Now, Alison-Madueke’s supporters can watch interviews during her time as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources through her YouTube and Vimeo channels, as well as keep up-to-date with her appearances through her Flickr account.

Diezani Alison-Madueke was appointed as Minister of Petroleum Resources on 6th April 2010, and as a result, she became the very first female petroleum minister on the continent. Besides this, she was also the only feminine voice amongst the male dominated Organisation of Petroleum-Exporting Countries (OPEC). She wasted no time tackling the countless challenges within the sector.

Despite the recent criticism made against her, Alison-Madueke is promising to continue the reforms which she argues have engendered transparency in the oil and gas sector and denied “rent-seekers” the opportunity to continue “business as usual.”Secretary General of Ohanaeze, Chief Nduka Eya, stated that Alison-Madueke’s efforts within the industry have not only restored confidence in the economy but have also ensured fuel price stability and product availability. He continued to say, “I doff my hat to Madueke for the way and manner she has injected life and restored confidence in the petroleum sector.”

To view Diezani Alison-Madueke’s visual communication efforts, visit her YouTube, Vimeo and Flickr channels.

About Diezani Alison-Madueke

Diezani Alison-Madueke was born on 6^th December, 1960, in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, to the family of His Royal Majesty, late Frederick Abiye and Chief Mrs Beatrice Agama from Yenaka, Yenagoa Local Government Area, of Bayelsa State.

She completed her early education in Nigeria and the United Kingdom before proceeding to study Architecture in the United States. She completed her 5-year professional Architectural degree at Howard University, Washington D. C.

Diezani Alison-Madueke has held three significant Federal cabinet positions in the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria since 2007: First female Honourable Minister of Transportation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in July 2007; Honourable Minister of Mines and Steel Development, and also Nigeria’s first female Honourable Minister for Petroleum Resources in which she holds the primary responsibility for the stewardship of Nigeria’s vast oil and gas resources.

Alison-Madueke is married with children to Rear Admiral Alison-Madueke (rtd), a former Governor of old Anambra and Imo States and a former Chief of Naval Staff of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Contact
Malachy Agbo
Senior Special Assistant, Media
eNewsPR Nigeria
@diezanimadueke

ABUJA, NIGERIA — Whilst Nigeria’s first female oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke faces what seems a coordinated campaign against her, President Goodluck Jonathan is still highly regarding her as a possible name for the next screening of ministerial nominees.

Alison-Madueke was appointed as Minister of Petroleum Resources on April 6, 2010 and is now considered a historic moment in Nigerian politics. Apart from being Nigeria’s first female oil minister, she was also the only feminine voice amongst the male dominated Organisation of Petroleum-Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Alison-Madueke’s appointment to the position came at a time of great challenge as the Federal Government aimed to overhaul the sector to deliver maximum benefit to the nation. Prominent amongst the agenda was the provision of gas for electricity generation, transforming the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries into profit-making outfits, improve investment in sector, deregulation of the domestic petroleum products market and resolution of youth restiveness in the Niger Delta.

Before being made Minister of Petroleum Resources, Alison-Madueke was appointed Minister of Transportation by Jonathan’s predecessor, President Umaru Yar’Adua. She served in that capacity from July 26, 2007 to December 17, 2008 before moving to the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development from December 23, 2008 to March 17, 2010.

Alison-Madueke came into Yar’Adua’s government in 2007 from her position as an executive director with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). Often regarded as a ‘Shell girl’ having grown up with her parents who were employees of the oil company, the minister was armed with enough knowledge and know-how on matters concerning petroleum resources.

A graduate of architecture in England and Howard University in the United States, she worked for some years in the U.S. before returning to Nigeria in 1992 to work for her father’s old employer. She rose to become Shell’s first female director in Nigeria, completing an MBA at Cambridge University along the way.

As petroleum minister, Alison-Madueke got the President’s approval to supervise the NNPC, Department for Petroleum Resource (DPR) and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA). After the approval was given, she replaced key officials with those she trusted.

In the face of harsh criticism, Alison-Madueke is promising to continue the reforms which she argues has engendered transparency in the oil and gas sector and denied “rent-seekers” the opportunity to continue “business as usual.”

As the date for the announcement of new ministers draws closer, Mrs. Alison-Madueke is putting up a fight as there have been counter-advertorials published in the media by her associates.

