavior, they describe it as a smart move, and add, “You cannot be a sheep among wolves.” They say it, as if joining the wolves is the only solution to survive in today’s world.

I wonder! When did it become acceptable to be dishonest, cunning and downright villainous? Why are honest people considered naive, or more importantly why do they lose their chance of winning against the more cunning and less ethical? Who made this the number one rule of success? And, is a threat against the financial profitability of a company or a person worth sacrificing one’s values and allowing his or her ethics to go out of the window?

In my book, it does not have to be this way. Good business ethics can and should be part of a successful business. Unethical businesses can be profitable on the short run, but can never be truly successful. A business without ethics is a business without integrity. Such a business might realize immediate profitability but it will definitely face long term failure. This rule applies to every aspect of our life. This is true, not only because clients like to deal with value-based companies, but also because an unprincipled business is like a rotted house destined to collapse at the hands of its own in-grown termites. It simply does not have a solid foundation on which it can stand in the face of the many storms it will face in its lifetime.

So, what do you do to make ethics the thread that weaves the fabric of your company?

1-Lead by example. Inspire your employees and clients to do what is right.
2-Encourage your employees to do the right thing, and reward them for it.
3-Do not tolerate corruption or unethical behavior in your company,
4-No matter how profitable a partnership or a business relationship might appear, do not take it if it means that you team up with an unethical company or individual,
5-Finally remember that fighting the good fight to win the race is much more satisfying, regardless whether you win or lose, than winning at the expense of someone else.

Live and lead by example, for when all these days are behind you, and you are sitting in your rocking chair telling your grandchildren stories about your achievements, you will not only feel proud to tell the story of your honest life struggles, but you will also be teaching them how to live an honest and righteous life. Only then, your short journey in this world would have made a difference, and your life would not have been in vain.

Miranda Conyers
President/CEO, Arabic-English Translation Services, Inc.
http://www.arabictranslationservices.net
July 12, 2010

Source by Miranda Conyers

Why Buy Accent Furniture?

Following are some reasons why you should:

1. Elegance

Has great appeal and with its unique elegance, it can add a touch of class to your home or office. The great chic and finishing of this furniture can endow your home or office space with a luxurious touch, helping you to beautify your place in the best possible way.

2. Variety of Choices

Wide range of choices are available. The huge amount of choices for shapes, styles, and sizes of accent furniture make it easy for homeowners to find the perfect décor for their place.

3. Affordability

It is very affordable and people with both low and high budgets can buy it without any problem. If you cannot afford the costly options, then you will be glad to know that there are great discount offers as well as cheap furniture available on the market. You can take advantage of those to beautify your home.

4. Functionality

Apart from making your home look classy, it is also very functional. Hence you will get to enjoy both beauty and practicality. Accents such as mirrors, chairs, tables, etc. not only enhance the beauty of your interior but also serve their conventional function.

How to Choose the Right Accent Furniture?

Finding accent furniture in the market for your home is not difficult. Choosing the right kind however, can be a challenge. Consider the following points before choosing any type of furniture for your home or office:

Needs

Determine the purpose of buying accent furniture. Is it to fill the empty space, hold things, or for storage? Once you determine what you expect out of the furniture, it will be easier for you to make the right choice. If you want to place a flower vase or a night lamp in the corner of the room, then buy an accent accordingly. Console tables and side tables are two types of accent tables available. Accent chairs are good for filling the empty space. They come in different designs and styles to match the interiors.

Style

Determine what your room conveys. Is it contemporary or traditional? The entire idea of buying the accent furniture is to fill in the empty space in a room in such a way that it not just serves your needs but also adds on to the overall appearance of the room. Home accent furniture comes as both traditional and contemporary.

For the Walls

Similar to the space of floor, the walls also need to be occupied and decorated. If you already have furniture in your home and you would like to subtle the appearance, then buy an accent wall mirror. A wall mirror will bring elegance to your room on its own. It only requires a simple table and nothing else.

No home is genuinely complete without some accent furniture that you have personally selected and that stands out in order to make your living space uniquely yours.

Source by Cristina Greenwood

I finally realized it is not a Western desk; it is an English desk from the early 20th century. The clues are the wood itself and the hardware. English oak from this period has a distinctively different grain from the Golden Oak of American furniture of this period. The oversized hardware is also distinctly English. The odd pattern of shading was caused by someone stripping the original dark finish but giving the hardware areas a wide berth, creating the like and dark patterns in the wood as the result of really poor workmanship.

