How to Delegate Tasks Effectively (and Why Its Important)

How to Delegate Tasks Effectively (and Why It’s Important) One of my favorite Olympic sports to watch is track relay. The runners make blindly reaching for a baton at 20 mph while staying in their lanes look incredibly easy. But in truth, what they’re doing is extremely difficult. And it’s a lot like delegating effectively. Delegating sounds easyâ€"and others who can do it well make it look easyâ€"but passing the baton effectively requires a lot of trust, communication, and coordination. Still, if you learn how to delegateâ€"and you do it wellâ€"everyone on your team wins. Table of Contents: Why Is It Important to Delegate? Why Managers Fail to Delegate How to Determine When Delegating is Appropriate How to Delegate Tasks Effectively Why Is It Important to Delegate? As a leader, delegating is important because you can’tâ€"and shouldn’tâ€"do everything yourself. Delegating empowers your team, builds trust, and assists with professional development. And for leaders, it helps you learn how to identify who is best suited to tackle tasks or projects. Of course, delegating tasks can lighten your workload, but according to Dr. Scott Williams, professor of management at Wright State University, delegating does much more than just get stuff off your plate. For one, the people who work for you will be able to develop new skills and gain knowledge, which prepares them for more responsibility in the future. “Delegation can also be a clear sign that you respect your subordinates’ abilities and that you trust their discretion,” Williams writes. “Employees who feel that they are trusted and respected tend to have a higher level of commitment to their work, their organization, and, especially, their managers.” Why Managers Fail to Delegate While the benefits of delegating are obvious and plentiful, many managers still fail to delegate effectively. The reality is that there are several myths and misconceptions about delegating that can make some leaders wary of handing off work to others. They think delegating is just passing off work to someone else “Managers often mistake delegation for passing off work,” writes Harvey Mackay, founder of MackayMitchell Envelope Co. “So they don’t do it, and they wind up wasting their time as well as the company’s time and resources.” Delegation can be a chance to make workloads more manageable, but more than that, it can provide really valuable teaching opportunities for your employees, Mackay notes. Delegation is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of a strong leader. They think they can do it better One study found that two psychological processes make people more reluctant to delegate work: the self-enhancement effect, which is a manager’s tendency to evaluate a work product more highly the more involved he/she is in its production the faith in supervision effect, which is when people have a tendency to think work performed under the control of a supervisor is better than work performed without as much supervision Watch for those biases in your work. They could be a sign that you need to focus on building more trust within your team. Related: 6 Simple Tips for Effective Team Management They’re nervous about letting go Letting go can be challenging, but accepting that you can’t do everything yourself is important. “Giving up being ‘the go-to expert’ takes tremendous confidence and perspective even in the healthiest environments,” says Carol Walker, president of Prepared to Leadâ€"a consulting firm that focuses on developing young leaders. Remind yourself that your team wants to do good work and be successful just like you do. If your employees succeed, you succeed. “I’ve learned that people will seldom let you down if they understand that your destiny is in their handsâ€"and vice versa,” says Mackay. Theyre worried delegating will take longer than just doing the work Another common barrier to delegation is that it can take longer to teach someone else how to do a task than to just do it yourself. And while that might be true the first time you delegate the task, over time, the amount of time you have to dedicate to that task decreases because you won’t have to be involved with it at all. Imagine that it will take you eight hours to walk someone through a task you have to complete every week. Typically, it takes you an hour to complete the task. Once eight weeks have passed after you’ve trained someone else to do the task for you, you’ll have recouped the time you spent on training and now have an extra hour each week. With that extra hour, you can focus on more important work, such as strategy, coaching, or developmentâ€"the things leaders are supposed to do. How to Determine When Delegating is Appropriate Another common barrier to delegation is that leaders aren’t sure which tasks they should and shouldn’t be delegating. In every manager’s workloadâ€"particularly new managersâ€"there are likely tasks that you should do and tasks that you should delegate. Career and business strategist Jenny Blake recommends conducting an audit of your tasks using the rules below to find out which of your tasks should be delegated: Tiny: Tiny tasks are little things that only take a small amount of time to complete but add up over time. These might be things an assistant could do: scheduling meetings, booking flights for business trips, or deleting spam/marketing emails from your inbox. Tedious: Tedious tasks are mindless tasks, such as copying and pasting lead information from your marketing automation tool to your CRM. Tedious tasks require little skill and can be easily delegated. Time-consuming: Time-consuming tasks are opportunities to break work into smaller chunks and delegate portions of the work to others. If you perform a task regularly that takes a lot of time, look for opportunities to hand off segments of that task to others. Teachable: Do you have tasks on your plate that you could easily teach someone else to complete? If a task is entirely teachableâ€"if it does not require expertise that only you can provideâ€"it’s a worthwhile candidate for delegation. Terrible at: Maybe you have no design skills, so it takes you six times as long to create graphics for your blog posts as it would a professional designer. It’s better to delegate that task to someone who’s more equipped to do the work quickly and well. Time-sensitive: Maybe it would be better if you handled all of the tasks belonging to a time-sensitive project, but if you won’t have time to complete it doing it all on your own, it’s time to find ways to delegate parts of that task to other members of your team. Additionally, you may need to consider delegating tasks you love doing but are no longer part of your job. If you recently moved into a leadership role, you may have pet projects from your days as an individual contributor, but if it’s now someone else’s job to complete those tasks, it’s time to delegate and teach that person how to do it for you. Delegate tasks efficiently with MeisterTask Sign up for free Its free! Sign up for free How to Delegate Tasks Effectively Here are a few tips to help you delegate effectively so that your team shares the workload and makes progress that benefits everyone. 