El Oslo Freedom Forum, un foro internacional creado para tratar los temas más importantes de los derechos humanos, anunció hoy la lista de sus conferencistas para este año. La tercera edición de este foro anual, que se llevará a cabo durante el 9, 10 y 11 de mayo, en Oslo, Noruega, reunirá a notables personalidades, como el economista peruano Hernando de Soto, el ex presidente mexicano Vicente Fox, el inversionista de Facebook, Peter Thiel, y la activista iraní y Premio Nobel de la Paz, Shirin Ebadi.

De acuerdo a la revista The Economist, el Oslo Freedom Forum, “es un festival espectacular de derechos humanos en camino a convertirse en el equivalente, en el ámbito de los derechos humanos, al ‘Foro Económico Mundial’ de Davos.” El Oslo Freedom Forum reúne a una comunidad con el potencial, la capacidad y el interés de solucionar los principales problemas que enfrentan los derechos humanos en el mundo.

La lista de conferencistas está conformada por líderes e innovadores en los ámbitos del activismo de los derechos humanos, de los negocios, de la política, de los medios de comunicación, y por emprendedores de redes sociales en internet. El Oslo Freedom Forum busca crear un lugar de encuentro donde estas personas extraordinarias puedan conocerse, colaborar, discutir y enseñar cómo pueden lograrse avances significativos frente a los desafíos del mundo actual.

“En apenas su tercera edición, el Oslo Freedom Forum ya se ha convertido en la reunión más importante sobre derechos humanos en el mundo,” dijo Garry Kasparov, varias veces campeón mundial de ajedrez y activista de la democracia y los derechos humanos en Rusia. “No solamente la calidad de los conferencistas y de sus ponencias, sino de todas las personas que asisten a Oslo anualmente a participar de esta reunión, lo distinguen de otros eventos que se producen periódicamente,” concluyó Kasparov, quien fue conferencista en el Oslo Freedom Forum 2010 y participa de esta conferencia desde el 2009.

Entre los expositores confirmados para este año se encuentran el economista ghanés George Ayittey, el ex presidente colombiano Belisario Betancur, la periodista experta en Corea del Norte, Barbara Demick, la analista egipcia, Mona Eltahawy, el neurocientífico James Fallon, el disidente chino, Yang Jianli, el politólogo de Harvard, Steven Levitsky, el filósofo canadiense John Ralston Saul, y la activista Jody Williams, ganadora del Premio Nobel de la Paz en 1997.

Estas personalidades compartirán la palestra con defensores de derechos humanos provenientes de Argentina, Azerbaiyán, Bahréin, Bielorrusia, Birmania, Etiopía, India, Jamaica, Liberia, Libia, Malaui, Marruecos, Nicaragua, Palestina, Rusia, y Sudáfrica. Los conferencistas participarán también en paneles de discusión interactivos para explorar temas tales como la evolución de la censura, las promesas y los desafíos de la cooperación internacional, y el aparente amanecer de un nuevo mundo árabe.

Entre los conferencistas de años pasados se encuentran el fundador de WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, la líder Uigur, Rebiya Kadeer, el líder de la oposición de Malasia, Anwar Ibrahim, el autor de Tres Tazas de Té, Greg Mortenson, la bloguera cubana Yoani Sánchez, y los ganadores del Premio Nobel de la Paz, Lech Walesa y Elie Wiesel.

El Oslo Freedom Forum es un proyecto de la Human Rights Foundation, una organización internacional no gubernamental con sede en Nueva York, dedicada a la defensa de los derechos humanos. El Oslo Freedom Forum es posible gracias al generoso auspicio de la ciudad de Oslo, la Fundación Thiel, Color Line, Fritt Ord, y al Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Noruega, entre otras instituciones.

Las conferencias del Oslo Freedom Forum de años pasados pueden ser vistas haciendo clic aquí. Para conocer más sobre el Oslo Freedom Forum puede acceder al sitio web www.OsloFreedomForum.com, o a las páginas del foro en Facebook, y en Twitter.