A “dresser w/desk pull down” is a 20th century recreation of a variation of the 19th century “butler’s desk”. Legend has it that the butler in an upper class 19th century household was never seen to sit. Since one of his duties was also to keep the household accounts he had to have a desk but he did not sit there. It was designed so that he could stand and do his paperwork. The desk unit was incorporated into a chest of drawers to conserve space. That piece is in fact made of maple, probably in the 1950s or 1960s.

Bodart Furniture Co. was in business in Grand Rapids, from 1949 to 1973. Bodart made quality reproductions of antique European furniture forms, including desks, tables, chests and upholstered pieces. As they obviously are not in business now, you may have difficulty finding the matching chairs. But I’ll bet you can find lots of nice chairs that would match this table fine. They don’t necessarily have to be Bodart chairs.

The first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was a man known by the name of John Winthrop. Born in Surrey, England, legend says Winthrop came to Massachusetts with an original piece of furniture that instantly gained favor with the colonists: a slanted drop-front desk. After the desk became popular, it was re-named in honor of its original owner.

While the story is nice, there is little truth to it. Governor Winthrop was a real man who ruled Massachusetts until his death in 1649, but this was a good 50 years before the first drop-front desks appeared in his native country. The famous curves attributed to the Gov. Winthrop style weren’t created until the mid-1700s, when Thomas Chippendale designed the first desk of this variety.

Although many members of the public believe this style of furniture was named for a specific man, looking at this story from a historical perspective, it is obvious Governor Winthrop never owned the piece of furniture attributed to him. While Thomas Chippendale technically invented the design, he never labeled it as a “Gov. Winthrop,” either.

The answer to this riddle rests with the Winthrop Furniture Company of Boston, who created a new model of the desk in 1924 and called it the “Gov. Winthrop.” The name is now a common part of furniture vocabulary, and has increased the popularity of other furniture of the same design, commonly known as the “Gov. Winthrop” style. Many different types of antique furniture can be found today bearing the name Winthrop due to this unique design.

We installed a humidifier for the winter, which certainly helps the furniture, but summer we cannot control, as we have no AC. I am not familiar with Arizona, but I take it its very dry there, so yes putting some humidity back into the air should help. Other than that, keep all wood furniture out of direct sun and heat sources. A good paste waxing with bra wax for instance is about the only thing I can recommend to use on this piece. Apparently all pieces made with a particular type of imported mahogany carried the label you described.

The desk is from the late 19th century or perhaps even the early 20th century and is part of the great “Golden Oak” period. The style is very similar overall to the famous Larkin desks of the turn of the century with the open shelf in front below the drop. It could be an American piece but the decorative motif is more European or English. Also the desk is made of flat cut oak and shows none of the quarter cut oak generally seen on American pieces of this era. The finish has been redone and it looks more recent than the 1960s.

Source by Victor Epand

Did you know that one out of every ten quilters develops carpal tunnel syndrome? Personally, I never thought about it. I figured this condition only affected “other” people. Not so. If you’re a quilter, you’re at risk.

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway that runs along the palm side of your wrist. It covers and protects the main nerve in your hand and the tendons of your thumb, index and middle fingers. When you perform repetitive movements like hand quilting or rotary cutting, you stretch and compress these tendons. This irritates the nerves and causes inflammation and pain. When this occurs, it’s called carpal tunnel syndrome.

You’re also at risk if you keep your hands in the same position for a long time. Quilters are guilty of this when they sit at their sewing machines for many hours. If you don’t give your hands and wrists a

break, you increase your chances of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. If left untreated, the damage might become permanent.

What are the Signs?

1. Burning, numbness, aching or tingling on the palm side
   of your thumb, index finger and middle finger
2. Weakness in grip
3. Swelling of hand or forearm
4. Aching of the wrist or forearm
5. Spreads to arm or shoulder
6. Intensity increases at night or in the morning

How to Avoid Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Adjust Your Chair

Adjust your chair height so your forearms are level with the sewing bed (needle area). Your arms should form an “L” shape. If you habitually drop your wrists while sewing, invest in an ergonomic wrist pad.

Support your Feet

If your feet dangle after you adjust your chair, use a book or footrest to fill the gap. Make sure the footrest has a non-slip bottom and slopes 10 to 20 degrees.