1. Choose the right person for the job Part of being a good leader is understanding your employees’ strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. If you need to delegate a task that is going to require a lot of collaboration to complete, don’t delegate it to someone who very strongly prefers working alone. Delegate it to someone who prefers collaborating. If you conducted the audit recommended in the section above, you may have a list of tasks you’re looking to delegate. You may want to consider sitting down with your team, going through the list, and letting people self-select the tasks they’re most interested in taking over. Letting people choose the tasks they’re delegated is another way to build trust with and inspire engagement among your team. 2. Explain why you’re delegating If you’re delegating a task to someone out of the blue, it really helps when you provide context for why you’re giving them that responsibility. “When you select people to delegate to, tell them why you chose them specifically and how you hope to see this help them grow,” says Alex Cavoulacos, founder of The Muse. “Help them see each delegated task as an opportunity to take on more responsibilities or grow new skills.” 3. Provide the right instructions Every good delegator provides basic and important information without micromanaging. Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, suggests that you delegate results rather than methods: “For example, say, ‘Here’s what we are doing. Here’s what we’re after. I want you to get the sale,’ instead of ‘Follow up on those leads,” Covey says. Tell employees your goals or the milestones you hope to hit and let them tackle the problem in their own way. Don’t look for perfection or micromanage; someone else might complete a task differently than you would. As long as you get the result you’re looking for, that’s okay. 4. Provide resources and training You have to make sure the person tasked with a job or project has the tools and resources they need to be successful. “A good training rule of thumb is ‘I do, we do, you do’ (i.e. watch me do this, then let’s do it together, now you try),” says Cavoulacos. Make sure that when you delegate a task, the person has the tools and skills they need to complete the taskâ€"or provide a way for them to work on those skills. For example, if you ask someone to use a specific tool they’ve never used before to complete a task, make sure there’s a plan for them to become familiar with the tool first. 5. Delegate responsibility *and* authority You’ve probably been in a situation where you were tasked with something but didn’t feel fully empowered to make decisions. As a result, the work stalls, you end up having to ask for help, and the task takes more time from both the employee and the manager. “Managers who fail to delegate responsibility in addition to specific tasks eventually find themselves reporting to their subordinates and doing some of the work, rather than vice versa,” writes Martin Zwilling, founder and CEO of Startup Professionals. Foster an environment and culture where people feel they’re able to make decisions, ask questions, and take the necessary steps to complete the work. 6. Check the work and provide feedback There’s nothing worse than a manager who delegates something to an employee and then blames the employee when something goes wrong. Don’t be that manager. Check the work you delegated to your employees when it’s complete, make sure they did it correctly, and give them any feedback needed to improve when handling the task going forward. 7. Say thank you When someone completes a task or project you delegated, show genuine appreciation and point out specific things they did right or well. When you make a note of those specifics, you’re giving people a roadmap for what they should continue to do to be successful. “This is the simplest step but one of the hardest for many people to learn,” Zwilling says. “It will inspire loyalty, provide real satisfaction for work done, and become the basis for mentoring and performance reviews.” The Benefits of Learning to Delegate If you delegate well, you can increase trust and commitment with your employees, improve productivity, and make sure the right people are performing the tasks that best suit them. So don’t be afraid to pass the baton. It might take some practice to become a great delegator, but if you work at it, you’ll all go further. Originally published in March 2017, this post has been updated to provide more information about how to determine which tasks should be delegated and to add a few more delegating tips. You might also like: 3 Creative Leadership Methods to Spark the Next Big Idea 3 Proven Strategies to Motivate Your Team 4 Strategies to Make Creativity a Key Part of Company Culture 4 Steps for Successful Employee Development Delegate tasks efficiently with MeisterTask Sign up for free Its free! Sign up for free How to Delegate Tasks Effectively (and Why It’s Important) One of my favorite Olympic sports to watch is track relay. The runners make blindly reaching for a baton at 20 mph while staying in their lanes look incredibly easy. But in truth, what they’re doing is extremely difficult. And it’s a lot like delegating effectively. Delegating sounds easyâ€"and others who can do it well make it look easyâ€"but passing the baton effectively requires a lot of trust, communication, and coordination. Still, if you learn how to delegateâ€"and you do it wellâ€"everyone on your team wins. Table of Contents: Why Is It Important to Delegate? Why Managers Fail to Delegate How to Determine When Delegating is Appropriate How to Delegate Tasks Effectively Why Is It Important to Delegate? As a leader, delegating is important because you can’tâ€"and shouldn’tâ€"do everything yourself. Delegating empowers your team, builds trust, and assists with professional development. And for leaders, it helps you learn how to identify who is best suited to tackle tasks or projects. Of course, delegating tasks can lighten your workload, but according to Dr. Scott Williams, professor of management at Wright State University, delegating does much more than just get stuff off your plate. For one, the people who work for you will be able to develop new skills and gain knowledge, which prepares them for more responsibility in the future. “Delegation can also be a clear sign that you respect your subordinates’ abilities and that you trust their discretion,” Williams writes. “Employees who feel that they are trusted and respected tend to have a higher level of commitment to their work, their organization, and, especially, their managers.” Why Managers Fail to Delegate While the benefits of delegating are obvious and plentiful, many managers still fail to delegate effectively. The reality is that there are several myths and misconceptions about delegating that can make some leaders wary of handing off work to others. They think delegating is