La Human Rights Foundation (HRF) es una organización internacional, apolítica, dedicada a defender los derechos humanos en el continente americano. La Fundación centra su trabajo en los conceptos entrelazados de autodeterminación y libertad. Estos ideales encuentran su más alta expresión en la creencia de que todos los seres humanos tienen derecho a la libertad de expresión, de asociación con personas de ideas afines. Las personas que viven en una sociedad libre deben recibir el mismo trato y debido proceso de conformidad con la ley y deben tener asimismo, la oportunidad de participar en los asuntos públicos de su país. De la misma forma, los ideales de la HRF están determinados por la convicción de que todos los seres humanos tienen el derecho a estar libres de detenciones o exilios arbitrarios, de esclavitud y tortura y de la interferencia y coerción en asuntos de conciencia. La HRF no justifica ni aboga por la violencia. El Consejo Internacional de la HRF está constituido por individuos que fueron presos de conciencia como Vladimir Bukovsky, Palden Gyatso, Václav Havel, Mutabar Tadjibaeva, Ramón J. Velásquez, Elie Wiesel, y Harry Wu.

Contacto:

Coordinador de medios, a nivel global: Pedro Pizano, +1 212 246 8486, pedro@oslofreedomforum.com. Idiomas: español, inglés y francés.

CIVIC, a Scottish company headquartered in Edinburgh, has been selected against some fierce competition from major European and International competitors to provide web applications and development for the Scottish Government, Associated Departments and Agencies to the Scottish Government and Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) following its appointment to The Scottish Government Multi Supplier Framework for Provision of Applications, Web Development and Associated Services.

This news sees CIVIC taking the initiative and the lead role in bringing together a powerful consortium including leading business and technology service company, Logica, as well as other Scottish businesses User Vision, Rapid Mobile and Company Net. It is this diversity of resource, experience and skills that allows CIVIC to offer value for money and one of the most comprehensive and innovative portfolios of web development services available on the digital landscape today.

Polly Purvis of ScotlandIS, the trade body for software, IT and creative technology businesses in Scotland comments: “We are delighted that a Scottish SME like CIVIC has demonstrated the capability to make it through onto Government frameworks. The SME sector is where real innovation, creativity and ideas lie and it is critical small businesses are given the opportunity to compete for public sector work on the same basis as the industry’s multinationals. This news clearly shows how well respected CIVIC is to have been able to pull together such a powerful consortium and I am really pleased to see this dynamic mix of small businesses working alongside global companies.”

CIVIC is an independent creative digital agency and has been delivering high profile digital and technical projects in the public and private sector since 2001. Few companies in Scotland today have CIVIC’s strength in combining technology and design into a functional solution. This unique ability is also underpinned with the industry standard ISO9001 and ISO27001 accreditations, offering CIVIC’s clients the reassurance they need when delivering complex projects. This unique ability to integrate form and function has helped secure its place on this particular multi supplier framework.

Greig Tosh, CIVIC’s MD explains: “We are a company of creative people; made up of design, usability and technology experts. We understand clearly that websites and web applications not only have to function but have to engage and communicate with an increasingly diverse audience. Our blend of technology and design means we can make great digital ideas work online.”

“To be accepted onto this multi supplier framework alongside much larger companies is an extraordinary achievement and testament to the consistent standard of work the team at CIVIC delivers. I am extremely proud of CIVIC today and excited about what the future holds for us.”

A rigorous process of selection was conducted by the CGCoPE over a number of months to ensure that all the companies appointed to the multi supplier framework have the skills and experience as well as the resources to be able to deliver value for money projects during this time of budgetary constraints in the public sector.

Aiden Honley, Head of Logic’s Scottish Public Sector says: “Scotland has a proud history of innovation and it is widely recognised that the appropriate use of technology is one of the surest ways of increasing productivity, across all sectors of our economy. Much of Scotland’s most innovative thinking about the application of technology takes place within the SME market and we wanted to use our experience to help innovators deliver real benefits to Scotland. Logica is delighted to have been selected by CIVIC to work with them to deliver services to the Scottish Government through this multi supplier framework.”

For more information, visit http://www.civicuk.com

This year the main emphasis of the Forum’s will be: The EU Baltic Sea Strategy for a competitive region.

The Forum is organised by the Bureau of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Ministry of Economics of Latvia, Economists Association 2010, Latvian Business School, Latvian Commercial Banks Association and the Latvian Employers’ Confederation. The Organizing Committee invites you to take part at the Baltic Economic Forum! Highlights of the Forum:

• The lessons learnt in the Baltic region by coping with the impact of global the economic and financial crisis. The challenges ahead.