Adjust the Height of your Cutting Table and Ironing Board

• Stand with your arms at your sides.
• Bend your arms at the elbows, straight in front of you. Your arms should form an “L” shape.
• Lower your arms an inch or two. This gives your elbows enough room to move without hitting the table.
• This is the proper height for your cutting and ironing surfaces.

Rotary Cutting: Work in Shorter Intervals

When you use a rotary cutter, you perform repetitious movements. This includes squeezing the handle and applying force to make your cuts. If you repeat these actions long enough, you’ll experience a feeling of numbness. That’s because you’ve cut off circulation to your hand. Take this as a warning, and stop cutting.

I’m excited to report that there’s a new ergonomic rotary cutter on the market. It has a padded handle which takes some of the force off your hand and spreads it over a larger area. That means less damage to your hand.

Take Short Breaks

It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re sewing a masterpiece. But try to take a ten-minute break every hour. This keeps your circulation flowing and helps you to focus better. It also gives your muscles and tendons a chance to relax. If you’re like me and you don’t watch the clock when you’re

sewing, set a timer.

Do Stretching Exercises:

• Shake your hands
• Roll your wrists
• Bend and flex your fingers
• Stretch your arms to the side and over your head
• Roll your arms in a circle
• Be creative!

Prevent carpal tunnel syndrome by keeping a good posture, adjusting your sewing room furniture, supporting your feet and taking frequent breaks. If you experience signs of carpal tunnel syndrome, seek medical help right away.

© 2004 http://sewaquilt.com
If you borrow this article, please use the original content. No changes or editing permitted. You must include the byline, copyright and author bio box.

Source by Gloria Massard

How do you make money online from writing good articles, there are so many articles out there how will yours make a difference. In this article we go through some of the outlines of article marketing and how to promote your work.

This can seem a daunting fact for many as they think they don’t have the skills or don’t know what to write about. You don’t have to be a Shakespeare to be successful in this business. In fact, at the beginning you might be plain dreadful. But like all things in life, if you stick at it, you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll become good at it.

Writing articles for cash is a great way to get you started in making money online. It can take up to hour a day to write one and then submit it. If you’ve done your job write you’ll get the traffic and in return you’ll build a reputation, which can be turned into cash by the products you promote.

Below are the basic rules to stick by, if you follow these then you’ll do well.

1. Title:

Use your Keyword phrase in the title e.g ‘7 rules how to make money online writing articles’ the keyword phrase being ‘how to make cash online’

2. Body:

write about 300-500 words about the topic you have chosen. Research before hand is obviously required, such as keywords and articles on the same topic.

a) Paragraph 1- When you begin your article state the reason for the article and why it exists.

b) Paragraph 2 – Talk about the subject and the problem. Again you can find this out from your own research.

c) Paragraphs following – Talk about ways to overcome this problem. The trick to writing articles, is keep it short and to the point. A paragraph should be no more than 2 – 3 sentences long. Don’t panic if you go over that amount though, it’s not a strict rule… the article police won’t be banging down your door. Bang!… Bang!… Bang!… back in a bit, someone’s at the door.

d) Final Paragraph – Talk about the conclusion, how to fix it or overcome the problem.

Now, one thing to keep in mind is that it doesn’t have to be perfect, a masterpiece or a novel. Once you start in this industry, you’ll realize that from the beginning. If you stick at it you can easily make money online writing and submitting articles.

3. Find an affiliate program:

This is important if you want to make money online, you have to have a product to sell or promote which you’ll think will help the problem. Finding an affiliate program can be as simple conducting a search on one of the many search engines for ‘your topic affiliate program’.

4. Add you Affiliate link:

Sign up with the affiliate program and get you affiliate link to promote in your article. Sometimes you’ll be ask to provide your link in a resource box from the article directory.

The resource box is a few paragraphs explaining a bit a you and the product you are promoting. The way to do this is to be subtle with your wording, try to keep away from ‘Do This’ or ‘Click Here’. You don’t have to… it’s just something I like to keep in mind.

5. Submitting your articles:

When you have finished your article and checked it over, then it’s time to submit it to the world and see what happens. Here’s a list of the top 5 article directories vote by Alexa rating –

a) EzineArticles.com

b) ehow.com

c) Articlebase.com

d) Buzzle.com

e) Helium.com

6. Make a cup of tea or coffee:

Try to cut back on the sugar as it’s not good for you, by using honey. Find a comfortable rocking chair, sit back and stare at your computer screen, chanting ‘read my article’ ‘read my article’ ‘read my article’…

7. Write another one:

I know someone who writes an article a day and earns good money online from these articles. Finding the right program to promote is also essential to your success on how to make money online. Chose wisely and you’ll reap the rewards.