just passing off work to someone else “Managers often mistake delegation for passing off work,” writes Harvey Mackay, founder of MackayMitchell Envelope Co. “So they don’t do it, and they wind up wasting their time as well as the company’s time and resources.” Delegation can be a chance to make workloads more manageable, but more than that, it can provide really valuable teaching opportunities for your employees, Mackay notes. Delegation is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of a strong leader. They think they can do it better One study found that two psychological processes make people more reluctant to delegate work: the self-enhancement effect, which is a manager’s tendency to evaluate a work product more highly the more involved he/she is in its production the faith in supervision effect, which is when people have a tendency to think work performed under the control of a supervisor is better than work performed without as much supervision Watch for those biases in your work. They could be a sign that you need to focus on building more trust within your team. Related: 6 Simple Tips for Effective Team Management They’re nervous about letting go Letting go can be challenging, but accepting that you can’t do everything yourself is important. “Giving up being ‘the go-to expert’ takes tremendous confidence and perspective even in the healthiest environments,” says Carol Walker, president of Prepared to Leadâ€"a consulting firm that focuses on developing young leaders. Remind yourself that your team wants to do good work and be successful just like you do. If your employees succeed, you succeed. “I’ve learned that people will seldom let you down if they understand that your destiny is in their handsâ€"and vice versa,” says Mackay. Theyre worried delegating will take longer than just doing the work Another common barrier to delegation is that it can take longer to teach someone else how to do a task than to just do it yourself. And while that might be true the first time you delegate the task, over time, the amount of time you have to dedicate to that task decreases because you won’t have to be involved with it at all. Imagine that it will take you eight hours to walk someone through a task you have to complete every week. Typically, it takes you an hour to complete the task. Once eight weeks have passed after you’ve trained someone else to do the task for you, you’ll have recouped the time you spent on training and now have an extra hour each week. With that extra hour, you can focus on more important work, such as strategy, coaching, or developmentâ€"the things leaders are supposed to do. How to Determine When Delegating is Appropriate Another common barrier to delegation is that leaders aren’t sure which tasks they should and shouldn’t be delegating. In every manager’s workloadâ€"particularly new managersâ€"there are likely tasks that you should do and tasks that you should delegate. Career and business strategist Jenny Blake recommends conducting an audit of your tasks using the rules below to find out which of your tasks should be delegated: Tiny: Tiny tasks are little things that only take a small amount of time to complete but add up over time. These might be things an assistant could do: scheduling meetings, booking flights for business trips, or deleting spam/marketing emails from your inbox. Tedious: Tedious tasks are mindless tasks, such as copying and pasting lead information from your marketing automation tool to your CRM. Tedious tasks require little skill and can be easily delegated. Time-consuming: Time-consuming tasks are opportunities to break work into smaller chunks and delegate portions of the work to others. If you perform a task regularly that takes a lot of time, look for opportunities to hand off segments of that task to others. Teachable: Do you have tasks on your plate that you could easily teach someone else to complete? If a task is entirely teachableâ€"if it does not require expertise that only you can provideâ€"it’s a worthwhile candidate for delegation. Terrible at: Maybe you have no design skills, so it takes you six times as long to create graphics for your blog posts as it would a professional designer. It’s better to delegate that task to someone who’s more equipped to do the work quickly and well. Time-sensitive: Maybe it would be better if you handled all of the tasks belonging to a time-sensitive project, but if you won’t have time to complete it doing it all on your own, it’s time to find ways to delegate parts of that task to other members of your team. Additionally, you may need to consider delegating tasks you love doing but are no longer part of your job. If you recently moved into a leadership role, you may have pet projects from your days as an individual contributor, but if it’s now someone else’s job to complete those tasks, it’s time to delegate and teach that person how to do it for you. Delegate tasks efficiently with MeisterTask Sign up for free Its free! Sign up for free How to Delegate Tasks Effectively Here are a few tips to help you delegate effectively so that your team shares the workload and makes progress that benefits everyone. 1. Choose the right person for the job Part of being a good leader is understanding your employees’ strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. If you need to delegate a task that is going to require a lot of collaboration to complete, don’t delegate it to someone who very strongly prefers working alone. Delegate it to someone who prefers collaborating. If you conducted the audit recommended in the section above, you may have a list of tasks you’re looking to delegate. You may want to consider sitting down with your team, going through the list, and letting people self-select the tasks they’re most interested in taking over. Letting people choose the tasks they’re delegated is another way to build trust with and inspire engagement among your team. 2. Explain why you’re delegating If you’re delegating a task to someone out of the blue, it really helps when you provide context for why you’re giving them that responsibility. “When you select people to delegate to, tell them why you chose them specifically and how you hope to see this help them grow,” says Alex Cavoulacos, founder of The Muse. “Help them see each delegated task as an opportunity to take on more responsibilities or grow new skills.” 3. Provide the right instructions Every good delegator provides basic and important information without micromanaging. Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, suggests that you delegate results rather than methods: “For example, say, ‘Here’s what we are doing. Here’s what we’re after. I want you to get the sale,’ instead of ‘Follow up on those leads,” Covey says. Tell employees your goals or the milestones you hope to hit and let them tackle the problem in their own way. Don’t look for perfection or micromanage; someone else might complete a task differently than you would. As long as you get the result you’re looking for, that’s okay. 4. Provide resources and training You have to make sure the person tasked with a job or project has the tools and resources they need to be successful. “A good training rule of thumb is ‘I do, we do, you do’ (i.e. watch me do this, then let’s do it together, now you try),” says Cavoulacos. Make sure that when you delegate a task, the person has the tools and skills they need to complete the taskâ€"or provide a way for them to work on those skills. For example, if you ask someone to use a specific tool they’ve never used before to complete a task, make sure there’s a plan for them to become familiar with the tool first. 