• Functioning of EU Single Market in the Baltic Sea region.

• Corporate Governance as a driver of Baltic competitiveness.

• Baltic banking during and after the crisis.

• Strengthening knowledge and innovation as the drivers of the future growth.

• Creating a better accessibility of the Baltic Sea Region by improving internal and external transport links.

• Role of the public and private resources in the availability of the financing for recovery and growth.

Keynote addresses will be given by these prominent speakers:

• Valdis Dombrovskis, Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia

• Andrius Kubilius, Prime Minister of Republic of Lithuania

• Andrus Ansip, Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia

• Johannes Hahn, EU Commisioner for Regional Policy

• Andris Piebalgs, EU Commisioner for Development

• Johnny Åkerholm, President and CEO, Nordic Investment Bank

• Hakan Berg, Head of Baltic Banking, Swedbank

You can register at www.balticeconomicforum.com.

As the number of participants is limited by 400 and is by invitations only, the registration will be closed on September 1.

Forum sponsors: Latvenergo, Latvian Railway (LDz) and IBM Latvia.

The event is co-financed under the Management Partnership concluded between the European Commission and the Government of Latvia. The aim of the Management Partnership is to inform the society about the European Union.

To register your participation or get any additional information please visit our website www.balticeconomicforum.com

or please feel free to get in touch with us personally on +371 67326562 or info@balticeconomicforum.com

Group founder member Iris Turner said: This is an insult…we are offended…yoga helped the group’s health. She invited the church minister to take part in a class “to allay her fears”. Currently this group of about 30, which has members up to 82 years old, is homeless. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that although the church had every right to use its premises as it wanted, but yoga, though founded by Hinduism and whose traces went back to around 2000 BCE, was a world heritage and liberation powerhouse and anyone could enjoy its benefits.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that yoga, referred as “a living fossil”, was a mental and physical discipline. For Patanjali, author of the basic text, the *Yoga Sutra*, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.

Rajan Zed pointed out that yoga was the repository of something basic in the human soul and psyche. About 16 million Americans, including many celebrities, were said to practice yoga. Yoga never had any formal organization and yoga practice had been handed down from one guru to the next.

Zed argued that turning this yoga group of older people away from the church resulting in it becoming homeless was simply “un-Christian”. Love and compassion for the helpless was the hallmark of Christian ethics. Jesus Christ clearly told the world to help the helpless, defenseless and downtrodden and love them and he showed the way also. Church authorities should act like a shepherd to this flock as Jesus Himself said that he had sheep from other pastures.

Rajan Zed quoted from The Bible: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36)”. “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel (Psalm 147:2)”. “For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast (Jeremiah 30:17)”. “Whoever says, ‘I am in the light’, while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness (First Epistle of John 2: 9).”

“…Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another (Gospel According to John 13: 34).”

“While HIV epidemics in western Europe are, with some exceptions, generally stabilizing, in many countries in eastern Europe, they rage out of control,” said Dr Andrew Ball, Senior Strategy and Operations Adviser in the HIV/AIDS Department at WHO headquarters. By the end of 2008, over 1.2 million HIV cases had been reported in the WHO European Region, with over 100 000 new infections during that year.

The annual number of reported new cases is relatively stable in the west (at about 20 000), but volatile and increasing in the east (at about 80 000). Overall, the European Region now has the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the world.

In Europe, HIV is largely fuelled by injecting drug use; injecting drug users (IDU) comprise over 50% of people living with HIV in some countries. Moreover, large proportions of these people are co-infected with tuberculosis and hepatitis C. In many countries, IDU are often stigmatized and excluded from health and social services, including HIV treatment.

One of the most severely affected countries in the Region, Ukraine reported the largest annual number of new infections to date: over 15 000 in 2008. Ukraine has responded by distributing clean needles and syringes among IDU and establishing programmes for them, including opioid substitution therapy (OST). Evidence shows that OST improves the health of IDU by reducing their drug-injecting behaviour, which fuels the epidemic. Dr Olena Eschenko and Dr Natalia Nizova, of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, said that treatment and prevention for drug users were proving to work in their country.

In western Europe, HIV has become relatively stable, for example, in Portugal, where it had once been a grave problem. “Brave moves to reduce the harm of drug use and deliver prevention and treatment to people who inject drugs has turned the epidemic around,” said Dr Henrique Barros, National AIDS Coordinator, Portugal.