Anyhow that’s all for now and good luck with it all. This article has been a brief overview on how to make money online using article marketing, there’s obviously ways you can streamline all this and become a Jimi Hendrix among the buskers. Not that I’ve got anything against buskers… there’s some good one’s out there… but Jimi, really rocks!

All the best. Rob Hughes

Source by Rob M Hughes

If you want to purchase furniture, we suggest that you consider oak wood furniture. Before you make a choice, we suggest that you consider the advantages of the wood. This approach will give you a better idea of the qualities of this wood. Given below is a list of some of the advantages of this type of wood. Read on to find out more.

1. Hardwearing

First of all, oak furniture is quite durable, which means it can stand the test of time. Apart from this, furniture articles made from this type of wood won’t show signs of wear and tear any time soon. And this is a great advantage for active families, especially some commonly used items, such as chairs and dining tables.

2. Versatile Use

Oak wood offers versatility, which means it is an ideal choice for different furniture applications. Although the hardness level of the wood makes it difficult for carpenters to work, this wood is strong enough to withstand a lot of abuse. Therefore, it can be used to make a lot of articles, such as chairs, beds, and tables, just to name a few. This type of wood is ideal, especially if you want to have a coordinated look.

3. Versatile Look

Another great advantage of furniture is that it can be quite stylish. The thing is that the grain and color give it a lot of versatility as far as looks are concerned. You can create rustic or modern looks. Similarly, the timeless look can make it an ideal choice as far as the application is concerned.

4. Investment Piece

It is essential to keep in mind that furniture articles made from oak can be good for years to come. As a matter of fact, many furniture articles made from this type of wood pass down to several generations due to their strength and endurance.

5. Distinct Grain

Due to the wavy grain, this wood type gives it a special look. Moreover, oak is an ideal choice for almost all types of furniture. The good thing is that it appears great after a clear coat.

6. Resistance to Warping

Even after years, oak furniture can resist warping, which is why it can stand the test of time. Also, oak wood is usually cut to prevent warping.

7. Low Maintenance

Since oak is resilient and durable, it does not require a lot of maintenance. All you need to do is clean and polish it from time to time. In other words, it will look great even if you don’t maintain it on a regular basis.

8. Readily Available

The beauty of this type of wood is that it is readily available. You don’t have to travel long distances to look for it. Apart from this, oak furniture is one of the easiest options for you. As time goes by, you can add to your collection.

Long story short, these are just some of the primary advantages of oak wood furniture. If you are looking to purchase high-quality, beautiful furniture for your home, we suggest that you consider oak.

Source by Arthur Huang

By using the impeccable cushion covers you can actually bring life to your dining room, bedroom or any other place where you have used these fine-looking, decorative or embroidered creative piece of work. With these rattling covers you can actually create a different feel and ambiance as these have various patterns, fabric or styles. For an example you can pick the whole range of contemporary or traditional cushion covers if your whole home decor theme is that.

From natural to bright color and the one having amazing patterns, styles, you will find the all types. So to buy the one that fits into your home decor let’s first of all have a look at the broad categories. Broadly these can be categorized by material, style, pattern and usage. Further these categories have various types. So let’s discuss them one by one.

By Material

Material used is basically the fabric from which these are made. Almost all the fabrics are used to make these but buy the one that solve your purpose of using them. Say if you are looking for something very durable and long lasting then go for the polyester or cotton cushion covers. Whereas silk cushion covers and the one made from velvet, chenille are used as luxury and beautify the living or drawing room. Taffeta is a very lustrous fabric that has natural smoothness. If embroidered or given applique work it looks very elegant. Suede cushion covers are made from soft leather. These are bit expensive. The materials from which these can be made are

• Cotton
• Polyester
• Silk
• Chenille
• Taffeta
• Suede
• Velvet

By Usage

Owing to ubiquitous quality these can be used and found everywhere. Be it your bed, dining chair, sofa, outdoor furniture or living room couch, there is no restriction or set rule on where to use it and where not. So you will find different sizes and shapes to match your need.

By Pattern

You will find all the amazing and dazzling patterns. Embroidered cushion covers are generally handmade and on pure cotton, silk or any other fabric. Bead work on embroidery is also very popular. Printed cushion covers are very attractive whereas if you are finding something very simple and elegant then nothing better than plain dyed or baltik cushion covers.