5. Delegate responsibility *and* authority You’ve probably been in a situation where you were tasked with something but didn’t feel fully empowered to make decisions. As a result, the work stalls, you end up having to ask for help, and the task takes more time from both the employee and the manager. “Managers who fail to delegate responsibility in addition to specific tasks eventually find themselves reporting to their subordinates and doing some of the work, rather than vice versa,” writes Martin Zwilling, founder and CEO of Startup Professionals. Foster an environment and culture where people feel they’re able to make decisions, ask questions, and take the necessary steps to complete the work. 6. Check the work and provide feedback There’s nothing worse than a manager who delegates something to an employee and then blames the employee when something goes wrong. Don’t be that manager. Check the work you delegated to your employees when it’s complete, make sure they did it correctly, and give them any feedback needed to improve when handling the task going forward. 7. Say thank you When someone completes a task or project you delegated, show genuine appreciation and point out specific things they did right or well. When you make a note of those specifics, you’re giving people a roadmap for what they should continue to do to be successful. “This is the simplest step but one of the hardest for many people to learn,” Zwilling says. “It will inspire loyalty, provide real satisfaction for work done, and become the basis for mentoring and performance reviews.” The Benefits of Learning to Delegate If you delegate well, you can increase trust and commitment with your employees, improve productivity, and make sure the right people are performing the tasks that best suit them. So don’t be afraid to pass the baton. It might take some practice to become a great delegator, but if you work at it, you’ll all go further. Originally published in March 2017, this post has been updated to provide more information about how to determine which tasks should be delegated and to add a few more delegating tips. You might also like: 3 Creative Leadership Methods to Spark the Next Big Idea 3 Proven Strategies to Motivate Your Team 4 Strategies to Make Creativity a Key Part of Company Culture 4 Steps for Successful Employee Development Delegate tasks efficiently with MeisterTask Sign up for free Its free! Sign up for free

Is Capital Punishment Ever Justified - 844 Words

Capital punishment, better known as the death penalty, is the act of killing or executing a person who was found guilty of a serious crime, by the government. Capital punishment became widespread during the Middle Ages and was applied throughout Western Europe for more than two thousand years. Although, the call to abolish it started in the 18th century, some of the first countries being Venezuela in 1863, San Marino in 1865, and Costa Rica in 1877. Great Britain abolished the death penalty in 1965 and was permanently outlawed in 1969. By 2004, eighty-one countries had abolished capital punishment, but some countries in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia still use it for ordinary crimes. At present day, China and the United States apply the†¦show more content†¦Thus, public defenders tend to avoid spending the necessary amount of time on a capital case to effectively defend the defendant. Bedau and Cassel concluded â€Å"Death sentences are imposed in a criminal justice system that treats you better if you are rich and guilty than if you are poor and innocent.† Moreover, it is argued that capital punishment may violate Eighth Amendment rights against cruel and unusual punishments. It is cruel because it is a relic of the earliest days of penology, when slavery, branding, and other corporal punishments were commonplace. Like those barbaric practices, it can be argued executions have no place in a civilized society. It is unusual because only the United States of all the western industrialized nations engages in this punishment. It is also unusual because only a random sampling of convicted murderers in the United States receive a sentence of death. There are also a number of moral arguments against the death penalty. Abolitionists believe in the value and respect of human life. Others believe that the state has no right to kill any of its prisoners, as the life of the criminal cannot compensate for the crime committed. Finally, some see the death penalty as an affront to human dignity and a violation of the offender’s right to live. Nevertheless, there are arguments in favor of capital punishment. When answering aShow MoreRelatedIs Violence ever justified1043 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Is violence ever justified? The debate about the use of violence has been on going for the last decade. Violence, the act of causing physical harm to another person willingly, has often been categorized as being an uncivilized, unjustified act. It is mostly known, and commonsensical knowledge that attacking or inflicting harm upon another person is â€Å"wrong†. Most of us frown upon people who resort to such violent acts, and they are punishable by law. However, as we progress into the 21st centuryRead MoreCapital Punishment Essay example710 Words   |  3 PagesCapital Punishment Lets keep society safe and give murderers what they deserve - the death penalty. In this essay I will hope to set out both sides of the argument, for and against Capital Punishment. The advantages and the disadvantages will be considered in conjunction with Christian teachings and belief. The Christian teachings, Old Testament and New Testament will also be compared with human reactions to the subject. From my research and analysis inRead MoreIs The Death Penalty Ever Justified?1099 Words   |  5 PagesLyndze Curry Professor Jennifer Arceo English 1301.1CY 09, June 2015 Is The Death Penalty Ever Justified? In the American society many citizens argue daily, is the death penalty justified? The United States is sharply divided, and equally strong among both supporters and protesters of the death penalty. 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Capital punishment is a utility to governments of nations that has served to expunge andRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Not Morally Permissible?1231 Words   |  5 Pages  For thousands of years, punishment for crime has been met with several different styles of execution. In 1976, the United States government reinstalled the death penalty four short years after having banned it claiming that it violated the Constitution s ban on cruel and unusual punishment (MacKinnon, Ethics 289). Since 1976, the morality of execution as just punishment has been a highly discussed topic. The death penalty is not morally permissible because dissolving one s basic human rightRead MoreDealth Penalty Is Not a Solution Essay1003 Words   |  5 Pagespurpose of the justice system is to control crime by punishing criminals and protect people by imprisoning them. Compared to the death penalty, life imprisonment not only achieves the same goals but also in many ways it can be more effective than capital p unishment. 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Military Doctrine Defines Logistics As The Science Of...