“Glaring disparities in HIV/AIDS response between western and eastern Europe are unacceptable,” said Mr Nikos Dedes of Greece, Chairperson of the European AIDS Treatment Group. “More united action is required to limit the rapid spread of the disease and to improve treatment and care in eastern Europe.”

“HIV in Europe depends on the access to services in the east,” said Mr Martin Donoghoe, programme manager for HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and viral hepatitis at the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

“We also need to prevent the re-emergence of HIV epidemics in the west.”

Limiting the fast growth of HIV in Europe requires much more concerted action by all governments and their partner organizations across the WHO European Region.

Notes to editors

1. The XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) takes place in Vienna, Austria, on 18-23 July 2010. It has brought together over 25 000 participants to evaluate the progress made towards achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. More information about the Conference is available on its web site (http://www.aids2010.org).

2. For more information about HIV/AIDS in the WHO European Region, please visit:

http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/diseases-and-conditi

ons/hivaids

3. For the “Policy Framework on scaling up HIV testing and counselling in the WHO European Region”, please visit:

http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/diseases-and-conditi

ons/hivaids/publications/2010/policy-framework-scaling-up-hiv-testing-an

d-counselling-in-the-who-european-region

4. French, German and Russian versions of this press release will soon be available in the WHO/Europe media centre. To subscribe to or unsubscribe from this mailing list, please send an email to medialist@euro.who.int

For further information and interview requests, please contact:

Zsofia Szilagyi, Communications Adviser

WHO Regional Office for Europe

Tel.: +45 39 17 16 27, Mob: +45 2467 4846

E-mail: SZZ@euro.who.int

Zurich/Switzerland, July 26, 2010—The visionary Swiss-Canadian behind the global New7Wonders campaigns, Bernard Weber, visited Official New7Wonders of Nature Finalist national pavilions in Shanghai over the past 10 days. An elite 28 Finalists remain in the last stage of the 1-billion-vote race. Many pavilions at the Expo 2010 Shanghai are integrated in the New7Wonders campaign, featuring voting booths and information for visitors. Visit the news section of www.n7w.com for more on the Expo 2010 events.

Expo 2010 Shanghai & New7Wonders: world-leading initiatives, world record breakers Since the Expo 2010 Shanghai is expected to be the biggest ever, with over 70 million visitors, it is befitting that leading pavilions hosted the man behind the record-breaking, global New7Wonders elections. This is the second World Expo with a New7Wonders presence—at the Expo 2005 Aichi, the campaign to elect the man-made Official New 7 Wonders of the World was an official part of the Switzerland Pavilion (the New7Wonders Foundation is based in Zurich). New7Wonders and Expo share focus on interaction, cross-cultural dialogue “Like each Expo, New7Wonders brings people together to discover new facets of the world around them,” notes Bernard Weber. “More specifically, New7Wonders works through each campaign to foster and facilitate global dialogue, encouraging people everywhere to celebrate what we all share. People in China are now rallying to this call. Together, we create Global Memory—a bond of 7 things we all remember. This common good, created by people all over joining their voices and thoughts, is an important part of our legacy of the 21st Century.”

Recent studies show that participants in a New7Wonders campaign have benefitted to date from more than $5 billion in increased economic, tourism, and promotional value. The current Official New7Wonders of Nature Finalists are receiving and will continue to receive significant international media and public awareness at Expo 2010 Shanghai China and beyond.

Some interesting links to coverage of the New7Wonders Expo visits:

www.icshanghai.com/html/2010/07/19/2488.html, http://www.google.com/hostednews/epa/article/ALeqM5g1he35C624LVxMmsY8FQs4NpBbeg, www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010expo/2010-07/20/content_11022599.htm, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-07/20/c_13406744.htm, www.icshanghai.com/html/2010/07/20/2515.html, http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/7073869.html, www.thenews.pl/international/artykul135882_poland-shows-off-natural-gem-for-new7wonder-contest.html

Contact: Tia B. Viering, tia@n7w.com, tel: +41-79-762-2784 About New7Wonders:

The New7Wonders Foundation is an NGO dedicated to fostering global dialogue and mutual appreciation through worldwide participation in its voting campaigns. The campaign that chose the man-made Official New 7 Wonders of the World was the first-ever global election and received more than 100 million votes. The current campaign, to choose the Official New7Wonders of Nature, is now in its third and final voting phase, and expects some 1 billion votes by 11.11.11.