• Embroidered
• Printed
• Plain dyed
• Flocked
• Baltik

By Styles

Jacquard has intricate patterns that look very cool when used on sofa or couch. Designs are raised and woven in the fabric itself. In twill type you will have parallel raised lines or diagonal lines. Whereas Dobby has geometric designs, floral prints that are weaved into fabric. To make these various fabrics are used. the most common styles are

• Jacquard
• Twill
• Dobby
• Designer
• Fancy
• Hand Made

Hope now you will find right kind of cushion cover to complete your home decor.

Source by R Oberoi

What are norms? A norm is the average score of all people who have taken a specific 360-degree assessment (or any other assessment survey for that matter). It can also represent the average score of a specific norm group or target population. A norm group is a target population, say managerial personnel, stored in a database (yours or the vendor’s). If you can access this norm group you can compare your folks with those folks in the norm group.

Normative data is mistakenly seen as the paradigm or the standard to strive for. Some see the score as a best practice or a target. It is an average score. Think of that C from your days in college. C= excellence? No dean’s list for excellence here! Well, the item, the behavior, may be a best practice and something to include in your change efforts, but the score is not a best practice by any stretch of the imagination. It represents mediocrity. Do you want your folks to strive for mediocrity?

Norm junkies, beware! Yes, you can compare and benchmark your middle managers by gender, title, years of service with other middle managers who share those demographics from your SIC code (Standard Industrial Classification). That is the easy part. What you do not know is whether the people in the database represent the best employees, average employees, or simply those employees who fit the demographic (e.g., who have worked with the organization for two to three years and at one time were thought to be breathing). You do not know their levels of competence. As a result, the data in this normative data set, for example, could include folks who range from Mensa member to village idiot, from highly motivated and effective to catatonic and mentally retired.

Focus on the behavior, not the score. Think about your last discussion regarding norms. Did the discussion focus on an item that had a score of 3.4 or a 3.6? Or did you focus instead on the actual wording of the item, the behavior? Did you overly analyze the significance of a .02 delta between the scores or the actual wording for that behavior? Did you identify the positive and negative consequence for resolving this potential area for development?

Purge your mind of scores! Focus on the behavior and the direction for change.

If your results indicate a weakness in, say, “Challenging current thinking for how we have always done things,” then that is a potential area for development for a specific individual or a sub-set of your target population, regardless what the norm or score happens to be. Your developmental efforts can then include whether the individual or a group of individuals should do more of the behavior or do less to resolve this behavior and what specifically needs to be done to resolve this issue.

Deferring Behavior Change. Focusing on norms can be a very convenient way to avoid implementing needed change. One benefit of 360-degree feedback is that it can act as a catalyst for implementing needed change. However, when comparing their feedback to a national norm, people do funny things. If their score is above the norm, they feel change is not needed. We are better than others (according to the norm).When they are at the same level, they feel change is not needed. We are doing what everyone else is doing.

The real fun occurs when they score below the norm, as in below average. People attack the survey. Who created this assessment? How relevant are the questions to what we really do? Is this a valid survey? Is the data reliable? People tend to look for excuses rather than expend the energy to become more effective or more competitive or to become more influential with others. In the end, all this sound and fury amounts to nothing more than if one were sitting in a rocking chair: There is the appearance of movement, but no forward progress.

We are unique. Why do you think you need to compare your employees with those from other organizations? National or industry norms provide demographic comparisons, but they do not identify the specific organizations within that normative database. If they do, that is an ethical breach of confidentiality.

If you believe your organization is unique, why would you want to compare your unique organization with organizations that are not as unique? And if you believe that the normative database is chock-full of unique organizations, then what is so unique about your organization? The discussion becomes a bit circular. Many organizations that are number one or two in their markets tend not to use national norms for comparative purposes. What would be the point?

Alternative to National Norms.One alternative to national or industry norms and scores in general is to create your own normative database about the people within your company. Create data that is self-norming to your targeted populations. Compare the data of your best performing employees from those who are least effective. Identify your own critical behaviors and practices for all employees and for specific functional units. For example, you can compare your group of newly minted managers with, say, your more experienced managers. Compare the strengths and developmental needs of folks who work at different locations, and so on.

These internal comparisons can allow you to develop more relevant training and development programs. They can help reinforce your core strengths while resolving your developmental needs. Self-directed action plans become more relevant for changing non-productive behaviors when you focus on the behavior, rather than the score.

Source by Lawrence J Cipolla