Military doctrine defines logistics as ‘the science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of forces’.1 Logistics is the applied art of moving armies and providing for the provision of support to keep that army moving or in location. It is a continuous and never ending operation. For the purposes of this paper it may be taken that a focus on the art of sustainment — that is, the actual process of maintaining an army during operations, with a smaller focus on the administrative side. Some parts of the administration side will not be looked at in this paper, these include record keeping, discipline and medical provision. In this paper, however, I shall be concentrating on what the major logistical issues confronting†¦show more content†¦What was the available transport by land, river or sea? What was the length, security and nature of communication lines? However, this biggest questions were concerned with the welfare of the soldier, what were they going to eat? What weapons were available? How were they going to be cared for? These were the questions that if not dealt with appropriately would rapidly decrease the effectiveness of the army.1 First of all, the most important part of logistics, the sustenance and hydration of the soldiers needs to be considered. In short what were they going to eat and drink throughout the campaign? The methods changed quite notably throughout the time period, this having some relationship to the size of armies, although this will be covered at a later time. The first method of both feeding the army and drawing the enemy from their fortifications was the chevauchee, essentially an armed raid, typified by pillage, burning, rape and murder, essentially destroying everything in its path. An example of this would be Edward III, who ravaged France, both surviving in enemy territory and also compelling Phillip to fight in open combat. The chevauchee can be seen as an effective form of feeding small armies, however any great army would have trouble acquiring the sheer amount necessary for its survival. Following the decline of the chevauchee and an increase in army

Back in the closet Free Essays

The main point of this essay is that even though free speech protects a lot of things it doesn’t protect every kind of â€Å"free† speech because there are boundaries when one is forced to look instead of given the choice to look or not. The author’s purpose in writing it is to show that she is in agreement with most of the foundational aspects of the American Constitution but that she, in a very patriotic way or even a humanist way does not believe that pornography should be protected by free speech. Her attitude is challenging to precisely pin down because she seems so loyal to what the supreme court ultimately decides. We will write a custom essay sample on Back in the closet or any similar topic only for you Order Now While it’s reasonable to believe that she favors making the distinction that pornography should not be protected because it expounds on a hatred of women and is too prevalent to be simply ignored, she leaves it to the courts to decide in the end. So we can say that she has the status of an invested concern that aims towards a neutral attempt that allows for the judicial process to do its work. Some of her most provocative and supporting details are when she clearly outlines a difference in what was being protected by the free speech amendment. It shifts from the political to the violent, from political statements to personal biases and intense hatreds. While political statements can be very biased and members may share intense hatreds this often is not as explicit and in your face as pornography. A major component of pornography’s offensiveness lies in the growth of technology and how easy it is for people to make, distribute, and popularize things called pornography that used to be mostly hidden and not really talked about openly or as offensively. In our contemporary society there is so much pornography that one becomes numb to it and in a strange way there seems to be less of it. There are more outright protections against pornography and more public outrage against in your face pornography like Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction incident. This shows that pornography has become more of a private issue with the measure being less what the courts say and more what the audience of a particular media thinks and makes known. I think this is a definitive step and one can wonder how much court rulings played into how we live in a world full of pornography today but manage to ignore or are simply not confronted by most of what does exist. How to cite Back in the closet, Papers

Substance Abuse an Example of the Topic Health Essays by

Substance Abuse Nothing is wrong when someone uses drugs as medication and drinks alcoholic beverages. But becoming addicted to these substances is a serious case that becomes difficult to deal with when it gets out of control. Substances that are usually abused are drugs, tobacco and alcohol, and abuse can turn into dependency. Need essay sample on "Substance Abuse" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed The Food and Drug Administration defines substance abuse as the use of substance for more than its intended purposethat can harm the users health or capability to function properly. In most cases, people become victims to substance abuse because the substance provides a positive, euphoric effect. Moreover, the substance is believed to reduce tension and even enhance personal abilities. However, addiction to substances differs from individual to individual. Biological factors also have effects on a persons susceptibility to substance addiction (Friends4Life, 2000). Substance Abuse There are varied and complicated reasons why people abuse substances such as alcohol, drugs and tobacco. There are studies which showed that there is a strong connection between drug dependence and abuse and crime. Despite the decline in the use of drug such as cocaine, the use of heroin and club drugs dramatically increased. Addiction to these substances affects peoples judgment, attention, perception, and physical control due to intoxication. Moreover, there are substances which can cause withdrawal. It occurs when a persons use of a substance reduces or