Note to media: All data is ©New7Wonders 2010. Recognized news media outlets may reproduce the ranking information available on the new7wonders.com website in a news context only, providing that the following text is always shown in a visible manner: Ranking © www.new7wonders.com

Since 2005 Brits have been able to drink much later than the traditional 11pm. The aim was to introduce a café

67% are in favour of the ban whilst only a third of Brits are against restrictions on pub closing times. Despite young males being at highest risk from alcohol fuelled crime, only 57% of men want the law to be reversed compared to over three quarters of women.Results and graphs can be found under the following link:

http://mingle-trend.respondi.com/uk/07_28_2010/brits-call-for-24-hour-drinking-ban/

The mingle-trend is representative of the population. All surveys will be conducted to comply with strict market research regulations and standards. Further use, both commercial and private; of the results, corresponding redactional content and charts provided in this blog is permitted. The source citation respondi-mingle the opinions platform is required for usage. The content is licensed in accordance with Creative Commons

Sender Name: mingle-Trend UK

Sender E-mail: liz.hope@respondi.com

” It deals with the importance of the examples leaders give to their people. You see, good leaders must communicate vision clearly, creatively, and continually. However, the vision doesn’t come alive until the leader models it themselves.Great leaders are aware that others do what they do. And they always keep in mind that:

Followers are Always Watching What Leaders Do.

If you are a parent, you have probably already realized that your children are always watching what you do. And just as children watch their parents and emulate their behaviour, so do employees who are watching their bosses. If the bosses come in late, then employees feel like they can, too. If the boss cuts corners, employees cut corners. People do what people see, not what they hear.

Followers may doubt what their leaders say, but they usually believe what they do. And they imitate it. “You can issue all the memos and give all the motivational speeches you want, but if the rest of the people in your organization don’t see you putting forth your very best effort every single day, they won’t either.” To be a great leader or manager then you MUST be able to set an example for others to inspire to and follow!

It’s Easier to Teach What’s Right than to Do What’s Right! People will always take the path of least resistance.

“To show what is right is great, To tell others what is right is even much easier.” That’s one of the reasons why many parents, leaders and managers say, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

One of my earliest challenges as a leader at Parker Worldwide was to raise my living to the level of my teaching. I can still remember the day I decided that I would not teach anything I did not try to live out myself. That was a tough decision, but as a young leader I was learning to embrace the Law of the 80% – 20%. “There is nothing more confusing than people who give good advice but set a bad example.”, “Nothing is more convincing than people who give good advice and set a good example.”

We Should Work on Changing Ourselves Before Trying to Improve Others.

Leaders and managers are responsible for the performance of their teams. The buck stops with them! Accordingly, they monitor their team’s progress, give them direction, and hold them accountable. And to improve the performance of the team, leaders must act as change agents. However, a great danger to good leadership is the temptation to try to change others without making changes to you first. As people will only ever do 80% of the example you set for them.

As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me. My standards of excellence should be higher for myself than those I set for others. To remain a credible leader, I must always work first, hardest, and longest on changing myself. This is neither easy nor natural, but it is essential for successful leadership and management.

The Most Valuable Gift a Leader Can Give is being a Great Example.

A survey conducted by our HR Department asked UK workers to select the one trait that was most important for a person to lead them. The 1st trait with 36% of votes, was leading by example. 2nd at 29%, was strong ethics or morals. More than anything else, employees want leaders whose beliefs and actions line up. People want to follow others who can set the example and have trodden the path that awaits them.

Leadership and management skill are more earned than taught. How does one earn leadership and management skills? By watching good leaders and managers in action and performing all the tasks to great standards before asking that of others.

So as you approach the end of the calendar year and start thinking about the performance of the team you lead, stop for a moment of honest reflection and ask yourself this question: What kind of example am I setting? If you’re setting a high standard for integrity, competence, work ethic, and professional growth, if you’re being all that you desire your people to be, then you’re setting up yourself, your team, and your organization for success. If not, you need to make some changes and fast. Parker Worldwide credit the success and rapid quality growth they have had in the UK to using our Business Development Plan to train all of our managers to such high standards and the work ethic each member of the team has contributed.