stops. Withdrawal symptoms can be in the form of hallucinations, anxiety, or seizures. Drug overdose, however, can cause death. Substances can also cause tolerance, a phenomenon wherein a person has to use or take a larger amount of the substance so that the person experiences the same level of intoxication (eMedicineHealth, Substance Abuse, 2009). Past researches have tried to determine factors that may be associated with substance abuse. Some say it is a family disease. On the contrary, substance abuse can be considered a person disease as it is about a certain person and his or her use of substances. However, there are instance when it is useful to look at addiction from the perspective of the user and there are also other circumstances that addiction may be better explained by looking through the perspective of the family (Levin, Culkin, and Perrotto, 2001). In some ways, addiction is a family disease because it runs in the family. As addiction is partly genetic, evidences to show that there is a clustering in the families with regards to drug and alcohol problems are present. Further, families sometimes share predisposition. Addiction being a family disease can also be explained by the notion that addiction can be learned through modeling. A son or a daughter can possibly smoke at a young age because he or she sees his or her father or mother smoke all the time (Levin, Culkin, and Perrotto, 2001). Another explanation for this behavior is the defensive identification with the aggressor. It means that children whose parents are addicted to substances cope with the dysfunction by becoming like their parents. Moreover, most of those who have addicted families experience pain that using substance as anesthetics and self-medication helps. In short, children tend to be substance abusers if their parents are. This can be backed by the evidence in studies that alcoholism which runs in the family has consistent results. Moreover, researches and clinical experience from studies on drug abuse also show that addiction is inherent in the family (Levin, Culkin, and Perrotto, 2001). Drugs Even in the early times, people have been using drugs for a variety of purposes. Some take them for reasons such as altering consciousness, medication, and participating in religious and cultural rituals. As times changed, people have come to use drugs for reasons that are completely not related to the historical purposes. In fact, they use substances due to their psychoactive effects. A psychoactive drug is one that influences ones emotions, perceptions, motivation and behavior. Drugs that have psychoactive effects are depressants, opioids, hallucinogens, inhalants, and cannabinoids (Levin, Culkin, and Perrotto, 2001). Specific examples of drugs that are usually abused are marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, and club drugs, which include ecstasy and LSD. Results of studies showed that the use of marijuana and other drugs are closely related to violent behavior. Methamphetamine, for instance, increases paranoia and reduces inhibitions (Division of Behavioral Health Services, 2005). Tobacco Tobacco contains nicotine, which is the primary addicting substance in cigarettes. However, there are other chemicals in a cigarette smoke that could damage a persons health. Diseases that are associated with smoking include lung cancer, peptic ulcer disease, stroke, and heart disease. Once a smoker withdraws, he or she will experience depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and hunger (eMedicineHealth, Substance Abuse, 2009). Like drugs, people have varied reasons for using tobacco. These reasons could range from simple pleasure to weight control. Other reasons are curbing hunger, relief of depression and improved vigilance and performance (eMedicineHealth, Substance Abuse, 2009). Alcohol Alcohol is a depressant that has a tranquilizing effect and sleepiness. A person may abuse the use of alcohol because of its psychoactive effects. It can relieve emotional tension, and can cause a person to feel happy, bold, and more confident. The negative effect, on the other hand, includes the person becoming intoxicated by it. It also adds to the impairment of reasoning and judgment. Moreover, intoxication may cause slurred and garbled speech, disturbed vision, and difficulty in motor coordination and maintaining balance (cited in Levin, Culkin, and Perrotto, 2001). Perhaps the most prominent effect of alcohol abuse is loss of memory. In addition, alcohol usually releases a person from inhibitions as alcohol affects certain parts of the brain, especially in the limbic system and frontal lobe that are responsible for self-control, emotions, and moral reasoning. This causes the drunken person to become rowdy and at times violent. Studies have also shown that intoxication is related with aggression and violent crimes (cited in Levin, Culkin, and Perrotto, 2001). Dependency People may interchange the terms abuse and dependency. However, dependency is worse. This stage shows that the use of the substance becomes progressively worse (Division of Behavioral Health Services, 2005). While abuse refers to the bodys intense desire to take increasing amounts of a substance, dependence indicates the bodys need, or addiction, to a certain substance. Dependence can result in behavioral problems and physical harm. Moreover, it can cause a person to associate with others who abuse drugs (eMedicineHealth, Drug Dependence and Abuse, 2009). Most of the time, the use of substances is continued despite the serious consequences in the personal lives and health of those who are dependent on substances (Division of Behavioral Health Services, 2005). There are symptoms which indicate if substance abuse is already on to the level of dependency. Dependence is characterized by the increasing episodes of intoxication. It is also characterized by a persons loss of interest in other things. Moreover, he or she loses control over use of the substance, and feels remorse at how his or her use of the substance resulted to. In addition, dependence indicates the persons tolerance to the drug or alcohol. It is also possible that he or she reacts negatively to withdrawal from the drug. Furthermore, memory failures can be a result of substance dependence. And, in many cases, those who are dependent on substances experience problems on a personal and social level with regards to work, and relationships (Division of Behavioral Health Services, 2005). References Division of Behavioral Health Services. (2005). Self-study handbook. Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. eMedicineHealth. (2009). Drug dependence and abuse. WebMD. Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/drug_dependence_and_abuse/article_em.htm eMedicineHealth. (2009). Substance abuse. WebMD. Retrieved January 8, 2009, from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/substance_abuse/article_em.htm Friends4Life. (2000). Substance abuse. Levin, J.D., J. Culkin, and R.S. Perrotto. (2001). Introduction to Chemical Dependency Counseling. U.S.: Rowman & Littlefield.

Tattoos and Perceptions Professor Ramos Blog

Tattoos and Perceptions History Tattoos are forms of body modifications where a design is made by inserting inks, dyes, and pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment and it is an ancient art. They have been around for a very long time and can date back to 3370 B.C. and 3100 B.C. There are various types of tattoo styles but the major ones include: Traditional, Realism, Watercolor, Tribal, New School, Neo Traditional, Japanese, Blackwork, Illustrative and Chicano Style (Rebecca).The popularity and the percentages have increased over the years with 29% of people in the U.S. have at least one which is getting more common nowadays and most likely will in the future. Perceptions The perceptions are a mix of both good and bad usually if someone has tattoos they are looked down upon and maybe they’re apart of the wrong crowd or are just living in the moment and will probably regret it while others like tattoos which becomes self expressive of oneself, new beginnings and individuality. Health researchers have also claimed that the perceptions toward a person with a tattoo is more negative than the perceptions toward non tattooed persons. Specially the type of design you or someone else is getting will make more of a negative or more positive outlook depending on who views it and how they feel about tattoos. (Resenhoeft, Annette). Types of tattoos Traditional tattoos are known for bold lines, bright colors, and iconic designs like roses, anchors and lady heads. Realism tattoos are black and grey portraits of faces, nature and anything else imaginable. Watercolor tattoos are described as whimsical and aesthetic. Tribal tattoos are indigenous body art this style is usually in all black with elaborate patterns. New School tattoos are highly animated, cartoonish and wacky. Neo-Traditional is an evolution of the traditional style, line work, color, has an illustrative quality to it, and decorative details. Japanese style tattoos are dramatic smoke and wave filled appearances. Black work tattoos are solely black ink, ornamental designs to extremely detailed illustrative pieces. Illustrative tattoos are fine line calligraphy and extremely versatile. Chicano Style has a lot of culture influence to them and is usually fine line, black and grey.   (Rebecca). (Traditional) (Neo-Traditional) (Japanese) What to consider There is a lot of consideration and thought put into before getting a tattoo like finding an artist that you trust and does similar work to the design or designs that you are interested in getting, the cost is going to be very expensive, can take hours or sessions, it will most likely hurt and the aftercare you will have to follow up on. There are several stereotypes like tattoos aren’t professional, the person is rebellious, irresponsible, they don’t have an education, they’re mean to others and wont be able to get a job which shows how they are viewed on a regular basis. Studies A researcher by the name of Naomi Joy Tabassum used a semi-structure protocol to interview seven individuals that included five men and two women of the same age range around 25-38 years old. The data she collected had three major themes: â€Å"identity project,† â€Å"cultural context† and â€Å"tattoo timeline†. The findings suggest stigmas related to tattoos remain embedded in the cultural context, more significantly within career and counseling. Some people would describe themselves outside of all of the negative remarks and stereotypes thrown out at them and they have a sense of community within the tattoo subculture. ( Tabassum, Naomi Joy). An article explaining â€Å"What Is Hidden In Tattoos† had three different groups of a person with no tattoos,those tattooed with nonnegative messages and persons tattooed with negative messages are all significant in age of death and biochemical, toxic, and immunologic aspects of the different compounds in tattoos should be further studied because there could be unsafe things inside. Current practices of tattooing have for health and disease is much to little known but the development of this knowledge field will benefit from the work by clinics and researchers from different areas. The article displays the potential risks so some people considering tattoos might reconsider based on the facts that were shown. (Jonsson, Bo H et al). In â€Å"You Need to Cover Your Tattoo!† D.J. Williams, Jeremy Thomas and Candace Christensen want to acknowledge the values on body modification practices to call attention to the need to rethink common standards of professional appearance specifically with the respect to workers who may have visible tattoos because it is important that attitudes and policies among social workers keep up with such changes. This such change and rethinking is very positive and will give others new perspectives because in the end they are just tattoos. (Williams, D.J. et al). Reading about a photographer by the name of Chris Rainier who travels the globe in search of tattoos and other examples of the urge to embellish our skin showed me that tattoos indicated many different stories like a woman with swirl face tattoos that symbolize her family’s lineage or the dark scrawls on a Cambodian monks chest to reflect his religious beliefs and that blank skin is merely a canvas for a story. (Tucker, Abigail). Bo H.Jonsson et al. â€Å"What is Hidden in Tattoos?†.American Journal of Clinical Pathology, Volume 143, Issue 6, 1 June 2015, Pages 908-910, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/143.6.908a. Rebecca, â€Å"A Beginners Guide: Popular Tattoo Style Briefly Explained.† Tattoodo, 2016, https://www.tattoodo.com/a/2016/02/a-beginner-s-guide-10-tattoo-styles-explained/. Resenhoft, Anette et al. â€Å"Tattoos Can Harm Perceptions: A study and Suggestions.† Journal of American College Health, vol. 56, no. 5, Mar. 2008, pp. 593-596. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3200/JACH.56.5.593-596. Tabassum, Naomi Joy. â€Å"Tattoo Subculture: Creating Personal Identity in the Context of Social Stigma†. NDSU Repository, https://hdl.handle.net/10365/26888. Tucker, Abigail. â€Å"Looking at the World’s Tattoos.† Smithsonian.com, 2010, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/looking-at-the-worlds-tattoos-60545660/. D.J WIlliams et al. â€Å"You Need to Cover Your Tattoos!†: Reconsidering Standards of Professional Appearance in Social Work, Social work, Vol 59, Issue 4, 1 Oct 2014, pp. 373-375, http://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swu025.

First Oil Well Inventor Edwin Drake

First Oil Well Inventor Edwin Drake The history of the oil business as we know it began in 1859 in Pennsylvania, thanks to Edwin L. Drake, a career railroad conductor who devised a way to drill a practical oil well. Before Drake sank his first well in Titusville, Pennsylvania, people around the world had gathered oil for centuries around seeps, places where oil naturally rose to the surface and emerged from the ground. The problem with collecting oil in that manner was that even the most productive areas didnt yield large amounts of oil. In the 1850s, new types of machinery being produced increasingly needed oil for lubrication. And the main sources for oil at the time, whaling and collecting oil from seeps, simply couldnt meet the demand. Someone had to find a way to reach into the ground and extract the oil. The success of Drakes well essentially created a new industry, and led to men such as John D. Rockefeller making vast fortunes in the oil business. Drake and the Oil Business Edwin Drake had been born in 1819 in New York State, and as a young man had worked at various jobs before finding employment in 1850 as a railroad conductor. After about seven years of working on the railroad he retired due to ill health. A chance encounter with two men who happened to be the founders of a new company, The Seneca Oil Company, led to a new career for Drake. The executives, George H. Bissell and Jonathan G. Eveleth, needed someone to travel back and forth inspecting their operations in rural Pennsylvania, where they collected oil from seeps. And Drake, who was looking for work, seemed like the ideal candidate. Thanks for his former job as a railroad conductor, Drake could ride the trains for free. Drakes Folly Once Drake began working in the oil business he became motivated to increase production at the oil seeps. At that time, the procedure was to soak up the oil with blankets. And that only worked for small-scale production. The obvious solution seemed to be to somehow dig into the ground to get to the oil. So at first Drake set about digging a mine. But that effort ended in failure as the mine shaft flooded. Drake reasoned that he could drill for oil, using a technique similar to that used by men who had drilled into the ground for salt. He experimented and discovered iron drive pipes could be forced through the shale and down to regions likely to be holding oil. The oil well Drake constructed was called Drakes Folly by some of the locals, who doubted it could ever be successful. But Drake persisted, with the help of a local blacksmith he had hired, William Uncle Billy Smith. With very slow progress, about three feet a day, the well kept going deeper. On August 27, 1859, it reached a depth of 69 feet. The next morning, when Uncle Billy arrived to resume work, he discovered that oil had risen through the well. Drakes idea had worked, and soon the Drake Well was producing a steady supply of oil. The First Oil Well Was an Instant Success Drakes well brought oil up out of the ground and it was funneled into whiskey barrels. Before long Drake had a steady supply of about 400 gallons of pure oil every 24 hours, a stunning amount when compared to the meager output that could be collected from oil seeps. Other wells were constructed. And, because Drake never patented his idea, anyone could use his methods. The original well shut down within two years as other wells in the area soon began producing oil at a faster rate. Within two years there was an oil boom in western Pennsylvania, with wells that produced thousands of barrels of oil a day. The price of oil dropped so low that Drake and his employers were essentially put out of business. But Drakes efforts showed that drilling for oil could be practical. Though Edwin Drake had pioneered oil drilling, he only drilled two more wells before leaving the oil business and living out most of the rest of his life in poverty. In recognition of Drakes efforts, the Pennsylvania legislature voted to award Drake a pension in 1870, and he lived in Pennsylvania until his death in 1880.